Friend to Friend

Be Brave and Share!

By Elder Paul B. Pieper

Of the Seventy

From an interview with Jill Hacking

Illustration by Mark Robison

Our family has lived in many places all over the world. We have met lots of different people and had many chances to share the gospel. Our children have blessed others by sharing their testimonies.

When our children were young, we lived in the country of Kazakhstan. There were no missionaries there at that time. When friends or neighbors wanted to hear about the gospel, we got to be the missionaries!

Our daughter Marné shared the gospel with her friend Alyona. Alyona decided to be baptized with permission from her mother, who was later baptized with Alyona’s younger sister. Recently Alyona married a righteous young man in the Manhattan New York Temple, and Marné got to be there! She was so happy that she had helped her friend learn about Jesus Christ.

When we lived in Virginia, USA, our son Chris was in Primary. One of Chris’s friends and his family started meeting with the missionaries. Chris helped teach the family. He prepared before each lesson and helped answer their questions. The family decided to be baptized. After that, Chris never worried if he could serve a mission. He knew he could do it!

Another time a man came to work on our house. My wife thanked him when he was done. “We’d like to give you a gift,” she said. She gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon.

The man became upset. He didn’t understand what we believe. He thought we didn’t believe in Jesus Christ.

Chris was brave and shared his testimony with the man. Chris said he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said he believed in Jesus.

Many of Heavenly Father’s children don’t know about the gospel. Others don’t realize that we believe in Jesus. These people need someone who will be kind and talk to them. We can be brave and share our testimonies. We can help others learn about Jesus Christ!