Last night Matt Heiss from the new Family History Library spoke at a fireside for our youth and their parents. Now in the past these Sunday night firesides are poorly attended, you know, the guys don't want to put their ties back on, the girls have changed skirts for shorts and flip-flops.............but we promised them ice cream sundaes, so with that bribe we had a good turnout.
His message was trying to tell the kids how important their journal writing and personal history was. To write it down now, while they are fresh in their minds. It was a hit, the spirit was there and the kids had so many questions when he finished. Matt is one of the few who has been asked to journey to Nigeria and the Ukraine to gather oral histories from new members joining the church. He had some stories that were absolutely spine-tingling about the Lord watching over him and his companions as well as amazing conversion stories and challenges of people living in dire circumstances and accepting the Gospel into their lives.
I'll share one of the many he told us: The Aba Temple has had to close recently because of the danger to patrons coming to the temple and attempted kidnapping and ransoms sought by dangerous gangs. He said he was there collecting oral histories and they were close to missing their flight. A Branch president and his son were driving them to the airport. The police are very bad about demanding bribery payments to let you pass through check places in this huge and crowded city. At one point they were stopped and in a four passenger car already filled with four passengers, two policeman with guns got in and told them to go back to the police station. The brave African Branch President said, "If you want to imprison me, I will go back with you but these men must make their flight". Matt said suddenly the air just changed in the car, the policeman said "give us bus fare back to where we stopped you and we'll let you go". With that they gave them the equivalent of 75 cents and they got out of the car and let them go. Matt said we were praying so hard, because they could have detained us, ruined all of our luggage and equipment, even torture in a Nigerian jail and suddenly with this Branch President's courage, the Lord intervened and softened the policeman's hearts.
Ok, just one more..............The temple in the Ukraine was under construction with lots of scaffolding surrounding it. The stake Center which was completed near it a couple of hundred yards away was hit by what they called a "microburst but it was closer to a tornado". It was so powerful that large pieces of wood were jammed into the stucco of the stake center and glass windows were exploded. But, here's the cool part......only some scaffolding was blown away on
the temple, no other damage was done!!!! We saw the slides!!! Quite amazing, the local people could not believe how it had been protected.
Anyway, a Sunday fireside well worth the effort to attend. I know I will never forget seeing his presentation and hearing his testimony and I hope those youth won't either! He left them with the words that no matter what you have to get through, rely on HIM, even the Savior of the World.
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