Brothers and Sisters in the new Olympic (Marshallese) branch in the Auburn Washington Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am humbled to be able to serve and worship with you. When President Crabtree extended this calling to me and my wife, Cathy, we were surprised and we had a lot of questions. Now, many of those questions have been answered and new ones have taken their place. But, I testify to you that the Church is true, and that each of us will have new opportunities to serve and to grow. We will be challenged, in each of our new callings, to follow the example of Nephi, when he said:
I Nephi 3:7 “…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded for I know that he giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
I believe the Lord has called all of us to a work of love. I want you to know that I love you and look forward to knowing you. With the creation of the Olympic (Marshallese) Branch, we are called to build the kingdom. I know each of us will do our part, in Heavenly Father’s plan, to help gather this part of Israel in, in these last days.
Our Heavenly Father loves you. In this world where we hear of hate and fear and evil, we can be wrapped in Our Father’s love by the service and support we provide to each other, and by building our testimonies and faith in him. We will see Our Savior in the service we provide and the love we show to each other.
Next week, we will conduct our own meetings. New assignments will be given out. We will be around to visit as many as we can this week. As we create our branch, the Olympic branch, we already have many blessings from Heavenly Father. He asks us to serve one another and share those blessings. There are many from the Marshall Islands, and other islands, who have been guided to this area by Our Heavenly Father. Here, they can start new lives. Here they can seek new opportunities. Here they can educate and give hope to their families. And, through this branch, we will witness, and be a part of growing God’s kingdom, in the last days.
Our goal must be to get ourselves and our families to the “mountain of the Lord”, or in other words to the temple. Through doing what we must to be worthy to go to the temple, we will discover who Our Heavenly Father is, and how great his love is for us. This will take a little faith to begin. As we grow, we will be asked to exercise more faith, through service and more obedience to the commandments. As our faith grows we have hope. We can expect Our Heavenly Father to bless us. As we put aside the things of the world, and seek to be more and more a part of the Kingdom of God, we will see Our Heavenly Father’s love at work in our lives. He loves us; he is gathering us in that he may bless us. The full power of his love and blessings will be made known to us as we go to the temple.
This is a very exciting time! From this new beginning, we will see more people join the Church, through our branch. We will meet new friends. We will worship together. We will have fun together. We will serve together and we will serve each other, strengthening each other’s families and growing in the gospel.
Brothers and sister, I have a very strong testimony of the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is God’s only true church on the earth today. It is the organization that provides hope to our families in these challenging times. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. I know they stand omnipotent. They have immortal bodies of flesh and bone. We are Heavenly Father's children. They love us and they stand ready to help us, if we will ask with sincere hearts and real intent. I know that Our Savior died for us, so that we could return home to him and Our Heavenly Father.
I love President Gordon B. Hinckley. He is God’s prophet today. We must follow his teachings. We are in the last days; we have each heard our Father’s voice calling us, and that is why we are here today.
May we all grow in love and understanding, may we put the Savior first, and if we do, I promise that we will receive the blessings we need in our lives.
President User, I was touched after I read your very strong testimony. I am also an LDS member since I was 8 years old. I was baptized and confirmed to received the gift of the Holy Ghost in 1984 of May. I am now in my early 30s. I have married to my faithful and beautiful wife and our Heavenly Father blessed us with four kids, three boys and one girl. After being worked with the Marshall Islands Youth District as a President for many years, my other calling was to assisted our Branch President in one of our lovely branch called Jenrok Branch, this is where few of your members came from. If you ask for my name with them, they all knew who I am. I moved to Enid Oklahoma with my wife and our kids and also my mom for almost a year and half now. I was so blessed when I heard there is a Marshallese Branch here in Enid Oklahoma. Few weeks later after we attend the sacrament meetings, I was called by our Branch President to fullfilled a calling as a Branch Mission Leader. I then assisted the Branch President to designed our Branch Mission Plan. The very focused we target the most was our Home Teaching and Home Visiting. Right now, we have 120 members coming to our Sunday Services and the least number sometime Sundays we got is 80s. Few months ago, I was called by the Stake President and he offered me a prayer to think if the Lord will want me for another calling. It was not a week after when the Branch President again asked me if I wanted to release from mission leader to a Branch Clerk both financially and membership clerk. For the willing of the Lord, the main obstacles we had for many months before I was here was to set and correct the membership records in our branch. This is what I've been doing after I was called to serve as a branch clerk. My lovely wife was then called to be the Branch Primary President and my mom was also called to work with the Relief Society. Another calling they gave me was a church pianist. I was so lucky I had a chance to learned for few months how to read notes and play accordingly, so I said these Enid members are lucky to have me...I knew that this Church is the Church of Jesus Christ. I also have a great testimony about this church and I knew I won't deny it. One good thing I will do this year is to take our youth to a Temple Tour trip in Missouri and this is going to be happened starting from June 11-13 this year. I will be like their chaperone and we will go with more than 900 plus youth. This is also going to fullfilled my dreams to step in the areas where our Prophet Smith was at. Please share my "yokwe" and love to all the members and also everyone of the friends in your branch. If you would like to write to me, my email is, trsmaj@gmail.com
Love you all from Mote family and also the Marshallese Oakdale Branch in Enid Oklahoma.
Our branch was formed on August 5, 2007 in the Auburn, WA Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are dedicated to helping our members grow in faith and understanding of Our Savior Jesus Christ.
2 comments:
July 29, 2007
Brothers and Sisters in the new Olympic (Marshallese) branch in the Auburn Washington Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am humbled to be able to serve and worship with you. When President Crabtree extended this calling to me and my wife, Cathy, we were surprised and we had a lot of questions. Now, many of those questions have been answered and new ones have taken their place. But, I testify to you that the Church is true, and that each of us will have new opportunities to serve and to grow. We will be challenged, in each of our new callings, to follow the example of Nephi, when he said:
I Nephi 3:7
“…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded for I know that he giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
I believe the Lord has called all of us to a work of love. I want you to know that I love you and look forward to knowing you. With the creation of the Olympic (Marshallese) Branch, we are called to build the kingdom. I know each of us will do our part, in Heavenly Father’s plan, to help gather this part of Israel in, in these last days.
Our Heavenly Father loves you. In this world where we hear of hate and fear and evil, we can be wrapped in Our Father’s love by the service and support we provide to each other, and by building our testimonies and faith in him. We will see Our Savior in the service we provide and the love we show to each other.
Next week, we will conduct our own meetings. New assignments will be given out. We will be around to visit as many as we can this week. As we create our branch, the Olympic branch, we already have many blessings from Heavenly Father. He asks us to serve one another and share those blessings. There are many from the Marshall Islands, and other islands, who have been guided to this area by Our Heavenly Father. Here, they can start new lives. Here they can seek new opportunities. Here they can educate and give hope to their families. And, through this branch, we will witness, and be a part of growing God’s kingdom, in the last days.
Our goal must be to get ourselves and our families to the “mountain of the Lord”, or in other words to the temple. Through doing what we must to be worthy to go to the temple, we will discover who Our Heavenly Father is, and how great his love is for us. This will take a little faith to begin. As we grow, we will be asked to exercise more faith, through service and more obedience to the commandments. As our faith grows we have hope. We can expect Our Heavenly Father to bless us. As we put aside the things of the world, and seek to be more and more a part of the Kingdom of God, we will see Our Heavenly Father’s love at work in our lives. He loves us; he is gathering us in that he may bless us. The full power of his love and blessings will be made known to us as we go to the temple.
This is a very exciting time! From this new beginning, we will see more people join the Church, through our branch. We will meet new friends. We will worship together. We will have fun together. We will serve together and we will serve each other, strengthening each other’s families and growing in the gospel.
Brothers and sister, I have a very strong testimony of the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is God’s only true church on the earth today. It is the organization that provides hope to our families in these challenging times. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. I know they stand omnipotent. They have immortal bodies of flesh and bone. We are Heavenly Father's children. They love us and they stand ready to help us, if we will ask with sincere hearts and real intent. I know that Our Savior died for us, so that we could return home to him and Our Heavenly Father.
I love President Gordon B. Hinckley. He is God’s prophet today. We must follow his teachings. We are in the last days; we have each heard our Father’s voice calling us, and that is why we are here today.
May we all grow in love and understanding, may we put the Savior first, and if we do, I promise that we will receive the blessings we need in our lives.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen
President User, I was touched after I read your very strong testimony. I am also an LDS member since I was 8 years old. I was baptized and confirmed to received the gift of the Holy Ghost in 1984 of May. I am now in my early 30s. I have married to my faithful and beautiful wife and our Heavenly Father blessed us with four kids, three boys and one girl. After being worked with the Marshall Islands Youth District as a President for many years, my other calling was to assisted our Branch President in one of our lovely branch called Jenrok Branch, this is where few of your members came from. If you ask for my name with them, they all knew who I am. I moved to Enid Oklahoma with my wife and our kids and also my mom for almost a year and half now. I was so blessed when I heard there is a Marshallese Branch here in Enid Oklahoma. Few weeks later after we attend the sacrament meetings, I was called by our Branch President to fullfilled a calling as a Branch Mission Leader. I then assisted the Branch President to designed our Branch Mission Plan. The very focused we target the most was our Home Teaching and Home Visiting. Right now, we have 120 members coming to our Sunday Services and the least number sometime Sundays we got is 80s. Few months ago, I was called by the Stake President and he offered me a prayer to think if the Lord will want me for another calling. It was not a week after when the Branch President again asked me if I wanted to release from mission leader to a Branch Clerk both financially and membership clerk. For the willing of the Lord, the main obstacles we had for many months before I was here was to set and correct the membership records in our branch. This is what I've been doing after I was called to serve as a branch clerk. My lovely wife was then called to be the Branch Primary President and my mom was also called to work with the Relief Society. Another calling they gave me was a church pianist. I was so lucky I had a chance to learned for few months how to read notes and play accordingly, so I said these Enid members are lucky to have me...I knew that this Church is the Church of Jesus Christ. I also have a great testimony about this church and I knew I won't deny it. One good thing I will do this year is to take our youth to a Temple Tour trip in Missouri and this is going to be happened starting from June 11-13 this year. I will be like their chaperone and we will go with more than 900 plus youth. This is also going to fullfilled my dreams to step in the areas where our Prophet Smith was at. Please share my "yokwe" and love to all the members and also everyone of the friends in your branch. If you would like to write to me, my email is, trsmaj@gmail.com
Love you all from Mote family and also the Marshallese Oakdale Branch in Enid Oklahoma.
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