One afternoon I was working in Park City and trying to play my schedule correctly because I wanted to be back in Provo by about 5:30.
We have a filter that we can set that keeps us in an area and I had it set for Park City so I could stay there. Around 3 o’clock I re set it for Salt Lake, Provo and Park City. I figured that I would take one or two rides and then get home. I hoped that the filter would get me a paid ride home.
I took a ride and it took me downtown in Park City and then I picked up another ride to the airport. By that time it was going to be nip and tuck because I would have to deal with rush-hour traffic so I didn’t know if I should take it, but I decided to.
I pulled up and the guy got in my car. He was a big guy with blonde hair and a beard. He looked like a Viking to me. We started talking about what he was doing in Park City. He said that he was there for work but he had done his share of skiing as well. He said that he was from Longmont Colorado but that he really enjoyed skiing here.
We talked about his work and my work and general things for a large portion of the ride. All of a sudden I had the prompting to say to him “you are a Jew aren’t you? “
I was a little uncomfortable for a couple of reasons, one is that a lot of Jews have fear these days because of persecution. Two was that I really don’t know exactly what a Jew looks like. It was kind of a random and weird thing to say, especially given the fact that he looked like a Viking. The third thing was I received no prompting of where to go with it. I just felt like I was supposed to say “you are a Jew aren’t you?”
The words all of a sudden erupted out of my mouth and he looked surprised. He said, “yes I am”. He said, I’ve never had anyone come up to me and ask me if I was a Jew but yes I am.
It was a little awkward and I felt like I should tell him that I pray for the Jewish people in their current conflict. He told me that he was grateful for my prayers and that it is just sad. He said that they need my prayers.
After I had done this, for the rest of the conversation, everything was clear that I should say. I started by saying that I’m a Mormon, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. He said, I figured that! And he laughed. I told him that the Jewish people have no better friends in the world than the Mormons. He said, that’s good to hear.
I told him that we believe that we are brothers in kind of a very biblical sense. I told him that we believed that we were from the house of Israel. He said, really? I said, yes. I told him that Abraham was promised that through his seed all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. I told him that Israel was scattered to the whole world and that this is how the lord set up the plan so that could be accomplished.
I told him that Jews, being from the house of Israel, had a spiritual connection with. God and a responsibility to bless their families and those around them. I told him that as Israel was scattered around the world, God didn’t forget them. I told him that some of them even had prophets.
He said, don’t you guys believe that some of the lost tribes are here in America? I said, we do believe that some of the people from Israel were brought to America before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 600 BC. I told him that they included a family of a prophet and also the son of king Zedekiah.
He said that he studied Jewish history that he knew about this and that there were people who believed that one of his sons of Zedekiah escaped. I told him that son ended up in America and they met up with the descendants of this prophet from Jerusalem.
I told him that they had prophets in America who spoke with God. I told him that they obeyed the law of Moses and taught all of the things he’d heard about his whole life only it happened here in America.
He said, that is so cool. To think that when the house of Israel was scattered, they took with them their knowledge and their relationship with God made him happy. I told him that they had prophets who prophesied and taught. They wrote their prophecies. I told him that is what we call the Book of Mormon.
He said, I have heard about that book but I’ve never known what it was. I told him it was the story of a family from Jerusalem and their dealings with God. He said, I’ve read the Old Testament and the New Testament but it seems to me like I need to read the Book of Mormon as well. I was kind of shocked by this. I asked him, you read the New Testament? He said, yes! My wife is Christian and so I’m trying to find my way through this and I’m trying to get all of the light I can.
I told him that the Book of Mormon was written on plates, metal plates, and given by an angel to the prophet Joseph Smith. I told him about Joseph Smith and I bore my testimony that he was a prophet and that we have prophets in the world today. I told him prophets are really important today just like they were thousands of years ago. The spirit was pulsing in the car. It was like it was coming in waves and I could tell that I had his full attention.
He said, with everything going on that makes total sense. To have a prophet to guide everyone seems to be the kind of thing that God would want to do. I told him that Joseph Smith as a prophet had the power to translate those writings from the ancient prophets and that’s how we got the Book of Mormon.
I told him that the Book of Mormon contains the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I described the arrival of Jesus Christ to America,and how the people had been told by the prophets that he would come. The were told that their Messiah would come and deliver them, he would save them. He said, that sounds like Jewish doctrine to me!
I told him that we believe that our purpose is to gather Israel. I told him that as we had discussed before they were scattered all over the world and it was our responsibility to gather them. He said, that’s cool! I like that. I said, we believe that we are of the house of Israel as well. I told him that I was of the tribe of Ephraim. He said he got chills.
I told him that we go out on missions to help with this gathering. I told him that I went to Argentina but that Israel was scattered to every corner of the world and that’s why we have missionaries everywhere.
The spirit was in the car and I said, do you feel that? He said yes. I said, I want you to remember that when you feel this you know that your father and heaven loves you and that the things you’re hearing are true. He said, I believe what you’re saying because it makes sense. He said, I also believe what you’re saying because it feels right.
We go on missions to gather the tribes of Israel. He said, I have never imagined the gathering of Israel being like this. I told him that when Jesus Christ came to America he instructed people to be baptized. I told him that baptism wasn’t new and that it was done in ancient Israel. He said that he had heard of that but he had never been baptized, and that he didn’t know anyone else who had been baptized.
He said, I really do need to read this Book of Mormon. I asked him if he would take one if I gave it to him. He said, yes! I’d love to have one. I pulled out one of my Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said, in this book you’ll find an additional history of the house of Israel.
We were at the airport and it was time for him to go. He said, I’m going to read this book because I need to find out more. He said, I need to feel what I’m feeling right now and I need to find a way forward for myself and my wife. He said, this might be the ticket. He asked me if I thought his wife might be a member of the house of Israel too? I told him that it is likely and that’s what we’re here to do. We are working to find those people. I told him that many many many people are descendants of the house of Israel and some people come to Christ who are not but they are accepted into the house of Israel because of their belief. Everyone is or can become part of the house of Israel.
He said, that’s beautiful. It was time for him to get out of the car now and he looked at me and said, before I go, I have one question, why in the world did you ask me if I was a Jew? It started this conversation which I loved, but I was wondering what made you think that I was Jew
He said, no one in my life has ever guessed that I was a Jew until you did here today. I took a minute to tell him the story about Ammon, who went before the king and told the king what was in his heart, things that he had no way of knowing. I told him that the king was shocked and asked if he was God. I told him that Ammon’s answer was no, I am not God, but he sent me and he told me these things about you that I shouldn’t know so that you could know that the things I say are true.
I told him that this happened again today in the car. I told him the God revealed to me that I was supposed to ask him if he was a Jew so that he could know that only by the power of God could I have known this. Therefore the power of God was with me and the other things I was saying were true. He said, I accept that. He took the book and got out of the car.
God knows exactly what the things are that will grab our attention and open our hearts. He can give them to us to say. As for the Book of Mormon, it is for the convincing of the JEW and the Gentile, that Jesus is the Christ.
The problem I had next was that I had to get home by 5:30. It was 4:45 and if you’ve ever driven from the Salt Lake airport to Orem at 4:45 you know that rush-hour made it impossible to be home by 5:30, unless you have a passenger and can ride in the HOV lane.
Earlier, I mentioned that I had put my parameters on for Salt Lake and Provo. As soon as I finished the ride, I received a ride to Orem. The drop off was only five blocks from my house. I got to get in the carpool lane and drive the speed limit all the way home, and I made it in time. It’s almost as if it was choreographed!!!!! if you take care of Him, he takes care of you.
Sometimes God sends you a lift 