Member Testimony

Our member testimony this week comes from Sister Gloria Collins.

I feel it is a privilege to share my Testimony with you. My name is Gloria Collins and I was baptized into the church at age 10. Two missionaries, Elder Clay Smith from Arizona, and Elder Ralph Baleme from California, found my family. What I remember about my Baptism is the joy I felt. I never forgot that feeling. I knew the Gospel was true. Unfortunately, my parents became inactive soon after they were baptized. I had one sister who stayed active, and another who was somewhat active, and a brother who became active later in life. So, as my life moved on and I lived away from family, I wasn't good enough, the mistakes I had made. I was satisfied living life trying to learn from my mistakes. I remember my Sister, the one who had stayed active in her life, she lost her son. The family was in shock, he was so young! At his service she walked in with her husband and I will never forget what I saw. They looked so beautiful is the only way I can describe them. They were not engulfed with grief. She got up, and read a poem, and spoke of her son. Her husband dedicated his grave. They were at peace. I knew they had something special and I knew it was the gospel. As years went on, I listened to her and by this time my brother was active and I could see the change. My sister-in-law sent me the Ensign. As I read through it I said, "No wonder I love Mormons. Every thing in here makes sense to me!!!!" In my heart I knew <3. My brother asked me if I would mind if they sent my records here. I said, "No, they'll never find me........Knock Knock......Brother Long introduced himself, welcomed me to the area, and to church the next day. Sister Jackson called, she had seen my name on the roll and had no idea Brother Long had been out. Her and I talked as if we had been friends forever. She invited me to relief society program. Next day I received a letter and invite from Sister Long. The rest is history in my life. I have come to know the feeling of not being worthy enough to come to church was Satan's grasp that I had allowed him to have on me. I have come to know we are all sinners walking on this earth. I have come to know my Heavenly Father Loves ME and cares about me and wants me to have joy in this life!!!!! I have come to know Jesus is the Christ. He gave his life that I may gain salvation. I know my heart has been forever changed. I am so Thankful for this gospel in my life, so thankful for the change of heart I have been given, so Thankful for the Gospel and Knowledge I have been given so far. I know Heavenly Father exists, I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and through him we may return to our Heavenly Father. I know The Holy Ghost may be with us at all times if we choose to live by the word of God. I have come to know Joseph Smith was a modern day Prophet and Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet who guides us in these days. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL.

My husband listened through the lessons as I took them over since it had been so long since I had heard them. By the time the missionaries taught me, he was ready to be Baptized. Our lives have been forever changed. We were sealed in the Temple 3 years ago. Our love for the gospel grows and so does our love for one another. We are Blessed.

 

Sacrament Attendance Chart - August 25, 2013

M. Russell Ballard teaches us that “member missionary work does not require the development of strategies or gimmicks. It does require faith – real faith and trust in the Lord. It also requires genuine love. The first great commandment is to ‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind….The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’ (Matthew 22:37, 39). So let the power of love guide us in sharing the gospel with family members, friends, neighbors, business associates, and any other people we encounter as we go through life….Don’t ever forget, brothers and sisters, that you and I have in our possession the very points of doctrine that will bring people to the Lord. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ has within it the power to bring deep and abiding happiness to the human soul – something that will be valued and cherished for the rest of time and for all eternity. We are not just trying to get people to join our Church; we are sharing with them the fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. But as powerful as our message is, it cannot be imposed or forced upon people. It can only be shared – heart to heart, soul to soul, spirit to spirit – by being good neighbors and by caring and showing love. We need to be watchful for one another and reach out to one another. And as we do so, we will radiate the gospel in our own lives, and it will radiate to the people the blessing the gospel has to offer.”

May we all think about those who are missing from our meetings and those who might be ready to hear the gospel; may we love them, watch out for them, and reach out to them so that they too may feel the deep and abiding happiness that the gospel brings.

New Missionary

Missionary transfers occurred last week and subsequently, we have two new missionaries in the ward. Elder Loveless is one of them.

Ten and a half months ago, Elder Loveless left Lehi, Utah to serve his mission. He started his service in McMinnville where he stayed for four and a half months. From there, he served in Green Hills for another four and a half months. And just before coming to the Tullahoma ward, he served for a month and a half in the Murfreesboro Young Single Adult ward. 

Elder Loveless has a testimony of the power of prayer and that when we intently seek answers from Heavenly Father, He will unveil his mysteries to us. Here is a small piece of that testimony.

Often, in missionary work, we're faced with situations/problems that are past our young 21 year old minds to figure out. Recently, I had one of those situations. My companion and I were told to go visit Timmy at Vanderbilt Hospital. Timmy had suffered a major stroke and his sister called to request that missionaries go visit Timmy and offer him a Priesthood blessing. Vanderbilt being in our area, we were the missionaries to go offer that blessing. We got a lot of these calls because our area covered four major hospitals so we thought nothing of it! As we turned into the room we found Linda, Timmy's wife, being comforted by one of the nurses. Just moments before we walked in Linda had found out that Timmy had passed away. When the nurse informed us of this, I was instantly caught off guard. My 21 year old brain was screaming and yelling, "Oh my Gosh...What is going on?! We are not supposed to be here!!! We're intruding! We need to get out of here!" Then my heart said, "Easy there, buddy. Put on the brakes. Don't worry. I got this one."

As the nurse continued to explain the situation, I just tuned her out so I could say ten, or maybe thirty, prayers in my heart so that I would know how to handle the situation. After, I felt more calm and knew that I was there for a reason, and that I needed to share the Plan of Salvation with Linda. She wasn't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints so I knew, in this time, her knowing God's plan was going to be the only thing that could comfort her. I asked if we could pray with her and then I sat Linda down and explained to her God's plan for us. I explained that death is just simply a stepping stone for Timmy and that, because of Christ's atonement for us, Timmy was in a state of peace and joy and that he will watch out for her. After we explained this to her and shared a few scriptures that we felt prompted to offer, we gave her a Priesthood blessing of comfort. Linda then asked us something I'm not sure I'll ever forget. She explained how her and Timmy were working on getting back to church because Timmy wanted to get sealed in the temple to Linda for time and all eternity and partake of the special blessings that only a temple marriage can offer. 

When we were able to inform Linda that that sealing could still take place and she could be with Timmy again, her tears dried and I could feel a spirit come into the room. Then, all Linda wanted to know was when she could have missionaries in her area pay her a visit so she could learn more!

What an amazing story, right?! Oh! Witnessing the Holy Ghost bear witness of the truthfulness of what we were saying to Linda and seeing Linda react to the promptings of the spirit was such an amazing experience for me. My purpose in sharing that story with you was so that you could feel inspired. You could feel a small amount of the desire that Linda had to know that she could still live with Timmy again. That you too would ask God if all this amazing stuff is true!

Welcome, Elder Loveless!

Sacrament Attendance Chart - August 18, 2013

The Lord began, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” (Luke 15:4)

Elder L. Tom Perry relates, “It is important for each of us to ponder how it feels to be lost and what it means to be a ‘spiritual’ shepard who will leave the 99 to find the one who is lost....Such shepards respond to the final injunction to be a member missionary that I want to share with you from the Doctrine and Covenants. ‘And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!’ (D&C 18:15-16).”

The third verse of the following hymn, "Dear to the Heart of the Shepard," highlights the Lord's charge to us to search for His lost sheep.

Dear to the heart of the Shepard,
Dear are the 'ninety and nine';
Dear are the sheep that have wandered,
Out in the desert to pine.
Hark! He is earnestly calling,
Tenderly pleading today;
'Will you not seek for My lost ones,
Off from My shelter astray?'

As we look at the numbers for this week's sacrament attendance, may we, as the ninety and nine, ever seek to act as the Lord's under-shepards by finding, and bringing back to the fold, His wandering sheep.

New Friends

In June, a few new members were added to our ward family. Ben, Julia, Madeline, and Hayes Friend moved to Manchester from Logan, Utah. Perhaps you have met them by now but here are a few things you might not know about them.

Ben  was raised in Monroeville, Alabama. When he was fourteen, he moved with his parents and three sisters to Flippin, Arkansas where he graduated as valedictorian of Flippin High School. After serving a mission in Washington D.C., he attended BYU where he met and proposed to Julia in November of 2002. Five months later, in April 2003, they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple.  After changing his major a couple of times and moving around a bit, he finally found a perfect match in the civil engineering program at Utah State University. He graduated in May of this year and, after filling out over 150 job applications, was hired by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. So far he is pleased with his job and loving living in Manchester. Ben says he has three loves: his family, fishing, and baseball. His favorite scripture is Helaman 5:12 “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

          Julia was mostly raised in Silverton, Oregon with her three brothers. When she was twelve her family moved to Omaha, Nebraska and from there moved around quite a bit. She attended four different high schools before graduating from Bingham High in South Jordan, Utah. Two years after graduating she married Ben and together they moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas. In August of 2004 their daughter, Madeline, was born. The following spring the three of them moved to Auburn, Alabama. After just one year, they moved to Springfield, Missouri where Julia began attending college. In 2008 they moved to Logan, Utah so that Ben could attend the civil engineering program and Julia began her study in creative writing. August of 2009 brought them Hayes, who was quite a little surprise. Since moving to Tennessee Julia has starting working for Home Instead Senior Care; a company that provides non-medical, in home care for seniors. She especially enjoys hiking with her family as it reminds her of exploring the Oregon woods with her older brother when she was a child. Julia’s favorite scripture is Jacob 6:12 “O be wise; what can I say more?”

Madeline, or Maddie, was born on August 19, 2004 in Mountain Home, Arkansas. By the time she was four months old she had traveled from South Carolina to Oregon and subsequently seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (although she doesn’t remember either of them). As a baby and toddler she was always the quiet observer, never wandering far from her mother’s arms, and never ever talking to strangers; people thought she was deaf because if she didn’t know them, she would ignore them. She was also a very shy child but began to outgrow her shyness when she started kindergarten. She now attends third grade; she loves her teacher and has already made two great friends. Maddie’s favorite scripture story is Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. Her favorite part of the story is when the people eat the fruit of the tree of life and are happy.

Hayes, better known as Bubba, was born on August 21, 2009 in Logan, Utah. He was the best kind of surprise to his parents and, from the start, a very active baby. He is the complete opposite of his sister in every way; loud, energetic, and fearless. All you need to do to be Bubba’s best friend is meet him; he loves everyone! Hayes started preschool this year and has no qualms about leaving his mom to learn and play all day. His favorite primary song is “When I am Baptized.” The lyrics are: “I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain. And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain. I want to be the best I can and live with God again.”

Welcome, Friend family!

Sacrament Attendance Chart - August 11, 2013

James 1:22 reads, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only."

Our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson counsels, "You can share your testimony in many ways - by the words you speak, by the example you set, by the manner in which you live your life. May each of us emulate the Prophet Joseph's great example. He taught the truth; he lived the truth; he shared the truth."

As we attend our church meetings, may we hear the glad message of the Gospel, and then go out into the world and follow Christ's charge to "Let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Member Testimony

President Boyd K. Packer has said, “Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is found in the bearing of it!” Further, M. Russell Ballard teaches that "testimony - real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost - changes lives."

From time to time we will share member testimonies. Both for personal benefit as President Packer has said; to enable members to find their own testimonies by bearing them, and also for the benefit of others as M. Russell Ballard teaches; to change lives.

Our first member testimony comes from Brother Lyle Russell.

Being a convert to the church, I had some reservations going in. As with any new venture, there is always an element of uncertainty, and this was no different. However, some of the immediate burning questions I had were pretty easily answered, and some answers I already had and didn’t even know it.

For example, I have always had a big interest in genealogy. I was raised by my Grandmother and Great Grandmother and I think that’s where my love of history, especially family history comes from. They had both saved a lot of information on relatives long before them, which I was fortunate enough to have possession of when they both passed. I have to think there was a reason they had saved all of these papers with birth records, dates, places, etc. from our family but it was stuck in files and kind of unorganized. I was able to sort through it all, organize it and now have a very good record of my family history on that side, but I didn’t really know why all of that had fallen to me. There was a reason they saved it, and there was a reason I had it. None of us really knew that reason until it became clear through the church genealogy program what the purpose of that information was. It came to me because somewhere there was a plan for me to organize it, document it, and now being a member of the church I can do the necessary baptisms for my family who passed long before me.

Another interesting aspect of that information was that I had a large portion of family that was in and around Miller’s Hollow, Iowa from the early 1820’s through when the church moved through the area and renamed it Kanesville in honor of a prominent church member. It was then renamed Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa in 1853. This was all within just a few miles of Winter Quarters, Nebraska. Now at the time I found this information it didn’t mean anything extraordinary but as I studied some of the church pioneer history, some things I had never thought about started to make sense. When I began researching some of my family history on LDS.org, I found a lot of information in there on these family members that already existed. It appears some temple work had already been done for some of them and I didn’t even know it! Then I started thinking back to a discussion I had with my Grandmother one time when I was in my early teens. We were going over some family history and I remembered specifically her telling me that some of my family members were Mormons. At the time I didn’t really know much about it but of all things she ever said to me, that nugget of information always stuck in my mind. All at once, the pieces fit together and made perfect sense. When the church came to that area, some of my ancestors joined the westward movement of the church. Even though I don’t know exactly which ones were members, I am proud to think that some of my relatives were part of the pioneer movement and the establishment of the Church.

         
When I was kid, I could not fathom any of the reasons this information would collect and come to me, but I now know that it was no accident. There was a purpose for it all. I was meant to have it and when the time was right, the reasons were revealed to me of what I was to do with it. Now I have the honor and privilege of establishing this record for future generations of my family. This has been one of the many blessings I have in my life since I joined the Church, and I am sure there are many more to come.

Sacrament Attendance Chart - August 4, 2013

Weekly, we will be posting Sacrament attendance charts. The purpose is twofold. First, to help you see attendance goals. Second (and perhaps more important), to remind you to think about who is missing from our meetings and thereby encourage you to reach out to those people. M. Russell Ballard urges us, “Remember, brothers and sisters, we’re not marketing a product. We’re not selling anything. We’re not trying to impress anyone with our numbers or our growth. We are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, empowered and sent forth by the Lord Himself to find, nourish, and bring safely into His Church those who are seeking to know the truth.”

Here is the most current Sacrament attendance chart: