My most lasting contribution as a senior missionary serving in the Philippines was probably Testimony Gloves. This was a request from Sister Kristen Oaks. She asked me to make a hand puppet to help teach the Primary children the five essential elements of a pure testimony. She gave me the diagram of the hand and wordings as she wanted them. I tried to make them simple and affordable enough for the children and their leaders in the Philippines to make. Sister Oaks was taking them on her training seminars all over the Philippines so I decided that I had better test them to see how they worked. I had my Primary children in the Morong Branch make them and the results were amazing. The children loved making them and then we would practice with them in Sharing Time in Primary. Many of the children would carry them in their bag with their scriptures (those who had scriptures). One time as we arrived at Church, we were asked to be the speakers for Sacrament meeting so I spoke on the five essential elements of a pure testimony and told the members about the Testimony gloves and called on one of the Primary children out of the audience to come up and demonstrate it. He did so well, it surprised me. I talked about how important it was when bearing our testimony to stay within experiences that fit into these five categories. IT WORKED! Many adults began to fit their testimonies into these categories and I noticed that as they did so, their testimonies became more positive and uplifting as they fit their problems and struggles into these areas. The knowledge of these principles does give more hope. The children started bearing their testimonies in Sacrament meeting and it seemed to give them confidence.
Sister Oaks has now taken them all over the world. The principles and doctrines taught with these Testimony Gloves are true and constitute the five essential elements of a pure testimony as explained by Elder M. Russell Ballard, ("Pure Testimony", Ensign, Nov. 2004, 40). As our young children are taught these principles and apply them, The Holy Ghost will witness (that is His stewardship) to them and to others that they are true. It can be an effective way to fulfill our responsibility as parents and teachers to instill in the hearts of our children a Testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I had a wonderful mission. I learned first hand that our Heavenly Father loves and appreciates his missionaries and he delights to bless them. I bear testimony that He lives and loves us, that His Son, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, That Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and was instrumental in bringing us the Book of Mormon, that the Church is true and that we have a living prophet in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
By Sister JoAnn Phillips
