I picked up a kid at a bakery one night. I love bakeries! Alecia and I have always said the bakeries make people happy and I believe that to be a true principle of happiness. This young man was no exemption.
He seemed to be very happy and we were talking about life. We did the where are you from question. I always ask this question because no one is ever from Salt Lake that I drive. He said that he was born and raised! I said, you’re the one! He laughed and we started talking a bit about growing up in Utah.
He lived in Valley City, in kind of a rough area. He was about 21 years old. I didn’t think by the looks of him that he was a member of the church but the spirit told me that he was and that I should ask him about missions.
I told him that I wasn’t from Utah, that I was from Idaho and that I came here to go to BYU after my mission. I told him I went to Argentina on my mission.
He said, oh, I have a friend that’s in Perú on a mission. I said that’s really cool, are you close? He said yes! I felt impressed to tell him that I knew he was a member of the church and say last year when you considered going on a mission you felt like you couldn’t leave your family but now those things have resolved themselves. Don’t you think it’s time to reconsider going on a mission? He said, how did you know that? I told him the spirit of God put those words in my heart to say.
I told him that I had the impression as well that he was questioning the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the church all together. He lowered his head and said yes.
I told him that I believe that these doubts were I just planted in his mind by Satan to try to keep him from going on a mission and that he knew that. I told him rather than fight these impressions and turn to his he entertained those thoughts and began to doubt. He said that’s exactly what it was like. He just didn’t have that feeling of truth anymore like he had at one time.
I asked him why he thought it was important for a young man to go on a mission. He said he didn’t know. I asked him if it would be all right for me to tell him what I thought and he said yes.
I told him that there are a couple reasons but first and foremost because Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he went to the sacred grove and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared just as surely as he was sitting in my car. When I said this the spirit began to burn in the car. I testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and how that message was a message that needed to be shared.
I told him about how the Book of Mormon taught the everyone need to be baptized. It taught that Jesus descended from heaven dressed in white and loved the people. They touch the prints of the nails in his hands and he gave them baptism and he invited them to be baptized. I told him that when you are a missionary you are the literal ambassador of Christ bringing that invitation that Jesus himself gave to the people. I could tell in the mirror that he was paying attention and I could see the spirit working in his countenance
I told him that as a father one of the most important things we do is give blessings to our children. We give them blessings when they’re sick, we give them blessings when they don’t feel good or when they’re going to school. I asked him how important it was for a father to be able to bless his child by the power of the spirit and the priesthood? He said very important. I asked him where do you think I learned how to do that? He said on a mission? I said yes sir.
I also said, when you’re giving that blessing it’s important to recognize the voice of God to your heart and say the words he would have you say and make the promises he would have you promise. I asked him where he thought I learned how to do that? He said on a mission? I said yes sir.
I asked him if he had felt the spirit in the car and he said he felt it like he had never felt it before. I asked him what the presence of the spirit in the car with us tonight meant and he said it means I’m supposed to go on a mission.
I could tell this was a good kid, I told him that as he reads the Book of Mormon this desire to share that will consume him. I looked back in the mirror and I could see tears streaming down his face.
I said, tonight you know that the church is true. Tonight you know that you’re supposed to go on a mission and he said yes, I know that. He said I’ve never felt like this.
I asked him what he needed to do next and he said he needed to go to his bishop. I told him he could be a great missionary and that peace he felt tonight is something he could take to others. He said that’s what he wanted to do. He asked me what my name was again and I told him. He thanked me and said it was his best ride ever. He promised me he would go to church this Sunday as well as see his bishop and get working on this.
I was thinking about this and the push the brethren made for young men to go on missions last general conference. It’s clear to me that Satan is working extra hard on them because if he wins, even if they stay in the church, without a mission they are less prepared as fathers and servants in the kingdom than they would’ve been had they served.
Sometimes God sends you a lift 