A special Laotion friend enters the waters of baptism: Paul Phonvongsa

     Elder Watson and Elder Omori met Paul while out street contacting. They invited him to hear the message they had about Jesus Christ. He agreed to meet on a Tuesday afternoon September 24,2013.
Little did he know his life would be changed forever that day.
     We met Paul outside of the Oakland Museum of California. He likes to go there regularly because he loves history. He is majoring in journalism and hopes to become a journalist who can shed truth of what is really happening in the world.
     As he puts it he met this "older missionary couple" who walked with him to the park where he met the sister missionaries, Sister Wiser and Sister Shephard.
     Later, just after his baptism, we found out he was actually dissapointed that he was going to be taught by Sisters because he feels awkward around young women. He was hoping for the Elders to teach him!! However the Lord had different ideas.
     What is so amazing about the experience was that he was the first person the Sisters actually got to teach together. Sister Wiser had been out 6 weeks and she was training Sister Sherpherd who had been out only 2 weeks. Their lesson was far less polished then the Assistants to the President that we had spent the last four months with. So we wondered if Paul would hang in there and if the Sisters would actually learn how to teach a "bit" more smoothly.
     Paul actually lives north of Oakland in Richmond but is hardly ever there because he is in college here in Oakland and usually stays with friends all week. His parents are divorced and he lives with his father who is Buddhist.
    The family story is quite interesting. During the late 1970's in Laos (where his family comes from), the Chinese communists had begun "re-educating" the people. Paul's father and mother decided to leave their country through a Catholic charity who offered to sponsor them in the US if they would eventually join their church (according to Paul). His father chose not to change from his original faith.
     Paul is 24 and is always volunteering and serving others. He believes seriously in giving back to society. He said his grandmother had taught him about Jesus Christ and he believed in Him. He truly is a seeker of truth. He became comfortable with the Sisters and several ward members assisted in teaching him the gospel with the Sisters. He has a wonderful testimony and he really feels he has found "home" in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He feels for the first time in his life that he belongs here.
     Paul was baptized on November 17, 2013. He, like Daniel and Maryann before him, asked Sister Felt to speak about the Holy Ghost at his baptism too, and she has been truly honored in doing so.
    Paul was recently called as a ward missionary and to serve on the activities committee. We have lots of activities in the Oakland 9th ward, so he will be kept busy!!

Paul's teaching team: Sister and brother Reed, and Hudson, Elder Felt
Paul, Sister Felt, Sister Shephard, and Sister Wiser
November 17, 2013