Monday, January 9, 2012

Transcription: 9 January 2012

NOTE: Sorry, the Samoan words below are my best guess on how to spell them.

Good morning. Today is Monday the 9th, and this week was very good.

We had a lesson with one of our investigators. We went to the lesson kind of thinking about what we wanted to do. We got there and Elder Leota leans over to me, and he's like, “let's watch the long movie first” – talking about Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. I was like, “yeah, let's do that, I was thinking about that too.” So we do it and watch the movie, and she's crying and I'm crying because it's a good movie (haha). We teach the first lesson to her after that, and the Spirit was there very strong. She told us later that because we watched the movie first she wanted to listen to us because she was intimidated a little at first because of how young we were. She wondered if we had anything we could offer her. But, she said after the movie she felt open and ready to listen to us, and it went very well. She hopefully will be baptized. She's pretty cool (haha) – that was a very good lesson.

We were also able to get a little bit of training from President Beesley this week. That was fun. I always love getting training and things like that.

We've had a really good week. We have been able to teach a lot of people. A lot of new things are happening in the ward. We were able to go to dinners with a lot more people than we were before. Sometimes they either don't have time because they are working or they feel like they can't provide good enough food so they send us somewhere to eat or something like that. We are starting to get to eat with more families, which is good because we want to talk with them and we want to help strengthen them and get referrals from that. The work is really starting to grow in this area. I'm having a great time with Elder Leota (haha). He's fun. Yeah, that's pretty much everything that happened this week – a very fun week. Hopefully we have another one like it next week. In fact I think it is probably even going to be a little bit better because we have a lot of lessons that will be scheduled. It's very fun. I love it. I am excited to email today and play some sports and kind of relax and get ready for the week ahead.

I was able to bear my testimony in Samoan yesterday because the New Year's Sunday ended up not being a fast Sunday. I wasn't able to memorize it yet, but I wrote it down on a card. Let me read it.



Testimony in Samoan, Length 00:01:58


So I said it a little bit slower, because in Samoan when you say something slower, it puts more emphasis and feeling into it. It went really well, and people commented on how good it was. Apparently I was able to make a difference for some people. They love to hear palagi's (white guys) speak their language, because it means a lot to them. In Samoan when you speak the language because of the culture they have like talking chiefs who will do a lot of negotiations. So when they talk they like to use proverbs, scriptures and things like that to put into things they say. So at the beginning [of his testimony in Samoan] I have a proverb – I don't remember what it is. Then I introduce myself, and then I begin my testimony. You can probably tell what I said. “Ekalesia” is the Church, the Church is true. “Soifua Jesu Kriso mialofa” that one is I know Jesus Christ lives and loves us – I believe. “Josefa Somita” is Joseph Smith. I also said I'm thankful for my family, and I'm thankful to be serving the Lord. I said, “I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I'm thankful for the Gospel.” No, no – it's “I know the Gospel blesses families” is the last one. Then to close in Samoan, just because of how nice they are (haha), every time after they speak they say like, “if there is anything wrong I said, forgive me,” like I know a lot but at the same time I don't know everything. So, “if I say anything that was wrong, forgive me.” So I said something like that in the testimony and then in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. So it was very good. I had the Ward Mission Leader help me with this. So a lot of people were very impressed by it, and they felt the Spirit when they listened to the words. Hopefully I will be able to do that again and start praying in Samoan. I want to start doing that too.

I know the Church is true (haha). I am thankful for the Gospel, and I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love, Elder Record


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