The PROPHET comes to Zimbabwe!

A once in a lifetime event happened this month in Harare, Zimbabwe.  President Russell M. Nelson, the Prophet (to the whole world) and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to visit Zimbabwe!  He was accompanied by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  We heard from the Public Affairs couple that many of the other African countries were questioning, "Why would he go to Zimbabwe?"  President Nelson's simple answer was "because I was directed to by the Lord."

(Couples L to R:  Elder Hamilton, Africa Southeast Area President, and his wife; President and Sister Mkhabela, our wonderful mission president; President and Sister Nelson; Elder and Sister Holland; Elder Palmer, new SE Area President, and his wife.  The second row starts with the Mkhabela's daughter and then all of the senior missionaries, except public affairs)
 
President and Sister Mkhabela called in every missionary from all parts of Zimbabwe to be there for the prophet's visit.  The Spirit in this room was intense, tangible, and overwhelming!  Everyone was super excited!

President Mkhabela wanted to make sure everything went perfectly so we practiced for the picture several times.  After that, everyone had to practice shaking hands so Elder Theurer and I stood in for the Prophet and his wife. 😁

President Nelson and Elder Holland and their wives were on a global ministry tour that took them to London, Jerusalem, Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, Bengaluru India, Bangkok Thailand, Hong Kong, and Honolulu.  The over 16 million members of the Church are in 175 (of the 195) countries of the world. 

The Public Affairs couple from Kenya caught a picture of us shaking hands.  I was reaching for Elder Holland and Elder Theurer paused with President Nelson.  President Nelson was friends with the Theurer family and so he had a few extra words for Elder Theurer, a sweet experience for him!   The entire experience was just unforgettable!

Elder Holland explained that an apostle used to interview every missionary every year, and now with the size of the Church that is no longer possible.  But, he said, "You each received a mini-interview today.  We looked into your eyes as we shook your hand."  (That gave me pause--  what does the prophet, or an apostle, -- see when he looks into my eyes?) 

A group of sister missionaries

One of 2 BYU football players in our mission

Elder Koch from Denmark (tall!) and Elder Lukumy from Tanzania

                                                              

After the hand-shaking, we went into the small chapel where 145+ missionaries packed in for a 2 hour meeting just for us, where wonderful words of wisdom and counsel were shared! 

We don't have other pictures from the meeting but this is a clip of some highlights of the meeting with the missionaries: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/162e864c1c147d63?projector=1
(on YouTube - "Behold a Royal Army")
At the conclusion of the meeting President Nelson left a beautiful blessing on the missionaries.

The main meeting, held in downtown Harare, was attended by over 4000 people, including travelers from Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, and South Africa. We were excited to hear that the crowds in Zimbabwe were the largest of all! 
For the many people that could not attend, the meeting was broadcast in the stake centers and district buildings.  There are almost 32,000 members of the Church in Zimbabwe.

People walked.  People took buses, taxis, and kombis.  Only a few people drove. 

And oh what a choir!!!  Twenty-five people were selected from each unit of the four Harare Stakes.  They were led by Sharon Nield Spencer, a long-time member of the Church in Harare, and a brilliant musician.  She led a choir number, "Come Unto Jesus", African style, that was incredible.  Sister Holland was so moved by the song that she said they were even better than the Tabernacle Choir.

Members of the choir as they sang, "God be With You Till We Meet Again," waving goodbye to the prophet.  They sang this song in both English and Shona.

The talks were amazing.  Neither President Nelson or Elder Holland used a single note, but they were inspiring and uplifting!  Sister Nelson spoke with some notes, and she was also amazing.

President Nelson was especially attentive to the young children.  Because of the lights he had trouble seeing them.  He asked them to wave so he could see them.  And then he asked if they would stand and sing, "I Am a Child of God" for him.  This young 11 year old girl was the only child singing with the choir so she was asked to join the rest of the group, but to sing in the microphone! 

 Just like the Savior, President Nelson really loved being with the children.  Two of my piano students were in the crowd toward the front, so I asked if they got to shake his hand.  "No", they responded, "We hugged him"!  

A temple has been announced for Zimbabwe.  Elder Nelson told the crowd that he wanted to be here for the dedication of the temple . . . so they had better hurry and get it built.

 And oh what a way to end an already wonderful conference!  As the meeting concluded, President Nelson was ready to give another blessing, this time one for the country.  He called Elder Holland up to come and join him.  Elder Holland stood with him and put his arm around the prophet's waist as the blessing was pronounced.  Double priesthood power!!! A prophet and an apostle together.

Some links for video and further information about the global ministry tour:

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-nelson-global-ministry-tour-landing-page?cid=HP_FR-27-4-2018_dPAD_fMNWS_xLIDyL1-A_  (for the Mormon Newsroom)

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-nelson-global-ministry-tour-zimbabwe

https://www.facebook.com/ZimbabweMormonNewsroom/videos/2174804729213413/

It was fun to hear some of the reactions of Zimbabweans that we associate with.  Most just said how much they loved the conference and how much they loved the prophet.  I was touched by the words of "The Professor".  He and his crew of two young men come every Monday to wash the cars at the mission office parking lot.

 Professor is in the middle.  On the day I took the picture his daughter was there helping also.  We pay $5 a week to support him in his business, and for that we get a perfectly clean car inside and out.  He says his young son prays every weekend that the cars will be dirty so his dad will have cars to wash.

Regarding the prophet:  he said that he had wondered what President Nelson would be like, and he found out that the prophet was "just like us"; that he didn't act like he was an "authority".  Professor sat close to the stage and said he couldn't believe that President Nelson turned, and even got on his knees, so that he could intently watch the choir while they sang.  He intently watched and listened to every speaker.  He spoke without notes,but "when he spoke it wasn't him speaking".  Professor felt his heart burning inside him when the prophet spoke.  He stated, "those were not man's words."  

One of our Institute students said that he had missed the solemn assembly session of General Conference in October, and that he had been praying to know if President Nelson was really a true prophet.  As soon as the prophet walked in to the large hall, this young man said that he felt an overwhelming feeling, and he knew that his prayer was answered.

 

And now the GEMS that we have collected over the last few weeks:


A few thoughts from President Nelson at the Zimbabwe Devotional:

⤳"Your children should be able to memorize the sound of their mother's voice reading the scriptures to them."

⤳"Teach your children what it really means to be a child of God." (His fondest wish)

⤳"Please help your children to know how to pray."

⤳"We speak of enduring to the end.  What is the end?  It is receiving the ordinances in the temple."

A few thoughts from Elder Holland at the Zimbabwe Devotional:

⤳"In the Church of Jesus Christ, you get a lot more than you bargained for. . . .There is no end to the blessings -- they keep on coming!"  (The 3 examples he gave were Act 3:1-8, Mark 2:3-12, and Ether 3 -- the Brother of Jared)

⤳"Learn to be righteous in the dark."    (Quoting Brigham Young)

⤳"With God, all the rules are fair, and there are wonderful surprises."   (Quoting a Catholic Nun)

⤳ "Be the best you can be!  Learn everything that you can.  [Live/serve so that you] Have no Regrets!  


A few thoughts from Sister Nelson at the Zimbabwe Devotional:

⤳"What has the Spirit taught you that you never want to forget?"

⤳"Think of a problem.  What eternal laws govern that problem?  What eternal laws need to be followed to receive the needed blessing?

⤳"We need to live our lives not after the manner of men." 

⤳"Always have a question for General Conference.  Come fasting and praying.  You can even pray to get help with your question.  Be willing to follow through with the answer."



And a few other thoughts:
 
"If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are"?
                                                                                     --  T.S. Elliott

"Failing is an essential part of the mortal phase of our quest for perfection. We don’t often think of it that way, but that is only because we tend to focus too much on the word perfection and not enough on the word quest . . . Failure is an inevitable part of the quest. In our quest for perfection, how we respond when we fail will ultimately determine how well we will succeed. . . .  My plea for you today is to learn how to fail successfully."                                                                                                               -- Kevin J. Worthen  (BYU President)

"It's the life of a disciple.  You can always manage."
                                                                          (-- Alywin Tsongora, one of our busy, multi-taksing S&I  teachers)



We are so grateful to be here serving. 💕 Every day we learn new lessons from these humble, kind, and loving people.  We send our love to all of you!

Elder and Sister Theurer