monday

 Working backwards:

This evening Ethan sent a good email and several fun pictures.  I love to read his emails each week and love to see the pictures, as any missionary mom does. He's doing great! Tonight we will talk to him and that's a highlight of the week for us.

Today I didn't go to work.  I signed up to take the state credentialing exam last month and today was the day.  There are four tests you have to take and I passed 3 of them, no surprise I need to take the math one again but science, history and language arts went well.  I was honestly expecting to do worse so although I would have loved to pass them all I was happy enough with the three.  

Yesterday we went to church, Grace also had missionary correlation meeting and we both had BYC.  Rob spoke in church and did a really good job.  In the evening we had a fireside for the whole ward and it was really amazing.  A brother in our ward was invited to share his conversion story and it was incredible.  I doubt I'll get all the details right but basically he was born in Israel to a Muslim family.  When he was in elementary school he and a friend wondered together about God, what was he like etc.  He worked up the courage to ask his teacher only to be beaten with a stick and told not to ask such unknowable questions.  His family was very devout but he wasn't committed in his heart.  In high school he was recruited by some communist friends to join the party and to be atheist.  He thought if God could let a small boy be beaten for wondering about him maybe he wasn't real so he joined with the communists, although half heartedly. 

Still he longed for answers and as a young adult met some Jehovah's Witness who taught him about Jesus Christ.  He felt that Jesus was real and wanted to worship him.  He chose the biggest church around, the Greek Orthodox church it turned out, and went to them for baptism. At that time he was living in Jordan and could not be baptized.  A helpful priest got him to Greece where he entered a monastery and lived there for 100 days waiting to be baptized.  During that time he read the New Testament twice and came to know and love Jesus.  Finally he was baptized and he learned that they wanted him to train to be a monk.  Although he loved Jesus and wanted to be like Him he didn't feel like that was right.  He said Jesus didn't lock himself up on a mountain and just pray.  He went among the people and taught and healed and served.  The monks agreed that he could study theology and become a priest, he would be allowed to marry and have a family.  This sounded awesome to him except for one detail  During his reading of the New Testament he came upon 7 questions that burned in his soul.  He asked them to the monks there and was told "just have faith". At this time he was disowned from his family and wanted to go to school so he agreed and started his studies.  

One night he had a dream.  In this dream he was back in Jerusalem.  He saw someone baptizing in the middle of a large throng of people.  He wanted to go to them and see what was going on.  He couldn't though (you know how frustrating dreams can be!). Then he noticed that across the street were two young men walking together.  He approached them and asked who the man was and they told him it was the Messiah.  The Messiah!! He wanted to go to Him so much but couldn't.  That dream stayed with him.  Not long after, a few months only, he was riding on the bus to go to school. It was crowded and he had a seat but many people were standing.  He saw two blond young men get on  the bus.  They had name tags and the name Jesus Christ (only in Greek) jumped out at him.  He couldn't believe it.  It was the men from his dream and he fought his way thru the crowd to talk to them.  Do you know Jesus Christ? he asked.  They talked on the bus all the way to his stop.  As luck would have it(or something;) ) they had just that week picked up a pamphlet from the mission home that had been sitting on the shelf for years gathering dust.  It was the Joseph Smith story in Arabic. They gave it to him along with their phone number.  He eagerly read it, in fact he said he read it 12 times that night and knew it was true.  He called them and began to meet with the missionaries.  His first time to church the Sunday school lesson was on the 13 articles of faith, where all 7 of his questions were answered. He wanted to be baptized.  At this point he went back to Jordan for awhile, idk why and he couldn't be baptized there although he continued to meet with missionaries and attend the various meetings at the "center" there. When he got back to Greece he went to the branch president and told him he wanted to be baptized.  He also wanted to stay a member of the greek church because that was how he paid for school, his house, his food, everything.  He wanted the branch president to tell him what to do.  If he left the church he would lose everything again.  The president told him that he couldn't do that. He could not tell him what to do but he knew someone who could.  Elated Jamil grabbed a pen and paper and was ready to write down the phone number of the person who could tell him.  The branch president lovingly, and with tear-filled eyes, said only God can tell you.  So he left to search his soul and ask his God what to do.  He was also given some specific chapters to read in the Book of Mormon to help him find his answer.  Well, you guessed it.  He wanted to follow the truth that was revealed to him and wanted to join Jesus Christ's restored church so he was baptized.  

He didn't tell the university, they did find out though and one morning around 4am they came to his apartment and threw him out.  He really had nothing once again.

The branch president was the attache to the American embassy and helped him get asylum in the U.S.  About 20 years ago he moved to Virginia and made a life and served his God as a faithful member of his church.  He said he has been greatly, richly, blessed.  He had a beautiful wife and three children. He has made money to support his family, he has served in many capacities that have filled him with joy.  He helps translate conference talks into Arabic each conference, he travels with Elder Holland to the middle east to act has his interpreter when his responsibilities take him there, he serves in the temple and has done so much work for his family.  His testimony was strong and clear and such a blessing to hear. 

Grace had band stuff on the Saturday and hung out with friends.  We went on a date.  Lots of laundry was done.

Friday night was book club, we had a good discussion and it was fun to see everyone.