Teaching about Eternal Families

By Sister Mable Shea, Zambia, Africa

I once had an experience with a woman named Christina. She and her family were visiting from Washington, and after we talked for a while, I asked them if they knew anyone I could call to share a little more about the Church. But they said they knew no one.

As we continued to speak, I felt prompted to tell them about my conversion. I had a sister who had died, and for many years we wondered what had happened to her. When the missionaries came to our home, they taught about eternal families, and I was happy because I realized I could be with my sister again. After I related this experience and shared my testimony, Christina told me that she wanted to refer her two sisters.

I called one of them the next week, and she agreed to visit with the missionaries, but the other sister was never home. After making several attempts, I felt prompted to send in the referral card without having spoken to her.

I reached her two weeks later, and she told me the missionaries had already been there. She said they came at the right time. Her ex-husband had died a week earlier, and as she looked at her current family members, she wondered what would happen to them when they died. And then the missionaries showed up and taught her about eternal families. She said she was excited for the missionaries to come back, and she wanted her girls to be there to listen. I was so happy.

Above: Sister Mable Shea from Africa (left) with her companion, Sister Elizabeth Serna from Mexico (photograph by Andy Cargal).