Akwa Mboho
Sɔp Ndiŋwam, Kusɔp Ndibiom Ikpe
Akwa Mbono October 2026

Sɔp Ndiŋwam, Kusɔp Ndibiom Ikpe

Otode Elder Paul H. Sinclair

Eke Seventy

Ndisↄp ŋŋwam nyuŋ ntre usↄp-usↄp ubiomikpe edi ata ndimem ye usuŋ item ↄnↄ nnyin owo kiet-kiet ndinehere ntie nte Andinyaŋa.

Ŋke-mbuk eke Baffling Buttons

“Ndien ekpri eyen eyeda mmɔ usuŋ.” Ke mme isua ebede ke edem, itie ŋwed Abasi emi ama enehede anam ufɔn ɔnɔ mi. Enye eketibe ke ini edinam Primary kiet.

Ke usenubɔk Sabbath oro, ekpri ufan mi James ekesine obufa ɔfɔŋidem kiet. Nte edinam oro eke ɔtɔŋɔde, James ekese mme ndiye ŋkpɔ edude ke obufa ɔfɔŋidem esie. Se ikitim imumde ekikere esie ekedi ŋkpɔ iba emi okodude ke obufa ɔfɔŋidem esie. Ke mme ubɔk ɔfɔŋidem esie ema edɔŋ mme mmana-ɔfɔŋidem edi ndudu-mmana ɔfɔŋ ikiduhe. Ke itɔŋ ɔfɔŋidem esie eke ubɔk ufien ema esin odudu mmana-ɔfɔŋidem kiet edi mmana-ɔfɔŋidem ikiduhe. Eketie nte mme mmana-ɔfɔŋidem ye ndudu mmana-ɔfɔŋ inyeneke baba ufɔn ndomokiet.

Ͻfɔn, James ke ifiɔk esie ama ɔnɔ mmɔ mbiba utom. Ami ye nyekidem mma nse nte James ke inemesit adade ubɔk nnasia ɔfɔŋdem esie ɔkɔbi adian ke itɔŋ ɔfɔŋidem esie. Inemesit esie usɔp-usɔp ama akabare edi oyomonsia, koro ke ndodo oro James ɔkɔbide ubɔk esie adian ye esit esie, kpa ye edimem ubak eke eyen Primary, enye ikikemeke ndisio ubɔk esie aba. James ke ndudue, ama okut ata unen ke ndinam ɔfɔŋidem kiet emi enyenede ubɔk kiet.

Nte James akade iso ndiŋwana ndisio ubɔk esie, ami ŋko ŋkeka iso ndidu ke oyomonsia. Ema eda mme mmana-ɔfɔŋidem enam se minɔhɔ ifure ndien, ke okim, ema eda mmɔ enam se ɔnɔde owo iyaresit. Ami mma mfuŋ ibuot mi ke edikpu nte James ɔtɔŋɔde asaŋa aka enyɔŋ obot Ufɔk Abasi.

Kpa ini oro, ami mma ŋkut ekpri enyen anwan emi eketiede ekpere James. Enye ŋko ama okut afanikɔŋ emi James ekeyenede ye akwa mfuhɔ esie. Edi utu ke enye odu ke nnyekidem, enye ama oyom ndiŋwam. Ke enye ɔfiɔkde usɔp-usɔp se anade nte enam, enye ama emenere mkpri, anana-ubiom ikpe nuenubɔk esie osio mmana-ɔfɔŋidem ke odudu mmana ɔfɔŋidem. Ema enyaŋa James, ndien ema enyaŋa edinam Primary!

Ami mma nkop emem edi mma mkpep nsuhɔreidem ŋko. Ami mma ŋkut suŋ-suŋ edisua-nnɔ eke idiɔk-itie mmana-ɔfɔŋidem ye mkpri nnuenubɔk emi etide mi ndiŋwana ukeme nditie nte Jesus. Ekpri edi ata akamba ini oro ediŋwam mi ndinyime se Elder Patrick Kearon okowutde nte “akamba edifiak mkpep” eke ukpɔŋ mi. Ami ŋkemeke nditi ibuɔt ikɔ ekekpede ke edinam Primary usen oro, edi etop emi ami ŋkɔbɔde nto Edisana Spirit ama ɔnɔ mi udɔŋ ndinam ukpuhɔre eke spirit. Ekpri eyen kiet ama aŋwan mi ndikpep emi: nte ke eti mbet Jesus Christ esɔp ndiŋwam inyuŋ isopke ndibiom ikpe.

Andinyaŋa Aŋwam (edi Ibiomke) Ŋwan oro ke Obube-mmɔŋ Ikpe

Andinyaŋa ama ekpep edima ukpepŋkpɔ emi toto ke ata ntɔŋɔ utom ukwɔrikɔ Esie ke isɔŋ. Ke Gospel emi John eke ewetde, Enye ama aŋwam ŋwan Samaria kiet. Nnyin ifiɔkke enyiŋ esie. Nnyin ididiɔŋɔ enye nte “ŋwan oro ke obube-mmɔŋ,” Nneme esie ye Ͻbɔŋ Jesus Christ ekpep ediwak ukpepŋkpɔ. Akpan ukpepŋkpɔ kiet edi uwutŋkpɔ eke Andinyaŋa ndisɔp ndinɔ mfɔn ye uŋwam emi ekemede ndinɔ akwa ukpuhɔre.

Nte nneme oro ɔtɔŋɔde, Jesus ama akpa-mba ndien ke unana-idorenyin obup ŋwan oro ete ɔnɔ imɔ mmɔŋ iŋwɔŋ. Nnyin ikeme ndikekere kpɔt mbaŋa mme ibat usen emi ŋwan emi ekesidide obube mmɔŋ emi ke awa emi, ikpɔŋ—tutu edisim usen emi. Kabaŋa enye, oro ekedi uke-uke usen kiet—tutu Jesus edisim do. Ke mme uke-uke usen esie, ekeme ndidi enye ama ɔyɔ ekese enyin ubiom-ikpe edi esisit ubɔk uŋwam—tutu usen emi.

Ekeme ndidi ŋwan emi ama anam ediwak ŋkpɔ ndibɔ ubiomikpe akan ndikɔbi ubɔk ɔfɔŋidem esie ndian ke esit ɔfɔŋ esie. Nte ikutde, enye ama enyene ediwak mbiara ebuana ndien, ke ata ini oro, enye okoduŋ ye erenowo emi midighe ebe esie. Edi nso ke nnyin itim ifiɔk ibaŋa ndaha esie? Ndi enye ekedi ebekpa? ŋwan ɔwɔrɔde-ndɔ? owo emi ekesinde? Nnyin ifiɔkke. Idahaemi, kop mi ↄfↄn. Mbuk esie edi ata akpan-ŋkpɔ, edi emi idige mme mbuk ubiomikpe nnyin iyomde ndida mfiↄk mbaŋaisaŋ esie.

Nso ke Christ ekewuk enyin ese ke itie oro? Uŋwam. Enↄ eke “odu-uwem mmↄŋ.” Akwa Andifak kpupru owo ama otim ↄfiↄk kpukpru abaŋa anana-enyiŋ ŋwan emi, edi enye ama edi ebine enye ndidi ntiense eke odu-uwem mmↄŋ. Enye ama ↄnↄ enye mfↄn ye uŋwam edikpuhↄ.

Enye ama etiŋ ikↄ ye ŋwan oro ke ukpono, idighe ke esuene. Enye ama otim akpaŋ-utↄŋ ↄnↄ mme mbume esie onyuŋ ↄbↄrↄ ye ukpepŋkpↄ, idighe ye emium. Enye ikimumke enye ukat ke ntak mbuk edem esie. Enye ama ayak akpanikↄ ↄnↄ enye ke mbuↄtidem. Jesus Christ eti nnyin ete ke ndiŋwam owo ndikpuhↄre, nnyin inyene ndise mbe mbuk edem mmↄ—nnyin inyene ndise se idide mmem-mmem inↄ mmↄ. Enye ekesaŋa aka obube mmↄŋ nte owo emi ebinde esio ke obio. Enye ama asaŋa ↄnyↄŋ ke obube mmↄŋ ye uduak. Emi owut ata mfↄn-mfↄn se “sↄp ndiŋwam edi kusↄp ndibiom ikpe” ↄwↄrↄde.

Ndisobo ye mme Ufan ye mme Mbufa Mbon Ufↄk Abasi ke Uke-uke Usen.

Kpukpru usen, mme ↄkwↄrikↄ Abasi esobo ye mbon owo ke mme obube-mmↄŋ eyo emi ke ofuri ererimbot. Mmↄ edↄhↄ ete ke Jesus edi Christ, akwa “Ami Ndodu.” Mmↄ eyom, enↄ ukpepŋkpↄ, eduↄk mmↄŋ, enyuŋ edori mbon emi edude ke ndik ubiomi-kpe edi eyomde uŋwam ubↄk. Nte mbet Jesus Christ, ekot nnyin ete ifiak inↄ ukpↄŋ nnyin ukpep man nnyin idi-iŋwam mme ufan ye mme mbufa mbon ufↄk Abasi ke usuŋ mbiet-ido eke Christ. President Dallin H. Oaks enehede okot nnyin mfↄn-mfↄn ye nnen-nnen ete “iyom ndisana, kpa nte Andinyaŋa asanade.” Ndisↄp ŋŋwam nyuŋ ntre usↄp-usↄp ubiomikpe edi ata mmemmmem ye usuŋ item ↄnↄ nnyin owo kiet-kiet ndinehe nsana, ndinehe ntie nte Andinyaŋa, ndidi nti mbet Andinyaŋa.

Ami mbↄŋ akam nte ke ini irenowo ye iban ke obube mmↄŋ eyo mfin edisobode ye afo ye ami, yak mmↄ efiↄk ete ke mmimↄ imi “di ufↄk.” Ami mbↄŋ akam yak mmↄ ekpekeme ndikut ke ami ye afo idi mme aŋwana-ukeme mbet Jesus Christ, emi ebeŋede-idem ndiyↄhↄ uwem mmↄ ye odu-uwem ye edima mmↄŋ. Ami ntie ntiense nte ke ini emi nnyin iŋwamde mbonowo utu ke nnyin ibiom mmↄ ikpe, ke mkpri ye mmem-mmem usuŋ nnyin, nnyin ke ibeŋe ererimbot idem ibaŋa edifiak ndi Jesus Christ Ͻyↄhↄ Ikaba. Ami ndi ntiense nyuŋ ntiŋ ikɔ-ntiense emi ke enyiŋ Jesus Christ, amen.

Mkpri-ŋwed

  1. Isaiah 11:6.

  2. I share this story with permission from James and his family.

  3. See “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 78–79.

  4. See Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 121; see also Ronald A. Rasband, “Right Before Our Eyes,” Liahona, May 2025, 13–14, 17.

  5. Patrick Kearon, “God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home,” Liahona, May 2024, 88.

  6. President Dallin H. Oaks taught the following about being slow to judge others: “We must refrain from making final judgments on people because we lack the knowledge and the wisdom to do so. … The Lord’s way of final judgment will be to apply His perfect knowledge of the law a person has received and to judge on the basis of that person’s circumstances, motives, and actions throughout his or her entire life” (“‘Judge Not’ and Judging,” Ensign, Aug. 1999, 8; see also Matthew 7:1–5; Luke 6:37–42; 3 Nephi 14:1–12; Mormon 8:20). Likewise, Jesus consistently taught that helping others should be a hallmark of our discipleship (see Matthew 5:38–47; Mark 10:45; Luke 10:30–37). In the Book of Mormon, this characteristic of discipleship is taught in many passages, including the beautiful descriptions of the ways we can live the covenant we make at baptism. These passages illustrate many ways in which we help and serve others (see Mosiah 18:8–11; see also Jacob 2:17–19; Alma 1:26–27; 3 Nephi 13:1–4). Jesus Christ showed us the perfect example of helping without judging when He appeared to the Nephites and “tarr[ied] a little longer with them” (3 Nephi 17:5). Sparing any judgment, He ministered to every need and healed each wound simply because He was “filled with compassion” and “mercy” (3 Nephi 17:6, 7).

  7. Se John 4:4–42. Others who had one-by-one ministering conversations with the Savior in the New Testament include the rich young ruler (see Matthew 19:16–22), the thief on the cross (see Luke 23:39–43), Nicodemus (see John 3:1–21), the man at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:2–15), Pontius Pilate (see John 18:33–38), Mary Magdalene (see John 20:11–18), and Simon Peter (see John 21:15–19). Powerfully, in the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ touched His disciples “one by one” and spoke to each of them personally (3 Nephi 18:36; see also 28:1–3).

  8. By the time the Savior met the woman at the well, the cultural and religious animosity between Jews and Samaritans was entrenched. As President Dallin H. Oaks summarized it, Samaritans “belonged to a group the Jews isolated and held in contempt” (“Alive in Christ,” Liahona, May 2026, 85). Thus, it was revealing that Jesus determined that He “had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4, New International Version; emphasis added). His decision to go intentionally to Samaria and speak to a Samaritan woman was socially radical and spiritually profound. President Oaks further taught in the April 2026 general conference that being alive in Christ includes being peacemakers (see “Alive in Christ,” 85–87). How remarkable, yet completely unsurprising, that one of the early acts of the Savior’s earthly ministry was to be a peacemaker with the woman at the well.

  9. Se John 4:7. This was not the last time the Savior would be weary and ask for a drink. At the end of His mortal ministry, exhausted by His suffering and hanging from the cross, Jesus again asked for a drink (see John 19:28). As we ponder Jesus Christ ministering to the woman at the well, let us also consider the coming moment when He would once again be weary and thirsty. The crucified Savior of the world would once again be quick to help and slow to judge. He would offer His life for us (see John 19:30).

  10. There is an idiom in English and in many European languages that one should not “go to the well one too many times.” The idiom attempts to teach the principle that a person who goes too frequently to the same source of help risks depleting the value of the source until it ultimately fails (see The Free Dictionary, “go to the well too many times,” idioms.thefreedictionary.com). While the idiom is useful for describing worldly resources, it does not apply when speaking of Jesus Christ. We can never go to our own well to meet Him too many times (see Mosiah 26:30). Our effort to access Jesus Christ’s Atonement does not deplete its effectiveness, because it is infinite. Describing the glorious connection between the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the nonjudgmental help received by his brother who was dying of cancer, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell said: “Thanks to wonderful men and women who saw a need, did not judge, and ministered like the Savior, it wasn’t too late for Mike. … We must remember that it is never too late and no one has ever wandered so far from the path that he or she is beyond the reach of the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is limitless in its duration and scope” (“Just as He Did,” Liahona, May 2019, 21; emphasis added).

  11. John 4:10.

  12. As part of His offer of help, the Savior was unafraid to invite this new disciple to accept a responsibility (see John 4:7). Though the woman did not immediately respond positively to Jesus’s request, over time and with one-on-one nurturing, the woman eventually, and joyfully, accepted the most significant of assignments: to tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah. As true followers of Jesus Christ and His example, we should be unafraid to invite people, especially new members, to serve and help others as part of their journey on the covenant path (see Mosiah 5:2; see also Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change,” Liahona, Nov. 2009, 99).

  13. Se Psalm 85:10.

  14. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ recognize our potential to grow into the best possible version of ourselves (see Dale G. Renlund, “Personal Preparation to Meet the Savior,” Liahona, May 2025, 44).

  15. Se John 4:29. The kind of help the Savior offered did not include removing the woman from her complicated life or changing her challenging circumstances. Instead, His offer of help allowed her to walk back into her life with new purpose. David A. Bednar, then president of Brigham Young University–Idaho, taught, “As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed” (“In the Strength of the Lord” [Brigham Young University devotional, Oct. 23, 2001], 4, speeches.byu.edu).

  16. We witness the consistency of divine character when we consider another woman at the well who was also in need of help rather than judgment. In Genesis 16, after a deeply emotional conflict, Hagar fled from Abram and Sarai and was alone in the wilderness. An angel appeared to Hagar as she stopped at a wellspring. After she received heavenly encouragement, understanding, and an invitation, Hagar proclaimed, “You are the God who sees me” (verse 13, New International Version). The well where the Lord searched out Hagar was named “Beer-lahai-roi,” which means “the well of Him who liveth and seeth me” (Genesis 16:14, footnote b). As we strive to be more holy in our own ministering efforts, perhaps we can emulate Hagar’s ministering angel and be the means by which someone may come to know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ truly see them in their wilderness.

  17. Unsurprisingly, as He interacts with the woman at the well, the Savior exemplifies what has become known as “the missionary purpose.” Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel teaches that the missionary purpose is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ [2023], 1; emphasis added). Jesus invites the woman at the well to come unto Him and then helps her to do so.

  18. Exodus 3:14; see also John 4:26.

  19. Elder Quentin L. Cook reported that over a period of three years, nearly 900,000 people came into covenant as converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see “The Lord Is Hastening His Work,” Liahona, Nov. 2025, 48). At some point, each of those new members was, in his or her own way, a man or woman at the well.

  20. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf testified that encounters with Jesus Christ change us forever. He also taught that encounters with disciples of Jesus Christ should likewise transform lives (see “Encounter at the Empty Tomb,” Liahona, May 2026, 58–61).

  21. Dallin H. Oaks, “Alive in Christ,” 87.

  22. Christlike help encourages spiritually confident discipleship. After receiving help from Jesus Christ, Peter had the confidence to leave behind his large catch of fish to follow Him (see Luke 5:11). Similarly, after experiencing the Savior’s help, the woman at the well had the confidence to leave behind her waterpot to tell everyone of the Messiah (see John 4:28).

  23. See Clark G. Gilbert, “Come Home,” Liahona, May 2026, 15–17.

  24. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminded us: “‘Love one another,’ Jesus said. ‘By this all will know that you are My disciples’ [John 13:34–35, New King James Version]. Very often, a person’s first testimony of Jesus Christ comes when he or she feels love among disciples of Jesus Christ” (“By This All Will Know That You Are My Disciples,” Liahona, May 2025, 51).

  25. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf summarized how our small, sometimes unnoticed gifts allow us to do simple things that represent the kind of help needed to change lives: “May I share with you some spiritual gifts that I have noticed in so many members across the world? Contemplate whether you have been blessed with one or more gifts like: Showing compassion. Noticing people who are overlooked. … Giving sincere compliments. … Explaining things simply. … Helping others know that they belong. … I hope you can see how precious [these gifts] are to the Lord’s work and how you might have touched, blessed, or even saved one of God’s children by your gifts” (“Do Your Part with All Your Heart,” Liahona, Nov. 2025, 23; see also Gerrit W. Gong, “No One Sits Alone,” Liahona, Nov. 2025, 40–43). In section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord emphasizes that the real purpose for our spiritual gifts, be they large or small, is to help Heavenly Father’s children (see Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–10, 26).

  26. President D. Todd Christofferson taught: “Adopting the character of Christ is not only a question of our personal preparation but a primary element of preparing the world for the Lord’s return and His glorious millennial reign. We tend to underestimate the influence of Christlike individuals in the world, but working one by one has always been Jesus’s approach to changing society and establishing His kingdom” (“The Character of Christ,” Liahona, May 2026, 91).