My Testimony Book

My house is like a black hole some times.  I have lost thing and never seen them again.  I have a book that I was reading, and one day it got picked up and I have never seen it again.  It was interesting and I still want to read it.  Some of these things that I can not find are from my LDS Mission to Ireland.  Well the other day I was looking for old photos and I found something I had been looking for, for a long time.  My Testimony Book.

Wikipedia explains that a Testimony is "a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter." It also points out that a Testimony for LDS people is a statement of what they belief, and in most cases the reason why they know it is true.

A Testimony book, is a notebook, in which you (many me) would get others to write a little message and let me know what and why the belief what they do.  Most of these are from missionary to missionary, but anyone can write in it.

My Testimony Book.  The gold left on top is a picture of Mesa, Arizona Temple.
When I first got to Ireland, I noticed other missionaries passing around notebooks, and wondered what they were doing.  This is when I found out about Testimony books and thought that this was a tradition that I want to keep in the mission.  I do not know when it started in the mission and I do not know if it is something done in other missions around the world.  I never asked.  I wonder if
this tradition is still going on in Ireland today?

For me my Testimony Book was also somewhat a memory book for me.  It is hard bond, so I knew it would last for a long time.  So I listed all the areas I served in (11), companions that I served with (16), and how many people I helped join the church.  I also put in there some pictures of some people that I was close to.  The are also missionary cards, cards that have the missionaries home address and the mission address, and usually has a picture of a temple, and on the other side the 13 Articles of Faith.  And the most import part, the Testimonies.

As I opened the book, the inside of the book has stickers from Kinder Eggs.  The next page was my Companions page, some of them I have reconnected, some have disappeared and some just do not want to talk to me.  The next page was people I help bring into the church. And then a page of Missionary Cards.  Then the testimonies.

It was fun to go back and read what people had written 23to 25 years ago.  I could honestly say that I laughed and cried and some of the things that were said.  One person what me to give them the address to my cousin, who I had a picture of.  Some testimonies were long, some were short.  But all of them mean the world to me.  I am glad I have found this book again, and will keep it in a safe place. 

Comments

  1. BevNovember 13, 2013 at 7:42 PM

    Sounds like you found it at the perfect time......just the boost your tender heart needed!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Feeling left behind

Over the past month I have been to two baptisms, two farewells and a home coming.  It reminds me of what I do not have in my life, children.  I also have had my 44th birthday, which I spent on my own.  My marriage of 22 years is gone, and I really have nothing to show that I am here. But I have been living some what an oddity in the Mormon Church.  Having been married for so long, with no kids, you just don't get the feeling that you are part of the church family.  I have set in many a Priesthood Class, hearing the teacher tell how special it is to be a father, and how closer to God you are.  I really have not made a lot of friends in these wards, because I have no  kids that are in the same Primary Class, Sunday School Class, or Mutual. It even feels like the newly married couple, when they do get pregnant, that they are now one up on me. A few years ago, our Ward did away with the Family Camp Out.  But what stayed were the father/daughter and the father/ sons camp outs.  For
Read more

Trains

Image
Me with Jensen in 2012. As I was writing about my vacation with my grandparents, it made me realize that I had a love of trains.  Not only did my Hatch grandparents work for the railroad, but so did my Grandpa Close.  One thing that I left out from the trips, was that we did stay here in Mesa between our travels from California, Northern Arizona, and Utah.  My grandpa Hatch would always take me down to Pioneer  Park and they had a train engine there, and I climbed all over that train inside and out. I think it that next Christmas that he got me a train set that had and engine that blow smoke.  I had that train until I think the second move out to Arizona.  But I have always enjoyed model trains.  One of the things I really enjoyed about going to the State Fair was going and seeing the model train set below the grandstands.  And then seeing the exhibit in San Diego in 2007. Living in Chattanooga was great as well.  During the Civil War, Chattanooga was the major train hub for th
Read more

Life after High School

This week my oldest niece, Ashley, is graduating from High School.  It is hard to believe that this little girl that I watched from a distance, is now a young woman, and going out into the big wide world.  I remember graduating from the same high school back in 1988.  There was over 800 plus of use getting our diplomas that night. A few days later, I was on a plane to Hawaii, for a week of fun with other classmates.  I had worked all senior year, and back than I think I paid $300 for the total trip.  There was about 15 of us from Mesa High that went on the trip.  About two weeks later, we were all back together to share our pictures of the trip.  The talk turned to what next.  For most, it was off to college.  I was one of three Mormons that went on the trip, and I knew that in two months I would be putting in my papers for a Mormon mission, and with in six months I would be in the mission. field.  I was shocked to find that many envied me,  because I knew what I was going to be doin
Read more