I’m thinking of Joseph Smith.
It all seemed so impossibly wonderful that weekend in October, when we were in Astana (capital city of Kazakhstan) sitting in the cozy living room of LeRoy and Anne Welling. They are people we’ve only met one other time, in September, and here we were being retrieved from the train station, sleeping on their floor, sharing their food, using Skype on their uber-sweet computer with flashlightening speed and feeling LOVED.
Soimpossiblywonderful.
We transformed the living room Sunday morning, dressed ourselves as nice as we could (shoeless!) and settled down with Jhanna, who is from Mongolia and the only other member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Astana. We took the sacrament together, we talked of the sacrament, we heard Jhanna’s testimony and challenges, we sang, we prayed and all was translated into Russian for Jhanna. We also read the scriptures and talked about righteous leadership and what can happen when we allow God to influence us. And what happens when we don’t. Read the Book of Mormon, it’s all there. I love the Book of Mormon.
So impossibly wonderful.
But it was possible and all because a boy of 14 decided to pray to a God who would surely answer his prayer.
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If you're in need of some recreational listening, click over to the following academic conference the Library of Congress held a few years ago, titled "The Worlds of Joseph Smith". If you click over and feel overwhelmed start with Bushman's address (session 1) or Given's (session 2). A word on Givens: the guy is so unbelievably eloquent -- it makes me weak in the knees.
4 comments:
Hi Jones family, we are the Baker Family. We got your blogspot from Randi Astle. Gary was his bishop in London before they moved on. We are currently living 2 hours north of Ekaterinburg. My husband is building a titanium plant for a joint venture with Boeing here. On Sundays we meet for church at our house with our driver, who's family recently joined the church, and another Russian family. Who's Dad was just baptized. Occasionally we all go down to Ekaterinburg to church. We love the mission president and his wife there. President and Shauna Allen. I hope you get to meet them. What brings you here? Are you enjoying your time here? While Gary is at work I volunteer at the highschool here teaching English and also work in the local orphanages. Tommorrow I am going to one in Verkhoture, a three hour drive. Ugh. Don't you love the roads here? I hope your hot water works better than ours. Some things you have to sacrifice for the sake of adventure. I hope to here from you, and if you are ever our way, we have one extra bed. Good luck! Christine Baker
Dear Heather,
We just read your blog and it's just like reading poetry!! You are so right; because we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is an immediate bond between people. No other religion in the world has that kind of connection. No matter where we go in the world, we know that if there are members we have a love for one another. Isn't the gospel of Jesus Christ the greatest!!
By the way, how is the ankle doing!! We think about you constantly and hope you are doing well!
Love,
Elder and Sister Welling
So true, everything you said is so true. I am so grateful to have a testimony of Joseph Smith. I think having the Gospel in our lives, the world just seems so much smaller, we all understand eachother. I love reading your blog. Would love to have you drop by mine.
www.doverfamilycircus.blogspot.com
We will be thinking of you at Grandmas Bash. Love ya Heather
mary christine!
i would love to get in touch with you -- how do i do it? you have no profile link. i'll try randy&carol. i look forward to talking more soon.
dearwellings!!
thanks for commenting! we LOVE you! i appreciate you testimony and i hope someday you’ll be able to share it with the good people of kz. we look forward to seeing you later this month for tgiving!
cuzofmine!
thanks for your love&testimony&humor (i always think of you and smile – you are hilarious, you know that right?!) love you and wish i could be there with all the wonderful simkins this month to celebrate the great matron grace! 100yearsold!! go girl. luvluvluv!
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