It has been an extremely interesting few days here. I have learned so much that I didn't understand or know before. First, we have been visiting a little family that lives in what can only be described as a hovel. There is trash everywhere and about half the time they are so drunk they are either loving you or fighting you. I went there again this week because we saw them on the street in a nearby town, drunk again. They asked us to take them home and my first thought (shame on me) was to say we couldn't and to worry about who would see us. My next thought was that they are God's children too and we were invited there in the first place by a family member who loves and cares about them. We loaded them up in the car and drove them home at which time she grabbed me by the hand and said, "Come on woman!" and so I followed. Inside she gave me some flowers woven of flax leaves that she had been saving as a gift for me. Why? Because I took them some carrot cake which they "portioned out" and ate over several days because no one ever brings them anything. On our way home Ken's comment was, "The whole have no need of a physician."
On Sunday we met a man who is in heart failure. We were a members last attempt at getting this man to listen to something about the church. He has many friends within the church but she is the only one who has ever really challenged him to "Come Unto Christ". He told us many stories of war. He was in the army for 30 years in Malaysia, Viet Nam and elsewhere. He was so gentle and kind. He had many mormon friends from boyhood and his father had been LDS. He said something about the mormon kids being the ones he wanted to be with and I asked him what drew him to them. He seemed to think on that. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with him and my prayers for God to lead us to those who need us were answered when he held his hands out with the palms a couple of inches apart and said, You have opened the door this much." We left him a Book of Mormon and a Finding Faith in Christ video and a promise to come back and see him again. His wife gave us avocados. Should we keep on trying?
On the beach today we met a man who told us an almost unbelievable story. I had never heard of this before but know it is true. He was put on a boat in England at 14 months of age. He was given a phony name and listed as an officer in the armed forces. When they reached New Zealand, he was put off the boat with lots of other children. Their parents were making a valiant effort to save their lives or they were just taken without consent and put on the ships. Their identities became lost aided by the people here and even the armed forces and police. Hundreds of children were left in various places with nothing and no one. He said, "I am 67 years old and I do not know who I am. I have been trying to do some searching for years and have found nothing. Someone told me to contact the "Mormons"." We were able to say, "We have a genealogy center right here in Timaru at our meeting house." He was tickled to know that and said he would go and see if they could help him.
Today we met with some Samoan saints who are at the polytech going to school for 15 weeks. He is a high councilman at home in Samoa. She is a less active member. As we talked, it became very apparent that she had little understanding of the church into which she was baptised. He, while he had more understanding, still has the idea that it is better to have Samoan wards, Tongan wards, Maori wards etc. While I agree that it might be better to have access to those languages, one thing we need to remember is this. This is a worldwide church. It is not assimilated into other cultures but rather, other cultures become a part of what this is, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church becomes the overriding culture. That is why, when we come to Timaru New Zealand from Pleasant Grove Utah, we are still a part of a communtiy. We become no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens in the household of God. Thank you Paul, you are certainly right.
Are we affecting lives? I know we are. There may not be big changes and huge conversions but every life we touch is changed including our own. I hope they are all for the better.
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