Senior Couple journal — New Zealand Hamilton Mission
July 19, 2015 to July 25, 2015
Dear friends and family members,
We greet you after a busy and rewarding week. It is cold and damp and windy in the Taranaki these days, and we look forward to the promise of spring.
1/ Scripture joke for the week: What is the scriptural explanation for why there are more wicked persons than righteous persons? See below!
2/ Church history quiz for the week: Can you name the apostle in this dispensation who served the longest as an apostle without serving as President of the Church?
3/ Update for the week: Our update for the week is a humorous story shared with us by our wonderful friend and fellow-missionary, Sister Aubrey Palmer. Aubrey is serving in Texas on her mission. This is Sister Palmer’s experience: “Dear family, Let me begin my weekly letter with one of the funniest experiences of my life. Javier, our convert who was baptized a few weeks ago, went with us on Tuesday night to help us teach Jaime. Javier and Jaime spent the first few minutes trying to determine how they knew each other, but they couldn’t figure it out. A few minutes into the lesson, it dawned on both of them how they knew each other, and they both started laughing. They both start explaining, at the same time and in rapid Spanish, about the night that Javier was taken to jail because he hadn’t paid a speeding ticket. That same night, Jaime was taken to jail for riding his bike drunk — they were jail mates that night at the “gray bar hotel”, as dad would call it. Jaime gave Javier his shirt that night because it was so cold in the jail. This situation was hilarious to all of us. Both of these prior cell-mates, sitting there face-to-face, holding their copies of the Book of Mormon, laughing about a night spent in jail and then testifying about how much repentance had changed both of them. The Atonement is real and they have both felt it very personally. It was a wonderful experience. They are now SO different than how they used to be.” What a wonderful example of the scriptural admonition found in Acts 3:19 — “Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” Thanks, Sister Palmer, for sharing that wonderful story.
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4/ Answer to the scripture joke of the week: Why are there more wicked persons that righteous ones? Doctrine and Covenantes 4:4 tells us that the righteous reap with a sickle, and Doctrine and Covenants 6:34 tells us that hell reaps with a COMBINE (…let earth and hell COMBINE against you…) ! Big difference. :o)
5/ Answer to the Church history quiz: Franklin Dewey Richards is the apostle that served the longest as an apostle without serving as president of the Church. Elder Richards was born on April 2, 1821 at Richmond, Massachusetts. He was ordained an apostle on February 12, 1849 and served faithfully as an apostle until his death on December 9, 1899. He thus served as an apostle for 50 years and 10 months, without serving as the President of the Church.
Much love,
Elder and Sister Taylor
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