Monday, March 28, 2016

March 14th, 2016: Boldness Brings Blessings (And a Birthday! ;))

This week was a great week, nothing really extra special just a solid week with a lot of investigators keeping their commitments and progressing. One thing that stood out though was when we were having a lesson with one of our investigators. About halfway through teaching about the restoration he put his hand up and stopped me from talking, he then proceeded to tell me how bad I was at Pohnpeian and how that I didn't know what Faith was and that maybe next time when we came back he would teach us about Faith, then he started saying how we were "Pweipwei men wi" which is "stupid white people" and continued to insult us. I patiently waited for him to stop. After he finished his rant, I bore one of the most powerful and from the heart testimonies I have in my life. I told him how "I might not know Pohnpeian the best, I might not be the best teacher or the smartest person. But one word I do know is Pohnpeian is "invite" I can say invite and that's all I need to know. Our job as missionaries is to invite in the four corners of the Earth. To invited people to come unto Christ, to use the Atonement and reap the rewards of Baptism. Maybe right now you might not understand why this church is the church of Jesus Christ on the Earth today. But that's our job to help you understand to help you learn for yourself the things we teach. Our job is not to persuade or to trick people into joining so I will speak in the most basic Pohnpeian I know, THIS CHURCH IS TRUE." After bearing that and a few other things, he was speechless for a long time. Then after a couple minutes of silence he responded and said something along the lines of forgive me, now I can see why your church is true. He asked us that instead of him teaching us about faith maybe when we came back we could teach him how we got faith like we do. It was such a turn of events and it all started by bearing my meager testimony. I know my testimony is far from complete, but the things that compose it are as solid and steadfast as can be. I want to further my testimony to you all and tell you that no matter how simple and small your testimony is, all that matters is that you share it. When you truly share it from the bottom of your soul that is when the Spirit touches the hearts of others. I have neglected sharing and strengthening my testimony for the past 18 years, I guess now is my time to catch up, to make all the progress I should have been making. I invite you all, there’s that word again, I invite you all to start today, take your testimony to the spiritual gym, the scriptures the temple, and to prayer. Strengthen your testimony for the days when you might need to move spiritual boulders that are in your way. I promise you that as you do, God will give you nourishment and help you progress. I love you all more than I can express in words and I know God loves you more than we can comprehend. I invite you to feel His love and pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Hanson


Hey everyone Elder Hanson's Birthday is coming up on April 21.  Travis will be 19!
If any of you would like to send him a Birthday Card or anything
it usually takes 3 weeks to get to him.
His island is a U.S. Territory so regular U.S. Postage is all that is required.

Thanks! 
I am sure that he would really appreciate it :) 


Elder Travis Hanson
P.O. Box #2203
Kolonia, Pohnpei 96941
Federated States of Micronesia

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