Tongan Update, 09 December 2007, Meg’s Baptism

Our grand-daughter, Meg, got baptized today! We are so proud of her…the newest member of the Church in our family. Now that’s exciting.

We wished we could have been with Meg and our family for her special day, but I guess we did the next best thing. We were invited to the baptism of someone here. The Office Elders have been giving the “Preach My Gospel” lessons to a seventeen year old Tongan gal, and she was baptized yesterday. It was a thrill for us to be included on this wonderful occasion with her and her family, especially since we weren’t able to attend Meg’s. A baptism is wonderful any time, but it’s a really nice moment in the mission field especially for us. Being the Office Couple, we don’t have the opportunity to work with the local people very often. Most of our time is with computers, housing, and missionaries.

We were proud of our Office Elders too. Those two goofy missionaries did a great job of conducting the meeting and bearing their testimonies. It was interesting and surprising to see those guys when “the Spirit” is working through them. What a great evening!

Another surprising testimony we heard was from an eleven year old girl who is in my Primary class. I asked the children to write their testimonies like the Apostle Paul did while he was in a Roman prison. Most of the kids needed a lot of help, but Joanne (her English name) went to work on her own, and this is what she wrote:

“Today I would like to have my testimony to you about the church I go to. My church is very kind. They are kind to one another. Our church is fun. Our church has humble people, kind people, and some people are preaching the gospel. We have preistholders and they are very good in preaching. One of our members just left on a mission there to America but at California. Now we’ve got two new members who are preaching our gospel which they come from Utah. They are two missionaries Elder and Sister Thompson. They are kind. As I finish, remember to preach the gospel all the time, forgive people, love them, be honest, and live peace with others. Have faith, hope, and charity. As I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Sincerely,

Joanne S. Matael

My, she says it all. What a perfect Christmas message.

Love to you all, John and Diane