Hello Everyone,
On Tuesday I said goodbye to Elder Chathyoka. He was a very good companion to me. I have really met amazing people on my mission; people who have shaped and impacted my life in a huge way. Elder Chathyoka taught me to be loving and happy. He always had a warm heart that shone through his countenance.
It was also then that I picked up my son (terminology used amongst the missionaries in reference to a new elder they train). My new mission companion is Elder Brimhall and he is from Mississippi. He is a very tall man and stands at 6’ 7”. He is also very tall in his testimony and an extremely good missionary, so he really does not seem like a new missionary, but rather a very seasoned one. Elder Brimhall has a gift for speaking and an incredible knowledge of the scriptures. He is also a very kind-hearted and goofy guy. (Editor’s insert: I received an email from one of Landon’s ward leaders in response to the height difference of these two elders and he stated that, throughout the ward they are affectionately referred to as ‘David & Goliath.’ I chose to add ‘The Great’ to this title because he is just that…. Great in Spirit.)
We set up our table at ‘Pick N’ Pay’ today. This is a way for us to meet many people, and some are quite interesting. Today a friendly Jehovah’s Witness spoke with us for a long time. We didn’t get much of a chance to speak because he was doing a lot of the talking. However, near the end of our conversation we were able to bear our testimony, which I could tell touched him.
After more time past an Afrikaans lady, walking by with a young child stopped and showed interested. As she approached I cheerfully greeted her, but she remained standing there not saying anything for about 30 seconds. Eventually she asked what Latter-Day Saints was. I explained. She continued with a stream of Questions; “Do you believe in Christ? Did he die on the cross? Have you accepted Him as your Savior? What’s the Book of Mormon? Do you pray for people? Can you heal? Do you believe Christ will come again?” Each question we answered honestly, and to her approval. Yet, she remained somewhat puzzled, until she found what she was looking for. She then asked, “Do you believe in tongues?” To which I replied, “Yes.” Surprisingly she then commanded, “Speak!” I attempted to explain that there was no one to interpret. She then went into a torrent, accusing us of being false because we cannot speak in tongues. She made an example of herself and spoke in an unknown tongue. I called her out that she herself did not know what she was saying, and this made her mad, she went ballistic. There was almost a sense of humor to it because it was so strange. Eventually she just left. Interesting people for sure.
Editor’s Note:
So what is the gift of tongues, and is it a real thing in this dispensation? As I searched for answers to best describe it’s use and need during this day and time I came across this quote by Joseph Smith who beautifully stated, “Be not so curious about tongues, do not speak in tongues except there be an interpreter present; the ultimate design of tongues is to speak to foreigners, and if persons are very anxious to display their intelligence, let them speak to such in their own tongues. The gifts of God are all useful in their place, but when they are applied to that which God does not intend, they prove an injury, a snare and a curse instead of a blessing.”
So yes, there is a great need for this gift of the spirit and I see it in use with thousands of missionaries sent to foreign lands each year expected to speak in a foreign tongue so far removed from there own. This miracle of sorts can be seen with these countless numbers of young men and women, who rapidly gain the knowledge of a language not native to their own tongue and within a very short time speak it with fluency and brilliance. Some may argue that anyone could learn a language quickly if they are immersed completely in a new language as these missionaries are. But, if you were to ask any of those placed so abruptly into these foreign situations just how they did it, I can assure you that in almost all cases they would give credit for the ability to God, realizing that it truly is a miracle.
On Tuesday I said goodbye to Elder Chathyoka. He was a very good companion to me. I have really met amazing people on my mission; people who have shaped and impacted my life in a huge way. Elder Chathyoka taught me to be loving and happy. He always had a warm heart that shone through his countenance.
It was also then that I picked up my son (terminology used amongst the missionaries in reference to a new elder they train). My new mission companion is Elder Brimhall and he is from Mississippi. He is a very tall man and stands at 6’ 7”. He is also very tall in his testimony and an extremely good missionary, so he really does not seem like a new missionary, but rather a very seasoned one. Elder Brimhall has a gift for speaking and an incredible knowledge of the scriptures. He is also a very kind-hearted and goofy guy. (Editor’s insert: I received an email from one of Landon’s ward leaders in response to the height difference of these two elders and he stated that, throughout the ward they are affectionately referred to as ‘David & Goliath.’ I chose to add ‘The Great’ to this title because he is just that…. Great in Spirit.)
We set up our table at ‘Pick N’ Pay’ today. This is a way for us to meet many people, and some are quite interesting. Today a friendly Jehovah’s Witness spoke with us for a long time. We didn’t get much of a chance to speak because he was doing a lot of the talking. However, near the end of our conversation we were able to bear our testimony, which I could tell touched him.
After more time past an Afrikaans lady, walking by with a young child stopped and showed interested. As she approached I cheerfully greeted her, but she remained standing there not saying anything for about 30 seconds. Eventually she asked what Latter-Day Saints was. I explained. She continued with a stream of Questions; “Do you believe in Christ? Did he die on the cross? Have you accepted Him as your Savior? What’s the Book of Mormon? Do you pray for people? Can you heal? Do you believe Christ will come again?” Each question we answered honestly, and to her approval. Yet, she remained somewhat puzzled, until she found what she was looking for. She then asked, “Do you believe in tongues?” To which I replied, “Yes.” Surprisingly she then commanded, “Speak!” I attempted to explain that there was no one to interpret. She then went into a torrent, accusing us of being false because we cannot speak in tongues. She made an example of herself and spoke in an unknown tongue. I called her out that she herself did not know what she was saying, and this made her mad, she went ballistic. There was almost a sense of humor to it because it was so strange. Eventually she just left. Interesting people for sure.
Editor’s Note:
So what is the gift of tongues, and is it a real thing in this dispensation? As I searched for answers to best describe it’s use and need during this day and time I came across this quote by Joseph Smith who beautifully stated, “Be not so curious about tongues, do not speak in tongues except there be an interpreter present; the ultimate design of tongues is to speak to foreigners, and if persons are very anxious to display their intelligence, let them speak to such in their own tongues. The gifts of God are all useful in their place, but when they are applied to that which God does not intend, they prove an injury, a snare and a curse instead of a blessing.”
So yes, there is a great need for this gift of the spirit and I see it in use with thousands of missionaries sent to foreign lands each year expected to speak in a foreign tongue so far removed from there own. This miracle of sorts can be seen with these countless numbers of young men and women, who rapidly gain the knowledge of a language not native to their own tongue and within a very short time speak it with fluency and brilliance. Some may argue that anyone could learn a language quickly if they are immersed completely in a new language as these missionaries are. But, if you were to ask any of those placed so abruptly into these foreign situations just how they did it, I can assure you that in almost all cases they would give credit for the ability to God, realizing that it truly is a miracle.
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