My Testimony
By Miline Brown
My husband bought a small lemon tree one day because he loves adding the lemon leaves to his cocoa and other foods. He nurtured this small tree till it started bearing fruits and tripled in size. He spent so much time with it that I actually got jealous of the tree. After some time, he moved the tree out to the patio and started neglecting his tree. His tree slowly started losing all its leaves and was just bare branches. My husband has decided to spend more time on his tree again. “I’m going to bring this tree back to life,” he said.
As I am watching him do this I thought to myself that this tree is symbolic of our testimonies. Our testimonies need constant nourishment and attention in order for it to grow. Sometimes our testimonies are neglected and stop growing……it is possible to “bring it back to life.”
The first thing my husband did was cut off the dead branches of the tree and trimmed it down to its trunk or base. How many of us have dead branches in our testimony? I remember at the age of 16, I went through a rebellious phase in my life….my testimony’s branches started dying. I went to a Young Women’s camp and I felt everything at the camp, every lesson every activity was planned and created for me. Every lesson prepared by Sis. Rolling (who was my camp leader at the time)reminded me that I am loved and that I do have a Heavenly Father that loves me, knows me and understands what I am going through in my life. Slowly, the dead branches in my testimony started falling off. I came back from Young Women’s camp with a grateful heart, and was inspired to repent of my mistakes and to have the desire to read the Book of Mormon all the way through for the 1st time.
The 2nd thing my husband did was brought the tree back inside, away from the harsh elements outside into a safer environment. After my Young Women’s camp, I changed my friends, changed my environment in school and started paying more attention to my Young Women leaders. I started appreciating the example of strength my mother has been to me in my life. Her struggles as a single mom raising 5 children in the church now made my struggles seem small. I am so grateful for my mother, who also is responsible for strengthening the roots of my testimony, I remember at a young age watching my mother gather our family for early morning prayers, someone who taught me the importance of paying tithing. Someone who through her actions and example exemplify the love of the Savior. She is one of the biggest reasons why my testimony has grown and blossomed. I started praying daily and I set a goal to serve a mission. I started nurturing the trunk of my testimony.
Bruce R McConkie stated in Mormon Doctrine that “Three great truths must be included in every valid testimony: 1. That Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world; 2. That Joseph Smith is the Prophet of God through whom the gospel was restored in this dispensation; 3. That The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the ‘only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.
The 3rd thing my husband did is watered his tree. Our testimonies need lots of water to grow and to be brought back to life. In John chapter 4:14 its reads “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” We water our testimonies by coming to church every Sunday and renewing our covenants by partaking of the sacrament, by listening to our leaders and by attending Sunday School and Priesthood orRelief Society. We continue to water our testimonies by reading our scriptures at home and saying personal prayers or family prayers in our homes.
Now my husband is anxious to see his tree grow back to life and will make sure it is strong enough before he places it back outside to face the world and grow to its full potential bearing endless fruits.
My testimony which once had dead branches was now ready to grow and bear fruits and because I nurtured it well….I was ready to face the world and its upcoming trials. My desire to serve a mission was a true test of my commitment to the Lord. Due to my immigration status at the time and new rules after September 11, this was now an obstacle for me to serve my mission. We had 5 potential missionaries in our stake with the same situation. My stake president discussed the situation with the Mission president in our area and they decided that we could serve a local mission in the California, Riverside Mission which is the mission we all lived in. The other 4 potential full time missionaries declined the offer but I was very happy to accept the opportunity. I was not allowed to serve in my area where my family lived. …though I was pretty close to calling my mom when I needed a pair of shoes…. I still had to keep the missionary rules. I started my mission with only one good eye due to a ruptured cornea in my right eye. During my mission the cornea in my left eye (which is the eye I relied on to see everything) also ruptured. Now another obstacle… I was now blind and was told that I have to return home. I pleaded with my Mission president to please let me stay on my mission…. Told him that I don’t need my vision….I know my scriptures, I know the discussions, I can serve blind. President Christensen counseled me to be faithful and prayerful; he assured me that whatever happens, the decision will come from the Lord. For four weeks I served blind, those were the most spiritual and powerful weeks of my mission because now I had to rely on the spirit to teach….through this experience I learnt that it is the spirit that converts…. that I am merely an instrument, a messenger to share the gospel and my testimony. I got a chance to see people with my heart….. The way Christ would see them and love them. Finally, I received a call from my Mission President telling me that they have decided that I stay and finish my mission and at the same time have the surgery that I was told years ago I needed and could not afford. I received cornea transplants in both eyes, Dr. Duffin was my eye surgeon (he being an area authority at the time) was a wonderful man, he and 2 brothers in the stake kindly paid for my surgeries….. a miracle….. the cost was no longer a burden on my family. I was blessed. I remember when it got close to the time I was going to have my surgery that I felt a sense of sadness because I would miss seeing with my heart, although I couldn’t see anyone or anything physically what I learnt and saw with my heart opened my eyes spiritually. Another miracle was how fast my sight was restored and my eyes healed. What was supposed to be a 3 week recovery took only 3 days and I was able to complete my mission. I know with all my heart I received these blessings because of my desire and commitment to serve and to share my testimony.
D&C 62:3 reads…”Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon: and they rejoice over you and your sins are forgiven you.”
The Lord also blessed me with a wonderful husband…. someone who has helped my testimony grow, he has taught me through his actions and example that he loves the Lord. The way he honors his priesthood, I’m so grateful for the priesthood blessings he has given me. Even when times I have felt discouraged and disappointed he reminds to hold on.
I am reminded of a song that goes like this…I have something sacred I would like to share its coming from deep down inside my heart behold I know the truth and hold it dear. I have a testimony no one can take from me, I know that if its nurtured it will grow I believe through study and prayer and faith more truths will unfold I have a testimony to share.
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