One of the most difficult times of the year is the Sundance film festival. The problem with the Sundance film festival is that the people who attend that festival don’t believe in God. To me the vast majority of people there feel like they bring a negative spirit to the car. They don’t believe in God, they mock God and they don’t believe in commandments. In fact, they celebrate everything that is opposed to God and the commandments.
That spirit permeates the city and the people who ride in the car. I find myself needing to pray several times throughout the day because it is so draining to be in that environment for so long. I almost didn’t want to work the film festival because of this reason but on the other hand, you can make four to $500 a day so there’s that.
One night I picked up a girl from New York. She was a writer, a producer and African-American. It was the end of our day and we had about a 15 minute ride down to the Canyons from old town Park City.
As we started to go, we began to chat. Initially our discussion was, where are you from? How long have you lived there? We both asked each other these questions. Not having felt impressed by the spirit to share much the previous few days with people who were not wanting to receive light or willing to receive light I was somewhat surprised to receive the prompting and thoughts to discuss that I came to Utah to go to BYU after my church mission in Argentina.
That’s a risky strategy but if the spirit says to say that, you say it! Once I said that she lit up and said, you know, I’ve always been interested in those missions you guys go on. It seems to me like that’s a real mission! I said, yes, it is, two years in a country where you learn the language and customs and how to love the people. It’s two years in a country that you spend bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to people and watching it transform their lives.
I asked her if it would be OK if I talked about religious things. Given the nature of the people I was driving that week I was a little gun shy and wanted to ask consent. Just to be safe!
She said, that’s amazing! She wanted to know about missions. Her questions were, can you go anywhere you want? Who sent you to where you go? In that area can you go anywhere you want? Do they pay you? Did you enjoy it?
I began to discuss with her how we are called by God through prophets, mission boundaries and how missionaries are attached to wards and they work with the people giving service and teaching about Jesus. I talked to her about how the purpose of the church is to bring people to Jesus Christ and the purpose of the missionaries is to bring people to Jesus Christ and build up the church.
She said, do some missionaries get sent to places to start the church where it previously did not exist? I said, yes but for the most part, almost everyone that goes out goes to an established situation to try to build there and lift the people there. We want to bring the gospel to everyone,
I told her that our Heavenly Father loves everyone no matter where they’re from or when they were born. I told her he loves everyone and not just the people in Jerusalem. I asked her if she thought that it was strange that the only record we have in the Christian world, for the most part, of God‘s interaction with people are with the people in Jerusalem? I asked her if she thought possibly God loved other people as well? She readily agreed.
I told her that we believe in the things that everybody else believes in, the divinity of Jesus Christ, his birth to Mary, his crucifixion, and resurrection, and all of the things contained in the Bible. I told her we believe in the Bible, but I said that God also loved everyone else in the world and they were his children.
I told her that a perfect God with all power would find a way to show his love to all of his children not just the children in one little place. I told her that we believe that God had prophets in other places. We believe that God had prophets here in America amongst the ancestors of the Native Americans.
I told her that God revealed his commandments to them and that the reason why God gives us commandments is so that we can be happy. I told her that the purpose of commandments is not to punish us but to make us happy. I asked her if she saw a lot of happy people around Park City? She said, come to think of it, I see a lot of people that seem to be having fun but they feel empty. I told her that it’s because a lot of them aren’t following the commandments of God.
I told her that this is why God had prophets in ancient America. He gave those people commandments so that they could be happy and feel his love just like we have the commandments so that we can be happy and feel his love.
I told her that we have a prophet on the Earth today. I told her that when we go on missions, the place we go is chosen by prophets. I told her that this way we know that we are sent exactly where God would have us go.
She said, wow! That’s pretty neat. As I started talking about the Book of Mormon and the prophets the spirit came in the car. It was noticeable because of it’s absence in the Park City environment. I could tell she was feeling it and feeding off of it. I asked her if she felt that and she said, yes.
I talked about how in the Bible, after Jesus was resurrected, he said that he had other sheep that were not of that fold and he was commanded to go to them. I told her that Jesus came to America and descended from heaven in front of all the people. I told her that they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and he bless them. I told her that Jesus held their children and blessed them and loved them, just like he had in the Bible.
I told her that then he said, still other sheep I have, which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem, or the lands roundabout, and that he was commanded by his father to go to them. I asked her who else she thought would have been visited by Jesus? She thought about it and said well, wouldn’t God send his son to everyone? She said, I would love to think that my ancestors met Jesus Christ.
I talked to her about how in Isaiah he mentions Kush as one of the places where the house of Israel had been scattered to and that would be visited. She didn’t know where Kush was.
I spent a minute orienting her to the history of Africa and the great African Empire of Kush. This is who Isaiah referred to. I told her that Jesus loves everyone and I believe her ancestors were included. She had a smile on her face. She said, I’ve always felt a connection to Jesus Christ.
The spirit was burning in the car. She asked me if there were lots of Mormons in Argentina where I went on my mission. I told her that there were. She said, I thought all Mormons were in Utah. I told her that is definitely not true. We are one of the fastest growing religions everywhere in the world because this message speaks to people’s soul. In their soul, they know that God loves them and that he sent his son Jesus Christ for them.
I asked her what it meant to her to think about Jesus Christ possibly blessing her ancestors when they were children. She had a tear in her eye and said that was a powerful image.
I told her that her father in heaven loved her and that same gospel of Jesus Christ is here today. The same thing he taught when he went to America and the other places is here today.
I told her that just like how in the Bible they wrote down their prophecies that they received from God and because of this we have the Bible. I told her that in America, the prophets wrote down the prophecies they received as well. They wrote down the things they learned from God and the blessings they received by his hand. I told her that this is the Book of Mormon. It’s the word of God to us through his prophets just like the Bible.
She got excited and said, the Book of Mormon, I saw that play. Then she thought for a second and she said, you know, that wasn’t really a very favorable portrayal of your religion. She said, from what I am feeling in this car and seeing in your eyes, that portrayal was wrong.
I said, it was some guys making jokes and they happened to use our church as the vehicle. It was nothing more or less than that and we’re not really that offended. She said, that’s good. I told her that when those prophets wrote down their prophecies they wrote them on metal plates and they were given to Joseph Smith to translate. I told her that Joseph Smith was from New York and that is where our church was founded.
She really liked that and she said, that’s amazing! I wish I’d known that. I told her that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and that the Book of Mormon not only included the prophecies of the ancient prophets in America but the account of the visit of Jesus Christ. We have those words in the Book of Mormon.
She mentioned that she was eager to learn about this because those would’ve been similar to the words taught to her ancestors, if this were true.
She said, that’s amazing! And it happened in New York? I said yes! I told her that we have a temple in Manhattan. Now she was shocked. She said I had no idea. I need to go there.
By this time we had been sitting for five minutes in front of her hotel and I had another ride that I had accepted that I needed to pick up. I ended her ride because I didn’t want to charge her while I testified. Avoid priestcraft at all cost😀!
I was talking about her going there to the chapel at the temple and feeling the same spirit there that she felt in the car. She agreed to do that. That spirit was powerful and we both acknowledged it. She had recognized the truth of the things we had discussed. Just before I was about ready to give her a Book of Mormon her door opened. It was the other ladies that I was supposed to pick up at that same spot.
The ride ended abruptly but it was obvious to me that she didn’t want to go. It was obvious to me that there was a difference in the spirit between her, and the people that replaced her. The difference in the feeling of the spirit in the car between our ride and the next one was also a stark contrast, it was palpable.
I thought about that ride all night long. I wondered if I failed because I wasn’t able to give her a Book of Mormon. I felt the spirit comfort me and tell me that she now knew where to go. The next day was Sunday and I was sitting in church when my phone dinged. It was a message telling me I received a tip from that ride of 20%.
They give you the option of one dollar, three dollar or five dollar tips. When somebody customizes a tip and adds more you know that they appreciated the ride. This was a confirmation to me that she had recognized the difference of the spirit and the truthfulness of the words that were spoken, and that it had sunk in.
I don’t know what the Lord has in store for this young lady but I know she felt the spirit and she had all the right questions. I know she was supposed to be there in the car. She now knows where to go. I know she loves her father in heaven and he loves her. I felt it in the car that day
Sometimes God sends you a lift 