Mission Home Fireside

Sunday evening we had our monthly Mission Home Fireside.  This is one of my favorite meetings.  They are always inspiring and spiritual.  We invite a recent convert to share their story and then one of the mission presidency speaks.  Missionaries can come if they have a recent convert or an investigator with them.  Each time, I worry that we won't have anyone attend, but it is always overflowing.  We had about 60 attend this week.  We had a beautiful program.  First, Sister Donna spoke. She is a recent convert from China.  She bore a sweet and humble testimony.  She was a nanny for a family who brought her from china and were using her as slave labor and not allowing her to go to college which was the arrangement.  The missionaries found her and she accepted the gospel so easily.  She loves the idea of a Heavenly Father who loves her and knows her.  She gets excited about everything she is learning and it is fun to watch her progress.  A wonderful Family, The Salmons, have had her move in with them and are helping her get into school.  

President Albright conducting the fireside. 
Donna bearing her testimony.
The Morris' Family.
Brother Morris was our main speaker.  He was great.  He had written out his story and he gave me a copy of it.  What a wonderful man. He told about seeing "Mormon" commercials on TV when he was a kid and a teenager and feeling so warm and wondering if their were really families with lives and relationships like the ones in them.  He is educated and really bright and has grasp the gospel so well..  He loves everything about the church.  A wonderful story and testimony.  The 10 or so investigators were really touched by his words. 
Sister Ward played a beautiful violin number "Oh How Lovely Was The Morning".  She is just a beautiful and elegant woman. 
President Ward accompanied his wife on the piano.  So many talents!  Then he spoke about repentance.  He too is a gifted speaker.  I love to hear both of Marks counselors speak. 
Pres. felt inspired to ask Pres. Oryang to take a few minutes.  His story was fascinating.  He is in the stake presidency in one of the Woodbridge Stake and was the ride for one of the investigators and missionaries.  He told about growing up in Uganda and how the church leaders said his ancestors could not be saved because they hadn't accepted Christ.  He said he thought there must be a way to save them.  He also said he wondered about why there were only prophets in the middle east and he and his friends would talk about how there should have been prophets in other places too.  He came to the US as a student.  His mother came to visit him and allowed the missionaries in to teach her.  He listened from the other room (spied he said).  When he heard them telling about how his dead ancestors could hear the gospel in heaven and be baptized by someone here he was amazed and then when he heard about the Book of Mormon and that it was about another Witness of Christ, he decided he better listen.  He is an incredible man, a great leader in the church here.  
Elder Brunstad, Oryang, and Leippman.
Sister Donna Son and KT
The Morris, cute little boy who was with them
Elders Ozaki, Lewis, Ross, and Redford
Sister Hahn, Wilmer ( an investigator) and Sis Lau
Victor (an investigator getting baptised this Sat) and Elder Gannaway
Elder Hoffer, an investigator, and Elder Langi
Elder Forsberg, Bro Oryang, Elder Sowby and James Nelson 
Elder Redford and Metcalf with the Christie family ( the member family they live with)