President and Sister Whiting

 

I totally understand why missionaries always talk so highly of their mission presidents!! Elder and Sister Whiting are the salt of the earth. So personable and yet spiritual giants!!

Our first interview with them lasted over two hours but we were so well taught by them. One thing they pointed out was concerning our purpose here in Zambia:

“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. (Luke 7:22)

Did you catch what Jesus did for the poor? “To the poor the gospel is preached.” 


We are surrounded by the poor here. If we feed them today, they will be hungry again tomorrow. If the gospel is preached to them and they accept it, they receive power from on high through the Holy Ghost and thus become rich. “He that has eternal life is rich. D&C 6:7


“Eternal life is the phrase used in scripture to define the quality of life that our Eternal Father lives.”


Now that we have been here for just a little while, it is hard to know exactly how to deal with all the beggars. Children kneeling in the center of the road, between crazy amounts of traffic! There are so many extremely poor. We can’t feed all of them. Nor can we provide them with better jobs. We can’t fix their homes, or provide better transportation, better schools, or better places with fair prices for shopping. The language barrier is definitely an issue, even though they try to speak English, and the mentality they have of give me, give me. But we can share the gospel with them, even if it is just one at a time.


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