The other day I was driving in Orem and I got a call to go over and pick someone up at Krispy Kreme. I thought that was a great place to go but when I got there they weren’t there. I spent 10 minutes chasing down the moving icon of where this person was.
We get a map and it shows the spot that we’re supposed to do the pick up as well as the location of the cell phone that placedthe order. Those two things weren’t anywhere near each other. The pick up location was at Krispy Kreme and the other was a moving target.
I ended up going around and down the hill and finally found this young man at the hotel right below Krispy Kreme. The location and challenges didn’t end there.
He got in the car and we started out for aspen grove where the GPS told us to go. He talked about how he was a tick-tok star and that he was labeled an influencer. He was out in Utah doing a shoot with his girlfriend. He was from California and a high school football player. We talked about football quite a bit. His father played pro and he was a very good athlete who played on the national championship team for his age as both quarterback and cornerback.
I told him that I had been a high school football coach and that I had two players who I coached that were playing in the NFL. That got his attention.
I asked him if he knew anything about the church, he said a bit because his girlfriend was a member of the church and a long time ago the missionaries were going to their house but that he didn’t remember much. He said that his mom would have gotten baptized but didn’t want to do it without the rest of the family and her husband at the time didn’t want to.
I asked him if he wanted to know more and he said that it would sure make his girlfriend happy!
I asked him if he had ever heard about the Book of Mormon. He said that he had but that he didn’t know anything about it. I described that the book was a religious account of the ancestors of the Native Americans. I told him it teaches us about God and how to walk with God. I discussed with him that Jesus came to America and then went to other lands and other peoples who were not in America or in Jerusalem or the lands roundabout.
Being part Polynesian he had heard that some believe that their ancestors came from America. I pointed out that this comes from the Book of Mormon. I also discussed how earlier this year National Geographic published a finding that there is a DNA match between Polynesians and the native Indians of Columbia. The interesting thing about that is the description in the Book of Mormon about the location from which the Nephites who departed into the sea on the west matches exactly with Columbia.
He was extremely interested and fascinated.
I told him that it wasn’t the proof that the Book of Mormon was true but that it was amazing evidence of the Book of Mormon. I told him that the Book of Mormon was carved into plates of gold and translated by the power of God. I talk to him about Joseph Smith and how he was 14-years-old and God appeared to him. He loved this because he was a young man himself and I think he saw himself in the Joseph Smith story. He loved the thought of Jesus Christ coming to America. He loved that it was so inclusive. I told him that when Jesus went to America and then to his other sheep it was an amazing demonstration of God’s love for all of his children regardless of their race or location. When I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph smith the car was quiet and the spirit was loud.
I asked him if he felt that and he said yes. I said what is it, how does it feel. He said it felt like excitement and calm all at the same time. I told him that this was the spirit of God and when he felt this he knew that God was showing him the path that he would like him to take. He was showing him the truth.
I also told him my belief that the reason why people like to paint paintings or argue about the color of Jesus’ skin is because the memory and blessing of Jesus Christ visiting their ancestors still lingers in their spiritual DNA. The truth is that nothing matters less than the color of Jesus. The only thing we know is that he was a Jew.
We talked about the word of wisdom and with him being an athlete he really thought it was great. Good for training good for athletes! When I pointed out that it has been nearly 200 years since the revelation was received and that it was only 50 years ago or so that doctors decided that smoking and drinking was bad for you, he saw that as evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He thought that was so cool that God would tell a man something so far in advance of people finding it out through science.
We talked about baptism and repentance. How when we are baptized we repent and become clean. You come out of the waters of baptism as clean as you were on the day you were born. He thought that sounded like it would be awesome. I then been told him about repentance and how after we’re baptized we need to repent when we make a mistake. I told him that even if he’s done something wrong in the past it can be cleaned and wipe off his list of sins if he repents. He duly noted that you sure shouldn’t go into a sin knowing that later you’ll just repent. He felt God would not look kindly on that!
Being a top level athlete and his dad having been an NFL player he was very interested in BYU football. We tried to schedule a tour but because of NCAA black out on recruiting we were not able to do this. He was impressed however by the honor code and how each person signed that honor code. He believed that this would give them an advantage athletically. Being part Tongan made him very interested in some day to meeting Kalani Sitaki.
We talked about if you play for the University of Texas you represent the University of Texas, it’s alumni and it’s sponsoring institution which is a very good thing and worthy of greatness. However, when you play at Brigham Young University you also represent the university, it’s alumni and it’s sponsoring institution which is the kingdom of God on earth. He loved that. I told him when you play for BYU you represent the church and it is attached to your name forever and allows you to be a missionary at a level most people only dream of.
He remembered that his mom‘s current husband was a member of the church. Right after talking about this, he received a call from his mothers husband and discussed with him what we were talking about. He was really excited after the call and said that the family will be looking into the church.
He asked me if it would be possible for missionaries to come to his house and teach his family. I said they would love to go to his house and teach his family and I will set it up. He gave me his address and phone number and they are working out lessons with the missionaries now. You just never know when you start down a path where it’s going to lead. Hopefully someday that leads to an All-American quarterback for BYU.
The funny thing here is how this ended. We went up to Aspen Grove to wait for his girlfriend. It turns out she was at the other end of the Alpine Loop at American Fork Canyon. We had to drive all the way over there to meet up with her. The good news is the spirit drove with us! I look forward to hearing the end of the story
Sometimes God sends you a lift 