This part 3 of Testimony is just for fun. I will give you four examples of some of the stranger testimonies I have heard. No doubt I have forgotten the strangest ones. But these are the ones that come to mind. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 to see how I got here.
1. I attended the University Ward at Berkeley with my soon to be wife. See part 1 for the full story on that. Anyway, this was during the time that wards had to raise their own budget money. Some wards were quite creative about where the money was raised.
At each testimony meeting, Bruce would get up to bear his testimony. He would start by saying:
“Just wanted to let you know that Friday night we have an inventory at Best Products in Oakland. We will start as soon as the store closes at 9pm and go until 12 midnight. So please plan on being there.” Sometimes, he would holdup a big sign with the details on it. And then he would say, ”Just wanted you to know that I have a testimony of theGospel.” And then he would close.
2. Same sort of thing in San Jose, a brother, (my wife and I called him Brother Avis) would get up and testify about the program in the Stake to raise money by driving cars for Avis car rental. We would ferry cars between airports and down to Monterey. But this was not a simple advertisement like example number 1. Brother Avis would go on and on about how the Lord has sanctioned the program and how important it was. The fact was, the Stake did raise a lot of money that way. Often times, no mention of the Savior or the Gospel were made, only the Avis program. He was a very well intentioned Brother and promoted the program relentlessly each month.
3. A newly converted Sister got up to bear testimony. As members, we love to hear from new members about how the gospel has changed their life. She had other plans. For the next 25 minutes, she told us every detail about her hardships in life. No one stopped her. He was really giving a talk she had not yet been invited to give. No mention of how finding he church made any difference. She just wanted to vent about her hard life.
4. A brother gives a lesson in Priesthood about gardening, quoting mainly from President Spencer W. Kimball. At the end, he says: ” I have a testimony of gardening.” Not a testimony of gardening as it relates to food storage and being prepared, but of gardening. I had just joined the Church shortly before that. I went home a little confused.
In closing, let me say that I love testimony meetings. It is one of the great and unique things about the church to have the members speak about their personal convictions. I especially love the meetings we have during youth activities. I love to hear our youth testify. Especially from those who have really given the gospel thought and prayer. You can tell it has an effect on them. I, like many of you, also enjoy the quirky ones as well.
Now, let’s hear about your favorites of all time.