If at first you don’t succeed, he will send you back again

I asked him what buildings he did and he said that he had been working on temples and had done one of the temples in Southern Utah. He said that his father worked on the Orem temple. Just as he said that we were driving by the Orem Temple so we talked about what a beautiful building it was.

He said he hadn’t been inside but he had been inside the one in Southern Utah that he had worked on. I thought about going deep into the conversation but he was putting up defensive vibes and I really wasn’t feeling it. He seemed to put an end to the discussion and I wasn’t feeling any particular prompting. We had a good ride and I dropped him off.

Two weeks later I had been working in Park City all afternoon and most of the evening. I felt like I should leave Park City and go down to the valley. I needed to get gas and I thought I could drive for a couple hours in Salt Lake City. I took one ride in Salt Lake and it just didn’t feel right so I finished that ride, got some gas and headed to Utah County.

My intent was to go home and go to bed. As I got about ready to turn onto the street that goes to my house, I had the prompting to turn on my machine and take a ride. I thought, “but I’m going in and going to bed,” I again received the prompting to turn on my machine and take a ride. I thought, well, maybe the people here will have a better vibe and better energy. I turned on my machine.

After a couple minutes I got a ride and I went over and picked this guy up. I didn’t recognize him and we started driving and talking.

We were driving down past the Orem, Temple, as we rode the spirit brought to my memory the previous ride I had with that young man. The spirit, said this is him. He didn’t look anything like I remembered him being.

Maybe it was because he was dressed up. He had been hanging out with his girlfriend whose house I picked him up at. I saw her give him a kiss at the front door and he came out and he got in the car. I just hadn’t remembered him, he didn’t look anything like what I remembered.

The spirit reiterated to me that this is that same guy. I asked him what he did, and he said, I do metal work. I felt chastised for having questioned the spirit at this point. I knew it was the same guy.

I decided to go all in with the spirit at that point and quit being stupid. I said, God puts people in my car to get messages and this is the second time he’s put you in my car. Do you remember me? He smiled and said, I think I do. He said, you talked to me about building the temple and my dad building the temple here in Orem. I said, yes.

I asked him, why did you get put in my car a second time? What is missing in your life that God wants you to have? I asked again, why did God put you in my car a second time?

He started talking about things that he was angry about at work and then he talked about the things that were troubling him. I listened and then I said, that’s not it. Those things may be true, but that’s not why you’re here. That’s not why God put you in my car and that’s not why your soul is troubled.

He said, I don’t know. I felt impressed to ask him about his dad. He had been talking about his dad as a work companion to this point. There was no sign that there was an issue but I felt very impressed that there was a reason I needed to ask him about his dad.

I asked him, how do you get along with your dad? He said, we get along fine. As he said those words, it was like I heard a big no and the Lord whispered to me some things to say.

I said, you don’t get along with your dad and you never got along with your dad. I said, ever since you were a little child, you haven’t gotten along with your dad and that’s why you don’t work with him on the same jobs now.

I said, the problem is that you feel like you were cheated and you feel like you were left out and that your relationship was not good especially when you were young. I said, you feel like you were betrayed a little bit and because of that, your relationship is strained.

He said, how could you know that? I said, I know that because God whispered to my heart through the Holy Ghost those words for me to say because he wants you to pay attention. I said, those things are true aren’t they? He said, yes they are but no one knows that. I said, God knows that

I asked, what do you feel right now as I say these things? He said, every day I feel anger and frustration about this. I said, what do you feel in the car right now. I said, I’m not asking what you feel about your relationship at this time, I’m asking about what you feel right now in the car. I could tell he felt the spirit because I had his full attention. He was sitting up and he was looking up and I could see in his eyes and I could see that the spirit was touching him.

He said, I feel calm. I feel peaceful. He said, this is strange to feel this while we’re talking about my relationship with my father. I said, there’s a hole in your life and I could feel it. I asked, what is the hole in your life that needs to be filled?

I said, what’s worse is that in your frustration with your father you’ve felt a hole in your life and the way you filled that that hole was by drinking, doing drugs and hanging out with other people to validate you. I said, those other people were bad and you know they are bad.

I said, you’re doing these things and you know they’re not right. I said, you’re doing these things and it is damaging you when all you really need to do is look to your father in heaven. I said, your relationship with your father has not been great but you have a father in heaven, who loves you. I said, you have a father in heaven who is standing there waiting to fill that hole so you can heal.

I said, you have a father in heaven who wants to love you and help you be anything you want to be. He loves you and so you never need to feel like you’re not loved.

I asked him, have you ever told anybody that you have done drugs? He said no, I’m ashamed of it. I said, how did I know these three things? He said, I have no idea. I told him that I knew them because God whispered them to my heart through the Holy Ghost. The same Holy Ghost that we could both feel there in the car had whispered them to my heart so that he would know that the other things I said were true.

I told him that the fact that I knew that those things were true meant that the rest of the things that I was saying were also true. I used that opportunity to bear my testimony. I testified that our heavenly Father loves him and that the church is true. I told him that the authority in the church is true and by that authority I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told him that through that gift God could whisper these things to me,

I told him that because that happened he knew that the church was true. I asked him what he thought that meant he should do. He said, I haven’t been to church in 15 years but maybe I oughta think about going to church. I can’t believe that there could be any other way for you to know these things other than God. Maybe I need to go to church. I said, I think that’s exactly what you need to do.

I said, and that girl you’re hanging out with, your girlfriend, she’s a member of the church too, isn’t she? I couldn’t see his face when he reacted but he said, I don’t know. I said, yes, you do know. The spirit told me that he knew so I just went with that. I said, yes you do know. Then I saw his face and he smiled and he said yes she is. I asked, what would she think if you told her that you wanted to go to church with her? He said, I think she’d be really happy, I think she goes with her parents every Sunday.

I chuckled and called him out a little bit for his shading of the truth with regard to his knowledge of her church attendance.

I said, what you really need to do is call her and ask her if you can go with her. The spirit was really strong in the car and I decided to go for a summary. I said, what we know from tonight is that God loves you and that he’s willing to step up and be that father that you want so badly. He’s willing to fill that hole in your heart.

We know that he gave me the words to say that I had no way of knowing about you personally. He told me about your drug use and your drinking, as well as the people that you need to get away from that are leading you down that path.

We know that he loves you and he sent me twice. Clearly I messed it up the first time. He laughed and said, I’m going to call my girlfriend and I’m going to go to church with her. He said, this is incredible. The feeling I’m feeling right now is something I’ve never felt in my life and I love it. He said, I need to have this more often. He got out of the car and said, I’m calling my girlfriend right now.

I rolled down the window and listened as he said into his phone, “you won’t believe what happened to me on the way home”.

My guess is that someone was praying for this to happen to him on the way home. Whether it was his girlfriend, her parents, one of his parents, even a grandmother or grandfather but one thing I know is that is Heavenly Father knows who he is, knows where he is and is ready, willing and able to fill that hole in his soul.

Update from last week:

I have updated last week’s blog to include pictures from the baptism. There is also a picture from a trip we made to the MTC. His plan is to be there on a mission next year! Here is that link so that you can see them.

Always looking for that white Christmas