The Last Wish

The Last Wish

Mpikayivuswa Mathe spent most of his life preaching of Christ and His teachings. The Lord blessed him, and he prospered in Durban, South Africa. When he became old and ill, he was admitted to the hospital. One night, he heard a voice in his sleep, telling him, “There is only one true church on the whole face of the earth. It is called by the Saviour’s name only.”

Nervously, he asked, ” What am I supposed to do now, and where can I find the Church of Jesus Christ?”

The voice continued, “There is nothing that you can do now. Your days are numbered. The only thing you can do to help yourself is to tell your family members to look for the Church.”

When the voice stopped, he woke up shocked and trembling. He then asked the Lord to be merciful to him and send just one family member to the hospital so that he could relate what had been revealed to him before he died.

One of his sons, Griffiths Mathe, worked far away from home as a police officer. He was inspired to go and visit his father. When he arrived at the hospital, and his father saw him, he cried and thanked Heavenly Father for answering his prayers. He related to his son everything that had been revealed to him in his dream.  Finally, he gave Griffiths a charge to look for the Church of Jesus Christ and never rest until he found it. After a few days, Mpikayivuswa passed away.

For Griffiths and his family, the long search began. His wife recounts, “We were in and out of many churches looking for one that was called by the name of the Saviour, but we could not find it.  I remember very well writing down a long list of all the churches that we knew of. Unfortunately, nothing was right. We were disappointed and discouraged. At last we decided to abandon the search, but my husband was dismayed  at his failure to fulfil his father’s last wish.

“Prayerfully, we waited patiently until one day the missionaries came knocking on our door and said, “We are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” We could not believe what we heard. Oh what a relief!  At last we had found people who knew the Saviour’s Church!”

After being taught the eternal truths of the gospel, Griffiths and Duduzile Mathe were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sister Mathe remarked, “It was the happiest day of our lives. We are very grateful to our Heavenly Father, who answered our prayers and sent those two missionaries. Because of the true teachings of the Church, we have now been sealed for time and all eternity.  Even better, we have done the work of Griffith’s father in the House of the Lord.”

Excerpted by Marnae Wilson from an original account of Sister Duduzile Anna Mathe, Mpumalanga Branch, Hillcrest Stake, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Excerpted by Marnae Wilson from an original account of Sister Duduzile Anna Mathe, Mpumalanga Branch, Hillcrest Stake, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa