What is a testimony?

I hope you can listen to those audio files. One is my testimony in English, and the other is in Russian. I hope you can hear all that I said. 

Dear Family, and Matt! I was actually thinking about him this last week, and wondered if he was home yet. Well, your email answers my question! I guess you will all just have to wait a little longer before it's my turn. I can't wait to converse with him in Russian, while he speaks in Korean. We can just smile and nod, just like our first days in the field, not understanding a single thing that was said, and really wondering what they taught us in the MTC. An interesting fact is that I have seen a few Korean people here in Russia. There are so many different races of people, which was really surprising to me in the first place.

About your questions about Дед Мороз (Ded More-ohz) or Father Frost:  he is actually pretty similar to the stories of Santa Claus. A big difference is that Дед Мороз is like the Jack Frost of America. He brings in the cold and snow, and makes snow appear on the houses and trees with his magical staff. He looks very much like Santa Claus, but his coat reaches down to his ankles, and is completely covered in fluffy fur, and it is usually a white or blue color. Дед Мороз literally means Uncle Frost, and he has a helper, his granddaughter Снегурочка. She is the one who helps him, and plays with the children. Дед Мороз needs no elves to help him! They go around on a sled, pulled by horses, and visit the people, giving gifts. They don't fly around, though. Дед Мороз doesn't live in the North Pole, but in a city in Russia, which I can't remember. Whenever I heard the name, I thought someone was saying "Great Duck". It is an actual city, and people live there. If you wanted to, you could send him a letter, but children don't write letters to him asking for gifts. You can't go to the local store and sit on his lap, either. It is cool to think that though many miles separate these two countries, the traditions are similar, and joy of family, giving gifts, and love are universal.

This week, I had been thinking about what a testimony is. I was given an opportunity to give a spiritual though about testimonies in a district meeting, and this is what I came up with. All the time we are told to share our testimony, but people do it so differently. What is a testimony? Being a missionary, I have found joy in the simplest of terms. I broke down what a testimony is into four parts: Truth, Blessings, Promise, and Spirit.

A testimony is a declaration of truth. In declaring truth, it needs to be short and simple, to allow the person to understand, because sometimes the truth is new. Short simple sentences make the truth clear, and allow you to pause, and give the person time to ponder what was said in their heart. I know the church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet.

When testifying of truth, you need to share the blessings or reasons the truth is important to you. If the truth was the "what", then the blessings are the "why".  This makes a testimony even more personal, and more heartfelt, because you explain why this truth applies to you.  I know the Book of Mormon is true. When I read the Book of Mormon, I can feel God's love for me. I can feel peace when I read the Book of Mormon.

Now in sharing your testimony, you share it with someone. If they are to benefit from your testimony, you need to explain to them what they can do to have the same blessings. Without this promise, people don't realize that they can change. They hear words thinking, "Well, that is nice for them." If you promise blessings, then they think, "I want peace in my life, maybe I should read the Book of Mormon."  I know the Book of Mormon is true. When I read the Book of Mormon, I feel peace. I know that if you read the Book of Mormon, you can find peace in your life.

Finally, you need the Spirit. The wonderful thing is that if you follow the first three steps, the Spirit is already there. The Spirit testifies of truth, you are sharing experiences when the Spirit testified to you, and you are allowing the Spirit to testify to others. Having a true, heartfelt, sincere testimony, shared with love can change hearts.

Why am I talking about testimonies? Because this week, we were unsuccessful in meeting with any investigators, so we had a lot of time to practice. When you have no meetings, it is time to hit the streets! I actually saw the benefits of sharing this pattern, especially with this one man.  We were walking late a night, and it was very cold. There was no one on the street, and we just heard the snow crunching under our boots. We saw a dark shadow in front of us, and realized it was a human, so we got ready to talk to him. I greeted him, and asked him how his day had gone so far. He actually stopped and answered that things were okay in his life. I took the opportunity to take off my glove and shake his hand. (In Russia, it is incredibly rude to shake hands while wearing gloves, even when the temperature is well below freezing.) I asked his name, it is Oleg, and we told him our names. I told him we were missionaries with a message about God and Jesus Christ. I asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ. He said he did, but he was unsure what that faith was meant for him in his life. I told him that faith in Jesus Christ allows us to repent of our sins and mistakes, and allows the burdens to be removed from our backs. I don't know why I shared that, but the man took it to heart, and acknowledged that he would like to feel that. I told him that we have another record of Jesus Christ, which helps us to know how to accept His sacrifice in our lives. I showed Oleg the Book of Mormon, and opened the Book of Mormon to Moroni 10:3-5. We waited silently as he read it. Afterwards, I testified to him, that I know the Book of Mormon is true. I have felt peace in my life when I read it. My faith in Jesus Christ is stronger. I have felt His love in removing my burdens and mistakes. I promised him if he read the Book, he could feel that peace, and know for himself who Jesus Christ is. He was so grateful for the Book of Mormon, which we left him, and we exchanged numbers. I told truth. I shared blessings, I promised him, and the Spirit was there. It was perfect, and both of us left that meeting edified. We have not met with him yet, but I am just glad that I was able to edify this man.

I am sorry that there is not much else, as sometimes there are slow moments in a mission. The most important thing to know is what to do when there is nothing to do. You have no meetings, so then you find someone to teach. Your investigator canceled a meeting, so then you find someone to teach. You have half an hour before curfew, and you are five minutes from home, so you find someone to teach. I don't know how it was for Matt in Korea, but no matter what the weather, pouring rain or blizzard, be in 100 degrees or 40 below zero, you go and find people to teach out on the streets.

I love you all, and thank you for your prayers. I am grateful for the friends who listened to the call from a prophet to serve. They are my greatest friends, and I can't wait for the time when we can share all the experiences we have had on our missions, be they good, bad, or ugly.

Elder Hoggan (The Siberian Messenger)