During a sacrament meeting last September, I looked out at the congregation and noticed a single sister sitting near the back of the chapel who I had not seen before. She didn’t appear to know anyone, and by her manners I could tell this was probably her first time visiting our branch. After the service, I made my way over to her and introduced myself. She responded with a warm smile and told me her name was Thembi. She was staying with her sister who lived just across the road from the chapel and something about the look of our church and its peculiar name had attracted her attention and prompted her to attend. I thanked her for coming and then invited her to stay for the rest of our meetings. When I later spoke to the Elders about her, they told me they had never seen her before but would follow up and try to arrange a visit.

That first meeting marked the beginning of a remarkable four month period of teaching and conversion that culminated with Thembi being baptized today. If there ever was a person prepared to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, Thembi is that person. She was humble from the beginning and accepted every invitation to apply what she was taught and to read the Book of Mormon. She quit drinking tea as soon as she learned about the Word of Wisdom. She paid a fast offering as soon as she was taught the law of the fast. She began recording the names of her ancestors as soon as she learned about family history and the importance of temples. And with every effort of faith she made, she returned with a testimony about how she had been blessed for her actions. It has been a privilege to teach Sister Thembi and, in turn, to be powerfully taught what the Lord means when he speaks about souls who are prepared to receive His truth.