With the help of The Lord, a man becomes a "doer of the word" instead of just "a hearer"

FAKE MOSSES   

Fake grew up on the island of Chuuk, which is one of the four states that make up the Federated States of Micronesia.  He was raised on a farm where they grew watermelon, tapioca, potato, and cabbage.    The field had to be plowed by hand with a pick.   One of his jobs was to keep it watered.  He would strap a water tank with a pump onto his back to water the crops. It was a big farm, so it required a lot of hard work.  

In 1992, he came to Guam and worked as a landscaper.  He had the job of transplanting big trees.  Once again, it was all done by hand.  He was earning $5.10/hour.  It was hard to support his growing family because he didn’t speak much English.  It was difficult for him to learn the language and he continues to try and learn new words each day.

Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to their home in 1998.   He went home for lunch one day and found them in his living room hoping to teach him about God.  He questioned them about it and said he already believes in God.  The missionaries sensing his anger, stood up to leave and apologized to him.  He was so mad that as they left his house, he threw the Book of Mormon at them and told them to leave.   They just looked at him and quietly walked away.  His wife was upset with him about throwing the book at them.  He just kept telling her that he didn’t know why they had to come teach him about God.  His sister in-law, Irene Nakamura, and her children began listening to the missionaries.  Fake’s wife, Marka, and their children would go to her house and listen to the missionaries.  Their daughter, Mayleen, was the first in the family to get baptized.  Many years later, in 2017, the missionaries came to their home again.    This time, they were welcomed into their home and taught the gospel.     Fake and his friends were drinking a lot, smoking, and doing drugs.   The missionaries wanted to help, so they challenged him to quit smoking cigarettes.  They told him to try and not have more than five cigarettes a day.   He did try, but it was too hard.  One day he made the decision to finally stop drinking, smoking, and doing drugs all at the same time.   He said, “I decided to be a man, a strong man, not just try, but do.”  He was blessed to be able to quit all at once.  His friends kept inviting him to join them in drinking, but he was able to refuse them.  He said, “I showed them how strong my mind can be.”  His friends didn’t believe that he could or would quit, but he did. 

One Sunday his wife asked him to go to church with them.  This time, he surprised her by saying, “yes”!  Marka was baptized shortly before their daughter, Mayleen, left for her mission. She was serving a mission for the Church in the Cebu, Philippines Mission.  He wondered why she would share the gospel with others.  He thought, “What about me?”  The missionaries taught him how to pray to receive answers from God.   He prayed to know if this was the true church.  He had never prayed like that before.  His prayers were usually said over his food and at night before he went to bed.   He read in the Bible that if you want something, you just ask.  He received an answer through the spirit that the Church was true and was finally baptized.  He has remained close to the missionaries that taught him the gospel and calls them “his brothers”.  His parents were happy that he joined the church, even though they didn’t, because they saw how he changed his life for the better.  They have both passed away now and he looks forward to doing their temple work.

He and his wife flew to Manilla, Philippines to be sealed in the temple in 2019.  They’re daughter, surprised them at the temple, after receiving special permission from her mission president, and was able to be sealed to her that same day!  He has a desire to be sealed to all his children one day.

Fake is now serving in the Barrigada, Guam ward as a counselor in the bishopric.   His English is improving all of the time as he tries hard to keep improving.  “This Church is the true Church.” He says with conviction.   After the question, “Why do you continue going to church when so many seem to be leaving?  Why do you stay?”, he answered, “Because this is the true Church.  I believe that.”  He was then asked, “What can we do for the young people to help them stay in the Church?”  He responded by saying, “First I would ask them if they believe that this is the true Church.  If they say, “yes”, then if you believe that, you keep coming to Church.”  He keeps going because it makes him happy to go to church every time. Laughing, he said, “I’ve never called in sick!  No sick days!”  His motto is “just be a man”!  In other words, “just do your job!”   He keeps his testimony growing by reading the scriptures, praying to God for experiences to continue to know that this Church is true.  His calling in the bishopric has helped him grow.  When asked, “How can we help others to come unto Christ?”  He says that we need to serve them.   Every Sunday he gives a lot of people rides to Church.  He is happy to do this and has made some good friends from this service.  He wants others to come to Church and invites them to pray about the Church like he did. 

In bearing his testimony he said, “I believe this Church is true.  Our leaders are working hard for us.  I have to pray to God to keep guiding me and correcting me and He is helping me to do that.  I concentrate on what He wants me to do right now.  This is my testimony I share with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”.