Not anymore

I picked up a young lady downtown in Salt Lake City from a bar called London Belle. I was expecting her to come out and be pretty much sloshed like everyone that comes out of that place. I was a little upset to begin with because this was going to be one of those trips clear on top of the mountain in the southwest corner of the valley. That’s a money loser folks.

I decided to take it anyway because I was feeling good. The ride right before this one I had picked up a young man and we discussed the gospel. It ended up a bit of miraculous experience. I was flying high so I decided to pick up this trip as well. I guess I thought I was being generous or magnanimous.

She got in the car and we started to drive. I noticed she was a very happy person and I told her that and she said people tell me that all the time. She said I just had to go home because I wasn’t gonna sit around with a bunch of drunks from work.

She said I’ve got little kids and I’m a single mother and I feel like I need to get home to my children. I told her that’s the right call and I supported that 100%.

As we drove down the road she started talking about her life.

She talked about her baby daddy, the father of her five children and how he had not been faithful to her and that he left her damaged.

We talked about how crazy it is out there now, people don’t seem to have great morals in some circles. She very much agreed and said that wasn’t the way she was raised.

This girl was not very modestly dressed and seemed a little wild but I received a prompting that this too would be opportunity to share my testimony. I started looking for a way to bring up the gospel.

She talked about how she had thought about driving Uber and that she was a little bit afraid because she was afraid of people sometimes. I asked her how she knew which people to be afraid of and she said she gets a feeling, an intense feeling around people who aren’t good.

I told her that driving Uber was dangerous but that I felt like I had protection from God. She told me that even though she was raised Buddhist she didn’t believe in that either and considered herself atheist. She played the religion role for family members.

I told her my story about the guy who came between the seats to attack me and God struck him almost as if with a taser.

She said well I’ve thought of myself as atheist.

I told her that story knowing that this was the opportunity that God had given me to use that previous experience to open up an avenue for testimony with this young lady. I told her about how I had prayed and that the power of God was very evident.

I told her that God works with us and he helps us in good times and bad. I told her that it seemed like she’d have a rough patch for much of her life. She said she had and she had some very heartbreaking experiences. I told her God knew that but that he loved her and wanted her to look to his son Jesus Christ to lift her.

She said well I’m Buddhist. I was raised Buddhist and whenever I do anything with regards to Christianity my family tells me they’re going to disown me. It’s very difficult for me. I said I am sure it is.

I told her about her relationship with God and how she was his daughter. I testified of his love and it filled the car. I could tell she felt it. I asked her how it felt right then and she said right now I know this is right.

I told her, I’m sure that it is very difficult. I discussed with her how Satan is always in her ear telling her that she’s damaged, telling her that she’s not worthy and telling her that she doesn’t belong with God. I told her that Satan is a liar. I said he’s a liar and everything he says is a lie.

I told her that anything that teaches a man not to pray or not to come to God is of Satan. I told her that I learned that in the Book of Mormon. She said, oh, I have gone to the Mormon church many times. My ex/baby daddy is a member of the Mormon church and we would go together.

I didn’t know whether she would be happy or angry but I decided to just roll with it. I asked her what she felt when she was at church. She said she felt calm and peace and that’s why she kept going to the Mormon church. She said she never felt anything like that before even though her family is Buddhist. She said that when she prayed to Budda she didn’t feel anything but when she prayed to God she felt his spirit.

I asked her if that kind of made her decision for her about what she should be doing and she said yes. She said that God had always given her the ability to tell good people from bad people. She knew when she got in the car that night that I was good and that this ride would be special. She said she could feel the presence of God in the car. I told her how God gives us capacity to do things that we’re not normally able to do. I explained to her gifts of the spirit and how once people have the gift of the Holy Ghost these abilities to perceive things are intensified because of the presence of the Holy Ghost. I told her that God gives us gifts of the spirit to serve each other and do his will.

I asked her if she had been baptized while she was attending church and she said no. I discussed with her the importance of baptism for becoming clean so the Holy Ghost can dwell with us and fill us with that peace and that feeling that she enjoyed so much.

She said, I’ll tell you one thing I’ve never felt it as strong as I feel it right now in this car. I told her that God gave her that so that she could know that the things that I was saying true. I asked her if she was familiar with the Book of Mormon and she said yes. I asked her if she knew that it was the writings of prophets from America and she said yes. I asked her if she knew that Jesus came to America and she said no.

I talked to her about Jesus coming to America and commanding the people to raise their level of discipleship by being baptized with his baptism so that they could become clean. I told her that this was what she needed to get over the hurt and the pain of the things that happened to her in the past. I told her that she needed to be clean so that when Satan whispered in her ear that she wasn’t valued by God and that she wasn’t worthy of his love, she could tell him that was a liar and dismiss it.

She was touched and moved by now. She said that’s what I need. I told her the spirit was important because it’s how we learn truth. I asked her if she believed the words I was saying were true and she said yes. I asked her if that meant that the Book of Mormon was true and she said yes.

I asked her if that meant that Jesus came to America and invited her and others to be baptized. She said yes. I asked her if that meant she should be baptized and she said yes.

I said, at this point normally what we have to do is come up with an action plan. I said clearly you can’t go back to the old ward where your ex-boyfriend/baby daddy attends.

She said, well that was in Taylorsville and I don’t live there anymore. I live in West Valley City. I said that’s great. She said there are several churches in that area and that she would go to one of them. I said, do you ever see any missionaries? She said absolutely! I see them all the time! They live two doors down.

She said, I always say, hey brother! She said it with a grin. It was impressive and very telling of the joy she was feeling in her heart.

I asked her if she would do me a favor and go to those missionaries when she sees them next and tell them about this ride and about the witness that she received from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true. She said she would.

Then I said you should discuss with them about getting baptized. She said, I would love to be baptized but my family tells me that I am betraying all of my ancestors because of my Buddhist religion.

I told her that I knew by the spirit that she was not betraying her ancestors but that they would praise her name.

Then she said, wait wait! But I’m an atheist! She said it with a huge smile on her face because she had said it earlier in the ride with meaning. I looked at her and said well, I guess not anymore, huh?! She laughed and said, I guess not.