The following is a story reported by Elder James and Sister Carolyn Oldham who are serving a Humanitarian mission in Vientiane, Laos.
President Khamphee was our interpreter and driver of our van. He was also the Branch President of the small branch in Laos . He and his wife, Sister Boulay, were driving us to a nearby village to look at a well that he and the missionary couples had installed for an elementary school.
As we traveled, we asked them how they joined the Church.
He told us that from his youth he had been a devout Buddhist and that he was somewhat surprised when the Mormon missionary couples asked if he would be their driver and translator. Some days he would pick them up and help them with their work and many Sundays he would drive them to Church.
He knew that he was welcome to attend Church with the missionary couples, but he always chose just to sit in the car and wait. Sometimes his 18 year-old daughter traveled with him and after two years, she was so impressed with the missionaries that she asked to be baptized. At her baptism President Khamphee was asked to offer the opening prayer. After the meeting another member thanked him for his good prayer and asked him how long he had been a member of the Church.
“Actually,” he said, “I am not a member of your church and that was the first vocal prayer I have ever given in my life!”
President Khamphee then explained that many days for the past two years, he had picked up the missionaries to drive them to their appointments. And, at the beginning of each day, the missionaries would bow their heads and offer a prayer to Heavenly Father.
“After a while,” President Khamphee said, “I started to see a pattern. They would address their prayers to Heavenly Father, then thank Him for their blessings, ask for His help, and then close in the name of Jesus Christ. So when I was asked to pray at the baptism, I just followed their example.”
“Well,” said the member, “you should be a member of our church and we will teach you other important things.”
Two months later President Khamphee and his wife were baptized. Ten weeks after his baptism, he became the Branch President and his wife shortly after became a counselor to the Relief Society president.
The day that they were traveling with Elder and Sister Oldham, President Khamphee and his wife demonstrated that they had learned well the teachings of the Gospel as on the way back to the hotel, they asked if the Oldhams would mind stopping for a brief moment in a nearby village to visit a young couple who had just had their first baby. Sister Boulay had a small gift for the new mother and she wanted to make sure the family was happy and well.
A righteous example can indeed be a powerful tool for conversion!
Sister Mary Jensen who is serving a full-time mission with her husband Elder Gordon Jensen, in welfare services at Church Headquarters, submitted this story. They had heard it presented at a devotional from Brother Dennis Lifferth who is the Managing Director of Welfare Services which encompasses Humanitarian, Employment and LDS Family Services for the Church.
Senior couples interested in serving in Welfare Services, including humanitarian, employment, family relationships or addiction management could provide life-changing service in these interrelated fields administered by the Welfare Department of the Church.
