Sometimes God sends you a lift

One afternoon it was pretty slow and so I was a little bit more open to getting a ride that was outside of downtown. I got a ride up at the University of Utah Hospital going out to Magna. I figured I could do that if I turned off and went directly back into town so I wouldn’t get dragged all over the west side of the valley.

I went and picked up the young man. He worked at the University of Utah Medical Center and he was heading home at the end of his shift. The spirit indicated to me when I saw him I had that better get ready to go. A lot of times when you pull up on a situation where there are 10 to 30 people outside waiting for a ride you either have to call to recognize who they are or just sit there forever untill they recognize who you are.

As I drove up, I knew exactly who I was supposed to pick up. This is how I knew the spirit had chosen him. I knew that we were going to lift this young young man today.

We started to drive and talk a little bit about what he did at the hospital and it was pretty interesting. my mom is a nurse and worked in hospitals until her mission and then again after her first mission. After their second mission she put the nursing thing away, but I guess once a nurse always a nurse.

I talked to this young man about my exposure to medicine through my mom to establish some common ground. He seemed very interested and we chatted for a minute.

I turned to him and said, you know I’ve had some impressions of some things I’d like to talk to you about. Would that be OK? He said, go for it! I said, about God. He said, I love God, that would be awesome.

I asked him if he had lots of people he worked with who were members of our church. He said that he did. This was an interesting question because I had never asked him whether or not he was a member of the church, but I just followed the guidance of what was in my heart and started talking to him as if he were not a member of the church.

I asked him if he had ever wondered what the differences were between his religion and our religion. This is a question I like to use because it allows me to open up and talk about Heavenly Father and his love for everyone and aspects of the gospel that teach us more profoundly about his plan for each and every person to be able to come home.

My first thought was to teach him about the temple. I thought that this was strange, but I dove in. I asked him if he had seen or thought about what went on in the temples around the valley.

He said, yes, I know that they’re beautiful buildings, but I’ve always wondered. It doesn’t seem like they are the main place you go on Sunday for your meetings but they seem very important and they are very beautiful.

I said, in the temple, we find out that God has a plan to save everyone of his children if they will be saved and how he plans to do it. I asked him if he considered how many people in the history of the world had died without hearing about Jesus Christ.

He said, no, I hadn’t but now that you mention it, oh my goodness. I asked him if he believed that every person needed to be baptized to go to heaven. He said yes. He said that his church taught that.

I, at this time, had the impression that he was Catholic and I said, doesn’t your church even teach that if the baby is born and is not baptized that they can’t go to heaven if they die? He said, yes, but nobody really believes that.

I asked, do you want to know why you don’t believe that? He said, yes. I said, you don’t believe it because you believe that Heavenly Father loves you and he loves everyone just the same. It doesn’t matter where they lived or when they lived. I told him that I believed his understanding of God‘s love would preclude him from condemning a baby. I told him that God would’ve had to make a plan for that situation. He said yes, you’re right.

I asked him about somebody who’s mentally challenged. They can’t understand, should that person be condemned because they weren’t baptized? He said, no and no for the same reason. God loves everyone and that person should not be held responsible.

I asked him about the people that were born in India, Africa, and China thousand of years ago. I asked, what about them? Did they ever hear about Jesus Christ? Were they able to accept Jesus Christ? Was there an opportunity for them to be baptized?

He said, no! I asked him if it would be just for them to be condemned. I told him some of them maybe were very very very good people. Would it be just to condemn them? He said no, no it wouldn’t.

I asked him if an all loving God who loved all of his children would allow 90% of them to be condemned without an opportunity for salvation. He said, no. That’s not the God I know.

I asked him if there was a doctrine in his church that taught him about an opportunity for salvation for these and he said no.

I told him that after Jesus died, in the three days before he was resurrected, we are taught in Peter in the Bible that he went to the spirits in prison who had not had the opportunity to hear the gospel. I told him that Jesus went to them and taught them the gospel. He also organized the teaching of the gospel to everyone who dies without having the opportunity to hear the gospel on the Earth.

I told him that every one of God’s children will hear and be taught the gospel whether it happens on the earth or there in the spirit world. He asked me where it said that and I pulled out the scripture and we read it. He said, I’ve read the Bible, especially the New Testament and I’ve never noticed those scriptures.

I said, so now you know that everyone will be taught and know that Jesus is the Christ. He said, yes, I love that.

I asked my first question again, can they go to heaven without being baptized? He thought for a minute and said how are they going to do that.

I told him, that brings us back to the discussion on the temple. In our temples, we do work to save those people and give them the opportunity for exaltation and eternal life with God.

I told him that one of the things we do there is we are baptized for those people. They have the opportunity at that time, having been taught and with knowledge of the divinity of Jesus Christ, to accept or reject that baptism. He said, I don’t know what to say. That’s amazing. He said, literally every person then would be equal and have the same opportunity. I told him that this is correct.

I told him that a loving father would not condemn 90% of his children without giving them an opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not to come home. I told him that a loving father is always about saving his children, providing for his children and bringing them home safely. He said, that’s right, I believe that.

I told him, your father in heaven is a perfect loving father and he will do everything he can to get us home. He has prepared an opportunity for everyone. He said, that is amazing.

I told him that we are married and sealed in those temples. Marriages that are sealed are valid after this life through that marriage in that temple. I told him we have the authority given by Peter to do this. Peter was given the authority to seal things on earth that will be sealed in heaven, and we have that same authority. We use it in those buildings to seal marriages and seal children to their parents.

If a child dies, not only will they live with God, but the parents of that child have the assurance through their sealing in the temple that this child will belong to them and will be with them in heaven. I told him that God is all about families and we are all part of his family.

He said, those are really important buildings. I said, yes they are. I told him that they tie heaven and earth together. It’s where everything comes together. He said, I love that. They tell me I can’t go in. I said, because of how sacred those buildings are, we can only go in after we have become clean through baptism and repentance and are worthy to go. You have to show a recommend after an interview with your religious leaders. This is how we maintain the sanctity of the things that go on in that building. He said, I get that, but I would still like to see one.

I had a prompting right then. It said, “the Taylorsville Temple is still doing their open house”. I knew that had been going on for quite some time and I thought it was over. I’ve driven by there many times and haven’t seen very many cars out there lately. I decided to verify what the spirit and told me and I called my friend Gene.

Gene lives in that area and I put him on speaker. We asked him if the temple open house was still going on. He said, yes! It’s going on for another two weeks. In the backseat, my passenger said, that’s awesome. Do I need a recommend to go? My friend Gene said no. You don’t even need to set up a time because right now they’re being very lax and you can just go whenever.

We said goodbye to Gene and thanked him. My passenger said, I know where that temple is. It’s right off the freeway and it’s beautiful. I would love to go there.

He said, Thursday night is the night I have my church meeting but I think I might grab a couple of my friends and go there instead. He said, I have never contemplated the depth of the question of God‘s love like I have in the car today. I’ve never really seen everyone as children until this conversation.

I asked him what he was feeling, and he said he felt happy. I asked him to describe it to me. He said, I feel happy like I am just beaming. It’s like nothing can touch me. I’m so happy.

I told him this that was the spirit of God testifying the truth of the things that we had discussed. I told him that spirit of God always testifies of truth. I told him that when he felt this he knew that the things he was hearing were true.

I told him that because God loves us. He gives us prophets and they give us commandments. They write down those commandments and so we have the Bible. He agreed and said the prophets are really important.

I felt really impressed by the spirit to be bold right here about Jesus coming to America and so I did. I asked him, if God loves everyone in the world, why wouldn’t he have prophets other than just those in Israel? I asked him, if God loves everyone in the world why wouldn’t he give instruction, commandments and love to everyone else through prophets like he did in Israel?

I asked him why he would ignore everyone else except the people that lived in Israel. He said, that really doesn’t make sense. I told him that God had prophets in America and that they received revelations from him just like the prophets in the Bible. I told him that these prophets taught about and the people believed in Jesus Christ and that he would come to them.

I told him that they were baptized and worshiped the best they knew how. I told him that they were taught to look for the coming of Jesus Christ and they did. I told them that Jesus Christ appeared to them. He descended from heaven and stood on the steps of their temple.

I told him that the Bible says other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was going to go to them. I told him that these were some of the other sheep. As he stood on the steps of the temple the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet. They asked him to save them.

As a direct answer to that plea, he called up 12 and gave them authority to baptize and commanded that every single person be baptized in the way he taught and by that authority that he gave them. Even though they had already been baptized, he wanted to make a new covenant and have them take a step up to a higher level of discipleship. I told him that he blessed the people and their posterity. He blessed their children and he loved them because God loves everyone.

The spirit was filling the car and I could tell he believed everything I said through the confirmation of the spirit. I asked him, what are you feeling now? he said, really happy! I told him that’s the spirit of God confirming to him that this happened.

He said he heard something similar with regards to ancient America and people waiting for the return of a white God but he had no idea that this was Jesus Christ. I told him that there are legends, histories and archaeology the point to this but the important thing is that this points to the fact that God loves everyone. I told him that in America after Jesus taught the gospel and after he blessed the people, said, there were still other sheep he had to go because God sent his son to all of his children. God loves his children.

He said, I’ve never seen the love of God in such a way. I told him that because of the love of God, Jesus offered this new baptism, this new step up. Part of taking those steps up and that new level of discipleship is the temple and what we do there. It’s a very holy place.

He said, that makes sense. I love this, I love how I feel here in this car.

I told him that there was a prophet named Joseph Smith. He said, I’ve heard of Joseph Smith, didn’t he found your church? I said yes. I told him that Joseph Smith had been trying to find truth and that he went and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet to restore the church on the Earth. He was given the same authority to baptize that Jesus gave to the people in the Book of Mormon. I told him that the coming forth of the book was this restoration. I told him that those records that were kept by the ancient American prophets were given to Joseph Smith by an angel, who had been one of those prophets. He gave them to him and told him to translate them into English. I told him that this young man with a second grade education, translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God.

I could see the spirit working with him as I testified of the Book of Mormon. Testifying of the prophet, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon always brings the spirit.

He said, so that is the Book of Mormon? I said yes. He said, I’ve always wondered what that book was about. I told him that it was about God‘s children and their dealings with him in another part of his vineyard. I told him that God loves all of his children. He said this is amazing.

He said. I’m going to have to go get one of those books because I’d like to read it. He said, I like to read. I’ve even read the Quran, but that didn’t make any sense. He said, this seems to make sense and it feels right.

I told him he didn’t have to buy one. I reached into my glove box and pulled out a copy of the book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and handed it to him. I said, this is the Book of Mormon and he said I can’t take your copy. I said, I’ve got lots of copies. This is your copy and it has the questions of the soul that people ask all the time inside the front cover. The tabs take you to the answers to those questions. He looked at it for a second, then he said this means a lot that you would give this to me.

I told him that it was no accident that he was in my car today. I told him that God put him here so that he could receive this book and learn how to bring his family home.

Right then I had the impression to say, the last few minutes you’ve been thinking about a particular friend of yours who went on a mission. You’ve been thinking about asking him about this.

He said, yes, I have. How did you know? I told him that the Holy Ghost whispered it to me. I told him that he should take this book and go to that friend and tell him about our ride. I told him to tell his friend what he learned, show him that book but most importantly of all he should tell him how he felt right now. Tell him the truth you’ve learned because the spirit has let you know these things are true.

He said that he would see that friend on Sunday and he would do it. He said, I’ve got a full week now, go to the temple on Thursday and talk to my friend on Sunday. We pulled up to his house and he said, I can’t tell you how much this means. I’ve never felt this happy. It’s answered so many of my questions and even questions I didn’t know I had.

He got out of the car and went in the house.

These temple open houses can be a great missionary tool.

The other night I picked up a ride at the Mavrick Center after a concert. It took me a while to get in to the ride after three different police officers gave me four different suggestions on how to get to the spot I needed to get to. Sometimes it’s confusing and quite frustrating.

I pulled up to the curb and this woman was waving at me. She has my car description and license plate number plus a photo so she knows what she’s looking for. I have nothing so I assume that was her.

After she got in she just gave off a vibe of being very alone and unhappy. I’ve developed a sense by the spirit to sometimes recognize people who are members of the church that feel disaffected and a little bit upset. Generally it has to do with the misunderstanding of intentions or doctrine. One thing I know is that the doctrine of the gospel in its impurity should not make anyone that is a good person angry including this woman, yet that’s what the spirit was whispering to me about her.

We started driving and we talked a little bit about the concert for the first couple of minutes but this was a long trip to Herriman. I felt prompted to talk about her family with her even though that’s a big no-no . I started by asking her where she was from and she said, Orem Utah and asked me if i’d ever heard of it. I said, as luck would have it, I live in Orem and I coached football at Orem High School up until a few years back.

She said, I went to Orem High School but I got pregnant my senior year and so I didn’t have a great experience. Then she launched into her family. She said, I have four children from four different men. None of them like me. I said, I’m sure that’s not true. She went on to talk about her 19-year-old daughter who was a competitive cheerleader. She aid she spent thousands of dollars and drove all over the country to support her and she wouldn’t hardly talk to her.

I said, that’s kind of how it goes sometimes with mothers and daughters. It goes on for a few years but if you just continue to show your love she’ll come back to you. She talked about how her kids had all decided they wanted to live with their dad and it was quite depressing for her. I started talking about being happy and loving and then eventually that would bring them to her side.

She looked at me and said, I’m angry at you Mormons. I said why are you angry at us and why are you angry at me. I said that’s definitely going to affect my tip isn’t it and I laughed. She laughed too and she said, well it’s not personal but I just hate the way you all teach that I can never be with my children in the next life. She said, it makes me so angry.

One thing I knew from this discussion at that point was that she believed the church was true or it wouldn’t have had the power to make her so angry. I knew that on some level she knew it was true.

I asked her what she knew about her Heavenly Father, I wanted to find out what her relationship with him was. As I guessed, she didn’t have one per se. She said that she didn’t pray to God. She said that occasionally she prayed and talked to her mother who has passed. Her mother had been her friend and helped her with her children but had passed away several years ago

I told her that it was nice that she felt the presence and love of her mother but she had a father in heaven too. I told her, I knew you were a member of the church when you got in the car. I asked, did you have your records removed? She said, no! I said “still a Mormon then!”

She laughed and said, I guess so. I talked to her about our relationship with our father in heaven and how the spirit of God isn’t something we feel by accident or occasionally now and then. I told her that it’s meant to guide us and be with us and embrace us so that we can live our lives with God’s love.

I told her that the neat thing about the spirit is that when you have the spirit it brings peace to your life and others feel that and they want to be part of that. She said, I felt that since I got in your car. I felt relaxed and like I should talk to you. I said, that’s because I pray to have the spirit with me so that people will feel that way and feel the presence of their father in heaven . She said, mission accomplished.

I asked will you tell me what you feel in the car? She said, happy and peaceful. I said, do you like that feeling? She said, yes, I like being in your car. I told her that if she had the spirit with her, her children would feel that when they were with her and that bit by bit it would smooth out the rough edges of their relationships. It might take years but eventually they would be attracted to that because they would like how it feels.

I told her that everyone likes how that feels . We got so used to being in the presence of our father before we were born. Our spirits crave that recognize that and it’s like a magnet drawing us to him. I could tell that her countenance was changing as I looked in the mirror. She was a little bit emotional and said, how can I’d be sealed and have all my children with me.

One of the things I’ve come to understand about being sealed is that most parents think they’re going to be in heaven with their wife or husband sitting on a throne with their children around them . This is what they think of when they think of their family being sealed together. They don’t consider that they will be sealed to God and their spouse and so will their children. And while they will be family, they won’t be hanging out in the same house necessarily . They will all be serving God and working on their own progression at the different levels where they find themselves. I talked to her about this and asked her if she ever thought about that.

She laughed and said, I guess that’s right, they will be their own people. I asked her, that’s how you want it, right? She said yes. I told her that what she needed was faith in God that if she did what was right that everything would work out and it would be fine and just. I told her that the power of God and the power of Jesus Christ to save his children is incredible and that if she lived like she knew she should, God would work miracles in her behalf. I told her that with regards to them being sealed to her or not, she needed to trust God.

I told her that if she didn’t get them all sealed to her here on the earth, they would still be her children. I told her that if we all do what we need to do we will be there together. She said, that’s good because I don’t want to be in a place where my children can’t be. I told her they would have that opportunity and that if she did the things she was supposed to do that God would help them. I told her that the influence of a righteous mother is more powerful than almost any other influence.

I told her about Elder Holland saying that heaven wouldn’t be heaven if he didn’t have his wife and family with him and that God makes that possible. She said that she believes that is true. I said, see, you agree with an apostle! She laughed and said, I guess I do.

I told her that I felt like the problem she was having was that she put a shield around her heart and she wasn’t letting anyone in. She wasn’t letting God in and when anything would come her shield would smother it out or knock it away. I told her she was doing this intentionally and subconsciously and that it was very powerful. She said, I absolutely have a shield.

I told her to let God in so that he could warm her heart and this would change her countenance and change how others felt around her. I told her that eventually this would win over her children because they crave that love. They crave the love of God and the love of their mother. Again she was very emotional and she asked how do I do that? I said, tonight is a good start. You’ve allowed the spirit to penetrate your shield and touch your heart. She said, and it feels amazing.

Then I said, well, what do you think you need to do, what do you need to change, as you step forward. She asked what I thought she should do. I said, first you need to start with praying to your father in heaven. He is the one we pray to and occasionally you’ll feel the spirit of your mother but talking to her is not praying. We pray to our father in heaven. I said, that doesn’t discount that your mother might be there to help you through the tough times.

I told her that she needs to get right with the Word of Wisdom. This is something we had not discussed but I felt by the spirit that it was an issue even though she wasn’t impaired by any substances at the time. She said OK. I can make those changes

I said you need to go to church every Sunday. She said that’s going to be a tough one. I’ve gone to church and I think I burned my bridges there. I said, the good thing about going to church is that we’re all burning our bridges all the time and we all need to reconstruct the bridges every week. You need to go to church. She said, I don’t want to go to Relief Society. I told her that she should start by going to sacrament meeting, sitting in the back if she wanted and feeling the spirit. She said, OK. I said going to sacrament meeting will fill your tank. I told her as she got closer and closer to God there would be other steps to take but she had to go to God‘s house to take that first step.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I pulled out one of my Book of Mormon copies prepared by the Secrists and gave it to her I said, here is your Book of Mormon. You need to read it every day. This one will start you out easy because there are tabs and questions that are marked and answered. They will teach you about God, how he is your father and how he has the same concerns for you that you have for your children.

I told her that her Heavenly Father loved her and he wanted her back and that he would help her gather her children. I asked her if she would commit to do the things I had asked and I repeated them;

Pray

Obey the word of wisdom

Go to church

Read the Book of Mormon

I told her that if she does these things that her children will be drawn to her and her example will bring them home. I told her that the gathering is not a rounding up but is a coming together by invitation. God invites us, we invite others and the power of God is the thing that brings us together. Trying to do it otherwise brings frustration and disappointment. This is what she had already experienced and she agreed. She promised that she would do these things.

I asked her what it was that she had felt in the car and she said that now she knew it was the spirit of God and that it had been years since she felt it. She then said, I’ve never felt it this strong. I told her that the spirit of God was there because it testifies of truth and that everything we had discussed was what God wanted her to hear today. He was validating these words. She said that she believed everything.

So if you live in Herriman and you see a lady pop up in the back of your sacrament meeting, run back and say hi and give her a bunch of love . That’s really what she’s looking for. She’s been through a lot but she wants to come home.

I think about the scripture from 3rd Nephi 10: 4-6 in the Book of Mormon where Christ talks about how often he has gathered his children like a hen gathers her chickens under her wings. This work is all about gathering us “chicks.”

One day I got a ride up at Primary Children’s Hospital. The nurse came out with a mother, about a two-year-old daughter, and probably 12 bags of food. These were plastic grocery bags and she filled the whole back of my car with them. We put her daughter in the car and then put the stroller they were using on top of the food. It was all packed really tight.

We started to drive out and I told her that I hoped it have been a good day but you never really can count on that when you pick people up at that place. She smiled and said, I know what you mean. It was pretty good, she’s not 100% better yet but we’re getting there.

The two year-old daughter looked kind of out of it and had fallen asleep before we were out of the parking lot. I think that’s how I must look when I’m tired.

I started to talk to her about her daughter and she said that her daughter was on the spectrum but that she had had pneumonia. She said it was really hard on her for whatever reason.

I could tell she was a good mother and the spirit told me that it was time to talk about church. I started trying to figure out a way to get into that conversation. First we were talking about the colleges in the area and then we were talking about how much college cost.

I said that I went to BYU. She said she had lots of friends from her work when she lived in Seattle that had gone to BYU. That was my in. I told her that for a private school BYU was very affordable. I told her the most private schools are $50,000 to $100,000 a year for tuition. I said that private schools are really expensive.

I said that, however, BYU is very affordable. I told her that members of the church pay around $9000 a year and nonmembers pay around $12,000 a year. She was astounded. She asked how it could be that inexpensive. I told her, we call the tithing scholarship in our house. I told her that each one of my kids had gone to BYU, and that this was the only way they could have afforded that education. The fact that the people in the church pay tithing and the church uses tithing to pay a large portion of what the actual cost is. It turns out to be about 70% to 80%.

She was impressed. She said, even the nonmember rate is much better than most in-state tuition. I said yes. I said, the members of the church really believe in education. I asked her where she went to church and she said that she didn’t really go to church but she was Catholic.

I told her that while she was here and living here in Salt Lake, she should look into our church the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. She said, I was just thinking about that yesterday. She said, I was thinking that I should do that.

She said, I think the closest one is down on 2100 S. given the fact that she lived just off 13th South I told her that I was sure that she wouldn’t be going that far to go to church. I asked her how well she knew the Catholic doctrine and she said she knew it pretty well. I asked her if she knew what the difference was between the Catholic doctrine and the our and the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. She said she didn’t.

I asked her if it would be OK if I told her some of the differences. She said she would love that. I started by saying a prayer in my heart to know exactly what this obviously frazzled mother needed to hear. The thought of a loving Heavenly Father came to mind and that worked for me. I love to teach that.

I told her that we believe that our father in heaven is exactly that. He’s not a detached God looking for revenge, but a loving father in heaven. A father, who wants to love us, help us and bring us home. I told her that we lived with him for thousands of years and he knows us and we know him.

As I started talking about my father in heaven, it felt very personal and the spirit filled the car. I could tell she was feeling it and loving it. We had arrived at her house and I could tell we had more time because her daughter was snoring.

I went a little more deeply into it. I said our father in heaven loves us, everyone of us, no matter where we were born, or when we were born. He wants us all to come home. I asked, what kind of a father would he be if he wasn’t trying to get everyone of his children home. She said, I really believe that.

I told, her we believe that because he loved everyone he didn’t just have prophets in Israel. I told her that God blesses his children by giving them commandments through his prophets. She said, so he would tell them what he wanted them to say to the people. I said, yes. God would reveal his word to his prophets, they would tell the people and they wrote them down. That’s why we have the Bible.

I told her there were also prophets in America and they did the same thing. I told her that they wrote the words of God, so that the people could be blessed, so that his children could be blessed and feel his love. She said, that’s beautiful. I said, these prophets in America prophesied of Jesus Christ and that he would come.

I told her that in the Bible, we know that Jesus Christ loved the people, blessed the people and suffered and died for all of us. I told her that we know in the book of Peter in the Bible, that while he was dead, Jesus went to the spirit world and taught the people. He set up the organization for the teaching of the people who had died and would die without having a good opportunity to receive the gospel.

I told her that our Heavenly Father loves all of his children and he wants everyone to be taught. She said, that is so cool.

I told her that after this, Jesus was resurrected on the third day. He taught his disciples and then he said “other sheep I have which are not of this fold”. He said that he was going to go to them. I asked her who she thought he was talking about. She said she didn’t know. I told her he was talking about the people who lived here in America. The people whose prophets had prophesied he would come. I told her that he descended from heaven, bright and brilliant and stood on the steps of the temple. I told her that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and asked him to save them.

I told her that in response and as an answer to that plea, he gave the authority to baptize and commanded that each one of them be baptized. Even though they had already been baptized previously he wanted everyone of them to be baptized to this new covenant, to this new level that he brought to them.

I told her that this new level of discipleship was really important. I said that in this new level of discipleship we are able to save not only ourselves but those who have passed on. I told her that through the teachings of the Book of Mormon, we understand that those who die before they are able to sin and or those who are unable to understand sin are saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Every one of them!!!! I said, that’s different than what you guys believe. Her eyes filled with tears and she said, I have never believed that they would go to hell.

She said, every time I was told that all throughout my life I knew it wasn’t true. I told her that the spirit has always born witness of the truthfulness of the atonement of Jesus Christ to her and that this atonement paid for those children. I told her that the original sin of Adam was paid for by Jesus Christ and that we are only held accountable for our own sins, once we are at the age and understanding to be able to commit them.

The spirit was intense. She was very emotional. I asked her, do you feel that? She said, yes! I said, how does it feel? She said, I can barely contain myself, it’s very powerful. I told her that it was the spirit of God. His spirit was there with us and it was there to testify that the things that I was saying were true.

I pointed out to her that she had felt it earlier in the car as I taught about the gospel and it testified then as well. She said, I don’t think it ever left.

I told her that the spirit helps us know God‘s will. The spirit helped her know, the baptism that Jesus gave, and this new level were of him and he expected that of all of us. She said she agreed. I asked her if she knew that this was true and she said yes. I felt that right then it was really important for me to bear my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith.

I bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and about how ama young man with a second grade education translated the Book of Mormon as we have it today from a language he didn’t read, nor did he understand. I told her that he did it by the power of God and that there’s no other power that could’ve made that possible.

I told her that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that under the direction of Jesus Christ, he restored his church. Today we have a prophet and 12 apostles who teach us and bless us. They help us so that we can know how to come home to our father in heaven.

I told her that this new level included salvation for those who had passed on. I asked her if she remembered when Jesus went to set up the preaching of the gospel to those were passed on? She said yes. I asked her, do they need to be baptized? She said yes (in a questioning tone) I said, you’re right, they do need to be baptized unless they were under the age of accountability. I asked her how they could be baptized.

She said she had no idea. I told her that we go to our temples and we do what is called baptism for the dead. I told her we go there and we are baptized for and behalf of the person who has died. That person gets the opportunity to accept the teachings that they have received. I explained it a couple times and a couple of different ways because I didn’t think she was getting it. All of a sudden the light came on and she said I get it, you are baptized, but they are the ones that make the covenant and get the blessing. I said yes.

I told her it’s really important that we bless the people who have passed on, who are our family members. It’s very important that we help them come to Christ just like he invited us to come to him. She said, that so cool!

I said, in our temples we are also sealed, married for all time and all eternity. She said, is that just husbands and wives or is the family sealed to them as well? I said, husbands and wives are sealed. Their children are added to that sealing, and we are sealed for our ancestors, who have passed so that they can all have those blessings in the eternities.

She said, that is amazing. I said, these are some of the differences between our church and your church. I told her that our church has the fullness of the gospel. We have the plan of a loving father, making it possible for every one of his children to come home no matter where they were from or when they lived.

She said she liked that. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said she didn’t. I reached into my glove box and pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by Secrists. I gave it to her and explained the questions of the soul, and how to find the answers. I told her that this book was the book that was written by those prophets in America that lived here in ancient times.

I told her that if she reads this book she would feel the same feeling that we were feeling right now in the car. Again, I felt the prompting to bear my testimony. I testified of Joseph Smith. I testified of the Book of Mormon and that we have a latter-day prophet and apostles.

I asked her if it would be OK if I helped her find where her church was. She asked me if I was sure it wasn’t on 21st South and I said, I’m sure it’s not. I looked it up and it was only a block and a half away from her house. I asked her if she wanted to drive over there and she said yes. We drove over and she talked about how beautiful it was and how she couldn’t wait to go there.

I asked her if it would be OK if I had missionaries come over and teach her and help her get to church. She said yes but her daughter was just out of the hospital with pneumonia. She thought that she should wait until the following week to go. She didn’t want to expose her daughter to a whole bunch of germs. She asked if that would be OK. I chuckled and said absolutely.

I looked up the missionaries in the members Tools app. They’ve redesigned it and it’s a lot easier to use now. I quickly sent in her referral and was given the names of the missionaries. I called them.

Once I had them on the phone, I explained the situation and I mentioned that she would like to have them come over. I asked if I could give her my phone so that they could set a time. They said yes and I handed her my phone. One thing to note here is that she had not lived here very long so she didn’t have a phone that was operating yet so establishing this contact was important.

They set the appointment for the following week and decided that they would meet in the church house with a member sister.

To wrap it all up, everybody’s excited. She wants to be baptized and wants to go to church. That’s what I call a good ride!

One day I picked up a girl from work and was taking her to her home. On the way we talked about the church and I gave her a Book of Mormon. I didn’t feel like I could ask for personal information so I didn’t but I immediately started making a plan to find the missionaries in that area and point them to her door anonymously.

While I was driving around the block, after entertaining which ward she would belong to or which building she might go to, I got another ride that was close by.

It was another young lady that I was picking up from a preschool where she worked. When she got in the car I could immediately feel that she had a soft heart and was very approachable. The spirit was letting me know this before we even started talking. I knew that there had to be a reason and I knew what that reason would be.

I was taking her from Orem down towards BYU so I knew that she was a member of the church but also felt that she was unsettled and in some kind of distress with regards to her membership.

These are the things that the spirit began saying to me and they guided the next 10 minutes of our drive. After the standard pleasantries, I jumped right to tell her what I had been doing. I told her the story of the previous girl and that I’d been formulating a plan with regards to getting the missionaries to the previous girl. When I looked at her face in the mirror, she seemed shocked that I would talk about religion.

She said, you’re the first driver I’ve ever had that talked about religion to me. I told her it’s because we’re not supposed to talk about religion. Then I said that I felt like I was supposed to around her.

I told her a little bit about my story and that God puts people in my car like the young lady who had previously been in my car to receive a message.

Then I felt impressed to tell her that it wasn’t just nonmembers. Many times Heavenly Father will put a person in my car and I’m prompted to tell them things even though they are members. I shared a couple of my stories from my blog with her and told her that this happens quite frequently and that I always try to be close to the spirit.

I told her that there are a lot of members who go through the motions and fall into and out of activity because they are disillusioned, disaffected or upset. I told her that I get a lot of these people in my car, and I have an opportunity to help them focus on the important things. I told her that I get to testify to them of their Heavenly Father’s love and what the Lord would have me tell them.

I could tell she was very engaged in the conversation. She asked me what some of the things were that people were struggling with. I told her that with people her age a lot of times it has to do with the history of the church, the history of the leaders of the church, the doctrines and teachings of the church and nowadays many times young ladies are unsettled about their memberships because of their activism with LGBTQAI+ and other social justice issues. I told her that a lot of young people also struggle with the pressures of the expectations of society to participate in the debauchery that is rampant these days. I went with these issues.

She said that she could see how this might be a problem. I could see that she was one of these people. I looked at her in the mirror and she was engaged. Her eyes were wide open and she was leaning forward. I decided to go in with what the spirit was telling me right there at the time.

I told her, I believe Heavenly Father put you here for me to give you a message too. I told her that she had become inactive and that she was struggling with her testimony. I told her that she had found it difficult to stay active due to the judgments of others and that she was fighting back against her upbringing a little bit.

I told her that her father in heaven loved her tremendously and that I could feel it in my heart. I felt very impressed that the people in her ward and family had pressured her tremendously to serve a mission and because she hadn’t she had been ostracized. I told her that her father in heaven loved her and that serving a full time mission was not her responsibility. It was only an option and her father in heaven didn’t require it from her but that he loved her.  I told her I could feel this love and I wanted to help her feel his love for her. She had tears in her eyes and she said that this was a huge issue for her.

I talked to her about living with her father in heaven and that love. I talked to her about that being central in her existence from the beginning. As I talked about her Heavenly Father’s love, the spirit was undeniable in the car and you could feel it. It was touching both of us. I asked her what she would do to save a child. Where she worked with children this was a very very personal question to her. I didn’t even think about that when I asked it but that’s how she answered it. She said, I would do anything to save a child. I asked her if it was her child, is there anything that could keep her from trying to save that child and she said no.

I told her that was how her father in heaven felt. He loved his children and he wanted them to come home safe. I told her that  he gave us a savior, Jesus Christ. I told her that Jesus Christ taught us how to come home. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for us then he was resurrected so that we could all come home.

I asked her what she thought about when I said atonement and she said, all of my sins. I asked her if the atonement had any other application other than the forgiveness of sins and she said she didn’t think so. She said that she’d always been taught by her parents and by everybody that the atonement was about repentance.

I told her that there are a lot of people that don’t access the full power of the infinite atonement, only the very important part regarding repentance.

I told her that when Jesus suffered for sins he also suffered for our infirmities, injustices, anxieties, and all the problems that we would go through. This is how he lifts us, how he gives us relief and makes it so that we can manage in life.

I asked her if she had problems with terrible anxiety. She said that she did. She said that she didn’t think anyone could possibly understand and she asked me how I would know that. I told her I knew that because the spirit whispered it to me, I told her that Jesus Christ suffered this for her so that she could look to him.

I told her that he understands and he loves her. He can lift her if she will learn about him and his sacrifice. I told her that if she would learn to trust him, he could help her through her issues of anxiety and other things.

I kind of got a laundry list in my heart of things to say right then. I told her I felt like she hadn’t gone to church in some while because of the fact that she felt that the people were very judgmental. We were sitting right by apartment number 54 and I looked up at that apartment and then said, how much time did you spend thinking about the people in apartment number 54 today? How much time did you spend thinking about the bad things that they do, or may have done or what they wore last time you saw them? She said,not a second.

I said, we’re all the same way. We are too busy to be very judgmental. I asked her how much time she thought that the people she thinks harshly judge her spent thinking about her that day. She said, I never thought of it that way, they probably didn’t think about me at all.

I said, that’s probably true. We don’t spend nearly enough time thinking about the people around us. She laughed. I said, Satan has whispered that in your ear. He’s whispered in your ear that these people are judgmental and that they don’t want you there.

I said, because of this you felt anxiety going to church. You’ve given room in your heart for Satan to convince you of this and because of that you haven’t been to church in quite a while. I said, I don’t think you’ve even been to church so far this year, have you? She lowered her head and said, no, I haven’t.

I told her that when she goes to church, Satan is going to whisper things like that but he whispers things like that to everyone. Anything that tells you not to go to church or anything that tells you not to pray is from Satan, not from God. It pushes you away from God because that’s what Satan does.

I told her, once you quit praying and going to church it weakens you and Satan can then lead you down other paths. I told her that when I was on my mission, I learned about the importance of taking the sacrament. I told her that especially the first of my mission I felt empty and tossed around by my mission. I told her that the only time anybody ever understood me was God when I was praying or when I was feeling the spirit. I told her that when I took the sacrament it filled my tank and that this is how it works.

I told her that we go to church to take the sacrament and have our tank filled so that we can have the power we need to fight Satan. His pressure is relentless and unless we have the power of God with us it is very difficult to do the right things and make the right choices.

She said, when you say it like that it sounds very clear. She said, I was raised in a very strict religious home and they didn’t explain anything to me. I said, your parents love you and it’s the opposite of being judgmental. They just want you safe. They see you as their child in a dangerous situation and out of their love for you they tried to hold on to you. I said, it looks like being overbearing  and it may be to you but to them they are just trying as hard as they can.

She said, I talked to my dad yesterday. He said that he was praying for me and that he loved me. She said, he really doesn’t know how to talk to me so that makes me think that what you just said is true. I told her that the most important thing is that he loves her and he was praying for her.

I told her she wouldn’t be the first person to be put in my car because their father was praying for them. I told her that her father has a lot of fears for her safety and that Heavenly Father knows how hard it is to be a parent. When her father prays to Heavenly Father with faith, Heavenly Father listens.  I could feel the rush of the spirit when I said that and I asked her if she felt it and she nodded fervently and said, yes I do.

I said, back to the thing about praying. I kind of feel like it’s been a couple of years since you’ve prayed. You quit praying and then everything got worse with regards to the anxiety and everything. Then you left the church.

She said, it’s kind of amazing, you hit that right on the head. I thought I could skate through without you knowing that but clearly our father in heaven didn’t have that plan.

I told her that Heavenly Father misses her and wants her back.  He wants her to pray so that they can communicate just like her father had wanted to talk to her the day before, to communicate with her. I said, the good thing about that is your father in heaven is perfect and that if you’ll develop that communication, it will be perfect as well.

I told her that when she prays she should pray until she feels the communication. She said, well a lot of times I just don’t feel like I should pray. I said, it helps us to know that the Book of Mormon teaches us that whatever teaches or inspires us not to pray is not of God, it’s of Satan. Satan is the one that makes you feel self conscious when you pray. Satan is the one that makes you feel weird when you pray. Satan is the one that tells you there’s nobody there listening to you. Satan is the one that tells you that your prayers are never answered and none of that is true.

I told her that with regards to judging, if anyone IS judging, they are committing a sin. I told her that just as she expects other people to be tolerant of her sin and loving of her regardless of her sin, she also needs to be tolerant and loving of these people who sin against her. I told her about a person that has a problem with me in my ward and my plan is to go up and tell them I love them and I just want them to know that and if there’s anything that I can ever do for them to let me know. She said, that would disarm the whole situation.

I told her to go up to these people put her arms around them and say, I love you and I think you’re a great example. I think that would change everything. She said, this is a great way to look at it. I need to do that.

I asked her about the spirit she was feeling, the emotions in her heart and what it meant about the things that I was saying. She said that it meant that the things that I was saying were true.

I told her that when she feels the spirit she knows that the things she’s hearing are true. I told her, that’s how God reaches out. I asked her again to identify what she was feeling and she said she was feeling an amazing amount of peace and joy. I told her that this is how she felt in the presence of God in the preexistence and that this feeling is what she should look for. I told her that this is how God would confirm to her the truth.

I told her that I believed that she had not understood that she had ever received a testimony by the spirit. I told her that this is a common thing. Many people grow up in the church around the spirit and feeling the spirit without understanding what it is.

They want a huge emotional outpouring or manifestation. It doesn’t always come like that. I told her that what she was feeling right now was the spirit of God and it was confirming these things and that now she knew that God confirmed them to her. I told her that in the past she had justified leaving the church by saying that she didn’t have a testimony and had not received a witness.

I told her that from now on, she couldn’t say that, because now she knew and I knew that she knew.

We’d been sitting in her parking lot for quite a few minutes at that point and I said, well, I need to get you out of here but I want you to know that your father in heaven knows who you are. He loves you and want you back. I told her that nobody is judging her anymore than she is judging the people in apartment 54. I told her that she needs to make a move here because this is the time.

I felt prompted to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, so I did. It came with power and I could tell it touched her heart. She said, I know that’s true. I’ve heard those words so many times before but today they resonated in my heart.

I asked, well, now that you have this new understanding that has been confirmed by the power of the spirit what is your next step? What do you need to do? What action do you need to take?

She said, I need to go back to church. She said, I can’t believe I let myself go like that. She said, I need to quit judging others like my parents and other people whom I have perceived to be judging me.

She said, I will go to church this Sunday. She said, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I asked, just this Sunday? She said, no, I am back, you’ll see.

She smiled and then got out of the car and went into her apartment. It’s good to know she’s back.

—-update——-

At the end of last year, I gave a ride to a young man and wrote a story about it. Yesterday was his baptism day and I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate. Here is a picture from the baptism and I am including a link to that story below. 

Hurrah for Israel!!!

If any of ye lack wisdom let him ask of God

I was up by the mountain east of I-215 one day and I got a call to pick up a man. He came out of the house and got in the car and we started talking.

He was an actor in town filming a movie about the aftermath of a school shooting. He had been here for about six weeks and had about a week left of filming here in Utah.

I asked him what he thought about Utah. He laughed and said it was lot different than he thought it would be. I asked, what do you mean? He said, well, at first I confused the Mormons and the Amish. He said since he’d been here, he’d learned how silly that was. He told me that he really enjoyed the Mormons that he had been associated with and admired the peace that they seem to experience in their lives.

I asked him why he thought that there was a different feel. Why he thought they had that peace. He said he didn’t know but that he felt like he wanted to keep that when he left but he didn’t think it was possible. I asked him what he would say if I told him it was possible to take that peace with him. He told me that he would love that. He said, would you share that with me?

How could I refuse?

As soon as he said this I felt the spirit and knew that the Lord would give me the words to say.

I told him it’s because the people here believe in God. I told him it’s because the people here, many of them, strive to keep the commandments of God.

I told him that the peace he felt was the spirit of God and as I spoke the car flooded with the spirit. I asked him if he could feel it and he said, yes. I told him he could take that with him. He asked how?

I asked him if he’d ever heard of the Book of Mormon. He said he’d been to the musical several times. I told him that didn’t count and we laughed. I held up a Book of Mormon and I said, this is the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he knew what the Book of Mormon was about. He said no. I told him it was an ancient record of prophets who lived in America. I asked him if he thought it would be possible for God to love, lead and guide all of his people, not just the ones in Jerusalem and he said, yes. He said that’s exactly how he thought it was supposed to be but that to him the Bible had seemed to become kind of exclusionary.

I told him that the Book of Mormon testifies that God loves all of his children not just the ones who lived in Jerusalem. I told him that the Book of Mormon also teaches that Jesus visited America and other people in the world. He said, I’ve always believed that. He said, my ancestors in Africa love Jesus just as much as anyone else. Why wouldn’t he visit them? I said that I personally believe he did.

I opened third Nephi, chapter 16 and read to him the first three verses. We discussed Isaiah mentioning that God would visit his children, the house of Israel, who were in Kush. I asked him if he knew where Kush was and he said, yes! That was the first great empire in Africa. I said yes. I asked him if he thought it was possible that some of those other sheep may have been his ancestors and he said, yes!

I said, this book testifies that God went to his other sheep wherever God had sent them. He said that this made more sense to him than anything else he had ever heard in Christianity. I told him it’s because the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel. None of it has been taken out. It comes straight from God to us. I felt prompted to ask him what he felt right then and he said that the peace just keeps getting thicker. I thought that was an interesting observation and description.

I told him that the reason why I believe his family loves Jesus so much is because their spirits remember this connection. There was stunned silence. He said, this is a good point.

I told him that Joseph Smith was looking for for the truth and he couldn’t find it. He went to the Sacred Grove and knelt to pray. I told him that God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet. They called him to restore the church of Jesus Christ and its full teachings including the Book of Mormon which he translated from the plates. These plates were engraven by the prophets who wrote them in ancient America. He loved that. I asked him if he was still feeling the spirit, the peace and he said yes. I asked him why God would give him that if it wasn’t true.

I asked him if God would trick him and he said, no God deals in truth. I told him that is how he knows that this is true. I told him that as he reads the book he needs to be aware that if he follows that spirit it will lead him to baptism. Once he’s baptized he is cleansed of all of his sin. He can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and that’s how he can take the peace with him. He said, that’s amazing!

He asked me if he could have a copy. I said, you can have this copy and I gave it to him. He loved that it had the colored tabs and that he could look up the questions and the answers to the questions of the soul from preach my gospel. He said, I love to read and I promise you that I will read this book.

He told me that he had a friend from the movie that was a member of the church. He said his friend had been a missionary once. He said he thought he would bring this up with him.

It was amazing to see the Lord reach out and touch this young man who is clearly brought here not to make a movie but to receive a book

I picked up a kid in Midvale and was taking him out to Magna. He got in the car and we started talking about what he did for a living. He was a barber. He told me he really liked his job but that his life had been pretty troubled lately.He said that he had lots of stress and problems and that it just seemed like sometimes it was overwhelming. Right then he was going out to visit his mom. He talked about the stress and how he didn’t know sometimes how he could do it.

He was currently living with his girlfriend and things didn’t seem to be going well. This is when I was prompted that he was a less active member of the church. He just seemed lost to me. Lost in sin, lost in his relationship and lost in life.

I asked him about his relationship. I asked him to tell me what he wanted out of it. He told me he wanted to be there for his girlfriend and his kids when he had kids. He was afraid that life would rip their family apart like all of his friend’s families. He asked me how you can make a marriage last. I told him that there was only one way that I knew of and that was understanding how to forgive and be forgiven.

I asked him if he was a member of the church and he said no. I knew immediately that this was not true but he was another one of those people that quit identifying themselves as a member of the church. I think they do this because their sin makes them feel separated from the church. They tell themselves they’re doing it because they really want to fit in with and fear the judgment of those in the great and spacious building. They deny who they are very loudly in an effort to cover up that constant voice that calls them back.

I told him that as the husband or father of the family there’s really no one standing around to give you atta boys and pick you up. The only way to make it through with your heart intact and your family together is by embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement. I told him that through Jesus Christ the stresses, challenges and burdens could be made light.

I was prompted that he was going through a tremendous amount of pain and that he had previously gone through a tremendous amount of pain in his life. I asked him to tell me about the pain he had gone through. He told me about a couple of relationships and how his trust had been shattered and abused. He felt like he was damaged and he could never have or find the right situation.

I told him that bad things happen but that if we are looking to Christ and his atonement he can be there for us. I told him, “I know you’re saying that you’re not a member of the church but I feel like you are, why did you say you weren’t”. He looked surprised and asked, how did you know that? I told him that the spirit told me. He said, to answer your question I guess it’s because I don’t live it.

I said, that’s why God puts people in your life that can help you live it and can pick you up along the way. He gives us apostles and prophets. I talked to him about Elder Renlund’s talk from April 2021 conference about the atonement and how none of us get through this life without having to go down that road and understand the greatness of that sacrifice. We all need to access that to be happy. I talked to him about Elder Holland‘s talk from that conference as well and texted both talks to him.

These have to be two of the finest talks given in conference on the atonement in my opinion. Not just details of the atonement but the application of the atonement in our lives as a tool to overcome adversity.

I then asked him, why are we going to Magna? I had an intense curiosity that I think was brought on by the spirit. He said, my mother is sick and I’m going out to take care of her. He said that she was not doing very well. I had the prompting to ask him what her view on life was. He said she was happy and he didn’t understand why. He said her relationship had failed and she was happy, her children had bailed on her and she was happy, she was sick and dying and she was happy.

I told him that she understood what Elder Holland and Elder Renlund were saying in these talks and that brought her peace and happiness. I told him that she had hope for him and that she was praying for him and that’s why I was here talking about these things. I told him that she prayed him into my car. I told him that she saw something in him that he didn’t see in himself and that she knew God could touch his heart.

I looked back and God was touching his heart. You could see in his face that he was engaged and his heart was being softened. I asked what he did with his mom when he went there. He said they sat and talked. I asked him to take those talks and sit with his mom and discuss them with her. I told him that if he did that, he would understand his father in heaven‘s love for him and he would see that in her life as well.

I asked him if I could bear my testimony and he told me to please do so. I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith and how he felt lost and confused. I told him that I knew Joseph Smith went to the Sacred Grove and that God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I told him that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that it was translated by the power of God.

I told him that if he would read the Book of Mormon he would hear the voices of his ancestors pleading with him to come to Christ. I told him that the prophets in the Book of Mormon prayed that it would be preserved for him and that he would feel the power if he would read it and pray.

The spirit was strong, he was crying and apologizing for it. He said, I just don’t cry. I said, the spirit brings emotions to the surface that we’re not used to feeling if we haven’t been close to the spirit. When you feel that, you know that God is with you and that he is telling you that what you were discussing is true or what you are hearing is true.

He said, this changes everything. I need to do what it takes to have this in my life. When you say those things, this feeling that I have in my heart right now tells that it’s true. I asked him to describe that feeling and he said it was euphoria and it felt like his heart was going to explode. I told him to remember that feeling and keep that memory with him. It would give him a light and indicate the way back.

I told him that power would transform his life if he would allow it to. It would improve all of his relationships, not just his relationship with God. I told him that if he would take this seriously, God would lift his burdens and walk with him. I told him that this is what his mother was praying for and that she was a woman of tremendous faith.

He said, you don’t know the half of it. She prays nonstop! I laughed and said, someday when you’re a parent you will understand. You also need to understand that your father in heaven is a parent and he wants you to obey so he can bless you. God loves you even more than your mother loves you and he wants you to be happy.

I could tell that impacted him. I asked him what he would be willing to give up to have that kind of peace and joy. He said, if I could get that I would be willing to do anything. I said, do you mean that? He said yes.

I told him to remember that God doesn’t give us commandments to make us feel trapped. He gives us commandments to make us free, free from sin and free from pain. He gives us his son to lift us above those things and that all we need to do is look to Him. He gives us commandments and one of those commandments has to do with being married before you live with your girlfriend. Another says you need to go to church. When you live those Commandments you will feel his love and you will be lifted and blessed.

I told him if he meant that then it was time for him to make a decision about his girlfriend. He needed to change that relationship to fall in line with the commandments of God. I told him that God didn’t care whether he got married or moved out but that they had to get on the same page with God or God could not bless them in that relationship. I told him that if God wasn’t in that relationship that they had to do it all by themselves and I don’t see how that’s possible these days.

I asked him to tell me what he thought about what we discussed. He told me that he knew it was true. I asked him what he knew about the Book of Mormon that he didn’t know before. He said he knew it was true. I asked him what that meant that he needed to do. He said that it meant that he needed to go in and read those talks with his mom and figure out how to make those changes to get his life on track. I told him, I think she’ll help you. He smiled and said, I don’t think anything would make her more happy.

I told him, you know that this is what your mother has been praying for. He said, yes, she always gets her way. He smiled, thanked me and got out of the car with a spring in his step and ran upstairs to his mother’s apartment.

Here are links to the talks by Elder Renlund and Holland from April 2021

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/25renlund?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/23holland?lang=eng

I picked up a man headed home from his friend’s house. He lived in Rose Park and was of African descent. I normally would not indicate that because it doesn’t matter except for in his story it does. This part of Rose Park is a rough area and he seemed to be a bit rough as well and a little roughed up too.

We started driving down the road and chatting about history. We both lamented the fact that there are people that want to erase history. The Taliban had as its first order of business erasing the history of the people so that there was no history taught about things before the Taliban. Karl Marx espoused the same philosophy. We discussed that.

I told him I thought that it was stupid and horrible for people to destroy history because that’s what we learn from. I told him about the Mormon pioneers and how there had been an extermination order. I told him that many died along the trail to Utah and some were killed before they left. I told him that they went through hardships that were unjust and wrong.

I told him that in remembering those people and what they suffered we are able to honor them by living in a righteous way and doing what our father in heaven would have us do.

This young man obviously was a descendent of slaves here in the United States and I mentioned to him that his ancestors suffered unimaginable pain and indignity but that by living a great life lifting others and following God he could honor them.

He said that he totally believed that. I felt the strong impression to let him know that God loves him and that he needed to quit listening to the voice telling him that he wasn’t good enough, that he didn’t belong and that he would never measure up. I told him that’s why he had backed away from faith because he felt uncomfortable trying to measure up, all the while hearing these voices tell him that he wasn’t worthy of God’s love.

I told him that wasn’t true. I told him God was his father and he loved him. The Spirit of God was amazing in the car when I said that. He noted it and said, man that feels good. I said, it’s the spirit of God and his spirit is here because the things we said were true. He said, I know that true.

I told him that his Heavenly Father loved him and that he had sent his son, Jesus Christ, to make it so that he could come home. I asked him, did you know that Jesus came to America? He said, no! I told him about Jesus coming to America. He descended from heaven pure and bright. The people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and knew that this was their God. I told him, then Jesus said still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem and I have received a commandment to go to them.

I asked him, where else do you think he went besides America and Jerusalem? He thought for a minute and said, I don’t know, I suppose the rest of the world? I told him that in Isaiah it mentions that he would go to Europe, Asia, the isles of the sea, Pathos and Kush. I asked him if he knew where Pathos and Kush were. He said, yes! Pathos was the kingdom of northern Africa and Kush was the great kingdom of Africa.

I told him that when Jesus was in America he blessed them, he taught them, he blessed the children and he loved them. I asked him, if Jesus went to Africa what do you think he did there? I told him that he blessed them, loved them and taught them just like he did in America.

I told him that if he reads the Book of Mormon he will be able to know exactly what happened when Jesus went to Africa like Isaiah prophesied because God loves all of his children. The spirit was very strong as I testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. As I testified he said, I have one I’m going to have to read it I guess. He said I’d love to get this new information.

I had the impression to tell him that God loved him and that even though earlier in his life he felt forsaken, God had never left him and had helped him through.

I told him that he had felt betrayed, bitter, taken advantage of. He had suffered injustice and abuse. I told him he felt helpless and no one came to the rescue. I told him that God was there and he’s the reason he made it through. It’s interesting when the spirit testifies about something like this. You say the thing that god gives you to say, yet you have no knowledge of it or no way of knowing it but the spirit testifies of your words as you say them.

The spirit indeed testified of God‘s love for the man and the truthfulness of what I had said. It validated the words that he gave me to say. This young man said, that’s powerful. He said that he had hoped in his life he would be able to learn from the things he went through and help other people and lift them.

I told him that one of the most important things to know was that we never suffer alone if we look to Jesus. He suffered every pain and injustice imaginable so that we wouldn’t need to be stopped or stifled by the pain and indignity of these things. What he suffered was unimaginable but he did it for us, if we look to him. Then he was crucified and later resurrected so that each of us can look to him for help in rising above our trials and having new life.

I told him that this was completely possible for him. I told him that God would want him to lift other people. I asked him what he thought about me discussing his past without having any knowledge beforehand. He said, frankly I’m wondering how you got that information.

I told him that when we’re baptized we are clean and we get the gift of the Holy Ghost That gift gives us the ability to receive revelation and promptings from God so that we can speak his words and represent him. He said, so you’re getting it from the source! I said, yes I am. He said, there’s no other way you could’ve known these things.

I told him that baptism is a beautiful thing because when we are baptized we are cleansed from our sins, we’re clean inside and out 100%. I told him that is an amazing gift and he agreed that it would be. I asked him if he would like that and he said yes.

I told him that once you’ve been baptized and you get the gift of the Holy Ghost, God can lead you and guide you in helping other people. The spirit was almost overwhelming and I called it to his attention one more time. He said, this is incredible. I asked him, so what does that spirit feel like? He said he felt happy and energetic. I told him, that’s the spirit of God. It makes him happy, it makes him want to be better and it makes him want to serve others. I told him that it also testifies of truth. I asked him if he believed that the things I had said were true and he said yes.

I asked him if he sees missionaries ever around in his neighborhood. I happened to know that they live about five doors down. I knew what the answer would be and he said yes, he sees them all the time. I asked him if he would do me a favor and promise me that he would go talk to those missionaries. He said, yes. I asked him to go up to those missionaries and tell them about what happened to us in the car that day.

I asked him if he had read the book of Mormon. He said that he hadn’t. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the copies of the book prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. I told him that this book testifies of Jesus Christ. I told him that this book would bring him closer to Christ and help him access the power of Jesus Christ and his atonement so he could apply it in his life.

He reached out and grabbed the book and looked at it for a minute. I said, do you want that book? He said, can it do for me the things you said it would be able to do? I said yes. He said, of course I want this book. I said, it yours.

I bore my testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon and the prophet, Joseph Smith.

I asked him how he felt about that and he said he felt like what I was saying was true. I told him that I learned that by reading this book. I told him to take the book and read it every day. I told him he should pray about the book and develop a relationship with his father in heaven.

The spirit testified of the truthfulness of what I was saying and I knew that he felt it. We were both basking in the spirit and the ride had been over for 10 minutes.

He lingered for a while longer and said that he really hated leaving the car. He shook my hand and said, it feels like I need to get busy. I’ve got some things I need to learn and some things I need to do. He said, I need to talk to those missionaries. He got out of the car and walked away.

On this Easter I want to say that I believe that Jesus Christ made this all possible and that is what Easter is about to me. It isn’t about whether we can come home or that we should come home, it is about HOW we can come home. He is the way and we need to bury our past lives and rise with him, even if we have been roughed up. The tomb is empty and a new life awaits.

Happy Easter.

One Friday night Heather and I had just got done with the volleyball game and we’re hanging around at home for a while. It was late and I needed to go out to work. I thought about just staying down in the Provo area and even turned left instead of right coming out of our street but felt impressed to go to Salt Lake instead.

With only about three hours left to work, spending 40 minutes driving to Salt Lake didn’t seem like a great idea but thats where I decided I was supposed to go. I drove a few people around Salt Lake. It was snowing that night and people that would normally walk were taking little short rides which works very well for me.

I had the opportunity to take a couple of longer rides but I opted for shorter rides because I didn’t want to take long rides.

We were in the middle of the night time closing rush and I got a long ride opportunity. I’d been turning those down all night and thought to turn this one down too but felt impressed to take it. I had the thought that this was the reason why I was there in the first place. I took the ride.

I pulled up to the establishment where I was to give the ride and three guys got in my car. They were speaking a language I didn’t understand so I asked them where they were from. Some people get really offended when you do that and they say California, Arizona or something like that.

These guys said California and Arizona. I said, oh I’m sorry. I like to learn how to say hello and thank you in the languages of the people who are in my car. The two guys in the backseat apparently didn’t speak English but the guy in the front seat spoke really good English. I didn’t recognize the language they were speaking, so I thought I would ask what language it was. At this point, the person was still trying to be offended. He decided to test me. He said, how many languages can you say hello or thank you in? The guys in the backseat couldn’t understand what was going on in the front seat and they weren’t participating. They continued their chatter in their own language.

I said, other than English I think it’s 20 but I’m not sure. He said well, let’s go. Tell me the languages you can do that in and say the words. Before you start, I’ll teach you how to do it in my language. He said, we speak Armenian. He taught me how to say hello. It was not easy.

Then it was my turn, I started rattling off hello and thank you in the languages I know and he started counting them. Occasionally he would chime in with one that he knew. It didn’t take long for me to realize that he had an affinity for languages as well. This icebreaker with him turned into a conversation.

The last one I said was aloha and mahalo. He said, I love that one! I normally wouldn’t count that one or even say it but I felt like I should, and he lit up. He said, that’s 20 and you ended on my favorite. I asked, why is that your favorite? He said, I used to live in Hawaii.

I asked, why did you live in Hawaii? He said I went to school there. I asked, did you go to the University of Hawaii or Chaminade? He said, no, I went to BYU Hawaii. It’s always a little bit disappointing when you pick up a former BYU student from a drinking establishment but I’ve learned to take it in stride and understand it as an opportunity for discussion.

He said, I went for one semester to BYU Hawaii. I asked him where he went other than that semester and he said BYU Idaho. I told him that going from Idaho to Hawaii must have been a shock, but the greater shock probably was the weather shock. He laughed and said, that’s why we went there. We wanted to escape the winter.

I said, you went with friends? He said yes! I went with several friends of mine and my girlfriend and her friends as well. I asked, do you mind me asking how you go from being a BYU student to me picking you up at that place tonight? He put his head down and said, yeah, that’s fine.

He started telling me the story about how he had a girlfriend and he really liked her. When they went to Hawaii things got a little weird and he didn’t know why. He and his guy friends wondered what was changing with those girls.

He said that after a month and a half they started following them out at night. They found out that the girls were slipping out to the navy base and were being casual and physical with the sailors. He said, the sailors did what sailors do. The girls would go over every Saturday night and then go to church on Sunday. He said, it killed something in my heart.

He said to me it, dirtied them and it dirtied the church due to the fact that they were showing up in full participation after that kind of activity week after week after week.

He said that after the semester was over he dropped out of school and quit going to church. This was a lot of information. I prayed to know how to answer the question that wasn’t even being asked. I said, why in the world would you let some girl dictate what you do or how you exercise your beliefs.

I said why in the world would you allow some person that doesn’t really care for you dictate your relationship with God? I said, do you think those girls have spent 30 seconds since you last saw them thinking about whether or not you’re going to church? You’re not punishing anyone or making a statement to anyone but yourself and your father in heaven.

I realized that sounded bold but I felt that I needed to call him out on that a little bit. I said, it’s true that they sinned and did things they shouldn’t have done. It’s also true that you let the actions of somebody else dictate your progress with your father in heaven.

He said, well, I still know the church is true. I asked him if knowing the church is true is the same thing as being converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. I told him about Elder Bednar, where he discusses this very topic about how the Anti-Nephi-Lehies at first believed but when they were converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, they were willing to suffer death, rather than dishonor the covenants that they had made.

I said, you may have a testimony but we need to work a little bit on your conversion. He was silenced. I said, you need to have such a firm commitment and burning in your soul of the veracity of the church that nobody’s actions or words will have the ability to sway you from that belief. This includes the actions subsequent to those beliefs, including fulfilling, the covenants you’ve made.

I felt very strongly prompted to bear my testimony of the love of our father in heaven and of Jesus Christ. I testified of Joseph Smith, the first vision and the truth of the Book of Mormon. As I bore this testimony, he started to crumble in his seat.

When they started out the ride, he was sitting tall and kind of aggressive with me. Now he had collapsed in his seat and he started to cry as I bore my testimony. I could feel the spirit there and I asked him if he could feel that. He said, yes. I asked, what does it feel like? He said it feels like a long lost friend. I told him, that is your father in heaven and that is the spirit of your father in heaven.

I told him that he didn’t intend to apostatize or leave the church but that faced with tribulation instead of embracing God, he had blamed God and his church.

I told him that he had thought that he could get to heaven on his own and that all he had to do was pray. I received the very distinct impression that this was a very prayerful man and that he prayed often.

I told him, you pray often to your father in heaven and that has not changed. If anything it’s increased but you’re not listening when you pray. You’re not reading the Book of Mormon and you’re not going to church.

I told him that the question he had is, why do I have to go to church when everybody there is so fake? I said, that’s your question, isn’t it? He said, yes. I told him that the church is where sick people go to get better and they are not the perfect people as the aspired to be and neither was he as evidenced by where I found him tonight.

I told him that when we go to church the focus is on God. We prepare to go to church, we repent, and we go to take the sacrament. I told him that if somebody takes the sacrament without repenting that it’s just bread and water. They’re not renewing a covenant and it doesn’t damage anyone else in the room.

I told him that what does damage you is when you don’t take to sacrament. I told him about when I was on my mission and I was struggling and it was hard. I didn’t speak the language. My companion didn’t like me and I was miserable. When I took the sacrament it filled my tank and lifted me. The spirit pointed me to my purpose and let me know that this spirit was what I had to offer the people. It let me know that this is what they needed to feel, this communion with God and the ability to have his spirit in their soul.

I told him that he hadn’t had that because he quit going to church. As a result he felt lost because of this he had wandered into forbidden pathways. He had made bad decisions and he was blaming other people. I told him, you can’t blame other people. This is on you. Everybody makes mistakes but you have to be willing to worry about your mistakes and not other people’s mistakes. They’re not talking about you, they’re not worrying about you, so you have to worry about you. You have to take care of you and the way you do that is you come to church, you take the sacrament and you renew that covenant with your father in heaven.

He was crying, visibly and audibly. The spirit touched him and had prompted me to be bold and even plain with him in the words that I used. It’s not a highly suggested approach to one’s customers!

I told him, furthermore, the kind of woman you’re looking to marry is not the kind of woman that you’ll find in that bar where I picked you up tonight. That woman in that bar tonight is someone that will lead you further away, not closer, to God. The woman you will find that will help you and bless you will be found in church.

A little bit earlier we had talked about how the ladies these days in the bar scene are very promiscuous and aggressive. I asked him if that’s the kind of woman he wanted to have as the mother of his child. I asked him if he wanted a woman who had been shared by many men and he said, no.

I said, so why are you looking for the woman you want in that environment? Satan has convinced you to go there but all you meet with is disappointment. He has told you that you were disappointed at church too, in an attempt to pull you away into his trap.

We pulled over and let his friends out at their apartment and continued onto his apartment. This gave me the opportunity to be more personal and to double down.

I told him that due to the fact that the spirit was so strong in the car, it was clear to me that God had put him in my car so that he could have a course correction. He needed to get back to church, get close to God and make himself a viable candidate for the kind of woman that he wanted to marry.

He said, I haven’t cried in years and I’m sobbing like a baby. We were pulling up to his house right across the road from the church house. I said, Sunday is fast and testimony meeting. This week you need to go to church. That’s why God sent me. This week you need to go to church and be filled with the spirit of God. You need to get right with God, you need to go to church and commute with him. You need to fill your tank.

I told him this is why I was sent here to get you today. He said, everything you said is true and most of them are things that I have thought but I haven’t dared say them out loud. I know God sent you tell me these things. I know that I need to make this change.

I told him, God didn’t just send me to tell you these things he needs you to commit to go to church on Sunday. He said, I’ll try. I said, God didn’t send me here to have you commit to try. God sent me here and gave me these words so that you would commit to do.

I said, how does it feel to be so loved by your Heavenly Father that he sent someone to help you see the path again. It’s time for you to get right with God, have his spirit and find that path forward with him as your guide.

I asked, will you commit to go to church on Sunday.? He said, yes I will! I will commit. With tears running down his face he said, thank you for bringing this message to me. He said, I will do that. He got out of the car and started walking away.

In this ride it was almost as if he were in a zone. I could see the spirit working with him and I could see Satan fighting not to lose him. In the end, the spirit of the Lord chased Satan out and the peace of the Lord settled in his heart and blew his mind.

It’s important for us to understand what Elder Bednar taught and this is that our conversion has to be a conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ and not the social structure or the people in it because they will fail you as they had this young man. Christ will never fail you and we need to build on that rock.

One night at 2 AM I was downtown knocking out rides when the app pulled me out to the airport to pick up a man. I needed to take him 55 minutes south. It was a Thursday night because it was busy. I wanted to stay downtown longer but rather than fight it I just said, fair enough and started heading to the airport. Just as soon as I had that thought and started going I got the prompting we would be talking about the gospel.

When I got to the airport the man got in the car and we headed off. He was coming home from a business trip where he got some kind of training for manufacturers. The conversation was all about what he did. Then I asked him why he didn’t have his wife come pick him up at 2 AM and he laughed hysterically he could tell in my face that the suggestion of his wife getting him was a joke all along. I said that wouldn’t go over well would it! He said no.

When we talked at first he implied that he wasn’t a member of the church. He didn’t do this as a direct answer to a question but through various statements he made.

He and his wife had two young children and they were in bed and his wife was as well. We headed out to Spanish Fork. I remembered again that I had the impression to talk to this man who seemed to be a really nice man who had a tremendous weight on his shoulders. It almost seemed like he wanted to be active in the church or that he felt something that turned the light on inside of him.

I saw this as a sign that he was ready to get going. I started asking him about his wife and his family. He talked a lot about his father who was a very religious and devout man. He almost spoke as if his father was that overbearing authoritarian type. Then he just changed it up and talked about how his father had the most precise and heartfelt way of looking at things. He always said things just right.

I didn’t believe him when he indicated that he was not he was a member of the church for some reason. It didn’t feel right. I knew that he grew up with his dad in the Navy and they had been all over the world. I knew that he had gotten a girlfriend pregnant when he was very young and not even known about it for about 12 years. The mother had appeared suddenly and said, this is your daughter give me child support.

He talked about how that was hard for his wife and his kids at first but his dad really helped him move that through. We talked about the challenges of life and faith. He talked about integrating his 12-year-old daughter into the life of his family without disrupting everything and threatening his current family in the process.

I talked about how important it would be to have Jesus Christ as a centerpiece of anything you were doing and grab onto the atonement. When I started talking about the atonement he started warming up big-time. The spirit came in the car and I could tell he felt it. I talked about how Jesus had suffered not because he had to, and not until he couldn’t suffer anymore, but he suffered for us until it was done. It went far past what any man could do because he was a God and he loved us with the perfect love and power of a god

The spirit opened up to me seeing this guy being someone who had been judged and hurt and leaving the church. He seemed to be having a tremendous amount of regret over the whole situation.

I saw him as a member of the church and maybe a returned missionary. I perceived that his father was a good member of the church as well. I started talking to him as if he had told me that he was a member of the church following the prompting the spirit had given me.

With this knowledge I said, a lot of times in church we have people that we think are judging us. They say things or they do things to make us feel bad or make us feel uncomfortable. What the natural man or Satan would have us do is turn against God. What God would have us do is turn to Jesus for the lifting of our burdens through the power of his atonement.

I told him I felt like that was him. I told him I felt like he had been offended at our church. I felt like someone had said something and it really bothered him. He told me about going to the store to get some formula for their baby. He there was a mother pointing at him while talking to her little son about what horrible people bikers are. He happened to have a beard and a mustache and be riding a motorcycle wearing his motorcycle gear at the time.

He knew that woman from church and it hurt him that she would say that. I asked him if he knew that Satan whispers in everybody’s ears? I told him that Satan whispered in his ears all the time about not being worthy, about not going to church, about people judging you at church and saying that you shouldn’t be there. He told me that’s true, that he hears that in his head and it makes him not want to be around those people.

I asked him if he wanted people to be tolerant of his sins and love him despite the sins and help him along and he said, yes. I told him that judging is their sin. Making judgments about other people is their weakness. I asked him if he thought maybe he should be tolerant and loving of them in their sin. He thought for a second and said, I never thought about it that way.

I told him that the thing about the atonement is that Jesus has enough for everyone and he fills us all up with his love regardless of what point we find ourselves, if we will look to him. I told him that we need to quit looking to other people and allowing them to affect us.

He said to me that he was a returned missionary that he had served a mission to florida. He said that his wife had a horrible experience when she went through the temple and that she had quit going to church because of it. Subsequently he quit going to church along with his wife.

He said it was like his whole family was on a pedestal and everyone was judging them and it was just too much to bear. I told him that Jesus felt that embarrassment, that pain and that injustice as well. I shared with him stories of people I know that have been through what his wife has been through. These people had similar experiences and were affected in such a way that they didn’t know how to deal with it. Not going back to the temple and sometimes leaving the church followed.

I asked him what he thought the difference was between the successful ones who stayed in the church and went back to the temple and those who stayed away. He said he didn’t know. I told him that they read their scriptures and said their prayers.

I felt to tell him that reading scriptures and saying prayers is really important and that it is one of the things that the successful people do when they have challenges. They hang on to those things. They keep going to church even though it’s hard because they learn that it’s about their relationship with God and not their relationship with their ward members that matters.

I asked him if he was surprised about how the conversation we had experienced hit point by point the things that were concerning to him and he said yes I told him that I knew these things because of the spirit. I told him the spirit had spoken to my heart and gave me those things to say. I happened because God needed him back.

I told him that if we listen to the spirit and say the words the Lord puts into our heart, our missions don’t end when we get home from serving for two years. God will put people in our lives for us to testify to and he’ll give us the words to say. I told him the Lord had put him in my car and given me those words tonight. I told him it happened because God wanted him and his family back and that he loved them. I also told him that God expected him to start to pray and read the scriptures.

I felt a prompting to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I bore that simple testimony but I felt the power in my words. I knew he felt it too. I asked him if he recognized the spirit and he said yes. I told him that the spirit that he was feeling was the love of his father in heaven and that it testified to him of truth. He said, yes, I know that but it’s been so long since I felt like this.

I could see the wheels turning in his mind. This was a returned missionary who had been a good missionary and he knew exactly what was happening. Right then I had the impression to say, the Lord let me perceive the thoughts in your heart right there in that moment. Right now you’re thinking about your patriarchal blessings because in your patriarchal blessing you were given the spiritual gifts necessary to deal with the crisis that your family and you are going through right now.

I told him to read his patriarchal blessing and become worthy to exercise the spiritual gifts like a weapon to defend his family. He said, wow! You could not have been more right on this whole trip. I told him it wasn’t me. I told him that the Lord wanted him back.

I told him that the Lord knew that he would go through this and gave him those blessings and gifts of the spirit for this day and this battle. He said, that is exactly right.

I told him that he needed to go to church and asked him if he would and he said yes. I told him that he needed to read the scriptures and pray with his family and if he would I promised him that his family would eventually come with him. I told him that they would eventually come to church with him if he would do this in a loving way.

I told him he would have to rely on the atonement of the Savior and the word of God but if he would have that faith, God would give him that blessing. The spirit of God was very powerful in the car and he felt it. His face was glowing.

I asked, would you like me to pray for you? He said he would love for me to pray for him, right now! He said that the spirit had been so strong in the car and the word of God so clear to his mind. He wanted me to pray for him right there in the car. I said OK. I bowed my head and prayed the words that came into my heart. During that prayer I saw in my mind the things unfold that this young man really wanted.

Heather is concerned that you might think I was driving at the time. We had arrived at his home and we were parked out in front of his house.

I saw him and his family at church. I prayed and I asked God to give him the strength and the faith to lead his family to that point so they could feel the power of God in their lives.

When we finished the prayer he was crying and he shook my hand for about a minute. He told me that he could’t have ever imagined something like this would’ve happened today. He told me that several drivers had declined him and that he almost gave up. He thought he would have to sleep at the airport but he gave it one last shot. That’s when I accepted the ride. God knows what he’s doing and he sent him a ride so that he could touch this young man and save his family. It was an amazing experience.

I picked up a lady in Deer Valley who was heading into Park City. I love these runs! It’s like eight minutes and you make $10. When she got in she added a stop. She was going to the airport. My heart sank. That $10 ride became $23 and an hour and a half commitment. When you take out $12 worth of gas it makes you sad.

I had a decision to make and I decided to stick with it. I felt like canceling her and telling her that I was not able to go to Salt Lake but I felt like I should stick with it. As we drove to our first stop, we started talking about people on the road for business and how crazy they get. She was out for business and she said she didn’t recognize some of the people in their office by the way they acted.

I told her that I had traveled extensively in my life and that was some thing I was well aware of. People get away from home and they think they get away from all of their obligations.

I had told her that as a frequent traveler you take precautions when you’re on the road, so not to find yourself in a compromising situation. I told her that I always ate my meals in my room watching TV and not in restaurants. I limited exposure with those people to work hours.

I told her that I’ve been married for 37 years and that, in our religion, we take marriage seriously. She asked me what religion I was and I told him that I was a member of the church. She said, I’ve got one million questions about the Mormon church.

She asked me if I would be offended if she asked ne blunt hard questions. I told her no, and that I might actually give her some blunt hard answers. She laughed as we arrived at her stop.

She told me she had to get out of the car and get her bag and asked me if she could take five minutes to smoke a cigarette. I wanted to scream no because I hate how it stinks up my car. They all think that if they’re done smoking, they’re done stinking and that’s not the truth. But I knew we were going to be talking about the church so I said, yeah I’ll wait.

I went back and loaded her bag while she was smoking her cigarette. The bellman who helped me was from Argentina. The kids come up on J1 visas during their summer and work in the ski resorts. There are literally hundreds of Argentina kids running around Park City in the winter. This was one of them and we spoke in Spanish. He is from Bahía Blanca and I have several friends from that area.

Finally, she finished smoking her cigarette and got in the car. As she did, she said, wow! That was impressive! I chuckled and said, what? Your cigarette tasted good? She said, no, your Spanish was amazing. Where did you learn that?

I said I learned it in Argentina on my mission. She said, it sounded a little bit like Italian, I am Italian. I told her that Argentines are 75% Italian descent and that there is an Italian influence on the way they speak Spanish. I told her that my son says we don’t speak Spanish, we speak Italian, using Spanish words. She laughed and said that’s what it sounded like.

I told her that I served my mission when I was 19 years old for two years. She said, my boy has friends that are planning to go on a mission, so I’m a little familiar with that. I asked her how old her boy was and she said he was a junior in high school. She said, let’s get down to the hard questions.

She said, I don’t want to offend you but I want to find out what’s different between you guys and the Catholic Church. I want to clear up some of the things I’ve heard about your church. I said, where do you want to start?

We had 45 minutes and I knew we could cover a lot in that time. She said, I want to start with what is the difference between your church and the Catholic church.

I told her that the differences between our church and the Catholic church boil down to the fact that we believe that the Saints were wonderful amazing people and that Mary was an amazing woman but that they are not Gods or semi Gods. They don’t have authority to hear our prayers and take our message to God. I told her that in the Bible, Jesus said he was the only mediator between us and God and we believe that.

She said, well, that’s a huge difference! I said that it’s kind of a huge difference, our prayers go to God, it’s just that we believe that Jesus has this power and the authority the Catholic church relegates to the Saints and to Mary. She said, that makes sense, you believe in a more powerful Jesus.

I said, we also believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told her that Israel was scattered all over the world and that, according to Isaiah, Jesus was sent to all of the house of Israel not just Jerusalem. I taught her that there were prophets in America because God loves the people everywhere. I told her that the prophets in America taught God‘s word because God‘s words bring light and happiness.

I told her that many people look at commandments as restrictions and prohibitions but that we look at commandments as guard rails to keep us on the path to happiness and true joy. I gave her the example of my grandfather who was addicted to alcohol and tobacco. I told her that he was not happy because he couldn’t be anywhere without those substances. I told her that those substances were more important than anyone or anything.

I told her that if he had listened to the prophet, he would’ve loved his family instead of beating them and he would have served God instead of cursing him. She said, that’s beautiful that makes sense.

I told her that the ancient prophets in America gave commandments to the people so that they could be happy. I told her that they prophesied that Jesus would come and visit them after his crucifixion and resurrection.

I told her that the Book of Mormon was the compilation of the writings of the prophets from ancient America. They compiled their prophecies just like they did in the Bible. They compiled the words of Jesus Christ just like they did in the Bible and this was given to the prophet Joseph Smith.

I told her that Joseph Smith was a young man seeking truth from one religion to another and finally he turned to the Bible. He read that he should ask God, so he went and he prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared and called him to be a prophet. Later a prophet who lived in ancient America appeared to him and gave him those records and he translated them and that’s why we have the Book of Mormon.

I pointed out to her that in the Bible Jesus said that he had other sheep that he would go visit. After his resurrection he did just that. He descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. I told her that the people went up and touched the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet. They cried in one voice for salvation.

I told her what he gave them was really special. He gave them an invitation to take a step up in their discipleship. He invited them to be baptized with his baptism and by his authority.

I told her that they had all previously been baptized because they had been taught it was important but Jesus invited them all to be baptized again by his authority and the way he prescribed.

I said, we accept that same invitation and are baptized by that same authority. We are baptized in the way, he commanded that we be baptized.

I told her that Jesus loves everyone, no matter where they lived, or when they lived, and he was here to prepare a way for all of us to come home if we want to.

I asked her, “how many people in the world, do you think die without hearing about Jesus?” She said, I have never thought of that question. I asked her how many of those people were God‘s children and she said all of them. I asked her if God loved all of his children and she said yes. I asked her again, how many of them die without hearing about Jesus or being baptized? She said I don’t know?

I said, consider all the people that live in China, all the people that have ever lived in China, consider all the people who live or have ever lived in Africa or the people that live in Saudi Arabia right now. How many of those people go through their lives or have in the history of mankind, gone through their lives without hearing about Jesus?

She said that’s the a huge number, that’s like 90%. I asked does God love all of them just the same as he loves you and me? She said, yes. I asked her if God was perfect and she said yes. I asked her if God‘s plan was perfect and she said yes. I asked her by the doctrine of the Catholic church how many of that 90% can go to heaven and she said none of them.

I said that’s a huge difference between our churches. We believe that God has a plan to save every one of his children if they will be saved. I told her that in the book of 3rd Peter, in the Bible, when Jesus was crucified and his body was in the tomb his spirit went to the spirit prison. He organized the teaching of the gospel to those who died without hearing it or without a good chance of accepting it.

I told her that God has set it up that everyone no matter when they were lived or where they lived will have a chance to be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I asked her if it would be fair to teach them and let them know but not give them the opportunity to be baptized. I told her that our religions agree that you need to be baptized, and she nodded her head. I said, would that be fair? She said, no! I asked if that would be loving, and she said no. I asked her what kind of a perfect father would condemn 90% of his children and not even give them a chance. She said, no father would do that.

She said, I am a mother and that doctrine has bothered me forever. I’ve never believed as a mother that God would condemn a little child. Hearing this brings so much power and peace to my heart. I know that’s true.

I told her I agreed with her.

I asked her if she’d seen the San Diego Temple. She said, yes she had. She said it’s gorgeous, it’s beautiful. I drive by it everyday. I love that building. I told her the temples are very special places and one of the things we do in those temples is we are baptized for a person that has died. She was confused and asked if we have to have the dead person there and I said, no. We are baptized in behalf of the person who has passed on, no matter when they passed on. Then in the spirit world, having been taught the gospel, they have the chance to accept the baptism preformed for them.

I told her that by doing this everyone of God‘s children will have the opportunity to accept the gospel, be baptized, and come home and live with their father in heaven.

The spirit was in the car and I could see that she was feeling it. I said, that makes sense to you doesn’t it? She said, yes it does because a loving father would bring his children home. I asked, her if a little child doesn’t get baptized and dies, should that child be caught in limbo or in hell forever?

She said, my church teaches that but I do not believe it. I told her that I have taught thousands of Catholics in my life and I can count on one hand the number of Catholics that believe that an innocent little baby that dies doesn’t go to heaven. I told her that Jesus said we had to become like children to go to the kingdom of heaven. I told her that we learn in the Book of Mormon that Jesus Christ paves the way for all little children to come home. She said, you don’t believe in the original sin? She said, we believe in the original sin.

I told her that we believe that the original sin was covered and paid for by the atonement, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I told her that we believe that we are only responsible for our own sins. She said, that makes so much more sense.

I told her that we believe in families and that our families are sealed for eternity, they don’t dissipate at death. I told her in the world people are married until death do us part but we are married for eternity.

She said, this word “sealed” kind of confuses me. What does that mean? I said, it means that it is made permanent. It’s a blessing that is given to us and made permanent through the power of God and endorsed by God. She said, that’s amazing.

I told her that in the temple there in San Diego we do baptisms and we do marriages not just for people who are alive, but people who are dead. I told her of a guy that I baptized whose wife had recently passed. I told her that there was a strong presence of his wife in my car and we had that discussion. I told her that he was baptized four weeks later and has now gone to the temple and his wife has been sealed to him forever. She had a smile and said, that’s great.

We were at North Salt Lake on I-80. Almost to the Redwood Road exit heading out to the airport. I had a strong impression to ask her if she wanted to go down and drive around Temple Square. This never happens, people going to the airport, go to the airport.

She said, yes, yes! Would that be possible? Would that be OK for you to do? I said, absolutely let’s go. I got off of Redwood Road, whipped around on I-80 and we went right back into town. We turned up West Temple and headed to Temple Square. Coming up on Temple Square, I pointed out the family search building on the left.

I told her that in that building is where the majority of the genealogical records in the world are kept. I told her that ancestry.com and all the genealogy websites cross reference and get their material from this place. She said wow. I told her there are missionaries there and every time she comes back, if she wants she can go in there and they will help her learn about her family. I told her that we do this so that we can do baptisms for our family and so that we can seal them and complete their family units with a blessing from God.

She said, that makes a lot of sense. I love that! We went around the corner and we could see the temple. They had the inside lane blocked off, so I pulled over so she could take pictures of the Temple with all the scaffolding and stuff on it. She was very excited to do that. I pointed out the conference center and she wanted to take a picture of that. We then went by the church office building. I told her I had friends that work in there and then we rounded the corner and saw the view of the new gardens leading up to the temple.

She snapped a bunch of pictures there. We continued around the block to the Beehive House and the Lion House which are under construction but I explained their purposes. I told her that the lion House was Brigham Young’s home. She snapped pictures there too.

We passed the administrative office building and I told her that this is where the prophet has his office. I testified that we have a prophet that guides us today that gives us the words of God. He helps us live our lives so that we can be happy. She said, that’s amazing. Can I take a picture of that building too. I said, yes. I stopped so that she could take a picture.

We went around the corner as she marveled at the Assembly Hall and then I pointed out that the tabernacle was built by pioneers without using nails. They use leather straps. I said that the acoustics are amazing in that building. She took a picture of the tabernacle then we got on North Temple and headed towards the airport.

She said, this trip has been an answer to my prayers. My son attends a Catholic school and plays baseball. He has been looking for a school to attend and I had thought about bringing him here to Utah to look at BYU. BYU was on his list because it was a private school, a conservative school, and a religious school. She said she was a little afraid of that but this made her excited to recommend it to him. I discussed with her BYU admissions policy and the honor code. She said, that’s amazing, he has to do that right now. He is used to that. He goes to a very strict religious school.

She asked if they would let a non Mormon into BYU. I said yes! I told her that right now our quarterback is a Jew and our three big men on our basketball team are all Muslim. I told her we’ll take anybody that wants to follow God love, their neighbors and be part of a community like that. She said I’m not only going to recommend that, I will insist on it as an option.

As we were driving, she got a call from her husband. He said, what are you doing? She said I’m talking to my driver about the Mormon church and it’s incredibly interesting. She said I need to hang up with you right now because I need to learn as much as I can. He said, will you tell me when you get back? I’d love to hear. She said that she would.

She hung up and said that her husband loved researching religions and learning about God, so this was going to be fun.

On the way to the airport. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. She said that she had heard about the Book of Mormon but only today did she understood what it was. I asked her if she would like a copy, and she said, do you have one? I said yes! I reached into my glove box and pulled out a copy of the Book of Mormon, prepared by the Secrists and I handed it to her. I said, this copy of the Book of Mormon should help you in your search.

She said, this will be more than a search, me and My Husband are going to read this. I asked her if she had Mormon friends and she said yes. I asked her to give them a heads up that she was going to be reading it and asked them any questions that she had. She said that she would do that. As we approached the airport she said, I want you to know that this ride has been exhilarating. I’ve never felt like this. She said she had peace and joy consuming her soul and her heart was full.

Never wanting to miss an opportunity to teach someone about their relationship with their father in heaven, I told her that she and her Heavenly Father lived with each other for thousands of years. I told her that this feeling was how she felt in his presence. I told her that this feeling was present when she heard the truth because her father was testifying that it was true. I asked her if she would be able to feel like that if what I was saying was not true. She thought for a minute and said no.

I told her that the spirit of God whispered to me the things to talk about and then he sent his spirit to confirm the truthfulness of my words. She said, I know that’s true. My heart is full.

I think she said that like 10 times in the drive up North Temple out to the airport. As she got out of the car, she thanked me and said this ride that started with a cigarette had changed her life.

One afternoon I was working in Park City and trying to play my schedule correctly because I wanted to be back in Provo by about 5:30.

We have a filter that we can set that keeps us in an area and I had it set for Park City so I could stay there. Around 3 o’clock I re set it for Salt Lake, Provo and Park City. I figured that I would take one or two rides and then get home. I hoped that the filter would get me a paid ride home.

I took a ride and it took me downtown in Park City and then I picked up another ride to the airport. By that time it was going to be nip and tuck because I would have to deal with rush-hour traffic so I didn’t know if I should take it, but I decided to.

I pulled up and the guy got in my car. He was a big guy with blonde hair and a beard. He looked like a Viking to me. We started talking about what he was doing in Park City. He said that he was there for work but he had done his share of skiing as well. He said that he was from Longmont Colorado but that he really enjoyed skiing here.

We talked about his work and my work and general things for a large portion of the ride. All of a sudden I had the prompting to say to him “you are a Jew aren’t you? “

I was a little uncomfortable for a couple of reasons, one is that a lot of Jews have fear these days because of persecution. Two was that I really don’t know exactly what a Jew looks like. It was kind of a random and weird thing to say, especially given the fact that he looked like a Viking. The third thing was I received no prompting of where to go with it. I just felt like I was supposed to say “you are a Jew aren’t you?”

The words all of a sudden erupted out of my mouth and he looked surprised. He said, “yes I am”. He said, I’ve never had anyone come up to me and ask me if I was a Jew but yes I am.

It was a little awkward and I felt like I should tell him that I pray for the Jewish people in their current conflict. He told me that he was grateful for my prayers and that it is just sad. He said that they need my prayers.

After I had done this, for the rest of the conversation, everything was clear that I should say. I started by saying that I’m a Mormon, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. He said, I figured that! And he laughed. I told him that the Jewish people have no better friends in the world than the Mormons. He said, that’s good to hear.

I told him that we believe that we are brothers in kind of a very biblical sense. I told him that we believed that we were from the house of Israel. He said, really? I said, yes. I told him that Abraham was promised that through his seed all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. I told him that Israel was scattered to the whole world and that this is how the lord set up the plan so that could be accomplished.

I told him that Jews, being from the house of Israel, had a spiritual connection with. God and a responsibility to bless their families and those around them. I told him that as Israel was scattered around the world, God didn’t forget them. I told him that some of them even had prophets.

He said, don’t you guys believe that some of the lost tribes are here in America? I said, we do believe that some of the people from Israel were brought to America before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 600 BC. I told him that they included a family of a prophet and also the son of king Zedekiah.

He said that he studied Jewish history that he knew about this and that there were people who believed that one of his sons of Zedekiah escaped. I told him that son ended up in America and they met up with the descendants of this prophet from Jerusalem.

I told him that they had prophets in America who spoke with God. I told him that they obeyed the law of Moses and taught all of the things he’d heard about his whole life only it happened here in America.

He said, that is so cool. To think that when the house of Israel was scattered, they took with them their knowledge and their relationship with God made him happy. I told him that they had prophets who prophesied and taught. They wrote their prophecies. I told him that is what we call the Book of Mormon.

He said, I have heard about that book but I’ve never known what it was. I told him it was the story of a family from Jerusalem and their dealings with God. He said, I’ve read the Old Testament and the New Testament but it seems to me like I need to read the Book of Mormon as well. I was kind of shocked by this. I asked him, you read the New Testament? He said, yes! My wife is Christian and so I’m trying to find my way through this and I’m trying to get all of the light I can.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was written on plates, metal plates, and given by an angel to the prophet Joseph Smith. I told him about Joseph Smith and I bore my testimony that he was a prophet and that we have prophets in the world today. I told him prophets are really important today just like they were thousands of years ago. The spirit was pulsing in the car. It was like it was coming in waves and I could tell that I had his full attention.

He said, with everything going on that makes total sense. To have a prophet to guide everyone seems to be the kind of thing that God would want to do. I told him that Joseph Smith as a prophet had the power to translate those writings from the ancient prophets and that’s how we got the Book of Mormon.

I told him that the Book of Mormon contains the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I described the arrival of Jesus Christ to America,and how the people had been told by the prophets that he would come. The were told that their Messiah would come and deliver them, he would save them. He said, that sounds like Jewish doctrine to me!

I told him that we believe that our purpose is to gather Israel. I told him that as we had discussed before they were scattered all over the world and it was our responsibility to gather them. He said, that’s cool! I like that. I said, we believe that we are of the house of Israel as well. I told him that I was of the tribe of Ephraim. He said he got chills.

I told him that we go out on missions to help with this gathering. I told him that I went to Argentina but that Israel was scattered to every corner of the world and that’s why we have missionaries everywhere.

The spirit was in the car and I said, do you feel that? He said yes. I said, I want you to remember that when you feel this you know that your father and heaven loves you and that the things you’re hearing are true. He said, I believe what you’re saying because it makes sense. He said, I also believe what you’re saying because it feels right.

We go on missions to gather the tribes of Israel. He said, I have never imagined the gathering of Israel being like this. I told him that when Jesus Christ came to America he instructed people to be baptized. I told him that baptism wasn’t new and that it was done in ancient Israel. He said that he had heard of that but he had never been baptized, and that he didn’t know anyone else who had been baptized.

He said, I really do need to read this Book of Mormon. I asked him if he would take one if I gave it to him. He said, yes! I’d love to have one. I pulled out one of my Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said, in this book you’ll find an additional history of the house of Israel.

We were at the airport and it was time for him to go. He said, I’m going to read this book because I need to find out more. He said, I need to feel what I’m feeling right now and I need to find a way forward for myself and my wife. He said, this might be the ticket. He asked me if I thought his wife might be a member of the house of Israel too? I told him that it is likely and that’s what we’re here to do. We are working to find those people. I told him that many many many people are descendants of the house of Israel and some people come to Christ who are not but they are accepted into the house of Israel because of their belief. Everyone is or can become part of the house of Israel.

He said, that’s beautiful. It was time for him to get out of the car now and he looked at me and said, before I go, I have one question, why in the world did you ask me if I was a Jew? It started this conversation which I loved, but I was wondering what made you think that I was Jew

He said, no one in my life has ever guessed that I was a Jew until you did here today. I took a minute to tell him the story about Ammon, who went before the king and told the king what was in his heart, things that he had no way of knowing. I told him that the king was shocked and asked if he was God. I told him that Ammon’s answer was no, I am not God, but he sent me and he told me these things about you that I shouldn’t know so that you could know that the things I say are true.

I told him that this happened again today in the car. I told him the God revealed to me that I was supposed to ask him if he was a Jew so that he could know that only by the power of God could I have known this. Therefore the power of God was with me and the other things I was saying were true. He said, I accept that. He took the book and got out of the car.

God knows exactly what the things are that will grab our attention and open our hearts. He can give them to us to say. As for the Book of Mormon, it is for the convincing of the JEW and the Gentile, that Jesus is the Christ.

The problem I had next was that I had to get home by 5:30. It was 4:45 and if you’ve ever driven from the Salt Lake airport to Orem at 4:45 you know that rush-hour made it impossible to be home by 5:30, unless you have a passenger and can ride in the HOV lane.

Earlier, I mentioned that I had put my parameters on for Salt Lake and Provo. As soon as I finished the ride, I received a ride to Orem. The drop off was only five blocks from my house. I got to get in the carpool lane and drive the speed limit all the way home, and I made it in time. It’s almost as if it was choreographed!!!!! if you take care of Him, he takes care of you.

One night I went out late in Provo. I just got back from the BYU basketball game with my wife. Cougars won! I dropped her off and then I went out to work.

I had just had a skin cancer removed from my lower eyelid that day and so my wife had thought that I wasn’t going to go out. I had thought that too but I felt like I was doing all right and that I should go out. It wasn’t a strong push, but a gentle nudge by the spirit.

I turned onto the street trying to decide where I should go before I turned on the app. That’s kind of my process. I want to turn it on where I’m supposed to. This time I drove down to Provo and was right by the old Provo High School when I turned it on.

When I do this I am not sure whether or not God’s going to bless me with lucrative rides or missionary experiences, but I’ll take either or both. I knew the game had just gotten out so I thought that this was as good a places as any.

I turned it on then drove two blocks down the road and got my first ride. It was over at one of the fast food establishments on Cougar Boulevard. I drove over there to pick up this young lady. She and a boyfriend came out.

They got in the car and I started talking to them. As I looked in the mirror, he was almost standoffish but she was really chatty. She seemed a little rough at first. She had a tattoo on her face and I could tell she had been through a ringer emotionally.

We talked for a minute and he just never said anything. We talked about the weather and stuff like that. This was a two stop ride and the first stop was where I let him out. The second he got out of the car things changed. The spirit woke up or exploded. I started getting impressions.

I asked her why he didn’t say anything and she said that there were two reasons. One he didn’t speak English and the second was that he was angry. He had met her and they were trying to discuss the relationship that they had broken off. It seemed to me that it was still broken off and probably not a good thing to continue.

I asked her how she was doing and she said, I just want to be with a good person that loves me. She said, it seems to me that all of the guys I date don’t want to commit and they don’t want to go all in.

I thought about the many rides I have given where I have listened to women complain about the people they date and when I asked them about it, I always ask, what was your first date like? In almost every one of these cases they say we went to dinner and then went to one of their houses and became inappropriate.

I related this to her and said that part of the problem is the way we date in many circles. I told her that the expectation on her part should be that he prove himself to her and to her family. I told her that this is how courtship always has been and that’s how it should be now.

She said, I need to be better at that. She said that she had a difficult history. She said that she had been in a long-term relationship with a guy and that they had a son together but it broke up after her daughter who was older had passed away. She said that he could never get over the death of that child and it scarred their relationship.

She said that he would never talk about it with her but she could tell it was ripping him apart. She said that it sure would’ve made a lot of difference if they had been married first because they also had their son together. I told her that the family, based on marriage, was God‘s plan.

She asked me how long I’ve been married, and I said 37 years. She said, that’s great! How do you make a marriage last that long? I said, you’ve got to want to be married more than you want anything else. I said, you’ve got to want to be married more than you want to be a great sister or a great friend. You’ve got to want to be married enough to prioritize anything the challenges that.

I told her that if you want a career more than anything, you’ll have a career and you won’t be married. I told her that if she wants to be a daughter to her father, first she’ll be a great daughter, but she might not be married. I told her we have to put marriage first and have it be what we want more than anything.

She said, oh, that makes a lot of sense. I told her that if you take that mindset into dating and date looking for that person, it will change everything.

I also asked her how often she went to church. She said that she never went to church. I explained to her that this is part of the problem. I told her that when we are going through the depth of sorrow, I don’t see how there’s anyway that we can deal with it if we don’t have the Savior and his atonement.

I told her that the Savior’s atonement lifts us through our burdens and carries us through our rough patches. I told her that he has felt the suffering and anxiety that we experience and therefore has the power to nurture and bless us in the midst of our tribulation.

I felt inspired to tell her that when her child died she went to her mom and her sisters and she talked to them and she cried with them and she shared feelings with them. I asked her, who did the boyfriend go to? She said that he didn’t go to anyone and that he just clammed up.

She said that he stopped talking about it and started separating himself from the situation. She said that it was really sad because her family all loved him and she could’ve seen them getting married.

I told her that this is where the atonement could have helped him. If he had understood the atonement, he could’ve gone to Jesus Christ with his fears and his pain. I told her that many men don’t feel comfortable looking weak and that’s why it’s so important for them to have a relationship with Jesus Christ so that they can go to him and be lifted and blessed. I told her that he didn’t have the network she did but he only needed one person in his network and that was Jesus Christ. I told her this is why having Jesus Christ in our lives is so important. He could have blessed her, he could’ve blessed him, and if they had done the things necessary to be worthy to have the companionship of the spirit, it would’ve made it easier. I emphasized and said, not easy, easier to deal with. You would’ve received extra strength.

I sensed by the spirit that she had concerns regarding her daughter. I told her that I was prompted that the sorrow she felt from her daughter’s loss was compounded by the fact that she believed that her daughter was OK in heaven but she had been taught that her daughter was not OK because she had not been baptized.

I told her that in her Catholic upbringing she had not been taught that her daughter still had an opportunity to be with God but I could tell by the way she spoke that she hoped that it would be different.

She said, that’s exactly right. I can’t believe that she wouldn’t be with God. She was so beautiful and innocent. How could he turn her away? She said, they always taught that Jesus loved the little children and she sang that song “Jesus loves the little children”. She said, I believe that and I don’t believe he would condemn a child.

I told her that she was 100% right. I told her that the atonement that I talked about also covered little children. I told her that every little child that passes away goes straight to live with our Heavenly Father forever because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that this was the most important gift that we had ever received.

I told her that the atonement could save her in her grief and put her daughter in her Heavenly Father’s arms. She said, I’ve never heard that, but I love that.

I said, you had relatives from Mexico, right? She said, yes. I said, were you aware that Jesus visited your ancestors? She said, no, I had no idea. I told her that Jesus came to America after he was resurrected.

I told her that there were prophets in America that had prophesied of his coming and they wrote down their prophecies. I told her that they also wrote down the story of the visit of Jesus Christ to America where he took the children in his arms and blessed them and loved them.

I told her that Jesus loves the little children. I told her that he loved those children. He blessed those children. I told her that this was not all he did when he was here. When he first arrived, the people begged him for salvation and he called up 12 of them. He gave them authority and instructed them how to be baptized properly. Then he commanded that they all be baptized, even though they had previously been baptized.

I told her that later he gave them the Holy Ghost so that his spirit could be with them always. He told them to become like their little children so that they could be saved with their little children. She was touched by it and the spirit was really strong in the car. I asked her what she was feeling and she said, usually when I think about my daughter I feel sad but what you say gives me hope and makes me happy. She said, right now I feel like I’m floating full of happiness and joy.

I told her that was the spirit of God, confirming to her the things which I had taught. Then I said, it’s confirming to you that your daughter is with God and the God’s spirit can be with you. I told her that the invitation that Jesus gave to her ancestors to be baptized is the same invitation that is extended to her.

I told her that she could be baptized and she could have the spirit of God with her all the time. She said, I would love that.

I asked her if she had ever thought about joining our church. She said that she had thought about it quite a bit recently and had asked some guys at work about it. She said she asked them how you join that church or what you have to do to join that church. She said she needed religion and she needed to feel close to God so she figured she’d ask people that went to church.

She said they told her that she needed to read the Bible and said they would read the Bible with her.

I said that we could do better than that. I pulled out one of the Book of Mormons I have that’s prepared by the Secrists with the tabs. I turned to Moroni chapter 8 and I bent the corner down and I handed it to her. I said, this chapter right here, chapter 8, talks about little children who die. I told her that these are the words of Jesus Christ through his prophet and that she should study them. When I said that a wave of joy and happiness hit both of us and she smiled.

I told her that this book, the Book of Mormon is the compilation of the prophecies by the ancient people of America, some of whom were her ancestors. I told her that they knew that little children were saved in Jesus and they knew that they were invited to be baptized. I told her, this book is for you, but more than that the words in the book are meant for you. She grabbed the book and looked at the page I bent over and then held the book close. She said, I want to get baptized. I want to have this feeling.

I asked her if it would be OK if I had missionaries stop by or give her a call. She said she would love that. I told her that they would be able to teach her how to get baptized.

She asked if it was really hard? She said, the other people told me that I had to study a lot before I could get baptized. I told her that generally, she would have to go to church three times, take five lessons from the missionaries and gain a testimony, as well as a desire to be baptized. I told her that fortunately she had a head start on the testimony part because the spirit had testified to her that night and she knew it was true.

I told her that the missionaries were there to help her get to that point, and that there would be a ward family that would accompany her on the journey.

She said, that’s what I need. I told her I would send in her information to the missionaries and have them get a hold of her so that she could start that process. She was really excited and thanked me.

She got out of the car and went inside the house. I imagine she read that chapter in Moroni. Here’s the thing; that spirit was something she recognized. That spirit was something she wanted. The atonement was something she needed for her and for her peace of mind regarding her daughter.

God‘s plan is perfect and I’m so glad we get to be part of it.

One weekend my grandchildren were in town and we had a lot of fun. On Monday we had gone around playing and I hadn’t worked. I felt like I would just let it go because I had to go to the doctor first thing Tuesday morning. I didn’t think that as late as it was when everybody went to bed there would be any point.

As everybody went to bed, I got the prompting that I needed to go out and work. This was very contrary to what I’d previously been thinking because I had to get up early the next morning for the grandkids to leave before my doctors appointment. Again I got the prompting to go out and work after everyone went to bed. I grabbed a hat and told Heather I was going to go work but just until midnight.

It was 10:30 when I finally turned on the app. When I turned it on, I was down in Provo. My first ride was from a place down by UVU from what I could tell. I started to drive there and as I approached UVU it looked to me like the person was in Wolverine Landing which is on the west side of the freeway.

As I started to pass the entryway to the college, the location switched and then I was past the entrance. My first thought was, just get in the turn lane, do a U-turn and there you are. I got in that lane and then looked up and saw the no U-turn sign.

Now I was in trouble. I had to drive clear down to Provo to turn around and come back up. I called the passenger and told them what I had done and that I would be a while and that he might want to call another ride. He said, no, we will wait for you.

I said, where are you going? He said, we’re going to the UTA station by the hospital on 53rd South. My heart sunk. My thought process had been to go out and get a few rides and now I was only gong to get one. I was going to spend an hour and 15 minutes and make only $15.

I silently prayed that if this wasn’t a ride that was going to be good that they would cancel. They didn’t cancel and several minutes later, I pulled up in front of the building where they were and they got in.

These kids had been down to a show at UVU. They said they missed the train by 15 minutes and so now they were having to take Uber. We did all the normal chat about who’s who and where everyone is from. They were from West Valley City. There were two in the back seat and the guy who ordered the ride was in the front.

The guy in the front had 1 million questions and he was asking me everything. Sometimes that gets old because you answer the same questions thousands of times in a month. I went through the questions and then the thought occurred to me, you know if he’s asking questions that means you can ask questions too.

I heard the words “you know why you’re here.” At that point I just knew I needed to get into a gospel discussion with him but he seemed like a non-interested party.

They didn’t seem like bad kids but just kids that were all about everything. All they could talk about was everything worldly that they had going on in their lives. Nothing ever included anything that would give me an inkling that religion was one of the things that they might be interested in. It was funny how quickly the two in the backseat began to fade. The one in the front seat was the only one I could see and the only one I could hear.

I have learned that this is kind of an indication that the Lord wants me to talk to that person specifically and not everyone in general. I started asking him about friends of his that went on missions. I said, you grew up in Utah right? He said partially Mexico, but he was born in Utah and came back to Utah for high school.

I said, you have friends that went on missions, right? He said, yes! He said he had one that went to the Philippines and one good friend that went to Mexico. He said he loved that because even though that kid never had a desire to learn any Spanish before his mission, when he came back, he spoke really well. He said that he was really impressed by that.

I told him I went on my mission to Argentina. From that point on he wanted to only speak Spanish even though his English was perfect. That is usually not the case but with him it was. We talked about how my sons went to Latin American missions and so we can talk in Spanish if we want. He was really enjoying that conversation. Then I threw the pitch. It was a fastball right down the middle.

I said, well, if your friends went on their missions, why didn’t you get baptized. I hadn’t even asked him if he was a member yet, but the spirit said be direct and so I asked the question point blank.

He said, well, it’s because I’m so busy. I don’t have time with everything‘ that is going on and it’s just not in my schedule. I told him that we can’t let work get in the way of doing God’s will. I asked him if he loved God and he said yes. I asked him what he would do for God. He said anything. I asked him if that included going to church once a week or having five lessons with the missionary so that he could be baptized. He thought for a second and said, I guess I need to prioritize God.

He said, I have been prioritizing my business that I have and the things I’m doing so much that I guess I really never considered the importance of giving any time to God. I told him that’s what his friends had done. They had gone on their missions and they had spent two years serving God, loving people, and teaching about Jesus Christ. I asked him if he thought that hurt them. He said, no! They were much better people after their missions!

I told him that’s how it works when we get close to God it makes us better. He said that he hadn’t thought about that. I asked him if he wanted to know what his friends taught while they were on their missions. He said yes.

Culturally and by the spirit, I discerned that he was Catholic and said, do you believe the things that you learned in Catholicism about Jesus and Heavenly Father? He said, yes. I told him that we believe those same things but we believe more.

I told him that it is like he had lived his life eating meat and meat is good and he liked meat and thought that it was good enough. The problem comes when now he’s finding out that with our church, we have potatoes, salad and dessert. It makes the meal more amazing.

He said, what are the different things that you believe? I said, we believe that God loves everyone in the world that ever lived, that ever will live no matter where they live. God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him we had prophets in Jerusalem and because of their writings we have the Bible. I told him that there had been prophets in America too. They wrote the prophecies that were given to his ancestors because God loves everyone, not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that Abraham’s seed had been scattered throughout the world according to the Bible and they were always remembered by God.

I told him that when Jesus came here to the Americas he taught the people. He loved the people, he blessed the children and then he said, other sheep, I have, which are not of this fold or this land. He said, I have received a commandment from my father to go to them. I asked him if he had any thoughts about where those other sheep might’ve been. He looked puzzled for a second and then I said, in America. Your ancestors are some of those other sheep.

I told him that the prophets here in America had prophesied that Jesus would come. He appeared to them and descended down and stood on the steps of the temple. I told him that his ancestors, his many greats grandparents touched the prints of the nails in his hands, and they asked him to save them.

I could tell he was really connected to this idea and the spirit was in the car. I said, your ancestors knelt at the feet of Jesus Christ. I said, your ancestors touched his hands and feet and your ancestors were held in his arms and blessed by his power.

I said that in answer to their plea for salvation, he instructed them how to be baptized, gave them the authority to baptize and then commanded that they all be baptized by his baptism, even though they’d been previously baptized in their church. I told him that it was Jesus‘s expectation they each receive this baptism. They needed to take that step to get the rest of the meal. He said, to complete the whole picture. I said, yes.

I told him that they were all baptized, and that the children were brought to Jesus. He blessed them, and angels came down and surrounded them. I said, these are your ancestors and that is your religious heritage, it is your spiritual inheritance.

He said, wow, that’s amazing. The spirit was really strong and I asked him to tell me what he was thinking and feeling. He said, my mind is exploding right now. What I am learning makes so much sense and it’s like a light in my brain is coming on every second you talk.

I asked him how he felt and he said, peaceful and happy. I said, that’s the spirit of God and it’s here to help you know that the things that I am saying are true. I told him that God put him in my car so that he could hear these things and know that they are true.

He said, I know that this is true. He said, this feeling is undeniable. I said, once Jesus had done these things, he said to the people, still other sheep I have that are not of Jerusalem or America and that he was going to go to them. He was going to these others because he is the God of all the people on the earth.

I told him that those prophets that were in America wrote down those prophecies just like they did in the Bible. They wrote the teachings of Jesus Christ and his visitation just like they did in the Bible. I told him that because of this we have the Book of Mormon. I told him that the Book of Mormon is the collection of those writings. I told him that they were given to Joseph Smith. He said, I’ve heard about Joseph Smith. Isn’t he the one that founded your church? Didn’t he have a vision of God and Jesus? I said, yes, and he also interpreted the book written by your ancestors by the power of God. That book contains the teachings of Jesus to your ancestors and that’s how we know this.

I told him that in Mexico it is a great tradition and knowledge, that there was a great white God who came, blessed the people and said he would come back. He said yes Kukulkan is his name, and yes, I’m very familiar with that. He paused a moment and then said, oh, that makes sense. I like this. It’s completing the meal.

A few minutes earlier on, I had been contemplating talking about baptisms for the dead but had gone straight into Jesus coming to America and the Book of Mormon. The spirit came back with force again and told me that the complete message would not be given until I talked about baptism for the dead.

I decided I had better do it, so I asked, what does your church teach happens to a child who is born and is never baptized?He said, they can’t go be with God. I asked him if he thought that was correct and he said, no, nobody believes that. I asked him if he thought that the complete and finished version of the gospel of Jesus Christ would include a better answer for that question. He said, yes.

I asked him if that would include the people that were born in Africa or China 1000 years ago. He said, yes. I said, it’s because God is a perfect father, who loves all of his children. A perfect father will not condemn 90% of his children just because they didn’t have the opportunity. He said, that’s right

I said, we were taught by Jesus in the Book of Mormon, that children who die without having the opportunity to be baptized are saved by Jesus Christ and go straight to heaven. He said, kind of the opposite of what we believe. I said yes.

I said, furthermore, all of those people who died in China or Africa without receiving the gospel, God has a plan for them, too. God has a plan for everyone of his children to hear the gospel because he loves each of us individually. I said, if someone is not baptized because they didn’t have the right opportunity to be baptized God gives us the ability to be baptized in their name and they have the opportunity to accept that baptism.

I said, we go to temples, we’re baptized in the name of that person, and then in the spirit world they have the chance to accept that baptism. He lit up.

He said, so what you’re telling me is that let’s say, someone wanted to get baptized, but was not able because of circumstances to do it, they would then be able to accept a baptism I did for them?

I said, yes that’s how it works. He said, this is an amazing answer to a question I’ve had. He said, my grandfather was never baptized in any church but he met some Mormon missionaries in San Diego and decided to get baptized. Right before the baptismal date he got an emergency transfer out of San Diego. He spent the rest of the war fighting in the Pacific theater. When he returned, he was a bit messed up. Then he married my grandma and it never came back around.

When he died, he mentioned that this was one of his great regrets. He wished he’d been baptized and hadn’t had to leave early.

Now I knew why the impression to teach this doctrine came so strongly. I looked in the back and it seemed like it was a different world back there in the backseat. In the front it was light. I felt like his grandpa was there and I told him that once he’s baptized he can go to the temple and be baptized for his grandfather. I told him his grandfather could have that baptism and fulfill that wish through him.

He was emotional and riding high with the spirit. I told him to feel again and remember that feeling that he had right then. He said he could never forget it. I told him that this feeling was given to him so that he could know how to come home to his father and how to bring his grandfather with him.

He said, this is something I need to do and this is something I will do. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said no. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the books and gave it to him. He said, are you sure? Is it OK if I take this? I said, yes, it’s yours.

It was one of the books prepared by the Secrists and I explained the tabs and the questions of the soul. I told him that as he reads this book, written by his ancestors, he will know why his grandfather wanted to be baptized and it would prepare him to go do that very thing.

I asked him if he was still in touch with his friends who went on missions and he said, yes. I told him to call the one who went to Mexico and tell him about tonight. I told him to ask him if he could go to his church and if he would go with him. He said he would do that.

We had arrived where we were going and the other guys got out of the car and started walking off, but he stayed for a while because as he said, “I love how it feels here”. I said, when you are baptized you can have that with you all the time.

I told him that the invitation that Jesus gave to his ancestors to be baptized was the same invitation that his grandfather had accepted and it was the same invitation that was being extended to him through that book. I asked him if that made sense to him. He said, yes. I asked him if he would do that, and he said, at this point, I think I have to.

He said, I’m going to call my friend, go to church, and then take care of my grandpa. I said, I think he is here with us and maybe it’s him taking care of you too! He said yes, I love that.

He turned around and walked off. On the drive home I contemplated about balking at the thought of going out that night. I was so blessed by the fact that I listened to the spirit.

One night in 2022 I picked up a lady going to Layton. I hate going to Layton! Nothing against Layton but you drive up there and then you drive back empty. It’s no way to make money! She got in the car and seemed happy enough so I decided it would at least be a pleasant if not profitable journey.

I drove down 400 south and was headed for the freeway to go north. Before I hit the freeway entrance I knew what I was supposed to tell this woman.

I looked at her in the mirror and the spirit told me that today had been a bad day and that she was feeling down and that she was a member of the church but needed to pray. I felt that she hadn’t prayed or gone to church for quite some time.

None of this made sense, she had just been at the opera, she was all dressed up and she was leaving what would seem to be a friendly interchange with the man who went to the opera with her. She seemed classy and sharp and everything you would expect from someone that has it all together.

I prayed to recognize the opportunity and that I would be given the words to say.

We started talking about families. She said that she had three boys and the oldest was 14. I talked about my three kids and then I thought to tell her about our tradition of going for a car ride.

In our family if we went for a ride what that meant was that between me and the child, whatever was said in that car never left that car. It was like the cone of silence or Switzerland where there was no judgment, no punishment, only listening and strategizing and understanding. A place where advice could be given and received freely.

She was blown away by that idea and she thought it would be really good. Then I saw an opportunity to say that I also prayed for my kids, in front of my kids. I said, there’s something special about a kid hearing their parents pray for them and call down the power of heaven for them. She was silent.

I followed the primping of the spirit and told her she seemed like she was a less active member of the church and I asked her how long it had been since she’d been to church. She said, a few years. I laughed and said, “you’re in good company then, the rest of the church hasn’t gone much for the last two years either!” We laughed and then she proceeded to tell me about her sons and how the oldest would struggle with wanting to go to church.

The spirit prompted me to talk to her about what she had gone through and what her kids were going through and how horrible it was. I told her how in her divorce the oldest son probably felt like he got the short stick. They probably thought that compared to others they had a hard life and that their burdens were great. She agreed. I talked about the importance of Jesus Christ and the atonement. I talked about the analogy of the cups. It is like when a mother puts out 5 cups for her children she makes sure each one is equal. It doesn’t work that way with Jesus everyone’s cup is at a different level. Jesus comes and makes everyone’s cup full regardless of their position or stature or what they have done. I told her that the atonement of Jesus Christ was the answer that could lift her today.

I got the impression that she was especially struggling today and I said, for some reason God needed to give you a hug today. I explained to her about her relationship with God and how he loved her and how he was a perfect parent and he wanted her to feel his love and wanted her to come home. I said he loved her just like she loved her children.

The spirit was strong in the car and I said, that feeling that you’re feeling right now is the Spirit of God and it is the same feeling you felt in his presence for all of eternity. She said, “ I can feel that”. I said, this feeling is your guide. It will lead you home to your father in heaven. If you keep that feeling with you, he can help you make decisions and pull you through.

She said, I always thought I had to cry to feel the spirit. I explained to her that the spirit is a very individual thing and that it is impossible for me to tell her what the spirit feels like but it’s important that we identify it so that she can know what it feels like to her. She said, that makes so much sense. I love this feeling. She said that no one had ever helped her understand this.

I said to her that this is the same feeling she had always felt in the presence of her father in heaven. I said that the fact that he sent me to pick her up and give her this message was intended by him to show her how much he loves her because he sent his spirit to validate what had been said. She said, this is amazing.

I said, furthermore, back when we were getting on the freeway in Salt Lake I had the prompting from God that you haven’t been saying your prayers and that this is something God would love for you to do so that he can bless you with his spirit.

I asked her how long it had been since she had prayed. She said, I haven’t prayed in a very long time. I said, God knew that and he wanted me to tell you this so that you would know that this message comes from him. She was silent for a bit and then said, I know this is from God. There is no other way for you to know this.

She said, this is exactly what I needed today. I am so grateful that God sent you here. We need to start going back to church. Two years is way too long. Her oldest son had started to be a bit rebellious.

I said, if you’ll pray with your son and do these things we have discussed he will feel the spirit and want to know God. I told her that the problem he was having with wanting to attend church was because of the emotions of the unsettled situation in his life which had obscured the spirit to him. I asked if he would go to church if she asked and she said,yes but not happily. I said that as she exposed him to the spirit at church and in prayer he would be touched and feel the truth. I told her she should identify the spirit to him like I had with her. She said that this would be awesome.

As I dropped her off I told her that I got the impression that she needed to have the missionaries over and that they would be instrumental in helping her son. She said, it’s so funny you said that because I’ve been thinking about asking them to come over. I said, you need to do that, you need to have them in your home. You need to feed them and they will feed you and your son. She said, this is the best! I’m so happy! I’m going to go in and pray because I don’t want to lose this feeling of the spirit that we have in the car.

She got out of the car and waived. Heavenly Father knows us so well and it is a blessing to see him move his hand to recover his children.

One day I was getting ready to go out to work thinking about where to start. I always either go to Salt Lake City or Park City so I was trying to decide which one of those to go to. Lately It’s been Park City a lot because they pay more money per ride. Second is Salt Lake City because you get a lot of rides so therefore you make more money. Since I started driving, you can count on one hand the days I started in Provo/Orem. Sometimes I’ll go out in Provo or Orem at night but that’s when I’ve worked a lot earlier in the day in Park City or Salt Lake.

I don’t see starting in Orem as the way to go financially but nevertheless, I found myself feeling a strong prompting that started the night before while I was saying my prayers. The prompting was to start in Orem on the west side down by Krispy Kreme. I just had the strong feeling that’s where I should start.

I drove there and turned on my app and I got a ride. I picked up a young lady in the parking lot by Swig. She had just got done working out at the gym there and I was giving her a ride home. I wondered to myself if this was the reason why I was out there today.

She had several piercings in her nose., a few tattoos, and a general party girl vibe. The spirit indicated to me that indeed, this was the reason why I was here so I started talking to her.

I asked her if she was from here and she said that she was born here but that her parents were both from Mexico. She said that she understood Spanish but she couldn’t speak it very well.

I told her about a time several weeks ago where I had three girls in my car who spoke Spanish. I told her that they got in the car and started talking about how much they hate white men and that they wished their driver wasn’t a white man. I told her that I didn’t say a thing, I just let them talk in Spanish but that when we were pulling up to the place where I was dropping them off, I said., quieren que los dejo acá o prefieren que haga una vueltita para ponerlos al otro lado de la calle. I told her that the car went silent and then one girl screamed. I told my passenger it was a lot of fun.

I told her that racial profiling was in full effect in the car at that point. She laughed. I said, the thing is, I don’t sweat it and it doesn’t offend me. I told her that I thought it was funny but that what we really need to do is forget about calling people out on racism and forget about calling people racist and not be racist but start loving people like Jesus taught.

I told her that Jesus taught us to love and if we would do that the whole racism thing would disappear and be replaced with love. I told her that every problem we have in society happens because we don’t follow Jesus. She said, I love Jesus and what you said means a lot to me because it’s true. She said, I’m a Christian. I said to her, how awesome is that! As a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, I am a Christian too.

I never want to concede any ground with regards to branding under the Christian name.

I told her that we believe that Heavenly Father loves us and that he sent his son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins, inequities and problems so that we don’t have to suffer. I told her that he can pick up our burdens and carry us through.

She said, I needed to hear that today. When she said that the spirit prompted me with some additional things to say and the power of the spirit in the car was very noticeable.

I told her that she was a good person and that she had a soft heart but that she was covering her heart to protect it from being damaged by other people. I said that she hoped that other people would not be able to see her distress. She didn’t want people looking into her heart and seeing that. I told her that she had also done some things that she was ashamed of that she held close and didn’t want anyone to know about. I told her that these things weighed heavy on her.

She looked astonished and she said, you’re correct on all three. I’ve never had anyone see right through me. That’s an amazing ability that you have there. I told her that it was not my ability but that I had merely spoken the words that the Holy Ghost put in my heart.

I told her that in our church when we’re baptized, we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told her that through the gift of the Holy Ghost God can whisper things to our hearts and if we say them we will be speaking the words of God. I told her that God put those words in my heart to say so that she would know that the other words I say today are true. She said, I’m all ears, this is what I need because in my life I’ve had so many struggles.

She told me that she had a son. I said, that’s awesome. Do you teach him about God? Do you read the scriptures with him?She said that he was a little young for that. I told her that she could read the stories and then tell those stories to him. She lit up and said, that’s a great idea. I asked how old he was and she said six.

I said, that would be perfect, a six-year-old boy loves to hear stories from his mom. I told her that in the Book of Mormon we find one of my favorite stories. I told her I’ve taught this story a bunch of times. It’s about Nephi and his bow. He breaks his bow and because of that everybody thought they were going to die. No one knew how they were going to get food and they were angry with him. I told her that he prayed and then went to his father and said, you’re the prophet, you pray to God and ask him where I should go go to get food.

I told her that he was told where to go and he went out and got food for the family. I told her that they learned that they didn’t need a bow to get food, they needed faith in God to be delivered from their situation. I told her that this is a lesson we could all take the heart these days. We should trust in God and not our own ability to take care of business.

She said, that’s amazing. I’m always trying to fix everything and I rarely turn to God for help. You hit that right on the head. She said, clearly the spirit hasn’t quit talking to you about me, and she laughed.

I said to her, what the spirit is saying to me right now is that some of the things you are hiding are the fact that multiple times you have been abused. She said, I’m just getting out of a very violent, abusive relationship. I don’t know how you could know that. I smiled and said, God knows. Then I felt prompted to say, it’s not just this relationship, it’s the time you were abused when you were a child. You never talk to anyone about that but you’re Heavenly Father wants you to know that he knows and that he loves you and he’s there for you.

She was clearly emotional and she was tearing up. She said, there’s no way you know that. I said, God gave me those words so that you could know that the rest of the things I say are his truth, so you could know that the things I say are from him. She said, I believe you.

I told her that God loves everyone and that he’s her father. She said, I grew up without a father. I told her that her father in heaven was her father and that he loves her and that he sent me there today to help rescue her. She said, I need that

She said, I have my six year old boy for visitations on weekends and I’m trying to teach him the right things but I need help. She said, he always says that we need to pray right before every meal and I think I need to be the kind of mother he deserves.

I told her that she could tell him the stories like we talked about. I also said that she should pray with him more than just at dinner. I told her that her father in heaven loves her and that he sent his son for her so she can look to him for salvation.

I told her that in the Bible Jesus said other sheep I have that are not of this fold and he had been given a commandment to go to them. I told her that in America they had prophets that were with her ancestors, I told her that they were waiting for Jesus Christ to come. After he had been resurrected, he descended from heaven and her ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and they begged him for salvation.

I told her that he blessed them, loved them, taught them, gave them baptism and commanded that they be baptized. I told her when we are baptized, we become pure and clean before God.

I asked her how long it had been since she had been in a position where she felt pure and clean before God. She said, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way or it’s been a long time. I told her that this was the message that her father in heaven had sent me to deliver.

I told her that her father in heaven had sent me there that day. I explained to her that I never go to Orem to start but today I was commanded. I told her that this was the reason. The spirit was surging in the car and I asked her to describe it to me. According to her those three words were love, joy and peace.

I said, you feel those because the spirit of your father in heaven is here and that’s how you feel in his presence. That’s how you feel his spirit. Her eyes were still teary and I said, your father in heaven is inviting you to have that baptism and have that gift of the Holy Ghost and he’s begging you to let him be part of your life.

I said, he wants his son, Jesus Christ, to be able to be there for you to lift your burdens and bring you home. She said, thats crazy! It just seems like this fits for me.

I asked her how long it had been since she had felt that way and she said that she didn’t think she ever had. She said that this is more powerful than in anything she had experienced. I asked her if she would like to live her life with that feeling in her heart and in her home where she lives with her son. I asked her how it would be to have her son grow up with that feeling. She said that would be incredible. She said, when I think about it, I know that what you’re saying is true.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I pulled out one of the copies of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and explained it to her to her and then gave it to her. She said, I love to read, I’m going to read this. I told her that the Book of Mormon did not replace the Bible but it testifies of Jesus Christ and is a companion to the Bible. I told her that the stories are awesome and her son would enjoy them.

She said, I have a new boyfriend and he was recently baptized in your church, he keeps asking me to go. I told her, well, that would be a good start! I told her that when God sends her a messenger, that’s an active action on his part to bless her and help her. I asked her if she thought it would be a good idea to turn away help from God. She said, no, I want this.

I asked her if she knew where she was supposed to go to church. She said no. I asked her if she wanted me to look it up and she said, yes, so I did. I texted the information to her. She asked me if her boyfriend could go to services with her and I said, absolutely. I told her that the ward also has primary for her son. I told her that he would go the first hour with her in the second hour with children his age to be taught. I told her, She said that her boyfriend and her son would be so excited. She said, I had kind of been caught up in a competition about mine versus his, but now I know that this isn’t about mine or his, this is God’s.

I asked her if she would commit to go to church and she said yes. I asked her to reflect on the things that had happened that day. I asked her to reflect on how it made her feel. She said, God let you look into my soul and he sent his spirit. I told her that this is how she knows that the other words I said were true and she said, yes. I said, now you can go to church on Sunday and your boyfriend will probably be able to baptize you when you’re ready.

I told her that he had to go in and talk to his bishop and make sure that he was ready. She said she would have him do that

She said, you know, at any other time in my life I wouldn’t have been receptive to this but God knows when we’re ready I guess. I’m grateful he sent you today because this is going to change everything for me. She got out of the car clutching her Book of Mormon and went inside.

Then I went to Salt Lake City to work.

One of the most difficult times of the year is the Sundance film festival. The problem with the Sundance film festival is that the people who attend that festival don’t believe in God. To me the vast majority of people there feel like they bring a negative spirit to the car. They don’t believe in God, they mock God and they don’t believe in commandments. In fact, they celebrate everything that is opposed to God and the commandments.

That spirit permeates the city and the people who ride in the car. I find myself needing to pray several times throughout the day because it is so draining to be in that environment for so long. I almost didn’t want to work the film festival because of this reason but on the other hand, you can make four to $500 a day so there’s that.

One night I picked up a girl from New York. She was a writer, a producer and African-American. It was the end of our day and we had about a 15 minute ride down to the Canyons from old town Park City.

As we started to go, we began to chat. Initially our discussion was, where are you from? How long have you lived there? We both asked each other these questions. Not having felt impressed by the spirit to share much the previous few days with people who were not wanting to receive light or willing to receive light I was somewhat surprised to receive the prompting and thoughts to discuss that I came to Utah to go to BYU after my church mission in Argentina.

That’s a risky strategy but if the spirit says to say that, you say it! Once I said that she lit up and said, you know, I’ve always been interested in those missions you guys go on. It seems to me like that’s a real mission! I said, yes, it is, two years in a country where you learn the language and customs and how to love the people. It’s two years in a country that you spend bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to people and watching it transform their lives.

I asked her if it would be OK if I talked about religious things. Given the nature of the people I was driving that week I was a little gun shy and wanted to ask consent. Just to be safe!

She said, that’s amazing! She wanted to know about missions. Her questions were, can you go anywhere you want? Who sent you to where you go? In that area can you go anywhere you want? Do they pay you? Did you enjoy it?

I began to discuss with her how we are called by God through prophets, mission boundaries and how missionaries are attached to wards and they work with the people giving service and teaching about Jesus. I talked to her about how the purpose of the church is to bring people to Jesus Christ and the purpose of the missionaries is to bring people to Jesus Christ and build up the church.

She said, do some missionaries get sent to places to start the church where it previously did not exist? I said, yes but for the most part, almost everyone that goes out goes to an established situation to try to build there and lift the people there. We want to bring the gospel to everyone,

I told her that our Heavenly Father loves everyone no matter where they’re from or when they were born. I told her he loves everyone and not just the people in Jerusalem. I asked her if she thought that it was strange that the only record we have in the Christian world, for the most part, of God‘s interaction with people are with the people in Jerusalem? I asked her if she thought possibly God loved other people as well? She readily agreed.

I told her that we believe in the things that everybody else believes in, the divinity of Jesus Christ, his birth to Mary, his crucifixion, and resurrection, and all of the things contained in the Bible. I told her we believe in the Bible, but I said that God also loved everyone else in the world and they were his children.

I told her that a perfect God with all power would find a way to show his love to all of his children not just the children in one little place. I told her that we believe that God had prophets in other places. We believe that God had prophets here in America amongst the ancestors of the Native Americans.

I told her that God revealed his commandments to them and that the reason why God gives us commandments is so that we can be happy. I told her that the purpose of commandments is not to punish us but to make us happy. I asked her if she saw a lot of happy people around Park City? She said, come to think of it, I see a lot of people that seem to be having fun but they feel empty. I told her that it’s because a lot of them aren’t following the commandments of God.

I told her that this is why God had prophets in ancient America. He gave those people commandments so that they could be happy and feel his love just like we have the commandments so that we can be happy and feel his love.

I told her that we have a prophet on the Earth today. I told her that when we go on missions, the place we go is chosen by prophets. I told her that this way we know that we are sent exactly where God would have us go.

She said, wow! That’s pretty neat. As I started talking about the Book of Mormon and the prophets the spirit came in the car. It was noticeable because of it’s absence in the Park City environment. I could tell she was feeling it and feeding off of it. I asked her if she felt that and she said, yes.

I talked about how in the Bible, after Jesus was resurrected, he said that he had other sheep that were not of that fold and he was commanded to go to them. I told her that Jesus came to America and descended from heaven in front of all the people. I told her that they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and he bless them. I told her that Jesus held their children and blessed them and loved them, just like he had in the Bible.

I told her that then he said, still other sheep I have, which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem, or the lands roundabout, and that he was commanded by his father to go to them. I asked her who else she thought would have been visited by Jesus? She thought about it and said well, wouldn’t God send his son to everyone? She said, I would love to think that my ancestors met Jesus Christ.

I talked to her about how in Isaiah he mentions Kush as one of the places where the house of Israel had been scattered to and that would be visited. She didn’t know where Kush was.

I spent a minute orienting her to the history of Africa and the great African Empire of Kush. This is who Isaiah referred to. I told her that Jesus loves everyone and I believe her ancestors were included. She had a smile on her face. She said, I’ve always felt a connection to Jesus Christ.

The spirit was burning in the car. She asked me if there were lots of Mormons in Argentina where I went on my mission. I told her that there were. She said, I thought all Mormons were in Utah. I told her that is definitely not true. We are one of the fastest growing religions everywhere in the world because this message speaks to people’s soul. In their soul, they know that God loves them and that he sent his son Jesus Christ for them.

I asked her what it meant to her to think about Jesus Christ possibly blessing her ancestors when they were children. She had a tear in her eye and said that was a powerful image.

I told her that her father in heaven loved her and that same gospel of Jesus Christ is here today. The same thing he taught when he went to America and the other places is here today.

I told her that just like how in the Bible they wrote down their prophecies that they received from God and because of this we have the Bible. I told her that in America, the prophets wrote down the prophecies they received as well. They wrote down the things they learned from God and the blessings they received by his hand. I told her that this is the Book of Mormon. It’s the word of God to us through his prophets just like the Bible.

She got excited and said, the Book of Mormon, I saw that play. Then she thought for a second and she said, you know, that wasn’t really a very favorable portrayal of your religion. She said, from what I am feeling in this car and seeing in your eyes, that portrayal was wrong.

I said, it was some guys making jokes and they happened to use our church as the vehicle. It was nothing more or less than that and we’re not really that offended. She said, that’s good. I told her that when those prophets wrote down their prophecies they wrote them on metal plates and they were given to Joseph Smith to translate. I told her that Joseph Smith was from New York and that is where our church was founded.

She really liked that and she said, that’s amazing! I wish I’d known that. I told her that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and that the Book of Mormon not only included the prophecies of the ancient prophets in America but the account of the visit of Jesus Christ. We have those words in the Book of Mormon.

She mentioned that she was eager to learn about this because those would’ve been similar to the words taught to her ancestors, if this were true.

She said, that’s amazing! And it happened in New York? I said yes! I told her that we have a temple in Manhattan. Now she was shocked. She said I had no idea. I need to go there.

By this time we had been sitting for five minutes in front of her hotel and I had another ride that I had accepted that I needed to pick up. I ended her ride because I didn’t want to charge her while I testified. Avoid priestcraft at all cost😀!

I was talking about her going there to the chapel at the temple and feeling the same spirit there that she felt in the car. She agreed to do that. That spirit was powerful and we both acknowledged it. She had recognized the truth of the things we had discussed. Just before I was about ready to give her a Book of Mormon her door opened. It was the other ladies that I was supposed to pick up at that same spot.

The ride ended abruptly but it was obvious to me that she didn’t want to go. It was obvious to me that there was a difference in the spirit between her, and the people that replaced her. The difference in the feeling of the spirit in the car between our ride and the next one was also a stark contrast, it was palpable.

I thought about that ride all night long. I wondered if I failed because I wasn’t able to give her a Book of Mormon. I felt the spirit comfort me and tell me that she now knew where to go. The next day was Sunday and I was sitting in church when my phone dinged. It was a message telling me I received a tip from that ride of 20%.

They give you the option of one dollar, three dollar or five dollar tips. When somebody customizes a tip and adds more you know that they appreciated the ride. This was a confirmation to me that she had recognized the difference of the spirit and the truthfulness of the words that were spoken, and that it had sunk in.

I don’t know what the Lord has in store for this young lady but I know she felt the spirit and she had all the right questions. I know she was supposed to be there in the car. She now knows where to go. I know she loves her father in heaven and he loves her. I felt it in the car that day

One day I picked up a kid in North Salt Lake in some pretty rundown apartments and I was taking him to West Valley City. He was pretty gangster looking with an oversized basketball jersey, an earring, dew rag, tatted up a bit, all the stuff!

He got in the car and I said, hey, how are you doing!? He said, really good. I’m going to see my nephew who was just born. I said, that’s exciting! I asked him where he worked and he said that he was a cook at the new Hyatt hotel in downtown Salt Lake. I told him that it looks like a really cool hotel and he said it was!

I said, tell me about the baby. He said that all of his family was over seeing the baby and that he was excited to get there. I felt impressed to talk about the purity of children. I talked How they come straight from our father in heaven and that they are pure before God.

I told him that this is why in our church we don’t baptize little children. We believe that they are saved in Christ through his atonement. I told him Christ said we should become like little children so that we can be with God.

He said that he believed that. He said, there’s nothing more beautiful than a little baby and you can feel the good. I said that’s right! We talked about how a lot of churches teach that they need to be baptized because the Bible says that people need to be baptized. He agreed. I told him that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ covers children but once we become able to make decisions and sin, we all need to be baptized or we can’t go back to our father in heaven. He said that this made a lot more sense. He said, a lot of little babies die and that he didn’t think he could believe in a God that would condemn that innocence.

He said that he was from an island called Chuuk and that there were lots of Mormons there. He said that his father was a minister there. He said that his brother whose house we were going to was a member of our church. He said again that there are lots of members of our church in Chuuk.

I got a big smile on my face when he said Chuuk. Chuuk is an island in the middle of nowhere Pacific Ocean. I believe it’s in Micronesia. We had a lot of missionaries in the MTC from Chuuk and they were so loving and had such lively spirits. You can tell they love their father in heaven. I loved those missionaries from Chuuk.

I felt impressed to teach him about the family and the eternal nature of the family along with the sealing power.

I told him that because of the power that Jesus gave to Peter to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven and due to the fact that this power was passed down to our prophet, we now have the authority to seal a marriage and it will be sealed in heaven. I told him, more than that, we seal children to their parents. We seal the whole family unit.

He said, that’s awesome! I like that. I told him this is what his brother who he was going to visit believed. I told him that he believes that we have prophets and they have authority and keys to help us do the things that God would have us do.

He said, that’s awesome. I told him that the people who lived in America originally had prophets. These prophets were among the ancestors of the Native American Indians and those prophets wrote their prophecies. I told him that those prophecies were written on plates and that they were given to our prophet in modern times who interpreted them by the power of God. I told him that this prophet was Joseph Smith.

I told him that Joseph Smith translated that record so that we have another testimony of Jesus Christ and the testimony that he loves everyone. I asked him if he had heard the phrase “isles of the sea” and he said, no. I brought up the Isaiah scripture where it talks about God calling to his children in Assyria, Pathos, Syria, Kush and the isles of the sea.

I asked him if he knew of a place that could be considered an isle of the sea, knowing full well that Chuuk is an island in the sea. I told him it also referred to America and other places that are not in continental Europe, Asia and Africa.

As I talked and bore my testimony, the spirit came in the car. As he realized that this message included him, he began to light up. I could tell he was feeling the spirit and being lit up by the spirit. From his eyes to his countenance, there was a change.

I asked him what he felt and he said that he felt like he found a puzzle piece that he had been looking for. He said that he felt knowledge pouring straight into his soul and that he felt peace. I said, that peace is confirming to you the truthfulness of the knowledge that you have received. He said, I can tell that. It makes total sense.

He said, that’s interesting, he had never considered that. I told him that Isaiah prophesied that the children of Israel would receive the words of God from the Messiah and that Jesus went to them. I told him that in the Book of Mormon is teaches that Jesus came to America and that he said, “still other sheep I have with your not of this land or the land of Jerusalem” or the land roundabout. He said, my father has given me a commandment that I should go to them so they could hear my voice and be counted among my sheep.

I asked him, who might he have been talking about? He thought for a minute and said, the isles of the sea! I told him yes, the isles of the sea. I told him that this book was written for him and that this book was written for me. This book was written for us so that we can know that God loves all of us and that his son died for all of us no matter where we live we are his children.

I told him that this book is a companion with the Bible and both testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ. The spirit was strong in the car and I asked him if he felt it. He said, yes. He said that growing up in a religious family where the gospel was taught, he was familiar with the spirit confirming truth to him and the things that I was saying were true.

I asked him what it meant that the things were true. He said it meant he needed to look into it and he needed to study. I had the impression that he was thinking that he was unworthy of purity.

I asked him what came to his mind when I mentioned that the baby was pure before God, he paused and didn’t answer. I said, it came to your mind that you’ve made some mistakes and they grind on you everyday. It tells you that you can’t be pure and that you can’t stand before God and you feel a bit like a lost cause. He asked, how do you know? I said, that same spirit you feel whispers to my heart.

I told him it was the Holy Ghost and that he can help us know the things to say. He can whisper to us the things that only god can know. I told him that his past could be put behind him. He could be pure like that baby and stand before God. I told him it’s done through repentance and it’s done through baptism. I explained to him that when Jesus came to America everybody had been baptized but he invited them to be baptized to this new covenant to his higher level.

I told him that Jesus appreciated what they had done to show their faithfulness in the past but that he wanted them to take this next step. I explained to him that this included baptism for the remission of their sins so that they could stand before God in purity. I asked him if that’s what he wanted and he said yes, that’s what he wanted.

I told him that, just like in the Book of Mormon, his father in heaven appreciated everything he had done to show his love. He appreciated the baptism that he had earnestly done and he appreciated his parents for teaching him the word of God. I told him that now is the time that he can take that step up and accept the same invitation Jesus gave in the Book of Mormon.

I asked him if he would ask his brother about it. He looked at the house because we were pulling up right then and he said, yes, yes I will. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and said no! I’d love one. He asked me where he could get one and I said, well, you could get one from your brother or I happen to have one right here I’ll give you.

I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon‘s that I have been using that are marked by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said, this is yours. It is a testament of Jesus Christ and his divinity. I told him it would bring him closer to God and it would lead him to the purity he seeks.

He said, I feel amazing. I feel like I’m flying in the air and I want this. I can’t wait to talk to my brother. He shook my hand almost as if he was making an agreement. Then he asked where he would go to church. I looked up his ward and gave him the information. He took it down and said I think I’ll go.

I said, you might want to invite your brother. He said, that would be fun, we’re fixin to have a big conversation about this. He laughed!. I said, just imagine someday when you have a family you’ll know that family is forever and that it was made that way by the power of God. I said, if you do the things you should, your whole family can be pure before God. He said, that’s amazing. He thanked me as he went into the home to see the baby.

Friday night I was stuck in the snow on a mountain in park city. I laughed and thought about how I used to call my dad when I had problems. He always helped and did everything in his power to help me. “How can I help” was what he always said. I think that this is the kind of father that Heavenly Father is for us and it shows.

One day last week I was coming home from Salt Lake and I left my app on so I could get rides along the way. It was early in the day and I was coming home to go to a BYU volleyball game. That has kind of been our date night since Covid started. We really enjoy it and we make a priority of it. I always make sure I’m home in time to go.

With the clock winding down, I was about ready to turn off my app, but I got a ride just as I entered Orem. It was a ride that took me to Pleasant Grove and then back to a place within about eight blocks of my house. It was perfect, I took it and I went.

I wasn’t sure by looking at the address where this would be but finally it led me into a trailer park in Pleasant Grove. As I pulled into the trailer park, I parked in front of this spot where I was supposed to meet the lady whose name was on the app.

I sat there for quite a bit and she didn’t come out. I was starting to think that maybe I’d have to leave so I called, still no answer. I looked over to my side and there was a guy putting things into the trunk of a Jetta and arranging things in the car. I wondered if it might be him.

Finally, he turned around and came over and said that I was his driver. I said, your name is and I blurted out the female name that was supposed to be getting in the car. He laughed and said, no that’s my girlfriend and she booked this ride for me. That’s totally legal but sometimes it’s a little scary because you don’t know who’s getting in your car. Everybody goes through a screening process when they get their app but if you book for someone else, you’re on your own as a driver.

He got in and we started off towards Orem. I said, what takes you to Orem? He said, I’m going to my addiction meeting, I looked at him in the mirror. He had that look of someone who was going through it. His eyes were tired and sad as he said these words. I could see his desperation. I could feel his hopelessness. I said, well, that’s awesome that you’re going to your recovery meeting! That’s where you need to be going!

I asked him if he could share with me a little about his situation. That’s a big no-no but I felt compelled by the spirit to find out more. He said that he had two DUIs, which is why he couldn’t drive his car and that he just had to get his life out of the spiral he was in.

I could feel the spiral and I could hear the desperation in his voice. I told him that I have a lot of people that call me for rides when they are inebriated so as to avoid the DUI but that the best way to avoid DUI is to not drink.

I looked at him and said, I think you a member of the church aren’t you? Don’t you think that bringing the church into your life a little bit more would also help you?

The spirit poured into my heart and I felt prompted to bear my testimony to him of the atonement and the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ that could help him fight those demons. I told him that Satan pulls us little by little and then pretty soon he’s got us cornered. I told him that this was the desperation he felt.

I told him that when he was young and he started drinking he thought it would be fun and that Satan used to pull him into that corner where he found himself now. He said, I never thought about this in that way. I bore my testimony of the atonement and the power of Jesus Christ to fill that hole in his soul and lift him above the pain.

I told him that when Jesus Christ died and paid for our sins, he also paid for the pains, afflictions, inequities and infirmities that would happen to each of us. He asked, even when you’re stupid and bring it upon yourself like I have?

I told him that his father in heaven loved him and that I believed he was put in my car to hear that message. I told him that Heavenly Father was his father and he loved him and wanted him to be safe. I told him that his father in heaven was his father and he didn’t want him to destroy his life. I told him that his father in heaven wanted him to come home.

I asked him if he was a father and he said yes. He said I’m a father but I’ve lost it all. I said, even though you’ve lost it all, would you die for your children? He said, yes, in a heartbeat. I asked him if one of his children was in a situation that he could help them, would he do it? He said yes, he would. I asked him if he would sacrifice everything for his child and he said, yes.

I reiterated to him that his father in heaven was his father and felt that same way about him. I said, because of this, you are never a lost cause, because of this, you are never unsalvageable and because of this love, you can come home to your father in heaven.

I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ was how God accomplished this for him. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered these things so that he can pay for the negative results so we don’t have to.

He said, how does that work? I told him I don’t know but I know that it does. I told him I look at it kind of like the check out at Smith’s where they total up all the stuff and there’s no way you can pay your bill but Jesus is standing there with the debit card at the end of the line and says, “I got that” and puts the card down on the reader. Then the checkout lady says, thank you, you’re good.

I told him that Satan sells despair and hopelessness. I said that when he’s feeling those things he’s hearing the words of Satan in his ear saying you’re bad, you’re irredeemable, you can’t be saved. You’re in a tailspin there’s no way out. I told him that Satan is a liar and he always lies and lies to everybody always, not just him.

I told him that Satan tells every single person that they are not worthy, that they’re not welcome, that they’re being judged. I told him that just last Sunday he had thought about going to church, where he hadn’t been in over 20 years and those were the thoughts he had. I told him that I want him to know that Heavenly Father knew that Satan was coming at him and that he wanted him to know that those are lies.

He said, that’s exactly what happened. I walked in front of the churchhouse two times and finally walked home. I didn’t have the nerve to go in. I didn’t feel like I could take the judgment.

I said if there is judgment in there, it’s the judgment of men and that judgement is their sin. I told him that there would be no negative judgment from God. I told him the walls wouldn’t fall in and that calamity would fall upon him for crossing the threshold into the church. He said, that’s exactly what I said would happen and then he laughed.

I told him that God would be thrilled to have him back in his home because he’s a father. I asked him what his children could do to make him not want them to come visit him and he said, there’s nothing they could do that would make that happen. I told him that is exactly the way his father feels. The church is where your spirit feels at home.

I told him that the spirit was telling me that I was supposed to invite him to go to church this week. I told him that God was inviting him to his home. He said, well, that means something! He said, I feel loved in your car.

He said, I feel loved in your car like I haven’t felt in a long time. I asked him if he wanted to have that in his life not just while he was in my car. He said, yes. I said, that’s why Satan has worked so hard to keep you out of church. He hasn’t wanted you to feel that feeling and seek for that feeing because he knows that this will give you the power to make the changes you need to make.

I told him that Satan does not want him to go to church. I told him that Satan does not want God to win. I told him that with God’s help he could fill that hole in his soul that his addiction craves. He could fill that with this feeling and be able to win. I told him Satan doesn’t want you to win.

He said, I want that. I said, do you want it bad enough to pray and read the Book of Mormon every day? He said, yes. I said, do you want that bad enough to go to church and he said, yes.

I asked him if he would go to church that Sunday and he said he didn’t know where his ward met. I had the prompting to ask if his girlfriend went to church. He said, yes she does. I asked him if he would go with her and he said yes. Just then his girlfriend called. People can call on their app when their ride is in progress or when they’re waiting for their driver. She wasn’t in the car so she called me. We talked to her about taking him to church. She said, I’m shocked! Through her tears she said, I would love to have him go to church with me.

I looked up his church time and his Bishop’s name and sent it to him by text. There was an amazing feeling in the car. I wanted to identify that spirit one more time to him.

I said, what is it your feeling right now in my car? He said, I feel love, I feel loved completely. He said, I feel a peace in my soul and in my body. Right now I do not crave my addiction. I told him that this was a hug from his father in heaven and that if he would do the things we had talked about the Lord could help him through so he could fight the physical addiction.

He said I’m going to do this. He said, I know that God put me in your car. It has to be that way, there is no other explanation. He said, I never looked at the gospel as so personal and loving. Iwant that love and that relationship that I feel with my father in heaven. I can’t believe that he loved me enough to send someone to bring this message. Now I know that I still matter.

We barely made it on time. He got out and Ran in just before they closed the door. He had said that if he wasn’t there on time he would get in trouble. I’m assuming this was some kind of court ordered meeting and I’m glad we got him there but I’m also glad we got him the help he needs to make this change permanent.

After all a father always wants their child to come home and will do anything to make that possible.

I drove home, picked up Heather and we went to the volleyball game where BYU won their first game of the year! The perfect ending to a perfect outing

One night I was done working in Park City and I decided to go work in Salt Lake. I got three rides. The first two took me from downtown to like 70th south and Taylorsville. I was hoping to get downtown and pick up a lot of little rides, so I went back downtown again.

When I got downtown I got one more ride. I decided that if this one was more than 15 minutes I was going to cancel it so I could rack up my numbers of rides. A ride came and it was 35 minutes. It was going all the way down into the homes south and west of point of the mountain. I didn’t want that ride. I went to cancel it and the spirit said no.

I like it when that happens because I know that fun things are about to come forth. I went over to a bar/restaurant to pick up a husband and his wife. They came out after having a fun evening with friends. Clearly they had partaken in some drink, but they were not inebriated by any means. With the low alcohol levels in Utah it’s just smart that if you’re going to drink at all that you not to take a chance.

His name was a little different and I pronounced it when he got in the car. Usually when people get in the car I say their name first so that they know that I’m supposed to be their driver. This puts them at ease and lets them know that they’re safe and that this is where they should be.

His wife started teasing him about how I said it because I said it with an English pronunciation. It turns out that he’s Filipino and that I should’ve used more of a what I would consider to be Spanish pronunciation and I would’ve been correct. She spent a couple of minutes laughing at him and telling him that he says his name wrong.

I then jumped in and said, well I speak Spanish and that’s how I would’ve said it if I’d been pronouncing it in Spanish. They said how well do you speak Spanish and I said that I do interpretation. They looked at me and said, you’re very white! How did you learn Spanish? She was Latin looking and he was definitely Filipino looking and I smiled, racial profiling is alive and well.

I said, I went on a Mormon mission to Argentina and I learned to speak Spanish. They asked me how I was able to remember it after all these years. I told them that when I was in the MTC Elder Packer had come to the MTC to speak to us. I told them that he promised us if we would say our prayers and read our scriptures in the language of our mission that we would never lose the ability to speak that language. We would have it and be able to use it to build the kingdom of God.

It dawned on me that I was preaching about prophets and prophecy to people that I just picked up from a bar so I decided to bear my testimony. As I bore my testimony of the principle of revelation, based on the prophecy of Elder Packer, the spirit whispered to me that the man was a member of the church but she was not.

Just as soon as I had finished, I decided to find a way in this 35 minute drive to bring up more about the church. She lead off by saying, is it scary to have people in your car that you don’t know? I decided that I would take that. I told the story about the man who came over the seat trying to choke me and attack me but that when he touched me he was zapped and fell down, almost as if he had been hit by a taser. I’d been talking about the Book of Mormon so I talked about how Nephi had touched his brothers and they had been shocked.

I said, you know, the Book of Mormon is true and I wouldn’t have understood what happened in my car If I hadn’t read that God had done it before in the scriptures.

Her eyes were wide open and she said, wow! She said, at first I thought you would be scared to have people in your car but if you’ve got God protecting you like that you don’t need to be scared, do you? I told her that I believe that God protected me and that I wasn’t afraid. I told her that God had prompted me not to pick up people at times and other times he had protected me.

I told her that God protect us when we do the things that he wants us to do and when we follow his prophets and their words. I told her that my ability to speak Spanish and the protection of my car were both evidences of God‘s protection because of obedience.

I told her that I prayed and blessed my car so that the spirit of God would dwell in my car. She said, we’ve both felt that since we got in your car. It’s been an amazing peace. We’ve never taken an Uber that felt like this. I told her it’s because the spirit of God was here.

Then I looked at him and asked, are you two religious? He said, she isn’t. She said, he used to be. The spirit had already indicated this to me. This gave me comfort and the knowledge that they were telling me the truth.

I told them that the thing about the church is that it’s where we get commandments from God so that we can be blessed and protected. In the scriptures, we read the actual words that came from the prophets of God and in church, we listen to live prophets of God. I told them that this is what I did on my mission. I taught those words to the people and brought this peace to their lives.

I told them that the peace they felt on my mission was just like what they were feeling in the car right now. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He said, I went on a mission. I asked, when did you go on a mission? He said in 2009 to the Philippines. I said, that’s awesome.

The distinct prompting came over me to say these words. Your Heavenly Father knows where you are. He knows what you’re doing and he’s been wanting you to come back. I said, you thought he didn’t care about you. You thought he wouldn’t notice if you were gone but tonight he sent me to let you know that you were wrong.

I told him that for years he had been laboring under the assumption that God didn’t care but God did care and that he needed him. He said, I didn’t think anyone knew and I didn’t think anyone cared.

I asked him when he was in the MTC, and which MTC one. He said he was in Provo. I told him that it was before I started serving there in 2012. I told him that what he learned in the MTC was how to recognize the spirit he was feeling tonight in the car. I told him the spirit can lead him and guide him and walk beside him and help him find the way.

He laughed and said, that sounds like a song I heard once. I said kind of funny how we learn these things when we’re little. I told him that to others this spirit is how we turn their hearts to their father in heaven and get protection in these perilous days.

By this time he was animated. The spirit had lit him like a firecracker and he was poppin. You could feel the joy coming from him in the backseat after being enlightened by the spirit. I told him, you remember what it felt like don’t you? He said, yes. I said, you’ve missed this haven’t you? He said yes, I didn’t realize how much. I said, your Father in Heaven wants you back, will you come back? He paused, looked at his wife and said, yes.

I looked at her and said, what do you think about what you’re feeling right now? Would you like to feel this in your life all the time? She said, yes. I told her that I had used a story from the Book of Mormon in our trip. I told her that the Book of Mormon was the word of God just like the Bible. I told her that it was translated by Joseph Smith and that it was the words of the ancient prophet in America, her ancestors.

I told her that these words spoke to her, in the car and they were speaking to her right now. As I testified of their truthfulness she said, I believe you because of what I’m feeling. This is incredible. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon of her own. She said, no. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists to give to her husband. I said, do you have a Book of Mormon? He said, yes I have a few. I gave it to him and said, you give this your wife. I want you to teach her just like you taught people on your mission about the Book of Mormon.

I want you to teach her about Joseph Smith. I want you to teach her about the plates. I want you to teach her that Jesus came to America and taught the people to be baptized. I want you to baptize her. He took the Book of Mormon from me and said, I will do that!

He said, this book has tabs in it, just like my Book of Mormon does! He said, this is so cool. This was made for me to give to her. She looked at him with a big smile and said, yeah! Get to it!

I laughed and said yes it was. I said, God knew you were coming here tonight and he sent gifts for you.

I told him that he remembered what it was like to be a missionary tonight in the car. I told him that the spirit accompanies the truth and testifies of the truth. His wife said, this would change everything for them. She said, I want that.

She asked, can we really have this feeling all the time? I said yes, your husband had just forgotten but together you can build a life based on this feeling.

She said, the second I got in this car I felt something different. The second I got in this car I knew that this was different and that I was supposed to listen. The man reached up and gently grab my shoulders and said, you are a great man. I told him that he is the man, when he follows the promptings of God.

I told him that God put them in my car, God gave me the words to say, and he sent his spirit to testify to them. I asked him, on your mission when you had an investigator that had felt the spirit what did you do? He said, first we got really excited and then we baptized them. I said, well tonight your wife has felt the spirit and she knows that it is true, so what are you going to do? He grabbed my shoulders again and said, you’re awesome, thank you so much.

They got out of the car and went into their home with HER Book of Mormon.

I asked him what buildings he did and he said that he had been working on temples and had done one of the temples in Southern Utah. He said that his father worked on the Orem temple. Just as he said that we were driving by the Orem Temple so we talked about what a beautiful building it was.

He said he hadn’t been inside but he had been inside the one in Southern Utah that he had worked on. I thought about going deep into the conversation but he was putting up defensive vibes and I really wasn’t feeling it. He seemed to put an end to the discussion and I wasn’t feeling any particular prompting. We had a good ride and I dropped him off.

Two weeks later I had been working in Park City all afternoon and most of the evening. I felt like I should leave Park City and go down to the valley. I needed to get gas and I thought I could drive for a couple hours in Salt Lake City. I took one ride in Salt Lake and it just didn’t feel right so I finished that ride, got some gas and headed to Utah County.

My intent was to go home and go to bed. As I got about ready to turn onto the street that goes to my house, I had the prompting to turn on my machine and take a ride. I thought, “but I’m going in and going to bed,” I again received the prompting to turn on my machine and take a ride. I thought, well, maybe the people here will have a better vibe and better energy. I turned on my machine.

After a couple minutes I got a ride and I went over and picked this guy up. I didn’t recognize him and we started driving and talking.

We were driving down past the Orem, Temple, as we rode the spirit brought to my memory the previous ride I had with that young man. The spirit, said this is him. He didn’t look anything like I remembered him being.

Maybe it was because he was dressed up. He had been hanging out with his girlfriend whose house I picked him up at. I saw her give him a kiss at the front door and he came out and he got in the car. I just hadn’t remembered him, he didn’t look anything like what I remembered.

The spirit reiterated to me that this is that same guy. I asked him what he did, and he said, I do metal work. I felt chastised for having questioned the spirit at this point. I knew it was the same guy.

I decided to go all in with the spirit at that point and quit being stupid. I said, God puts people in my car to get messages and this is the second time he’s put you in my car. Do you remember me? He smiled and said, I think I do. He said, you talked to me about building the temple and my dad building the temple here in Orem. I said, yes.

I asked him, why did you get put in my car a second time? What is missing in your life that God wants you to have? I asked again, why did God put you in my car a second time?

He started talking about things that he was angry about at work and then he talked about the things that were troubling him. I listened and then I said, that’s not it. Those things may be true, but that’s not why you’re here. That’s not why God put you in my car and that’s not why your soul is troubled.

He said, I don’t know. I felt impressed to ask him about his dad. He had been talking about his dad as a work companion to this point. There was no sign that there was an issue but I felt very impressed that there was a reason I needed to ask him about his dad.

I asked him, how do you get along with your dad? He said, we get along fine. As he said those words, it was like I heard a big no and the Lord whispered to me some things to say.

I said, you don’t get along with your dad and you never got along with your dad. I said, ever since you were a little child, you haven’t gotten along with your dad and that’s why you don’t work with him on the same jobs now.

I said, the problem is that you feel like you were cheated and you feel like you were left out and that your relationship was not good especially when you were young. I said, you feel like you were betrayed a little bit and because of that, your relationship is strained.

He said, how could you know that? I said, I know that because God whispered to my heart through the Holy Ghost those words for me to say because he wants you to pay attention. I said, those things are true aren’t they? He said, yes they are but no one knows that. I said, God knows that

I asked, what do you feel right now as I say these things? He said, every day I feel anger and frustration about this. I said, what do you feel in the car right now. I said, I’m not asking what you feel about your relationship at this time, I’m asking about what you feel right now in the car. I could tell he felt the spirit because I had his full attention. He was sitting up and he was looking up and I could see in his eyes and I could see that the spirit was touching him.

He said, I feel calm. I feel peaceful. He said, this is strange to feel this while we’re talking about my relationship with my father. I said, there’s a hole in your life and I could feel it. I asked, what is the hole in your life that needs to be filled?

I said, what’s worse is that in your frustration with your father you’ve felt a hole in your life and the way you filled that that hole was by drinking, doing drugs and hanging out with other people to validate you. I said, those other people were bad and you know they are bad.

I said, you’re doing these things and you know they’re not right. I said, you’re doing these things and it is damaging you when all you really need to do is look to your father in heaven. I said, your relationship with your father has not been great but you have a father in heaven, who loves you. I said, you have a father in heaven who is standing there waiting to fill that hole so you can heal.

I said, you have a father in heaven who wants to love you and help you be anything you want to be. He loves you and so you never need to feel like you’re not loved.

I asked him, have you ever told anybody that you have done drugs? He said no, I’m ashamed of it. I said, how did I know these three things? He said, I have no idea. I told him that I knew them because God whispered them to my heart through the Holy Ghost. The same Holy Ghost that we could both feel there in the car had whispered them to my heart so that he would know that the other things I said were true.

I told him that the fact that I knew that those things were true meant that the rest of the things that I was saying were also true. I used that opportunity to bear my testimony. I testified that our heavenly Father loves him and that the church is true. I told him that the authority in the church is true and by that authority I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told him that through that gift God could whisper these things to me,

I told him that because that happened he knew that the church was true. I asked him what he thought that meant he should do. He said, I haven’t been to church in 15 years but maybe I oughta think about going to church. I can’t believe that there could be any other way for you to know these things other than God. Maybe I need to go to church. I said, I think that’s exactly what you need to do.

I said, and that girl you’re hanging out with, your girlfriend, she’s a member of the church too, isn’t she? I couldn’t see his face when he reacted but he said, I don’t know. I said, yes, you do know. The spirit told me that he knew so I just went with that. I said, yes you do know. Then I saw his face and he smiled and he said yes she is. I asked, what would she think if you told her that you wanted to go to church with her? He said, I think she’d be really happy, I think she goes with her parents every Sunday.

I chuckled and called him out a little bit for his shading of the truth with regard to his knowledge of her church attendance.

I said, what you really need to do is call her and ask her if you can go with her. The spirit was really strong in the car and I decided to go for a summary. I said, what we know from tonight is that God loves you and that he’s willing to step up and be that father that you want so badly. He’s willing to fill that hole in your heart.

We know that he gave me the words to say that I had no way of knowing about you personally. He told me about your drug use and your drinking, as well as the people that you need to get away from that are leading you down that path.

We know that he loves you and he sent me twice. Clearly I messed it up the first time. He laughed and said, I’m going to call my girlfriend and I’m going to go to church with her. He said, this is incredible. The feeling I’m feeling right now is something I’ve never felt in my life and I love it. He said, I need to have this more often. He got out of the car and said, I’m calling my girlfriend right now.

I rolled down the window and listened as he said into his phone, “you won’t believe what happened to me on the way home”.

My guess is that someone was praying for this to happen to him on the way home. Whether it was his girlfriend, her parents, one of his parents, even a grandmother or grandfather but one thing I know is that is Heavenly Father knows who he is, knows where he is and is ready, willing and able to fill that hole in his soul.

Update from last week:

I have updated last week’s blog to include pictures from the baptism. There is also a picture from a trip we made to the MTC. His plan is to be there on a mission next year! Here is that link so that you can see them.

Always looking for that white Christmas

One day I was working in Orem over by the Lakeridge area. I really enjoy working in the Lakeridge area because I lived in that stake for quite a while. When they opened their Spanish branch I served for the first several months doing missionary work there. The Lord blessed us with tremendous success and many of the people in that branch are still friends of mine.

I picked up the man I was sent to drive he lived right across the road from one of the apartments where I had one of my most successful missionary experiences ever. I was reminiscing and I had the thought, “this is a good street isn’t it”. I had the distinct impression that lightning was going to strike twice.

I pulled up in front of the house and the man came out. He was a young man with lots of piercings in his ears. I thought that was a bit out of place for the promptings I was receiving. I felt very impressed that this was a good young man and that he was ready for the gospel. I felt the distinct impression that he was seeking for the gospel but didn’t know who to ask or what to say. It felt to me like he was blindfolded and trying to find something.

At the first of our ride I started talking to him. He struggled to answer in English. After a minute of making him speak English I flipped into Spanish and he was greatly relieved. He had a great big smile on his face because he knew that I was clowning him a bit.

He said he was from Columbia by way of New Jersey and that he had only been here in utah two weeks. I asked him how he liked it here and he said he liked it a lot. I said, compared to New Jersey it has to be really different. He said it was very different.

I said, I would imagine that you feel something different here than you felt in New Jersey. He said, I’m glad you said that because I’ve noticed something very different here. He said, it’s a peaceful feeling and I like it. I told him that we have that peaceful feeling here because a lot of people keep the commandments of God.

I told him that when we keep the commandments of God, he gives us peace. I told him that this is not just peace in our hearts but when a community of people are living righteously, you feel the spirit of God amongst them. He said, that’s right! That’s why it’s so important to have a community of God.

He said, back in Columbia I went to church twice a week. I love going to church. I’ve always gone to church. He said, I love to learn about Jesus. I said, that makes two of us!

I told him that I read my scriptures every day and that I love to learn from the scriptures. I also like to learn from the spirit. I asked him if he considered himself to be a strong Catholic and he said, yes! He said that even though he hadn’t been to church very much in New Jersey, he still considered himself to be very Catholic. He then said that what he felt here was different. What he felt here was something that he had never felt and he wanted to know more about it.

I said, do you think maybe you would find that in our church houses here? He said, that’s a good thought, I bet you could. He said, that has to be where it comes from, it comes from the people obeying God. He said, they are teaching the right things in those churches.

I said, do you want to know what we believe that might be a little different than what you believe? He said, yes! I told him that basically we believe a lot of the same things that he believes. I said that it’s Christmas time and we believe that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. I said that we believe that he lived his life perfectly and organized his church perfectly . He taught the gospel and then he suffered and died for us.

I said that he suffered for pain, sicknesses, inequities, illnesses, and any other negative thing that could happen to us, including the sins that we have committed. I told him that we don’t need to suffer because he already has. I told him that Jesus Christ was crucified and that after three days in the tomb he was resurrected.

I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he taught some more and prepared the church for his departure. He said other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. He said that he was commanded by his father to go to those people.

I asked him who Jesus could have been talking about. I asked him who were those people that weren’t in that area? He was puzzled. He said, I don’t know.

I asked him if God loved everyone in the world and he said, yes. I asked him why and he said because we are all God’s children. I said, that’s right. I asked him if God favored one child over the other assuming they were both righteous and he said, no. I asked him if God would teach one child and make no provision for teaching the other thus giving him an advantage and he said, no, God is fair and just.

I asked, who are those other people that Jesus talked about? Were there other people in the world? He said, yes. I asked him if those people were God‘s children? He said, of course. I asked him if he thought maybe God would send his son, Jesus Christ, to those other people.

He thought for a moment and said, you know, I’ve never considered that. This sounds right, of course, a loving God that loves all his children would share that knowledge and those blessings with his other children. He said especially the blessings of Jesus because Jesus blessed everyone.

I said, that’s exactly what happened. Jesus came to America. He descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. I said, your ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and he held their babies in his arms. As he held them he blessed them and their posterity.

He said, my ancestors? I said, yes! He said, we were blessed? I said, yes! He said, I’ve always felt blessed by Jesus, maybe that has something to do with it. I told him that it probably did have something to do with it because God loves everyone no matter where they live. I told him that in America, Jesus said, still other sheep I have that are not from here or Jerusalem. He said that he was going to go to them. My passenger said, that makes a lot of sense.

I said, our Heavenly Father is loving and fair and he loves all of his children. We lived with him before we came to earth and we loved him and he loves us. That’s why he gives us prophets.

I told him that in America, just like in Israel, there were prophets. I said that they wrote down their revelations. I told him that those revelations were given to a modern day prophet and translated. I told him that this book is called the Book of Mormon. I said, that book is a religious heritage given to you by your ancestors. I told him that this book talks about God’s blessings to your ancestors and this book talks about the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I told him that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ and his divinity.

He said, that’s amazing. It makes a lot of sense. We don’t teach that as Catholics, he said. I said, that ancient engravings were given to Joseph Smith to translate. I testified to him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who was called by God to restore the church of Jesus Christ on the Earth. I told him that Joseph Smith wanted to know truth, and so he went and prayed to ask God. I told him that when he did this God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet.

I told him that a short while later, a prophet who had lived here in America brought him those records to translate. He did this so that we could know of the love that God had for the people that lived here in this land, his ancestors.

He was touched. I could tell he was feeling the spirit and he was getting into it. I said, how do you feel? He said, I feel an incredible energy in my heart. I feel a compulsion to believe this thing that you are saying and I want to learn more. He said, I feel like I need to learn more.

I told him that right now God was testifying to his heart and that the things he was feeling were true and the things he was hearing were true. He said, it’s strange but I know that. I told him that when he feels the presence of God like this, he knows that the things he is hearing are true. He said, this is right!

I pulled out a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and I said, “would it be OK if I gave you a Book of Mormon?” He said, absolutely, is that all right? I said, yes. I said if you read this book and pray asking God to show you the truth, he will manifest it to you just like he has in the car today. I said, when you get that answer, it will feel just like you feel right now in your heart.

I asked him if he wanted to go to church on Sunday and he said, yes. I told him which chapel it was and he said, I’ve seen that chapel and I feel something special when I walked by it. Now I know why.

I happened to have the phone number handy for the ward mission leader. I arranged for him to go to church on Sunday. I picked him up and took him myself. It was really an incredible time. He met the missionaries and set appointments for later that week.

I told him that the missionaries would talk to him about baptism. He said, well, I’ve already been baptized. I told him that in our church we use the same baptism that Jesus Christ gave to his ancestors. I told him that they had already been baptized before Jesus came just like he had. When Jesus arrived, he invited them to take a step up to a new level of discipleship and a new baptism. I told him that this new level of discipleship requires us to love God with all of our heart and serve him. He said, that sounds just like me. I want to do that!

I told him that when he’s baptized, the spirit of God will cleanse him from the sins that he had committed. I told him that when he comes out of the waters of baptism, he will be clean.

I could see behind his eyes he was seriously contemplating that, and then he said, “I would love to be clean again”. He said, that would be the greatest gift. I told him how appropriate it was to be talking about gifts at Christmas because Jesus Christ keeps giving us the gift of repentance through the power of his atonement. I said, “it’s Christmas time, it’s a time for gifts. It’s a good time to learn about baptism, the baptism of Jesus Christ. The baptism that he gave to your ancestors.

He said, I can’t believe I’ve gone my whole life without knowing this! He said, I’ve never felt like this, and I want to feel like this always. I told him that once he’s baptized, he will get the gift of the Holy Ghost and then God can be with him and he can walk with God. He said, that’s what I want because that’s who I am.

This was actually a pretty quick ride and pretty packed. I fell an urgency to say all of the things that I knew that I needed to say and get him to the ward mission leader. I felt that he was ready and he was brought here for this purpose.

I told him that he was right to want this and that he was here for this purpose. I told him that God had put him in my car to help him, to bring him home. When I said that the spirit just consumed the car, it was unmistakable. He said, that’s true!

We were at the spot where he needed to get out and I reconfirmed everything with him for Sunday and drove off. I’m going to try to keep an eye on this one because I can.

Update: he sent me a text today telling me that he is going to be baptized on Saturday the 30th and asked me to perform the ordinance. The missionaries followed up with a text a little bit later confirming the time and place. Next week after the baptism I will attach a picture to this blog entry.

Tis the Season for a white Christmas

Update #2

He went with me for a tour of the MTC on Thursday and felt the spirit. He made a goal to be back in one year, with a tag

Here is the picture of his baptism. Love baptism days!!!

Hurrah for Israel

One Saturday night I was right in the middle of prime time. It’s the time when the bars close down, the rates go up and we make the most money. This starts about 1 o’clock and at about 12:55 I got a ride to pick up a young man.

I pulled up and he came out and got in my car. We started on our way. I was playing Christmas music and I told him that I love to play Christmas music. I told him some people don’t like Christmas music and they give you bad ratings for playing it.

He asked why they would give you bad ratings and I said that they say that they give bad ratings because they hate Christians. He was appalled. He couldn’t believe that someone would be like that.

I told him that people today have no shame. I said the people who are trying to destroy our culture and our religions will shame other people, but the prevailing wisdom in society right now is that shame is bad and shame is evil especially when directed at people who are destructive. I told him that I believe that shame is the guard rail of our society. When you bump up against those guard rails, you know not to go any further and you need to correct yourself.

He said, that’s profound. He said, so many people these days aren’t ashamed at all to do the wrong things and hurt good people by shaming them and destroying them if they don’t follow the narrative.

I find many times that members of the church don’t understand that a large number of people in our society these days are very passionately and virulently anti-Christian to the extent that they find it hard to be civil.

He was angry and he asked me if I was Christian? I said 100% Christian. I said, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In a subdued voice he said, so you are a Mormon and I said absolutely!

I will say here that with him having said this, I got the spiritual impression that this kid was a member of the church or had relationships with members with the church. I just had that feeling and I felt comfortable calling that out.

As soon as I said those words, he said, I’m Christian too! I was raised Mormon when I was young but we left the church. He said, my mom and dad who are returned missionaries decided that they didn’t believe the church was true and they decided to leave the church. We all left the church based on their choice. He said, I kinda didn’t get a say in the whole thing, period.

He said that they left because his dad and mom really had problems with the way the church administered money and the amount of money that church had. He said, now I think that the church has some major problems and there are some things that I just can’t answer, so I don’t go to any church.

The spirit indicated that there was a lot of confusion and vulnerability in this young man. I felt by the spirit a conflict in that he wanted to do what was right but he felt like he was doing so much wrong and didn’t know how to get out of his spiral.

I asked him point-blank, well, as long as you have some questions that you don’t think there are answers to, why don’t you ask me. He said, all right let’s talk about my dad‘s question. What about all the money? Why does the church have so much money?

I told him that the church counsels all people to be self sufficient and be able to take care of themselves for an extended period of time just in case something bad happenes in the economy. I said that the church is no different. I said that the church has money in businesses, cash and bank accounts sufficient to take care of the church for a prolonged period of time.

I said, this is wise, considering we don’t know what’s going to happen in the world. One thing we do know is that the church could almost certainly take care of its members for an extended period of time, and that might be necessary given a financial worst case scenario in the world.

I said, that’s the answer to the question you asked but that’s not the answer to the question your dad really has. Your dad is upset about paying tithing to a church that already has so much money and doesn’t need his money. He said that it is unethical for the church to ask for money from poor people in tithing.

He said, thats exactly my Dad question! I said, there is something you need to understand about the law tithing. I don’t pay the church for blessings. I don’t pay the church for anything. I give money to the church because that’s how I give it to my Heavenly Father. Tithing is between he and I. The church only collects the money.

I don’t care if they start campfires with it. God tells me that I need to pay tithing and if I do, he will open up the windows of Heaven and bless me. I told him the leaders of the church are who God had authorized to receive that tithing. That’s why I pay tithing and that’s why I pay it to the church.

I told him that the last three years in my life have been very difficult. I told him that my wife and I lost our jobs during Covid. I started driving as a result. I said that many times it was very close for us not having enough money but someone would always come up and ask me for a private ride and give me an extra hundred bucks.

Someone would offer to help me out with money and someone would always bless me so that we always had what we needed.

I told him that I never missed paying my tithing. I always paid my tithing because God commanded me to pay my tithing and he opened the windows of heaven to bless me.

I told him that when I went in for my temple recommended interview, the stake presidency member was shocked when I told him that I had been a full tithe payer all throughout this scenario. His response kind of made me sad. I said I believe we should have strong enough faith to pay our tithing so that we can have strong enough faith to receive blessings that God has in store for us.

I told my rider that it has nothing to do with giving money to the church and everything to do with being faithful to God. He was visibly touched by this explanation and the spirit testified to his heart. He began to be emotional. He said, that’s beautiful.

I said, the problem you have is that you have let your relationship with God deteriorate. He loves you and you love him, you just don’t remember. He remembers who you are and he knows what’s best for you. He loves you.

I told him that he had allowed Satan and other people to diminish God in his eyes. I told him that he had lived with God for thousands of years and that his spirit knew God and wanted to be in his presence.

By this time I could feel the spirit in the car and I asked him if he could tell me what he was feeling. He started to cry and said, I can’t believe what I’m feeling. I’ve never felt anything like this. He said, knowing that God loves me means a lot to me.

I told him that he was feeling the Holy Ghost and that God had sent the Holy Ghost to him so that he would know that the things I was saying were true. He sent his spirit so that he would know what it felt like to be in the presence of God.

He said, I can’t be in the presence of God, I’ve committed way too many sins! He said, I’ve committed horrible sins and I don’t think I could be forgiven. I asked him if he had killed anyone and he said no. I told him, then you’re not too far gone, you can be forgiven!

I told him that God wants us to look to him. He gives us everything we have, including our agency. I told him that when someone uses their agency poorly, either to harm other people or to teach false things God expects us to be his hands and help bind their wounds and lift them up. He tells us that the person to look to is Jesus Christ. This goes for the sinner and those affected by the sinner alike.

I told him that Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for all the pains, injustices and sins of the world so that we wouldn’t have to suffer for those sins. I said, he’s already suffered for those. Why would you allow yourself to sit here in the car and continue to suffer?

I told him that Satan, on the other hand, tells people to blame God and find faults with his church and its leaders. They alienate themselves from God and turn away from God. I told him that is what his parents had done and that’s what he was doing.

I told him that if he wanted to be clean, he could be clean but he would have to turn to Jesus for that to happen. He would have to use the power of the atonement.

He said, are you sure I can be for forgiven? I said, yes. You have to learn how to do that but your bishop can help you. You should go to church and talk to your Bishop. He said, I don’t think I can do that because I’ve already been baptized and the sins that I have committed completely surpass that.

I said, no, that’s not true because we learn in the scriptures that even if our sins are red, they can be turned white through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He can clean us of our impurities, bind our wounds and bring us home to our father.

I said, what you need to do is read the scriptures, pray often, more than daily and go to church. You need to change and your bishop will help you make that change.

By this time he was in a full on crying situation. He said, so you think God could help me and that he would help me? I said, yes, I know he would. I told him that the fact that I was there tonight was evidence of this. I said that I believe God sent me to give him a ride so I could pass this message along to him. He said, I think you might be an angel. I told him that any shine he saw coming off of me was probably streetlight bouncing off of my balding head but that I was sure God put him in my car and gave me the words to say to him.

He said, the words you said tonight are almost direct answers to the questions that I was thinking while you were saying them. How did you know what to say? How did you know what was in my heart? You hit all of the topics just right. I told him that God sends people, he sends his spirit with them and he whispers his will and his words to the people he sends. I told him that because I said those things he knew they were true and that it came from Bod.

I asked him, do you believe the things I’ve said are true? He said yes.

I asked him if he wanted to go to church and he said yes, I looked up the church that he attends and he said, where is that? I said, let’s go see, I turned off the app so he wouldn’t be charged. Even though we had just reached his destination we left and drove over to his church house so he could see. I said, this is where you come to church. Those are the doors you go in and then you ask for the bishop. He will show you the pathway to get you to this forgiveness that you need.

He said, I want to do this.

He said, I keep coming back to the sins I’ve committed. Are you sure I can be forgiven? I told him that in the Book of Mormon there was a prophet who’s son was going around, trying to destroy the church and destroy the faith people had in God. He was doing all manner of evil and God sent an angel to him and turned his life around.

He repented, came back to God and later became the prophet of the church. I told him that the Book of Mormon is very important because it teaches that God loves everybody not just the people in Jerusalem. It teaches that he is the father of everyone who ever lived no matter where they lived.

As I talked about Alma, the younger, I mentioned specific sins that he and others in the Book of Mormon had committed. Latter these men became prophets or leaders in the church. One they had repented and been forgiven they stood clean before God. I said, this book can teach you how to do what they did.

He said, my doubts tell me that I can’t be clean and that I should wait. I said, those doubts come from Satan. He whispers them in your ears to keep you from doing the things that you need to do. He wants you to suffer, he wants to bring you down and he is a liar. I said never listen to anything a liar says.

I said, in the Book of Mormon those who put Satan aside and followed God received great power and great blessings. If you postpone the day of your repentance, that repentance may not happen at all. If it does happen at a later date, you will miss many of the blessings that you could’ve had like a righteous family or the ability to help others and that would be a tragedy.

I told him that in the Book of Mormon Jesus says that he was going to visit other sheep which weren’t in America and weren’t in Jerusalem because God loves everyone. He said, that feels right.

I asked him if he had ever known anyone that did baptisms for the dead and he said yes. I said, when we do baptism for the dead, we make sure that everyone no matter where they lived, or when they lived, has an opportunity to come home to their father in heaven. He is a perfect fathe, with perfect love and he loves all of his children. I said, a perfect father with perfect love would make a plan. He would make a way to save all of his children if they would be saved.

He asked, “but it’s still their decision?”. I said yes but we do the baptisms for them, and then they have the opportunity to decide if they want to accept it.

I said, this doctrine proves that the church is true because a loving God would have to show how he planned to save all of his children. It’s done through the temple and the ordinances in the temple. I told him that the temple is the place where heaven and earth come together. The place where our Father in Heaven’s spirit abides in power.

I told him that the ordinances in the temple are some of the things that every other religion lacks along with the authority to perform those ordinances. This authority is held by priesthood holders in our church and the temple ordinances are only preformed by God power inside of the temple.

He said, that’s crazy. He asked in a tearful voice, how could my mom and dad leave this and not have this understanding? I told him that satan works really hard with our friends and he influences those around us to cloud our minds with other things and not his word and his will.

He said, how can I know that what you’re saying is true for sure? I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon. The spirit exploded in the car and it was overwhelming. He started crying harder than he had at any point up to then. I said, the way you know that this is true is that the spirit is testifying to you right now. You know it’s true right now.

I told him that if the Book of Mormon is true and because it’s true, Joseph Smith, who translated that book was a prophet of God. I told him that if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God then we have a prophet of God on the Earth today. We have the keys to perform the ordinances we had discussed, including the temple ordinances and the authority to run God‘s church.

I asked him again what he felt. he said that he felt the spirit of God more powerfully than ever.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon. He said no. I pulled out a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. He became emotional again, and asked, am I worthy to take this holy book? I told him that book isn’t for people who are holy, it is a book that teaches the word of God so that we can all become more holy. I told him that he should most definitely take the book. He held it for about five minutes before accepting it graciously. He said, I will read this book and pray and go to church. I want to be forgiven.

Then he said, what happens when I have a doubt? How do I know whether my doubt is true or what I’m feeling now is true?

I asked him how his doubt made him feel and he said confused and unsettled. I asked him how the spirit that he was feeling right now made him feel. He said warm and happy. I asked him which one he’d rather be, confused and unsettled or warm and happy. He said warm and happy. I asked him if a loving Heavenly Father would make him confused and unsettled or happy and warm. He laughed and said happy and warm. I said, you belong in the church. Your sins can be forgiven and you can stand before God with a clear conscience. God can walk with you through your life if you’ll have it.

He said, this is what I want. He thanked me and asked me what I was going to do next. He asked me if I was going to drive more that night. It was 2am and there was one productive hour left. I was impressed to say no and wrap it up. I said no. I said, that I believed that the reason why I was there tonight was to talk to you. Now I ’m going to go home and go to bed.

He said, that’s the right answer. That’s the answer. That’s what I thought in my head you should say. I know God sent you for me and I will do the things that we discussed.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord pours out his spirit to save rebellious children. It’s almost like when you are with one of them or teaching one of them and it’s a pivotal time. Their hearts are open to the truth and you have God‘s full and undivided attention….. even at 2am.

One afternoon I picked up a young man in Sugarhouse. I was taking him to target to do his Christmas shopping. We started talking about how his day was going and discussing Christmas plans. I asked him what school he went to and he said that he was a student at the university of utah. He was homeschooled and graduated in 2020 which was great because homeschooling prepared him for his first year in college that was virtual. He said he’s so glad to be in classroom with lots of other students.

He seemed pretty self-assured and confident from his demeanor but when I looked in his eyes it struck me that he was missing something. He looked like a member of the church. He was born and raised in the sugarHouse area. He had all the outward signs of being a member of the church.

He asked me how I liked driving and I told him that it was fun to meet people and then I had the prompting to start talking to him about religion and start introducing it. I decided to get there by showing him about how to say words in a lot of different languages. I know how to say hello and thank you in like 20 languages. He thought that was fun and he said, “my best friend gets back from his mission in Madagascar next week”. He’s going to speak Malagasy. I wonder how that will sound.

I told him my nephew went to Madagascar on his mission and that I had served in the MTC and they taught Malagasy to the missionaries. I told him that I got to know a lot of these missionaries. I told him that this was pretty cool but that his friend had a tough mission. He said, yeah, his friend had lost a lot of weight. I asked, are you excited? Right then the spirit prompted me with a scenario and gave me the words that I knew I had to say. I told him that I had some impressions. I asked him if it would be OK if I shared them with him. I told him they would be personal. He said, yeah! Let’s go. I took a deep breath and said everything that came to me by the spirit in the prompting.

I said, it is a little hard for you to talk about your friend coming home from his mission because you didn’t go. I told him that he was less active in the church now and that he hadn’t been for years. I said, it started with Covid and then amplified when you moved away from home. With Covid you didn’t go to church and you didn’t take the sacrament. I told him that he got used to not taking the sacrament and used to not having that power in his life. I said, “you got used to not having the power of renewing your covenants on a weekly basis”.

I said, then you moved away from home and you began committing sins. Things that you knew were wrong and now you’re ashamed to go to church. You know that you’re not worthy to do the things you know you should do and rather than face it and fix it you stopped going to church.

I said, what that looks like is that you sleep in on Sunday morning and you use the excuse that you’re tired and you need a day off, for not going to church. You use the excuse of studying for not going to church when the real reason is that you feel guilt and you feel shame.

I said, you’ve told members of your family that you feel like everyone at church is judgmental but that’s one of the most judgmental things you can say. I said, the people at church aren’t that judgmental and they don’t care about judging your life like you think they do. I told him they don’t spend two seconds a week thinking about him and passing judgments on him.

I told him that in reality he is passing harsh judgment on himself so he figured everyone else must be as well.

He said, I feel like you looked into my soul and read me like an open book. He said, you’re exactly right how did you know these things. I told him that these words were given to me by the spirit to say so that he would know that what I am saying is true. I said, God put him in my car so I could help him. I told him God put him there to get a message.

I told him that the message was that God loves him and he wants him back. He wants him to start praying and he wants him to go to church and get right.

I told him that he had been telling himself that he could get right on his own without going to church and that wasn’t true. I told him without taking the sacrament worthily there is no way that he could be right with God. That only happens in church! If we don’t take the sacrament, we begin to wear down and Satan gains greater influence over our thoughts and our actions, I said.

I told him about when I was on my mission and I had a very difficult companion as my first companion. He made me walk a step and a half behind him everywhere we went. I had to open all doors for him and he made me carry everything. When I asked my companion why, he said because I’m your senior companion. I was helpless and didn’t speak the language at all. I was totally dependent on him and he seemed to resent me.

We lived in an open window apartment above the rented building where we had church. We used a room on the main floor as a chapel. It was right on the main street, overlooking the river and Paraguay.

The first time I went to church after a week of missionary service, I woke up and counted 36 mosquito bites on 1 foot. I was tired and I hurt inside and out. I went to church that day and didn’t understand a thing. You could hear every truck and bicycle whiz by in front of the church house on the freeway that was only about 4 feet from the front door of the chapel. There were tile floors and about 40 children for every adult. There was no reverence I didn’t understand anything and I was lost.

Then we had the sacrament. When we had the sacrament, it filled my soul with spiritual power, my tank was filled and I received the strength I needed to carry on for another week. Then I came back and refilled my tank again. Since that day, I have understood the importance of the sacrament.

I told him that during Covid when he didn’t take the sacrament his tank was empty and his spirit needed nourishment. At that point Satan pressed his advantage, I said.

I told him that this is why we need to pray. I told him that the spirit prompted me that he hadn’t prayed in years either, and he said that I was right. I said that this communion with God is more important than he could imagine. I told him he needed to get on his knees and talk to his father. I told him he needed to get to church and he needed to get to where he could take the sacrament.

He said, “I’m stunned”. He said, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a total stranger walk up and tell me such personal and private things about myself. He said, I know that’s from God.

I said, now that you know that this is from God you know what you need to do, you need to follow that path. He said, it’s a perfect time with my friend coming home from his mission. Maybe he can help.

I hadn’t thought about the thing regarding his friend but sometimes I believe God holds off and then sends help when there will be someone there to do the lifting. He puts us in our most advantageous position to succeed.

I asked him to talk this ride over with his friend. I asked, what have you felt in the car and in your heart? He said, I felt a peace and energy like I haven’t felt in my whole life.

I told him, the reason in the end he didn’t go on a mission when his friend did was because he didn’t think he had ever received an answer to his prayers about the veracity of the church. “You didn’t think God answered your prayers about the truthfulness of the gospel”. I said, is that true?

He said, yes that true. I told everyone else I got my answer but I never did and I never told anyone. I said, God knew that you didn’t understand the answer but I want you to know that what you’re feeling here in the car today is the spirit of God confirming to you now that these things are true. The spirit of God was very strong in the car.

I felt impressed to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I bore that testimony with as much power and spirit as I could possibly manage.

When I finished, he said, I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words more powerfully spoken. I haven’t heard them in a long time. I needed that. I felt like it fed me. He said, the spirit that I was feeling is increasing. He said, “I love this!.”

I said, today you can say, I know the church is true. He said, I do know the church is true. I said, well, then, what are you going to do about it?.

He said well, first, I have to think about everything I’ve heard and felt tonight because it changed everything. I’m going to talk to my friend and have him help me and maybe I’ll go on a mission. I feel like I need to do that.

I said, when you are feeling the spirit, the thoughts you have are your commandments from God so you should do that. He said, I will! I’m going to go to church this Sunday with my friend. He said “I’ll go to my ward next week”.

I told him that he needs to know that his Father in Heaven put him in my car because he loves him and he’s not here to beat him up or make him feel bad but to help him feel joy. I told him what he was feeling was a manifestation of his relationship with God. I told him that it’s how he felt the presence of God. I told him that this is what he is feeling when he feels the spirit. He said, I will never forget that.

We pulled up to Target and he got out of the car. He said he would follow through. Then he went in to do his Christmas shopping.

One day it was really slow and I was downtown trying to pile up a number of rides. It was very frustrating and I decided that I would take any ride no matter where it went. Financially, that’s a losing decision but I was bored. As soon as I made the decision, I got a ride. It went all the way down to Taylorsville.

I thought, Taylorsville? Well, I guess I’m bored, so off I went.

I picked up a guy at a convenience store where he had just gotten off work. I asked him how his day was going and he said that it was not really going very well. I asked him what was wrong and he said that they had just gotten a new process implemented at work that he had to train his people on. His wife was upset at him for spending so much time at work.

I talked to him about what a crazy little tight rope walk that can be. It’s difficult sometimes to strike that balance between being home and being at work and it’s something that both people have to do. We talked about it for a while.

This spirit prompted me very strongly that it was time to get into a religious discussion with this young man. I got the impression that if I started the spirit would back me up in whatever direction I decided to go. Just go! I started by talking how important families are.

He opened up about his family and his past. He had been in prison for many years and when he got out of prison he was addicted to drugs for a while. While he was addicted to drugs, he met his wife. He cleaned up and left that life behind with her help. He said he was very grateful for her.

She was from Cuba and he was American. He told me that he guessed what it took to pull him out of the life he was in was a Cuban communist and then he laughed. I told him that there were two things that he should always remember. One is that given the past he should always work to make sure that his wife and family know and feel that he loves them.

The second thing I told him came very powerfully from the spirit as a prompting for me to say. I told him that he needed to know that his Heavenly Father loved him. I told him that he wasn’t an accident, that he was loved and that he had purpose. I told him that part of that purpose was his family.

I asked him if he had ever heard of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. He said, the Mormons? I said, yes. He said, I’m Catholic but while I was in prison the Catholics never visited me. He said, the Mormons visited me every week. He said it with such fondness in his voice and I could tell that he was remembering those times. I could see it in his face as I looked in the mirror.

I asked, every week huh? He said, Yep. I told him that I know the person that was in charge of the ministry program for the church at the prison. He said, what’s his name? I said his name is Clarke. I said, that’s his last name and that I don’t know his first name because we called him Elder.

It was Elder Don R Clarke who used to be in the 70’s and is now emeritus. He used to be on the missionary committee and I met him several times at the MTC. His most recent assignment to my knowledge was that of district president in the Utah state penitentiary. We corresponded throughout the years and this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve talked to him about people that he’s ministered to in prison. I smiled and figured that it was just par for the course.

I asked him how those visits made him feel, and he said that it was one of the few things that got him through. I told him that from those visits he should know that God loves him. I told him that the spirit they brought with them was something I believed that he remembered and held on to. He said, that’s very true and very personal.

I told him that it was no accident that he was here in the car today and that during those visits in prison, the spirit of God had laid the groundwork for him to be happy and make it through after his encarceration ended.

I told him that in the church we take on the responsibility to do the things that God would do or that Jesus would do if they were here. I told him that one of the things that makes this possible is the fact that we have the priesthood of God. I told him that every worthy father, in every home, has the ability to lay his hands on his children’s head, bless them and heal them both spiritually and physically. I told him that every husband has the ability to lay his hands on his wife’s head and give her blessings as well. I asked him if he thought this would help his relationship? He said, “that’s amazing, it sure would!”

I told him that God loves everyone and he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to feel our pain. He felt the pain of the injustice, the sickness, the stress and the despair. He suffered this for us. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins so that we could be clean, even after everything bad we had done we could still be clean.

I said, Satan tells you that you’re dirty and because of what’s happening and what you’ve done, you can’t ever be clean or worthy to stand in God‘s presence. That’s a lie. I said that Satan lies, that’s what he does and he whispers those lies to you non stop. Every time it is a lie. Jesus Christ can make you clean.

He said, that sounds wonderful and those are a lot of sins! I told him that the spirit that he was feeling today in the car made him feel an assurance that if he would make that a part of his life, he could be happier. His life would have better outcomes with Jesus.

He said, I believe you. I told him that after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he said he had other sheep that were not of that fold and then he came to America. This young man was of Mexican descent but spoke zero Spanish. I told him that Jesus came to America to his ancestors and he blessed them. I said that this blessing from Jesus was upon them and their posterity. I told him that Jesus gave them baptism and commanded that they all be baptized.

I told him that through baptism we can become clean as if we had never sinned. I asked him if that sounded good and he said yes, really good. I told him that this was meant for him. He thought for minute and said, that’s crazy! I told him that when Jesus was in America, he said he was going to go to God‘s sheep that were not in America or in Jerusalem. I told him that God is the God of everyone not just the God of Jerusalem.

I asked him if he had children scattered all over the world, and he had unlimited money and ability to travel, which ones would he go see? He said he would go see all of them. I said, that’s right, our Heavenly Father sent his son to his children, for his children, and to be with his children.

He said, I love my children. My daughter is struggling a lot right now. He said, she’s lesbian. I asked him how old she was and he said 15 years old. He said, she liked boys and girls but she’s got a girlfriend right now. He asked me how we treated people with same-sex attraction in the church. I said, we love them. I said, we include them. I told him that they can come to the parties and go to the meetings. I told him that it is a sin, but it’s not a reason for them to be shunned or abused . I told him that everyone sins and everyone needs to repent for their sins. I said that the church is a hospital for the sick not a museum for the perfect. I looked at him and said, I promise you that if you will stay close to God and do the things that he needs you to do and stay close to her, when things falls apart, she will come back to you. I told him that Satan picks us up and takes us for a ride and drops us somewhere between Battle Mountain and Winnemucca.

He laughed out loud and he said, I’ve been out there and that’s horrible. He said, furthermore, Satan did that to me and it was horrible. He said, I want my daughter to have a good place to land. I told him that what I’m talking about here today are the things that he needs to do.

I asked him if he had a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he said no. He said, they wouldn’t let them have very many books in prison. He said that he never checked one out from the library. I told him that the Book of Mormon was God‘s revelations to the prophets who were in America. He looked up. I said, yes, God had prophets in America just like he had prophets in Israel and they received revelations from God. They were commanded to write them down. I told him, that’s why we have the Bible and that’s why we have the Book of Mormon.

I told him that one of those prophets delivered that book to a prophet in modern time named Joseph Smith who translated the book. The spirit was really strong in the car and I could tell he was feeling it as I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon. He said, that’s incredible. I said, that book is proof that God loves all of his children, no matter where they live, no matter when they lived or no matter what they’ve done. He said, I feel that, that speaks to me.

I told him that this book is God‘s way of gathering his children who have been scattered or have gone astray so that they can come home.

I asked him if he wanted me to give him a Book of Mormon and he said, yes! I reached into my glove box and asked, do you want Spanish or English? I was thinking about that Cuban communist he had at home and didn’t know how much English she spoke. He said, do you have one of each I could have? I said, yes. He grabbed them both eagerly and said I can’t wait to get started reading these.

I asked him if he had friends that were members of the church and he said yes. I asked him to talk to them and he said he would. I said, before you talk to them, I want to know about what you felt in the car today. I want you to tell me what you’re feeling in your heart.

He said, that’s an interesting question and that you would ask it right now is perfect timing. When we first started the ride, I thought you were just chatting to make conversation and that it was going to be more annoying white noise. Then when you started to talk about religion, I thought, oh no, here we go. Then something changed. Something in the car changed. The feeling in the car changed. I knew that everything you were saying was true and that it was meant for me.

I told him that this was the spirit of God and this is how he helps us know what’s true. I told him that God sent his spirit so he would know the words I was saying were the words he would say, if he were here. He said, I believe that.

He said, I’ve never thought of it like this but if I show God that I love him, my family will see that. If I show devotion to God, I think it will make things better with my family. I said, can you imagine your wife’s reaction to you wanting to read scriptures and say prayers? He said she would be thrilled.

He said, this is a good head start. I will follow up with my friends and will read these books. He thanked me for the two books and got out of the car. He said, I’ve got a lot to repair and a lot to make up for. He said, this might be just the thing I have needed He looked back and he had a smile on his face. You know that smile and that look that somebody has when they’ve just been enlightened by the spirit? That’s what he had and it was amazing to see.

Now he has the tools he needs and I trust in God who brought me to him. God brought him hope in prison, will bring him to his friends and eventually the waters of baptism.

One day I picked up a guy clear out by the Oquirrh Mountain temple. It wasn’t actually very close to the Oquirrh Mountain temple but I use that as a point of reference to indicate how far out there it was. It was a long ways out there. He got in the car and we started off.

He was heading to work at an Argentine restaurant in Sandy. As anyone here knows, that is something that will always pique my interest. We talked about the restaurant and the food. He told me that he was from Peru and had lived in Buenos Aires for 15 years. This is where he learned to cook.

We talked about Argentine food and how their customs with their foods came about. Of particular interest to him was gnocchi. He had no idea where the Argentine gnocchi tradition came from. I told him that it was a tradition that was started back in the 1920’s when there were a lot of Italian immigrants coming to Argentina

They were really poor and they were paid at the first of the month. At the end of the month they didn’t have any money to buy food so they would glean the potatoes from the fields and use the flour that they had remaining to make gnocchi. To this day in Argentina on Friday at the end of the month or on the 27th of the month the whole country has gnocchi.

He thought that was cool and he had no idea how I knew this. I told him that I went on my mission to Argentina. He said, oh, you went on a mission? I said yes. He said, can we speak in Spanish I’m struggling here in English. I said, yes we can! We started talking about where I served on my mission and then he asked. What did you do?

I told him that I spent the time on my mission talking to people about Jesus Christ and helping them understand how much God loves them.

This kid was about 28 years old and he looked like a good kid. He indicated that he had taken the communion when he was 12 but he really didn’t have very much more religious instruction than that.

I asked him if he went to church and he said that he did not. The spirit whispered to me that this kid was hungry for the spirit and that I should offer to teach him something about God and Jesus Christ.

I asked him, would you like me to teach you something about God and Jesus Christ and your relationship to them? He said, yes! I would love that! He said, I want to know what you guys believe.

I started with Jesus Christ. I said, when Jesus Christ was on the Earth he loved the people and he blessed the people. I said, he also organized his church. I asked him if Jesus was perfect and he said yes. I said, then, is the church that he created perfect. He said yes. I said, I agree the church that Jesus Christ created was perfect. It had the perfect authority to teach the people how to come home to God, his father.

I asked him what happened to Jesus Christ and he said, he was crucified and died. I said, that’s right. Jesus was crucified and suffered for our sins. He was buried in the tomb and three days later he was resurrected.

He said yes! This is what I’ve been taught. I told him, before he died, he organized a perfect church, right? He said yes. I said if you had a building on 12 pillars like the 12 apostles were each a pillar that would be a firm foundation wouldn’t it? He said yes. I asked him what happened to the apostles.

He said he didn’t know. I told him that one by one they were killed. I told him to think about that building again and assuming that each one of those pillars was an apostle, and after they all been killed, what would happen to the building. He said it would fall.

I told him that was exactly what happened to this perfect church that Jesus had built. I told him that when all of the apostles were killed the church fell and broke into pieces.

I told him that people took parts of the teachings and built other churches around it. There came to be a whole lot of churches because everybody interpreted things differently and there wasn’t a central authority to help everybody understand the will of God. They didn’t have Gods authority and hey didn’t have a prophet. They didn’t have a prophets and so they wandered.

I told him that’s why there are so many churches today. He said, that’s what confuses me. I told him that in New York in 1820 there was a young man who wanted to know which church was true. He went to all the different churches and tried to find the truth, but he couldn’t find it.

I told him that one day he was reading in the Bible in James, and it said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” I told him that when he read that he knew what he had to do.

He went into a grove of trees, knelt and prayed. God, the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. When I said that his eyes popped open wide and a smile came across his face. I told him that God the father and Jesus Christ called him to be a prophet to restore the same church that had existed before. The church of Jesus Christ.

I told him that’s why we are called the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. I told him the prophets were very important and that God gives us prophets so that we can know his will. God gives us prophets to guide us in the darkness.

He said, it’s very dark these days. I said that’s one reason why we have a prophet today! We have a prophet who speaks with God for us today. We also have apostles and they teach us the will of God. He said, that’s so cool. The spirit was in the car and I could tell he was feeling it. The second his eyes popped wide open, I felt a rush of the spirit. It was like his eyes and his heart opened all at the same time.

I said, Joseph Smith was called to be the first prophet to restore the church of Jesus Christ and since then we’ve had prophets. A while after Joseph Smith was called an angel appeared to him and gave him some engraved metal plates. I told him God loved the people in America too and they had prophets as well.

I asked him, do you think God loved the people in America less than he did the people in Jerusalem? He said no. I said, does it make sense that they would have prophets in America too and he said, yes.

I told him that those prophets wrote their prophecies and the revelations they received from God just like the prophets of the Bible. This is what was on the plates that the angel gave to Joseph Smith.

I told him that through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated those plates so that we have the record of those revelations today. I told him it’s called the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he’d ever heard about the Book of Mormon and he said, no.

I told him that his ancestors who had lived here in America were loved by God and guided by his prophets. He smiled, the spirit testified. I told him that the Book of Mormon was the word of God, and companion to the Bible. I told him that the Book of Mormon also talked about the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

He said, whoa, when did that happen? I told him that it happened right after he was crucified and resurrected. After his resurrection he came to America for the same reason he had prophets in America, because he loves everyone. He taught them the gospel. He taught them that they needed to be baptized and though they had already been baptized. He taught them how to find their way home to their father in heaven.

I reached into my glove box and pulled out one of my copies of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists. It was a hardback Spanish book. Most of the ones they give me are paperback, but this one was hardback and I said, this is the Book of Mormon. I explained the tabs and the questions to him. I asked him if he would like to have a copy of God‘s words to his ancestors.

He said he absolutely would love that. He said, I would love to read that. I said, here you go. He said, I can borrow that? I said, you can have that! He said, this is a really nice expensive book. I told him that his soul and his salvation was the most valuable thing and that this book was a tool to help him. I testified again of the truthfulness of the book.

I looked in his eyes and he had tears in his eyes. I said, what are you feeling right now? He said I’m feeling peace, tranquility, excitement, and love. I told him that was the love of his father in heaven. I told him that his father in heaven sent that feeling to him tonight so that he would know that the things I was saying were true.

I asked him if he wanted to see something cool. I showed him the picture I have from Mexican ruins from the 7th century that has three doors and three ledges, one above each door where image of the God that corresponds to that door is carved. One is a father, king God with a crown and robes. The second is a God descending from Heaven and the third has no carved image.

I asked him how in the 7th century AD they could possibly have known about God the father, Jesus Christ who descended from heaven to visit America in the middle and the Holy Ghost whose ledge was empty because he has no body. How could they have known this when no person had come from the old world to the new world yet? He thought and then said, it’s impossible. He said holding up the Book of Mormon “that blows my mind! This is true and it’s all in here “

He said, I know it’s true. He said, do you want this book back? I said no it’s yours. I asked him if he knew any members of the church and he said his roommates were all Mormons and they go to the temple every Sunday. I told him that he should go to his roommates, show them that book, tell them what he learned and felt in the car and ask if he could go with them next Sunday. He said, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

I told him that when you do you will eventually have the opportunity to have the same baptism that Jesus gave your were ancestors. Then you can have the Holy Ghost with you all the time so that you can walk with God. I asked him if he wanted to walk with God, and he said more than anything. I said, here’s your path.

We had arrived at his work and he said this has been an amazing ride. He thanked me for the book and the testimony. He said, I’ve never felt like this and I want to feel like this more often. He said I will do what you said.

He got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. This young Peruvian/Argentine man found what he was looking for that he didn’t know he was looking for. Even though it was right in front of him with his roommates. Heavenly Father let me ask, “do you want to know what we believe,” and then his spirit rushed in to fill in the blanks.

This was awesome.

.

One day I was driving up at the University of Utah when I picked up a young man with a very strange name. I didn’t know what the origin of the name was but we talked as I gave him a ride to his home. It was really nice ride and I enjoyed our conversation. I never found out where he was from and I didn’t think anything of it.

The very next day I was at the very same place about the very same time and I got him again. As you’ve probably gleaned from my blog, this is not something that happens frequently and generally I take that as a sign that I need to pay closer attention. Immediately I started thinking we should talk about the gospel. While I was thinking, I told him about my trips to Egypt and how to choose which camel to ride….. he said he was impressed.

I decided to start basic and I asked him, do you like it here? He said yes, it’s very peaceful and the people are nice. I asked him if the weather here is like it was where he’s from. He said, no. I’m from Saudi Arabia and it doesn’t look anything like Utah.

At this point I knew that this young man was Muslim. I’ve only spoken to a Muslim one time before in my car about religion. I really don’t know what the rules are and how to approach that given the ramifications in their culture for looking into other religions. As I was thinking this the spirit whispered, the rules are what I say they are. I smiled.

I told him that I was not originally from here, but that I moved here to go to BYU after my mission. He asked me where I went on my mission and I said Argentina. He said, that sounds like it would be a lot of fun! I said it was a lot of fun and it was really cool to get to know God.

I felt the words come into my heart that I should trust the Lord and go head long into a discussion about how his religion and our religion believe in prophets. I said, we both believe in God. We believe that God loves us, and that we serve him. He said, yes. He said that God was very important to him.

I told him that my religion and his religion both believe in prophets because we know that it is through prophets that God does his work. Through prophets he blesses us with his word. He said, it’s interesting to hear you talk about your religion because I think a lot of people are scared to talk to me. He said that he had an open mind and he wanted to learn.

I told him that we have prophets who have revealed God’s words to us and even prophets that lead us today. He said, that’s so cool. He said, I’ve heard you had a prophet named Joseph Smith. I really like that. I don’t like that in our religion there was only ever one prophet name, Muhammad. He said, shouldn’t God always bless us with his word. As the world changes shouldn’t he have more instruction to us? I gave an enthusiastic, yes.

He said, I’m not even sure that whole Mohammad story is right. It’s been so long and so many people passed it down. He said that he wasn’t even sure that the stories were anything but tales. He said, it’s so much better to have a prophet now.

I told him that Joseph Smith wanted to know truth and he knelt and prayed. As he prayed, God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I told him that they called him to be the prophet to restore God’s church and we’ve had prophets since then. He said, that’s what I’m talking about! I like your religion.

I told him that we have a health law as well. He said, I think a Mormon could live in a Muslim house with the health law and the fasting. It seems like we have a lot of the same truth. I told him that I believe that.

Beginning with the testimony of Joseph Smith, the spirit of God filled the car and he opened up and just bloomed in front of me. He started asking me questions about what we believe with regards to Jesus Christ.

I shared with him with what the Buddhist in my car had told me sometime ago about how the Buddha they worship was the son of the great Buddha. He come down to dwell among the people to show them how they should live. I told him this sounds just like Jesus Christ, the son of God.

He said, this is exactly what I believe. He said, I believe that the things attributed to Mohamed if there even was Mohamed are combination of things that happened with other people and at other times. He said he believed that it is possible that it could be Jesus Christ. He said that the name Mohamed means praiseworthy. He said that it seems a bit like an adjective not a person. He said that the thought that Jesus came to his ancestors makes a lot of sense.

I told him about the Book of Mormon, an ancient record from ancient prophets that Joseph Smith received from an angel. I told him how in that book we are taught of the visit of Jesus Christ to America, where he descended from heaven, loved the people, taught them the gospel and gave everyone a commandment to be baptized. I told him that after Jesus taught them and blessed them, he said that there were others that weren’t of this land, or the land of Jerusalem or the lands round about, and that he was going to go to those people as well.

I told him that he left and went to bless those others. I asked him where he thought those others might have been and he said, well, obviously, I think it was my ancestors. I said that Isaiah, who is a prophet that we both believe in said that he would go to Kush, Pathos, Syria, Assyria and the Isles of the sea. I asked him if he knew where those places were.

He said, clearly Pathos is Egypt and much of the Mediterranean. He said that Kush is the ancient kingdom of Africa. He said that Syria anciently would’ve been much of the Middle East and Asia while Assyria would’ve been up north. Clearly this guy knew a whole lot more than most of the people I know with regards to that part of the world. I asked him where the isles of the sea would be found and he was stumped. I told him that it referred to America and any islands in the Pacific or other places that weren’t well known at the time. He said that makes a lot of sense.

He said, this is pretty neat to think about. I told him that there were a lot of people that were arguing about the race of Jesus. What I think that they’re really trying to do is associate themselves with him in the most personal and close manner they possibly can. Their spirits remember this connection.

I told him that God is our father and he loves us. I said that because of this he gives us commandments. I told him that he revealed his word to the prophets and that’s what was written in the Book of Mormon. He said, I’ve never held a Book of Mormon. He said, “I went to a Christian Bible study one time but I’ve never held a Book of Mormon in my hands”.

I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists. I held it up and I said, do you want to touch this one? Do you want to hold this one? He said yes.

He thumbed through the pages and the questions in the front of the book. He said, this is really cool. Where could I get one of these? I told him that this one that he was holding was prepared for him and that he should take that book.

He said, this book is sacred. He said, based on what I’m feeling in the car right now, I know that this book is true. I know it has God’s words. He said, I can’t take your book. I told him that this book was made especially for me to give out and that I would love it if he would take it.

He finally agreed and went to get out of the car. He turned to me and said, a lot of Mormons seem to be afraid to talk to me about religion. Why is that? I said, they’re afraid of doing something that could hurt you in your culture. He said, my culture is to love God and I will take that path anywhere it goes.

He said, I always thought that everybody had a problem with me. I see now that this was not true. Do you think it’s OK if I approach my Mormon friends and ask them to answer my questions while I read this book.? I said that would absolutely be the right thing to do.

I told him that I could tell that he had a specific friend in mind. He smiled and said yes. I told him that this was who he was supposed to ask. He enthusiastically said that he would.

He said, I will read this book. I want to take this journey. He said, I have seen the good that comes from this church. He said that the things he had seen from our church made him know that it can’t be bad and that he wants to learn. He said, the things I have felt in this car let me know that it’s true and that you serve God.

He thanked me for the book and indicated how excited he was to get started. I couldn’t help but be excited to give away my first Book of Mormon to a Muslim. It’s not just that I gave him a Book of Mormon but that I know his father in heaven wanted me to give him that book and he testified of its truthfulness right there in the car.

What a great kid and how amazing it was to see the spirit work on him and push me where I might otherwise not have gone. I could tell God loves that young man and the feeling is mutual.

One evening I was driving over on the east side of Salt Lake when I picked up a young man at an apartment complex. He came out and he was happy and bubbly. He was not inebriated which made me happy. Sometimes you get sick of people being drunk because they are so obnoxious.

He got in my car and I could tell right away that he had an Australian accent. I asked him how long he’s been here and he said he had just arrived a couple of days ago. He asked me if I’ve ever been to Australia, and I said no. Then I decided to do what I do with a lot of my Passengers. I decided to speak their native language if I can.

I like to use the words and phrases in the different languages that I know and Australian is no exception. Realizing that one of the most famous Australians that I know is Bruce, the shark, I said, Fish are friends not food in my best Australian accent.

He laughed and said we need to work on your accent and we spent a few minutes doing that. I told him that it’s hard to learn an accent, but I do speak Spanish and have a pretty heavy argentine accent when I do. he said his friend was from Argentina and asked me how I learned to speak Argentine Spanish.

I told him that I went on my mission to a Argentina. He asked how I liked it and I said I liked it a lot. I told him I like the food and the people and I mentioned to him that they play a little soccer there. I told him that most of all I liked teaching them about Jesus.

I had assumed from the start that this young man was not a member of the church and had kind of used my mission as a way to bring it up. As a response, he said that there are lots of missionaries in Australia, and lots of churches. The way he said these things along with the promptings of the spirit let me know that he was a member of the church.

I said, oh so you’re a member of the church. He bowed his head thought for a second and then said I used to be but not anymore.

I told him that I get a lot of people in my car that are less active members of the church like he was or that aren’t members of the church at all and I get to help my father rescue some of them.

I went on to tell him that I am able to field difficult to ask questions from people. I said there are a lot of things that people won’t ask their friend or a family members for fear of offending them. In my car, they don’t feel that inhibition and they’re able to discuss the things they don’t know or the things that concern them.

I said it leads to lots of great discussions. I told him, it gives me a chance to teach the gospel, and that the lord has put a lot of people in my car for that purpose. I shared a couple of stories with him of people I have written of from my car, some of which got baptized and a many of them reactivated in the church. I put special emphasis on those, because I wanted him to feel free to ask me questions.

He never loosened up, so I went in a little bit deeper. The stories that I had told him brought a measure of the spirit to the car. In those stories and by using those stories, I testified of the principles of the gospel. I had testified about Joseph Smith, the book of Mormon and the importance of serving Christ.

He just didn’t seem to be ready to embrace a conversation. It seemed like he had a spiritual hands extended out as if to push. It was almost as if he were struggling to stop the impact of the spirit of the testimony.

I looked at him and said, you know your father in heaven loves you. He loves you so much more than you could ever imagine. I told him that he lived with his father in heaven for thousands and thousands and thousands of years and that he had a relationship with his father in heaven. I told him that he could feel all the way down to his spirit. I told him his spirit knew that and reacted to it. I told him to quit fighting that spirit to quit resisting his fathers love.

I told him the spirit is in the car tonight. I said “you need to know that the spirit is here because your father in heaven has sent his spirit to be with us”. He has done this because he loves you. I told him that God loved him all those years ago and he loves him today.

I asked him what he felt and he said, it’s kind of a remarkable event. I thought that was a strange thing to say, but I’ve never been to Australia, so maybe they say that. I said, you know that this is the spirit of your father in heaven. He said, I guess, yes.

I could sure use something stronger than, I guess, yes, and I felt prompted to say someday he was going to have a family and when he has that family, his son or daughter will be sick and you won’t know what to do. I said if things don’t change, when that day arrives, you’ll think of being in this car tonight and you’ll remember me talking about giving priesthood blessings. You’ll call your dad to give your child a blessing, but in your soul, you’ll know that you should’ve been ready to give that blessing.

I told him, this is why you were here. You need to know that God knows who you are, and where you are no matter where you are. You need to know that God loves you and he’ll be there for you. I told him that God understands our whole process, but that God needs him to come back.

The spirit poured in the car as I said these words. The Lord validated them, and I think it shocked him a little bit. I said, you left the church for a couple of reasons. One reason you left the church was because you felt like people were judging you. You couldn’t stand being with such judgmental people. He said, that’s right!

I told him that he should look at it from a different perspective. I told him he should look at it as him being the judgmental one that separated himself, not the other way around. I told him that there are no victims in the gospel, unless we make ourselves victims. We do it to ourselves.

I told him that he would maybe consider going up and hugging those people who are judgmental to him and tell them that he loves them and watch that change everything. He said, you know, that would change everything.

I felt impressed by the spirit that he had had some frustrations over not being recognized and he blamed it on God for not recognizing him.

I said, you are a very loving person who loves to serve. “You were very frustrated that it seemed like people didn’t recognize this. They didn’t give you support or credit when you did it. You didn’t think people saw you in this light even though it meant a lot to you”.

I testified to him that, even though maybe other people didn’t seem to notice this his father in heaven noticed that he was using these gifts and talents to serve.

I told him that this make God happy and that’s why it made him feel so good. I told him that I understand wanting to have people support you and even recognize your efforts but we can never lose track of the fact that it’s our father in heaven, who sees all and blesses us when we serve him.

I told him that there have been some very influential people in his life that had been leaders in the church. They had been dismissive of him and his gifts. They never gave him and opportunities to serve. I said that he held grudges against some of these men. I told him that he had elevated these people in such a way as they didn’t deserve. I said that some of these people hurt him he blamed the whole church and some of them left the church themselves and he followed.

He said that is amazing, how could you have known that. I explained to him that I had the Holy Ghost, just like he had been given. I said that through the gift of all the ghost god can reveal his will and words to our soul. When we are worthy of the Holy Ghost, he can whisper to our ears and tell us the things that we need to say. I told him that I didn’t know him, but everything I had said that night came from the spirit of God.

He said, looking down at his hands “and you were right about everything !“

I said, you know, you don’t need to wait until your child is sick. I told him that I promised him by the power of God that if he would do the things that he knew that he should with our regards to serving other people he would find that god would serve them with and he would do more good. I said that if he would do this and seek out those who offended him with love, God would bless him for everyone to see.

I told him it was important for him to understand that God loved everybody in the world not just the people in Jerusalem and that there was no racism tolerated in God‘s kingdom. Even though people are flawed he needed to know that God loves everyone and that he sent his son not just to Jerusalem and America but all over the world because God loves everyone.

he said, how did you know that the race thing was one of my issues? Then he said, I imagine you knew it, just like you knew the other things! I said, I don’t know these things, but I know that the spirit of God has whispered them to me, so that you can know that the other things I say are true.

I bore my testimony to him of Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon. I talked about their importance in helping us let everyone know that God loves them and sharing that love. He said again this is been a remarkable event. We had been sitting in front of his friends house for quite some time, and he said, I have to rethink some things in my life.

I told him that his heavenly father loved him and was ready for him to come back at any time, but if he didn’t someday he would be standing with his sick child, wishing he had the power of God.

He seemed a bit emotional to me. He said that he hadn’t felt the spirit like this in such a long time and a reevaluation was way overdue.

This is a good young man and I know someday he’ll be back even if it takes a sick child to bring him around. I don’t think it will come to that.

One of the things I really enjoy is when people ask me the question, can you tell me one or two differences between the Mormons and the rest of Christianity?When I hear this question, I get really excited because it’s an opportunity to teach how much our father in heaven loves us.

One Tuesday night this happened to me. I picked up a guy from work on his way home. It had been a slow night and I was glad to get a ride. When he got in, he was cheerful and we started talking about where he was from. He was from Peru and I started speaking Spanish.

He asked me where I learned Spanish and I told him that I learned it on my church mission. He said, when I was coming back from Peru last time there were a bunch of missionaries from your church on the flight.

He said that they were very interested in Peruvian food in Salt Lake City and he was able to hook them up with all of the information. He said that they were really good kids and he enjoyed talking to them.

I asked him if they told him anything about the church and he said no. I asked him if he had any friends that were members of the church, and he said, yes, back in Peru but not here. I asked him if he had talked to any of them about the church and he said no, they kind of kept themselves.

Then he said, I think pretty much all the churches are the same as long as they teach about God. I said, it couldn’t be that they are the same because even though they all believe in the same God they teach very different things about God.

He said, really? What are the differences between the way you believe and the way the rest of the Christian world believes.

I told him that the foundation of everything we believe that is a bit different is that we believe that Heavenly Father is literally the father of our spirits. I told him that we believe that he loves each one of us and our spirits love him. I told him that this relationship is fundamental to anything and everything we do in teaching the church.

I said, for example, in Jerusalem, when Jesus was crucified and then resurrected, he taught his apostles that he would go to visit the other sheep and that he had received a commandment from his father that he go to them so they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I asked him what that meant. He said, well there had to be other people in other places that he was going to teach. I said, this was after he is resurrected so where do you think that was? He said, I don’t know.

I told him that because God loves everyone and he is the father of everyone he loved the people in America too. I told him that God had prophets in America and they received revelations from him. He interrupted me and said prophets in America? I said, yes, your ancestors had prophets here in America.

I told him that they received revelations from God so that the people could be blessed. One of the prophecies that they received through revelation was that Jesus would come to them. I told him that these people were taught and these people were baptized into the church. They were awaiting the arrival of Jesus Christ.

I told him that after Jesus’ resurrection, he came to America, he appeared in the heavens and he descended down until he stood in front of them. I told him that his ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet. I told him that his ancestors bathed the feet of Jesus Christ with their tears and they knew he was their God.

I told him that Jesus blessed them. Jesus blessed his ancestors, and he held them, and he loved them because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I asked him, if you were an all powerful loving father and you have children in a lot of places would you choose just the children in one small place to send your blessings to?

He said, no, I would bless them all! I said this is what God did! He sent his son. Jesus came and he stood before them. Then he taught them his doctrine which included an invitation that they be baptized. I told him that these people had previously been baptized but Jesus was bringing a new level and he invited them to step up to that level and accept that baptism.

I told him that he called 12 and gave them authority to baptize and instructed how this was to be done. I told him that he did it so that they could be clean. I told him that when we’re baptized we are clean and worthy so that we will be able to stand before God.

As I said this, the spirit powerfully testified of the truthfulness of the words I had said. I could tell that he was moved and I asked him what he felt. He said, I feel energized, I feel enlightened. I feel, in a strange way that I know that this thing that I’ve never heard before is true. I said, I know it’s true and what you’re feeling is the spirit of God.

I told him that God sends his spirit to confirm truth when it is spoken and that’s why he had this clarity and that’s why he knew that it was true.

I told him that Jesus came to his ancestors here in the Americas. When I said that he stopped me and said, you said that before, do you mean just in the United States? I said, no, Jesus went to visit God’s children in many places.

I pointed out the Book of Mormon says Jesus was going to visit his sheep that were not in the land of Jerusalem, or in that land, or the lands roundabout. I told him that we believe the Jesus went to many other places because God loved everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that there are many cultures that have a belief in the son of God coming and dwelling with them and teaching them. I shared a couple with him and he said, that’s crazy!

I told him that when the prophets in America received these revelations, they wrote them on plates of gold. They were given to Joseph Smith, a modern prophet, to translate by the power of God. I told him that Joseph Smith was for the most part an uneducated man but he interpreted and translated the book by the power of God so that we could know what Jesus taught. I told him that the book is another testament of Jesus Christ.

I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was called by God to restore the church and that we have a prophet on earth today. I told him we believe in prophets because they reveal God‘s will to us.

He said, I love the way this makes me feel. He said, maybe this is why I ended up in Utah. Then he chuckled, but I wasn’t laughing because I knew that was the case. I told him that one of the things that’s so important about that book is that it teaches us what we’re supposed to do.

I told him that we as members of the church think it’s important that we follow Jesus Christ. He agreed with that fervently. I told him that what those missionaries on the airplane had been doing is that they were out teaching about Jesus and then baptizing people in the way that Jesus taught.

I told him that we have the same exact baptism that Jesus taught his ancestors. I told him that goes baptisms are performed by that same authority that Jesus gave those 12 men. I told him that these missionaries had been out doing this and inviting people to accept that invitation from Jesus Christ to be baptized.

I told him that when people are baptized they become clean. They’re clean and pure to stand before God. I asked him what he thought about that and he said, that is beautiful.

I asked him if he knew any people that were members of the church. He said he knew people at work that said they went to church but he didn’t know if they were members of our church. I asked him if it would be OK if I had some missionaries come over to see him and he said, yes.

He told me that he has Saturdays and Sundays off which is perfect. I told him that I would have missionaries call him this Saturday and set up time that they could come by. We looked up where his chapel was and the meeting time. His met at 11am. He was excited to go.

He said, you really do have something different and I want to know about it! I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I gave it to him. He was touched, he said, do you mean I can have this? I said, yes! It’s yours.

He said, I love to read. I’m going to read it, I promise. I told him that he needed to pray for the spirit of the Lord to be with him when he read it and that he needed to pray to know that it was true. He said that he would. He said he always prayed!

He got out of the car and started walking away. I felt like I had to testify one last time. I rolled down my window and I said,hey! Come here. He came over. I said, do you still feel that feeling and he said yes. I said, that feeling is how you know that the church is true, and that this is the right thing for you. I told him this is how you know that you need to be baptized. I said, this is how you know that the book is true.

He said, I know this is true. The spirit is pounding in my heart. He said, I can’t wait to get started and walked into his house.

One Thursday night I was driving downtown. I got a ride to Sugarhouse. Normally if I go to Sugarhouse, I would just turn it off and go back downtown but I felt like I should let it ride. Sure enough I got a ride and sure enough it was taking me further south. This is what I was trying to avoid.

I went to pick the passenger up and it was about 2 miles from where I dropped off the previous passenger. It was about 36° outside so it was getting a little nippy.

When the young man got in my car he talked about how cold it was. He was on his way home from work by foot. At that point we were about 4 miles away from where he lived and I thought that was a long way to walk, especially in cold weather and he agreed.

He told me he walked home most nights and that he could do it because he had spent a large portion of his life living on the streets. I told him that the cold wasn’t fun but that I had an advantage because I have fat that keeps me warm. He laughed and said that he was ill-equipped because he lost 36 pounds this year.

He said that he lost the weight because he was working out a lot training to become an endurance athlete. He had a plan of running 250 miles next summer. He said he was working up to it. I told him I thought it was crazy and that he was going to need new knees by the time he was 40.

He laughed and said he was already 40! I told him it would beat on his body. He said his body had been beaten on all of his life but that this time it was in a good way. He said that he had lived on the streets and had done drugs, had been a drunk and had been in so many fights he couldn’t number them.

He talked about one time he was in a fight and the man he was fighting was very vicious. He said that he lost his footing because he was drunk and fell on the ground and this other man jumped repeatedly on his chest. He said he could’ve died.

I talked about how there are a lot of things in our life that pull us away from the good things and put us in dangerous situations. I told him that I had a girl in the car earlier that night and we had talked about how in society they tell you one thing but that things really are a different way.

He said, that’s what I believe. I believe there’s one truth. I said that’s exactly right. This girl earlier tonight had been obsessed with her own truth and gave no regard to the one truth or god’s truth.

He said the truth is important and we need to find it!. I smiled and then got an impression to tell him some things. I told him that he had been betrayed and hurt in his younger life and that he buried himself in other things to make it feel better.

I told him that God loved him. I told him that God had never forgotten him or left him alone and that he was always there for him. He needed to learn not to turn away. I told him that running from God and our problems won’t make them go away or lessen them but that with God and through the atonement, we can find our way through.

He told me that he had been adopted after his parents went to jail for what they had done to him. He told me that the family that adopted him were members of the church and that he had been raised in the church but that at 40 it had been along time since he was involved.

I told him that God never forgot about him and that God’s timing was many times way different than we might think. I told him that there were things that he needed to learn that maybe he hadn’t been ready to learn before.

I told him that Satan literally sifts people. I told him that Satan beats on people and thrashes them. I told him that some people don’t believe in Satan but that he is very real. I shared with him with an experience I had in my car where I was literally battling with Satan. I told him that Satan wants each one of us.

I told him that this is a war and it’s a war for each one of our souls. I told him God fights for each one of us and he had fought for him. He said there were definitely times in his life where things happened that saved him and made it so that he could be here today. I said, you are here today so that you can change.

I told him that in the past he had been offended by people and that if he would learn to turn to Jesus Christ, he wouldn’t have to worry about that. He said, that’s true! He had been offended. I told him that Satan whispers in our ears and tells us that people are judging us or that people are thinking bad things about us.

I told him that it’s Satan and that what he does. He lies because lying is what Satan does. I asked him how much time he spent thinking about his neighbors who live two doors down. He laughed and said I never think about those guys. I said, the funny thing is they barely think about you either.

I told him that one of the things that had offended him was that he felt like he was being judged. He thought people didn’t like him because he was different. I told him that this was Satan whispering to him. I told him that if he felt that in the future, he should just go up and put his arm around the people and tell them how much he appreciates their example and loves them.

He laughed and said that would totally disarm the whole situation, wouldn’t it? Why would we do something that makes so much sense? We laughed.

I told him there’s no one judging him because everyone is busy living their own lives. He said, that’s right! I told him that we all run around listening to Satan tell us that the people at church are judging us or the people at church who aren’t any better than us think they’re better than us.

I told him this is what Satan wants us to think so that we won’t go there to get the spiritual blessings we need to withstand him. He said, “that’s right, Satan is always whispering in my ear”.

I told him that he lived with his father in heaven and loved his father in heaven. I said that the spirit he felt with his father in heaven was something that his spirit loved. I told him that when he came to earth, he didn’t feel that, but that Satan came along with drugs, alcohol and evil. He put that in the space that had been prepared in his soul to house the spirit of God.

I told him that he got lost chasing the temporary fleeting feeling from the enticements of Satan and had lost sight of where he really wanted to go. I told him that he had lost sight of God and God‘s truth.

He said, that’s right, there aren’t truths for every different person. He said he knows a bunch of girls that always say “my truth” but he said that there can be only one truth and that’s God‘s truth. At this point, I felt very prompted by the spirit to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

As I bore this testimony, I could feel the power of the words leaving my mouth and touching his heart. I could see in the mirror that he was reacting to them and I knew that he was feeling the spirit of God.

It was time to identify that spirit. I said, do you remember when I talked to you about how we lived with our father and our spirits remembered his spirit? He said, yes, I said, what do you feel right now? He said, amazing. I feel energized and warm. I said, that is the spirit of God and it’s testifying to you that the things I’ve said are true.

It’s testifying to you that you are a son of your father in heaven and he loves you. It’s testifying that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He went to a grove of trees, and prayed asking God which church was true. God, the father, and his son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him and called him to be the prophet. The spirit is testifying to you that they called him to restore the gospel and translate the Book of Mormon.

I said, you wouldn’t feel that if the things I had said here, today weren’t true. He said, that’s right, I’ve heard these things before but as you say them today, the spirit is testifying that they are true. I know they’re true.

I told him that he needs to go to church so that he can feel the spirit of God. I told him that he needs to change his life so that God can walk with him. I told him that the gift of the Holy Ghost is how God walks with us and if we’re worthy to have it, it will continually fill our soul.

I felt to tell him that if he would follow through, God would use him to save many of his birth family. I told him that he had thought a lot about them lately. I told him that they were waiting. He said that he considered his adoptive family, to be his family, but that this had been coming to his mind a lot recently.

He said going to church is something that he had been thinking about lately too, but hadn’t told anyone that he was thinking about it. He said that a while back his mother told him that he needed God in his life and to find a church. I told him, well, any church won’t do. It’s got to be the church of Jesus Christ.

I told him it had to be our church because that is the church where he made his covenants as a child. I told him that it is the church of Jesus Christ and the spirit had testified to him tonight in the car that it was the church he should attend. He agreed.

We looked up the church house and his ward where he was to attend. It was six blocks from his house. He said that he would go this Sunday.

I got the prompting that he didn’t have a Book of Mormon, so I asked him if he wanted one. He said, yes! I reached into my glove box and gave him one of the Book of Mormons, prepared by the Secrists. He took it and said, I’m going to read this. He said, I’ve read parts of it before, but this time I’m going to read it all.

He got out of the car all warm and warmed by the spirit

I was driving one day and got a ride to take a young lady from the Gateway to her home in Rose Park. On the way we talked about life and where we had lived, etc. She was very nebulous on how long she had lived here. She said that she lived in Kansas for a while because she played sports at University of Kansas. She told me that she had gone to West High School before going to Kansas.

I got excited and asked her if she was going to be coming to Provo to watch her team later on this year? She said yes!

I felt that the spirit wanted me to start talking to her about the gospel and I was looking for a way to start it. I asked her what languages she spoke. She had a Hawaiian name and I expected to hear that she was from the islands. To my surprise she said that she spoke Chuukese. She said that I had probably never heard of Chuuk. I smiled!

In the MTC when I was assistant executive secretary, I worked with the international missionaries that came into the MTC. Some of those elders were from Chuuk. One of the things that these elders from Chuuk had in common was that they were very free spirited and didn’t seem to feel restrained by rules that otherwise might be an issue for some others.

They were very loving and had wonderful spirits but it was hard for them to learn to follow rules because their culture didn’t have a lot of rules and it was not their culture to be precise in things like that.

I relayed this to her and she laughed. Her dad was from Chuuk and he was exactly like that. She said that I nailed that culture 100%.

I asked her if she had any friends that went on missions and if any of them went to Chuuk. She said that she didn’t know that there were any missionaries in Chuuk but that this would’ve blown her mind.

I told her that there are missionaries in Chuuk and all over the world because God loves all of his children no matter where they were born and he sent his son to all of his children and not just a few in Jerusalem.

She said that she really didn’t have a religion but that she was glad I brought it up because she had been looking to find a religious belief that could be her compass in life.

I said, that this belief should start with your father in heaven and he loves you so much that he sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for you. I told her that he loved her so much that he not only sent his son to Jerusalem but then to other sheep in America and later to others. I told her that it’s possible that some of her ancestors had been in the presence of Jesus Christ.

She beamed and the spirit was in the car. I said, do you feel that? She said, yes. I said, it’s because it’s true! It’s because your Heavenly Father loves you and he sent his son Jesus Christ for you and for your ancestors.

I told her that those missionaries from Chuuk knew that and the one thing that brings us all together is our love and belief in Jesus Christ. I asked her if she had a copy of the Book of Mormon. She said no! I told her that the Book of Mormon was a copy of the revelations received by the prophets in America because God loved them just like he loved the people who were living in Israel. I told her that they wrote down their prophecies, including the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

I told her Jesus Christ had said in the Bible that he was going to go to his other sheep that were not in Jerusalem and then in America he said still other sheep I have. He taught them, loved them, and gave them baptism.

I told her that baptism is very important and when Jesus came they felt the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet. They asked him to save them and the way he saved them was he gave them baptism so that they could be clean.

I told her the baptism cleanses us and makes us able to be in the presence of God. I told her that the Holy Ghost, which is what she was feeling right now, confirms that and once she is baptized it can go with her forever.

She said, I like how I’m feeling right now! She said, can you really baptize somebody when they’re old like me? (I laughed because this old lady was like 24 years old). I said, yes, that’s why your friends went on missions. They went on missions to baptize people and bring them closer to God. They went on missions to baptize old people like her so that they could repent and be clean. She said, I want that.

I pulled out a Book of Mormon, I t’s one of the books prepared by the Secrists, and I asked her if she wanted it. She very enthusiastically said yes! She said, I wanted to start a journey and this seems like a good place to begin.

I asked her how good of friends she was with some of her return missionary friends. She said, I’m very good friends with them. I asked her to give them a call today and tell them about being in the car and getting the Book of Mormon and feeling the confirmation from the Spirit of God. As I said that the spirit was there in abundance.

I asked her if she felt that and she said yes. I told her that this was the spirit of God testifying to her that the things that we were saying were true. She said, I believe it. I told her it means that she needs to be baptized and become clean. She said, I know that!.

She said, I am going to start reading this book and I’m going to call my friend. She said, here we go! She thanked me and got out of the car.

I did a U-turn and started to drive away, and she was still standing on the corner. I rolled down my window and said, it was not a coincidence that you were in my car today. God put you here to get that book, this knowledge and feel this spirit. She said, I was just thinking the same thing! This is too weird, but I know it’s true.

I waved and drove off.

As I was driving off, I got another ride that was close by in Rose Park. I was in a bit of a hurry and thought about not taking this ride but I received a strong impression that I needed to take it. Still awash in the spirit from the previous ride the prompting was an unmistakable commandment.

When I arrived, I picked up a young man who had a Spanish name and I pronounced it in Spanish. I asked, is that how you pronounce it? He said, nobody but my mom pronounces it that way. We laughed.

This young man may have been Latino in heritage but he didn’t speak Spanish and he had never been outside of the state. We talked about that for a minute.

I looked back in the mirror and saw a young man with tattoos on his neck and face and big hoop gauge earrings embedded into his earlobe, which had been stretched and elongated to accommodate them. These discs that had been inserted into his ears were probably 2 1/2 to 3 inches across so it was very noticeable.

As we talked, I reminisced on the experience I just had with the young lady. As I was thinking about the previous experience, the spirit whispered to me “he wants to be clean too”. The spirit said that he was beaten down and lied to by Satan. It has got to be exhausting to have no hope through Jesus Christ and his atonement. I could feel that exhaustion.

I jumped right in because it was a short ride and I said I learned to speak Spanish on my mission. I asked him if he knew what we did on missions and he said no. I told him that we teach about Jesus Christ and God‘s love for all of his children.

I told him that Heavenly Father loved him. I told him he was a son of his Heavenly Father, similar to how he was a son of his mother. I told him that Heavenly Father was the father of his spirit and that his Heavenly Father loved him. I told him that he loved his Heavenly Father but just didn’t remember.

I told him that his spirit recognized the presence of his father and wanted to be in his presence. I taught him about the Garden of Gethsemane and how Jesus paid for all of our sins so that we could be clean. He said, I don’t really believe in a religion. I told him that there are a lot of people that start out not knowing which religion to believe in.

I told him that Joseph Smith started out that way. I told him that he prayed and that God visited him and called him to be a prophet to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ. I told him that this is what can happen when you ask God and have faith in God.

I told him that God wouldn’t appear to him but God would send answers and he would send people to help. I told him that these people would help him find his way. The spirit was strong and he said, you mean like you and his ride! I said, yes. God sent me here today and put you in my car so that you could hear these things and help you feel what you’re feeling right now. I told him this feeling was the presence of his father in heaven. This is how it felt when he was with his father and his spirit loved this.

He said, it’s actually pretty incredible. I’ve never felt like this and I love it. I told him that this was the spirit of God and that’s how he knew that the things that I was saying were true. I told him that God sent his son to pay for our sins,our injustices, and our fears so that we could turn to him and be made whole. This way we wouldn’t have to ache from the pain of this world. All of this struck a chord.

He asked, so Jesus dying on the cross was not just about sin but it was about everything? I said yes.

I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he came to America where he taught and loved the people here and then gave them baptism. I told him that baptism is the door that we need to go through to get to the presence of God. I told him that once people are baptized, God sends his spirit so that they have a right to walk with God if they are worthy of his spirit. I asked him how it would be if he were able to feel like he felt right now, anytime he wanted. He said that would be amazing. I told him that I sense that he had a lot of pain and anger in his soul and he said he did. I said that what I am teaching him will help him heal.

He said he wanted to heal, he said that this is just what he needs. He said that he had been looking to break away from the cycle he had been trapped in for the last few years. He wanted to break away from those friends and break away from those things and find a community that could lift him. He told me that what he was feeling right then was a really good start.

I told him that there had been prophets in America in the ancient days. I told him that the ancestors of his mother and his ancestors had listened to those prophets and had been taught by them. I told him that Jesus came to America and that he blessed the people, loved them and gave them the same baptism that we have today so that they could be clean. I told him that he gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost so they could walk with God.

I told him that God had a plan for him. I told him that God had work for him to do and that he needed him in his kingdom. I told him that he was very important. I told him that Satan had been telling him that he was dirty and worthless and of no value. I told him that’s not true and that Satan is a liar. I told him that God needed him and had provided a way for him to become clean so that he could walk with God.

He said, you keep mentioning becoming clean. This is something that I have been interested in lately. I want to change. I told him that the prophets who have been in America had written their prophecies, including the visit of Jesus Christ and that we have those prophecies. I told him that they were contained in the Book of Mormon. He said, I’ve heard of that!

I told him that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it was the revelations given to his ancestors. I asked him if he thought that would be important and he said “very important.” I asked him if he would like to have that book and he said he would. He said that he loved to read and that he had been reading in his Bible but would love to read the Book of Mormon if it has anything to do with his ancestors. The spirit in the car was really strong. I looked back and saw this tattooed pierced young man with an excitement in his eyes for what he was hearing. I could see the effect of the spirit in the car on his countenance. I knew he was sincere.

I grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked, would you like a copy of this book? He said yes, where do I get one. I said, this is your book. He said, just like that you’re going to give me your book? I said that this is a book specially prepared for people who are looking to find more knowledge and light. I showed him the questions of the soul and where to find the answers. He said, these are all my questions. He said, I can’t wait to get started. He said, I’ll finish this in a couple weeks.

I asked him if he had friends that were members of the church and he said no. At first I was puzzled by this because living in Utah you have to know people that are members of the church. Then it came to me that he ran in such circles that no one would ever admit to being a member of the church or having ever been a member of the church amongst these people.

I said, a block from your house, there was a church. He said, yes. I said, go there on Sunday morning and tell them that you got this book and you want someone to help you understand how to be happy.

I told him that they would open up their arms and love him. I told him that the meetings would be at nine and 11. He said that he would do 11. I laughed and said, I don’t blame you.

He said, I’ve been thinking about this whole knowledge and light thing for a long time and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you pulled up today and gave me both. I’m going to do exactly what you said.

We arrived at his work and he said, my whole perspective has changed today. Knowing that God has a plan for me makes all the difference in the world. He got out of the car and went into work.

This guy was one rough looking character and the spirit had to help me look on his countenance the way God looks on his countenance to understand what was in his heart. I don’t believe I would’ve done that if I hadn’t already been on a high spiritual plane from the first ride that had my heart open like it was for the second ride. God prepared me for the second ride by sending me the first ride and I’m so grateful.

I picked up a kid up in the avenues and was taking him to a 7-Eleven. It was 12:30 at night and there’s only one reason kids go to 7-Eleven at 12:30 at night and it has nothing to do with hotdogs.

He got in the car and we started to drive. We started talking about our day and how things were going. He said that he was doing great. I looked in his eyes and saw a beaten, bewildered, tired and lost soul. The look in his eye was almost vacant,l and there was no light.

The prompting came to me that this is the kind of guy that could really use the light of the gospel. And then I had the prompting, that said, guess why you are here! I started talking to him about how he was really doing. I had a few spiritual impressions at this point, and I decided to go with them.

I told him that I believe he had been a member of the church but that a lot of things were getting in the way right now. I mentioned to him that we are all children of our father in heaven and that he loves us. I told him we had spent thousands of years with our father and that relationship is central to everything we are. I told him that sometimes we get involved too deeply in other causes and endeavors other than the kingdom of God, it’s easy to lose track of the thing that’s important. That is our father in heaven and his love for us.

The spirit was strong in the car and I could tell he was feeling it. I asked him how long it had been since he felt the spirit and he said a long time. I felt like he had been a really active member and I asked him if he had been married the temple. This is something I’ve never asked a person on their way to buy beer but I did.

He lowered his eyes as he said, yes. He said, I was married in the temple and that didn’t go very well. He said, at first when I left the church I felt like I was an atheist and I went around trying to destroy people’s testimonies. He said, I was no good at it because it didn’t make sense to me. So now I consider myself more of an agnostic. There’s something out there, but I’m not sure what it is yet.

I said, well, that spirit you felt right then when I was talking about your father in heaven should tell you what’s out there. It’s your father in heaven! I asked him, did you feel that spirit? He said yes. I told him that this was the spirit of God testifying of the truth of what I was saying and that it wasn’t a game. God wanted him back.

He said that he was enjoying feeling the spirit and that he assumed that the spirit is how I knew all of those things about him.

I told him that Satan had been in his head, calling people and church leaders hypocrites. I told him that was a lie. I told him when he heard that now he knew where it came from. I told him that he had been very judgmental of some people in his ward and that made it hard for him to go to church. He said yes, all of this is true.

He said there are some of his church leaders and other members that have said things in the past that really didn’t seem to him to be Christlike. They didn’t seem to him to be the things that Heavenly Father would have them say. He said that he wondered how they could represent God.

He said there was a group of people in his ward that always said things politically that made him angry. He just couldn’t get past that and their judgment of people.

I said, you thought that they had judged you and we’re not tolerant of you and your friend’s sins. I said, this made you angry because you didn’t like being judged.

Then you turned around and judged them right back with the same lack of love and justice with which you felt like you had been judged. How are you any better? He thought for a second and then said, oh my gosh! I did the same thing to them that they did to me. That’s horrible!

I told him that we do things like this because we’ve got Satan in our ear telling us that we’re right and he is justifying it. He gets us to turn from Jesus.

I told him that God would have us look to Jesus when we have any persecution, injustices, pains, infirmities, or sins. God will have us turn to Jesus so that he can save us. Satan wants us to blame God. I told him that’s exactly what he did.

I told him it was like the bronze serpent in the time of Moses. He knew the story and he finished it for me. He said, they wouldn’t look, and they died. I said, that’s right. We need to look to Christ. He said, I need to work on that judgmental thing.

Then he decided to change course and talk about suicide. He said, how can I believe in a church that would say that my friend who committed suicide due to all the stress and problems in his life was going to go to hell? He said, my friend was a great guy. He just had a lot of problems, a lot of stress, and he wasn’t able to deal. How can I believe in a God that could not understand that?

I told him that he sells the atonement short. I told him the Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane felt every pain, injustice, sickness and sin. I told him that this is why Jesus bled from every pore and because of this he has the ability to lift us and lift our burdens. I talked to him about the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon and about how their burdens were made light, so light they could barely feel them.

I told him about my situation, having gone three years without a paycheck from my job. I told him I worked 65 to 70 hours a week with only Sundays off just to get by but I was still happy. I told him I felt joy and I don’t feel depressed and this is because Christ has lifted that burden. I still have to do the thing, but he sustains me and gives me strength and gives me power and provides opportunities for me to share his word. Christ is lifting my burdens.

I told him the Jesus also understands what the people who are mentally ill deal with. I told him that having a heart attack or a stroke is something that we readily understand and we give allowances for people who have that happen. I told him that someone who commits suicide is no different than somebody who had a heart attack. I told him that this person has an illness and that illness killed him.

I told him that he should look up Elder Jeffrey R Holland’s talk on this. I said, this is where I learned that. He bristled and said, Elder Holland? He talked at BYU and said some very anti-LGBTQAI stuff. He would never understand or say something loving like that.

I said, he does understand and he did say that. I said, furthermore, he didn’t say anything hateful towards the LGBTQAI people. He told them that members of the church, pay tithing and send their children to the school and that they should be able to expect that the professors at that school don’t teach doctrine contrary to what the church believes. I told him that they should be able to send their children to that school and not have them propagandized against the word of God.

He said, well, I guess that’s right. I didn’t actually listen to his talk but other people talked about it. I told him that the talk was perfectly fine with no hatred. I told him that he should look up that talk now and that there was nothing but love in that talk about mental illness. I told him that this talk about mental illness had opened my eyes and changed my way of thinking.

I mentioned to him that he had used a hasty and false judgment against Elder Holland. He thought about it for a second and said, I need to do better. I bet I do that a lot.

He told me that he was bipolar and that this issue meant a lot to him. He looked up the talk and promised me that he would read it.

At this point he started submitting to the spirit a little bit and his countenance had begun to change. I also felt the additional presence of his mom in the car and I asked him if he felt it and he said yes. I said, we felt the presence of God and now I feel like your mom’s here.

I feel like when she passed away quickly it took you by surprise and wrecked your life. He got very emotional. He asked how I could know this. I told him that through the power of the Holy Ghost God can tell us things we need to know and he needed to know this.

I asked him how she passed and he said that she had brain cancer. I asked him if he was close with her. I told him that it felt to me like he was very close to his mother and that there was a great affection that I could feel. He said, yes.

I told him that Heavenly Father had sent his spirit and his mother’s presence. I asked, why would God make that happen? Why would God make that happen if the things I was saying weren’t true and God didn’t want him back?. He thought about it and said “he wouldn’t”. By this time he was becoming very emotional and you could see the tears rolling down his cheeks. He was feeling the Spirit of God and his mother at the same time. He seemed pretty emotional before but now things have changed. I was beginning to see a noticeable light in his countenance.

I decided that this was the time to work in bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith so I did. I told him that the Book of Mormon was true. I told him that reading the Book of Mormon would bring him closer to God. I felt impressed to tell him that his mother had always stressed the reading of the Book of Mormon.

He said, that’s true! He and his mother had also gone to Central America on several Book of Mormon tours, and they loved it. I told him that the book is true.

He then started talking about the different leaders of the church and judging them by today’s standards with regards to things they said on family and marriage, race, etc. it felt almost like a counterpunch to the spirit in the car.

I said, there’s that judgment thing again. I told him that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that Brigham Young was a prophet of God too. I told him I know those things because I prayed and God revealed to me that they were prophets.

I told him that God never once revealed to me the Joseph Smith was perfect or that Brigham Young was perfect or that Jeffrey R Holland was perfect or that Russell M Nelson was perfect. I told him that God never revealed that his prophets were perfect but that their callings were holy and he made them more than they were so that they could fulfill them.

He said, how can we be so arrogant as to say we are the only true church? I said, well, first you have to pray and God will tell you that and second, you have to realize that there’s a difference in what you’re saying and what you think you’re saying.

You’re saying that there’s truth in every church. Isn’t that what you’re saying? There’s truth no matter what church you go to. You can find truth preached from the pulpit in all of them. He said, yes. I told him that I never disputed that but that we are the only church that has all of the truth, all of the temple ordinances, all of the knowledge on how to save God’s children and bring everyone back, no matter when they were born or where they were born. We are the only ones that have the whole plan.

I told him that if we all taught the exact same thing, in every religion, the fact that we have the priesthood and the authority from God and a prophet are the things that make us different. Those are the things that make us the church of Jesus Christ. I told him that these are the things that we need to be saved in God’s kingdom.

He said, oh, OK

It was like he hadn’t even considered that. It was like he thought we were saying that no one else had any truths. He was thinking that we believe that God didn’t answer the prayers of other people from other religions. I put that to rest! I told him that God loves all of his children who reach out to him and he has placed a great responsibility on our shoulders, because we have the authority to act in his name. We need to do everything we can to get those ordinances and those blessings to all of our brothers and sisters.

I felt inspired to tell him that if his mother were here right now, she would tell him to pray, read the Book of Mormon, go to church, and serve others and that this wouldn’t be the first time she said those things. He lit up. His countenance was shining and the tears were flowing. He said that’s what she said to him all of the time, those exact words. That was the last thing she told him. He asked me how I knew that, and I said, the spirit whispered it to me. He said, my mom whispered it to you! I smiled.

I told him God would like to walk with him and to have that happen he needed to do what his mother said. I asked him if he wanted to see his mother and be with her again and he said, “that would be a dream”. I told him to do that he’s got to quit being rebellious. I told him he’s got to look to Jesus and be saved.

I asked him one more time if he could feel the spirit and he said, I know it’s here. I asked him what that meant. He said it means that I need to do the things we’ve talked about. I asked him if he would go to church even though it would be very hard for him. He said, I’ll go to church. I told him if there were people that offended him when he went to church rather than hide from them, he should go up and put his arm around them and learn to love them. I told him that this would change them more than him just leaving and hiding from them.

We were at his destination and he got out of the car to go in and buy his beer. He came back out after about five minutes with Diet Coke. He said, I just couldn’t buy that right now. I laughed and said, I can’t blame you! The spirit is working you over. We started back to his house.

I told him about my great grandfather and how he left the church because he was offended and the negative affects on our family because of that. I told him that he should not let that happen to his mother’s posterity. He clearly hadn’t considered his mother’s posterity as it reflected on her and he bowed his head in silence.

He committed to do all of these things, go to church, read the scriptures, and say prayers. He said, I can do this.

I asked him if he had ever had a ride like this and he said, no! I’ve never felt the spirit like this either. I told him that God put him in my car so that he could get that message and it’s time for him to sit up, pay attention and get his life turned around.

He re-committed to read and listen to the Elder Holland talk, go to church, say his prayers and give service because he knew that’s what he should do.

He said he had a lot to work on. He promised me he would start going to church. He reiterated how impactful his epiphany and the spirit had been regarding him being judgmental. He said, I’ve never realized how judgmental and harshly judgmental I have been. He told me he would do better.

He said, I don’t think I can be perfect. There are some things that I have to work on. I told him that was just like every single person but that the most important thing is that he start. I told him he needs to start walking that path and his father in heaven and his mother will be there with him. Just like they were in the car today they will be with him whenever he is trying to do the best he can.

He said, that’s what I’ll do then. Then he got out of the car with his Diet Coke .

One afternoon I was driving and I received a ride at Walmart on 13th South. I really don’t like going over to Walmart because the traffic is so horrible right there and it eats up a bunch of time. I went anyway because I would rather do that than get something that would take me on the freeway and it was like 4:30 in the afternoon. Walmart is better than the freeway by a little bit so I took it.

I pulled in and two young ladies got in my car. They were speaking Spanish and clearly didn’t think that I understood what they were saying. I listened to them for a little while enjoying their conversation. They were talking about living here in Utah and their struggles.

All of a sudden, I just jumped into the conversation speaking full on Spanish, they were shocked. I said, how long have you two lived here? They told me that they’d been here for a year.

It was a short ride and I started getting promptings that I needed to teach the gospel. The girl that was right behind me had a different feel and light than the other girl. I thought about it for a minute and received the impression that the girl behind me was a less active member.

I needed to get into a discussion quick. I used the line that I use sometimes. I said, so, are you guys members of the church? When they say no, I then say, you mean, not yet! We laugh, and it opens a door to a discussion.

I asked them, are you members of the church? The backseat was silent. After about 15 seconds of uncomfortable silence the one girl said, well, I am less active in the church. I haven’t been for a long time. The other girl then said, I am not a member, yet.

She stole my punchline. I had a smile on my face and I said, I’m glad you see it that way. I said, has she talked to you at all about the church? She said, no, she hasn’t, but I’ve wanted to find out about it.

She said, all I know is that you don’t believe in the Bible you have another book.

I said, we do have another book it’s called the Book of Mormon and it testifies of Jesus Christ. The less active member jumped in and said it’s even called the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Christ.

I told them that God loves everyone and that he loves all of his children. I told them that he sent prophets to his children here in America and he sent his son Jesus Christ to teach them. He gave them the gospel and gave them his baptism.

I told her that we are baptized by the same baptism that Jesus used to baptize her ancestors here in America. She said, what? I said, yes, we are talking about your ancestors and Jesus Christ came here to America to teach them the gospel.

I told her, part of that was the fact that he taught them about baptism and being clean. He taught them how to follow God and how to come home to God.

She said, that sounds really important to me and her friend said, it is.

I said, it was so important that they wrote it down. I told her that they engraved it in plates of gold metal so that it would last. I told her that the book included not only the visit of Jesus Christ to America, but all of the words the prophets received from God for her ancestors here in America.

I told her that the book was then given to Joseph Smith to translate. She said that she had heard about Joseph Smith! She asked, was he a good guy? I’ve heard he wasn’t.

I bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. I told her that we have prophets nowadays too because God loves everyone no matter who they are, no matter where they were born and no matter when they were born.

I told her that because God had prophets in Israel and prophets in ancient America it makes sense that he would have prophets today. I testified to her that God has prophets today and they talk to us and they tell us the things that he would have us know to bless us, protect us, and help us come home to God.

She was soaking it in and was smiling like she had just heard an important secret that everyone had been keeping from her. I told her that God does this because he’s our father and he loves us. She said, I love that. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no! I asked her if she’d like one and she said yes.

I reached in and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and I gave it to her. She read the cover out loud. She said, the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

She said, I feel like this book is very important. I told her that it was and her friend assured her of that as well, stating that she had read the book. The spirit was in the car by now and it was testifying pretty strongly. I felt it the first time after I testified about Joseph Smith and I could see in her face that she had felt it.

Finally I identified the spirit, I asked her, what do you feel right now? She said, it’s excitement and peace at the same time. She said, I have a tremendous excitement to learn about this. I never had a clue that this was a thing, but now I want to learn about it.

I told her that as she reads the Book of Mormon, if she will pray, God will fill her with the same spirit. I told her when she feels the spirit she will know that it is true. I told her that this is how we can discern all truth.

She said, I don’t even think I need to read it to know that it’s true, but I would love to read it to know what’s in it because those things are true. I told her that the spirit would bear witness of that. Her friend then chimed in with her testimony of the peace that she felt when she was reading the Book of Mormon while she was being taught by the missionaries.

I asked her if she would like to go to church. She said she would love to go to church. She looked at her friend and asked, where do we go to church? Her friend said, well, I haven’t gone since I moved here and I don’t know.

I said, as luck would have it I have a telephone with the Internet and we can look it up. They laughed and I looked it up. I found that they meet in a chapel in Salt Lake City Sunday at 1 o’clock.

She said, we can do this, this will be fun, we need to go! I looked at her friend who was also feeling the spirit, apparently for the first time in a while, and I said, do you promise that you will go to church on Sunday and she said yes! I said, do you promise that you will take your friend to church? She said yes. I turned to her friend and I said while you are at church, there will be some missionaries. I said, your friend here will introduce you to those missionaries and they will teach you more about these things so that you can have the same baptism that Jesus taught to your ancestors.

She said, I want to have that and I’ll make sure she takes me. She opened up the Book of Mormon and thumbed through the pages. She said, I’m going to read this book. She said, I love how it’s all marked out and customized with these questions. She said, I love that!

Her friend asked me if I had another one for her and I didn’t have one because I had given the other Spanish one away the day before. I really need to restock every day!

She said, that’s OK. I’ll make a copy of the one she has so I can have my own! I thought that was awesome and I said that it would be a really good project for Sunday after church. She said that they would do it.

I said, you guys were supposed to be in my car today. God put you in my car today so that you could get back on track and help your friend be baptized. They both nodded. The less active girl said, I will follow through and I won’t let that happen again. The nonmember said, I’m going to get baptized. She said, I can’t believe the spirit I felt in the car. I know that God put me here to get this message.

Her friend was overwhelmed and you could tell the spirit was helping to deepen her conversion while it was loving her friend into the path that leads to baptismal covenants.

They thanked me and got out of the car. This is going to be good. I’ve often talked about the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George Bailey was only willing to save himself because he was saving someone else. He was ready to throw himself off the bridge, but when he saw the angel in the water, he jumped in to save the angel thereby saving himself.

I think that is a true principle and we saw it in the car. People will do almost anything to save others even if they lack the will to save themselves. Clearly, the girl was less active but the spirit rekindled in her a desire to become active, serve God and save her friend.

Extra little story.

I picked up a lady at Smith’s. She was Brazilian and so I got to try out my very limited Portuguese. I noticed that she had jumper cables with her and I thought that was a strange purchase for a woman to make and Smiths was a strange place to make it.

As we drove toward the drop off location we talked about Spanish and Portuguese. I told her that I speak Spanish fluently but I understand almost all Portuguese when it’s spoken. She said she was about the same in Portuguese with regards to Spanish. She asked where I learned my Spanish and I said, I learned on my mission in Argentina.

I told her that I served up in the northeastern part under the Brazilian border so I heard a lot of Portuguese. She said that makes sense. I told her that I also served in the MTC in a Portuguese branch.

She said that there are two Portuguese congregations near her house. The Spirit had indicated to me that she was a member, even though she had said she wasn’t and so I said, oh, you’re a member. She said, well, I said no before but kind of. I used to go a lot. I said, were you baptized? She said, yes! I said, well, then, you a member.

I said, you have to just start going to church again. She hemmed and hawed for a minute and then said, well maybe. I told her that we have an apostle that’s from Brazil now and told her about Elder Soares. She was really excited about that. I told her that he talked in conference just last week.

I told her that she can’t let him represent her country alone! She had to get into it. I bore my best Portuguese testimony to her. Keep in mind that when I was in the MTC, I bore my testimony in Portuguese and the missionaries laughed at me. They laughed at my Portuguese and I told them that they shouldn’t laugh because I was learning it from them. I said that this was an indictment of their own Portuguese.

My efforts were appreciated and she really enjoyed my Portuguese testimony. She said, I feel peaceful in your car, I feel really good in your car. I told her, flat out God wants you to go to church. He misses you. God wants you to pray! God needs you to pray. She lowered her head and said, I guess you’re right I need to do those things. I asked her if she would promise me that she would go to church. She said, yes. She said that she missed this feeling, the feeling of the spirit.

She said, excuse me for a minute. Then she picked up her phone and in Portuguese was asking people if they could give her car a jump.

After several failures, I could tell that she was frustrated and I asked her if she needed some help. She asked me if I knew anyone that would jumpstart her car. I said, yes, I would. We pulled up alongside her car and I was able to get the jumper cables on the battery. I told her to turn the ignition and the car started right away.

As I went to get in my car, I told her that she needed to remember that she had promised to go to church. She promised me again that she would. Hopefully my going the extra mile will help her get that extra little bit of courage that she needs on Sunday morning.

I’m pretty sure she’s going, she seemed sincere. I’m about one hundred percent sure that God put her in my car so that I could help her jumpstart her car and help her jumpstart her membership.

It would’ve been easy enough to just help her jumpstart the car but I’m glad that God let me do it in a way that I could open the door to the discussion that would bring her back to church.

I was driving one Thursday night and picked up a young lady in Sugarhouse. She was from Michigan and we started talking about where she was from and what it was like there. She lived out in the country by Lansing but she liked it because it was close enough to the big cities that she had access to all the things she liked.

She said that she really missed Michigan. She said she was new here. I asked her what kind of work she did and she said she was here for a rehab program. Normally I would asume that she had drug or alcohol issues but the spirit impressed upon me that this was not the case.

Immediately I started hearing the spirit say that she was recovering from trauma suffered at the hands of others earlier in her life. She didn’t want to tell me anything at the time but the spirit was letting me know that I was supposed to talk to her about the church, the atonement, and the love of God.

First I asked her, is that really hard for you? She said, yes! I feel like I’m invisible. The spirit prompted me to tell her that I felt that she seemed a little bit out of place in her rehab program, like she didn’t fit in. I asked her if it would be OK if I prayed for her. She was startled and then said yes!

I talked about how I believe that prayer is powerful and that if we pray with faith, God can lift us, bless us, and help us overcome whatever obstacle confronts us.

She said, that’s great! I would love to have your prayers. She asked me if I was Mormon or Christian. I said, yes I am! I could see her eyes in the mirror and she looked puzzled for a second , and then asked, well, which one is it? I said, it’s both. I said as members of the church, we believe that the only name through which salvation can be attained is Jesus Christ.

I told her that Jesus Christ is the son of God and he prepared the way so that each of us can come home to our father. I told her that our belief in Jesus Christ gives us faith and hope when times are dark.

I told her the one thing she should always remember is that she is a daughter of our Heavenly Father and she is very loved by him. I told her that before she came to earth she had a very personal and loving relationship with her father in heaven and she loved him. I told her that she loved this relationship and it was so important to her. I told her that her spirit still remembers what it feels like to be in his presence.

I told her it’s like when your mom comes in the room, you know who it is without even looking. I told her that her spirit has the same familiarity with the spirit of her father in heaven. I told her that we are designed to need that relationship so that we seek it.

I told her that in seeking to have that spirit with us it helps us do the things that we need to do so that we live like we should and be happy.

She said, that thing with my mom is very real. It’s like a huge vibe. I said, Yep! And you have that same kind of feeling with your father in heaven. When you came to earth, you forgot what it felt like but as you come in contact with it here, on earth, you crave it and you want it and you do the things you need to do to have it. She said, I could see that.

She asked me if we believe that there’s only one Jesus or that Jesus walked on the Earth? I said, we believe there’s one Jesus and boy did he walk on this earth!

I told her that Jesus did everything that they said he did in the Bible and we believe it. I told her that Jesus was crucified and then resurrected and we believe it. She asked me if anybody saw him, and I said yes! Hundreds of people saw him. I said they didn’t see him only in the accounts in the Bible but he went to other places too.

I told her that Jesus said other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, and that he had received a commandment from his father to go to them. I told her that Jesus was speaking of the people in America and other places in the world.

She asked me if this happened in New York in the 1800’s. I said, no but we will get to that in a minute! I love getting questions, sincere questions. I’m grateful that God creates an environment in my car where people feel safe and comfortable asking them. She said, I’m gonna have a lot of questions here because I am interested in learning about this. I smiled and I think my Father in Heaven did too.

I told her that God is the God of everyone and he’s an all powerful God. I told her that he’s an all loving God, who loves each one of his children, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin or when they lived. I told her that he sent his son to save as many of his children as would be saved.

I told her that Jesus suffered for you and this is what we call the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected. I said that before this, in the garden of Gethsemane, he suffered all of the pain, injustice, infirmity, evil, and confusion that anyone will ever suffer. I told her that he did this so that we can learn to look to him and he can heal our hearts. I told her that he has the power to do that then I testified that he had the power to do that. The spirit was unmistakable in the car.

I asked her what she felt and she said it’s an incredible feeling. I told her that this was the spirit of her father in heaven and that it was in the car right now confirming to her that the things I had said were true. I told her to always remember this feeling and look for it so that she could know truth.

I talked to her specifically about the abuse and betrayal she had suffered in her life. I told her that when those people did those horrible things to her God was angry and hurt. I told her that his plan was for her to look to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had already suffered the indignation and humiliation of her situation and that he was there to lift her burdens and heal her heart.

She said, you’re being very specific. There’s no way you can know these things. I told her that the Spirit of God whispered them to my heart so that she would know that the other things that I was saying were true. I told her that in life, God will lift us through our trials by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I told her that this is how we learn to forgive others and ourselves. I told her that this is how we move on and become healed.

I told her that God loves all of his children and he’s not a regional God. I told her that when Jesus came to America and visited the people here he gave them baptism so they could be clean and the Holy Ghost so that he could walk with them.

I told her that Jesus loved them, blessed them, gave them power and authority to baptize and commanded that they be baptized. I told her that this is the same baptism we have today and when we’re baptized, we get the gift of the Holy Ghost so that it can be with us always. I told her that this is what she needs in her life. She nodded her head in agreement.

I told her that they had prophets in America who had prophesied of Jesus. They had written their prophecies and the account of the visit of Jesus to America on metal plates.

I told her that this is where the 1800’s come in. I told her that Joseph Smith was called by God to be a prophet. I said that he knelt and prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be a prophet. I told her that later he was given these plates. By the power of God he translated them. I told her that this is how we got the Book of Mormon. This is how we have this account that teaches us so many things about our relationship with our father and his son, Jesus Christ.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon’s that the Secrists prepared and asked her if she would like one. She said she would love one. I read through the questions of the soul with her and several of them seem to strike a chord.

I told her that as she reads and prays she will feel the spirit of God like we had felt in the car. I told her that because of that she would know that it was true. I asked her if she had any friends that were members of the church and she said she had one that was a good member of the church that went every week. I asked her if she would go talk to that friend and ask her about this. She said she would do that absolutely! I told her that being clean through baptism and having this spirit as a companion would help her get right in her therapy. She agreed.

She said that this feeling she was feeling in the car was lifting her in a way that she had never been lifted before. I told her that God put her in this car. I told her that he put her in this car, he gave me the words to say so that she would know that I spoke his words and finally he had testified to her through the spirit that the things she was hearing were true.

She said that’s all true!

She said, I’m going through a really hard time in my life and tonight I see a light. She said, “I need this light right now”. She said, who knew that this ride would change everything. I thought, God knew. She said she would go in and call her friend and bounced off into the house.

I love it when our father lets me carry his light to his children. Sometimes they really need it. It’s fun to be a light delivery service!

Sometimes after BYU beats Utah or Utah loses to anybody, I like to go to Salt Lake to enjoy the victory. I like the twist knife just a little bit. I’m not really that mean about it but I just like to talk a little. I like to enjoy it with them.

One night BYU volleyball beat Utah and as soon as the game was over I headed to Salt Lake City. I was telling people that I went to the volleyball game tonight and that BYU one of the best teams in the nation.

Sometimes it sparks up a fun conversation and I’ve had a few of those. About 1 AM, I pulled up to a club that is notorious for things being sold there, other than alcohol. It isn’t a sports bar and there isn’t particularly a strong college sports vibe there.

A guy came out and got in my car and we started off. Even though it didn’t seem to be fertile trolling ground, I felt like I should hit him with the BYU-Utah thing, just in fun. No sooner did I get it out of my mouth than he started saying really loudly, I love BYU. I love BYU. I got kicked out of school and I left the church but I can’t quit BYU football.

This took me fully by surprise. I am fully prepared to accept that it was a bit of a prompting that pushed me to tease him. Normally a guy coming out of that place isn’t one I would tease about anything.

His response, however, was great. We started talking about how much we love BYU football and how Kalani Sitake is an amazing guy. He really loved Kalani! We talked about the season and the players at each position and had a lot of fun. He said, I really am a good fan even though I drink.

I said, there are a lot of good fans who drink but I’d like to hear your story. He told me that he was from New York. He came to BYU straight from New York and then went on a mission.

He said that it was on his mission is where everything fell apart. He was African-American and said that many of the people were very biggited and little rude to him while he was on his mission. It made him very sad and put him in depression.

He said that when he returned from his mission he just couldn’t ever look at it the same. He said that this is when he left the church but that he doesn’t hate the church. He said he just can’t deal with it.

I said, seems like you’re holding onto your BYU football fandom like a lifeline. He said, you may have a point. I told him yes I told him that I do missionary work when I can and that working with people, one thing I have found is that people in general are horrible.

I told him people are horrible and they treat other people horribly for no reason sometimes. I told him sometimes we can assign a reason but we are never sure that this is the correct reason. It just seems to make sense in the moment. I told him that I try not to assign motives and just deal with the fact that everybody is horrible sometimes.

I told him that this is why we need the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told him that while he was on his mission, he felt the injustice and the sting of bigotry and it was hard. I told him that he felt alone and that he felt he couldn’t go to his mission president about it.

I told him that he felt like he had been swallowed up and felt like he was almost drowning in this. He said, that’s exactly how it felt! That’s exactly how I felt and that’s exactly why I couldn’t do it anymore.

I told him that what he experienced was understandable but that Heavenly Father knew that there would be days like that. He knew that there would be people like that and that things like this would happen.

I told him that God‘s plan is perfect and that his situation was part of that perfect plan not outside of it. I told him that God anticipated that he would be treated like that and he stood by him as long as he stood by God.

He thought about it and said, I think you’re right! In the end, it was my decision. I told him we make the decision to stand with God all along the way.

I reminded him about the brazen serpent that Moses held up. I told him that when people looked at that serpent they were healed and if they didn’t they died.

I told him that this serpent represented Jesus Christ and that when we look to him we live and when we look away we die. I told him this time it was a spiritual death of sorts, except that he kept a hold of that one glimmer of light, his association with the church through BYU football.

I told him that in life, horrible things happen to everybody. People are horrible and they treat everybody horribly. I told him that when bad things happen, Satan tells us to blame God. I told him that God points to Jesus and asks us to look to him so that we can be healed.

That’s how God makes it all better when people go through things like he had experienced. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered the humiliation that he had felt. on the cross and before that in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had felt all of the pain, anguish injustice, and abuse, ever experienced on earth, including what had happened to him on his mission. Jesus suffered for that, so that he wouldn’t have to suffer himself.

I told him that God’s plan is for him to look to Christ to access the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ and let Christ save him. Let Christ heal him and let Christ bring him home.

He said, that’s beautiful. He said, no one ever taught it to me like that. No one ever taught me about the atonement like that. I told him that Jesus gives us the atonement so that we can look to him and come back to him.

He said, this would’ve made a difference at the time but I have a different life now. I don’t know what to do? I asked him, what do you feel right now? He said, the spirit! I asked him how long is it been since he felt the spirit and he said since his mission.

He said that when he started pushing away the spirit just left. I told him the spirit was there to tell him that his Heavenly Father loved him and that the things I was saying about the atonement were true.

I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to heal his heart and take the sword out of his hand. I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ could make him whole and bring him home to his father.

I perceived by the spirit that he was thinking it was too late, so I jumped right to that. I said, it’s not too late! I told him, you have to understand that God has his timing and it’s not our timing. We look in terms of five or 10 years and he has a bigger game than that. He plays all the way until the end of the fourth quarter.

He said, this is been remarkable and made me rethink my approach to life. I told him that I felt to tell him that someday he would come back and he would remember what I said and he would access this atonement. I told him that the atonement would take him home and grow his relationship with his Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I told him that he needed to learn to look at the brazen serpent or die.

He said, I can’t believe I got this lesson from God on the way home from the bar. I told him that God comes to you where you are. I told him I would go anywhere to save my son and God loves him so much that he will go anywhere to save him.

I asked him if he felt the love of God in the car and he said yes. I asked him if he felt the spirit and he said yes. I said, could that spirit be here if this wasn’t true and he said no, period.

He said, I’ll do better. I told him to read the Book of Mormon and focus on where it talks about how Heavenly Father’s love for his children and the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told him those are the two things he should study.

He said he would. He said he didn’t have a Book of Mormon right now. I pulled out one of my Book of Mormon’s made by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said the question to the soul in here will give you a good headstart. He grabbed it, he had a tear in his eye and he said, thank you and go cougars!!!

One night I was driving late. It was almost 2 am and I had just dropped off the cook from one of the bars downtown at his home. Normally what I would do because the bars are closing right then is pause my app and get back downtown to pick up a bonus ride.

I did that. I put the app on pause and started to drive. I felt the impression that I needed to take it off and go where it took me. That can be West Valley City or going to Ogden. I decided to be obedient. I took it off and immediately upon taking the pause button off I got a ride.

I was to go over by 39th South and pick up a man and take him to 90th South and State Street. That kills your night but I wasn’t too concerned about that. I was concerned about why I had been prompted in this case.

When I pulled up, this man got in my car. He was very friendly and we started talking. I asked him where he was from and he said that he had recently

lived down in Utah County but that originally he was from Mexico.

I decided to jump right into it and asked, “you lived in Utah County, does that mean that you’re a member of the church?” He said no, his sister is Mormon but he was not. I finished the sentence as I often do when people say that and I said, not yet! He laughed and said, well, not if my sister has her way!

I had a couple of impressions right off the bat. The first was that we needed to talk about baptism. We needed to talk all about baptism. We needed to talk about why he wasn’t baptized when his sister was baptized and about baptism in general.

Knowing the spirit was dictating, what I was supposed to say, I just said it. I asked him why he didn’t get baptized when his sister did. He said that he didn’t feel ready.

I told him that you will never feel ready. There’s no time when you feel ready. I told him that it will be that way until you’re baptized and you have the gift of the Holy Ghost. There’s no way that you can learn the kinds of things that you would need to know, if you were to call yourself ready without the gift of the Holy Ghost testifying to your soul.

I told him nobody knows everything but that through the Holy Ghost we can learn the things that we need to know. Then I felt the impression that I needed to talk to him about becoming clean through baptism, and then taking the sacrament.

I told him that when we are baptized we become clean and cleansed from all of the sins that we have committed. I told him that this is how we repent and are clean before God. I told him that after we are baptized we go to church every Sunday and we take the sacrament to renew our covenants and maintain our cleanliness.

“Yes”, he said , “you mean the bread and water?” I said yes. He said that he had gone to church with his sister a couple of times. I said, that’s amazing.

I told him that once we are clean the Holy Ghost can dwell with us, walk with us, whisper to us and help us say the things that we need to say to do God‘s will. He will tell us the things that we need to do as well as the things that we need to say. He said, wow. I didn’t understand what he meant by wow at that time. Later I found out it turned out to be an answer to his prayer.

I told him that Jesus commands us to be baptized. I told him that Jesus descended from heaven to the people who lived here in America and he gave them baptism. He called up 12 and gave them authority to baptize and commanded them to baptize everyone. He invited them to take a step up in discipleship.

I told him that this is how Jesus wants us to take a step up. He wants us to be baptized with this baptism, so that we can have forgiveness from our sins and have the spirit to be with us. I told him that worthy men also have the authority to baptize and to give blessings so they can bless other people. I told him that this is how God blesses his children because that way we can serve them by using his power and his authority. I told him that this is all part of the new level.

I told him that baptism is so important that Jesus, who is perfect needed to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He laughed and said, wow, I never thought of it like that! He was perfect! I said, yes he was perfect and if the son of God, Jesus Christ, being perfect needed baptism to go to heaven, how much more do each one of us need to be baptized?

I admit right here that I stole that directly from the scriptures. It was actually my reading that day.

He said, that is crazy. I told him that to come close to God and serve God we have to follow his words and the example of his son.

We should have been done, we had pulled up to his house but I knew we weren’t done. I knew we had work left to do so. I turned off the app and ended his ride. I said, do you mind if we talk for another minute? He said, no, I love this.

I asked him what he felt. He said he felt peace and tranquility. I told him that this was the spirit of God confirming the truth of the things that we had said. I asked him how he felt about that and he said he knew it was true. I asked him if he had been to church here? He said that he hadn’t.

He said that he hadn’t been to church since he moved from Utah County. He said he went there a couple of times with his sister but that he hadn’t gone here. I asked him if he knew where the church was and he said no. I asked him if he had met with any missionaries and he said no.

I looked up the address of his church on the meeting house locator on the Internet. I gave him the address and the time his meetings were. He said, thank you! He said, I’ll go. His meetings are Sunday mornings at 9 o’clock. This was a perfect time to stop, but I felt like I needed to do more. The spirit was telling me I needed to do more.

I asked him if he wanted me to drive him to the church so that he would know where it was. He said that would be amazing. Off we went at 2:15 in the morning, driving to his church house. When we got there, he made a note in his phone where it was on his GPS. He said, now I know where it is I promise you 100% I will go.

I told him that in that building, through those doors he will learn how to follow Jesus and come close to him. I told him that this had been a great concern to him recently. The spirit was really strong in the car and I asked him again. Do you feel that and he said yes. He said I felt that and this is why I told you I would go. That’s why I promised that I would go. He said, I now know that this is what I’m supposed to do.

He said, I need to be baptized. He said, I haven’t been baptized in any church and I need to be baptized. He said, tonight I know that I need to be baptized in the church of Jesus Christ like my sister was and like my ancestors were all those years ago when Jesus came to America.

He said, what you don’t know is that last night when I went to bed, I said my prayers like I always do. He said, I had felt like I was falling down and not feeling close to God. It was distressing to me.

He said, last night when I prayed, I prayed that God would send me someone to teach me and tell me how I can come closer to him. He said, I prayed and asked God to send someone to tell me how I can become clean and worthy to be with him.

He said, then you show up, you answered my questions even without me asking them and you speak Spanish! He said, I know that God sent you here tonight to bring this message to me. He said, I am going to follow through.

He said, I have Sundays off. I will go to church in Spanish and then sit through the English sacrament meeting afterwards so that I can work on my English. I had told him that right after his meeting an English ward would be having their meeting. He asked me if I thought that would be OK and I said yes

He asked me if he needed a formal invitation to go to church or if he could just show up. I told him he could just show up but that we are not going to rely on that. I told him that we were going to call the missionaries and have them show up with him so that he could have people he knows there that can introduce him.

He said that would be great.

He asked, how long will it be before I can be baptized? I told him that generally you have to go to church three times in a row and take the lessons. I told him it would probably be 3 to 4 weeks. He said, I need to get started then.

We talked about his brother-in-law and how he would be able to baptize him as well.

We arrived at his house and he was excited. He said, I need to sleep, but I am so excited. I told him that what he was feeling was the spirit of God, and he should always remember what that feels like. I told him that this feeling would help guide him on his path.

He said, I know that God answers prayers because he sent you here today. He said, it was only yesterday when I asked for help and he sent you today. He said my sister is going to be so excited.

He said, you’ll see, I’ll be baptized very soon.

I know that he will.

One night I picked up two girls downtown in Salt Lake City and was taking them to the place where they lived in Millcreek. It’s a pretty good ride and about the kind of ride that helps you max out your earning potential so I was really excited.

They got in the car and they were very vibrant and happy. They started talking about the night and it became very apparent that their standards were not exactly the same or consistent with activity in the church.

They clearly had been out having a good time and were ready to go home. As we started driving, they became very chatty. They wanted me to tell them stories that have happened to me while I was driving. I smiled to myself and thought I wonder what would happen if I just told stories about conversions.

Thinking that I just picked them up from a club downtown I thought that it would be better if I started out with some regular stories. I told them stories about people doing crazy things in the car and stuff like that.

We laughed and had a good time for a minute. They said that their first driver tonight was really cool just like me. I said, I’m sure he was cool, but I’m the very best driver they have. Did you know that? They laughed and said, of course you are!

Then one girl piped up and said, you look like you are Mormon. As I’ve explained before, that’s always a dicey situation. Some people get very angry when you say that you’re a member of the church, but I always say I am a member of the church. I own it and I wear it with pride.

I told her, yes I am Mormon! I continued, I go to church every Sunday and I believe in the church 100%. There was really no call for me to go into this extra detail except that I wanted to make it clear so I didn’t have to answer the question, are you still Mormon?

With this opening I felt prompted to start talking about the stories in my car from my blog. I didn’t feel like I could teach these girls direct principles, but I felt like I should tell them blog stories from my car, so that they could learn the principles through the stories.

I told them the stories from my blog, entitled “My God is a God of Miracles” and “Angels in the Front Seat”. I told them that in both of those stories, God whispered the things to my heart that I should say. I told them that he did that so that they would know that the other things I said were true. I could feel the spirit of God in the car as I testified through the stories.

They loved those stories!

Then I did something that I never do. I felt prompted to do it. I told them about the approximate number of people that I’ve worked with that have been baptized in the last 20 years and how many people approximately have been baptized that I have introduced to the church while driving my car. They lit up! They were really excited to hear that. One thing I noticed is that as I told the stories, and as I talked about people being baptized, they started to be influenced by the spirit in the car. They started to get excited. I don’t think that they even realized it was happening. It was clear to me that the spirit they felt was animating them.

I talked to them about giving out Book of Mormons and how important it was to me to re-introduce people to their Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.

Finally, one of the girls spoke up and said, I am not Mormon but I was raised Mormon and my parents are very Mormon. The other girl said, I’ve never been Mormon!

The first girl spoke up again and said, I was active in the church until I was 18 but I quit believing when I was 12. I could tell there was tremendous resentment in her heart towards the church and towards God.

I listened to her talk for a moment. I told them that I go to church every Sunday! I told them that I teach in the primary and that we are the nursery leaders. I told them that it’s fun to have a calling with my wife.

They thought this was really neat and I thought they would move on at that point, but the girl that was angry with God and angry at the church kept asking questions, almost as if she hadn’t talked to a Mormon for a long time.

She told me about how her mother and father were very active but that she just couldn’t do it anymore. Finally, I saw an opening that I could use.

I said, people do bad things, sometimes they do horrible things. This accounts for people in the church and outside of the church. I told her that one thing I felt very profoundly in my heart was that her Heavenly Father wanted her to know that he loved her.

I told her she had doubted that in her life, but that he loved her very much. I told her not to seal off her heart to Heavenly Father. I told her not to seal off her heart to the possibility of God.

At this point, I was moved by the spirit to say, you will need that relationship with God because someday your child will be very sick and you will want to call upon your dad to put his hands on your child’s head and give him a blessing. I told her not to seal that relationship off. Do not shut that door.

The spirit was strong in the car and we could all feel it. The other girl started commenting about how amazing she felt in hearing the stories. She said, “these stories have really awakened something in me”. Those were the words she used.

By this time we had arrived at their destination. I really emphasized to both of them that Heavenly Father loves them and that he plays a long game. He wants them home! I told them that their father in heaven will do everything in his power to get them to do the things that they need to do to come home.

I told them that is how we fathers are, we will do anything to save our children. I’ve said it before in this blog, and I’ll say it again, but very few things bring the spirit, harder and faster than a testimony of how much God loves his children. I believe it comes especially fast and hard when those children are on the edge or in danger. I believe he wants to reach out and touch them and that he was doing it right then.

The car was burning and I said to the girls, do you feel the spirit in the car right now? Do you feel it? They almost shouted the word yes in unison. They said, yes, yes we feel it.

It was almost an emotional reaction in the back seat and I could tell that they were feeling it. They were flying high. It was time for them to get out and they both asked if they could touch my shoulders and one of them touched my head. As I stated one other time, many times passengers that have felt the spirit and have been impacted deeply like to touch my shoulders. It never happens in any other circumstance. There is pretty much a no contact arrangement in the car but when they have felt the spirit, they want to touch my shoulders or shake my hand. I believe that this is how they want to reach out and feel more deeply for the spirit they are feeling.

I believe it is them reaching out from their heart to their father in heaven. They got out of the car and went up towards the house. I turned around in the cul-de-sac and started heading back out. As I came back through, the girl who wasn’t a member of the church came right up to the car and waved at me. I rolled down my window. She said, I’m going to ask her where I can learn more about this. She smiled and waved again. She come back down after getting to the house just to tell me that. The spirit whispered to me that this girl was the main reason for the ride today.

I was blown away. The Lord was doing work with both girls. I felt the prompting that the way the first girl will come back into the church is through the teaching of her friend. That night there was no denying the truthfulness of the church. That night there was no denying the spirit in the car and they did not try to deny it. That night they knew the church was true, and a course was set for the return of these two young women to their father in heaven.

When I finish having these experiences, I dictate the stories on my drive home. I do this so that I don’t lose details. I always feel the spirit while I’m doing it because it was a spiritual experience. This time as I wrote the final paragraphs about the second girl and her friend helping her into the church, the spirit testified to me very vividly that I got the point. I just wanted to share that.

I picked up a young man one afternoon in Salt Lake City who was headed up to classes at the University of Utah. He said he was from the Midwest and that he was a Junior. It was the first week of school and he was excited to go to this class for the first time. I knew he wasn’t a member of the church. The spirit was whispering that to me even though he looked like a return missionary with his haircut and the way he dressed. It’s awesome how the spirit will just put that in your mind and if you follow it, you’ll be OK.

I asked him what he was studying and he said that he was pre-med. He said that he had hopes of staying in Utah and going to the University of Utah med school. Then he shook his head and he said, I don’t know, it looks tough.

I asked, “are you talking about this last year’s first year medical students? I saw a picture of them!” He said, yes! In that whole class, there’s not one white male. He said, I hope that the recent Supreme Court decision can make it so that I can go to med school.

On the campus at the University of Utah, they have the signs that say, “racism exists! We are not exempt. If you see it, report it.” I asked him if he’d seen that sign and he said yes. I told him that he should submit a copy of that med school photo to the information provided and report it as racism. We both had a laugh.

He said that the world is so crazy and corrupt these days. He talked about how corrupt everything is and how he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.

I talked to him about the movie, A Bugs Life. I talked to him about how if the people stand up for what’s right, we can have a great effect. I told him that when the people are willing to be true and honorable, they can make great changes in the way these things are going. I told him that was the great message in the movie. He said that he had watched it with his niece just the other day and got the exact same message, that we need to stand up.

I told him that God knew about what was going on. I asked him if he was familiar with the Book of Mormon. He said yes, he had a friend who was a member of the church. He said his friend was a good member of the church and had gone on a mission. He talked about how his friend had given him a Book of Mormon, but that he hadn’t read it.

I asked him if he would let me read a scripture from the Book of Mormon that would describe what we were talking about. I told him it was going to blow his mind. He said yes, that would be awesome.

I pulled up Helaman 7: 4-5 and read it.

4. And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;

5. Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—

He said, that’s amazing! That is spot on with what’s going on today. I told him that we had been warned that this would happen again in our day, and that the Book of Mormon was written for our day. I told him that this was a warning to us.

He said, they nailed it. I told him that is what prophets do. I told him that God loves all of his children, no matter where they live, and that the way he shows his love is through commandments. I told him that prophets receive these commandments and give them to us. I told him that prophets prophesy so that we can be prepared.

I told him that the prophet that wrote this was an ancient prophet from America and that there have been prophets in America because God loved the people here. I told him that God gave them his word so they could know God’s will. I told him that this prophet wrote it down, so that we could know God’s will.

I went on with the theme of God loves everyone and so he sent his son Jesus Christ to visit the people here in America. I told him that those same prophets had prophesied that he would come here after he was resurrected.

I told him that in Jerusalem he said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was going to visit them.

I asked him if it made sense to him that an all powerful God would send his son to just one part of the world, and he said no.

He said, “I kind of believe that all of the religions seem to have similar points that come from Diety.” He said that it makes a lot of sense that God was working amongst all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem.

I told him what I had learned from some passengers I had given rides to that were from India, and also an other that was Buddhist. They both told me that their religion started when the son of God came, dwelt among them, and taught them how to live. He said, that makes so much sense.

He said that if everybody had similar beliefs it had to come from the same place. I told him the analogy about the mirror that represents the church of God and that it broke into pieces. People grabbed pieces of that mirror because they loved the mirror and formed churches around that, but nobody had the complete mirror. I told him that this is why Joseph Smith was so important.

I told him Joseph Smith was called as a prophet by God so that he could restore the complete church with all of the teachings, the whole mirror not just pieces.

I told him that the other important thing that Joseph Smith was given was the power and authority from God to speak in his name and do his work.

I told him that when Jesus came to America, he descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands, and bathed his feet with their tears and asked him to save them. I told him that to fully respond to this Jesus called up 12 and he gave them authority to baptize and commanded that everyone be baptized, even though they had previously been baptized.

I told him that Jesus invited them to a different level, a higher level of discipleship with no more wading around in confusion amongst all the broken pieces of mirror. I told him that now they had the complete mirror.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was really an important part of this because the fullness of the gospel was also contained in the book because it came directly from Jesus Christ. I asked him if he had heard about that, he said yes, from his friend.

I bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The spirit was really strong in the car. I asked him what he felt in his heart. He thought for a minute and said, joy.

I told him that this was the Spirit of God, and that when he felt this he knew that the things he was hearing were true. I asked him, do you believe what I’m saying is true? He said yes! I don’t have a doubt.

I told him that the invitation that Jesus gave the people to be baptized and assend to that new level was the same invitation that Jesus was extending to him. I told him he needed to be baptized.

I told him by the spirit that he had been struggling in his life with some things and that he had wanted to make a change. I told him that he felt like he was a little trapped and that’s why when I talked about being confused, with the pieces of the mirror, it made so much sense to him. I told him that he wanted to be clean and then he wanted to have a redo on some things.

I told him that he loved being with his friend because of the light his friend had. I told him that he could see that light in his eyes and in his face. He smiled and said, yes. How could you know that?

I told him that, God wanted to bless him and help him and lift him and that is why he sent me. I told him that God puts people in my car and prompts me to say things to them. I told him that he does this by the power of the Holy Ghost, and that was the power we were feeling in the car today.

I told him that the Holy Ghost whispered the things to my heart to say so that he would know that the rest of the things I said were true.

He said, it’s shocking to me. It’s shocking to me the timing of all of this. Before I came today I was praying and telling God that I needed to make a change in my life. I prayed that I needed help to make a course correction, I needed to come closer to him. I had asked him to help me make that change and then you show up. The spirit was really strong in the car. He said, this is overwhelming. He said, the spirit that I feel right now is overwhelming and I’m having a hard time keeping it together.

It was time for him to go to his class but I could tell he didn’t want to go. I asked him to text his friend and tell him about what had happened in the car. He said he would do that. I said his friend would be so happy. I told him to tell his friend that he wanted to be baptized. He said, “that’s exactly what I want so that’s what I’m going to do.”

I said, do you remember when I talked about how Jesus gave the authority and power to the people to baptize? He said yes. I told him that his friend also had that authority to baptize. I told him that his friend could help him all the way with this thing.

He said again this is overwhelming. I can’t believe this is happening, but I’m so happy and I always want to have this feeling. I asked him if he knew the things I had said were true and he said yes. I told him to tell his friend that too. He said he would. He was five minutes late for his class when he got out of the car. He ran to his class.

I know that God prepares people and I love it when I get to be the one to deliver the message like I did that day.

I picked up a guy at a motel on North Temple. Motels on North Temple aren’t notoriously great places to be. He was going down to 72nd south and I debated taking him because when you take people from one drug hotel to the next rundown hotel, it can be a real uncomfortable ride.

He got in and we started to drive. We talked about the usual stuff. Where are you from? How long have you lived here? Those sorts of questions. He just moved here from Pennsylvania but originally he was from here.

He had moved to Pennsylvania to try to keep his wife happy. They had a little boy and he didn’t want to break up the family. The fact is she was going to Pensilvania and that was it. He went back to Pennsylvania and her behavior didn’t get better and they ended up getting a divorce.

He stayed out there a while and his boy was now 10 years old and they were very close. He choked up as he talked about talking to his son on Zoom and how that just wasn’t enough. He said that he wanted to bring him out here.

I started talking to him about Pennsylvania and the spirit told me to get busy talking about families and the family of God.

I told him that family was important and that our church believes families are everything. I told him that we believe that our families are sealed together and are together forever. I told him Heavenly Father wants us to be together as families because he knows how important they are.

I talked to him about his father in heaven, and how his spirit lived with his father in heaven before he was born. He said, I do believe in a higher power. He said that he couldn’t be sure what else he believed though. I asked him what he felt in my car. He said, “I feel a lot of peace. The second I got in your car I could feel peace and with you talking about families and God it’s made me feel that peace even stronger.”

I said, that peace is the Spirit of God. I told him the God shows us truth by giving us his spirit so that we can know that the things we are hearing are true.

I felt a prompting that he was a man who prayed when he was in trouble or stressed. This isn’t very common in my ride stories. Most of the time people haven’t prayed ever or for a long time but I got the distinct impression that he prays when he is down.

I said, it seems to me like you pray a lot. He said, “how do you know? I pray for help all the time”. He said, I very much believe in a higher power. I wasn’t doing very well with his higher power thing, and I said, you mean God, and he just kind of brushed it off.

I went on to talk about our relationship with God and how he loves each of us and that he made a plan so that each of us can come home to him if we want to. The spirit prompted me to tell him that when he was young, he had kind of felt like God wasn’t there, and that many times he blamed him. I told him that even now when he prays sometimes he’s blaming God.

I told him God loves him and he should never doubt that. The spirit was really strong and he said one more time, I’ll never doubt that there’s a higher power.

I stopped the car and I looked at him and I said, you need to quit saying higher power because you know that it is your Heavenly Father. He is your father and you need to treat him with that respect. He loves you and he has given you everything. He has given you your son. You need to show him that love and respect because he’s your father. I told him that his father in heaven had never left him alone and never abandoned him in his life, regardless of how he felt. I told him his spirit knew that and that’s why it always felt to reach out in prayer.

I said, it’s amazing that you pray. I said, think about how much you enjoy those zoom calls with your son. He lit up and he said I enjoy them very much. I said this is how your Heavenly Father feels when you pray. I said, you just can’t pray when you need something or when you’re mad. I told him you have to pray all the time and make God part of your life.

I asked him if he would like it if his son just called him when he was angry or if he wanted his son to make him part of his life. He laughed and said, I want him to make me part of his life. I want to be part of his life as much as I can. I said, that’s how a loving father thinks.

I testified to him that Heavenly Father is his father. He said that he was feeling the spirit more intensely than he had earlier and I told him this means that it’s true.

I told him that God sent the spirit so he could know this and so he could feel that relationship. He said, this is crazy, but I love it.

I told him that God loves all of his children and that he sent his son, Jesus Christ. I told him that Jesus Christ came to America to prove that he loved all of God’s children and that he gave us a new level to attain. I told him that it was like playing a video game. When he came to America, he commanded those people to step up to a new level. I told him about Jesus descending from heaven and the people touching his hands and his feet. The spirit washed over the car. I told him that the people had been waiting for Jesus because the prophets had prophesied that he would come.

He gave them baptism, he taught them repentance, and he taught them how to come back to his father. I told him that all of these prophecies and the visit of Jesus Christ were included in the Book of Mormon. He said, you mean another testament of Christ? I said, yes! How did you know that? He told me that the missionaries had told him that.

Right then the spirit told me that he was being a little coy. I knew that he was a member of the church. I said, why didn’t you tell me that you were a member of the church? He said, because I don’t consider myself to be a member of the church. I haven’t been to church forever. How did you know that I’m a member of the church? How did you know all the things that you said about me?

I asked him, well, are they true? He said yes, but how did you know? I told him that the Spirit of God revealed it to me because God knows those things, and he whispered them to me so that I could say them. He did this so that he would know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that God was reaching out to him. I told him that even though he prayed and tried to help other people, he was very proud. He was not a person who was known for being humble. I told him that Heavenly Father needs him to humble himself and accept the love of God in his heart. I told him that he needs to accept the church and the covenants he’s made and I told him that he needs to accept a challenge to turn his life around.

I told him that the pride he felt was a stumbling block and it was put there by Satan. I felt to tell him that his father had been a bad example but that he can’t go on trying to punish his father by ruining his own life. He said, there’s no way you could’ve known that.

He said, my father was a member of the reorganized LDS church. He later joined the Mormon church and now he’s a miserable, horrible person. He’s probably going to go to jail for tax evasion.

He said, I don’t get along with him very well. I said, that’s too bad but you shouldn’t allow that to determine whether or not you’re going to obey your father in heaven. I told him that God put him in my car today so that he could feel the spirit and know what it’s like to have a father that loves you unconditionally even though you don’t do the right thing sometimes.

He asked me in a joking way if someone from his family had called me. He said, I truly believe that God sent you. This ride and the these things you said are filling my heart. I need to change and I promise you I will. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and said no. He said he hadn’t been to church in over 20 years.

I gave him one of my Book of Mormons, prepared by the Secrists and asked him to read the questions of the soul. He read those and said these are the questions that there really aren’t any good answers for. I told him, those answers are in the book. Those answers are marked by the tabs in the book.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God. I told him that it was the words of the prophets who had lived in America. I told him that Joseph Smith received these engravings and translated them, and when I bore my testimony of that the spirit was strong.

I told him that Joseph Smith went to the sacred grove. He knelt and prayed, and his father in heaven appeared to him. I told him that he had a relationship with his father in heaven, just like Joseph Smith did. I told him that Joseph Smith had studied and prayed to develop that relationship with his father, and that he needed to do the same.

I told him that if you would read, his heart would fill with the spirit and he would find peace and contentment in his life like he found peace and contentment in the car.

He said, I promise you that I’ll read this book.

I said, who do you know that could go to church with you? He said, what? I said, you’re thinking about someone right now to go to church with you. Who is it? A smile came across his face, he shook his head, and he said, it’s my brother-in-law. I said, send him a text right now and ask him if you can go to church with him or if he can go to church with you on Sunday. He said I will but I don’t know where I am supposed to go to church.

I looked up his meeting house and time and it was like a block and a half away. I gave it to him and said, Sunday morning you know at 11 o’clock where are you going to be. He said, I’ll be at this church with my brother-in-law. He let me watch him send the text.

He said, the spirit I felt in the car is something I’ve not felt in a long time, and the understanding in my relationship with Heavenly Father is something that I hadn’t thought of for a very long time. I asked him if he would commit to pray to his Heavenly Father. I asked him if he would commit to use the words, Heavenly Father, and not higher power.

He said, I don’t know why I started that and I see now that I need to address my father in heaven properly. He said, I promise I will do that. I said, while you’re reading the Book of Mormon, make sure you pray and talk to your Heavenly Father about it. I told him, you know, he’d like to hear what you have to think about that. Just like with your son, you like to hear from him. He had a tear in his eye, and he said I will do this. I promise you, I will do this.

He said, I need a new life! I need to change my life! He said, this is what I need. He shook my hand and thanked me. I knew he wasn’t thanking me in so much as he was very grateful for what he felt and the understanding that came to his soul there in the car. The light came on, and if he keeps feeding it, it will be bright and glorious.

One evening I was in Salt Lake and I got a call to go to Harmons and pick up a young lady. When I picked her up she talked about Harmons and we discussed their deli. It’s a pretty good deli and they have lots of different options. She said she liked to go there to get her coffee. She said she goes there for lunch a lot and that she works in a building over on Main Street.

We started driving and discussing things like the building where she worked and I started getting impressions about this young woman by the spirit.

I asked her if it would be OK if I talked to her about some thoughts I was having regarding our conversation. She said, yes! I felt impressed to tell her that she had felt alone and that her father in heaven loved her. I told her that this loneliness sometimes is pretty consuming.

I told her I felt like she was a member of the church but that she hadn’t been going to church for a while and she hadn’t been praying.

I stopped for a minute and just let that sink in. Part of me was a little afraid that maybe I had said too much and been a little too bold. If that ever happens, I can get deplatformed. I sat there praying, knowing I had said the words the Lord put in my heart.

She said, how did you know these things and she started to tear up. I talked to her about how much her father in heaven loves her. I talked to her about how she lived with him in the preexistence for thousands of years and that she had a relationship with him. I told her that this relationship was the most central thing in her existence and that she had a feeling when she was in his presence in the preexistence.

I told her that this feeling is the same feeling she was experiencing right now. The spirit was burning in the car and I knew that she could feel it. I asked her to tell me what it felt like and she said it felt amazing, peaceful, and like she was seen and found.

I told her she was never lost to her father in heaven and that he wanted to hear from her. I asked her how long it had been since she read the scriptures. She said a long time but that she had graduated from seminary and been active in the church most of her life. She said lately the last couple of years she had fallen away because she had some problems and questions.

I told her that part of the problem we have is that when we quit reading the scriptures and quit saying our prayers, we quit having the spirit with us and we quit understanding things from God‘s perspective. We allow Satan to come in and influence us with his perspective. The spirit was really strong and I bore my testimony of the love of our father in heaven for her.

I knew she felt it and she acknowledged that she missed that spirit and loved feeling it there in the car. I asked her how long it had been since she had been to church and she said years.

I told her that if she didn’t go to church, she couldn’t feel the spirit. I told her if she didn’t go to church, she couldn’t take the sacrament and that in taking the sacrament we are promised that we can have Heavenly Father’s spirit to be with us always. I told her that’s what she needed, that’s what she lacked. She had tears running down her face and she promised me that she would go to church.

I asked her if she would promise me that she would pray and read her scriptures too and she said yes. We had arrived at our destination and she was late for the party she was attending. It was an ice cream party with her good friends. She said she had to go, but she thanked me.

She said she couldn’t believe how amazing that ride was and the spirit in the car amazed her. She promised again that she would go to church, pray and read the scriptures.

This was a really quick encounter and most of the time I don’t write stories about these quick little encounters. We were going on a nine minute ride and we felt the spirit but I didn’t feel that it was quite the level of the story that I usually experience and that I usually write about. It was special and it was wonderful, but it was short.

Fast forward two months. I got a call to pick up someone from a building on Main Street. I went out in front of that building and sat there for seven minutes. The thing about seven minutes is that after seven minutes are told to cancel the ride and leave. We get paid for the ride even though we don’t take the ride as a penalty to the person for making us wait.

I sat there for the seven minutes seeing the name of this person and then finally the icon with the name turn red which tells me that it’s been seven minutes and I can cancel the ride. I canceled the ride and started driving off down the block.

Then I got another ride. I accepted that ride but it was the same building the same parking space with the same name on my app. This never happens. Once you cancel a ride they don’t put that person back in your car. I was a little worried about it because I thought maybe this would be a ratings disaster.

The spirit told me to follow through and so I drove around the block to the front of the building and she got in the car. We had a small discussion about what transpired with the cancellation. At this point, I didn’t know who she was or recognize her.

As we started to drive, I looked in the mirror and saw her eyes. I recognized those eyes and as I listened to her talk, I recognized her but I didn’t know from where. I said, you’ve been in my car before and I recognize you.

She sat there for a second and thought and she said, I recognize you too. She said, I’m looking at your eyes in the mirror, they look familiar. We sat there for a minute and talked about when it might have been, I could feel a connection and knew that I had talked with her, but it was fuzzy. Finally it came to her.

She said, you gave me a ride a couple of months ago. you made me cry going into an ice cream party. She said that with a smile on her face. She said, I called my mom that night and told her about that ride. I told her that you knew more about me than I knew about myself. I told her that you knew everything about me and what you had asked me to do.

She said, you invited me to go to church and change my life. She said, my mom told me that God puts people in your path to help you and that this was clearly one of those occasions.

It started coming back to me then. I remembered having her in the car and I remembered the things that I had said before. I asked her, well, how are you doing?. She said, I’m doing better, I’m saying my prayers now, but I haven’t gone to church and I haven’t read the scriptures.

I told her, how does it feel to be so special to your father in heaven that he sent me once to help you, then he sent me today to follow up. I had left and he sent me back to make sure that I got you. How does that make you feel to know that he loves you that much? She was obviously moved and told me that I was about to make her cry again just like I had before. I told her it’s not me making her cry. That is the spirit of God.

I told her that he really is reaching out to her because he loves her. I told her that he wants her to obey and he wants her to have a happy life.

She said, well that’s kind of my issue. I don’t really feel happy. She said, I feel like I have so many questions and I don’t have anyone to answer them. She said that her mom isn’t good at answering questions and doesn’t like them and there’s no one that she can talk to that is in the church.

I told her that this comes from not going to church. She said, I don’t feel like they want someone who thinks like I do. The spirit told me that the things she was thinking weren’t that bad and that I should press forward and ask.

I asked her, what is this great big issue that makes you think you’re not lovable to your father in heaven? She thought for a minute and she said, I don’t want to have children. She said, I don’t want to have children because I don’t want to bring them into this world that is so bad and evil and horrible.

She said, that is against what they teach in the church and no one would understand it. She felt like having that view made her unworthy to go to church.

I told her that anything that teaches you not to go to church is of Satan and that it’s him that wants her to be miserable. I told her it’s him that created and inspired all the misery in the world.

I told her that she lacked faith. I told her that was her problem and she nodded her head affirmatively. She said that’s exactly right. I lack faith and I don’t have anyone that can help me. I don’t have anyone to talk to me about faith.

I told her that if she thought back to our last ride, she would remember how shocked she was when I said the things that I had said. I told her it is because Heavenly Father gave me those words so that you would know that I was saying the things that he would have me say. Due to this you knew that the things that I said were true.

That’s where faith starts. Having faith on the words of others is the building Block of faith. I told her about Ammon in the book of Mormon and how he had that same experience with King Lamoni. Ammon said the words the king was thinking and hadn’t told anyone. The king was so shocked and thought Ammon was God. Ammon told him that he wasn’t God but that he was sent from God, and given those words so that the king would know that the things he said were true.

I told her that it was the same with her. She knew because I had those words that God loved her and that the things I said were true. I told her that if she would read the Book of Mormon, she would hear more accounts of people testifying of faith. She would hear more stories about faith and she could build her faith off of the faith of those people who wrote those words. She could begin to have faith by believing on the words of others. Then, with that seed, she could build her faith.

I told her she would have to go to church, say her prayers, and obey the commandments as well because you’ve got to nourish that little bit of faith until it grows. I didn’t realize I was talking about Alma 32 at the time.

As I finished, saying this, I received a strong, prompting to say these words. I said, you need a father, you don’t have a father and you need a father. You need a dad.I felt the prompting that she had just been thinking this right then.

She started tearing up again and said, that is exactly right but I’ve never told anyone that. She hadn’t told me that and there’s no way I could’ve known that without the spirit. There’s no way it would’ve had the impact it did if it didn’t come from the spirit.

I explained to her that in the church, there are leaders and people who have authority and responsibilities to minister and lift. Those people would be able to fill that void but not to forget her other father, her father in heaven. I told her that her father in heaven, who had moved his hand two times to rescue her and bless her life was more than invested in her well-being.

I told her that her father in heaven was lifting her and blessing her now and I asked her if she would commit to do those things again. She said she would. She said she would do it this time.

She told me that she had been an inactive member of the church therefore I had assumed that she had the scriptures in her home. The way she talked I thought it was a sure thing. The spirit told me to give her a Book of Mormon. I reached into my glove box and got one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I said, I need you to take this.

I asked, do you have a Book of Mormon? She said yes. I asked, where is it? She thought for a moment and said, I haven’t seen it for years. I think it’s at my home in New Jersey. Now I could see in real time that the Lord had prompted me to ask about the Book of Mormon, and I said, take this Book of Mormon. You need one in your home.

You need one to read and to study. She took the Book of Mormon and said she would read it.

I also told her that she needed to go home that night and write down both of our experiences in the car. I felt prompted to tell her to do this so that it could help plant that seed a little deeper with a little more nutrients. I felt impressed that having her do that would be the equivalent of bearing her testimony to somebody else. We all know that when you bear your testimony to somebody else, your testimony grows.

She said she would. She said that would be a great idea and she would love to do that.

It was time for her to get out of the car but before she went, I told her that she needed to make sure that Heavenly Father didn’t have to send me again. We laughed and she said, I better get it right this time. She turned around and went in to the store where I dropped her off.

I picked up a man by 900 S. and 900 E.. His name was Juan and so I tried for the cheesy joke when he got in and I said your number Juan. He was Spanish-speaking as his first language and he didn’t get my horrible joke.

We started driving and started talking. He was from Venezuela and liked it here. He didn’t want to speak Spanish because he was learning English and he wanted to speak English. I totally respect that and always defer to that. I remember when I was on my mission and I would try to speak Spanish, people would act like they didn’t understand because they wanted to speak English. It made me so angry, so I’m sympathetic.

So we started talking in English about how things were going. As we talked, I had the impression that I needed to ask him the question, did you go to church yesterday? I also knew by his jewelry that he was not a member of the church. He had several crosses and seemed religious.

As we were driving, we passed by a church house and I thought that this was a good time to transition to that conversation. I said, that’s a really neat church. Have you ever been in that church? Of course I knew he’d never been in that church but I just wanted to get the conversation going in that direction so I asked.

He said no, he hadn’t. Then I said, well, you must have gone to another church. Did you go to church yesterday? He said no. I told him that I go to church every week because it makes me feel good and I love to feel the spirit of God. I told him that I love to go and pray and take the sacrament. He lit up.

He said, I’d love to go to church but I can’t find a church where they speak Spanish. I want to go worship God in Spanish. I said, I can help you with that! I told him that I could find a church in his neighborhood where they spoke Spanish. He said, that would be awesome! He said, if you could do that, I would love to go.

I told him that I don’t know how to find Catholic churches, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has Spanish congregations all over the valley and we can find one of them close to his house. I asked him if that would be fine and he said that would be amazing! He said he would do that for sure.

He said that he missed being in the presence of God.

He said he’d always been a religious man but it was really hard to stay close to God without attending church. I told him that was awesome! I told him needed eat. I said I thought the he would be fed by the word of God.

He said the word of God is important. He said that he loved to read the Bible and loved to hear the stories from the Bible. I asked him if he’d ever heard of the Book of Mormon. He said no. I just got here no to long ago. What is it?

I told him that it was the writings of prophets who lived in anciently in America. I told him that his ancestors here in America had prophets because God loves them and he spoke to those prophets. hey wrote these revelations down. I told him that those writings were translated and became the Book of Mormon. I told him the Mormon was a prophet who was among his ancestors.

He said, this is very important. I feel like what you’re saying is very important and I’m supposed to listen. He said, let’s speak Spanish, so I can understand. I said OK, and we flipped over to Spanish.

I told him that Joseph Smith was a young boy, who was looking for the truth. He, knelt and prayed. God,the father and Jesus Christ appeared and called him to be the prophet. Then he who was given the engravings from the ancient prophets. By the power of God, he translated them into English, and latter they were translated into Spanish.

I told him that Joseph Smith was called to be the prophet to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth. I told him that we have that gospel. He asked me if we read the Bible and I said, yes. We have the Old Testament, we have the New Testament just like his church does but on top of that we have the prophecies and revelations to the people here in America and it’s called the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ. I told him that this was his testament for his people and their testimony of Jesus.

I told him that one of the things the prophets in American taught was that Jesus would come to them after his crucifixion. I told him that Jesus descended from heaven and stood in front of the people. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and worshipped him and he blessed them. I told him, your ancestors were blessed by the hand of Jesus Christ. The spirit was burning in the car. I asked him what he felt right then in his heart and he told me he felt a tremendous peace.

He told me he knew it the peace that comes from the spirit of God because he’d felt that in his life. I told him that the peace comes to him when God is there and God is there when he’s hearing truth. I told him that this spirit was testifying that the things I am saying was true. He said, I recognize that.

I told him that when we feel this we know that God is reaching out to us, and that God was reaching out to him. I felt a prompting to tell him that he had felt a little bit lost and alone. I said that God didn’t want him to feel that way. I told him that if he would go to church, he would feel the spirit of God and he wouldn’t be alone anymore.

He said, that’s amazing and that’s what I need to do. He said, can anyone just go to your church? I said yes! We invite everyone to come. I told him that our church is all about invitations. We do that because that’s what Jesus Christ did.

I told him that the people in the Book of Mormon had the church and they been baptized. When Jesus came they all asked him to save them. As an answer to this plea he gave them authority, instruction, and a commandment that each one of them be baptized again to a new level of discipleship. He commanded them to follow him with more purpose and to receive the Holy Ghost.

I told him with the Holy Ghost we never walk alone. I told him that with baptism we are free from our sins and we can stand before God. We qualify to be saved just like the people in the Book of Mormon. He was touched and he said this is true! Do they teach this at that church?

I said, yes they do! I reached into my glove box and I pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I handed it to him. I told him this is the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. I want to give this to you. I showed him the questions of the soul and he read them. He said, some of these are questions that everybody’s always told me there’s no answer to.

I told him that the answer is right there in that book and that he could look it up and read it. I told him when he does, he would feel the same peace he felt in the car. He said, this is incredible. He said, God put you here didn’t he? God put you here today to give me this ride. I said, yes! God put you in my car because he wanted you to read this book.

God put you in this car because he wanted you to go to church. God put you in this car because he wants you to be baptized. That’s the invitation that Jesus gave to your ancestors in this book.

Not only is it the invitation Jesus gave to your ancestors but it’s the invitation that Jesus is extending to you. He wants you to go to church, learn, prepare, and be baptized.

He said, this is really exciting. I can’t wait to go. Then he said, where is the church? I looked up the church and gave him the address and told him that they meet at 11:30 on Sundays. He said that he would be there early. He didn’t want to keep the Lord waiting. He said, He said it’s been a few months and maybe I can just go, sit in the church and soak it in.

He said that was what he used to do before. He would go to the Catholic churches and sit there. He said, I never felt the spirit there like I have in this car today.

I asked him if it would be OK if I had missionaries give him a call and he said he would love it. He said he wanted to learn all about this and more than. He wanted to feel the spirit like this. He thanked me for the Book of Mormon and he said you’ll never know how much this means to me. You’ll never know how important this divine gift is to me. He said, I can feel how important this book is.

I’d been taking him to the bank and it was 4:50 and he had to get out and go inside before the bank closed. He shook my hand and said, I want you to know that this means a lot to me. He said, I’ve always been someone who loved going to church and I have a feeling that this is going to take me to a new level! He smiled and got out of the car. As he walked away, he was clinging tightly to the Book of Mormon I had given him.

I went on the Tools app and put in his address and sent the missionaries over to him. I called them and talked to them to make sure that they had received the message. I’m sure they’ll take great care of him.

I’m sure the missionaries are excited to have someone who can’t wait to commit and who wants to go to church. We should all want to go to church as bad as this man did. He will be a great member.

I was driving on a Friday and got a ride to the airport. It’s really funny how every day about 4 o’clock you’ll get a ride to the airport. As much as you try to stay off of the freeways it is to no avail. There you are on the freeway going to the airport.

I felt like I should take the ride, I didn’t feel anything in particular about the person that I was picking up and I didn’t believe we were talking about religion on the ride. I just took the right away. We went to the airport. On the way, I got the impression that there was a missionary purpose to the ride, but it wasn’t with the person I was driving.

I thought, maybe I’m going to pick up another rider at the airport. Usually I don’t do that because then you’re back on the freeway during rush-hour. I had my app turned off, so I wouldn’t get anyone else. Even though I had my app turned off, I still felt this feeling that I needed to be ready to share the gospel and it seemed strange to me. I felt like I had sufficiently insulated myself against any new passengers.

The Lord is smarter than we are!

I like to take people to the short term parking lot from time to time. I do that because it’s quicker and easier for me and it’s quicker and easier for them. They go straight through the tunnel to security. You don’t need to go up, down, cross the road or anything. As I pulled into the second floor of the short term parking where I was going to drop this young man off a woman stopped in front of me.

I stopped to wait for her and as we waited she put her Chevy suburban in reverse and forcefully backed right into my car. When she was backing up, I started honking and I honked for a good three seconds before the collision. There we were about 25 feet short of our destination.

I asked my passenger to get out and go in to the airport as we had almost arrived. He said that’s great. He gave me his phone number in case I needed a witness and he went in to get on his flight.

As he got out of the car, I saw the young woman who was driving the suburban get out and I heard the words “now you know who you’re supposed to teach”.

I have to say in the years I’ve worked with missionaries or been a missionary I’ve seen many mission programs and gimmicks, but not one ever involved getting into an accident with someone and then teaching them. I thought about it for a second, and then said, let’s go.

I got out and we started talking about things. Due to the fact that I drive a rented car, I need to get a police report and I told her that. I called the police and we had to wait for them to get there. She was on the phone with her family and they were concerned.

I started talking to her and I was doing the best I could to be supportive and friendly. I told her I know what it’s like to make mistakes when you’re driving. I told her it happens and that everything was going to be OK.

Finally, the policeman got there and we started doing the report and getting things arranged. He was a little bit rough and not very nice, at least to me. Finally when he was back in the car getting things ready I asked her if she was Samoan. She said. yes! I said talofa. That is a Samoan greeting and when I said that she lit up.

She said, where did you learn to speak Samoan? I told her that I don’t know how to speak Samoan, but I know a few words. I told her that I learned how to say those words working with missionaries in the missionary training center. I told her that the missionaries before they go on missions come there to be trained. I said that I worked with the missionaries that came from other countries, including Samoa.

I said, I thought it was important for me to learn how to welcome them. Then I said, so, talofa. She laughed and said, that’s awesome. She said that’s a great thing that you did. I said it was a great thing that God does for all of his children. He puts light in our heart and then we share it.

She said, I am blown away by how warm and friendly and understanding you have been with me here today. She said, I could’ve never imagined that you would’ve treated me this well and that you would’ve treated me better than the police officer did. We chuckled. I said, the prophet of our church has counseled us to be friendly to people, loving to people and I’m trying to do that. I told her, it’s easy to do that with great people like you.

I told her that I don’t believe there is a race of people anywhere that has bigger hearts than the Polynesian people so we’re just trying to keep up with y’all. She laughed and said, well we like to have people over to eat for sure. We both laughed.

I said, are you a member of the church? I knew the answer already, the Spirit had indicated she wasn’t and I could tell by the spirit when I mentioned the church, hat she also had questions.

In answer to my question, she said no. I gave my standard response to that which is, you mean, not yet! She smiled and said yes, that’s correct. She said that she had been taking lessons from the sister missionaries, but they stopped coming to her house. She said she liked the things they said, but she didn’t think that they liked the answers she gave.

We looked back and the policeman was deeply intent on whatever it was he thought he was doing. I’m sure he was running my name to see if there was something more he could write a ticket for. It was apparent that this was going to take some time.

I said, that’s awesome! You know the missionaries! She said, well, I don’t know the ones now because it’s been a couple of months, but I did like it when they came by.

I said, how did you feel when they’re around and teaching you? She said I felt awesome. I asked her what religion she was and she said that her family were all Christian. I said that’s awesome because we all believe in Jesus Christ.

I asked her what the things were different in our beliefs. She thought for a minute and she said the golden plates thing. I love that answer! I started to talk about the Book of Mormon. I talked about how we have prophets and they had prophets and God spoke to them. He speaks to us through their prophets and our prophet.

I told her that their prophets wrote things down and that is the Book of Mormon. I told her that the Book of Mormon teaches that God loves all of his children not just his children in Jerusalem. I told her God sent his son Jesus Christ to America so that his children here could be counted among his sheep and he that loves everyone. I testified of the Book of Mormon and of God‘s love for her and God‘s love for them.

I said, God loves everyone and he sent his son to his children which were everywhere. The spirit was strong and confirming the testimony that I bore. I could tell she was moved by the fact that she had tears in her eyes. I asked, is this what you felt when the sisters were there.? She said, yes, this is what I felt, I love this! I told her that this was the spirit of God. I told her that he sent the spirit to testify of truth and that’s why it was there because the things I was telling her were true and the things the sisters told her were true.

She said, oh I love this feeling. I told her that this was the feeling that she had between her and her father in heaven. I told her that this feeling was the thing that heavenly father has with us that helps us know what’s right and helps us come home to him.

I told her by following that spirit, seeking to have that spirit in our life and living worthy to have that spirit in our life is how we hold on to the gospel that helps us come home to our father in heaven. I told her that this is how he brings us home! I told her that he established this with us before we left to come to earth and it’s like a homing beacon. She laughed and she said, that’s awesome.

She said, this is beautiful. This makes so much sense. I told her not only did we believe that God loved everyone and sent his son for everyone but that he loved everyone no matter when they lived. I told her that 800 years ago in Samoa her ancestors had never heard of Jesus Christ, but that God‘s perfect plan allows us to be baptized for them so they can come home.

She said, you do that in temples, don’t you? I said yes! I said, it’s God‘s perfect plan so that every one of his children has a chance. She said it’s never been explained to me like that. She said that the sisters mentioned it but then moved on very quickly. She said, that makes a lot of sense a father loves all of his children. I said that’s right.

Then I decided to get down to brass tacks. I believe that I was guided by the spirit to do that and I asked her the direct question, “Why didn’t you get baptized?””Why didn’t you get baptized when the sisters asked you to get baptized?”

I said you know that’s why they stopped coming because you didn’t want to get baptized at that time. She said, yes, it’s almost like you were there. I told her that I had been there many times but that the spirit was helping me know that this was the deal in her case.

She said that in her mind she wanted to get baptized for herself. She said that she had a fiancé who was a member of the church and returned missionary. She wanted to be baptized and follow him, but she wanted to do it for herself. She thought that if she got baptized before she got married everyone would think that she got that baptize for him, and not for herself.

I thought about that for a second and I said, what do you need to do to be baptized and feel that you’re ready? She said, I guess I need to study. I don’t know what to study.

I said there are two things I want to say here. First, is that you have felt the spirit of God and it testified to you that the things we are saying are true. I asked her if that was correct and she said yes. She believed everything we talked about that day from the prophets to the Book of Mormon were true. I told her that’s what you need. That’s the knowledge that you need. You need to know that it’s important to follow God, that you want to follow God and how to follow God.

I told her that she knows that it’s important to follow God because that’s how she believes. In speaking about the spirit, I told her the spirit would teach her how to follow God. I told her that it was important to get that spirit, follow that spirit and do what that spirit says to do. I said, the spirit won’t lead you astray.

Then I told her that we have prophets and their words help guide us to know what we’re supposed to do. We follow those words. I told her an example of that is that the Prophet told us to be nice to people. I was trying to be nice and she had noticed. She nodded her head and said, yeah that’s true. I told her, that’s what he wants us to do because that’s what Jesus would do. He wants us to be more like Jesus so we can come home too.

I told her we also need to get the words of the prophets who lived before. These words are in the Bible and these words are in the words of the Book of Mormon. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said that she did but she had no idea how to study it.

I had an idea. I reached in and grabbed one of my copies of the Book of Mormon that was prepared by the Secrists. I opened the book to the front page with the questions of the soul. I gave it to her and I asked her to read those. She read them and asked me, Do all Book of Mormons have these questions here? I said no, these are specially prepared and the tabs indicate where the answers are to those questions. She said that’s amazing. These are the questions I have!

I told her that by following the tabs she can find a way to start studying. I also told her it was important to read the whole book cover to cover and to pray. I promised her that if she did that she would have the spirit with her which is what she needed.

She said that’s what I need, that’s what I want and that’s what I’ll do! She said, can I have this book? I said, yes! It’s yours.

I said, you need to be baptized but next year after your marriage seems a long way away. She said well, we won’t be able to be married sooner because I live here and he lives in California and we’re back and forth.

The spirit gave me an impression so I ran with it. I said, I know you want this to be like your idea and not his. I asked her, why does it have to be after you’re married, though? I said, why don’t you bring in the missionaries, take the lessons, set a date to be baptized, call him the day before and say I’m going to be baptized tomorrow I want you to come and be there.

I said that by doing it this way, you would absolutely be doing it by yourself and for yourself. It would be a great surprise for him. She had a great big smile on her face with tears in her eyes and she said, I think that would be an amazing way to do it. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that!

She said, I love doing little surprises like that! I think that’s exactly what I need to do. I told her that if she did that the Lord will bless her and lift her and help her through. This is what she felt like she needed in her life right now.

She said, it’s been difficult lately with my family, but I think you’re right. This is what I need. I need to have the spirit with me. I told her that Heavenly Father knew that and he was reaching out to her.

I told her that normally I didn’t believe that it was an accident when God brought me together with someone to testify. I said that in this case today there is no way I could say that because it truly was an accident they brought us together. She laughed and called it a divine accident.

She said she hadn’t felt good about going around rudderless for the next year, just waiting for the right time. She said hat this was her answer. She said, I’m going to call the missionaries tonight. I want to get going on this because I think this is going to be a lot of fun. I told her that the most important thing to remember was the spirit that she felt. I told her that right now even in a time of stress, the spirit was there.

I asked her if she was feeling stress and angst, she said no. I told her that this is because the spirit was there. I told her God puts people in my car or better yet, in my path and I share the gospel with them.

I told her that I was glad that she backed into me and we both laughed.

By this time the police officer finished whatever it was he was doing and came over and gave us our sheets of information and said we were free to go. It had been an hour since I entered into the parking garage. It cost me $10 but compared to the price of a soul that is insignificant.

She was happy and holding tightly to her Book of Mormon. She got in the car and drove off. Her return missionary boyfriend has probably been praying that her heart would be touched and that day it was. He and her father in heaven will be so pleased with the outcome of that accident.

One night I picked up a young lady from a very popular chicken joint to take her home. Right off the bat I could tell there was a special feeling around this young lady. She didn’t feel worldly and she screamed dry Mormon.

I said a little prayer and received a confirmation that I should talk to her. I always get a confirmation on that before I go or have a confirming feeling before I talk because of the regulations of the rideshare companies and how I would be deplatformed if someone were to complain.

First, we talked about chicken. We talked about how lots of people go to the restaurant and how I like their lemonade freeze because it is really yummy. Then I told her that it’s really tough because the lines are always so long but right next-door there’s a Mo’ Bettas so sometimes I’ll go get Mo’ Bettas and then come back and get my lemonade freeze so I can have the best of both worlds.

She laughed and she said she loves Mo’ Bettas and that she’s sure that they have an agreement between those two restaurants for that exact purpose.

I told her that her restaurant was founded by good Christian people with good Christian faith. She said she knew that and she likes that. She said, I am a Christian. I said, so am I. When they say I’m a Christian, I know full well they mean that they’re a born-again Christian and not a member of our church but I never back down. I don’t want to allow the narrative that we are not Christian to persist

She started talking about how she was from a Mexican family so out of tradition she was baptized into the Catholic church. She said that it had never felt like it was anything special. She felt empty. She said she went to a lot of churches, even our church, but that for now she was continuing her search while attending the Christian church.

We talked about how evil the world is, and how lately it seems especially bad. She said it seems like everyone is following Satan. I said, sometimes it seems that way because we don’t stand up. She said, I want to stand up.

I asked her what it was that she was looking for in a church and she said that she was looking for a more complete experience. She said that the Catholic church had some things that the Christian church didn’t have and the Christian church had some things that the Catholic church didn’t have.

I had the thought (prompting), I’ve got someone that’s looking for the truth, someone that’s trying to find the church of God and she’s got all the same questions Joseph Smith had. She’s looking for the gospel.

I asked her if I could talk to her about our church a little bit and some of the things we believe. She said, I’ve been to your services once and I’ve talk to the sister missionaries. I asked her if I could tell her some things that I didn’t think the sisters had taught her or that maybe she hadn’t understood? She said she would love that.

I talked to her about my mirror analogy. I use the mirror and how the mirror represents the church of Jesus Christ exactly how he founded it when he was on the Earth. The mirror hangs on the wall using pegs but the things that were holding up the church of Jesus Christ were Jesus Christ himself and his apostles. When they were killed, that mirror fell down and broke into a bunch of pieces. I told her the people loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and so they grabbed parts of that mirror and reformed churches around that part that they had grabbed but that the complete mirror or the complete gospel of Jesus Christ was shattered and scattered. It was not close to intact when Joseph Smith was looking for the truth.

I told her he had the same question she did. He went and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet to restore the whole mirror. The spirit always testifies of the prophet Joseph Smith and this was no exception. I could tell she was feeling it strongly.

I asked her if she could feel anything or if she felt different. She said, there’s a reverence in the car. I told her that this was the spirit talking to her spirit, letting her know that the things were discussing were true.

I asked her if I should go on and she said yes, I talked to her about how we believe that God is the god of all of the world. He’s not a provincial God, he’s not just a God of Jerusalem, he’s a God of all of the world. He is the God all of the people and he loves all of the world, and all of the people.

I told her that many churches say this, but they don’t have doctrines that reflect this and that this is part of the disconnect.

I asked her if the missionaries taught her about Jesus coming to America. She said yes they did. I recounted to her how Jesus came down from heaven, stood there, and the people recognized him as their God. I told her that they asked him to be saved, and he invited them and commanded them to be baptized to a new level.

I told her that even though these people had already been baptized, Jesus needed them to be baptized so that they could have the Holy Ghost. They needed this so that they could step up to that new level and find the same happiness that she was searching for.

I told her that the people here in ancient America had prophets because God loved them just like he loved the people in Jerusalem. I told her that when Jesus left here he said that he was going to other places to other people to count them among his sheep because God loves everyone. I asked her if she believe that and she said yes. She said, I’ve never thought about that, but of course, God would send his son to everyone because he loves them.

I asked her if baptism was important. She said, yes! Everyone needs to be baptized. She said, in both churches I belong to we believe that everyone needs to be baptized. I asked her if someone could go to heaven who hadn’t been baptized, and she said no. I asked her if everyone in the history of the world had been given an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ during their lives and be baptized?

She thought about it, and she said, no, I’ve never thought about that, but very few have had an opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. I said if they didn’t hear about Jesus Christ, were they able to be baptized? She said no.

I said God loves everyone. Every one of them that ever lived is a child of God? She said, Yep, I believe that. I asked her if she was mother of a bunch of children how many of them she would want to save, and she said all of them, of course. I asked her if Heavenly Father was a perfect father. and she said yes. I asked her how many of his children he would want to save if he’s a perfect father, and she said, thinking for a moment, I guess all of them.

I asked her if a perfect father would have a plan, or a way to save all of his children and she said of course he would. I asked her in her other religions, what they taught was God’s plan to save everyone who had ever lived if they wanted to come home to their heavenly father. She thought for a moment, and she said that she had never heard a plan.

I told her we have that plan and they had it in the New Testament. They had it when the mirror was complete and that’s called baptisms for the dead. She said, oh. She said I have friends that have done that, but I didn’t know what it was. I told her we go to the temple and are baptized for someone who has passed on. I told her they then get the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism.

I told her, this way every one of God’s children will have a chance to come home. I told her God is a perfect God. I told her, God was a perfect father, and he sent his son to save us. I told her that this is why Jesus came to America and he blessed the children. He gave them authority to perform this baptism, and commanded them to receive it.

The spirit had intensified in the car, and she said, this is certainly one of those pieces that is missing. I never understood this. I said the church and its doctrine are all about a father saving his children whom he loves. He knows us and loves us

I told her that I know that she is special to her father in heaven because he put her in my car tonight so I could share this information with her. She said that she knew that was the truth, because she has been wanting to take that next step and find the church that offered everything.

I told her that I thought it was special that that we have the record of Jesus Christ, visiting her ancestors and the blessings he left upon them and their posterity. I told her that this is all contained in the Book of Mormon.

She said she remembered hearing about the Book of Mormon from the sister missionaries. I asked her if she had one, and she said no. I reached in and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and handed it to her. I told her that this is a religious and spiritual history of her ancestors.

I told her that her ancestors knew Jesus. I told her that they touched him and were blessed by him, and that their posterity was also blessed. I told her that Jesus is inviting her to take that next step. I told her that the spirit has been working in her, trying to get her to take that next step, and that’s why I am here today. I told her that God put her in my car so I could share that with her.

She said, I felt the spirit the second I got in your car. She asked if I was sure it was OK for her to keep that book, I said yes. I had her open it and read the questions of the soul. I told her that the other things she was looking for were in those questions and the answers were in the book indicated by the tabs.

She took a second to read the questions and said you’re exactly right! I asked her what she was feeling and she said I’m feeling like the things you’re telling me are true. I feel peace and assurance and reverence in my soul right now. She said her soul has been a really loud place lately but right now it was calm and peaceful and that was how she liked it.

I said to her that this is the way she feels in the presence of God. I said that the spirit of God was there because we were teaching truth. I told her that there’s another thing in our church that she would be interested in. I told her that we believe in being married for time and all eternity. I said, that means that we’re not married until death do us part. I told her we’re married in temples by the power of God that he gave to Peter then Peter gave that authority to our prophets.

I told her we use this power to seal things on earth that are sealed in heaven. I said that this includes marriages. I told her not only do we do baptisms for the dead in the temple, but we do marriages for eternity. I told her that the family of God is eternal, and the families who believe in God and go to the temple to be sealed are eternal.

I told her that we make covenants to follow God and his power blesses our lives forever. I told her that this is the power that was missing and this is the power she’s looking for in a church.

She said, I can’t believe how happy I am, that God gave me this opportunity to hear this. I know this is true. She said, I’m going to read the Book of Mormon and I will go to church this Sunday. I need that next level and I want these things in my life.

I need the blessings of God on my family.

Sometimes people are wandering around looking for truth and they don’t know where to find it, even though it’s right under their nose. They may have even brushed up against it. I think that’s one of the meanings of this scripture, Doctine and Covenants 123:12-13

12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—

13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

I felt an excitement, a relief and a commitment from that young lady. For whatever reason she hadn’t heard the right things the first time she met the missionaries but this time she’s loaded for bear!

One night late I took a ride out to West Valley. I forgot to pause or turn off my app and so I got another ride on top on that one. You can’t see where the ride is going when you’re already on a ride, they stack one on top of you. I hoped that it would bring me back into town or take me down south. I didn’t think it would be Herriman and I mean like back up on the mountain southwest Herriman.

It was after 2am so I decided to take the ride. It might not have put me closer to home but it ended my night and it was time. I drove to where I was to pick up this woman and pulled into the cul-de-sac. There she was kissing her boyfriend.

I sat there for a minute while they enjoyed their prolonged goodbye and then she got in the car. As soon as she got in the car the spirit indicated to me that she was someone that I needed to talk about the church with. That was great because we had a 25 minute ride and it would give me something to talk about. I was tired and this would help.

On top of that, when you talk about the church you always get energized or I do anyway. I asked her where she was from and how long she lived here. The usual stuff. I asked her how long she had been with her boyfriend and she said that she had been dating him for about a year.

I asked her how she chose to live in Herriman and she said she lived with her sister and her family. With all of that information I decided to start talking about the church. The spirit led me to know that the family was the key here and so I asked, so do you go to church with your sister‘s family? That is assuming a lot in ride-share late night circles but I felt strongly that the spirit wanted me to ask that direct question.

She said, well, yes, I do. I said, following a prompting, then they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day. Saints aren’t they? She said, yes they are. I said, and you haven’t been baptized? She said, no! I said, you mean, no, not yet!

She laughed, and she said, I guess you could say it that way. I asked her if she could tell me what the issues were that kept her from joining the church. She said, yes. I asked her if she would answer my questions about the church and she said yes.

I perceived by the spirit that she was not a terribly religious person, but I assumed or believed that she was Catholic. I asked, do you consider yourself to be a Catholic since you were baptized as a Catholic? She said, no, I don’t consider myself to have a religion, but I was baptized as a Catholic.

I asked her straight up, do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that he is the son of God!? She said yes, I do. That’s what I believe in but I don’t believe in all the stuff they do in the Catholic church.

I said, do you believe in God the father. She said, yes I do. I told her that we do as well. I asked her if she knew what the major differences were between our church and the Catholic church. She looked at me as if she hadn’t recognized that there were any differences. I asked again, do you know what they are? She said no.

I asked her if it would be OK if I told her what some of the differences were and she said she would love It.

I told her we believe that Heavenly Father is the father of everyone that ever lived no matter when they lived or where they lived. I told her that God was the father of her spirit, and that her spirit knew him personally, intimately and well. I told her that Heavenly Father is our spiritual father and he loves us. He wants us all to come home. I told her that’s what we believe and everything else we believe stems from that.

I told her that in our church we don’t say the word God to refer to Heavenly Father nearly as much as the another religions. She said, you know, I’ve noticed that! That’s true you guys say Heavenly Father. I said that’s correct because that’s who he is, he is our father.

I said, because of that we don’t look at the gospel of Jesus Christ as having happened in Jerusalem and Israel 2000 years ago and we’re just along for the ride. We believe that our Heavenly Father guides and loves us always. He has prepared a way for everyone.

I told her that the people who lived in America anciently we’re also children of our father in heaven. I asked her if that was true, and she said yes. I believe everyone is a child of our father in heaven. I asked her how God blesses his children, and she thought for a moment, and she said, he gives us commandments and his words so that we can follow them.

I told her that’s right, he blesses us for obeying his commandments. I told her he gives us his commandments because he loves us. I told her that the people who lived in America anciently had prophets and God had revealed his will to them so that the people could be blessed through their obedience to him as well. She said, that makes sense. I believe that!

I told her that we believe that God not only loves everyone in the world that ever lived, but he sent Jesus Christ to them also. I explained to her that after his resurrection, Jesus said he was going to go to other places and other people and teach them. I asked her if she thought an all powerful God would want to reach out to all of his children or just some of them. She quickly answered, all of them! I told her that Jesus, after his resurrection descended from heaven, pure and full of light and stood on the steps of the temple. I told her that the people who lived here were expecting him because they had been taught he would come by the prophets.

I told her that they went up and they touched the print of the nails in his hands and they begged him to save them. I told her that in answer to that he taught them that they needed to be baptized to a new level of discipleship even though they had previously been baptized, even those who had been baptized recently. He commanded them to be baptized so that they could have the gift of the Holy Ghost and step up to that next level of discipleship.

She asked, what is that next level of discipleship? I said, well, do you know how long we get married for? She smiled and said for eternity! I said that’s right! Jesus has given the power to people on earth so that they can seal marriages and families on earth and in heaven. We do that in our temples.

She said, oh, I know my sister has been married in the temple and I went to an open house down in Utah county. I asked her what she felt there and she said that she felt amazing in that building. She knew it was a special building. I told her that it was the spirit of God that she felt. It was the love of her father in heaven. I asked her what else we do in those buildings.

She thought for a minute, and I said, we do baptisms for the dead. We are baptized in the name of people who have passed so that they have the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism. She said, oh, that’s right. My sister’s children went and did that. I told her that because of that doctrine every person that ever lived no matter where they were would have the opportunity to be baptized and come home to their father in heaven.

I told her that it’s the only doctrine in the world that teachers that all of God’s children will be treated equally and fairly. She said, that’s amazing. I never looked at it like that. I told her that we also can then go in and seal them to their family so that they can be together forever. She said that was beautiful. The spirit was really powerful in the car. I said, you feel that? She said, yes it’s amazing. She said, I love this feeling.

She asked, did Joseph Smith teach all of this stuff, wasn’t he the one that wrote the Book of Mormon?

I told her that Joseph Smith was a young man who was searching for the truth. He decided he would pray and ask God what church to join. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They called him to be the prophet. They called him to restore the whole church that Jesus had founded when he was on the earth.

I said part of that restoration was the translation of the Book of Mormon. I told her that an angel, who had been a prophet here in America gave him those plates and the translating equipment so that he could translate that book by the power of God.

I started to bear testimony of the Prophet, Joseph Smith and something that is all too familiar happened. Her boyfriend called. I don’t know about you all but when I was on my mission every time we were testifying of Joseph Smith, we had a car backfire, or a kid drop a plate or someone knock on the door.

I saw this as the same kind of thing. I listened to her. She tried to get rid of him for about five minutes. Finally, she said to him, look, I’m talking to the driver. He is a Mormon and he’s teaching me about the church. I feel like it’s really important that I listen. She said, I feel like this is supposed to be happening right now and I need to pay attention to what he saying, so I will call you when I get home. She hung up on him and apologized.

The spirit was in the car, and I finished sharing my testimony about the prophet Joseph Smith. I told her that God had always worked through men who were not capable of doing the things that he asked them to do. I said, that this way God could show his power. I told her that if God called the richest, most powerful people to do things, people would believe that they did it, not God.

I told her, on the other hand, if God called someone who is incapable, they would know that it had to be the power of God. I told her Joseph Smith had a second grade education and he was a country kid. I told her that because of this, his faith and his belief, he was the perfect person to be called to do this work.

I told her that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God and he did it in 90 days. A kid with a second grade education translating a 600 page book in 90 days is astounding. She said, oh my gosh, that’s incredible,

I told her that Joseph Smith was called of God to teach us about God’s love and to show us his power, but most of all to restore his church so that we could return to live with him. I asked her if she felt that spirit still, and she said I do. I told her that people find their way to my car who are needing to hear the gospel.

She said, I believe that I am one of them. She said, I go to church every week with the family but I haven’t known what I should do. Recently, I’ve started zoning out but I think I need to pay more attention.

I asked her what feeling the spirit meant. She said, it means God’s here. I asked her, would God send his spirit if what we were saying was wrong? She said no. I told her that’s exactly right, the spirit of God testifies of truth, and when we feel it, we know that the things we’re hearing are true. I asked her if she felt that in church. She said not as strongly but yes, I do feel it in church. I asked her what it felt like and she said peace and happiness. I feel like my question has been answered.

We were pulling up to the house and I said I think God put you here in my car so that I could help you understand more about the church and help give you that push that you’ve been waiting for.

I told her that she had been coasting along, not wanting to make a decision, not wanting to commit, and kind of wanting to establish her individualism by not being baptized. I told her that now is the time for her to make that decision so that she can serve her father in heaven and follow him. She said, normally I wouldn’t like being called out like that but you were right and I can see that you’ve done it out of love and out of the love of Heavenly Father.

She said, I guess it is all about family and love if it’s done right. Then she said, I will take the challenge. Like I said, I go to church every week now I know that I just need to take the next step. I told her that in the morning she should tell her sister about the ride and what she had felt. She said, oh I plan on it.

I told her that her sister‘s husband could baptize her and she said she knew that because he baptized her nephew.

I told her it’s all out there in front of her for her to do. I said God would have her do and take that next step. She should take that next step up in discipleship and follow God. She said, message delivered and accepted.

I drove off thinking about how she told her boyfriend that she felt something special was going on here, that she was receiving information from me that she was supposed to have and that she was supposed to be in my car. Of this I have no doubt.

What a great way to end the day!!!

.

I picked up a young lady by Redwood Road and I-215. She was going out to the Amazon warehouse that is way out at the western edge of 90th South. She got in the car and she seemed really happy. There are thousands of people moving here to work at Amazon in their various facilities. None of them have cars apparently.

She had moved here from Texas and was afraid of the cold. It looked like it’s going to snow that night and she was just terrified. She said she wasn’t built for this weather and in Fort Worth it was always nice.

We started to go and I got the spiritual impression that she was very spiritually sensitive and that she had a lot of faith. I knew that I was supposed to talk to her about the church. I sought the spirits guidance on where to start the conversation and then realized that she had already given me the start.

I asked her if she liked it here and she said yes for the most part. I asked her how it came about that she got here. She told me that her boyfriend‘s friend was coming out and she just decided that she was supposed to go with her for some reason.

I asked her what she felt here. At first she started talking about the cold but then I refocused my question and asked how she felt spiritually here. She said it was very peaceful and living here made her believe that good things are possible.

I asked why and she said the people here are so good and they have treated me extremely well. I said, do you know why that is? She said, no I don’t.

I told her that it’s because people here try to follow God and do the things that he tells them to do. I told her that when you fallow the commandments and live right, God can bless you with his spirit.

I mentioned to her how funny it was that her friend was coming here and out of thin air she felt compelled to come with her. She said, that’s right! That’s exactly how it happened. She said, I don’t know how you knew that, but you nailed it. I told her that she was brought here by the hand of God so that she could be blessed and she said that she believed that one hundred percent.

Then she said, you know sometimes God puts people in your path to help you out. I said, I know. She said when her son had leukemia and she was in the hospital with him she felt down and depressed and sad. A man came up to her and said, everything is going to be fine, your son will be healed and he was. She said, that man told me that God put him there that day in the elevator to give her that message.

I told her that this is how she knows that God loves her. He sends people to her. I told her this happens to me all the time. God puts people in my car and gives them a message through the words he whispers for me to say. I told her that God loved her and that he wanted her to know that there was a purpose behind the things that were going on now. I told her God had never abandoned her.

She got very emotional and said “I guess somehow my life is an open book to you”. She said at times in her life she had wondered if God was there. I told her God is here and the fact that she’s here in Utah is evidence that he loves her and he’s got her. I said, even in those times when God seemed far away he was with you”.

I then had the impression to tell her that when she was a very young child she was abused by someone she knew and trusted. I told her that during that abuse it fell dark and she felt alone. I told her that God sent her his spirit so that she could hold on and make it through.

She said, I’m going to work and now you’re making me emotional because that’s exactly what happened. I have never told anyone that. It would have blown up my whole family. I found that listening to beautiful music lifted me and let me transport myself away from my troubles. Even though I was being abused listening to that music made it so that I could get through. The music reminded me of heaven and I felt the presence of God.

She said, I feel the presence of God right now in your car. I asked her what it felt like and she said peaceful, happy and motivating. She asked me how I knew these things about her and I told her that when we are baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and that God can whisper to our heart through the Holy Ghost. He will tell us the things to say.

She said, oooooh, I know it comes from God. There’s no other way you could’ve known. I told her that God brought her here so that she could learn more about him and his gospel. I asked her if she knew what the members of the church believe and she said no.

I said we believe that God is the God of all of the earth not just Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he said he was going to go to his other sheep and that is exactly what he did. He went to his other sheep possibly including her ancestors in Africa. I asked her if she would like to know what He said to them. She said she really would! I asked her what it meant to her to know that her great grandparents had possibly been blessed by Christ and she said that thought gave her chills and made her feel loved.

I told her that he taught them the same things he taught the people in Jerusalem and we know this because he also came to America. I told her about the Book of Mormon and how it’s a collection of the prophecies God gave to the prophets that lived here in America, the ancestors of the Native Americans. I told her that Jesus also came to America and it is here that he said and still other sheep I have that are not of America or Jerusalem or the lands adjacent. He said that he was going to go to them so they could hear his voice.

She said, “I’ve heard of the Book of Mormon”. I said it testifies of Jesus Christ, that he is the son of God. I also took this opportunity to bear my testimony. I told her that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that God loves each and everyone of us. I testified to her that God whispered to my heart today the things to say and I told her that the spirit was testifying to her of this right now.

She said, the spirit is really strong in the car. I said yes, and could that spirit be here if what we were saying was not true? She said, no, everything you’re saying is true.

I reached into my bag and grabbed one of my marked Book of Mormon‘s made by the Secrists and gave it to her. I explained the questions of the soul and how to find the answers. I said to her, this book will teach you the things of God and it contains the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. She asked, can I have it?! I said yes! She said, I’m going to read it tonight, I’m going to read all of it!

She smiled and said I know this book is true and now I want to know what’s in it. I asked her if she had any friends or knows anyone who is a member of the church. She said yes, the man that she works with, that she was going to see that very minute is a very strong member of the church. She said that he and all of his family are members.

I told her to show him the book and tell him about our car ride and she said she would.

She got out of the car and said, this ride has changed my life. I know that God is watching over me and I know he put me in your car tonight! Thank you for the message. She turned around and walked into the building with a surprise for that member of the church that she works with. Exciting times at Amazon

.One Wednesday I went out to work a little bit early and was picking up a couple rides. It seemed like every ride was going to the airport. I guess that’s what happens sometimes. The problem with the airport is that you’re at the airport and it doesn’t always work out so well financially.

I followed the directions to get to this kid, and soon found that I was up at the University of Utah in the President Circle area. He got in the car and immediately I knew there was something really neat about this kid. He really had that, “I’m going to be a member” feel and the spirit told me unequivocably that this young man would be baptized. The spirit told me he was ready and that this ride was important. I started paying attention really quick to what the spirit was whispering at that point. I started talking to him about what he was doing.

He said he was here at the school on his orientation trip and that he would be starting in the fall. He said he loved it so far. I asked him why he decided to come to Utah. He said, first and foremost, snowboarding, I love to snowboard.

Then he said that his grandparents had a place in St. George and he had always liked the people in Utah. He said everyone was so nice and he was excited to be a part of that. As we were driving down the hill, we talked more about the people here in Utah.

He said that he had not had any bad interactions with anybody. I asked him how he thought he would fit in and he said just great. He said that he had gone to a junior college in California, but he was looking for more of a real college experience. That’s why he was excited to come here.

He asked me if I went to the University of Utah, and I said, no. I went to BYU. I told him that my grandmother was one of the first women to graduate from the university back around 1915. I then made it clear that even though we are proud of her legacy, we had repented and started wearing blue.

I told him that today universities made it really hard on people of faith. He said he knew that was true. He said he had friends all over the place. They were losing their faith because they were in school.

He said he was not going to be one that lost his faith in Jesus Christ. I told him that at the University of Utah they hit at your faith that really hard, with an emphasis on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He said, I heard that. You would think that they would be nicer to the Mormons here in Utah, but I’ve heard that they can be very anti.

I told him that whatever he did he should get his information from the people over at the Institute building and not from his professors. He laughed and said he would do that.

As we drove down, Second South towards the freeway, so we could go to the airport he said, “Are we going to drive by the temple on the way out?” This was the kind of an opening that I’d been waiting for, and I said, yes, if you want to, we will. He said that would be cool and off we went. We went up West Temple around North Temple and back down Sate Street to fifth South on the way to the airport, passing the temple on three sides.

As we drove around the temple, we discussed his beliefs. I asked him what religion he was and he said that he was Christian. He said that he hadn’t been Christian for very long, but that he wanted to follow Jesus Christ. I told him it’s really important that we follow Jesus Christ! That’s why the name of our church is the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints.

I asked him if he knew what the differences were between our religion and his. He said, I believe it’s Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. You guys believe in the Book of Mormon instead of the Bible.

He asked me, is that true, did I get it right? I said it’s partially true we believe in the Book of Mormon! It is an other testament of Christ. We believe in the Book of Mormon as a companion to the New Testament and the Old Testament. I told him all three are testaments of Jesus Christ. He said, oh you believe in the Bible too? I said yes! We also believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God just like the Bible. I told him that we believe that the Book of Mormon is more pure because it hasn’t been translated and changed so many times. He said, that’s a good point.

I used the old missionary adage with him about pounding a nail in a board. I said when you pound the nail in the board you can still move the board but if you put a second nail in that board it becomes immovable. I said that is the value of having a second testament of Jesus Christ, a second testimony that he is the son of God.

I said, with that second testimony that board doesn’t move and the truth is firm. He said, I love that it’s great. I said yes! Do you believe God loves everyone, that we’re all his children, and that he loves us no matter when we were born or where we were born? He said yes! God loves everyone! He created everyone and he is our father!

I said, that is the basis for everything we believe. I told him that we believe everything that he believes except that we have more. I asked him to look at the temple and he did. I said we do really important things in these buildings. He said, what are they? I told him that when Jesus was crucified, his spirit went to the spirit world and taught the people that had not heard the gospel or had not yet accepted the gospel there in the spirit world. I told him, Jesus set that teaching up and that work still continues today. Every person, no matter where they were or when they were born is taught the gospel because of what Jesus did during that three days when his body lay in the tomb before his resurrection.

He said, that’s really cool. I’ve never thought of that. I asked him what those people would want to do after they had received those teachings. He said, they would want to follow Jesus. I told him that he was right, but that they needed to be baptized before they could go to heaven. I asked him how someone that was born 500 years ago in China could be baptized 500 years after they died.

He said, I don’t know, that doesn’t seem fair. I asked him if God was a father that would not be unfair to his children. He said, no! He would totally be fair. I said, that’s what we do in that building. We go in there and are baptized for someone who has died. I told him that the person then gets a chance to accept it or reject it.

I told him, it’s a perfect plan so that every one of God’s children has a chance to come home to him. I asked him if that sounded more like the God that he believed in. He said, yeah! That does sound right. I told him that in those buildings we also do marriages.

I told him that I was married in that building and when we are married in that building we’re not married until death do us part, we are married for eternity. I told him that our families are sealed to us. I told him that Peter got authority from Jesus to seal things on the earth that would be sealed in heaven.

I told him that Peter gave that authority to Joseph Smith by laying his hands on his head conferring it upon him. I told him that today we have that same authority and we seal our families. I told him that’s why our families are so important. He said, that’s amazing.

He said, I never knew all these cool things that you believe. There was a really peaceful, strong feeling in the car and I asked him, do you believe those things are true? He said, yes, no question, yes I do. I’ve never thought of these things, but as you say them, I believe they are true.

I told him that he had mentioned Joseph Smith. I asked him where he had learned about Joseph Smith. He said that he had a very good friend who is a member of our church. He said his friend talked to him about Joseph Smith and even took him to church a couple times. He said he loved that friend and he had always loved the fact that their family was so strong and that he felt such a good feeling when he was there.

I told him that that feeling was the Holy Ghost and that he loved being there because the spirit of God was there. I told him he is a son of God and he loves being in the presence of the spirit of God.

I asked him if that family had taught him about temples and if they had been married forever. He said yes, he thought so, but it didn’t really sink in like it had today. I asked him what else they taught him.

He said that they taught him about Joseph Smith and the Joseph Smith story. I said that’s really important. I stopped and bore testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first vision and the book of Mormon. The spirit amplified my testimony at that point and I could tell he was feeling what I was saying.

I asked him if he felt that, and he said yes, oh my goodness I do! I said, what does it feel like? He said a peaceful fire ball of energy. He says it makes me want to go do something. I told him that is because it is true. This is why that feeling is in your heart. It is God testifying to you of the truthfulness of the things that I said. I asked him what he knew about the Book of Mormon and he said not much. I told him that God had prophets in America because that’s how he blesses his children. He gives them prophets and then he gives the prophets revelation to bless his children. I told him God had prophets in America and they wrote down these prophecies that God gave them on metal plates. They passed these plates down from prophet to prophet until they were buried in the ground and centuries latter given to Joseph Smith to translate.

I told him these prophets wrote about Jesus Christ. These prophets testified about Jesus Christ and about his divinity. I told him that these prophets taught almost excessively about Jesus Christ.

I told him that in the Bible, Jesus said other sheep I have, which are not his fold, and that he was commanded by his father to go to them. I told him that these prophets had told the people that Jesus would come to them, and he did. He descended from heaven, and stood on the steps of the temple, and they worshiped him. I told him that he commanded them to be baptized to a new level. I told him that this was the same level we had been talking about today, where God brings his gospel to all of his children, no matter when they lived, and no matter where they lived. On this new level God makes it so that we can live together forever as families in the family of God. He said, that’s amazing.

We arrived at the airport and he said I’ve got a few more minutes can we talk longer? I turned off my app and said sure. We pulled into the waiting parking lot by the Chevron and talked some more. I told him that when Jesus got here he had the people touch the prints of the nails in his hands and then his feet. They knew who he was because they had been taught. They had been looking for him and awaiting his arrival. He said that is so cool!

I told him that Jesus invited them to be baptized, cleanse their sins and to step up to that new level. I told him that now Jesus was inviting him to be baptized and take that step up.

He said, I haven’t been baptized yet, I was thinking about doing it this fall. Before leave for school I thought I should be baptized. I was going to be baptized in another church. I said, wouldn’t you like to be baptized by your friend? I asked him how old his friend was and he said 21. I asked him if his friend went to church all the time, and he said yes. I said, likely your friend would be able to baptize you. How would that be?

He said that would be amazing! I would love that! That’s what I want!

I told him that his friend, like me, as the priesthood of God. That is the authority that Jesus gave to his disciples in America to baptize. I told him we have that authority today and that his friend has that authority and that he can use it to baptize him.

I told him that the authority of God is an amazing blessing. It allows us to do the things God would do if he were here. I told him that through the priesthood we can give blessings of health or comfort and officiate in the ordinances that save us.

I told him that the word of God is powerful and great, but acting upon those words and using his power is another level. This is what what God would have us do. He said I can see that.

I told him that we have a prophet today who guides the church. He looked shocked. He said, really, a prophet? I said yes.

He asked, he speaks with God? I said, yes! I said he lives right here in Salt Lake City. I told him that he used to be a doctor and a teacher at the University of Utah school of medicine. He laughed and said things have changed a lot apparently, haven’t they. I laughed and said yes.

He asked, what is his name? I said Russell M Nelson. He said, I would like to see him or read some things that he has said. I told him that all of his talks are published and that through the church app he could download the conference sessions and read what all of the apostles and prophets have to say.

He looked at the app and said he would do that on the flight.

He said, there has been such power in our discussion today. I felt the spirit of God and I know the things we’ve discussed are true. I said, well, when you have a powerful feeling like that what does it require of you? He said, it means I have to act! I said, that’s right, you have to act. I asked him what he was going to do and he said he was going to go to his friend and ask him about it.

I said, I have a better idea, go to your friend and tell him what you have felt and learned in the car. Tell him that you want to be baptized. He said, that’s exactly what I’ll do! I want to be baptized! That is what I’m going to do! We left the parking lot and drove up to the departure point. I said to him, you know it’s not a mistake that you were in my car today.

I told him that God put him in my car, and he said, I felt that the second I got in. I felt safe and I felt the spirit of God. He said, when you testified I knew the things you were saying were true and now I know I have to act. It was no coincidence that I was in your car and I know God put me here because I need to take this step. I need to step up.

He got out of the car and waved and said one last time, I promise I’m going to call my friend as soon as I get through security.

Now, that’s a ride to the airport!

One Saturday night I got a call to pick up a girl at a restaurant on State Street. When I picked her up, she was in a group of women and they were hugging and embracing. She came over and got in the car and we started off.

When she got her seatbelt on she said, “wow! I just had something incredible happen”. I asked her what it was and she said that she had been at dinner with these people she had known for a while socially, but that she didn’t know them personally. She didn’t know their life story very well. They were considered her acquaintances, not close friends she said.

She said that while they were at dinner, she had the thought come to her mind that she was to turn to the lady and tell her that her husband, who had passed, wanted her to know that it wasn’t her fault and she needed to stop beating herself up over it. The woman in my car didn’t even know that her husband had passed or anything regarding the circumstances of that death. She then turned to the daughter of the lady who was there and told her that she was worried that her dad didn’t love her, but she needed her to know that he did love her and that he sends his love. She said that everyone got emotional and asked her how she knew this. They all were shocked and emotional.

She told me that she never had anything like this happen to her before. She said that she just felt the overwhelming urge to say these things and she needed to say them. She said that for some reason she felt like she should talk to me now. She asked me what I thought about that.

She said she was pretty freaked out.

I really didn’t think this young lady was a member of the church based on the vibe I was getting from her. If this was a member of the church, I would easily jump in to talking about gifts of the spirit and how Heavenly Father gives us gifts to bless other people. I would tell a member of the church that we are given gifts of the spirit so that we can serve others, bless others and that if we want to get additional gifts of the spirit, Heavenly Father can give us that blessing as long as we are trying to use that gift to bless his children.

That’s what I would tell a member of the church, but again she didn’t seem like a member of the church. The spirit, however, started telling me that I needed to teach this. The spirit was quite forceful with me, indicating the importance of this, and so I taught it. I told her that when we’re baptized we are clean and we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told her that with the gift of the Holy Ghost, comes these gifts of the spirit. This is how our Heavenly Father blesses his children. He blesses them through each of us.

I told her that our father in heaven really is her father. That she spent thousands of years with him, she loved him and he loved her. The spirit overwhelmed the car while I was testifying of the father’s love for her, and I could tell she felt it.

I told her that when we’re in the presence of the spirit of our father in heaven, he can help us, guide us, bless us and give us joy. I asked her what she was feeling right then and she said she felt like her mind was opening up, and her heart was opening up at the same time. She said she felt peaceful, calm and excited all at the same time. I told her that this was the spirit of God testifying of the things I was teaching. I told her that Heavenly Father has us do his work for him, we are his hands.

I told her that Heavenly Father gives us the words to say that he would say if he were there. He gives us the words to say that touch people in such a way that they can know that it’s his will and that the things we’re saying are true.

I shared a couple of experiences with her where Heavenly Father had blessed me with the words to say. I told her he gives me those words so that the person can know that the words I say come from God. I told her there’s no way I could know those words. God had to have given them to me and because of that they know that what I’m saying is true.

When I was done saying this, she said, I know a little bit about this because I was baptized and received this gift of the Holy Ghost when I was a child. She said I was eight and I remember getting the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This made a lot of sense to me. Boy, was I glad that I had talked about spiritual gifts as the spirit had directed me when she first said this about receiving these revelations. I didn’t know what to think because I was not exactly sure if you could have a gift of the spirit if you’re not a baptized member who has the gift of the Holy Ghost. I don’t know how that works but I knew and I am familiar with what she was experiencing. When I found out she was a member it all came together.

Now that I knew she was a member of the church, the spirit told me that this was a great opportunity to teach her about her father in heaven’s love and help her resolve issues and come back to him. One thing I knew is that she hadn’t been active. She told me she hadn’t been to church since she was 10.

I asked her why she hadn’t been to church. She told me the story of their family. She said that they were from Columbia. They moved here when she was very young and they were living in a ward with a bishop they knew pretty well. She said that they had neighbors that were African-American. Her family, being Hispanic felt a certain kinship to that family and started fellowshipping them.

The bishop told them that they should not have anything to do with that family. He said that this was not the kind of family that they wanted in the ward or at ward events.

The family was so offended that they decided they wouldn’t go back to church. She said, “that’s why we left the church, because there are racist people in the church”.

I asked her if it was OK if I spoke straight forward to her and she said yes. I said one thing I know about human beings is that we are horrible animals and we do and say horrible things. That’s why we have Jesus Christ so that when somebody says something or does something that offends us or hurts us, we can turn to him.

I also said, that’s why we have Jesus Christ so that we can turn to him and repent when we fall short. I told her it was all part of the plan. I explained to her that when somebody makes a mistake and does something hideous like she had experienced, we have a choice to look to Christ, and have him use the power of the atonement to lift us and lift our burdens or to look to see and blame God and follow satan. I told her that these were the two options.

I asked her how long it had been since she prayed to God. She said she hadn’t prayed to God for years. Since she was 10 years old she had been calling him a sky genie. She said right now that sounds very wrong to say but that’s what I’ve called him.

I doubled down and said, well now you know that he is your father and that he loves you. You’re his daughter and that love is central to who you are. I told her that this love fills a hole in her life that she has been trying to fill with other beliefs and other endeavors but hasn’t found a way to scratch the itch. I told her that she drinks and has done some drugs, but that didn’t fill it either.

I told her that this space is intended for the spirit and power of God and that’s the only thing that can satisfy you in that space. I asked her how she felt right now and she said amazing. I said this is how you feel when the spirit occupies that space.

She said thank you for explaining it like that. My mind is opening and I am understanding what you’re saying. I told her that in her life since she was 10 she’s gone around looking at members of the church and thinking bad thoughts about them. She said that was true. I told her that she thought that they were judgmental, harsh and rude. She said that this was true. I told her that none of those things are true. I told her that there are members of the church that are bad and there are members of the church who do bad things, but that by and large the members of the church are very good and trying to get better.

I told her that it was Satan who told her those things, who whispered those things in her ear, who whispered in her ear when she passed by the church, or by the temple, which is only a couple blocks from her house and told her that the people in there were hypocrites.

I told her that Satan is a liar. He’s the father of lies and lies about everything. He says we should do the opposite of what God would have us do.

I told her the story about the stake president stealing my great grandfather‘s cows. We discussed what a big deal that would’ve been back in the 1800s. I told her that my great grandfather left the church and because of that the vast majority of my father’s family are not members of the church or active.

I told her that they’re alcoholics, and that my grandfather was an alcoholic, and he beat my father. I told her that rarely in that family does someone have a marriage that works and no one is happy. I told her it’s all because they left the church.

Then I asked her why my great grandfather left the church and she said to punish the stake president. I asked her who actually got punished? She thought about it for a minute and a light came on. She said, your great grandfather punished himself and his family. I said that’s exactly right.

I talked to her more about the atonement and about how Jesus not only paid for our sins so that we can be cleansed of sin, but also our infirmities and the injustices and all of the pains and sufferings we could go through in this world. I told her that Jesus actually suffered those so that he could have the power to lift us. I told her my great grandfather should’ve looked to Christ.

I told her that this way when people do stupid things, satan will lose power with them if they look to Christ. Christ makes it all right.

There was stunned silence. She said this is amazing. I want to learn more. I want to know more! I pulled out a Book of Mormon, one of the ones prepared by the Secrist’s, and asked her if she had a copy. She said no she hadn’t seen a copy in many years. I asked her if she wanted that copy and she said she would love it.

I had her open to the questions of the soul and read those. She said, oh my gosh! These are the questions that have been coming to my mind lately. She said I need the answers to these questions. I told her that they were in the book. I told her that if she would read that book, she would feel the spirit and get the answers to those questions.

I asked her what else she thought she might need to do. She said, I think I need to pray! I said, that’s exactly right. You need to study the Book of Mormon and you need to pray. I said what else do you need to do? And she said, in a timid, unassured voice, I think I need to go to church. I said that’s right. You need to go to church and get right with God and then you can have his power supporting you, lifting you and helping you bless others.

She said that would be awesome. She said she wanted to do that. She said I’m going to start tonight reading this Book of Mormon. She said, it’s been a long time. I should have done this a long time ago.

I asked her if she knew anybody that was a member of the church and she said she knew people back where she used to live. I asked her if she knew anyone around here and she said that there were people at work. She said she worked at Primary Children’s Hospital and she knew some of the doctors were really good members of the church.

I told her to go to them and tell them about what we had felt in the car and talk to them about this experience. Then show them the Book of Mormon and ask them what they thought. I told her that they would be able to help her.

By this time we had been sitting in front of her house for 10 minutes. There was somebody who pulled up behind us and we needed to move. We drove around the block so that we could have a few more minutes. She didn’t want to leave the spirit.

I told her that Heavenly father puts people in my car. I told her that it was no mistake that today when she had this experience that Heavenly Father put me there to help her make sense of it. I told her that Heavenly Father put her in my car because he loves her so much and he wants her back.

There were tears in her eyes and she said, this makes way too much sense right now. I know what you’re telling me is true. I told her that there’s no such thing as coincidence and that Heavenly Father had a plan for her, including receiving this today. She told me that this had been the most remarkable half hour of her life. She told me that the light and knowledge that she was receiving and experiencing was incredible. She told me that it was clear to her that she is experiencing an awakening, and that she intends to take advantage of it. She told me that I had answered the question she had for quite some time, and that I had done the same thing to her that she had been able to do for those ladies by following the spirit.

I could tell that the spirit was in the process of changing this young woman’s heart, even as we spoke.

She said, I love this and I want this. I know she did and I believe she will run with it.

One night I picked up a lady just getting off work on Foothill Boulevard. She worked in a nursing facility and I could tell she liked her job. She gave great care to the people and she seemed very happy. That’s important I think, to be happy when you’re taking care of the elderly like that. It seemed like it was very rewarding for her.

We got going and started talking about experiences in the car as far as strange and funny experiences that I’ve had. She asked me if there was a time when I was able to make a difference? I told her that I had seven people that tried to or were about to commit suicide and they let me know riding in my car. I told her that I took the time to stop and help them. I told her one particular story that I wrote in December about a man who wanted to commit suicide and we prayed together. I told her that we drove by the church and I felt impressed to make a promise to him.

I told her that he has followed through and he’s doing really well. As I said this and told the story the spirit impressed upon me that this young lady had been through a lot of things. It impressed upon me that I was guided to this line of discussion and had said the exact right thing. The spirit told me that I needed to continue.

I said a quick prayer and then started listening for the spirit. I asked her if she was religious and she said that she was spiritual not religious. Immediately the spirit told me that she had felt betrayed and damaged by someone who she considered to be a religious figure and a person of trust. I said that to her and she said you’re absolutely right.

I told her about the pain and the stress it caused in her life and the darkness that resulted. These were the words that I felt to say so I said them. She said this is all too weird. How do you know so much about me?

I said I don’t know but the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, has whispered these things to me so God has let me know them. I told her that she had hid these things from the world but that God knew them. I told her she had hid these feelings from people but God knew them and he had revealed these words to me to tell her tonight in the car so that she could know of his love.

She said, yeah but you started out talking about suicide. How did you know that I tried to commit suicide when I was 15? I said, again, I didn’t know that but God knew that and he gave me those words for you so that you could know that he knew of your pain. I promised her that when she was in her pain, when she was in her darkness, God did not abandon her as she had previously thought. I promised her the God stayed with her and that likely he shed tears with her in those moments.

She said, wow. This is really quite an experience I’m having. The feelings I’m feeling are something that I haven’t felt in a long time. I told her that those feelings were the feelings of the spirit. I told her that God loves us and she had a relationship with him. I told her that this feeling was a manifestation of the relationship of God that she enjoys and that he sent his spirit to be in the car with us tonight.

I felt prompted to tell her that many times she drives by the church and every time she does she feels a desire to go but then is bombarded by negativity. I told her that she thinks that everyone there is a hypocrite, that they’re all judging her, that they are all arrogant and hateful. She said that’s exactly right I never thought of it that way. I told her that was Satan and that he was trying to keep her away from that place. I told her that he doesn’t want her to be happy and that he’s a liar. This is why he whispers those things in her ear.

I told her that God gives us free will and evil people are enabled by Satan to use that free will to damage and destroy. They hurt and maim. I told her Satan then tries to get us to blame God. Meanwhile God has given us Jesus Christ that we can turn to. He feels our pain, our sorrows and injustice. He suffered for our sins and made it so that we can live again with our father in Heaven. He made it so that we can live through our pain and suffering and still find joy. God would have us turn to Christ. Satan would have us turn away from God.

I told her more details about the man who was going to commit suicide that I had in my car. I told her the story about how God told me what to say by the spirit. In the end we he and I talked, prayed and we felt the love of God and we felt the presence of our Savior. I told her that it was the exact same thing that we were feeling in the car tonight. Clearly this was not something that she had expected to hear.

She told me, I do feel that spirit. I feel it very powerfully here in the car. I told her that because she’s felt that spirit she knows that the other things I’m telling her are true and she said, I know they’re true. She said, I am a member of your church but I haven’t been in decades. I consider myself to be spiritual not religious. I had convinced myself that the church wasn’t true.

She said, but in this ride I’ve just told you that I know it’s true, I know that to be true and I don’t know how to deal with it. She was very fidgety. I told her she needed to just relax and enjoy the spirit. She said that she would. I told her that her father in heaven really wanted to hear from her. She needed to pray. She needed to talk to him so that she could feel this in her life. She said she would. I reached into my glove box and grabbed a Book of Mormon, one of the copies by sister and brother Secrist.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yes, I have a Bible in my home. The wording of her phrase was not lost on me and I said again, do you have a Book of Mormon in your home. I emphasize the words BOOK OF MORMON that time and she said no. I said I want you to take this book. She hesitated for a second and then took it.

I had her open the front page and showed her the questions of the soul and had her read them. She said many of these are the same questions I have. I told her that the answers she seeks are in this book and that the spirit that she has enjoyed tonight will come through reading this book and praying to her father in heaven. She opened her purse and put the book in

I didn’t feel like I could ask her any further personal questions. but I knew that everything she had believed for over 20 years since she was a little girl had been thrown in the air and swept away.

She had a neatly organized view of how the world was. She had constructed this world to explain why God hadn’t saved her and tonight she found out that he had. He sent his son Jesus Christ and she’s been given the tools where she can accomplish that.

I told her, as you contemplate these things, one thing you always need to remember is that tonight your Heavenly Father who loves you, reached out and gave you a hug. He wants to walk with you and be with you. Reading this book, prayers and going to church are the ways for you to do that. She thanked me and walked away.

She’s got a lot to think about but I know she felt the spirit, I know she knows that what I said is true and I know that she will never be able to forget or deny that. Most of all she knows that her father in heaven loves her and never quit loving her.

I think she finds her way back in the end. Now God has shown her that there is more power in being spiritual and religious.

It was a Monday night and I was going to work and then after work drive up to Idaho to give my dad a blessing. I was going to work until 1:30 am or so but around 12 o’clock I decided to take my last ride and go.

As I drove out of town to the Mavrek with the cheapest gas in the Salt Lake or Utah valleys, I got a ride clear out in the industrial areas by West Valley City.

At first I thought that I wouldn’t take that ride because I wanted to get on the way. I was a little tired and a lot worn out. It’s been a long couple of weeks and I have been working a lot of hours. I just wanted to get to Idaho safely.

As I reached down to touch the cancel button, I received a distinct impression that I should not cancel this one. I needed to take this ride. I pulled my hand back, put it on the steering wheel and away I went.

I pulled into the driveway of the warehouse and waited. He saw me, came out and he jumped in the car. I asked him where he was from, and he said that he was from Samoa. I said “Talofa”, which means hello in Samoan.

He said, how does a white guy know that word? I told him that I used to serve in the missionary training center, and I got to hang out with all of the missionaries from outside the United States. I learned to say some words in a lot of their languages.

He said could you say some of them! Sometimes I try not to be a show off, but this was not one of those times. I said hello to him in Tongan, Samoan, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Laotian, French Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and Guarani.

He said, wow, that’s pretty impressive. He said, that’s some kind of a gift. I told him it was exactly that, it was a gift from God. I told him that God gave me the ability to learn those things so that I could connect with and show love to those missionaries when they came into the MTC. He said that’s really cool.

I asked him when was the last time he went to his church. I knew he wasn’t a member of the church but I was trying to figure out how active he was in his own church. He said that he was Pentecostal, but he hadn’t been to church since he was a very young boy.

I told him that it’s important to go to church so that we can have the influence of God in our lives. I told him that when we go to church, we learn that God loves us, and we learn things about ourselves and our relationship with God that we didn’t know before.

He asked, like what? I told him that many of the Polynesians in our church, believe that their ancestors are represented in the Book of Mormon. The look of interest on his face told me everything I needed to know about how ready he was to hear this.

I told him that in the Book of Mormon it mentions that people left in boats from the north west corner of South America. I told him that is where Colombia is today. I told him that I read a National Geographic story last year that said that the Indians of Columbia have genetic markers that are matches to the people in Polynesia. I told him that they assumed it’s because by Polynesians traveled to America but we know that they came from America.

I told him the Book of Mormon, testifies of Jesus Christ. I told him that the people who had lived in America were the ancestors of the Native Americans. They believed in God along with his ancestors. I told him that they had prophets and those prophets spoke with God and he gave them commandments, revelations and blessings.

I told him that Jesus Christ came to America, and then in America said, I still have other sheep, that I am commanded to go to. I told him that if he reads Isaiah he will find that the children of Israel were prophesied to be scattered all over the world, including the isles of the sea. I said, that means America, and that means Polynesia. I told him that God sent his son for all of his children, to save all of his children, because he loves all his children.

As I talked about prophets, his eyes lit up. I could tell he believed in prophecy, and that I was speaking a language that was familiar to him. I told him that the people who lived here in America were taught by the prophets about Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ would come to America once he had been resurrected in Jerusalem. I told him that God loved all of his children and not just the ones in Jerusalem and that he had promised he would send his son to his other sheep, other places in the world.

He did this through his prophets, both in the Bible, and in the Book of Mormon. I told him that Isaiah prophesied that he would go to Israel, but that Israel would be scattered all over the world, including the islands of the sea.

I told him that when Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem, he said that he had other sheep, and was commanded to go to them by his father. I told him that in America, he descended from heaven, pure and bright, and stood on the steps of the temple. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands, and he taught them and invited them to a new level, a higher level. I told him it was just like a new level in a video game. Once you accomplish the first level, you move up. I told him that’s what Jesus did. I told him all those people had been baptized, and he gave them a new baptizing by his authority and commanded them to be baptized.

I told him that all of these prophecies, along with this account of Jesus Christ were written on plates, metal plates, and given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I told him that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated them by the power of God so that we would have them today. This is how we know. We have prophets, and they speak with God.

I told him that this translation is the Book of Mormon. I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that he was called to be a prophet by God to restore the church on the Earth.

I told him that he called 12 and gave them this authority and commanded them to baptize the people. This way they could go to that higher level. I told him that Jesus gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost so that God could walk with them, all of the time.

The Holy Ghost was strong in the car and I said, do you feel that? He said oh wow, I really do. I feel so comfortable and loved in my heart right now. I told him that this is the feeling he feels in the presence of God. He said I knew it was the Holy Spirit but I never understood exactly that until you taught me.

I said to him, with the gift of the Holy Ghost we can know the things that God would have us do and we can know the things that God would have us say. I told him, right now, the Holy Ghost is whispering to me that as I’ve talked about Jesus and as I’ve talked about baptism, you felt good about it, but it’s always been really hard for you to be in these kinds of conversations because you feel dirty.

I told him that he had done some things, even some things recently that made him feel unworthy to be in the presence of God. He bowed his head and said, yes, how did you know? I told him that the Spirit of God whispered that to me so that he would know that the words I am saying are true, but that God has hope for him because he sent me to teach him about baptism.

I told him that when he is baptized, he will be cleansed from that sin, and will be pure before God. I told him that the baptism will be the thing that makes him feel like he can stand with confidence and power.

I asked him if he was married and he said yes, and he had a little boy. I asked him if he would like to be pure and clean before his family and with his family so that they could stand together before God. He said yes! That’s exactly what I’d like. I asked him if he would like to have God’s spirit in his home and with his family and he said yes.

I told him this message was for all of them then. I told him that when Jesus was on the Earth, he gave Peter the authority to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven. I told him that Peter gave that authority to Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith passed that authority down to the prophet we have today.

I told him that we use that authority to seal marriages and to seal families so that we can always be together. I told him that we do not do ‘“til death do us part” but that we marry for eternity, and that we will always be together.

He said, hold on just a second, are you telling me that we have a prophet on the earth today? I said yes! Yes, we do and he tells us the things that we need to know and the things that we need to do to be holy and serve God. He said I want to learn more about that guy.

He said that is an amazing thought that we can be sealed to our families forever. I told him that it was part of the next level, the higher level the Jesus brought. I told him it truly is a higher level of discipleship and of commitment, but also a higher level of blessings received.

He said he saw that and that a wonderful feeling was burning in his heart. By this time we had been sitting 15 minutes in front of his apartment and I received another ride. I promptly canceled that one so I could continue our conversation. I hadn’t intended on taking any new rides, but I neglected to turn off the machine.

Our conversation continued. I asked him if he would like to have a Book of Mormon and he said yes! I pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists for us, and I gave it to him. I explained to him the question’s of the soul. He read each one saying these are the questions I have had. These are the questions everyone has. I told him that the answers to the questions were found by the tabs in the book.

He asked “can I keep this? I said, yes. I said, do you have a friend who is a member of the church? He said yes! I have a cousin who is a member who went on a mission. I don’t know why it didn’t surprise me that a Polynesian had a cousin that was a member of the church! I asked him to read the book, pray to Heavenly Father and ask his cousin to answer his questions.

He said he was going to see his cousin the next day, and that he would do exactly that. I told him that as he reads the book and prays, he would feel the same spirit that we felt in the car and that he would know it’s true by that spirit. I told him that this feeling was kind of like a magnet that Heavenly father uses to bring us in if we allow it to.

He said that’s amazing. I know I’ve been sitting here a long time, but I love this feeling. I said, I love it too and I never get sick of it! I asked him if he had seen missionaries around. He said yes, there are some on bikes that live right in the building next to ours. I asked him if he would talk to them? He said he talked to them all the time.

I told him to tell them what had happened in the car that night, what he had felt, what he had learned and what he now knew to be true. He said that he would love to do that.

I told him my circumstance about going to give my dad a blessing and having my thoughts on spiritual things. I told him about how I believe that God had guided him to my car to receive this message, to receive this book, and to feel the spirit. I told him most of all God put him here in my car so that he could know what that spirit was and know that his father in heaven loved him. I told him that God loves everyone not just the people lived in Jerusalem and that meant him.

There was a silent reverent feeling in the car. Finally, he said, I think I need to go, but I promise that I will do the things I have said that I will do in this car. I want to have my family forever. I want to have the spirit with me all the time and I appreciate God putting me in your car.

He got out of the car and walked into his home.

On a personal note I drove to Idaho Falls after this ride. In the morning I helped my dad give my mom a blessing and then I gave my father a revelatory and powerful blessing releasing him from this life. He passed away less than 48 hours later. What an amazing experience to share at the end of a great life.

My dad read every blog post and told me how much he loved them every week. Now maybe he can ride along.

Love you dad

One day I finished my car wash and I just felt the impression to flip the app on in Orem to see if I could pick up a couple of quick rides. I got a ride and it wasn’t a quick ride. I was picking up at the Starbucks in Spanish Fork. My first impression was, what? My second thought was not to question the impression from the spirit.

As I drove to Spanish Fork, I contemplated what could be the reasoning for this ride. I was sure that it wasn’t an accident. I pulled into the driveway and this guy got in my car. He seemed like a nice kid and we talked about his name which was a little different. One thing about this kid was that he sat in the seat right behind me.

As he sat there, I looked in the mirror, and the spirit told me that we needed to discuss some things regarding this guy. I got the impression that he was taking the discussions, but was struggling.

Usually people don’t get in and sit in the seat behind you because they’re instructed to sit in the seat on the passenger side. This provides, the driver with a view of the person and maximum distance between the two. This rule was instituted during Covid as a safety precaution and was kept following Covid as a security precaution.

He wanted to hear driver stories. I told him about the one time I threw a guy out of the car by his belt and his ponytail. He laughed and thought that was funny. He asked if it was ever really scary. Seeing where he was sitting, I told him the story about the guy I referenced a couple weeks ago that was trying to attack me but was shocked by God. I told him that the guy sat in the seat right where he was sitting.

He apologized and asked if he should move and I said no, you’re OK! As I told the story, I asked him if it would be fine for me to discuss religion with him. He seemed a little standoffish.

We talked for a minute and finally, he said yes. I knew his answer would be yes because I knew that this was why I was sent there. I started by telling him that I bless my car with the power of the priesthood every day, so that the spirit of God will dwell in it and people will feel it. I ask that I will be protected from evil and danger. I then started to retell the story in minute detail, including Book of Mormon references regarding the power of God that Nephi used to shock his brothers. When I finished the story this time, he said, God really did protect you that day. I said yes, he protects me everyday.

He said, that’s amazing. I said, you know we see God’s hand in our life all the time. I told him that I had the feeling that he had heard about the Book of Mormon before. I told him I thought maybe he had been talking to some missionaries.

He said, how did you know?. I told him that the Spirit of God whispered it to my heart so that I could know to say those words. He told me that he was Greek Orthodox, and that he had been very religious his whole life.

I asked him how long the missionaries had been visiting him and he said, about five weeks now. I asked him to tell me what the things were that concerned him and were keeping him from joining the church. . I told him I knew that missionaries had asked him to be baptized and for some reason he hadn’t been baptized. I told him there must be a serious concern he has that makes him unwilling to commit.

He said, well yes, there are a few concerns. He said the Book of Mormon and the Bible contradict each other. He said, I don’t like that. He said, you use the King James Bible and some of the verses are different than the Bible are use. That explains some of it, but not all of it.

He said, missionaries told me that the Book of Mormon was a completion of the Bible. He said, that didn’t make any sense to him, because he didn’t think that the purpose of the Book of Mormon, or any other scripture would be to trump the Bible.

I told him that being a missionary is a difficult thing and trying to explain what you know in your heart can be a challenge. I asked him if I could take a crack at it. He said he would love that.

I told him the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith using the power of God. I told him that Joseph Smith translated the revelations and writings of the ancient prophets who lived in America. I told him that they wrote down the revelations that they received, and that God gave them revelation so that they could share God‘s will so that they could be happy. I told him God wants all of his children to be happy, and that because the people in America were his children, he wanted them to be happy so he gave them prophets and revelation.

I asked him if that made sense to him and he said yes. I said, does it make sense to you that they would write something so important down. He said yes. I told him that through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated this book, that included the visit of Jesus Christ to America. He had heard about that!

I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches about Jesus Christ all throughout the book, and that the people were looking forward to the arrival of Jesus. I told him that the people were listening to the prophets, reading the scriptures and being baptized.

He said, well, that’s another thing, they want me to get baptized and I just don’t know what’s wrong with my Greek orthodox baptism. It seems perfectly fine to me.

I told him that the people in the Book of Mormon had been all been baptized and that it mentions this in the chapters immediately preceding his arrival. I told him, that when Jesus came, the people came to him and felt the marks of the nails in his hands, and bathed his feet with their tears and they asked him to save them.

His direct response to that was to give them his baptism and teach them his new covenant. I told him that he called 12 and gave them authority to baptize and commanded that everyone be baptized even if they’re already been baptized so that they could take this step up to a new level. He invited them to do this so they could take on this new covenant that would bless their lives.

He invited everyone to be baptized and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost so that they could walk with God.

The spirit was strong in the car and I could tell he felt it. I could tell that he was polished and trying to act cool, but that veneer was cracking. Talking about Jesus Christ, and the truth of his gospel had an affect on this young man.

I told him it was the same for him. He needed to be baptized, not because God was angry or dismissive of his first baptism. I told him that God loved him for the faith he exhibited along with his family performing that baptism but that God had a higher level and a higher law. He wanted him to accept THAT baptism to take THAT step to THAT new level.

He said, oh, that makes more sense. He said why are there no histories or stories about Jesus coming to America if it happened. I told him about Cortez the Spanish conquistador. I talked about how when he arrived in America, the Aztecs received him as a god and gave him money and gold, because they thought that he was a bearded, white god that had dwelt among their ancestors and said that he would return someday. They thought Cortez was this great white God, and he robbed them blind.

I told him about Tulum that was built in 700 A.D.. I told him that the images carved into the stone reflect God the father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. I showed him my Tulum picture and he agreed. I asked him how in the world they could’ve known this at that time if Jesus hadn’t come to America.

He said that there was no way and that this made sense. I told him as much sense as these things make, the only reason to get baptized is because you know the things you’re hearing are true by the spirit. I testified to him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that Jesus really did love him. I testified to him that Jesus paid for his sins, and that he could be clean. I testified to him that the Book of Mormon was another testament of Christ not a completion of a former Testament of Christ.

I told him that the Book of Mormon helped give us perspective and then light which gives you an understanding of the Bible, but it didn’t complete it or upstage it in anyway.

I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches that God loves everybody and not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that God loves everyone everywhere no matter when they lived. I told him that we are even baptized for the people that have died so that everyone can get the chance to return home to their father.

He told me that the missionaries had taught, him this and that he thought that it was one of the most amazing doctrines. It was one of the things the made him believe and that made him seriously consider that our church may be true.

I told him that the spirit made me feel that he was uncomfortable about the Godhead. He said, I see contradictions in the Bible about the Godhead. The missionaries tell me that you believe that God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three people. The Bible teaches that it’s one person. He said the missionaries say that they’re one in purpose.

He asked me what I thought. I told him that I think that they are three separate people, but that the Godhead is a unit where these three men work as a unit we refer to as God. I told him that when Joseph Smith went to the sacred grove, God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I bore my testimony of that vision, and the spirit testified in the car powerfully that it was true. I told him that they work together to bless the father’s children and carry forward his work. He said, that makes sense, I like that explanation. .

He asked about how in John, it says that Christ was the word. If Christ is the word, how can there be more than one god. I told him that he had to realize that Jesus was Jehovah of the Old Testament who gave them their words, their commandments and laws under the direction of the father. Because of this he was the word, but then he was made flesh as it says a couple of verses later.

He said that makes more sense.

He told me that he didn’t know how it was that he ended up in my car today but this chat had really helped him. He said the missionaries had come over every weekend for the last five weeks. He said they really want him to get baptized but they haven’t had really great answers for these questions. He said today, I got those.

He said the missionaries will be really excited to hear this report. I bore my testimony to him and told him that if he will do the things and make sure he prays, the spirit of God will confirm the truth in his soul. I told him that there’s no reason to be baptized, unless the Spirit of God confirms that it’s true.

I asked him, what have you felt in your heart while we’ve been talking? He said that his heart had been kind of troubled but that as we talked today, it had soothed that angst, and he felt confidence. I told him that this was the spirit of God testifying to him that these things were true. I told him to tell the missionaries that as well. He said that these were private questions that he hadn’t asked them, but now it was all OK.

I asked him what he thought God would have him do now that he had received a witness? He said, follow it!

He said again, I still can’t believe how this ride has gone. He said, drivers never talk to me about these kinds of things. This ride has changed everything. He thanked me and got out of the car.

I can’t wait for those missionaries to find out, that these important questions that have kept him from the waters of baptism now all have answers.

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It’s LGBTQAI pride celebration this month. This weekend is the big kickoff in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake is full of all kinds of people promoting and celebrating sin. Driving in that morass can be difficult because passengers are very crude and combative.

Many of them will take that opportunity to rip on me for being a member of the church. Their hateful words and abusive actions make it hard to feel the spirit sometimes. I rely heavily on the blessing that I put on my car asking that the spirit will be there. That spirit really helps me through. By the end of the night I feel very drained,

I had just dropped off a person and was making my way through a crowd of people cheering with signs filled with vulgarity and mocking God when I got a ride. The ride was very close and so I cruised over to pick him up.

This man stood out from the other people around him. I knew right away that he was different and the spirit prompted me that we would be talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of this prompting, I immediately started thinking about ways we could bring up the gospel as a topic of discussion.

When he got in the car, I asked him where he was from. He told me where he was from and mentioned that since he moved here, he has really enjoyed living here a lot more than the other places he had lived.

He said, normally there’s a peace living in this city that I’ve never experienced in any other cities around the world that I’ve lived in. He said I like it! Then he said he couldn’t wait for this festival to be over because it doesn’t feel the same today.

I pointed out to him but it’s going to be a whole month so will have to hunker down. We laughed for a minute, and then I said, so why do you think it is that it feels different here.

He said,, it is the people. There’s something about the people! He said that it’s not all the people but a good portion of the people. You can tell they have something and it transforms the area.

I asked him if he wanted me to tell him what that was and he said yes! I told him that people here are members of the church, and that there are a lot of them. I told him that as members of the church we believe in Jesus Christ and we believe in following his commandments.

I told him that as the father who gave those commandments, God gives us peace and those around us feel that peace. I asked him if he felt that in the car? He said yes! It was all crazy out there, but when I got in your car, I could feel that peace and that’s why I’m so excited to talk about it.

I told him that as we live the commandments of God, we as members of the church are allowed to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I told him that the Holy Ghost and his influence is what he feels that makes him so peaceful. He said that’s amazing.

I told him that I had lived in some other places too, including Argentina, where I went on my mission. He said, that’s so cool I lived in Buenos Aires for a while as well. He said that he really liked Buenos Aires, but it wasn’t very peaceful.

I asked him what he knew about the church. He said, not really that much. I asked him if he wanted me to tell him a few things, and he said yes

The Holy Ghost whispered to my heart and let me know that he was a Catholic so I approached it so as to answer his Catholic questions. I said, first off your Catholic and the things you believe are important to you. I told him, we believe most of what you believe but then we believe a whole bunch of things that you guys don’t know about yet.

He said, how did you know I was Catholic? I said the Holy Ghost let me know by whispering to my heart that you were Catholic. He said that was amazing and that he would love to hear more.

I told him that we believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that when Jesus was on the earth, he established his gospel, then he was crucified and later resurrected. After he was resurrected, he told the people that he had other sheep in other places, and that he was going to go to them.

I asked him, where do you think those other sheep were that he was going to go to? He said wow I’ve never thought of that. He said, I wonder where that could be? I told him that Jesus came to America.

The spirit emphasized to me that he had either Latin or Native American heritage, and so I asked him, “does God love your ancestors from here in America, just as much as he loved the people in Jerusalem?“. He thought for about 1/3 of a second and fired back with a fervent yes! God loves everyone. I told him we’re all God’s children and the people in America were God’s children every bit as much as the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that God had called prophets in America to give his commandments and teach his will to them. people who were his ancestors. I told him that God loved them so he gave them his word and his commandments, so that they could be happy.

I told him that as we see here, when you obey the commandments, you feel peace and you are more happy. That’s why God sent his commandments through his prophets to the people in America. I told him that these prophets wrote the prophecies down on metal plates through all of the years.

I told him that those plates also contained the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I told him that Jesus Christ descended from heaven. He descended down until he stood on the steps of the temple. The people marveled. They came and felt the prints of the nails in his hands and bathed his feet with their tears. They knew that this was Jesus Christ. They knew that this was their God. They had been taught by their prophets that Jesus would come and visit them in America and here he stood in front of them. He taught them his doctrine and gave them a higher level of discipleship.

After this they said, with one voice hosanna. I asked him what that meant. He said I think it’s a praise, isn’t it? I said that he was partially right but the actual translation of that word is save us.

He said, oh, it’s a petition for salvation. I said yes. I asked him what he thought Jesus did in response to that, and he said, Jesus Christ would save them. I said that’s exactly what he did. He called up 12, he gave them authority to baptize. Then he commanded everyone there, even though they had previously been baptized, and believed in him to be baptized again by this authority that he had given, and in the way that he had taught.

When they asked to be saved he did exactly that. He gave them the baptism that would make them eligible to go to heaven and live with their father in heaven. He said that’s so cool.

I said Jesus taught them and blessed them, and then he said still other sheep I have, which are not of this fold or the land of Jerusalem or the lands adjacent, and that he had been commanded by his father to go to them so that they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I asked him, where else do you think Jesus went. We talked about the possibilities. I talked about things i’ve learned about other cultures that seem to fit, and he thought that was great.

I told him that the writings of the prophets, and the account of the visit of Jesus Christ were translated by a prophet of God named Joseph Smith. I told him about Joseph Smith and how he was given these plates. He translated the plates by the power of God so that we have these prophecies today.

I told him that the Book of Mormon really is another testament of Jesus Christ because it testifies about Jesus Christ, his divinity, and witnesses that he is the son of God. I asked him if he’d ever seen a Book of Mormon, and he said no.

I pulled out one of the copies of the Book of Mormon I carry with me prepared by the Secrists, and gave it to him. I explained to him how it works, as well as the questions of the soul in the front. I said, this book is your book. He said I will read it. I love to read, I testified to him of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and of the prophet Joseph Smith. The spirit was very powerful in the car and I asked him if he could feel it. He said yes.

I asked him what it felt like. He said, a tremendous peace and assurance that the things we were talking about were true, even though they sounded a little bit different than what he had heard before. He said, I like this feeling, I like this!

I told him that we have a prophet today that leads us and guides us because this world is very evil, and there are a lot of people and a lot of things trying to take us away from the path of God. He said, you mean like all of those people downtown.

I said yes, all of those people downtown. He asked me what our prophet had to say regarding, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, and all of the proclivities being celebrated downtown. He said I just can’t believe it’s from God. What does your prophet have to say.

I said, well, being a prophet he and his predecessors foresaw this years ago. They put together a document, called the proclamation on the family that discusses our roles and our purpose in life with regards to our gender and family status. I told him the family is the most important thing for us. I told him that we’re not married until we die, we’re married for eternity and our families are together for eternity.

I told him Peter had the power to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven, and we have that same power. I told him our marriages and our families are sealed together by the power of God, it talks about all of this in the proclamation of the family.

I asked him if he’d like a copy of the proclamation on the family as well. He said absolutely! I looked it up on my Internet and I texted it over to him. He said, I can’t wait to read this!

He said, these things have given me such hope. Hope for me, and hope for our world. With all the evil in it, our world needs this help.

The spirit was strong in the car, and I asked him again to identify what he felt. Again, he said he felt an amazing amount of peace. I told him that this was the power of God letting him know that the things I was saying were true. I told him that he was placed in my car by God to receive these things today.

He said, I know I was because this is just what I needed. He said that he had been feeling a little lost and this brought him back. He said that he loves this spirit and that he knows the things that we had discussed were true.

He said, you know I’ve never heard these things before, and you would think they would be a little strange to hear the first time. But they’re not strange they seem right on and perfect. I know that it’s the power of God that confirmed it to my heart that helped me understand that.

He needed to go, but he told me how much he appreciated it and asked me what he should do next. I asked him if he knew any people that were members of the church and he said yes, he worked with one. I told him to go to that person and discuss with him what had happened in the car that day. This person would help him know what to do.

He asked me if he could text me if he has any questions while he’s reading and I said yes. Before he left, I looked him in the eye and I said, remember when Jesus came to America and he invited those people to be baptized to this new level? He is inviting you to be baptized to that same level as well. This is his invitation to you and that’s why I’m here today.

He said I know that’s true. I’m going to follow up with my friend at work. He’s always talking about church. I think he will be glad to help me.

He said that he was glad that Heavenly Father could pull him out of that evil and put him in a holy place to learn his word. Then he got out of my car and went into his appointment.

I guess all that stuff going on in the street can cut both ways, can’t it!?