Written By April T Giauque
Elder Wada
Listening to Elder Wada share his testimony at the General Conference, I felt his sweet testimony testify to simplicity and hope. He gently but firmly said, “God is our Father in Heaven. We are His spirit children, created in His image. Therefore, as a child of God, we have the divine potential to become like Him.”
That is simply but boldly put. The greatest blessing we can have is immortality and eternal life. A plan of salvation, and according to the plan, we, as spirit children, have the agency to choose God or not. We needed to know all of this in Heaven before we were born on earth. We learned that we would leave God’s presence, forget our premortal life, receive bodies of flesh and bones, gain our own experience, and develop faith.
Christ is the Foundation of the Plan
Heavenly Father knew that with our bodies of flesh and bones, we, as natural men, would succumb to temptation, become unclean and distant from God, and unable to return to His holy presence. So, the foundation of the plan is Jesus Christ! Because of Heavenly Father’s infinite love for us, He sent His Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. The power and simplicity of that is through His sacrifice, the Atonement, Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be redeemed from our sins, resurrected, and receive eternal life.
How can we learn this for ourselves? Where is all of this found? Look in the Scriptures and live!
“Wherefore, … feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” Then Nephi added, “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”
Elder Wada’s personal story:
I was also “born of goodly parents,” as was Nephi.
Father prayed to many Gods. He was very faithful.
I believe that an unseen God was there and would answer.
I experienced hardships as a teenager.
I believed that there was nothing after I died.
I lived a life without knowing the Plan of Salvation.
I started studying English through the New Testament
Questions rose up in my heart about Jesus.
Jesus Christ’s words began to comfort me.
Just think about that! Learning English through scripture reading. What a foundation of light to have as you learn the English language. He goes on to say that in his heart, he knows that Jesus Christ lived many centuries ago in a land unfamiliar to him. He thought he could trust His words with all his heart, and he hoped one day to meet others who could teach him about Christ.
In his own words
“I met Missionaries a few years later. They taught me. I learned how to pray. But I misunderstood, thinking that all I had to do was follow the steps of prayer, and something dramatic would happen. While I was in the confusion, the Missionaries prayed for me. I heard them. Their words for little me changed everything. They cared!”
President Nelson said
“The way you think about who you … are affects … every decision you will ever make.”
It was so true for Elder Wada. “The decision to follow the Savior Jesus Christ by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost blessed my life more than I ever imagined.”
You see, as we enter into the baptismal covenant with God, we promise that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, keep God's commandments, and serve Him for the remainder of our lives. Our Heavenly Father, in turn, promises us that we can always have His Spirit with us—the continued guidance from the Holy Ghost. I need that guidance every day. I can get better and learn from that influence, too.
Elder Wada then personally invites all of us to have faith in Nephi's message—that the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost will direct us to “all things what [you] should do.” Everything! This is an incredible gift from God.
Elder Wada shared his testimony
“Because He loves us, He prepared the way to return to His presence through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Knowing this incredible plan will help us know we are children of God and we can become like Him. I am grateful for this important truth. I bear you my witness that the words of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost will lead us to receive eternal life.”
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