This week 18 year old Joshua Barber from Newton Aycliffe left his family, friends and employment to voluntarily serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church.
Young men and women smartly and modestly dressed, as Mormon missionaries are often recognisable within the communities where they live and teach of Jesus Christ.
Joshua will begin his 2 year service with 6 weeks of intensive training in German, and spend his time there teaching in the southern part of Germany, south-eastern Switzerland, northern Italy and Austria. Joshua is the third young man from Newton Aycliffe currently serving as a missionary.
His brother Christopher Barber (20 years old) is currently serving in Greece and Cyprus, while Owen Crake (19 years old) is serving in Winnipeg, Canada.
At this young age, what creates the desire for these young men to leave so much behind and self-finance two years of missionary service?
Firstly they hold a firm belief there is a God and that Jesus Christ is His Son. They believe the Holy Bible to be the word of God, thereby believing that Jesus Christ came to earth, performed miracles, organised His Church, was crucified and then resurrected. They believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. These young men will testify that Jesus Christ lives and that every person can come to know of this and of Him.
Elder Owen Crake said “One of the significant reasons I chose to serve as a missionary is because the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me tremendously in my life. I have felt a peace, comfort and happiness from the teachings of Christ, from trying to follow the example He set. I want to share this with others, so they too can come to know of Jesus Christ and experience those feelings which I have felt in my life.”
If you would like to know more of the Mormon faith, or of missionary service, visit: www.mormon.org or contact 07800 614643
We welcome all visitors to our Services. Our Sacrament Service is held from 11:45am to 1:00pm each Sunday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Shafto Way.
