I hope all is well! It was a great week to be alive -
especially for my companion and I here in Pleasant Hill, California.
Funny story…the other day, my companion, Elder Irvine, and I
had an opportunity to teach the restoration of the gospel to two men. The
lesson was super awesome. The two guys were really interested, and they asked
questions and participated very well during the lesson. The spirit was really
strong. Their names are Harry and Eric. They’re best friends from high school,
and there living in the same trailer. Eric has a mental disorder, and harry
takes care of him. At the end of the meeting, Harry said he wanted us to come
back when his girlfriend and his daughter could be home and teach them some
more. This experience with these guys was awesome - except for one thing.
Before we left the apartment, I had a feeling that I should probably throw a Book of Mormon in my bag, because I had just given away the one I had on me. But then I thought - well, it’s not like we’re going to find anyone to teach, and besides, if we do then Elder Irvine will have one.
Well - he didn't either.
So here we are. In this awesome lesson - with somebody
actually interested in hearing what the church has to offer - and we have no
book of Mormon to give to them... I felt like a total fail missionary. And it
was all my fault too. I had ignored a prompting from the spirit, and robed
someone the blessings of reading the sacred scriptures.
I want to tell another story in contrast
Two weeks ago Elder Irvine and I were riding our bikes home
one night from an appointment. We rode by this man outside, who was yelling at
his wife - who had apparently locked herself in a minivan. We stopped for a
second, and from the street, asked how he was doing. He totally cussed us out
and told us to get lost. We probably shouldn't have, but we rode about
20ft down the street, and stopped, because it sounded like it was
getting pretty heated. From what we could hear - the wife had cheated on
him, and he was trying to kick her out of the house - with furry. He started
getting pretty violent, so in a moment of panic, I prayed to heavenly father to
know what we should do.
Right after I prayed, Elder Irvine ran down to the neighbor’s
house and knocked on the door. In my head I was like alright great. We’re
going to call the police, and these neighbors are going to help us calm the
crazy man down.
The neighbors totally ignored us. I honestly didn't know
what to do. So I prayed some more
The spirit prompted me that I needed to do something. so out
of faith (or insanity) I took up my bike, and rode around the bushes to go talk
to the man - whose wife was now walking down the street crying. I said to
him - “hi. We are representatives of Jesus Christ. we share a message of
hope and healing" he walked right up to me with angry eyes and cursed at
me some more. - I was bracing for impact.
I honestly can’t remember what I said after that. The spirit
took over. I do remember though, that as we talked his whole attitude went from
violent to peaceful. The spirit touched him. It was one of the most amazing
experiences I’ve seen on my mission so far.
What a blessing it is to have the spirit. A comforter, a
protector, a healer, a still small voice to guide us along paths of light
and truth. What gratitude I have to my father in heaven for giving me the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
I often think to myself - what is the spirit trying to tell
me right now. What do I need to do? The spirit doesn't always come to me, and
tell me every little detail of what I need to do and say. But that's okay. I
know that when I’m choosing the right and doing good, then the consequences of
my actions will be good. Because my faith is in God and I know that God will
never guide you to do something evil or bad.
I know that if you listen with your heart and mind, then God
will send the spirit to tell you what you need to know, when you need to know
it. I know that as we courageously act on the promptings of the still small voice,
the Lord will bless us - and He will be able to use us as instruments in his
hands, to provoke change for good, in those we love and serve
I hope everyone has an awesome week!
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