Brother Etubom Eniang Essien, a ninety-six year old member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a titles holder in Efik land, has said that reading of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints literature has expanded his knowledge of the gospel. As he read and studied he discovered the answers to questions and explanations of things he did not understand.
“The Church is very interesting, you rarely know everything about it, it is just like a school, you go from one step to the other, you advance from one level to the other, from one stage to the other. But after I have read the church literature and scriptures, embedded myself in them, I came to realize the importance of baptism… And then when we went to the temple, even there [I did not understand] the covenant, [I] just went like that, you know. Now I am so conversant with the procedure and everything. However, I came to realization that it is not an easy thing.”
Calabar Nigeria South Stake President, President Ephraim Ebong and other members of the stake visited Brother Essien the Sacrament in his home. He bore his testimony to them saying that, “…I was smoking seriously and when I read Church literatures and scriptures, I realized that smoking was not good, I tried to stop, and you know, I stopped smoking for some times and afterwards, I started again. In one of the fast and testimony Sundays, I fasted and prayed and it look like it work out well and I stopped smoking.”
Etubom Essien also bore testimony about paying tithing: “From my previous church, the issue of paying tithe had never been told. We were not educated about tithes payment. It is when I came into this church; I started hearing and paying of tithe. I had never paid tithe in my former church and I only put my offering on Sunday and left, but ever since I was told about payment of tithes, I had seen wonderful things happening in my life, at times, things are hard but all of the sudden, some things comes in.”
Brother Essien is a living example of the increased knowledge and understanding that comes through dedicated study of the doctrine, and the goodness it brings into our life.