One Saturday I was driving in Salt Lake and I picked up a young man of Tongan decent. Realizing that he was Polynesian and being told he was Tongan I went straight into my linguistics bag of tricks and pulled out every Tongan word I know, malo aleile. He said wow! I am impressed. Do you speak Tongan? I laughed and said no! That’s it, that’s all you get. He laughed he said where did you learn that?
I told him that I learned it serving in the MTC when I worked with the international missionaries. I learned to greet most of them with the word hello from their language so I knew how to say one word. He laughed and said well, that’s better than most.
He told me that he was baptized a member of the church when he was eight but he didn’t think he’d been back since.
I quickly started feeling a tremendous amount of our father in heaven‘s love towards this man. It was very clear to me that he was an important son of our Heavenly Father and that he didn’t have a clue how important he was to our father in heaven.
He told me that his heritage was very important to him and that he was an instructor of Tongan dance. I think that’s really cool. He told me he was on his way to the dance studio right now. I told him that the Tongan culture along with the Polynesian culture in general it’s something that’s very interesting.
The spirit whispered to me that I needed to start talking to this young man about the Book of Mormon. I said the origins of your people have a lot to do with my religion. I told him that I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and that the Book of Mormon teaches about the origins of the Polynesian people. I told him the story of Hagoth and building the boats and leaving.
I told him that the Nephites had several people who were adventurous and wanted to explore. They built boats, big boats, and left from America but never returned. I told him that I believe that these were the Nephites that became the Polynesians.
I told him about the article I read in National Geographic two years ago that talked about how they had found a genetic link between the Indians in Columbia and the people of Polynesia. I told him that they explained it as the Polynesians being very adventurous probably came to America and left people there. They came up with this theory because they didn’t have records that the people of America ever traveled out, but we do and we know they have it backwards. We have the rest of the story.
I told him that Columbia matches up very well with the Book of Mormon description of where the Nephites embarked on their journey in the sea. We talked about how the ocean currents there flow towards the Polynesian islands.
I asked him if he knew anything about Nephi, he said no. I said the Book of Mormon says the Nephi was a man that was large in stature and he was quite energetic. I told the story of Nephi grabbing Zoram and holding him. Imagine holding a grown man Into submission. A man who was the guard of the treasury. He had to be a very large and strong man. I asked him if he knew any very large people. He said every Polynesian pretty much. We laughed. He said, those are my people.
He said, this makes total sense! He told me of the similarities between Polynesian dance and the native dances of Central and South America. He found that very interesting given the context of the conversation. He told me that it was cool to learn all the stuff.
At this point I was feeling the spirit very profoundly and I could tell that he was too. I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon. That is was translated by the power of God. I told him that it was his legacy. That these were his people and it shows God‘s love for him and his ancestors. I told him that Jesus Christ came to America and then went to other people which would’ve included some of his ancestors.
I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I told him that I know that Joseph Smith prayed and that God the father and Jesus Christ appeared in him. I told him I knew that, as surely as he was sitting in the car. I told him that God called Joseph Smith to restore the church and translate the book.
As I spoke about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon I could see his countenance change. In that ride, so far we had gone from head down, shadowy countenance to head up, engaged countenance, to now where there was sparkling in his eyes and there seem to be a light around him. I asked him how he was feeling right now. He said, I’m freaking out a little bit! He said that it was an amazing feeling and he was tingly and that he knew the things we were saying were true. I told him that was the Spirit of God and that’s how he helps us know when things are true.
I told him that God put him in my car today to receive this message. I told him that what he was feeling was the presence of God and others including his ancestors who were interested in his salvation. I told him that they were very influential in what was going on in the car right then. They wanted him to have this truth even as he honored them and their culture. They wanted him to know that this was his heritage too, to serve God.
I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said yes but that he really didn’t read that much and wasn’t good at it. He never read it and hadn’t really been to church since he was eight. I said that we could fix that. I asked him if he had the Church app and explained to him that the scriptures are on the church app and that you can play the Book of Mormon and listen to it as you drive.
He said that he would do this and promised that he would read or listen 20 minutes a day either to or from work.
I talked to him about Moroni’s promise, How he needs to read it and make a decision on whether or not he thinks it’s true. I told him based on what we felt today that question could be answered. I then told him he needed to go to God with a sincere heart, with faith and with real intent meaning he’s going to act on it and ask God to confirm it to him. I told him that when God confirmed it, he would feel just like it does right now. This familiar feeling is the feeling of being in God‘s presence. I had him read the scripture, Moroni 10: 3-5 so that he could feel the power of those words, and he did.
I told him about this blog and that God puts people in my car to get a message from time to time. I told him that it’s clear from the impressions that I had received that this was his case. He told me he was interested in reading my blog and asked me if I would text him the link so I did.
You could feel the light in the car and you could see the light shining around him. I told him we started our conversation talking about his ancestors and we’re ending it talking about them because they were there and they were helping and they were behind this.
We sat in the car for quite some time and he didn’t want to leave. The spirit was so strong. You could see a change happening in him as the spirit took him by the hand. He told me that this changed everything and he re-confirmed to me that he would read the Book of Mormon and start going to church. Finally after a few minutes he had to go and got out of the car.
On his way out of the car he said, by the way, my brother and I have family names. My name is Moroni and my brother’s name is Ammon. I’m sure my family was here with us today. We said goodby and I was fired up and had goosebumps.
About 10 minutes later I realized I needed to get some information from him and luckily I had his phone number so I could text. I felt very impressed that I needed to talk to him again so I asked him if I could speak to him on the phone. He said yes.
When we talked he told me that he had been out driving up and down the street listening to the Book of Mormon. He said he was loving it and he was still riding that wave of the spirit. I was so happy. I told him that I was impressed to tell him something but I had forgotten to do it until after he was out of the car.
I told him that the spirit whispered to me that he was wondering about the spirit, what it was and where it came from. I proceeded to discuss with him the nature of our relationship with our father in heaven and how our spirits know him and have a relationship with him. I discussed with him the feeling of that relationship which was unique to him and what he had been feeling that day. It was a manifestation of his relationship with God developed over thousands of years in the pre existence.
He said, that is amazing! That is the exact question I had and I’ve been thinking about it since i left the car. How did you know? I told him that I didn’t know but God knew and that the Holy Ghost revealed it to my heart.
I know that he reads this blog and I hope he can always keep with him the memory of the things he felt that day. I pray that he can find the strength to walk the path with God at his side.
Sometimes God sends you a lift 