Newton Samuel

Singapore Mission

1986-1988

My name is Newton Samuel. I was born to devoted good parents in the CSI (Churches of South India) church. My family consisted of my mother - Chellama, father - Dhanaraj, my younger brothers - Nixon and Nelson. We lived in a place called Castle Green Compound, which had all kinds of people, Hindus, muslims, Christians, etc. We had our education in a Seventh-Day Adventist convent school in Bangalore, called the Lowry Memorial High School, which was close to my home. I was given a good education in a well known Christian (Seventh day School) institution by my parents for my High School studies where Also most of my neighborhood had attended the same school. Other than attending the school we also attended the Sabbath school on Saturdays. My parents were prompt in sending us and actively participated in Seventh-Day Adventist church and CSI church activities.

My conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is quite interesting. We had a long time neighbor, Brother Anthony, with whom we associated well and lived as family friends. It so happened their second youngest son, Bro Michael went to the USA to serve a mission in Salt Lake City and then returned to Bangalore India at the same place of the neighborhood .Bro. Michael began to continue his missionary work in our neighborhood and among his friends in Bangalore in Castle Green Compound.

During evening hours he used to gather all the little children#39;s in our compound and taught us to sing (I am a child of God; Come, come ye saints; I need thee every hour; Did you think to pray and Oh, How lovely was the morning.) I was never in this group but my 2 nd younger brother Nixon was. Bro. Michael also told some stories of Joseph Smith’s first vision and Book of Mormon stories. I was then 15, and I was forced by Nixon to come and see because everything was quite new and strange ( Book of Mormon)everything was new to me. It was not the same as what I learnt in CSI and Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

As the days went my interest turned to the Book of Mormon and just to get to know more about this book we invited Elder and Sister Jack & Myra Humphreys from Canada who were a couple missionaries serving also with Bro. Micheal Anthony. These couple lived in Doopanahalli # 777G, 100ft Road in Indiranagar Bangalore. By then within a couple of weeks and soon I and my family were introduced to the Missionary couple’s. These couples taught us the Gospel Discussion. During these discussions I was taught more about the Book of Mormon which is an Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I was challenged to read, ponder and pray about this book and to Ask Our Heavenly Father with Faith if this book is True. I studied, pondered and asked the Lord if this is true, YES my humble prayers with faith was answered and I myself came know that this Book was True and continued to prayed to know if this Church was true and Prophet Joseph smith was a true Prophet of God Although my parents believed this too, they could not accept and take baptism. However they allowed us three brothers to get baptized.

First my younger brother Nixon & myself on July 5th 1984. Along with us, there were the May sisters (Margret and Christina) and Bro Solomon Ebenezer were baptized. The five of us got baptized in the overhead water tank of the couple’s apartment. Later my younger brother Nelson when he was 8 years old got baptized but my parents remained dry Mormons. Since then my journey has begun by first receiving the Aaronic Priesthood on July 8th 1984 to the office of Priest. I served and learnt day by day in church by taking up various callings and advancement to other priesthood offices and thus where I found my good friend and my school mate of the same school Babu Abel and his family joined us in the same church. As the membership grew, we started having home groups in our own locality and the first home group we attended was at Brother May's home. Soon Bro. May’s house didn't have sufficient space to gather for Sunday Sacrament meetings and so we found an old school in front of the I.T.I main gate and got permission to hold our Sunday meetings in a old dusty class room with long wooden benches to sit for all the three meetings. Then there was home group in our home President Russel N Nelson once attained the home group in our home,

Later we moved to Nagavarapalya (Benniganahalli) , a bigger place where we can hold church meetings. This was about four kilometers from where we lived. Sometimes we members never had enough money to take the bus to attend the church so we did walk to church in the morning, and after finishing all the church meetings, we returned by walking to our homes.

One of the most important blessings we saints received was to have Elder Keith Clemons (High Priest), one of the first Patriarch to serve as missionary couples here in Bangalore. On January 14th 1986 I received my Patriarchal Blessing from Elder ClemonsI was ordained as an "Elder" in Melchizedek Priesthood. I continued to grow up as a faithful saint fulfilling the various callings in the church.

Myself and my friend Babu Abel in order to go on a mission, to serve the Lord, we both worked as caretakers of the church building, where the missionary couple used to stay and we worked as Night Watchmen and the money we got through this job. We both contributed the same to the missionary fund and we served our mission under SINGAPORE MISSION in INDIA and completed a Honorable Mission. After returning from my mission I was called as a Branch President for Convent Road Branch and was blessed with a good job. I was married to a non-member soon after she was taught the gospel and even my wife got baptized in the church and we both raised a small and happy family as per the lord’s plan. We were able to be sealed in the Hong Kong Temple with my family for time and eternity.