For our blog entry this time, we want to try to give you a
flavor for the talk our Bishop gave in Ward Conference, even though there’s no
way to really convey his delivery and the impact of his words. Bishop Onaolapo
is from Nigeria and is a giant of a man—physically and spiritually. His talk
was all about how much our Heavenly Father and the Savior love us. Bishop O.
speaks with a serious, direct, authoritative manner, looking directly at the
audience, using no notes. He stepped to the side of the pulpit occasionally,
speaking directly to us. His love comes through his voice, his eyes and his
facial expression. He speaks slowly, pausing often and he is to be listened to.
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| L to R: Yomi, the YM Pres; E. Garner; Bishop Onaolapo |
Bishop O. began with Matthew 3:16, “For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Thanks to Kaye’s shorthand, here are
some of the Bishop’s words: “Our
Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. He has given us His Son, His
only begotten Son, His Beloved Son, out of love for us. Jesus Christ has given
His life out of love. God gave His Son…and He did not stop there! He gave a
gift to us of the Holy Ghost to guide and help us because He loves us. He did
not stop there! Our Heavenly Father gave us a living prophet because He loves
us. And He doesn’t stop there! He gave us the scriptures because He loves us.
Did you see that? Did you see how much He loves us? He knew there are chances
that we will make mistakes. He gave us the process of repentance. If you repent
with a sincere heart, He will forgive you and the slate will be wiped clean. We
are His children. He wants us to return to live with Him. He has provided
everything… Look at our ward. We are from all over the world.” He quoted from
Matthew 25… “I was hungered, and ye gave
me meat…” He continued, “He is telling us to be our brothers’ keepers. We
should love [each other] and be a shoulder for members to cry on…uplift each
other…we need to be patient with each other. We are from all walks of life. We
are going to step on each other’s foot once in awhile. It is always good to
talk…to forgive. Our part is to learn to forgive.” He quoted from John, “If ye
love me, keep my commandments. … If we are honestly grateful for His sacrifice,
we will do the things He would have us do.” He said people come to him with
something to give, asking him to pass it to a person they name who needs help.
“But,” they say, “don’t let them know it is from us.” He ended by saying,
“There is a lot of work for us to do. As we continue to put our heads together,
we can do it. Our Heavenly Father will continue to bless us….I want you to know
that there is a God and He loves us so much.”
Because we are assigned to Bishop Onaolapo’s ward, we travel
there each Sunday. If we make all the connections just right (bus, then underground train, then overground train), it takes us 75-85
minutes to get there and the same amount of time to come back. All the travel
has been worth it just to hear the Bishop’s talk!
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| After a baptism in the Ilford Ward. Starting with the missionary on the right in the second row, the five to his right are the members of one family who were baptized. Great ward support. |
