Make that call to the missionaries, I’ve changed my mind

One Friday I was picking up a young man from the Pie Pizzeria up on 13th East not too far from Rice Eccles stadium. I wanted to go by the stadium because Orem High school was playing in the semi finals against Timpview right then and so I was in that area. I got the ride and thought I’ll do this quickly and run in.

I pulled up and this kid came out who looked like a normal American kid. When he got in the car we started talking. He had a little bit of an accent but not much. I asked him where he was from and he said Brazil. I asked him if he liked working at Pie Pizzeria and he said that he put on a lot of weight working there but he likes it.

We started driving to his apartment which was in the campus housing up by Fort Douglas. We passed by the football stadium and I mentioned to him the game that was going on. He said he would like to learn American football because he only knew soccer. I told him that I served my mission in Argentina. I told him that I served near Iguazú Falls which are on the border with Brazil.

When I mentioned my mission my mind was enlightened about this young man and what a good young man he was. I felt God‘s love for him and knew that we were going to be talking about the church. I changed my focus a little bit from football. I asked him if he had ever seen missionaries.

He told me that right now he was talking to a few of them. He said he had two sisters that he talks to and that he’d been to the temple a couple of times. The temple he referred to was the Institute building on the University of Utah campus where they have meetings on Sunday. It was not an actual temple.

I could feel the spirit filling the car and knew that it was time to start saying the words that were filling my heart. I looked at him in the mirror and said so, have you thought about being baptized? He said, they’ve asked me to but I don’t know, I don’t think so.

I said, what is your question? That was not an artfully phrased question and given the language issues I am sure that it was a hard one for him to understand so I rephrased the question. I said to him, given the fact that they’ve taught you about the church and they asked you to get baptized, what is the question or doubt you have that keeps you from taking that step?

He had a shocked look as he glanced at me and said well, I’ve only been studying with missionaries for four weeks and I don’t think I know enough. He said he had read a little bit here and there in the Book of Mormon but that he didn’t think it was sufficient. He said, “they say I do and I don’t need to know everything but I think I need to know a lot more”. In my experience, when people say this it’s a smokescreen. It’s because they have other things that are bothering them and they fall back on there’s so much to learn and I don’t know enough.

Even though this isn’t generally a true objection and I knew that, I decided to deal with it anyway. That objection is a straw man to hide the real concerns in most cases. I talked about the importance of the spirit and how the spirit is the thing that teaches us. I talked about how once were are baptized we get the Holy Ghost. then the spirit can help us learn. I told him that the spirit guides us. I said that we need to learn to have faith in God and trust in his spirit. He agreed.

I told him that he could never know everything that he wanted to know but that he could know that the spirit of God had confirmed to him that it’s true. I asked him if that was enough and he said yes. Then I bore my testimony. I testified of the boy Joseph Smith going to the sacred grove, kneeling, praying and receiving a visit from his Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. I testified of the Book of Mormon and its truthfulness and how it proves that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I said it proves that there were prophets in America and the Book of Mormon proves that Jesus not only came to America but he went to other places because God loves everyone. This is a gospel for everyone not just the people from Jerusalem.

I testified that we have a prophet today who leads the church and that a living prophet makes all the difference because God can speak to us through him. I told him the prophets are always God’s mouthpiece and we need God more than ever. He agreed. The spirit was really strong in the car and I said do you feel that?

He said “yes I do”. I said what does it feel like? He said it feels powerful and warm. I said, that is the spirit of God. I said that God has the power to touch your heart and confirm to you that the things you’re hearing are true. I said, “you know they’re true don’t you?” He said “yes”!

I told him that he lived with his Father in Heaven for thousands and thousands of years and he had a relationship with God. I told him that it is like a vibe if you will. I said he had that special feeling with God and it was the most important thing to his spirit. I told him that this feeling that he was feeling right now is that feeling.

I asked him if he believed that was true and he said yes I asked him if God would send that feeling to him if the things we were saying in the car were not true and he said no. I told him that God wants to save him not trick him.

I told him that and right as I was saying it I saw a flash of a thought on his mind. I told him that he was thinking of his doubts concerning the baptismal date that the sisters had challenged him to. He said that’s right, how did you know? I told him that when I was baptized I got the Holy Ghost and it whispered this to my heart so I could know to say it. I told him that God gave me that so that he could know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that he was worried about that date and being baptized but that he didn’t need to worry. I told him that when Jesus came to America, he descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. He invited the people to touch the prints of the nails in his hands and the prints of the nails in his feet and then they knelt and worshiped him. They said the word “hosanna”. I asked him if he knew what that meant? He said he didn’t know, I told him it means “save us”.

He said, I love that you mentioned that because this is one of the things that the missionaries had me read. He said it was beautiful how they bathed Christ’s feet with their tears and worshiped him. I told him that God loved them and he wanted to save them. I told him that he was right there in front of them and they knew this was their God. They were willing to do whatever he asked.

I told him that he called up 12 and gave them the power and authority plus a commandment to baptize everyone there. He instructed them how to do it and commanded these 12 to baptize everyone.

The spirit was strong and I said “I testify to you that this is the same baptism that the missionaries offered you and when Jesus extended that commitment to them he also extended it to you. I said do you accept that? He said yes! I could see another flash of a thought in his countenance and I felt the prompting that it was about his previous baptism and and his family traditions regarding his previous religion.

I told him the spirit is telling me that you are thinking about your previous baptism and your previous religious experience, your previous family traditions with regards to religion and your feelings that this is some sort of a repudiation of those things. I told him, this is no repudiation! Everything your family did for you they did to bring you closer to Christ. He loves them for that and he loves you for taking those steps.

I told him that when Jesus came he offered a new level, a higher level. Even though those people had been previously baptized he commanded that they be baptized again so they could take that next step in discipleship to follow him. I told him “that is what he required of them and that is what he requires of us”.

I testified to him that this was true. I said that this is the baptism that his Father in Heaven wants him to have so that he can take that step. He said, I feel like you’re right.

I saw another doubt flash in his countenance and the spirit helped me understand that he was worried about fitting in. I told him the spirit makes me feel like you are worried about fitting in culturally in the church. I feel that you think it might be difficult for you. He said how did you know these things? He said, I have tattoos and have already had people in the church negatively comment about my tattoos. Are they going to accept me?

I said,, your tattoos don’t matter! You come before God and offer him a broken heart and a contrite spirit and he will lift you, bless you cleanse you and sanctify you. Only the spirit matters. I told him it is important that we go to church so that we can have the spirit with us. I asked him if he felt the spirit right then and he said yes. I asked him if the things I was saying felt right. He said yes.

I told him that everybody has sinned, some people lie, some people steal, some people judge and some people break the word of wisdom. We all have sins. It’s up to us to help those people. I told him, “imagine how helpful it would be to those people judging you if you went up to them and put your arm around them and said, thank you for being such a great example for me. It means a lot!” I told him that they would melt and this action would change everything.

He laughed and said I guess you’re right!

I told him the story about the lady in our ward that told us she didn’t want us to sit by her because our kids were too noisy. I went every week early so I could find where she was sitting so we could sit behind her. He laughed. I told him that eventually we became good friends with them.

I could tell by the spirit that he was concerned about his family when I talked about them and I asked him what was his concern regarding his family. He said that the sister missionaries had told him that it was his responsibility to baptize his whole family or they couldn’t go to heaven. They said that they would have to go to the terrestial kingdom if he couldn’t get them baptized.

I thought, that’s a lot of pressure and kind of unfair to put on him now. I said, that’s not exactly how it works. I told him that he needs to be a great example and that he needs to try to introduce the gospel to his family. He needs to do the best he can but that God‘s timing is not our timing. I said that what God considers an opportunity may not be not what we would consider an opportunity necessarily.

I told him that God looks at time from the beginning of time untill the end of time and we look at it like 40 years. I told him that God would present each member of his family with a perfect opportunity under perfect circumstances to not only learn the gospel but then have the opportunity to accept it and accept a baptism. I told him that he may be God’s instrument in that for some of them but that this is God‘s work.

I told him that as a member of the church he would be blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost and would have the priesthood to bless the lives of his family. I told him that this would help but that it isn’t all on him.

I told him that in the three days when Jesus was in heaven and his body was in the tomb he organized the teachings of the gospel to the people who had died without hearing it. Even the people at the time of the flood who maybe knew Noah but didn’t have a great opportunity. Jesus organize the teaching to them!.

I told him that Jesus didn’t do it so he could hold it in front of them and say, see, you could’ve had this! He did it with the intent that they would have an opportunity to accept it and have a baptism so that they could return and live with their father.

I told him that we go to temples and we are baptized for them using their name. I told him that someone will learn the gospel in the spirit world and when we are baptized for that person they are waiting to accept it or rejected immediately.

I testified of temple work and baptisms for the dead as God‘s plan to make it possible for each of his children to come home, even if we cant get to them on earth. I could see the spirit carry my words to his heart and ease his concern.

I could see the stress disappear. I told him we do everything we can but God loves all of his children and he will prepare a way for all of his children to have the opportunity under perfect circumstances to accept the gospel and come home. I told him that a father would always prepare a plan to make it possible to save all of his children and a perfect father certainly would do that and he agreed.

I asked him if he felt the spirit and he said yes. I felt it every time you have spoken. I know the things that you have said are true and that they’re from God. He said, I had decided today that I was not going to be baptized and that I was going to quit listening to the missionaries but now everything has changed. I asked him if he would contact the missionaries and tell them about our ride. He said yes.

He said he couldn’t find his Book of Mormon so I gave him one of the Book of Mormon‘s that I had prepared by the Secrists and told him he should keep it with him in his backpack. He said he would.

He said that it is amazing to him that on this day when he was doubting, on this day when he had decided not to continue with the lessons, on this day God sent this car and this message to him. He said if that’s not a sign from God I don’t know what it is. He said, I know that you were sent from God with this message

He said that he’s going home to Brazil for Thanksgiving so it will have to be in December but that he’s excited continue towards baptism.