The ManicaPost
Hello Mutare! We are the young missionaries, with white shirts and black name tags you see walking around, and are happy to tell you about our church! We left our homes for two years to serve Jesus Christ. After our missions we will return home and resume normal everyday life.
Here are some questions we are often asked that may interest you:
Q: Who are you?
A: We represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes known simply as the Latter-day Saints or LDS, but these are only nicknames.
Q: What kind of church are you?
A: First we are a Christian church, we believe in Jesus Christ and that he died to Atone for our sins! We believe this to be the same church that Jesus Christ established during His earthly ministry. We seek to follow His example and His teachings.
Q: Do you believe in the Bible?
A: Yes, absolutely! We love the Bible and believe it to be the word of God. We use it in all our sermons, teachings and practices.
Q: Don’t you have your own Bible?
A: We don’t have another Bible, but another book of scripture. It’s called the Book of Mormon. The Bible even talks about it. It works hand-in-hand with the Bible so we can know more about His Gospel.
Q: What are your beliefs?
A: We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. We believe that people will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgression. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to His Gospel.
Q: What are some other teachings of your church?
A: We believe that by serving others we are serving God, but we do more than just teach the gospel, we actively live it. Specifically, we help the poor to obtain their basic needs. We teach self-reliance, so people can learn to support themselves and also so they can help others.
Q: How have you helped Zimbabwe?
A: We have dug 280 bore holes in recent years so people can enjoy having fresh clean water. Recently we provided training for doctors and nurses, provided special classes for children, and painted the Harare City Hall, but these are just a few recent projects. We are always looking for new opportunities to serve and help.
Q: Is your church good for my family?
A: YES! We believe that family relationships are important to God. He wants families to be together forever. He has given us the chance to be married through His everlasting power called the priesthood. Allowing us to live with our spouse and children even after we have died.
Q: Why only 2 years? Other churches serve much longer.
A: None of us are paid. We are full time volunteers who support ourselves. So we can’t work jobs and be missionaries at the same time. All work in our church is done by unpaid volunteers including the leadership of our 6 Mutare congregations.
Q: How many missionaries are in Zimbabwe?
A: 14 of our 144 missionaries nation wide are based here in Mutare. About half come from countries all over Africa (including Zimbabwe), others come from the United States, Europe, The Polynesian Islands, and many other places from around the world. Many young Zimbabweans are serving missions here and around the world. In total the Church has 70,000+ missionaries spreading the Gospel all over the Globe!
Have more questions? Please let us know! Contact us here: [email protected] or telephone +263 7 72125326
