Our father leads us, guides us and walks besides us! He helps us find the way!

I picked up a young man of Scandinavian descent at the airport. He was coming back from a Christian vision conference in Sacramento.

Once he got in the car he talked about how crazy everyone was over covid and how in california the governor had banned the exercise of worship. He saw that as evil and wondered out loud about how people so quickly and eagerly trade freedom for a promise of security.

We talked about masks as a metaphor even as he wore one. He said that people believe more in masks than they believe in God. I said that with the virus all over the place you would think that people would turn to God for truth and protection.

He said that’s right! That’s exactly right. I said that if people believed in God they would have more peace. He said he was looking for that peace even though he said he was already Christian,

He said “ I can tell, you’re Mormon aren’t you! I have good friends who are Mormon!” I told him that I was a member of the church for sure.

I told him that one of the leaders of our church, one of our apostles had made a statement on religious freedom in these times and I showed it to him. https://vimeo.com/565069157. He loved the video! He was touched by the power of the words from a Elder Bednar.

I asked him if he knew what the difference was between other Christian religions and our church.

He said he didn’t know, he had never asked LDS friends. He asked me what the difference was, I told him that we believe that Jesus is the God of all the world, of all the peoples of the whole world and he went to America and then other places to be just that. I went into detail on how Christ came to America to visit his other sheep and then in America indicated that he had still other sheep that hadn’t heard his voice and that he was going to visit them.

I asked him if a loving father would send his son to just one people or if he’d send him around the world to bless all of his children, he said,”that feels right that makes more sense”. He said what “you say makes me feel calm and sounds right.”

He asked me how he could read about this. I took that opportunity to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith, seeking for truth just like he was and the first vision. I told him about the Book of Mormon. I told him that it was the religious legacy of God’s children here in America and that it bears pure testimony of Christ and the teachings of his prophets. I told him it contains the account of Jesus’ visit to America. I told him that reading the Book of Mormon is the best way to walk with God.

The spirit was strong and I asked him what he felt. He said, a powerful calm. He said he felt that what I said was true.

I asked him if he wanted to know another difference, he said yes. I asked him

if everyone needed to be baptized? He said yes. I asked him if somebody born in China 800 years ago had the opportunity to be baptized, he said no. I asked him if God loved everyone equally no matter when they were born or where they were born, he said yes. I talked about how for three days while Christ’s body lay in the tomb he went to the spirit world to organize the preaching of the gospel. We read this from Peter and he was blown away. He had never paid attention to that.

I asked him if it would be just if these people, who now had been taught and believed, were left out because they weren’t able to be baptized. He thought for a minute and said no! Christ would not have done that to them. It would have been cruel and God isn’t cruel. I told him about how in Ephesians it says that they did baptisms for the dead and told him this was God‘s plan. The people were baptized for and in behalf of someone who had died so they could accept that ordinance and all Gods children could have the opportunity to come home. We do this in our temples today so everyone gets this opportunity.

He said the words you are saying are new and different but the feeling I feel of calm and peace makes me believe that what you’re saying is true. I told him that’s how the spirit works and that is how God works with us.

The spirit confirms truth. Once we hear truth the spirit confirms it to us and that’s how we walk with God. I asked him if he wanted to walk with God, he said yes. I told him that when we as fathers teach our children we don’t walk around giving constant direction or approval. We let them learn to follow instructions or let them figure it out. We give them answers and guidance if they have a question or say no if they are wrong. I told him that this is how God works too. He is a father and that’s why we feel confirmations of the decisions we make. God is a father that doesn’t walk around and lead you by the hand to everything. He walks by your side and expects you to use your intelligence and everything he has given you. He then confirms or rejects your decision. He said that sounds right.

I told him his spirit knew God and that when it was in the presence of God his spirit knew that this is where it was supposed to be. This is why he felt calm and this is why he felt peace and a recognition when we discussed these doctrines that were all new to him.

He asked me about people manipulating feelings of the heart and how you could know the difference. I said that’s why it’s so important to know from the doctrine and have that confirmed, both from your head and your heart. We discussed how people can tell a story or some other way make an emotional play and you have to know how Gods presence feels because emotions can play you.

He said yes! This is much stronger than an emotion. I told him about how I shouldn’t have been sent to pick him up where he was. The app had overridden my set preference and I was compelled to the airport. I told him that there is no such thing as coincidence only Gods hand in our lives. I told him God puts people in my car sometimes and I give them a message that he has for them. The spirit whispers those messages to my heart and that this is what had been happening with us today.

I asked him if he was good friends with the Mormons he knew, he said yes. I told him to go to them and tell them that he had a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon in the car with a driver and that he wanted to know more. He said he would. I reached in my bag and pulled out one of the Book of Mormons I have prepared by Sister Secrist and gave it to him. I told him that this was his roadmap. He was touched. I told him that God would walk with him through the process

I asked him what he thought right now. He said, I’m not ready to become a Mormon just yet but i know that what we have talked about is true. I’m very interested in learning everything I can and following this path.

One of the beautiful things about having the fullness of the gospel is that we don’t have to tear down what they believe, they already have some of the truth. We add truth to the truth they already know and complete the picture. It feels good when they see that picture and what a blessing it is for us to help them see it.