Breaking away from your prison

One day I was down in Lehi and trying to go to Salt Lake. I like to be hanging around in the Sandy/Draper area because you can get good rides there sometimes. I was offered a ride to go to Orem and I was trying to reject it. As I touched it, it wouldn’t reject. The app wouldn’t respond to my touch. I let it expire by just ignoring it and it finally went away. To my surprise it sent it to me again. I figured that there must be something special about this ride so I decided to take it besides I wasn’t about to waste another rejection on it.

I pulled into a medical clinic by the Timpanogos Highway where a man and a woman got in the car. They didn’t seem very clean and I’m always a little uncomfortable picking up people who might be sick. When I have someone that might have been sick, I have to clean my car because I don’t want be transmitting any viruses around the valley or taking them home.

On top of this, they looked a little wild and a bit unconventional. As I was sitting there, passing judgments on their looks and the diseases they were apparently being treated for, the spirit chastised me. I remembered President Hinkley, in a conference talk saying something to the effect of they may not look like much but they are children of God. Then I had the memory of him saying something like you’re not so hot yourself. I don’t know whether he said that or the spirit told me that but I remembered that talk in that moment.

As we began to ride, I got the very distinct impression that they were seeking the gospel and they didn’t even know it. I started talking to them about where they were from. The man was about 40 years old and the woman was a similar age.

He said that he was originally from California and she said she was from Arizona. They had moved here recently but were pretty ambiguous about it. I got the impression from the spirit not dwell too much on that and start getting into what they felt and why they liked being here. Many times this is a discussion I have had with people that leads to a discussion of the church.

I asked how they liked it here and they said they loved it. He told me that he had never been in a place that was so chill and peaceful. I said, it’s because there are a lot of the people here who try to follow God. I asked him what he thought about seeing temples and chapels everywhere. He said that it was different than what he was used to but that he really liked it. He said, God is good.

I said, a lot of people these days chase things in their life and these things take them away from God. When these things take them away from God, they take them away from peace and they take them away from happiness. I told him that a lot of people who live here are constantly seeking that peace and happiness. They are doing what it takes to make sure that they have it in their life. I said, the way those people follow Jesus creates peace in our society by following God and his commandments. I said that this is how we feel close to him in our lives, in our families and in our society.

He said that he knew lots of people that complain about the fact that there aren’t bars on every corner and how they can’t do some of the things they want to do. He said that he thinks this peace is more important. I told him that I could tell that it was important to him.

I looked in the mirror and they no longer seemed to me like they were smelly disheveled people. There was a certain light that I hadn’t seen before. It’s amazing when we look at people through God‘s eyes versus what we see when we apply our own prejudice.

I told him that the church and the influence of the church was not just the source of the peace that he was looking for in his life, if he was willing to make the changes and commit to follow Jesus Christ, membership in the church would bring him that happiness. I asked him if anyone had ever talked to him about joining the church and he said no. Then he paused and said kind of. He said that when he was in jail, the Mormon church had people come in and talk to him. He said that they would read scriptures to them and that this greatly impacted him.

I said, oh, how long ago were you in jail? He said that he just got out recently but he loved that these people would bring messages to him twice a week. He said that it rang true because he felt the same peace from what I was saying as he did when they were talking to him.

He said that in his life, few people had ever talked to him about God and when they did, he loved it. He said, it feels really good here in the car. I love hearing you talk about God. I told him that when we teach the word of God, he sends his spirit and it testifies of the truthfulness of the things that we say. I told him that this is what he was feeling now and that it was God’s way of confirming the truthfulness of these things to his soul.

I asked him if they gave him a Book of Mormon when he was in jail. He said they weren’t allowed to give him a Book of Mormon but they read to him from that book. He said that he always felt the spirit of God. He asked, do you know where I can get ahold of one of those books?

I told him that I would give him one. I said, we are headed to Orem. We’ll just drive by my house and get one. I happened to be out of them at the time. Usually, I travel with three or so in my car. I had just given my last one away and I hadn’t replenished.

I told him that it was really cool that he was visited in prison because that’s exactly what Jesus would do. I told him that Jesus loved everyone. I told him Heavenly Father loved everyone. He doesn’t just love the perfect people because no one is perfect. He doesn’t just love the lucky people because no one is lucky all the time. He doesn’t just love the rich people because most of his children are not rich. I told him that God loves all of his children, no matter where they live, and no matter when they were born. I said, God loves all of his children, even if they’ve made mistakes. That’s why we have repentance.

I told him repentance is how we clean ourselves of sin and how we make changes in our lives. I told him that the process of repentance can help us become a new person that follows God and can walk with his spirit.

I told him that the spirit he was feeling right now in the car lets us know that God is present. I said that seeking that feeling and that presence will lead us back to him. To have that with us all of the time helps us know the things we need to change and the things that we need to do. It helps us change the way that we act and talk. It helps us change the way we think about life.

I told him that it requires that we think about helping other people and blessing those around us. I told him that it requires us thinking about Jesus Christ and trying to become like him by reading the scriptures and try to live like he taught.

I said, that’s why it’s so important that you get a Book of Mormon so you can start to read it. As you read it, you will feel the same spirit that has been in the car. It has been here today and you know that it’s true because you felt it in prison. You have felt it and you know it comes from God.

I told him that once he has repented, he needs to be baptized. I said, we are commanded to be baptized so that we can enter into the kingdom of God. I said, it teaches that in the Bible. I said, in the Book of Mormon it also teaches about baptism. I said, Jesus Christ descended from heaven and gave the people this baptism so that they could take that step up in discipleship and follow him. That’s the invitation he gave them and that’s the invitation we are giving you here today.

I told him that when we repent and are baptized, our sins are washed away. I said, you know those horrible memories you have of your sins? You know the pain you feel in your soul every night when you close your eyes because of them? This pain can be erased. Your sins can be washed away as if you had never committed them. You can be blameless and pure before God.

I said, Satan has told you as long as you can remember that you’re gone, that you’re junk, that you’re no good and that you are irredeemable. That’s not how God sees you and that’s not how I see you here today. I see you as a son of God and he wants you back.

I said, the Book of Mormon is all about repenting, changing, being baptized and getting the gift of the Holy Ghost. It’s all about coming home to your father in heaven. I said, the whole program is in that book.

He asked, how do you know those things? That’s exactly what it’s like when I close my eyes and try to sleep. It was always easier for me to sleep after I had been with the Mormons in jail. I want that rest. I told him that God had given me those things to say so that he could know the things I was saying were true. I said, this rest will be found through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You can become clean from your sins and walk with God. This is what you want.

The place they were going was only about four blocks from my house so I figured that we could just drop by and grab a Book of Mormon for him. I asked him, if I give you the book, would read it? He said that he has wanted to read that book for a few years and that he would love to read it now. He said that it would be top on his list of priorities.

Just then his girlfriend piped up. She had been very quiet, unusually quiet. She had been texting on her phone. She said, he might not be a member of the church yet but that I used to be. My sister even went on a mission but I have been out of the church for at least 20 years. I said, welcome back. This is a good time to get back with it.

I told her that God puts people in my car and gives me the words to say to them. I said, I felt the spirit here today and I felt like I am saying the things Heavenly Father would have me say to help him find the light of the gospel in his life.

I said, it’s no accident that you are also in his life. I said, your Heavenly Father is reaching out to you as well. He wants you to come home. He wants you to come back to the church. She said, I don’t even know why I left. I guess I just got carried away with friends and quit doing the things I was supposed to do.

I asked, are you willing to turn that around? I said, he’s trying to get right with God and you could be a great help. You could be God‘s hands, it would kind of be like a mission.

She had felt the spirit in the car and was very emotional at this time. She said, I’ve already texted my sister. I did it while you guys were talking. She is going to help! I think this is exactly what we need.

The man, talking about his girlfriend said, that’s why I love her . She is the best thing in my life. It will be so much fun to do this together.

We pulled into my driveway and Heather was outside. I asked her if she would run in and get a Book of Mormon. She smiled and said yes. As she turned around to run and get the book, the lady commented, she is beautiful! Did you see the light in her eyes? That is what I want.

I said, you too can have that light in your eyes and the spirit in your heart that we have felt in the car today. That’s a promise from God and it helps us through life. It helps us make the changes we need to make to come back and live with him.

Heather came out with the Book of Mormon and I handed it back to my passenger. He held it close to his chest and said, scriptures from this book have been a part of my life for a good period of time now. I want to learn all about this. I want to walk this path with her.

They gave me their assurance that they would go to church on Sunday with her sister. By this time, her sister had already responded and was excited to be part of this. I took them to her sister’s house and they got out and went inside.

Everything came together that day. There was the good work of the people that run the prison branch in bringing light into that dark darkness and Heavenly Father being there this day to bring him the tools necessary to bring this altogether.

They were really excited and even sent me a text through the app the following day thanking me for the book and assuring me that they were on the path. They said her sister was on it. God was on it that day and I’m grateful he used me.