Sometimes God sends you a lift

One day I picked up a kid in North Salt Lake in some pretty rundown apartments and I was taking him to West Valley City. He was pretty gangster looking with an oversized basketball jersey, an earring, dew rag, tatted up a bit, all the stuff!

He got in the car and I said, hey, how are you doing!? He said, really good. I’m going to see my nephew who was just born. I said, that’s exciting! I asked him where he worked and he said that he was a cook at the new Hyatt hotel in downtown Salt Lake. I told him that it looks like a really cool hotel and he said it was!

I said, tell me about the baby. He said that all of his family was over seeing the baby and that he was excited to get there. I felt impressed to talk about the purity of children. I talked How they come straight from our father in heaven and that they are pure before God.

I told him that this is why in our church we don’t baptize little children. We believe that they are saved in Christ through his atonement. I told him Christ said we should become like little children so that we can be with God.

He said that he believed that. He said, there’s nothing more beautiful than a little baby and you can feel the good. I said that’s right! We talked about how a lot of churches teach that they need to be baptized because the Bible says that people need to be baptized. He agreed. I told him that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ covers children but once we become able to make decisions and sin, we all need to be baptized or we can’t go back to our father in heaven. He said that this made a lot more sense. He said, a lot of little babies die and that he didn’t think he could believe in a God that would condemn that innocence.

He said that he was from an island called Chuuk and that there were lots of Mormons there. He said that his father was a minister there. He said that his brother whose house we were going to was a member of our church. He said again that there are lots of members of our church in Chuuk.

I got a big smile on my face when he said Chuuk. Chuuk is an island in the middle of nowhere Pacific Ocean. I believe it’s in Micronesia. We had a lot of missionaries in the MTC from Chuuk and they were so loving and had such lively spirits. You can tell they love their father in heaven. I loved those missionaries from Chuuk.

I felt impressed to teach him about the family and the eternal nature of the family along with the sealing power.

I told him that because of the power that Jesus gave to Peter to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven and due to the fact that this power was passed down to our prophet, we now have the authority to seal a marriage and it will be sealed in heaven. I told him, more than that, we seal children to their parents. We seal the whole family unit.

He said, that’s awesome! I like that. I told him this is what his brother who he was going to visit believed. I told him that he believes that we have prophets and they have authority and keys to help us do the things that God would have us do.

He said, that’s awesome. I told him that the people who lived in America originally had prophets. These prophets were among the ancestors of the Native American Indians and those prophets wrote their prophecies. I told him that those prophecies were written on plates and that they were given to our prophet in modern times who interpreted them by the power of God. I told him that this prophet was Joseph Smith.

I told him that Joseph Smith translated that record so that we have another testimony of Jesus Christ and the testimony that he loves everyone. I asked him if he had heard the phrase “isles of the sea” and he said, no. I brought up the Isaiah scripture where it talks about God calling to his children in Assyria, Pathos, Syria, Kush and the isles of the sea.

I asked him if he knew of a place that could be considered an isle of the sea, knowing full well that Chuuk is an island in the sea. I told him it also referred to America and other places that are not in continental Europe, Asia and Africa.

As I talked and bore my testimony, the spirit came in the car. As he realized that this message included him, he began to light up. I could tell he was feeling the spirit and being lit up by the spirit. From his eyes to his countenance, there was a change.

I asked him what he felt and he said that he felt like he found a puzzle piece that he had been looking for. He said that he felt knowledge pouring straight into his soul and that he felt peace. I said, that peace is confirming to you the truthfulness of the knowledge that you have received. He said, I can tell that. It makes total sense.

He said, that’s interesting, he had never considered that. I told him that Isaiah prophesied that the children of Israel would receive the words of God from the Messiah and that Jesus went to them. I told him that in the Book of Mormon is teaches that Jesus came to America and that he said, “still other sheep I have with your not of this land or the land of Jerusalem” or the land roundabout. He said, my father has given me a commandment that I should go to them so they could hear my voice and be counted among my sheep.

I asked him, who might he have been talking about? He thought for a minute and said, the isles of the sea! I told him yes, the isles of the sea. I told him that this book was written for him and that this book was written for me. This book was written for us so that we can know that God loves all of us and that his son died for all of us no matter where we live we are his children.

I told him that this book is a companion with the Bible and both testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ. The spirit was strong in the car and I asked him if he felt it. He said, yes. He said that growing up in a religious family where the gospel was taught, he was familiar with the spirit confirming truth to him and the things that I was saying were true.

I asked him what it meant that the things were true. He said it meant he needed to look into it and he needed to study. I had the impression that he was thinking that he was unworthy of purity.

I asked him what came to his mind when I mentioned that the baby was pure before God, he paused and didn’t answer. I said, it came to your mind that you’ve made some mistakes and they grind on you everyday. It tells you that you can’t be pure and that you can’t stand before God and you feel a bit like a lost cause. He asked, how do you know? I said, that same spirit you feel whispers to my heart.

I told him it was the Holy Ghost and that he can help us know the things to say. He can whisper to us the things that only god can know. I told him that his past could be put behind him. He could be pure like that baby and stand before God. I told him it’s done through repentance and it’s done through baptism. I explained to him that when Jesus came to America everybody had been baptized but he invited them to be baptized to this new covenant to his higher level.

I told him that Jesus appreciated what they had done to show their faithfulness in the past but that he wanted them to take this next step. I explained to him that this included baptism for the remission of their sins so that they could stand before God in purity. I asked him if that’s what he wanted and he said yes, that’s what he wanted.

I told him that, just like in the Book of Mormon, his father in heaven appreciated everything he had done to show his love. He appreciated the baptism that he had earnestly done and he appreciated his parents for teaching him the word of God. I told him that now is the time that he can take that step up and accept the same invitation Jesus gave in the Book of Mormon.

I asked him if he would ask his brother about it. He looked at the house because we were pulling up right then and he said, yes, yes I will. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and said no! I’d love one. He asked me where he could get one and I said, well, you could get one from your brother or I happen to have one right here I’ll give you.

I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon‘s that I have been using that are marked by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said, this is yours. It is a testament of Jesus Christ and his divinity. I told him it would bring him closer to God and it would lead him to the purity he seeks.

He said, I feel amazing. I feel like I’m flying in the air and I want this. I can’t wait to talk to my brother. He shook my hand almost as if he was making an agreement. Then he asked where he would go to church. I looked up his ward and gave him the information. He took it down and said I think I’ll go.

I said, you might want to invite your brother. He said, that would be fun, we’re fixin to have a big conversation about this. He laughed!. I said, just imagine someday when you have a family you’ll know that family is forever and that it was made that way by the power of God. I said, if you do the things you should, your whole family can be pure before God. He said, that’s amazing. He thanked me as he went into the home to see the baby.

Friday night I was stuck in the snow on a mountain in park city. I laughed and thought about how I used to call my dad when I had problems. He always helped and did everything in his power to help me. “How can I help” was what he always said. I think that this is the kind of father that Heavenly Father is for us and it shows.

One day last week I was coming home from Salt Lake and I left my app on so I could get rides along the way. It was early in the day and I was coming home to go to a BYU volleyball game. That has kind of been our date night since Covid started. We really enjoy it and we make a priority of it. I always make sure I’m home in time to go.

With the clock winding down, I was about ready to turn off my app, but I got a ride just as I entered Orem. It was a ride that took me to Pleasant Grove and then back to a place within about eight blocks of my house. It was perfect, I took it and I went.

I wasn’t sure by looking at the address where this would be but finally it led me into a trailer park in Pleasant Grove. As I pulled into the trailer park, I parked in front of this spot where I was supposed to meet the lady whose name was on the app.

I sat there for quite a bit and she didn’t come out. I was starting to think that maybe I’d have to leave so I called, still no answer. I looked over to my side and there was a guy putting things into the trunk of a Jetta and arranging things in the car. I wondered if it might be him.

Finally, he turned around and came over and said that I was his driver. I said, your name is and I blurted out the female name that was supposed to be getting in the car. He laughed and said, no that’s my girlfriend and she booked this ride for me. That’s totally legal but sometimes it’s a little scary because you don’t know who’s getting in your car. Everybody goes through a screening process when they get their app but if you book for someone else, you’re on your own as a driver.

He got in and we started off towards Orem. I said, what takes you to Orem? He said, I’m going to my addiction meeting, I looked at him in the mirror. He had that look of someone who was going through it. His eyes were tired and sad as he said these words. I could see his desperation. I could feel his hopelessness. I said, well, that’s awesome that you’re going to your recovery meeting! That’s where you need to be going!

I asked him if he could share with me a little about his situation. That’s a big no-no but I felt compelled by the spirit to find out more. He said that he had two DUIs, which is why he couldn’t drive his car and that he just had to get his life out of the spiral he was in.

I could feel the spiral and I could hear the desperation in his voice. I told him that I have a lot of people that call me for rides when they are inebriated so as to avoid the DUI but that the best way to avoid DUI is to not drink.

I looked at him and said, I think you a member of the church aren’t you? Don’t you think that bringing the church into your life a little bit more would also help you?

The spirit poured into my heart and I felt prompted to bear my testimony to him of the atonement and the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ that could help him fight those demons. I told him that Satan pulls us little by little and then pretty soon he’s got us cornered. I told him that this was the desperation he felt.

I told him that when he was young and he started drinking he thought it would be fun and that Satan used to pull him into that corner where he found himself now. He said, I never thought about this in that way. I bore my testimony of the atonement and the power of Jesus Christ to fill that hole in his soul and lift him above the pain.

I told him that when Jesus Christ died and paid for our sins, he also paid for the pains, afflictions, inequities and infirmities that would happen to each of us. He asked, even when you’re stupid and bring it upon yourself like I have?

I told him that his father in heaven loved him and that I believed he was put in my car to hear that message. I told him that Heavenly Father was his father and he loved him and wanted him to be safe. I told him that his father in heaven was his father and he didn’t want him to destroy his life. I told him that his father in heaven wanted him to come home.

I asked him if he was a father and he said yes. He said I’m a father but I’ve lost it all. I said, even though you’ve lost it all, would you die for your children? He said, yes, in a heartbeat. I asked him if one of his children was in a situation that he could help them, would he do it? He said yes, he would. I asked him if he would sacrifice everything for his child and he said, yes.

I reiterated to him that his father in heaven was his father and felt that same way about him. I said, because of this, you are never a lost cause, because of this, you are never unsalvageable and because of this love, you can come home to your father in heaven.

I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ was how God accomplished this for him. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered these things so that he can pay for the negative results so we don’t have to.

He said, how does that work? I told him I don’t know but I know that it does. I told him I look at it kind of like the check out at Smith’s where they total up all the stuff and there’s no way you can pay your bill but Jesus is standing there with the debit card at the end of the line and says, “I got that” and puts the card down on the reader. Then the checkout lady says, thank you, you’re good.

I told him that Satan sells despair and hopelessness. I said that when he’s feeling those things he’s hearing the words of Satan in his ear saying you’re bad, you’re irredeemable, you can’t be saved. You’re in a tailspin there’s no way out. I told him that Satan is a liar and he always lies and lies to everybody always, not just him.

I told him that Satan tells every single person that they are not worthy, that they’re not welcome, that they’re being judged. I told him that just last Sunday he had thought about going to church, where he hadn’t been in over 20 years and those were the thoughts he had. I told him that I want him to know that Heavenly Father knew that Satan was coming at him and that he wanted him to know that those are lies.

He said, that’s exactly what happened. I walked in front of the churchhouse two times and finally walked home. I didn’t have the nerve to go in. I didn’t feel like I could take the judgment.

I said if there is judgment in there, it’s the judgment of men and that judgement is their sin. I told him that there would be no negative judgment from God. I told him the walls wouldn’t fall in and that calamity would fall upon him for crossing the threshold into the church. He said, that’s exactly what I said would happen and then he laughed.

I told him that God would be thrilled to have him back in his home because he’s a father. I asked him what his children could do to make him not want them to come visit him and he said, there’s nothing they could do that would make that happen. I told him that is exactly the way his father feels. The church is where your spirit feels at home.

I told him that the spirit was telling me that I was supposed to invite him to go to church this week. I told him that God was inviting him to his home. He said, well, that means something! He said, I feel loved in your car.

He said, I feel loved in your car like I haven’t felt in a long time. I asked him if he wanted to have that in his life not just while he was in my car. He said, yes. I said, that’s why Satan has worked so hard to keep you out of church. He hasn’t wanted you to feel that feeling and seek for that feeing because he knows that this will give you the power to make the changes you need to make.

I told him that Satan does not want him to go to church. I told him that Satan does not want God to win. I told him that with God’s help he could fill that hole in his soul that his addiction craves. He could fill that with this feeling and be able to win. I told him Satan doesn’t want you to win.

He said, I want that. I said, do you want it bad enough to pray and read the Book of Mormon every day? He said, yes. I said, do you want that bad enough to go to church and he said, yes.

I asked him if he would go to church that Sunday and he said he didn’t know where his ward met. I had the prompting to ask if his girlfriend went to church. He said, yes she does. I asked him if he would go with her and he said yes. Just then his girlfriend called. People can call on their app when their ride is in progress or when they’re waiting for their driver. She wasn’t in the car so she called me. We talked to her about taking him to church. She said, I’m shocked! Through her tears she said, I would love to have him go to church with me.

I looked up his church time and his Bishop’s name and sent it to him by text. There was an amazing feeling in the car. I wanted to identify that spirit one more time to him.

I said, what is it your feeling right now in my car? He said, I feel love, I feel loved completely. He said, I feel a peace in my soul and in my body. Right now I do not crave my addiction. I told him that this was a hug from his father in heaven and that if he would do the things we had talked about the Lord could help him through so he could fight the physical addiction.

He said I’m going to do this. He said, I know that God put me in your car. It has to be that way, there is no other explanation. He said, I never looked at the gospel as so personal and loving. Iwant that love and that relationship that I feel with my father in heaven. I can’t believe that he loved me enough to send someone to bring this message. Now I know that I still matter.

We barely made it on time. He got out and Ran in just before they closed the door. He had said that if he wasn’t there on time he would get in trouble. I’m assuming this was some kind of court ordered meeting and I’m glad we got him there but I’m also glad we got him the help he needs to make this change permanent.

After all a father always wants their child to come home and will do anything to make that possible.

I drove home, picked up Heather and we went to the volleyball game where BYU won their first game of the year! The perfect ending to a perfect outing

One night I was done working in Park City and I decided to go work in Salt Lake. I got three rides. The first two took me from downtown to like 70th south and Taylorsville. I was hoping to get downtown and pick up a lot of little rides, so I went back downtown again.

When I got downtown I got one more ride. I decided that if this one was more than 15 minutes I was going to cancel it so I could rack up my numbers of rides. A ride came and it was 35 minutes. It was going all the way down into the homes south and west of point of the mountain. I didn’t want that ride. I went to cancel it and the spirit said no.

I like it when that happens because I know that fun things are about to come forth. I went over to a bar/restaurant to pick up a husband and his wife. They came out after having a fun evening with friends. Clearly they had partaken in some drink, but they were not inebriated by any means. With the low alcohol levels in Utah it’s just smart that if you’re going to drink at all that you not to take a chance.

His name was a little different and I pronounced it when he got in the car. Usually when people get in the car I say their name first so that they know that I’m supposed to be their driver. This puts them at ease and lets them know that they’re safe and that this is where they should be.

His wife started teasing him about how I said it because I said it with an English pronunciation. It turns out that he’s Filipino and that I should’ve used more of a what I would consider to be Spanish pronunciation and I would’ve been correct. She spent a couple of minutes laughing at him and telling him that he says his name wrong.

I then jumped in and said, well I speak Spanish and that’s how I would’ve said it if I’d been pronouncing it in Spanish. They said how well do you speak Spanish and I said that I do interpretation. They looked at me and said, you’re very white! How did you learn Spanish? She was Latin looking and he was definitely Filipino looking and I smiled, racial profiling is alive and well.

I said, I went on a Mormon mission to Argentina and I learned to speak Spanish. They asked me how I was able to remember it after all these years. I told them that when I was in the MTC Elder Packer had come to the MTC to speak to us. I told them that he promised us if we would say our prayers and read our scriptures in the language of our mission that we would never lose the ability to speak that language. We would have it and be able to use it to build the kingdom of God.

It dawned on me that I was preaching about prophets and prophecy to people that I just picked up from a bar so I decided to bear my testimony. As I bore my testimony of the principle of revelation, based on the prophecy of Elder Packer, the spirit whispered to me that the man was a member of the church but she was not.

Just as soon as I had finished, I decided to find a way in this 35 minute drive to bring up more about the church. She lead off by saying, is it scary to have people in your car that you don’t know? I decided that I would take that. I told the story about the man who came over the seat trying to choke me and attack me but that when he touched me he was zapped and fell down, almost as if he had been hit by a taser. I’d been talking about the Book of Mormon so I talked about how Nephi had touched his brothers and they had been shocked.

I said, you know, the Book of Mormon is true and I wouldn’t have understood what happened in my car If I hadn’t read that God had done it before in the scriptures.

Her eyes were wide open and she said, wow! She said, at first I thought you would be scared to have people in your car but if you’ve got God protecting you like that you don’t need to be scared, do you? I told her that I believe that God protected me and that I wasn’t afraid. I told her that God had prompted me not to pick up people at times and other times he had protected me.

I told her that God protect us when we do the things that he wants us to do and when we follow his prophets and their words. I told her that my ability to speak Spanish and the protection of my car were both evidences of God‘s protection because of obedience.

I told her that I prayed and blessed my car so that the spirit of God would dwell in my car. She said, we’ve both felt that since we got in your car. It’s been an amazing peace. We’ve never taken an Uber that felt like this. I told her it’s because the spirit of God was here.

Then I looked at him and asked, are you two religious? He said, she isn’t. She said, he used to be. The spirit had already indicated this to me. This gave me comfort and the knowledge that they were telling me the truth.

I told them that the thing about the church is that it’s where we get commandments from God so that we can be blessed and protected. In the scriptures, we read the actual words that came from the prophets of God and in church, we listen to live prophets of God. I told them that this is what I did on my mission. I taught those words to the people and brought this peace to their lives.

I told them that the peace they felt on my mission was just like what they were feeling in the car right now. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He said, I went on a mission. I asked, when did you go on a mission? He said in 2009 to the Philippines. I said, that’s awesome.

The distinct prompting came over me to say these words. Your Heavenly Father knows where you are. He knows what you’re doing and he’s been wanting you to come back. I said, you thought he didn’t care about you. You thought he wouldn’t notice if you were gone but tonight he sent me to let you know that you were wrong.

I told him that for years he had been laboring under the assumption that God didn’t care but God did care and that he needed him. He said, I didn’t think anyone knew and I didn’t think anyone cared.

I asked him when he was in the MTC, and which MTC one. He said he was in Provo. I told him that it was before I started serving there in 2012. I told him that what he learned in the MTC was how to recognize the spirit he was feeling tonight in the car. I told him the spirit can lead him and guide him and walk beside him and help him find the way.

He laughed and said, that sounds like a song I heard once. I said kind of funny how we learn these things when we’re little. I told him that to others this spirit is how we turn their hearts to their father in heaven and get protection in these perilous days.

By this time he was animated. The spirit had lit him like a firecracker and he was poppin. You could feel the joy coming from him in the backseat after being enlightened by the spirit. I told him, you remember what it felt like don’t you? He said, yes. I said, you’ve missed this haven’t you? He said yes, I didn’t realize how much. I said, your Father in Heaven wants you back, will you come back? He paused, looked at his wife and said, yes.

I looked at her and said, what do you think about what you’re feeling right now? Would you like to feel this in your life all the time? She said, yes. I told her that I had used a story from the Book of Mormon in our trip. I told her that the Book of Mormon was the word of God just like the Bible. I told her that it was translated by Joseph Smith and that it was the words of the ancient prophet in America, her ancestors.

I told her that these words spoke to her, in the car and they were speaking to her right now. As I testified of their truthfulness she said, I believe you because of what I’m feeling. This is incredible. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon of her own. She said, no. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists to give to her husband. I said, do you have a Book of Mormon? He said, yes I have a few. I gave it to him and said, you give this your wife. I want you to teach her just like you taught people on your mission about the Book of Mormon.

I want you to teach her about Joseph Smith. I want you to teach her about the plates. I want you to teach her that Jesus came to America and taught the people to be baptized. I want you to baptize her. He took the Book of Mormon from me and said, I will do that!

He said, this book has tabs in it, just like my Book of Mormon does! He said, this is so cool. This was made for me to give to her. She looked at him with a big smile and said, yeah! Get to it!

I laughed and said yes it was. I said, God knew you were coming here tonight and he sent gifts for you.

I told him that he remembered what it was like to be a missionary tonight in the car. I told him that the spirit accompanies the truth and testifies of the truth. His wife said, this would change everything for them. She said, I want that.

She asked, can we really have this feeling all the time? I said yes, your husband had just forgotten but together you can build a life based on this feeling.

She said, the second I got in this car I felt something different. The second I got in this car I knew that this was different and that I was supposed to listen. The man reached up and gently grab my shoulders and said, you are a great man. I told him that he is the man, when he follows the promptings of God.

I told him that God put them in my car, God gave me the words to say, and he sent his spirit to testify to them. I asked him, on your mission when you had an investigator that had felt the spirit what did you do? He said, first we got really excited and then we baptized them. I said, well tonight your wife has felt the spirit and she knows that it is true, so what are you going to do? He grabbed my shoulders again and said, you’re awesome, thank you so much.

They got out of the car and went into their home with HER Book of Mormon.

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

One day I was working in Orem over by the Lakeridge area. I really enjoy working in the Lakeridge area because I lived in that stake for quite a while. When they opened their Spanish branch I served for the first several months doing missionary work there. The Lord blessed us with tremendous success and many of the people in that branch are still friends of mine.

I picked up the man I was sent to drive he lived right across the road from one of the apartments where I had one of my most successful missionary experiences ever. I was reminiscing and I had the thought, “this is a good street isn’t it”. I had the distinct impression that lightning was going to strike twice.

I pulled up in front of the house and the man came out. He was a young man with lots of piercings in his ears. I thought that was a bit out of place for the promptings I was receiving. I felt very impressed that this was a good young man and that he was ready for the gospel. I felt the distinct impression that he was seeking for the gospel but didn’t know who to ask or what to say. It felt to me like he was blindfolded and trying to find something.

At the first of our ride I started talking to him. He struggled to answer in English. After a minute of making him speak English I flipped into Spanish and he was greatly relieved. He had a great big smile on his face because he knew that I was clowning him a bit.

He said he was from Columbia by way of New Jersey and that he had only been here in utah two weeks. I asked him how he liked it here and he said he liked it a lot. I said, compared to New Jersey it has to be really different. He said it was very different.

I said, I would imagine that you feel something different here than you felt in New Jersey. He said, I’m glad you said that because I’ve noticed something very different here. He said, it’s a peaceful feeling and I like it. I told him that we have that peaceful feeling here because a lot of people keep the commandments of God.

I told him that when we keep the commandments of God, he gives us peace. I told him that this is not just peace in our hearts but when a community of people are living righteously, you feel the spirit of God amongst them. He said, that’s right! That’s why it’s so important to have a community of God.

He said, back in Columbia I went to church twice a week. I love going to church. I’ve always gone to church. He said, I love to learn about Jesus. I said, that makes two of us!

I told him that I read my scriptures every day and that I love to learn from the scriptures. I also like to learn from the spirit. I asked him if he considered himself to be a strong Catholic and he said, yes! He said that even though he hadn’t been to church very much in New Jersey, he still considered himself to be very Catholic. He then said that what he felt here was different. What he felt here was something that he had never felt and he wanted to know more about it.

I said, do you think maybe you would find that in our church houses here? He said, that’s a good thought, I bet you could. He said, that has to be where it comes from, it comes from the people obeying God. He said, they are teaching the right things in those churches.

I said, do you want to know what we believe that might be a little different than what you believe? He said, yes! I told him that basically we believe a lot of the same things that he believes. I said that it’s Christmas time and we believe that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. I said that we believe that he lived his life perfectly and organized his church perfectly . He taught the gospel and then he suffered and died for us.

I said that he suffered for pain, sicknesses, inequities, illnesses, and any other negative thing that could happen to us, including the sins that we have committed. I told him that we don’t need to suffer because he already has. I told him that Jesus Christ was crucified and that after three days in the tomb he was resurrected.

I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he taught some more and prepared the church for his departure. He said other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. He said that he was commanded by his father to go to those people.

I asked him who Jesus could have been talking about. I asked him who were those people that weren’t in that area? He was puzzled. He said, I don’t know.

I asked him if God loved everyone in the world and he said, yes. I asked him why and he said because we are all God’s children. I said, that’s right. I asked him if God favored one child over the other assuming they were both righteous and he said, no. I asked him if God would teach one child and make no provision for teaching the other thus giving him an advantage and he said, no, God is fair and just.

I asked, who are those other people that Jesus talked about? Were there other people in the world? He said, yes. I asked him if those people were God‘s children? He said, of course. I asked him if he thought maybe God would send his son, Jesus Christ, to those other people.

He thought for a moment and said, you know, I’ve never considered that. This sounds right, of course, a loving God that loves all his children would share that knowledge and those blessings with his other children. He said especially the blessings of Jesus because Jesus blessed everyone.

I said, that’s exactly what happened. Jesus came to America. He descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. I said, your ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and he held their babies in his arms. As he held them he blessed them and their posterity.

He said, my ancestors? I said, yes! He said, we were blessed? I said, yes! He said, I’ve always felt blessed by Jesus, maybe that has something to do with it. I told him that it probably did have something to do with it because God loves everyone no matter where they live. I told him that in America, Jesus said, still other sheep I have that are not from here or Jerusalem. He said that he was going to go to them. My passenger said, that makes a lot of sense.

I said, our Heavenly Father is loving and fair and he loves all of his children. We lived with him before we came to earth and we loved him and he loves us. That’s why he gives us prophets.

I told him that in America, just like in Israel, there were prophets. I said that they wrote down their revelations. I told him that those revelations were given to a modern day prophet and translated. I told him that this book is called the Book of Mormon. I said, that book is a religious heritage given to you by your ancestors. I told him that this book talks about God’s blessings to your ancestors and this book talks about the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I told him that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ and his divinity.

He said, that’s amazing. It makes a lot of sense. We don’t teach that as Catholics, he said. I said, that ancient engravings were given to Joseph Smith to translate. I testified to him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who was called by God to restore the church of Jesus Christ on the Earth. I told him that Joseph Smith wanted to know truth, and so he went and prayed to ask God. I told him that when he did this God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet.

I told him that a short while later, a prophet who had lived here in America brought him those records to translate. He did this so that we could know of the love that God had for the people that lived here in this land, his ancestors.

He was touched. I could tell he was feeling the spirit and he was getting into it. I said, how do you feel? He said, I feel an incredible energy in my heart. I feel a compulsion to believe this thing that you are saying and I want to learn more. He said, I feel like I need to learn more.

I told him that right now God was testifying to his heart and that the things he was feeling were true and the things he was hearing were true. He said, it’s strange but I know that. I told him that when he feels the presence of God like this, he knows that the things he is hearing are true. He said, this is right!

I pulled out a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and I said, “would it be OK if I gave you a Book of Mormon?” He said, absolutely, is that all right? I said, yes. I said if you read this book and pray asking God to show you the truth, he will manifest it to you just like he has in the car today. I said, when you get that answer, it will feel just like you feel right now in your heart.

I asked him if he wanted to go to church on Sunday and he said, yes. I told him which chapel it was and he said, I’ve seen that chapel and I feel something special when I walked by it. Now I know why.

I happened to have the phone number handy for the ward mission leader. I arranged for him to go to church on Sunday. I picked him up and took him myself. It was really an incredible time. He met the missionaries and set appointments for later that week.

I told him that the missionaries would talk to him about baptism. He said, well, I’ve already been baptized. I told him that in our church we use the same baptism that Jesus Christ gave to his ancestors. I told him that they had already been baptized before Jesus came just like he had. When Jesus arrived, he invited them to take a step up to a new level of discipleship and a new baptism. I told him that this new level of discipleship requires us to love God with all of our heart and serve him. He said, that sounds just like me. I want to do that!

I told him that when he’s baptized, the spirit of God will cleanse him from the sins that he had committed. I told him that when he comes out of the waters of baptism, he will be clean.

I could see behind his eyes he was seriously contemplating that, and then he said, “I would love to be clean again”. He said, that would be the greatest gift. I told him how appropriate it was to be talking about gifts at Christmas because Jesus Christ keeps giving us the gift of repentance through the power of his atonement. I said, “it’s Christmas time, it’s a time for gifts. It’s a good time to learn about baptism, the baptism of Jesus Christ. The baptism that he gave to your ancestors.

He said, I can’t believe I’ve gone my whole life without knowing this! He said, I’ve never felt like this, and I want to feel like this always. I told him that once he’s baptized, he will get the gift of the Holy Ghost and then God can be with him and he can walk with God. He said, that’s what I want because that’s who I am.

This was actually a pretty quick ride and pretty packed. I fell an urgency to say all of the things that I knew that I needed to say and get him to the ward mission leader. I felt that he was ready and he was brought here for this purpose.

I told him that he was right to want this and that he was here for this purpose. I told him that God had put him in my car to help him, to bring him home. When I said that the spirit just consumed the car, it was unmistakable. He said, that’s true!

We were at the spot where he needed to get out and I reconfirmed everything with him for Sunday and drove off. I’m going to try to keep an eye on this one because I can.

Update: he sent me a text today telling me that he is going to be baptized on Saturday the 30th and asked me to perform the ordinance. The missionaries followed up with a text a little bit later confirming the time and place. Next week after the baptism I will attach a picture to this blog entry.

Tis the Season for a white Christmas

Update #2

He went with me for a tour of the MTC on Thursday and felt the spirit. He made a goal to be back in one year, with a tag

Here is the picture of his baptism. Love baptism days!!!

Hurrah for Israel

One Saturday night I was right in the middle of prime time. It’s the time when the bars close down, the rates go up and we make the most money. This starts about 1 o’clock and at about 12:55 I got a ride to pick up a young man.

I pulled up and he came out and got in my car. We started on our way. I was playing Christmas music and I told him that I love to play Christmas music. I told him some people don’t like Christmas music and they give you bad ratings for playing it.

He asked why they would give you bad ratings and I said that they say that they give bad ratings because they hate Christians. He was appalled. He couldn’t believe that someone would be like that.

I told him that people today have no shame. I said the people who are trying to destroy our culture and our religions will shame other people, but the prevailing wisdom in society right now is that shame is bad and shame is evil especially when directed at people who are destructive. I told him that I believe that shame is the guard rail of our society. When you bump up against those guard rails, you know not to go any further and you need to correct yourself.

He said, that’s profound. He said, so many people these days aren’t ashamed at all to do the wrong things and hurt good people by shaming them and destroying them if they don’t follow the narrative.

I find many times that members of the church don’t understand that a large number of people in our society these days are very passionately and virulently anti-Christian to the extent that they find it hard to be civil.

He was angry and he asked me if I was Christian? I said 100% Christian. I said, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In a subdued voice he said, so you are a Mormon and I said absolutely!

I will say here that with him having said this, I got the spiritual impression that this kid was a member of the church or had relationships with members with the church. I just had that feeling and I felt comfortable calling that out.

As soon as I said those words, he said, I’m Christian too! I was raised Mormon when I was young but we left the church. He said, my mom and dad who are returned missionaries decided that they didn’t believe the church was true and they decided to leave the church. We all left the church based on their choice. He said, I kinda didn’t get a say in the whole thing, period.

He said that they left because his dad and mom really had problems with the way the church administered money and the amount of money that church had. He said, now I think that the church has some major problems and there are some things that I just can’t answer, so I don’t go to any church.

The spirit indicated that there was a lot of confusion and vulnerability in this young man. I felt by the spirit a conflict in that he wanted to do what was right but he felt like he was doing so much wrong and didn’t know how to get out of his spiral.

I asked him point-blank, well, as long as you have some questions that you don’t think there are answers to, why don’t you ask me. He said, all right let’s talk about my dad‘s question. What about all the money? Why does the church have so much money?

I told him that the church counsels all people to be self sufficient and be able to take care of themselves for an extended period of time just in case something bad happenes in the economy. I said that the church is no different. I said that the church has money in businesses, cash and bank accounts sufficient to take care of the church for a prolonged period of time.

I said, this is wise, considering we don’t know what’s going to happen in the world. One thing we do know is that the church could almost certainly take care of its members for an extended period of time, and that might be necessary given a financial worst case scenario in the world.

I said, that’s the answer to the question you asked but that’s not the answer to the question your dad really has. Your dad is upset about paying tithing to a church that already has so much money and doesn’t need his money. He said that it is unethical for the church to ask for money from poor people in tithing.

He said, thats exactly my Dad question! I said, there is something you need to understand about the law tithing. I don’t pay the church for blessings. I don’t pay the church for anything. I give money to the church because that’s how I give it to my Heavenly Father. Tithing is between he and I. The church only collects the money.

I don’t care if they start campfires with it. God tells me that I need to pay tithing and if I do, he will open up the windows of Heaven and bless me. I told him the leaders of the church are who God had authorized to receive that tithing. That’s why I pay tithing and that’s why I pay it to the church.

I told him that the last three years in my life have been very difficult. I told him that my wife and I lost our jobs during Covid. I started driving as a result. I said that many times it was very close for us not having enough money but someone would always come up and ask me for a private ride and give me an extra hundred bucks.

Someone would offer to help me out with money and someone would always bless me so that we always had what we needed.

I told him that I never missed paying my tithing. I always paid my tithing because God commanded me to pay my tithing and he opened the windows of heaven to bless me.

I told him that when I went in for my temple recommended interview, the stake presidency member was shocked when I told him that I had been a full tithe payer all throughout this scenario. His response kind of made me sad. I said I believe we should have strong enough faith to pay our tithing so that we can have strong enough faith to receive blessings that God has in store for us.

I told my rider that it has nothing to do with giving money to the church and everything to do with being faithful to God. He was visibly touched by this explanation and the spirit testified to his heart. He began to be emotional. He said, that’s beautiful.

I said, the problem you have is that you have let your relationship with God deteriorate. He loves you and you love him, you just don’t remember. He remembers who you are and he knows what’s best for you. He loves you.

I told him that he had allowed Satan and other people to diminish God in his eyes. I told him that he had lived with God for thousands of years and that his spirit knew God and wanted to be in his presence.

By this time I could feel the spirit in the car and I asked him if he could tell me what he was feeling. He started to cry and said, I can’t believe what I’m feeling. I’ve never felt anything like this. He said, knowing that God loves me means a lot to me.

I told him that he was feeling the Holy Ghost and that God had sent the Holy Ghost to him so that he would know that the things I was saying were true. He sent his spirit so that he would know what it felt like to be in the presence of God.

He said, I can’t be in the presence of God, I’ve committed way too many sins! He said, I’ve committed horrible sins and I don’t think I could be forgiven. I asked him if he had killed anyone and he said no. I told him, then you’re not too far gone, you can be forgiven!

I told him that God wants us to look to him. He gives us everything we have, including our agency. I told him that when someone uses their agency poorly, either to harm other people or to teach false things God expects us to be his hands and help bind their wounds and lift them up. He tells us that the person to look to is Jesus Christ. This goes for the sinner and those affected by the sinner alike.

I told him that Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for all the pains, injustices and sins of the world so that we wouldn’t have to suffer for those sins. I said, he’s already suffered for those. Why would you allow yourself to sit here in the car and continue to suffer?

I told him that Satan, on the other hand, tells people to blame God and find faults with his church and its leaders. They alienate themselves from God and turn away from God. I told him that is what his parents had done and that’s what he was doing.

I told him that if he wanted to be clean, he could be clean but he would have to turn to Jesus for that to happen. He would have to use the power of the atonement.

He said, are you sure I can be for forgiven? I said, yes. You have to learn how to do that but your bishop can help you. You should go to church and talk to your Bishop. He said, I don’t think I can do that because I’ve already been baptized and the sins that I have committed completely surpass that.

I said, no, that’s not true because we learn in the scriptures that even if our sins are red, they can be turned white through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He can clean us of our impurities, bind our wounds and bring us home to our father.

I said, what you need to do is read the scriptures, pray often, more than daily and go to church. You need to change and your bishop will help you make that change.

By this time he was in a full on crying situation. He said, so you think God could help me and that he would help me? I said, yes, I know he would. I told him that the fact that I was there tonight was evidence of this. I said that I believe God sent me to give him a ride so I could pass this message along to him. He said, I think you might be an angel. I told him that any shine he saw coming off of me was probably streetlight bouncing off of my balding head but that I was sure God put him in my car and gave me the words to say to him.

He said, the words you said tonight are almost direct answers to the questions that I was thinking while you were saying them. How did you know what to say? How did you know what was in my heart? You hit all of the topics just right. I told him that God sends people, he sends his spirit with them and he whispers his will and his words to the people he sends. I told him that because I said those things he knew they were true and that it came from Bod.

I asked him, do you believe the things I’ve said are true? He said yes.

I asked him if he wanted to go to church and he said yes, I looked up the church that he attends and he said, where is that? I said, let’s go see, I turned off the app so he wouldn’t be charged. Even though we had just reached his destination we left and drove over to his church house so he could see. I said, this is where you come to church. Those are the doors you go in and then you ask for the bishop. He will show you the pathway to get you to this forgiveness that you need.

He said, I want to do this.

He said, I keep coming back to the sins I’ve committed. Are you sure I can be forgiven? I told him that in the Book of Mormon there was a prophet who’s son was going around, trying to destroy the church and destroy the faith people had in God. He was doing all manner of evil and God sent an angel to him and turned his life around.

He repented, came back to God and later became the prophet of the church. I told him that the Book of Mormon is very important because it teaches that God loves everybody not just the people in Jerusalem. It teaches that he is the father of everyone who ever lived no matter where they lived.

As I talked about Alma, the younger, I mentioned specific sins that he and others in the Book of Mormon had committed. Latter these men became prophets or leaders in the church. One they had repented and been forgiven they stood clean before God. I said, this book can teach you how to do what they did.

He said, my doubts tell me that I can’t be clean and that I should wait. I said, those doubts come from Satan. He whispers them in your ears to keep you from doing the things that you need to do. He wants you to suffer, he wants to bring you down and he is a liar. I said never listen to anything a liar says.

I said, in the Book of Mormon those who put Satan aside and followed God received great power and great blessings. If you postpone the day of your repentance, that repentance may not happen at all. If it does happen at a later date, you will miss many of the blessings that you could’ve had like a righteous family or the ability to help others and that would be a tragedy.

I told him that in the Book of Mormon Jesus says that he was going to visit other sheep which weren’t in America and weren’t in Jerusalem because God loves everyone. He said, that feels right.

I asked him if he had ever known anyone that did baptisms for the dead and he said yes. I said, when we do baptism for the dead, we make sure that everyone no matter where they lived, or when they lived, has an opportunity to come home to their father in heaven. He is a perfect fathe, with perfect love and he loves all of his children. I said, a perfect father with perfect love would make a plan. He would make a way to save all of his children if they would be saved.

He asked, “but it’s still their decision?”. I said yes but we do the baptisms for them, and then they have the opportunity to decide if they want to accept it.

I said, this doctrine proves that the church is true because a loving God would have to show how he planned to save all of his children. It’s done through the temple and the ordinances in the temple. I told him that the temple is the place where heaven and earth come together. The place where our Father in Heaven’s spirit abides in power.

I told him that the ordinances in the temple are some of the things that every other religion lacks along with the authority to perform those ordinances. This authority is held by priesthood holders in our church and the temple ordinances are only preformed by God power inside of the temple.

He said, that’s crazy. He asked in a tearful voice, how could my mom and dad leave this and not have this understanding? I told him that satan works really hard with our friends and he influences those around us to cloud our minds with other things and not his word and his will.

He said, how can I know that what you’re saying is true for sure? I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon. The spirit exploded in the car and it was overwhelming. He started crying harder than he had at any point up to then. I said, the way you know that this is true is that the spirit is testifying to you right now. You know it’s true right now.

I told him that if the Book of Mormon is true and because it’s true, Joseph Smith, who translated that book was a prophet of God. I told him that if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God then we have a prophet of God on the Earth today. We have the keys to perform the ordinances we had discussed, including the temple ordinances and the authority to run God‘s church.

I asked him again what he felt. he said that he felt the spirit of God more powerfully than ever.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon. He said no. I pulled out a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. He became emotional again, and asked, am I worthy to take this holy book? I told him that book isn’t for people who are holy, it is a book that teaches the word of God so that we can all become more holy. I told him that he should most definitely take the book. He held it for about five minutes before accepting it graciously. He said, I will read this book and pray and go to church. I want to be forgiven.

Then he said, what happens when I have a doubt? How do I know whether my doubt is true or what I’m feeling now is true?

I asked him how his doubt made him feel and he said confused and unsettled. I asked him how the spirit that he was feeling right now made him feel. He said warm and happy. I asked him which one he’d rather be, confused and unsettled or warm and happy. He said warm and happy. I asked him if a loving Heavenly Father would make him confused and unsettled or happy and warm. He laughed and said happy and warm. I said, you belong in the church. Your sins can be forgiven and you can stand before God with a clear conscience. God can walk with you through your life if you’ll have it.

He said, this is what I want. He thanked me and asked me what I was going to do next. He asked me if I was going to drive more that night. It was 2am and there was one productive hour left. I was impressed to say no and wrap it up. I said no. I said, that I believed that the reason why I was there tonight was to talk to you. Now I ’m going to go home and go to bed.

He said, that’s the right answer. That’s the answer. That’s what I thought in my head you should say. I know God sent you for me and I will do the things that we discussed.

It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord pours out his spirit to save rebellious children. It’s almost like when you are with one of them or teaching one of them and it’s a pivotal time. Their hearts are open to the truth and you have God‘s full and undivided attention….. even at 2am.

One afternoon I picked up a young man in Sugarhouse. I was taking him to target to do his Christmas shopping. We started talking about how his day was going and discussing Christmas plans. I asked him what school he went to and he said that he was a student at the university of utah. He was homeschooled and graduated in 2020 which was great because homeschooling prepared him for his first year in college that was virtual. He said he’s so glad to be in classroom with lots of other students.

He seemed pretty self-assured and confident from his demeanor but when I looked in his eyes it struck me that he was missing something. He looked like a member of the church. He was born and raised in the sugarHouse area. He had all the outward signs of being a member of the church.

He asked me how I liked driving and I told him that it was fun to meet people and then I had the prompting to start talking to him about religion and start introducing it. I decided to get there by showing him about how to say words in a lot of different languages. I know how to say hello and thank you in like 20 languages. He thought that was fun and he said, “my best friend gets back from his mission in Madagascar next week”. He’s going to speak Malagasy. I wonder how that will sound.

I told him my nephew went to Madagascar on his mission and that I had served in the MTC and they taught Malagasy to the missionaries. I told him that I got to know a lot of these missionaries. I told him that this was pretty cool but that his friend had a tough mission. He said, yeah, his friend had lost a lot of weight. I asked, are you excited? Right then the spirit prompted me with a scenario and gave me the words that I knew I had to say. I told him that I had some impressions. I asked him if it would be OK if I shared them with him. I told him they would be personal. He said, yeah! Let’s go. I took a deep breath and said everything that came to me by the spirit in the prompting.

I said, it is a little hard for you to talk about your friend coming home from his mission because you didn’t go. I told him that he was less active in the church now and that he hadn’t been for years. I said, it started with Covid and then amplified when you moved away from home. With Covid you didn’t go to church and you didn’t take the sacrament. I told him that he got used to not taking the sacrament and used to not having that power in his life. I said, “you got used to not having the power of renewing your covenants on a weekly basis”.

I said, then you moved away from home and you began committing sins. Things that you knew were wrong and now you’re ashamed to go to church. You know that you’re not worthy to do the things you know you should do and rather than face it and fix it you stopped going to church.

I said, what that looks like is that you sleep in on Sunday morning and you use the excuse that you’re tired and you need a day off, for not going to church. You use the excuse of studying for not going to church when the real reason is that you feel guilt and you feel shame.

I said, you’ve told members of your family that you feel like everyone at church is judgmental but that’s one of the most judgmental things you can say. I said, the people at church aren’t that judgmental and they don’t care about judging your life like you think they do. I told him they don’t spend two seconds a week thinking about him and passing judgments on him.

I told him that in reality he is passing harsh judgment on himself so he figured everyone else must be as well.

He said, I feel like you looked into my soul and read me like an open book. He said, you’re exactly right how did you know these things. I told him that these words were given to me by the spirit to say so that he would know that what I am saying is true. I said, God put him in my car so I could help him. I told him God put him there to get a message.

I told him that the message was that God loves him and he wants him back. He wants him to start praying and he wants him to go to church and get right.

I told him that he had been telling himself that he could get right on his own without going to church and that wasn’t true. I told him without taking the sacrament worthily there is no way that he could be right with God. That only happens in church! If we don’t take the sacrament, we begin to wear down and Satan gains greater influence over our thoughts and our actions, I said.

I told him about when I was on my mission and I had a very difficult companion as my first companion. He made me walk a step and a half behind him everywhere we went. I had to open all doors for him and he made me carry everything. When I asked my companion why, he said because I’m your senior companion. I was helpless and didn’t speak the language at all. I was totally dependent on him and he seemed to resent me.

We lived in an open window apartment above the rented building where we had church. We used a room on the main floor as a chapel. It was right on the main street, overlooking the river and Paraguay.

The first time I went to church after a week of missionary service, I woke up and counted 36 mosquito bites on 1 foot. I was tired and I hurt inside and out. I went to church that day and didn’t understand a thing. You could hear every truck and bicycle whiz by in front of the church house on the freeway that was only about 4 feet from the front door of the chapel. There were tile floors and about 40 children for every adult. There was no reverence I didn’t understand anything and I was lost.

Then we had the sacrament. When we had the sacrament, it filled my soul with spiritual power, my tank was filled and I received the strength I needed to carry on for another week. Then I came back and refilled my tank again. Since that day, I have understood the importance of the sacrament.

I told him that during Covid when he didn’t take the sacrament his tank was empty and his spirit needed nourishment. At that point Satan pressed his advantage, I said.

I told him that this is why we need to pray. I told him that the spirit prompted me that he hadn’t prayed in years either, and he said that I was right. I said that this communion with God is more important than he could imagine. I told him he needed to get on his knees and talk to his father. I told him he needed to get to church and he needed to get to where he could take the sacrament.

He said, “I’m stunned”. He said, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a total stranger walk up and tell me such personal and private things about myself. He said, I know that’s from God.

I said, now that you know that this is from God you know what you need to do, you need to follow that path. He said, it’s a perfect time with my friend coming home from his mission. Maybe he can help.

I hadn’t thought about the thing regarding his friend but sometimes I believe God holds off and then sends help when there will be someone there to do the lifting. He puts us in our most advantageous position to succeed.

I asked him to talk this ride over with his friend. I asked, what have you felt in the car and in your heart? He said, I felt a peace and energy like I haven’t felt in my whole life.

I told him, the reason in the end he didn’t go on a mission when his friend did was because he didn’t think he had ever received an answer to his prayers about the veracity of the church. “You didn’t think God answered your prayers about the truthfulness of the gospel”. I said, is that true?

He said, yes that true. I told everyone else I got my answer but I never did and I never told anyone. I said, God knew that you didn’t understand the answer but I want you to know that what you’re feeling here in the car today is the spirit of God confirming to you now that these things are true. The spirit of God was very strong in the car.

I felt impressed to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I bore that testimony with as much power and spirit as I could possibly manage.

When I finished, he said, I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words more powerfully spoken. I haven’t heard them in a long time. I needed that. I felt like it fed me. He said, the spirit that I was feeling is increasing. He said, “I love this!.”

I said, today you can say, I know the church is true. He said, I do know the church is true. I said, well, then, what are you going to do about it?.

He said well, first, I have to think about everything I’ve heard and felt tonight because it changed everything. I’m going to talk to my friend and have him help me and maybe I’ll go on a mission. I feel like I need to do that.

I said, when you are feeling the spirit, the thoughts you have are your commandments from God so you should do that. He said, I will! I’m going to go to church this Sunday with my friend. He said “I’ll go to my ward next week”.

I told him that he needs to know that his Father in Heaven put him in my car because he loves him and he’s not here to beat him up or make him feel bad but to help him feel joy. I told him what he was feeling was a manifestation of his relationship with God. I told him that it’s how he felt the presence of God. I told him that this is what he is feeling when he feels the spirit. He said, I will never forget that.

We pulled up to Target and he got out of the car. He said he would follow through. Then he went in to do his Christmas shopping.

One day it was really slow and I was downtown trying to pile up a number of rides. It was very frustrating and I decided that I would take any ride no matter where it went. Financially, that’s a losing decision but I was bored. As soon as I made the decision, I got a ride. It went all the way down to Taylorsville.

I thought, Taylorsville? Well, I guess I’m bored, so off I went.

I picked up a guy at a convenience store where he had just gotten off work. I asked him how his day was going and he said that it was not really going very well. I asked him what was wrong and he said that they had just gotten a new process implemented at work that he had to train his people on. His wife was upset at him for spending so much time at work.

I talked to him about what a crazy little tight rope walk that can be. It’s difficult sometimes to strike that balance between being home and being at work and it’s something that both people have to do. We talked about it for a while.

This spirit prompted me very strongly that it was time to get into a religious discussion with this young man. I got the impression that if I started the spirit would back me up in whatever direction I decided to go. Just go! I started by talking how important families are.

He opened up about his family and his past. He had been in prison for many years and when he got out of prison he was addicted to drugs for a while. While he was addicted to drugs, he met his wife. He cleaned up and left that life behind with her help. He said he was very grateful for her.

She was from Cuba and he was American. He told me that he guessed what it took to pull him out of the life he was in was a Cuban communist and then he laughed. I told him that there were two things that he should always remember. One is that given the past he should always work to make sure that his wife and family know and feel that he loves them.

The second thing I told him came very powerfully from the spirit as a prompting for me to say. I told him that he needed to know that his Heavenly Father loved him. I told him that he wasn’t an accident, that he was loved and that he had purpose. I told him that part of that purpose was his family.

I asked him if he had ever heard of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. He said, the Mormons? I said, yes. He said, I’m Catholic but while I was in prison the Catholics never visited me. He said, the Mormons visited me every week. He said it with such fondness in his voice and I could tell that he was remembering those times. I could see it in his face as I looked in the mirror.

I asked, every week huh? He said, Yep. I told him that I know the person that was in charge of the ministry program for the church at the prison. He said, what’s his name? I said his name is Clarke. I said, that’s his last name and that I don’t know his first name because we called him Elder.

It was Elder Don R Clarke who used to be in the 70’s and is now emeritus. He used to be on the missionary committee and I met him several times at the MTC. His most recent assignment to my knowledge was that of district president in the Utah state penitentiary. We corresponded throughout the years and this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve talked to him about people that he’s ministered to in prison. I smiled and figured that it was just par for the course.

I asked him how those visits made him feel, and he said that it was one of the few things that got him through. I told him that from those visits he should know that God loves him. I told him that the spirit they brought with them was something I believed that he remembered and held on to. He said, that’s very true and very personal.

I told him that it was no accident that he was here in the car today and that during those visits in prison, the spirit of God had laid the groundwork for him to be happy and make it through after his encarceration ended.

I told him that in the church we take on the responsibility to do the things that God would do or that Jesus would do if they were here. I told him that one of the things that makes this possible is the fact that we have the priesthood of God. I told him that every worthy father, in every home, has the ability to lay his hands on his children’s head, bless them and heal them both spiritually and physically. I told him that every husband has the ability to lay his hands on his wife’s head and give her blessings as well. I asked him if he thought this would help his relationship? He said, “that’s amazing, it sure would!”

I told him that God loves everyone and he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to feel our pain. He felt the pain of the injustice, the sickness, the stress and the despair. He suffered this for us. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins so that we could be clean, even after everything bad we had done we could still be clean.

I said, Satan tells you that you’re dirty and because of what’s happening and what you’ve done, you can’t ever be clean or worthy to stand in God‘s presence. That’s a lie. I said that Satan lies, that’s what he does and he whispers those lies to you non stop. Every time it is a lie. Jesus Christ can make you clean.

He said, that sounds wonderful and those are a lot of sins! I told him that the spirit that he was feeling today in the car made him feel an assurance that if he would make that a part of his life, he could be happier. His life would have better outcomes with Jesus.

He said, I believe you. I told him that after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he said he had other sheep that were not of that fold and then he came to America. This young man was of Mexican descent but spoke zero Spanish. I told him that Jesus came to America to his ancestors and he blessed them. I said that this blessing from Jesus was upon them and their posterity. I told him that Jesus gave them baptism and commanded that they all be baptized.

I told him that through baptism we can become clean as if we had never sinned. I asked him if that sounded good and he said yes, really good. I told him that this was meant for him. He thought for minute and said, that’s crazy! I told him that when Jesus was in America, he said he was going to go to God‘s sheep that were not in America or in Jerusalem. I told him that God is the God of everyone not just the God of Jerusalem.

I asked him if he had children scattered all over the world, and he had unlimited money and ability to travel, which ones would he go see? He said he would go see all of them. I said, that’s right, our Heavenly Father sent his son to his children, for his children, and to be with his children.

He said, I love my children. My daughter is struggling a lot right now. He said, she’s lesbian. I asked him how old she was and he said 15 years old. He said, she liked boys and girls but she’s got a girlfriend right now. He asked me how we treated people with same-sex attraction in the church. I said, we love them. I said, we include them. I told him that they can come to the parties and go to the meetings. I told him that it is a sin, but it’s not a reason for them to be shunned or abused . I told him that everyone sins and everyone needs to repent for their sins. I said that the church is a hospital for the sick not a museum for the perfect. I looked at him and said, I promise you that if you will stay close to God and do the things that he needs you to do and stay close to her, when things falls apart, she will come back to you. I told him that Satan picks us up and takes us for a ride and drops us somewhere between Battle Mountain and Winnemucca.

He laughed out loud and he said, I’ve been out there and that’s horrible. He said, furthermore, Satan did that to me and it was horrible. He said, I want my daughter to have a good place to land. I told him that what I’m talking about here today are the things that he needs to do.

I asked him if he had a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he said no. He said, they wouldn’t let them have very many books in prison. He said that he never checked one out from the library. I told him that the Book of Mormon was God‘s revelations to the prophets who were in America. He looked up. I said, yes, God had prophets in America just like he had prophets in Israel and they received revelations from God. They were commanded to write them down. I told him, that’s why we have the Bible and that’s why we have the Book of Mormon.

I told him that one of those prophets delivered that book to a prophet in modern time named Joseph Smith who translated the book. The spirit was really strong in the car and I could tell he was feeling it as I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon. He said, that’s incredible. I said, that book is proof that God loves all of his children, no matter where they live, no matter when they lived or no matter what they’ve done. He said, I feel that, that speaks to me.

I told him that this book is God‘s way of gathering his children who have been scattered or have gone astray so that they can come home.

I asked him if he wanted me to give him a Book of Mormon and he said, yes! I reached into my glove box and asked, do you want Spanish or English? I was thinking about that Cuban communist he had at home and didn’t know how much English she spoke. He said, do you have one of each I could have? I said, yes. He grabbed them both eagerly and said I can’t wait to get started reading these.

I asked him if he had friends that were members of the church and he said yes. I asked him to talk to them and he said he would. I said, before you talk to them, I want to know about what you felt in the car today. I want you to tell me what you’re feeling in your heart.

He said, that’s an interesting question and that you would ask it right now is perfect timing. When we first started the ride, I thought you were just chatting to make conversation and that it was going to be more annoying white noise. Then when you started to talk about religion, I thought, oh no, here we go. Then something changed. Something in the car changed. The feeling in the car changed. I knew that everything you were saying was true and that it was meant for me.

I told him that this was the spirit of God and this is how he helps us know what’s true. I told him that God sent his spirit so he would know the words I was saying were the words he would say, if he were here. He said, I believe that.

He said, I’ve never thought of it like this but if I show God that I love him, my family will see that. If I show devotion to God, I think it will make things better with my family. I said, can you imagine your wife’s reaction to you wanting to read scriptures and say prayers? He said she would be thrilled.

He said, this is a good head start. I will follow up with my friends and will read these books. He thanked me for the two books and got out of the car. He said, I’ve got a lot to repair and a lot to make up for. He said, this might be just the thing I have needed He looked back and he had a smile on his face. You know that smile and that look that somebody has when they’ve just been enlightened by the spirit? That’s what he had and it was amazing to see.

Now he has the tools he needs and I trust in God who brought me to him. God brought him hope in prison, will bring him to his friends and eventually the waters of baptism.

One day I picked up a guy clear out by the Oquirrh Mountain temple. It wasn’t actually very close to the Oquirrh Mountain temple but I use that as a point of reference to indicate how far out there it was. It was a long ways out there. He got in the car and we started off.

He was heading to work at an Argentine restaurant in Sandy. As anyone here knows, that is something that will always pique my interest. We talked about the restaurant and the food. He told me that he was from Peru and had lived in Buenos Aires for 15 years. This is where he learned to cook.

We talked about Argentine food and how their customs with their foods came about. Of particular interest to him was gnocchi. He had no idea where the Argentine gnocchi tradition came from. I told him that it was a tradition that was started back in the 1920’s when there were a lot of Italian immigrants coming to Argentina

They were really poor and they were paid at the first of the month. At the end of the month they didn’t have any money to buy food so they would glean the potatoes from the fields and use the flour that they had remaining to make gnocchi. To this day in Argentina on Friday at the end of the month or on the 27th of the month the whole country has gnocchi.

He thought that was cool and he had no idea how I knew this. I told him that I went on my mission to Argentina. He said, oh, you went on a mission? I said yes. He said, can we speak in Spanish I’m struggling here in English. I said, yes we can! We started talking about where I served on my mission and then he asked. What did you do?

I told him that I spent the time on my mission talking to people about Jesus Christ and helping them understand how much God loves them.

This kid was about 28 years old and he looked like a good kid. He indicated that he had taken the communion when he was 12 but he really didn’t have very much more religious instruction than that.

I asked him if he went to church and he said that he did not. The spirit whispered to me that this kid was hungry for the spirit and that I should offer to teach him something about God and Jesus Christ.

I asked him, would you like me to teach you something about God and Jesus Christ and your relationship to them? He said, yes! I would love that! He said, I want to know what you guys believe.

I started with Jesus Christ. I said, when Jesus Christ was on the Earth he loved the people and he blessed the people. I said, he also organized his church. I asked him if Jesus was perfect and he said yes. I said, then, is the church that he created perfect. He said yes. I said, I agree the church that Jesus Christ created was perfect. It had the perfect authority to teach the people how to come home to God, his father.

I asked him what happened to Jesus Christ and he said, he was crucified and died. I said, that’s right. Jesus was crucified and suffered for our sins. He was buried in the tomb and three days later he was resurrected.

He said yes! This is what I’ve been taught. I told him, before he died, he organized a perfect church, right? He said yes. I said if you had a building on 12 pillars like the 12 apostles were each a pillar that would be a firm foundation wouldn’t it? He said yes. I asked him what happened to the apostles.

He said he didn’t know. I told him that one by one they were killed. I told him to think about that building again and assuming that each one of those pillars was an apostle, and after they all been killed, what would happen to the building. He said it would fall.

I told him that was exactly what happened to this perfect church that Jesus had built. I told him that when all of the apostles were killed the church fell and broke into pieces.

I told him that people took parts of the teachings and built other churches around it. There came to be a whole lot of churches because everybody interpreted things differently and there wasn’t a central authority to help everybody understand the will of God. They didn’t have Gods authority and hey didn’t have a prophet. They didn’t have a prophets and so they wandered.

I told him that’s why there are so many churches today. He said, that’s what confuses me. I told him that in New York in 1820 there was a young man who wanted to know which church was true. He went to all the different churches and tried to find the truth, but he couldn’t find it.

I told him that one day he was reading in the Bible in James, and it said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” I told him that when he read that he knew what he had to do.

He went into a grove of trees, knelt and prayed. God, the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. When I said that his eyes popped open wide and a smile came across his face. I told him that God the father and Jesus Christ called him to be a prophet to restore the same church that had existed before. The church of Jesus Christ.

I told him that’s why we are called the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. I told him the prophets were very important and that God gives us prophets so that we can know his will. God gives us prophets to guide us in the darkness.

He said, it’s very dark these days. I said that’s one reason why we have a prophet today! We have a prophet who speaks with God for us today. We also have apostles and they teach us the will of God. He said, that’s so cool. The spirit was in the car and I could tell he was feeling it. The second his eyes popped wide open, I felt a rush of the spirit. It was like his eyes and his heart opened all at the same time.

I said, Joseph Smith was called to be the first prophet to restore the church of Jesus Christ and since then we’ve had prophets. A while after Joseph Smith was called an angel appeared to him and gave him some engraved metal plates. I told him God loved the people in America too and they had prophets as well.

I asked him, do you think God loved the people in America less than he did the people in Jerusalem? He said no. I said, does it make sense that they would have prophets in America too and he said, yes.

I told him that those prophets wrote their prophecies and the revelations they received from God just like the prophets of the Bible. This is what was on the plates that the angel gave to Joseph Smith.

I told him that through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated those plates so that we have the record of those revelations today. I told him it’s called the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he’d ever heard about the Book of Mormon and he said, no.

I told him that his ancestors who had lived here in America were loved by God and guided by his prophets. He smiled, the spirit testified. I told him that the Book of Mormon was the word of God, and companion to the Bible. I told him that the Book of Mormon also talked about the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

He said, whoa, when did that happen? I told him that it happened right after he was crucified and resurrected. After his resurrection he came to America for the same reason he had prophets in America, because he loves everyone. He taught them the gospel. He taught them that they needed to be baptized and though they had already been baptized. He taught them how to find their way home to their father in heaven.

I reached into my glove box and pulled out one of my copies of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists. It was a hardback Spanish book. Most of the ones they give me are paperback, but this one was hardback and I said, this is the Book of Mormon. I explained the tabs and the questions to him. I asked him if he would like to have a copy of God‘s words to his ancestors.

He said he absolutely would love that. He said, I would love to read that. I said, here you go. He said, I can borrow that? I said, you can have that! He said, this is a really nice expensive book. I told him that his soul and his salvation was the most valuable thing and that this book was a tool to help him. I testified again of the truthfulness of the book.

I looked in his eyes and he had tears in his eyes. I said, what are you feeling right now? He said I’m feeling peace, tranquility, excitement, and love. I told him that was the love of his father in heaven. I told him that his father in heaven sent that feeling to him tonight so that he would know that the things I was saying were true.

I asked him if he wanted to see something cool. I showed him the picture I have from Mexican ruins from the 7th century that has three doors and three ledges, one above each door where image of the God that corresponds to that door is carved. One is a father, king God with a crown and robes. The second is a God descending from Heaven and the third has no carved image.

I asked him how in the 7th century AD they could possibly have known about God the father, Jesus Christ who descended from heaven to visit America in the middle and the Holy Ghost whose ledge was empty because he has no body. How could they have known this when no person had come from the old world to the new world yet? He thought and then said, it’s impossible. He said holding up the Book of Mormon “that blows my mind! This is true and it’s all in here “

He said, I know it’s true. He said, do you want this book back? I said no it’s yours. I asked him if he knew any members of the church and he said his roommates were all Mormons and they go to the temple every Sunday. I told him that he should go to his roommates, show them that book, tell them what he learned and felt in the car and ask if he could go with them next Sunday. He said, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

I told him that when you do you will eventually have the opportunity to have the same baptism that Jesus gave your were ancestors. Then you can have the Holy Ghost with you all the time so that you can walk with God. I asked him if he wanted to walk with God, and he said more than anything. I said, here’s your path.

We had arrived at his work and he said this has been an amazing ride. He thanked me for the book and the testimony. He said, I’ve never felt like this and I want to feel like this more often. He said I will do what you said.

He got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. This young Peruvian/Argentine man found what he was looking for that he didn’t know he was looking for. Even though it was right in front of him with his roommates. Heavenly Father let me ask, “do you want to know what we believe,” and then his spirit rushed in to fill in the blanks.

This was awesome.

.

One day I was driving up at the University of Utah when I picked up a young man with a very strange name. I didn’t know what the origin of the name was but we talked as I gave him a ride to his home. It was really nice ride and I enjoyed our conversation. I never found out where he was from and I didn’t think anything of it.

The very next day I was at the very same place about the very same time and I got him again. As you’ve probably gleaned from my blog, this is not something that happens frequently and generally I take that as a sign that I need to pay closer attention. Immediately I started thinking we should talk about the gospel. While I was thinking, I told him about my trips to Egypt and how to choose which camel to ride….. he said he was impressed.

I decided to start basic and I asked him, do you like it here? He said yes, it’s very peaceful and the people are nice. I asked him if the weather here is like it was where he’s from. He said, no. I’m from Saudi Arabia and it doesn’t look anything like Utah.

At this point I knew that this young man was Muslim. I’ve only spoken to a Muslim one time before in my car about religion. I really don’t know what the rules are and how to approach that given the ramifications in their culture for looking into other religions. As I was thinking this the spirit whispered, the rules are what I say they are. I smiled.

I told him that I was not originally from here, but that I moved here to go to BYU after my mission. He asked me where I went on my mission and I said Argentina. He said, that sounds like it would be a lot of fun! I said it was a lot of fun and it was really cool to get to know God.

I felt the words come into my heart that I should trust the Lord and go head long into a discussion about how his religion and our religion believe in prophets. I said, we both believe in God. We believe that God loves us, and that we serve him. He said, yes. He said that God was very important to him.

I told him that my religion and his religion both believe in prophets because we know that it is through prophets that God does his work. Through prophets he blesses us with his word. He said, it’s interesting to hear you talk about your religion because I think a lot of people are scared to talk to me. He said that he had an open mind and he wanted to learn.

I told him that we have prophets who have revealed God’s words to us and even prophets that lead us today. He said, that’s so cool. He said, I’ve heard you had a prophet named Joseph Smith. I really like that. I don’t like that in our religion there was only ever one prophet name, Muhammad. He said, shouldn’t God always bless us with his word. As the world changes shouldn’t he have more instruction to us? I gave an enthusiastic, yes.

He said, I’m not even sure that whole Mohammad story is right. It’s been so long and so many people passed it down. He said that he wasn’t even sure that the stories were anything but tales. He said, it’s so much better to have a prophet now.

I told him that Joseph Smith wanted to know truth and he knelt and prayed. As he prayed, God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I told him that they called him to be the prophet to restore God’s church and we’ve had prophets since then. He said, that’s what I’m talking about! I like your religion.

I told him that we have a health law as well. He said, I think a Mormon could live in a Muslim house with the health law and the fasting. It seems like we have a lot of the same truth. I told him that I believe that.

Beginning with the testimony of Joseph Smith, the spirit of God filled the car and he opened up and just bloomed in front of me. He started asking me questions about what we believe with regards to Jesus Christ.

I shared with him with what the Buddhist in my car had told me sometime ago about how the Buddha they worship was the son of the great Buddha. He come down to dwell among the people to show them how they should live. I told him this sounds just like Jesus Christ, the son of God.

He said, this is exactly what I believe. He said, I believe that the things attributed to Mohamed if there even was Mohamed are combination of things that happened with other people and at other times. He said he believed that it is possible that it could be Jesus Christ. He said that the name Mohamed means praiseworthy. He said that it seems a bit like an adjective not a person. He said that the thought that Jesus came to his ancestors makes a lot of sense.

I told him about the Book of Mormon, an ancient record from ancient prophets that Joseph Smith received from an angel. I told him how in that book we are taught of the visit of Jesus Christ to America, where he descended from heaven, loved the people, taught them the gospel and gave everyone a commandment to be baptized. I told him that after Jesus taught them and blessed them, he said that there were others that weren’t of this land, or the land of Jerusalem or the lands round about, and that he was going to go to those people as well.

I told him that he left and went to bless those others. I asked him where he thought those others might have been and he said, well, obviously, I think it was my ancestors. I said that Isaiah, who is a prophet that we both believe in said that he would go to Kush, Pathos, Syria, Assyria and the Isles of the sea. I asked him if he knew where those places were.

He said, clearly Pathos is Egypt and much of the Mediterranean. He said that Kush is the ancient kingdom of Africa. He said that Syria anciently would’ve been much of the Middle East and Asia while Assyria would’ve been up north. Clearly this guy knew a whole lot more than most of the people I know with regards to that part of the world. I asked him where the isles of the sea would be found and he was stumped. I told him that it referred to America and any islands in the Pacific or other places that weren’t well known at the time. He said that makes a lot of sense.

He said, this is pretty neat to think about. I told him that there were a lot of people that were arguing about the race of Jesus. What I think that they’re really trying to do is associate themselves with him in the most personal and close manner they possibly can. Their spirits remember this connection.

I told him that God is our father and he loves us. I said that because of this he gives us commandments. I told him that he revealed his word to the prophets and that’s what was written in the Book of Mormon. He said, I’ve never held a Book of Mormon. He said, “I went to a Christian Bible study one time but I’ve never held a Book of Mormon in my hands”.

I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists. I held it up and I said, do you want to touch this one? Do you want to hold this one? He said yes.

He thumbed through the pages and the questions in the front of the book. He said, this is really cool. Where could I get one of these? I told him that this one that he was holding was prepared for him and that he should take that book.

He said, this book is sacred. He said, based on what I’m feeling in the car right now, I know that this book is true. I know it has God’s words. He said, I can’t take your book. I told him that this book was made especially for me to give out and that I would love it if he would take it.

He finally agreed and went to get out of the car. He turned to me and said, a lot of Mormons seem to be afraid to talk to me about religion. Why is that? I said, they’re afraid of doing something that could hurt you in your culture. He said, my culture is to love God and I will take that path anywhere it goes.

He said, I always thought that everybody had a problem with me. I see now that this was not true. Do you think it’s OK if I approach my Mormon friends and ask them to answer my questions while I read this book.? I said that would absolutely be the right thing to do.

I told him that I could tell that he had a specific friend in mind. He smiled and said yes. I told him that this was who he was supposed to ask. He enthusiastically said that he would.

He said, I will read this book. I want to take this journey. He said, I have seen the good that comes from this church. He said that the things he had seen from our church made him know that it can’t be bad and that he wants to learn. He said, the things I have felt in this car let me know that it’s true and that you serve God.

He thanked me for the book and indicated how excited he was to get started. I couldn’t help but be excited to give away my first Book of Mormon to a Muslim. It’s not just that I gave him a Book of Mormon but that I know his father in heaven wanted me to give him that book and he testified of its truthfulness right there in the car.

What a great kid and how amazing it was to see the spirit work on him and push me where I might otherwise not have gone. I could tell God loves that young man and the feeling is mutual.

One evening I was driving over on the east side of Salt Lake when I picked up a young man at an apartment complex. He came out and he was happy and bubbly. He was not inebriated which made me happy. Sometimes you get sick of people being drunk because they are so obnoxious.

He got in my car and I could tell right away that he had an Australian accent. I asked him how long he’s been here and he said he had just arrived a couple of days ago. He asked me if I’ve ever been to Australia, and I said no. Then I decided to do what I do with a lot of my Passengers. I decided to speak their native language if I can.

I like to use the words and phrases in the different languages that I know and Australian is no exception. Realizing that one of the most famous Australians that I know is Bruce, the shark, I said, Fish are friends not food in my best Australian accent.

He laughed and said we need to work on your accent and we spent a few minutes doing that. I told him that it’s hard to learn an accent, but I do speak Spanish and have a pretty heavy argentine accent when I do. he said his friend was from Argentina and asked me how I learned to speak Argentine Spanish.

I told him that I went on my mission to a Argentina. He asked how I liked it and I said I liked it a lot. I told him I like the food and the people and I mentioned to him that they play a little soccer there. I told him that most of all I liked teaching them about Jesus.

I had assumed from the start that this young man was not a member of the church and had kind of used my mission as a way to bring it up. As a response, he said that there are lots of missionaries in Australia, and lots of churches. The way he said these things along with the promptings of the spirit let me know that he was a member of the church.

I said, oh so you’re a member of the church. He bowed his head thought for a second and then said I used to be but not anymore.

I told him that I get a lot of people in my car that are less active members of the church like he was or that aren’t members of the church at all and I get to help my father rescue some of them.

I went on to tell him that I am able to field difficult to ask questions from people. I said there are a lot of things that people won’t ask their friend or a family members for fear of offending them. In my car, they don’t feel that inhibition and they’re able to discuss the things they don’t know or the things that concern them.

I said it leads to lots of great discussions. I told him, it gives me a chance to teach the gospel, and that the lord has put a lot of people in my car for that purpose. I shared a couple of stories with him of people I have written of from my car, some of which got baptized and a many of them reactivated in the church. I put special emphasis on those, because I wanted him to feel free to ask me questions.

He never loosened up, so I went in a little bit deeper. The stories that I had told him brought a measure of the spirit to the car. In those stories and by using those stories, I testified of the principles of the gospel. I had testified about Joseph Smith, the book of Mormon and the importance of serving Christ.

He just didn’t seem to be ready to embrace a conversation. It seemed like he had a spiritual hands extended out as if to push. It was almost as if he were struggling to stop the impact of the spirit of the testimony.

I looked at him and said, you know your father in heaven loves you. He loves you so much more than you could ever imagine. I told him that he lived with his father in heaven for thousands and thousands and thousands of years and that he had a relationship with his father in heaven. I told him that he could feel all the way down to his spirit. I told him his spirit knew that and reacted to it. I told him to quit fighting that spirit to quit resisting his fathers love.

I told him the spirit is in the car tonight. I said “you need to know that the spirit is here because your father in heaven has sent his spirit to be with us”. He has done this because he loves you. I told him that God loved him all those years ago and he loves him today.

I asked him what he felt and he said, it’s kind of a remarkable event. I thought that was a strange thing to say, but I’ve never been to Australia, so maybe they say that. I said, you know that this is the spirit of your father in heaven. He said, I guess, yes.

I could sure use something stronger than, I guess, yes, and I felt prompted to say someday he was going to have a family and when he has that family, his son or daughter will be sick and you won’t know what to do. I said if things don’t change, when that day arrives, you’ll think of being in this car tonight and you’ll remember me talking about giving priesthood blessings. You’ll call your dad to give your child a blessing, but in your soul, you’ll know that you should’ve been ready to give that blessing.

I told him, this is why you were here. You need to know that God knows who you are, and where you are no matter where you are. You need to know that God loves you and he’ll be there for you. I told him that God understands our whole process, but that God needs him to come back.

The spirit poured in the car as I said these words. The Lord validated them, and I think it shocked him a little bit. I said, you left the church for a couple of reasons. One reason you left the church was because you felt like people were judging you. You couldn’t stand being with such judgmental people. He said, that’s right!

I told him that he should look at it from a different perspective. I told him he should look at it as him being the judgmental one that separated himself, not the other way around. I told him that there are no victims in the gospel, unless we make ourselves victims. We do it to ourselves.

I told him that he would maybe consider going up and hugging those people who are judgmental to him and tell them that he loves them and watch that change everything. He said, you know, that would change everything.

I felt impressed by the spirit that he had had some frustrations over not being recognized and he blamed it on God for not recognizing him.

I said, you are a very loving person who loves to serve. “You were very frustrated that it seemed like people didn’t recognize this. They didn’t give you support or credit when you did it. You didn’t think people saw you in this light even though it meant a lot to you”.

I testified to him that, even though maybe other people didn’t seem to notice this his father in heaven noticed that he was using these gifts and talents to serve.

I told him that this make God happy and that’s why it made him feel so good. I told him that I understand wanting to have people support you and even recognize your efforts but we can never lose track of the fact that it’s our father in heaven, who sees all and blesses us when we serve him.

I told him that there have been some very influential people in his life that had been leaders in the church. They had been dismissive of him and his gifts. They never gave him and opportunities to serve. I said that he held grudges against some of these men. I told him that he had elevated these people in such a way as they didn’t deserve. I said that some of these people hurt him he blamed the whole church and some of them left the church themselves and he followed.

He said that is amazing, how could you have known that. I explained to him that I had the Holy Ghost, just like he had been given. I said that through the gift of all the ghost god can reveal his will and words to our soul. When we are worthy of the Holy Ghost, he can whisper to our ears and tell us the things that we need to say. I told him that I didn’t know him, but everything I had said that night came from the spirit of God.

He said, looking down at his hands “and you were right about everything !“

I said, you know, you don’t need to wait until your child is sick. I told him that I promised him by the power of God that if he would do the things that he knew that he should with our regards to serving other people he would find that god would serve them with and he would do more good. I said that if he would do this and seek out those who offended him with love, God would bless him for everyone to see.

I told him it was important for him to understand that God loved everybody in the world not just the people in Jerusalem and that there was no racism tolerated in God‘s kingdom. Even though people are flawed he needed to know that God loves everyone and that he sent his son not just to Jerusalem and America but all over the world because God loves everyone.

he said, how did you know that the race thing was one of my issues? Then he said, I imagine you knew it, just like you knew the other things! I said, I don’t know these things, but I know that the spirit of God has whispered them to me, so that you can know that the other things I say are true.

I bore my testimony to him of Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon. I talked about their importance in helping us let everyone know that God loves them and sharing that love. He said again this is been a remarkable event. We had been sitting in front of his friends house for quite some time, and he said, I have to rethink some things in my life.

I told him that his heavenly father loved him and was ready for him to come back at any time, but if he didn’t someday he would be standing with his sick child, wishing he had the power of God.

He seemed a bit emotional to me. He said that he hadn’t felt the spirit like this in such a long time and a reevaluation was way overdue.

This is a good young man and I know someday he’ll be back even if it takes a sick child to bring him around. I don’t think it will come to that.

One of the things I really enjoy is when people ask me the question, can you tell me one or two differences between the Mormons and the rest of Christianity?When I hear this question, I get really excited because it’s an opportunity to teach how much our father in heaven loves us.

One Tuesday night this happened to me. I picked up a guy from work on his way home. It had been a slow night and I was glad to get a ride. When he got in, he was cheerful and we started talking about where he was from. He was from Peru and I started speaking Spanish.

He asked me where I learned Spanish and I told him that I learned it on my church mission. He said, when I was coming back from Peru last time there were a bunch of missionaries from your church on the flight.

He said that they were very interested in Peruvian food in Salt Lake City and he was able to hook them up with all of the information. He said that they were really good kids and he enjoyed talking to them.

I asked him if they told him anything about the church and he said no. I asked him if he had any friends that were members of the church, and he said, yes, back in Peru but not here. I asked him if he had talked to any of them about the church and he said no, they kind of kept themselves.

Then he said, I think pretty much all the churches are the same as long as they teach about God. I said, it couldn’t be that they are the same because even though they all believe in the same God they teach very different things about God.

He said, really? What are the differences between the way you believe and the way the rest of the Christian world believes.

I told him that the foundation of everything we believe that is a bit different is that we believe that Heavenly Father is literally the father of our spirits. I told him that we believe that he loves each one of us and our spirits love him. I told him that this relationship is fundamental to anything and everything we do in teaching the church.

I said, for example, in Jerusalem, when Jesus was crucified and then resurrected, he taught his apostles that he would go to visit the other sheep and that he had received a commandment from his father that he go to them so they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I asked him what that meant. He said, well there had to be other people in other places that he was going to teach. I said, this was after he is resurrected so where do you think that was? He said, I don’t know.

I told him that because God loves everyone and he is the father of everyone he loved the people in America too. I told him that God had prophets in America and they received revelations from him. He interrupted me and said prophets in America? I said, yes, your ancestors had prophets here in America.

I told him that they received revelations from God so that the people could be blessed. One of the prophecies that they received through revelation was that Jesus would come to them. I told him that these people were taught and these people were baptized into the church. They were awaiting the arrival of Jesus Christ.

I told him that after Jesus’ resurrection, he came to America, he appeared in the heavens and he descended down until he stood in front of them. I told him that his ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet. I told him that his ancestors bathed the feet of Jesus Christ with their tears and they knew he was their God.

I told him that Jesus blessed them. Jesus blessed his ancestors, and he held them, and he loved them because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I asked him, if you were an all powerful loving father and you have children in a lot of places would you choose just the children in one small place to send your blessings to?

He said, no, I would bless them all! I said this is what God did! He sent his son. Jesus came and he stood before them. Then he taught them his doctrine which included an invitation that they be baptized. I told him that these people had previously been baptized but Jesus was bringing a new level and he invited them to step up to that level and accept that baptism.

I told him that he called 12 and gave them authority to baptize and instructed how this was to be done. I told him that he did it so that they could be clean. I told him that when we’re baptized we are clean and worthy so that we will be able to stand before God.

As I said this, the spirit powerfully testified of the truthfulness of the words I had said. I could tell that he was moved and I asked him what he felt. He said, I feel energized, I feel enlightened. I feel, in a strange way that I know that this thing that I’ve never heard before is true. I said, I know it’s true and what you’re feeling is the spirit of God.

I told him that God sends his spirit to confirm truth when it is spoken and that’s why he had this clarity and that’s why he knew that it was true.

I told him that Jesus came to his ancestors here in the Americas. When I said that he stopped me and said, you said that before, do you mean just in the United States? I said, no, Jesus went to visit God’s children in many places.

I pointed out the Book of Mormon says Jesus was going to visit his sheep that were not in the land of Jerusalem, or in that land, or the lands roundabout. I told him that we believe the Jesus went to many other places because God loved everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that there are many cultures that have a belief in the son of God coming and dwelling with them and teaching them. I shared a couple with him and he said, that’s crazy!

I told him that when the prophets in America received these revelations, they wrote them on plates of gold. They were given to Joseph Smith, a modern prophet, to translate by the power of God. I told him that Joseph Smith was for the most part an uneducated man but he interpreted and translated the book by the power of God so that we could know what Jesus taught. I told him that the book is another testament of Jesus Christ.

I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was called by God to restore the church and that we have a prophet on earth today. I told him we believe in prophets because they reveal God‘s will to us.

He said, I love the way this makes me feel. He said, maybe this is why I ended up in Utah. Then he chuckled, but I wasn’t laughing because I knew that was the case. I told him that one of the things that’s so important about that book is that it teaches us what we’re supposed to do.

I told him that we as members of the church think it’s important that we follow Jesus Christ. He agreed with that fervently. I told him that what those missionaries on the airplane had been doing is that they were out teaching about Jesus and then baptizing people in the way that Jesus taught.

I told him that we have the same exact baptism that Jesus taught his ancestors. I told him that goes baptisms are performed by that same authority that Jesus gave those 12 men. I told him that these missionaries had been out doing this and inviting people to accept that invitation from Jesus Christ to be baptized.

I told him that when people are baptized they become clean. They’re clean and pure to stand before God. I asked him what he thought about that and he said, that is beautiful.

I asked him if he knew any people that were members of the church. He said he knew people at work that said they went to church but he didn’t know if they were members of our church. I asked him if it would be OK if I had some missionaries come over to see him and he said, yes.

He told me that he has Saturdays and Sundays off which is perfect. I told him that I would have missionaries call him this Saturday and set up time that they could come by. We looked up where his chapel was and the meeting time. His met at 11am. He was excited to go.

He said, you really do have something different and I want to know about it! I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I gave it to him. He was touched, he said, do you mean I can have this? I said, yes! It’s yours.

He said, I love to read. I’m going to read it, I promise. I told him that he needed to pray for the spirit of the Lord to be with him when he read it and that he needed to pray to know that it was true. He said that he would. He said he always prayed!

He got out of the car and started walking away. I felt like I had to testify one last time. I rolled down my window and I said,hey! Come here. He came over. I said, do you still feel that feeling and he said yes. I said, that feeling is how you know that the church is true, and that this is the right thing for you. I told him this is how you know that you need to be baptized. I said, this is how you know that the book is true.

He said, I know this is true. The spirit is pounding in my heart. He said, I can’t wait to get started and walked into his house.

One Thursday night I was driving downtown. I got a ride to Sugarhouse. Normally if I go to Sugarhouse, I would just turn it off and go back downtown but I felt like I should let it ride. Sure enough I got a ride and sure enough it was taking me further south. This is what I was trying to avoid.

I went to pick the passenger up and it was about 2 miles from where I dropped off the previous passenger. It was about 36° outside so it was getting a little nippy.

When the young man got in my car he talked about how cold it was. He was on his way home from work by foot. At that point we were about 4 miles away from where he lived and I thought that was a long way to walk, especially in cold weather and he agreed.

He told me he walked home most nights and that he could do it because he had spent a large portion of his life living on the streets. I told him that the cold wasn’t fun but that I had an advantage because I have fat that keeps me warm. He laughed and said that he was ill-equipped because he lost 36 pounds this year.

He said that he lost the weight because he was working out a lot training to become an endurance athlete. He had a plan of running 250 miles next summer. He said he was working up to it. I told him I thought it was crazy and that he was going to need new knees by the time he was 40.

He laughed and said he was already 40! I told him it would beat on his body. He said his body had been beaten on all of his life but that this time it was in a good way. He said that he had lived on the streets and had done drugs, had been a drunk and had been in so many fights he couldn’t number them.

He talked about one time he was in a fight and the man he was fighting was very vicious. He said that he lost his footing because he was drunk and fell on the ground and this other man jumped repeatedly on his chest. He said he could’ve died.

I talked about how there are a lot of things in our life that pull us away from the good things and put us in dangerous situations. I told him that I had a girl in the car earlier that night and we had talked about how in society they tell you one thing but that things really are a different way.

He said, that’s what I believe. I believe there’s one truth. I said that’s exactly right. This girl earlier tonight had been obsessed with her own truth and gave no regard to the one truth or god’s truth.

He said the truth is important and we need to find it!. I smiled and then got an impression to tell him some things. I told him that he had been betrayed and hurt in his younger life and that he buried himself in other things to make it feel better.

I told him that God loved him. I told him that God had never forgotten him or left him alone and that he was always there for him. He needed to learn not to turn away. I told him that running from God and our problems won’t make them go away or lessen them but that with God and through the atonement, we can find our way through.

He told me that he had been adopted after his parents went to jail for what they had done to him. He told me that the family that adopted him were members of the church and that he had been raised in the church but that at 40 it had been along time since he was involved.

I told him that God never forgot about him and that God’s timing was many times way different than we might think. I told him that there were things that he needed to learn that maybe he hadn’t been ready to learn before.

I told him that Satan literally sifts people. I told him that Satan beats on people and thrashes them. I told him that some people don’t believe in Satan but that he is very real. I shared with him with an experience I had in my car where I was literally battling with Satan. I told him that Satan wants each one of us.

I told him that this is a war and it’s a war for each one of our souls. I told him God fights for each one of us and he had fought for him. He said there were definitely times in his life where things happened that saved him and made it so that he could be here today. I said, you are here today so that you can change.

I told him that in the past he had been offended by people and that if he would learn to turn to Jesus Christ, he wouldn’t have to worry about that. He said, that’s true! He had been offended. I told him that Satan whispers in our ears and tells us that people are judging us or that people are thinking bad things about us.

I told him that it’s Satan and that what he does. He lies because lying is what Satan does. I asked him how much time he spent thinking about his neighbors who live two doors down. He laughed and said I never think about those guys. I said, the funny thing is they barely think about you either.

I told him that one of the things that had offended him was that he felt like he was being judged. He thought people didn’t like him because he was different. I told him that this was Satan whispering to him. I told him that if he felt that in the future, he should just go up and put his arm around the people and tell them how much he appreciates their example and loves them.

He laughed and said that would totally disarm the whole situation, wouldn’t it? Why would we do something that makes so much sense? We laughed.

I told him there’s no one judging him because everyone is busy living their own lives. He said, that’s right! I told him that we all run around listening to Satan tell us that the people at church are judging us or the people at church who aren’t any better than us think they’re better than us.

I told him this is what Satan wants us to think so that we won’t go there to get the spiritual blessings we need to withstand him. He said, “that’s right, Satan is always whispering in my ear”.

I told him that he lived with his father in heaven and loved his father in heaven. I said that the spirit he felt with his father in heaven was something that his spirit loved. I told him that when he came to earth, he didn’t feel that, but that Satan came along with drugs, alcohol and evil. He put that in the space that had been prepared in his soul to house the spirit of God.

I told him that he got lost chasing the temporary fleeting feeling from the enticements of Satan and had lost sight of where he really wanted to go. I told him that he had lost sight of God and God‘s truth.

He said, that’s right, there aren’t truths for every different person. He said he knows a bunch of girls that always say “my truth” but he said that there can be only one truth and that’s God‘s truth. At this point, I felt very prompted by the spirit to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

As I bore this testimony, I could feel the power of the words leaving my mouth and touching his heart. I could see in the mirror that he was reacting to them and I knew that he was feeling the spirit of God.

It was time to identify that spirit. I said, do you remember when I talked to you about how we lived with our father and our spirits remembered his spirit? He said, yes, I said, what do you feel right now? He said, amazing. I feel energized and warm. I said, that is the spirit of God and it’s testifying to you that the things I’ve said are true.

It’s testifying to you that you are a son of your father in heaven and he loves you. It’s testifying that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He went to a grove of trees, and prayed asking God which church was true. God, the father, and his son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him and called him to be the prophet. The spirit is testifying to you that they called him to restore the gospel and translate the Book of Mormon.

I said, you wouldn’t feel that if the things I had said here, today weren’t true. He said, that’s right, I’ve heard these things before but as you say them today, the spirit is testifying that they are true. I know they’re true.

I told him that he needs to go to church so that he can feel the spirit of God. I told him that he needs to change his life so that God can walk with him. I told him that the gift of the Holy Ghost is how God walks with us and if we’re worthy to have it, it will continually fill our soul.

I felt to tell him that if he would follow through, God would use him to save many of his birth family. I told him that he had thought a lot about them lately. I told him that they were waiting. He said that he considered his adoptive family, to be his family, but that this had been coming to his mind a lot recently.

He said going to church is something that he had been thinking about lately too, but hadn’t told anyone that he was thinking about it. He said that a while back his mother told him that he needed God in his life and to find a church. I told him, well, any church won’t do. It’s got to be the church of Jesus Christ.

I told him it had to be our church because that is the church where he made his covenants as a child. I told him that it is the church of Jesus Christ and the spirit had testified to him tonight in the car that it was the church he should attend. He agreed.

We looked up the church house and his ward where he was to attend. It was six blocks from his house. He said that he would go this Sunday.

I got the prompting that he didn’t have a Book of Mormon, so I asked him if he wanted one. He said, yes! I reached into my glove box and gave him one of the Book of Mormons, prepared by the Secrists. He took it and said, I’m going to read this. He said, I’ve read parts of it before, but this time I’m going to read it all.

He got out of the car all warm and warmed by the spirit

I was driving one day and got a ride to take a young lady from the Gateway to her home in Rose Park. On the way we talked about life and where we had lived, etc. She was very nebulous on how long she had lived here. She said that she lived in Kansas for a while because she played sports at University of Kansas. She told me that she had gone to West High School before going to Kansas.

I got excited and asked her if she was going to be coming to Provo to watch her team later on this year? She said yes!

I felt that the spirit wanted me to start talking to her about the gospel and I was looking for a way to start it. I asked her what languages she spoke. She had a Hawaiian name and I expected to hear that she was from the islands. To my surprise she said that she spoke Chuukese. She said that I had probably never heard of Chuuk. I smiled!

In the MTC when I was assistant executive secretary, I worked with the international missionaries that came into the MTC. Some of those elders were from Chuuk. One of the things that these elders from Chuuk had in common was that they were very free spirited and didn’t seem to feel restrained by rules that otherwise might be an issue for some others.

They were very loving and had wonderful spirits but it was hard for them to learn to follow rules because their culture didn’t have a lot of rules and it was not their culture to be precise in things like that.

I relayed this to her and she laughed. Her dad was from Chuuk and he was exactly like that. She said that I nailed that culture 100%.

I asked her if she had any friends that went on missions and if any of them went to Chuuk. She said that she didn’t know that there were any missionaries in Chuuk but that this would’ve blown her mind.

I told her that there are missionaries in Chuuk and all over the world because God loves all of his children no matter where they were born and he sent his son to all of his children and not just a few in Jerusalem.

She said that she really didn’t have a religion but that she was glad I brought it up because she had been looking to find a religious belief that could be her compass in life.

I said, that this belief should start with your father in heaven and he loves you so much that he sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for you. I told her that he loved her so much that he not only sent his son to Jerusalem but then to other sheep in America and later to others. I told her that it’s possible that some of her ancestors had been in the presence of Jesus Christ.

She beamed and the spirit was in the car. I said, do you feel that? She said, yes. I said, it’s because it’s true! It’s because your Heavenly Father loves you and he sent his son Jesus Christ for you and for your ancestors.

I told her that those missionaries from Chuuk knew that and the one thing that brings us all together is our love and belief in Jesus Christ. I asked her if she had a copy of the Book of Mormon. She said no! I told her that the Book of Mormon was a copy of the revelations received by the prophets in America because God loved them just like he loved the people who were living in Israel. I told her that they wrote down their prophecies, including the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

I told her Jesus Christ had said in the Bible that he was going to go to his other sheep that were not in Jerusalem and then in America he said still other sheep I have. He taught them, loved them, and gave them baptism.

I told her that baptism is very important and when Jesus came they felt the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet. They asked him to save them and the way he saved them was he gave them baptism so that they could be clean.

I told her the baptism cleanses us and makes us able to be in the presence of God. I told her that the Holy Ghost, which is what she was feeling right now, confirms that and once she is baptized it can go with her forever.

She said, I like how I’m feeling right now! She said, can you really baptize somebody when they’re old like me? (I laughed because this old lady was like 24 years old). I said, yes, that’s why your friends went on missions. They went on missions to baptize people and bring them closer to God. They went on missions to baptize old people like her so that they could repent and be clean. She said, I want that.

I pulled out a Book of Mormon, I t’s one of the books prepared by the Secrists, and I asked her if she wanted it. She very enthusiastically said yes! She said, I wanted to start a journey and this seems like a good place to begin.

I asked her how good of friends she was with some of her return missionary friends. She said, I’m very good friends with them. I asked her to give them a call today and tell them about being in the car and getting the Book of Mormon and feeling the confirmation from the Spirit of God. As I said that the spirit was there in abundance.

I asked her if she felt that and she said yes. I told her that this was the spirit of God testifying to her that the things that we were saying were true. She said, I believe it. I told her it means that she needs to be baptized and become clean. She said, I know that!.

She said, I am going to start reading this book and I’m going to call my friend. She said, here we go! She thanked me and got out of the car.

I did a U-turn and started to drive away, and she was still standing on the corner. I rolled down my window and said, it was not a coincidence that you were in my car today. God put you here to get that book, this knowledge and feel this spirit. She said, I was just thinking the same thing! This is too weird, but I know it’s true.

I waved and drove off.

As I was driving off, I got another ride that was close by in Rose Park. I was in a bit of a hurry and thought about not taking this ride but I received a strong impression that I needed to take it. Still awash in the spirit from the previous ride the prompting was an unmistakable commandment.

When I arrived, I picked up a young man who had a Spanish name and I pronounced it in Spanish. I asked, is that how you pronounce it? He said, nobody but my mom pronounces it that way. We laughed.

This young man may have been Latino in heritage but he didn’t speak Spanish and he had never been outside of the state. We talked about that for a minute.

I looked back in the mirror and saw a young man with tattoos on his neck and face and big hoop gauge earrings embedded into his earlobe, which had been stretched and elongated to accommodate them. These discs that had been inserted into his ears were probably 2 1/2 to 3 inches across so it was very noticeable.

As we talked, I reminisced on the experience I just had with the young lady. As I was thinking about the previous experience, the spirit whispered to me “he wants to be clean too”. The spirit said that he was beaten down and lied to by Satan. It has got to be exhausting to have no hope through Jesus Christ and his atonement. I could feel that exhaustion.

I jumped right in because it was a short ride and I said I learned to speak Spanish on my mission. I asked him if he knew what we did on missions and he said no. I told him that we teach about Jesus Christ and God‘s love for all of his children.

I told him that Heavenly Father loved him. I told him he was a son of his Heavenly Father, similar to how he was a son of his mother. I told him that Heavenly Father was the father of his spirit and that his Heavenly Father loved him. I told him that he loved his Heavenly Father but just didn’t remember.

I told him that his spirit recognized the presence of his father and wanted to be in his presence. I taught him about the Garden of Gethsemane and how Jesus paid for all of our sins so that we could be clean. He said, I don’t really believe in a religion. I told him that there are a lot of people that start out not knowing which religion to believe in.

I told him that Joseph Smith started out that way. I told him that he prayed and that God visited him and called him to be a prophet to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ. I told him that this is what can happen when you ask God and have faith in God.

I told him that God wouldn’t appear to him but God would send answers and he would send people to help. I told him that these people would help him find his way. The spirit was strong and he said, you mean like you and his ride! I said, yes. God sent me here today and put you in my car so that you could hear these things and help you feel what you’re feeling right now. I told him this feeling was the presence of his father in heaven. This is how it felt when he was with his father and his spirit loved this.

He said, it’s actually pretty incredible. I’ve never felt like this and I love it. I told him that this was the spirit of God and that’s how he knew that the things that I was saying were true. I told him that God sent his son to pay for our sins,our injustices, and our fears so that we could turn to him and be made whole. This way we wouldn’t have to ache from the pain of this world. All of this struck a chord.

He asked, so Jesus dying on the cross was not just about sin but it was about everything? I said yes.

I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he came to America where he taught and loved the people here and then gave them baptism. I told him that baptism is the door that we need to go through to get to the presence of God. I told him that once people are baptized, God sends his spirit so that they have a right to walk with God if they are worthy of his spirit. I asked him how it would be if he were able to feel like he felt right now, anytime he wanted. He said that would be amazing. I told him that I sense that he had a lot of pain and anger in his soul and he said he did. I said that what I am teaching him will help him heal.

He said he wanted to heal, he said that this is just what he needs. He said that he had been looking to break away from the cycle he had been trapped in for the last few years. He wanted to break away from those friends and break away from those things and find a community that could lift him. He told me that what he was feeling right then was a really good start.

I told him that there had been prophets in America in the ancient days. I told him that the ancestors of his mother and his ancestors had listened to those prophets and had been taught by them. I told him that Jesus came to America and that he blessed the people, loved them and gave them the same baptism that we have today so that they could be clean. I told him that he gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost so they could walk with God.

I told him that God had a plan for him. I told him that God had work for him to do and that he needed him in his kingdom. I told him that he was very important. I told him that Satan had been telling him that he was dirty and worthless and of no value. I told him that’s not true and that Satan is a liar. I told him that God needed him and had provided a way for him to become clean so that he could walk with God.

He said, you keep mentioning becoming clean. This is something that I have been interested in lately. I want to change. I told him that the prophets who have been in America had written their prophecies, including the visit of Jesus Christ and that we have those prophecies. I told him that they were contained in the Book of Mormon. He said, I’ve heard of that!

I told him that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it was the revelations given to his ancestors. I asked him if he thought that would be important and he said “very important.” I asked him if he would like to have that book and he said he would. He said that he loved to read and that he had been reading in his Bible but would love to read the Book of Mormon if it has anything to do with his ancestors. The spirit in the car was really strong. I looked back and saw this tattooed pierced young man with an excitement in his eyes for what he was hearing. I could see the effect of the spirit in the car on his countenance. I knew he was sincere.

I grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked, would you like a copy of this book? He said yes, where do I get one. I said, this is your book. He said, just like that you’re going to give me your book? I said that this is a book specially prepared for people who are looking to find more knowledge and light. I showed him the questions of the soul and where to find the answers. He said, these are all my questions. He said, I can’t wait to get started. He said, I’ll finish this in a couple weeks.

I asked him if he had friends that were members of the church and he said no. At first I was puzzled by this because living in Utah you have to know people that are members of the church. Then it came to me that he ran in such circles that no one would ever admit to being a member of the church or having ever been a member of the church amongst these people.

I said, a block from your house, there was a church. He said, yes. I said, go there on Sunday morning and tell them that you got this book and you want someone to help you understand how to be happy.

I told him that they would open up their arms and love him. I told him that the meetings would be at nine and 11. He said that he would do 11. I laughed and said, I don’t blame you.

He said, I’ve been thinking about this whole knowledge and light thing for a long time and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you pulled up today and gave me both. I’m going to do exactly what you said.

We arrived at his work and he said, my whole perspective has changed today. Knowing that God has a plan for me makes all the difference in the world. He got out of the car and went into work.

This guy was one rough looking character and the spirit had to help me look on his countenance the way God looks on his countenance to understand what was in his heart. I don’t believe I would’ve done that if I hadn’t already been on a high spiritual plane from the first ride that had my heart open like it was for the second ride. God prepared me for the second ride by sending me the first ride and I’m so grateful.

I picked up a kid up in the avenues and was taking him to a 7-Eleven. It was 12:30 at night and there’s only one reason kids go to 7-Eleven at 12:30 at night and it has nothing to do with hotdogs.

He got in the car and we started to drive. We started talking about our day and how things were going. He said that he was doing great. I looked in his eyes and saw a beaten, bewildered, tired and lost soul. The look in his eye was almost vacant,l and there was no light.

The prompting came to me that this is the kind of guy that could really use the light of the gospel. And then I had the prompting, that said, guess why you are here! I started talking to him about how he was really doing. I had a few spiritual impressions at this point, and I decided to go with them.

I told him that I believe he had been a member of the church but that a lot of things were getting in the way right now. I mentioned to him that we are all children of our father in heaven and that he loves us. I told him we had spent thousands of years with our father and that relationship is central to everything we are. I told him that sometimes we get involved too deeply in other causes and endeavors other than the kingdom of God, it’s easy to lose track of the thing that’s important. That is our father in heaven and his love for us.

The spirit was strong in the car and I could tell he was feeling it. I asked him how long it had been since he felt the spirit and he said a long time. I felt like he had been a really active member and I asked him if he had been married the temple. This is something I’ve never asked a person on their way to buy beer but I did.

He lowered his eyes as he said, yes. He said, I was married in the temple and that didn’t go very well. He said, at first when I left the church I felt like I was an atheist and I went around trying to destroy people’s testimonies. He said, I was no good at it because it didn’t make sense to me. So now I consider myself more of an agnostic. There’s something out there, but I’m not sure what it is yet.

I said, well, that spirit you felt right then when I was talking about your father in heaven should tell you what’s out there. It’s your father in heaven! I asked him, did you feel that spirit? He said yes. I told him that this was the spirit of God testifying of the truth of what I was saying and that it wasn’t a game. God wanted him back.

He said that he was enjoying feeling the spirit and that he assumed that the spirit is how I knew all of those things about him.

I told him that Satan had been in his head, calling people and church leaders hypocrites. I told him that was a lie. I told him when he heard that now he knew where it came from. I told him that he had been very judgmental of some people in his ward and that made it hard for him to go to church. He said yes, all of this is true.

He said there are some of his church leaders and other members that have said things in the past that really didn’t seem to him to be Christlike. They didn’t seem to him to be the things that Heavenly Father would have them say. He said that he wondered how they could represent God.

He said there was a group of people in his ward that always said things politically that made him angry. He just couldn’t get past that and their judgment of people.

I said, you thought that they had judged you and we’re not tolerant of you and your friend’s sins. I said, this made you angry because you didn’t like being judged.

Then you turned around and judged them right back with the same lack of love and justice with which you felt like you had been judged. How are you any better? He thought for a second and then said, oh my gosh! I did the same thing to them that they did to me. That’s horrible!

I told him that we do things like this because we’ve got Satan in our ear telling us that we’re right and he is justifying it. He gets us to turn from Jesus.

I told him that God would have us look to Jesus when we have any persecution, injustices, pains, infirmities, or sins. God will have us turn to Jesus so that he can save us. Satan wants us to blame God. I told him that’s exactly what he did.

I told him it was like the bronze serpent in the time of Moses. He knew the story and he finished it for me. He said, they wouldn’t look, and they died. I said, that’s right. We need to look to Christ. He said, I need to work on that judgmental thing.

Then he decided to change course and talk about suicide. He said, how can I believe in a church that would say that my friend who committed suicide due to all the stress and problems in his life was going to go to hell? He said, my friend was a great guy. He just had a lot of problems, a lot of stress, and he wasn’t able to deal. How can I believe in a God that could not understand that?

I told him that he sells the atonement short. I told him the Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane felt every pain, injustice, sickness and sin. I told him that this is why Jesus bled from every pore and because of this he has the ability to lift us and lift our burdens. I talked to him about the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon and about how their burdens were made light, so light they could barely feel them.

I told him about my situation, having gone three years without a paycheck from my job. I told him I worked 65 to 70 hours a week with only Sundays off just to get by but I was still happy. I told him I felt joy and I don’t feel depressed and this is because Christ has lifted that burden. I still have to do the thing, but he sustains me and gives me strength and gives me power and provides opportunities for me to share his word. Christ is lifting my burdens.

I told him the Jesus also understands what the people who are mentally ill deal with. I told him that having a heart attack or a stroke is something that we readily understand and we give allowances for people who have that happen. I told him that someone who commits suicide is no different than somebody who had a heart attack. I told him that this person has an illness and that illness killed him.

I told him that he should look up Elder Jeffrey R Holland’s talk on this. I said, this is where I learned that. He bristled and said, Elder Holland? He talked at BYU and said some very anti-LGBTQAI stuff. He would never understand or say something loving like that.

I said, he does understand and he did say that. I said, furthermore, he didn’t say anything hateful towards the LGBTQAI people. He told them that members of the church, pay tithing and send their children to the school and that they should be able to expect that the professors at that school don’t teach doctrine contrary to what the church believes. I told him that they should be able to send their children to that school and not have them propagandized against the word of God.

He said, well, I guess that’s right. I didn’t actually listen to his talk but other people talked about it. I told him that the talk was perfectly fine with no hatred. I told him that he should look up that talk now and that there was nothing but love in that talk about mental illness. I told him that this talk about mental illness had opened my eyes and changed my way of thinking.

I mentioned to him that he had used a hasty and false judgment against Elder Holland. He thought about it for a second and said, I need to do better. I bet I do that a lot.

He told me that he was bipolar and that this issue meant a lot to him. He looked up the talk and promised me that he would read it.

At this point he started submitting to the spirit a little bit and his countenance had begun to change. I also felt the additional presence of his mom in the car and I asked him if he felt it and he said yes. I said, we felt the presence of God and now I feel like your mom’s here.

I feel like when she passed away quickly it took you by surprise and wrecked your life. He got very emotional. He asked how I could know this. I told him that through the power of the Holy Ghost God can tell us things we need to know and he needed to know this.

I asked him how she passed and he said that she had brain cancer. I asked him if he was close with her. I told him that it felt to me like he was very close to his mother and that there was a great affection that I could feel. He said, yes.

I told him that Heavenly Father had sent his spirit and his mother’s presence. I asked, why would God make that happen? Why would God make that happen if the things I was saying weren’t true and God didn’t want him back?. He thought about it and said “he wouldn’t”. By this time he was becoming very emotional and you could see the tears rolling down his cheeks. He was feeling the Spirit of God and his mother at the same time. He seemed pretty emotional before but now things have changed. I was beginning to see a noticeable light in his countenance.

I decided that this was the time to work in bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith so I did. I told him that the Book of Mormon was true. I told him that reading the Book of Mormon would bring him closer to God. I felt impressed to tell him that his mother had always stressed the reading of the Book of Mormon.

He said, that’s true! He and his mother had also gone to Central America on several Book of Mormon tours, and they loved it. I told him that the book is true.

He then started talking about the different leaders of the church and judging them by today’s standards with regards to things they said on family and marriage, race, etc. it felt almost like a counterpunch to the spirit in the car.

I said, there’s that judgment thing again. I told him that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that Brigham Young was a prophet of God too. I told him I know those things because I prayed and God revealed to me that they were prophets.

I told him that God never once revealed to me the Joseph Smith was perfect or that Brigham Young was perfect or that Jeffrey R Holland was perfect or that Russell M Nelson was perfect. I told him that God never revealed that his prophets were perfect but that their callings were holy and he made them more than they were so that they could fulfill them.

He said, how can we be so arrogant as to say we are the only true church? I said, well, first you have to pray and God will tell you that and second, you have to realize that there’s a difference in what you’re saying and what you think you’re saying.

You’re saying that there’s truth in every church. Isn’t that what you’re saying? There’s truth no matter what church you go to. You can find truth preached from the pulpit in all of them. He said, yes. I told him that I never disputed that but that we are the only church that has all of the truth, all of the temple ordinances, all of the knowledge on how to save God’s children and bring everyone back, no matter when they were born or where they were born. We are the only ones that have the whole plan.

I told him that if we all taught the exact same thing, in every religion, the fact that we have the priesthood and the authority from God and a prophet are the things that make us different. Those are the things that make us the church of Jesus Christ. I told him that these are the things that we need to be saved in God’s kingdom.

He said, oh, OK

It was like he hadn’t even considered that. It was like he thought we were saying that no one else had any truths. He was thinking that we believe that God didn’t answer the prayers of other people from other religions. I put that to rest! I told him that God loves all of his children who reach out to him and he has placed a great responsibility on our shoulders, because we have the authority to act in his name. We need to do everything we can to get those ordinances and those blessings to all of our brothers and sisters.

I felt inspired to tell him that if his mother were here right now, she would tell him to pray, read the Book of Mormon, go to church, and serve others and that this wouldn’t be the first time she said those things. He lit up. His countenance was shining and the tears were flowing. He said that’s what she said to him all of the time, those exact words. That was the last thing she told him. He asked me how I knew that, and I said, the spirit whispered it to me. He said, my mom whispered it to you! I smiled.

I told him God would like to walk with him and to have that happen he needed to do what his mother said. I asked him if he wanted to see his mother and be with her again and he said, “that would be a dream”. I told him to do that he’s got to quit being rebellious. I told him he’s got to look to Jesus and be saved.

I asked him one more time if he could feel the spirit and he said, I know it’s here. I asked him what that meant. He said it means that I need to do the things we’ve talked about. I asked him if he would go to church even though it would be very hard for him. He said, I’ll go to church. I told him if there were people that offended him when he went to church rather than hide from them, he should go up and put his arm around them and learn to love them. I told him that this would change them more than him just leaving and hiding from them.

We were at his destination and he got out of the car to go in and buy his beer. He came back out after about five minutes with Diet Coke. He said, I just couldn’t buy that right now. I laughed and said, I can’t blame you! The spirit is working you over. We started back to his house.

I told him about my great grandfather and how he left the church because he was offended and the negative affects on our family because of that. I told him that he should not let that happen to his mother’s posterity. He clearly hadn’t considered his mother’s posterity as it reflected on her and he bowed his head in silence.

He committed to do all of these things, go to church, read the scriptures, and say prayers. He said, I can do this.

I asked him if he had ever had a ride like this and he said, no! I’ve never felt the spirit like this either. I told him that God put him in my car so that he could get that message and it’s time for him to sit up, pay attention and get his life turned around.

He re-committed to read and listen to the Elder Holland talk, go to church, say his prayers and give service because he knew that’s what he should do.

He said he had a lot to work on. He promised me he would start going to church. He reiterated how impactful his epiphany and the spirit had been regarding him being judgmental. He said, I’ve never realized how judgmental and harshly judgmental I have been. He told me he would do better.

He said, I don’t think I can be perfect. There are some things that I have to work on. I told him that was just like every single person but that the most important thing is that he start. I told him he needs to start walking that path and his father in heaven and his mother will be there with him. Just like they were in the car today they will be with him whenever he is trying to do the best he can.

He said, that’s what I’ll do then. Then he got out of the car with his Diet Coke .

One afternoon I was driving and I received a ride at Walmart on 13th South. I really don’t like going over to Walmart because the traffic is so horrible right there and it eats up a bunch of time. I went anyway because I would rather do that than get something that would take me on the freeway and it was like 4:30 in the afternoon. Walmart is better than the freeway by a little bit so I took it.

I pulled in and two young ladies got in my car. They were speaking Spanish and clearly didn’t think that I understood what they were saying. I listened to them for a little while enjoying their conversation. They were talking about living here in Utah and their struggles.

All of a sudden, I just jumped into the conversation speaking full on Spanish, they were shocked. I said, how long have you two lived here? They told me that they’d been here for a year.

It was a short ride and I started getting promptings that I needed to teach the gospel. The girl that was right behind me had a different feel and light than the other girl. I thought about it for a minute and received the impression that the girl behind me was a less active member.

I needed to get into a discussion quick. I used the line that I use sometimes. I said, so, are you guys members of the church? When they say no, I then say, you mean, not yet! We laugh, and it opens a door to a discussion.

I asked them, are you members of the church? The backseat was silent. After about 15 seconds of uncomfortable silence the one girl said, well, I am less active in the church. I haven’t been for a long time. The other girl then said, I am not a member, yet.

She stole my punchline. I had a smile on my face and I said, I’m glad you see it that way. I said, has she talked to you at all about the church? She said, no, she hasn’t, but I’ve wanted to find out about it.

She said, all I know is that you don’t believe in the Bible you have another book.

I said, we do have another book it’s called the Book of Mormon and it testifies of Jesus Christ. The less active member jumped in and said it’s even called the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Christ.

I told them that God loves everyone and that he loves all of his children. I told them that he sent prophets to his children here in America and he sent his son Jesus Christ to teach them. He gave them the gospel and gave them his baptism.

I told her that we are baptized by the same baptism that Jesus used to baptize her ancestors here in America. She said, what? I said, yes, we are talking about your ancestors and Jesus Christ came here to America to teach them the gospel.

I told her, part of that was the fact that he taught them about baptism and being clean. He taught them how to follow God and how to come home to God.

She said, that sounds really important to me and her friend said, it is.

I said, it was so important that they wrote it down. I told her that they engraved it in plates of gold metal so that it would last. I told her that the book included not only the visit of Jesus Christ to America, but all of the words the prophets received from God for her ancestors here in America.

I told her that the book was then given to Joseph Smith to translate. She said that she had heard about Joseph Smith! She asked, was he a good guy? I’ve heard he wasn’t.

I bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. I told her that we have prophets nowadays too because God loves everyone no matter who they are, no matter where they were born and no matter when they were born.

I told her that because God had prophets in Israel and prophets in ancient America it makes sense that he would have prophets today. I testified to her that God has prophets today and they talk to us and they tell us the things that he would have us know to bless us, protect us, and help us come home to God.

She was soaking it in and was smiling like she had just heard an important secret that everyone had been keeping from her. I told her that God does this because he’s our father and he loves us. She said, I love that. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no! I asked her if she’d like one and she said yes.

I reached in and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and I gave it to her. She read the cover out loud. She said, the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

She said, I feel like this book is very important. I told her that it was and her friend assured her of that as well, stating that she had read the book. The spirit was in the car by now and it was testifying pretty strongly. I felt it the first time after I testified about Joseph Smith and I could see in her face that she had felt it.

Finally I identified the spirit, I asked her, what do you feel right now? She said, it’s excitement and peace at the same time. She said, I have a tremendous excitement to learn about this. I never had a clue that this was a thing, but now I want to learn about it.

I told her that as she reads the Book of Mormon, if she will pray, God will fill her with the same spirit. I told her when she feels the spirit she will know that it is true. I told her that this is how we can discern all truth.

She said, I don’t even think I need to read it to know that it’s true, but I would love to read it to know what’s in it because those things are true. I told her that the spirit would bear witness of that. Her friend then chimed in with her testimony of the peace that she felt when she was reading the Book of Mormon while she was being taught by the missionaries.

I asked her if she would like to go to church. She said she would love to go to church. She looked at her friend and asked, where do we go to church? Her friend said, well, I haven’t gone since I moved here and I don’t know.

I said, as luck would have it I have a telephone with the Internet and we can look it up. They laughed and I looked it up. I found that they meet in a chapel in Salt Lake City Sunday at 1 o’clock.

She said, we can do this, this will be fun, we need to go! I looked at her friend who was also feeling the spirit, apparently for the first time in a while, and I said, do you promise that you will go to church on Sunday and she said yes! I said, do you promise that you will take your friend to church? She said yes. I turned to her friend and I said while you are at church, there will be some missionaries. I said, your friend here will introduce you to those missionaries and they will teach you more about these things so that you can have the same baptism that Jesus taught to your ancestors.

She said, I want to have that and I’ll make sure she takes me. She opened up the Book of Mormon and thumbed through the pages. She said, I’m going to read this book. She said, I love how it’s all marked out and customized with these questions. She said, I love that!

Her friend asked me if I had another one for her and I didn’t have one because I had given the other Spanish one away the day before. I really need to restock every day!

She said, that’s OK. I’ll make a copy of the one she has so I can have my own! I thought that was awesome and I said that it would be a really good project for Sunday after church. She said that they would do it.

I said, you guys were supposed to be in my car today. God put you in my car today so that you could get back on track and help your friend be baptized. They both nodded. The less active girl said, I will follow through and I won’t let that happen again. The nonmember said, I’m going to get baptized. She said, I can’t believe the spirit I felt in the car. I know that God put me here to get this message.

Her friend was overwhelmed and you could tell the spirit was helping to deepen her conversion while it was loving her friend into the path that leads to baptismal covenants.

They thanked me and got out of the car. This is going to be good. I’ve often talked about the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George Bailey was only willing to save himself because he was saving someone else. He was ready to throw himself off the bridge, but when he saw the angel in the water, he jumped in to save the angel thereby saving himself.

I think that is a true principle and we saw it in the car. People will do almost anything to save others even if they lack the will to save themselves. Clearly, the girl was less active but the spirit rekindled in her a desire to become active, serve God and save her friend.

Extra little story.

I picked up a lady at Smith’s. She was Brazilian and so I got to try out my very limited Portuguese. I noticed that she had jumper cables with her and I thought that was a strange purchase for a woman to make and Smiths was a strange place to make it.

As we drove toward the drop off location we talked about Spanish and Portuguese. I told her that I speak Spanish fluently but I understand almost all Portuguese when it’s spoken. She said she was about the same in Portuguese with regards to Spanish. She asked where I learned my Spanish and I said, I learned on my mission in Argentina.

I told her that I served up in the northeastern part under the Brazilian border so I heard a lot of Portuguese. She said that makes sense. I told her that I also served in the MTC in a Portuguese branch.

She said that there are two Portuguese congregations near her house. The Spirit had indicated to me that she was a member, even though she had said she wasn’t and so I said, oh, you’re a member. She said, well, I said no before but kind of. I used to go a lot. I said, were you baptized? She said, yes! I said, well, then, you a member.

I said, you have to just start going to church again. She hemmed and hawed for a minute and then said, well maybe. I told her that we have an apostle that’s from Brazil now and told her about Elder Soares. She was really excited about that. I told her that he talked in conference just last week.

I told her that she can’t let him represent her country alone! She had to get into it. I bore my best Portuguese testimony to her. Keep in mind that when I was in the MTC, I bore my testimony in Portuguese and the missionaries laughed at me. They laughed at my Portuguese and I told them that they shouldn’t laugh because I was learning it from them. I said that this was an indictment of their own Portuguese.

My efforts were appreciated and she really enjoyed my Portuguese testimony. She said, I feel peaceful in your car, I feel really good in your car. I told her, flat out God wants you to go to church. He misses you. God wants you to pray! God needs you to pray. She lowered her head and said, I guess you’re right I need to do those things. I asked her if she would promise me that she would go to church. She said, yes. She said that she missed this feeling, the feeling of the spirit.

She said, excuse me for a minute. Then she picked up her phone and in Portuguese was asking people if they could give her car a jump.

After several failures, I could tell that she was frustrated and I asked her if she needed some help. She asked me if I knew anyone that would jumpstart her car. I said, yes, I would. We pulled up alongside her car and I was able to get the jumper cables on the battery. I told her to turn the ignition and the car started right away.

As I went to get in my car, I told her that she needed to remember that she had promised to go to church. She promised me again that she would. Hopefully my going the extra mile will help her get that extra little bit of courage that she needs on Sunday morning.

I’m pretty sure she’s going, she seemed sincere. I’m about one hundred percent sure that God put her in my car so that I could help her jumpstart her car and help her jumpstart her membership.

It would’ve been easy enough to just help her jumpstart the car but I’m glad that God let me do it in a way that I could open the door to the discussion that would bring her back to church.

I was driving one Thursday night and picked up a young lady in Sugarhouse. She was from Michigan and we started talking about where she was from and what it was like there. She lived out in the country by Lansing but she liked it because it was close enough to the big cities that she had access to all the things she liked.

She said that she really missed Michigan. She said she was new here. I asked her what kind of work she did and she said she was here for a rehab program. Normally I would asume that she had drug or alcohol issues but the spirit impressed upon me that this was not the case.

Immediately I started hearing the spirit say that she was recovering from trauma suffered at the hands of others earlier in her life. She didn’t want to tell me anything at the time but the spirit was letting me know that I was supposed to talk to her about the church, the atonement, and the love of God.

First I asked her, is that really hard for you? She said, yes! I feel like I’m invisible. The spirit prompted me to tell her that I felt that she seemed a little bit out of place in her rehab program, like she didn’t fit in. I asked her if it would be OK if I prayed for her. She was startled and then said yes!

I talked about how I believe that prayer is powerful and that if we pray with faith, God can lift us, bless us, and help us overcome whatever obstacle confronts us.

She said, that’s great! I would love to have your prayers. She asked me if I was Mormon or Christian. I said, yes I am! I could see her eyes in the mirror and she looked puzzled for a second , and then asked, well, which one is it? I said, it’s both. I said as members of the church, we believe that the only name through which salvation can be attained is Jesus Christ.

I told her that Jesus Christ is the son of God and he prepared the way so that each of us can come home to our father. I told her that our belief in Jesus Christ gives us faith and hope when times are dark.

I told her the one thing she should always remember is that she is a daughter of our Heavenly Father and she is very loved by him. I told her that before she came to earth she had a very personal and loving relationship with her father in heaven and she loved him. I told her that she loved this relationship and it was so important to her. I told her that her spirit still remembers what it feels like to be in his presence.

I told her it’s like when your mom comes in the room, you know who it is without even looking. I told her that her spirit has the same familiarity with the spirit of her father in heaven. I told her that we are designed to need that relationship so that we seek it.

I told her that in seeking to have that spirit with us it helps us do the things that we need to do so that we live like we should and be happy.

She said, that thing with my mom is very real. It’s like a huge vibe. I said, Yep! And you have that same kind of feeling with your father in heaven. When you came to earth, you forgot what it felt like but as you come in contact with it here, on earth, you crave it and you want it and you do the things you need to do to have it. She said, I could see that.

She asked me if we believe that there’s only one Jesus or that Jesus walked on the Earth? I said, we believe there’s one Jesus and boy did he walk on this earth!

I told her that Jesus did everything that they said he did in the Bible and we believe it. I told her that Jesus was crucified and then resurrected and we believe it. She asked me if anybody saw him, and I said yes! Hundreds of people saw him. I said they didn’t see him only in the accounts in the Bible but he went to other places too.

I told her that Jesus said other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, and that he had received a commandment from his father to go to them. I told her that Jesus was speaking of the people in America and other places in the world.

She asked me if this happened in New York in the 1800’s. I said, no but we will get to that in a minute! I love getting questions, sincere questions. I’m grateful that God creates an environment in my car where people feel safe and comfortable asking them. She said, I’m gonna have a lot of questions here because I am interested in learning about this. I smiled and I think my Father in Heaven did too.

I told her that God is the God of everyone and he’s an all powerful God. I told her that he’s an all loving God, who loves each one of his children, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin or when they lived. I told her that he sent his son to save as many of his children as would be saved.

I told her that Jesus suffered for you and this is what we call the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected. I said that before this, in the garden of Gethsemane, he suffered all of the pain, injustice, infirmity, evil, and confusion that anyone will ever suffer. I told her that he did this so that we can learn to look to him and he can heal our hearts. I told her that he has the power to do that then I testified that he had the power to do that. The spirit was unmistakable in the car.

I asked her what she felt and she said it’s an incredible feeling. I told her that this was the spirit of her father in heaven and that it was in the car right now confirming to her that the things I had said were true. I told her to always remember this feeling and look for it so that she could know truth.

I talked to her specifically about the abuse and betrayal she had suffered in her life. I told her that when those people did those horrible things to her God was angry and hurt. I told her that his plan was for her to look to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had already suffered the indignation and humiliation of her situation and that he was there to lift her burdens and heal her heart.

She said, you’re being very specific. There’s no way you can know these things. I told her that the Spirit of God whispered them to my heart so that she would know that the other things that I was saying were true. I told her that in life, God will lift us through our trials by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I told her that this is how we learn to forgive others and ourselves. I told her that this is how we move on and become healed.

I told her that God loves all of his children and he’s not a regional God. I told her that when Jesus came to America and visited the people here he gave them baptism so they could be clean and the Holy Ghost so that he could walk with them.

I told her that Jesus loved them, blessed them, gave them power and authority to baptize and commanded that they be baptized. I told her that this is the same baptism we have today and when we’re baptized, we get the gift of the Holy Ghost so that it can be with us always. I told her that this is what she needs in her life. She nodded her head in agreement.

I told her that they had prophets in America who had prophesied of Jesus. They had written their prophecies and the account of the visit of Jesus to America on metal plates.

I told her that this is where the 1800’s come in. I told her that Joseph Smith was called by God to be a prophet. I said that he knelt and prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be a prophet. I told her that later he was given these plates. By the power of God he translated them. I told her that this is how we got the Book of Mormon. This is how we have this account that teaches us so many things about our relationship with our father and his son, Jesus Christ.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon’s that the Secrists prepared and asked her if she would like one. She said she would love one. I read through the questions of the soul with her and several of them seem to strike a chord.

I told her that as she reads and prays she will feel the spirit of God like we had felt in the car. I told her that because of that she would know that it was true. I asked her if she had any friends that were members of the church and she said she had one that was a good member of the church that went every week. I asked her if she would go talk to that friend and ask her about this. She said she would do that absolutely! I told her that being clean through baptism and having this spirit as a companion would help her get right in her therapy. She agreed.

She said that this feeling she was feeling in the car was lifting her in a way that she had never been lifted before. I told her that God put her in this car. I told her that he put her in this car, he gave me the words to say so that she would know that I spoke his words and finally he had testified to her through the spirit that the things she was hearing were true.

She said that’s all true!

She said, I’m going through a really hard time in my life and tonight I see a light. She said, “I need this light right now”. She said, who knew that this ride would change everything. I thought, God knew. She said she would go in and call her friend and bounced off into the house.

I love it when our father lets me carry his light to his children. Sometimes they really need it. It’s fun to be a light delivery service!

Sometimes after BYU beats Utah or Utah loses to anybody, I like to go to Salt Lake to enjoy the victory. I like the twist knife just a little bit. I’m not really that mean about it but I just like to talk a little. I like to enjoy it with them.

One night BYU volleyball beat Utah and as soon as the game was over I headed to Salt Lake City. I was telling people that I went to the volleyball game tonight and that BYU one of the best teams in the nation.

Sometimes it sparks up a fun conversation and I’ve had a few of those. About 1 AM, I pulled up to a club that is notorious for things being sold there, other than alcohol. It isn’t a sports bar and there isn’t particularly a strong college sports vibe there.

A guy came out and got in my car and we started off. Even though it didn’t seem to be fertile trolling ground, I felt like I should hit him with the BYU-Utah thing, just in fun. No sooner did I get it out of my mouth than he started saying really loudly, I love BYU. I love BYU. I got kicked out of school and I left the church but I can’t quit BYU football.

This took me fully by surprise. I am fully prepared to accept that it was a bit of a prompting that pushed me to tease him. Normally a guy coming out of that place isn’t one I would tease about anything.

His response, however, was great. We started talking about how much we love BYU football and how Kalani Sitake is an amazing guy. He really loved Kalani! We talked about the season and the players at each position and had a lot of fun. He said, I really am a good fan even though I drink.

I said, there are a lot of good fans who drink but I’d like to hear your story. He told me that he was from New York. He came to BYU straight from New York and then went on a mission.

He said that it was on his mission is where everything fell apart. He was African-American and said that many of the people were very biggited and little rude to him while he was on his mission. It made him very sad and put him in depression.

He said that when he returned from his mission he just couldn’t ever look at it the same. He said that this is when he left the church but that he doesn’t hate the church. He said he just can’t deal with it.

I said, seems like you’re holding onto your BYU football fandom like a lifeline. He said, you may have a point. I told him yes I told him that I do missionary work when I can and that working with people, one thing I have found is that people in general are horrible.

I told him people are horrible and they treat other people horribly for no reason sometimes. I told him sometimes we can assign a reason but we are never sure that this is the correct reason. It just seems to make sense in the moment. I told him that I try not to assign motives and just deal with the fact that everybody is horrible sometimes.

I told him that this is why we need the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told him that while he was on his mission, he felt the injustice and the sting of bigotry and it was hard. I told him that he felt alone and that he felt he couldn’t go to his mission president about it.

I told him that he felt like he had been swallowed up and felt like he was almost drowning in this. He said, that’s exactly how it felt! That’s exactly how I felt and that’s exactly why I couldn’t do it anymore.

I told him that what he experienced was understandable but that Heavenly Father knew that there would be days like that. He knew that there would be people like that and that things like this would happen.

I told him that God‘s plan is perfect and that his situation was part of that perfect plan not outside of it. I told him that God anticipated that he would be treated like that and he stood by him as long as he stood by God.

He thought about it and said, I think you’re right! In the end, it was my decision. I told him we make the decision to stand with God all along the way.

I reminded him about the brazen serpent that Moses held up. I told him that when people looked at that serpent they were healed and if they didn’t they died.

I told him that this serpent represented Jesus Christ and that when we look to him we live and when we look away we die. I told him this time it was a spiritual death of sorts, except that he kept a hold of that one glimmer of light, his association with the church through BYU football.

I told him that in life, horrible things happen to everybody. People are horrible and they treat everybody horribly. I told him that when bad things happen, Satan tells us to blame God. I told him that God points to Jesus and asks us to look to him so that we can be healed.

That’s how God makes it all better when people go through things like he had experienced. I told him that Jesus Christ suffered the humiliation that he had felt. on the cross and before that in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had felt all of the pain, anguish injustice, and abuse, ever experienced on earth, including what had happened to him on his mission. Jesus suffered for that, so that he wouldn’t have to suffer himself.

I told him that God’s plan is for him to look to Christ to access the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ and let Christ save him. Let Christ heal him and let Christ bring him home.

He said, that’s beautiful. He said, no one ever taught it to me like that. No one ever taught me about the atonement like that. I told him that Jesus gives us the atonement so that we can look to him and come back to him.

He said, this would’ve made a difference at the time but I have a different life now. I don’t know what to do? I asked him, what do you feel right now? He said, the spirit! I asked him how long is it been since he felt the spirit and he said since his mission.

He said that when he started pushing away the spirit just left. I told him the spirit was there to tell him that his Heavenly Father loved him and that the things I was saying about the atonement were true.

I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to heal his heart and take the sword out of his hand. I told him that the atonement of Jesus Christ could make him whole and bring him home to his father.

I perceived by the spirit that he was thinking it was too late, so I jumped right to that. I said, it’s not too late! I told him, you have to understand that God has his timing and it’s not our timing. We look in terms of five or 10 years and he has a bigger game than that. He plays all the way until the end of the fourth quarter.

He said, this is been remarkable and made me rethink my approach to life. I told him that I felt to tell him that someday he would come back and he would remember what I said and he would access this atonement. I told him that the atonement would take him home and grow his relationship with his Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I told him that he needed to learn to look at the brazen serpent or die.

He said, I can’t believe I got this lesson from God on the way home from the bar. I told him that God comes to you where you are. I told him I would go anywhere to save my son and God loves him so much that he will go anywhere to save him.

I asked him if he felt the love of God in the car and he said yes. I asked him if he felt the spirit and he said yes. I said, could that spirit be here if this wasn’t true and he said no, period.

He said, I’ll do better. I told him to read the Book of Mormon and focus on where it talks about how Heavenly Father’s love for his children and the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told him those are the two things he should study.

He said he would. He said he didn’t have a Book of Mormon right now. I pulled out one of my Book of Mormon’s made by the Secrists and gave it to him. I said the question to the soul in here will give you a good headstart. He grabbed it, he had a tear in his eye and he said, thank you and go cougars!!!

One night I was driving late. It was almost 2 am and I had just dropped off the cook from one of the bars downtown at his home. Normally what I would do because the bars are closing right then is pause my app and get back downtown to pick up a bonus ride.

I did that. I put the app on pause and started to drive. I felt the impression that I needed to take it off and go where it took me. That can be West Valley City or going to Ogden. I decided to be obedient. I took it off and immediately upon taking the pause button off I got a ride.

I was to go over by 39th South and pick up a man and take him to 90th South and State Street. That kills your night but I wasn’t too concerned about that. I was concerned about why I had been prompted in this case.

When I pulled up, this man got in my car. He was very friendly and we started talking. I asked him where he was from and he said that he had recently

lived down in Utah County but that originally he was from Mexico.

I decided to jump right into it and asked, “you lived in Utah County, does that mean that you’re a member of the church?” He said no, his sister is Mormon but he was not. I finished the sentence as I often do when people say that and I said, not yet! He laughed and said, well, not if my sister has her way!

I had a couple of impressions right off the bat. The first was that we needed to talk about baptism. We needed to talk all about baptism. We needed to talk about why he wasn’t baptized when his sister was baptized and about baptism in general.

Knowing the spirit was dictating, what I was supposed to say, I just said it. I asked him why he didn’t get baptized when his sister did. He said that he didn’t feel ready.

I told him that you will never feel ready. There’s no time when you feel ready. I told him that it will be that way until you’re baptized and you have the gift of the Holy Ghost. There’s no way that you can learn the kinds of things that you would need to know, if you were to call yourself ready without the gift of the Holy Ghost testifying to your soul.

I told him nobody knows everything but that through the Holy Ghost we can learn the things that we need to know. Then I felt the impression that I needed to talk to him about becoming clean through baptism, and then taking the sacrament.

I told him that when we are baptized we become clean and cleansed from all of the sins that we have committed. I told him that this is how we repent and are clean before God. I told him that after we are baptized we go to church every Sunday and we take the sacrament to renew our covenants and maintain our cleanliness.

“Yes”, he said , “you mean the bread and water?” I said yes. He said that he had gone to church with his sister a couple of times. I said, that’s amazing.

I told him that once we are clean the Holy Ghost can dwell with us, walk with us, whisper to us and help us say the things that we need to say to do God‘s will. He will tell us the things that we need to do as well as the things that we need to say. He said, wow. I didn’t understand what he meant by wow at that time. Later I found out it turned out to be an answer to his prayer.

I told him that Jesus commands us to be baptized. I told him that Jesus descended from heaven to the people who lived here in America and he gave them baptism. He called up 12 and gave them authority to baptize and commanded them to baptize everyone. He invited them to take a step up in discipleship.

I told him that this is how Jesus wants us to take a step up. He wants us to be baptized with this baptism, so that we can have forgiveness from our sins and have the spirit to be with us. I told him that worthy men also have the authority to baptize and to give blessings so they can bless other people. I told him that this is how God blesses his children because that way we can serve them by using his power and his authority. I told him that this is all part of the new level.

I told him that baptism is so important that Jesus, who is perfect needed to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He laughed and said, wow, I never thought of it like that! He was perfect! I said, yes he was perfect and if the son of God, Jesus Christ, being perfect needed baptism to go to heaven, how much more do each one of us need to be baptized?

I admit right here that I stole that directly from the scriptures. It was actually my reading that day.

He said, that is crazy. I told him that to come close to God and serve God we have to follow his words and the example of his son.

We should have been done, we had pulled up to his house but I knew we weren’t done. I knew we had work left to do so. I turned off the app and ended his ride. I said, do you mind if we talk for another minute? He said, no, I love this.

I asked him what he felt. He said he felt peace and tranquility. I told him that this was the spirit of God confirming the truth of the things that we had said. I asked him how he felt about that and he said he knew it was true. I asked him if he had been to church here? He said that he hadn’t.

He said that he hadn’t been to church since he moved from Utah County. He said he went there a couple of times with his sister but that he hadn’t gone here. I asked him if he knew where the church was and he said no. I asked him if he had met with any missionaries and he said no.

I looked up the address of his church on the meeting house locator on the Internet. I gave him the address and the time his meetings were. He said, thank you! He said, I’ll go. His meetings are Sunday mornings at 9 o’clock. This was a perfect time to stop, but I felt like I needed to do more. The spirit was telling me I needed to do more.

I asked him if he wanted me to drive him to the church so that he would know where it was. He said that would be amazing. Off we went at 2:15 in the morning, driving to his church house. When we got there, he made a note in his phone where it was on his GPS. He said, now I know where it is I promise you 100% I will go.

I told him that in that building, through those doors he will learn how to follow Jesus and come close to him. I told him that this had been a great concern to him recently. The spirit was really strong in the car and I asked him again. Do you feel that and he said yes. He said I felt that and this is why I told you I would go. That’s why I promised that I would go. He said, I now know that this is what I’m supposed to do.

He said, I need to be baptized. He said, I haven’t been baptized in any church and I need to be baptized. He said, tonight I know that I need to be baptized in the church of Jesus Christ like my sister was and like my ancestors were all those years ago when Jesus came to America.

He said, what you don’t know is that last night when I went to bed, I said my prayers like I always do. He said, I had felt like I was falling down and not feeling close to God. It was distressing to me.

He said, last night when I prayed, I prayed that God would send me someone to teach me and tell me how I can come closer to him. He said, I prayed and asked God to send someone to tell me how I can become clean and worthy to be with him.

He said, then you show up, you answered my questions even without me asking them and you speak Spanish! He said, I know that God sent you here tonight to bring this message to me. He said, I am going to follow through.

He said, I have Sundays off. I will go to church in Spanish and then sit through the English sacrament meeting afterwards so that I can work on my English. I had told him that right after his meeting an English ward would be having their meeting. He asked me if I thought that would be OK and I said yes

He asked me if he needed a formal invitation to go to church or if he could just show up. I told him he could just show up but that we are not going to rely on that. I told him that we were going to call the missionaries and have them show up with him so that he could have people he knows there that can introduce him.

He said that would be great.

He asked, how long will it be before I can be baptized? I told him that generally you have to go to church three times in a row and take the lessons. I told him it would probably be 3 to 4 weeks. He said, I need to get started then.

We talked about his brother-in-law and how he would be able to baptize him as well.

We arrived at his house and he was excited. He said, I need to sleep, but I am so excited. I told him that what he was feeling was the spirit of God, and he should always remember what that feels like. I told him that this feeling would help guide him on his path.

He said, I know that God answers prayers because he sent you here today. He said, it was only yesterday when I asked for help and he sent you today. He said my sister is going to be so excited.

He said, you’ll see, I’ll be baptized very soon.

I know that he will.

One night I picked up two girls downtown in Salt Lake City and was taking them to the place where they lived in Millcreek. It’s a pretty good ride and about the kind of ride that helps you max out your earning potential so I was really excited.

They got in the car and they were very vibrant and happy. They started talking about the night and it became very apparent that their standards were not exactly the same or consistent with activity in the church.

They clearly had been out having a good time and were ready to go home. As we started driving, they became very chatty. They wanted me to tell them stories that have happened to me while I was driving. I smiled to myself and thought I wonder what would happen if I just told stories about conversions.

Thinking that I just picked them up from a club downtown I thought that it would be better if I started out with some regular stories. I told them stories about people doing crazy things in the car and stuff like that.

We laughed and had a good time for a minute. They said that their first driver tonight was really cool just like me. I said, I’m sure he was cool, but I’m the very best driver they have. Did you know that? They laughed and said, of course you are!

Then one girl piped up and said, you look like you are Mormon. As I’ve explained before, that’s always a dicey situation. Some people get very angry when you say that you’re a member of the church, but I always say I am a member of the church. I own it and I wear it with pride.

I told her, yes I am Mormon! I continued, I go to church every Sunday and I believe in the church 100%. There was really no call for me to go into this extra detail except that I wanted to make it clear so I didn’t have to answer the question, are you still Mormon?

With this opening I felt prompted to start talking about the stories in my car from my blog. I didn’t feel like I could teach these girls direct principles, but I felt like I should tell them blog stories from my car, so that they could learn the principles through the stories.

I told them the stories from my blog, entitled “My God is a God of Miracles” and “Angels in the Front Seat”. I told them that in both of those stories, God whispered the things to my heart that I should say. I told them that he did that so that they would know that the other things I said were true. I could feel the spirit of God in the car as I testified through the stories.

They loved those stories!

Then I did something that I never do. I felt prompted to do it. I told them about the approximate number of people that I’ve worked with that have been baptized in the last 20 years and how many people approximately have been baptized that I have introduced to the church while driving my car. They lit up! They were really excited to hear that. One thing I noticed is that as I told the stories, and as I talked about people being baptized, they started to be influenced by the spirit in the car. They started to get excited. I don’t think that they even realized it was happening. It was clear to me that the spirit they felt was animating them.

I talked to them about giving out Book of Mormons and how important it was to me to re-introduce people to their Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.

Finally, one of the girls spoke up and said, I am not Mormon but I was raised Mormon and my parents are very Mormon. The other girl said, I’ve never been Mormon!

The first girl spoke up again and said, I was active in the church until I was 18 but I quit believing when I was 12. I could tell there was tremendous resentment in her heart towards the church and towards God.

I listened to her talk for a moment. I told them that I go to church every Sunday! I told them that I teach in the primary and that we are the nursery leaders. I told them that it’s fun to have a calling with my wife.

They thought this was really neat and I thought they would move on at that point, but the girl that was angry with God and angry at the church kept asking questions, almost as if she hadn’t talked to a Mormon for a long time.

She told me about how her mother and father were very active but that she just couldn’t do it anymore. Finally, I saw an opening that I could use.

I said, people do bad things, sometimes they do horrible things. This accounts for people in the church and outside of the church. I told her that one thing I felt very profoundly in my heart was that her Heavenly Father wanted her to know that he loved her.

I told her she had doubted that in her life, but that he loved her very much. I told her not to seal off her heart to Heavenly Father. I told her not to seal off her heart to the possibility of God.

At this point, I was moved by the spirit to say, you will need that relationship with God because someday your child will be very sick and you will want to call upon your dad to put his hands on your child’s head and give him a blessing. I told her not to seal that relationship off. Do not shut that door.

The spirit was strong in the car and we could all feel it. The other girl started commenting about how amazing she felt in hearing the stories. She said, “these stories have really awakened something in me”. Those were the words she used.

By this time we had arrived at their destination. I really emphasized to both of them that Heavenly Father loves them and that he plays a long game. He wants them home! I told them that their father in heaven will do everything in his power to get them to do the things that they need to do to come home.

I told them that is how we fathers are, we will do anything to save our children. I’ve said it before in this blog, and I’ll say it again, but very few things bring the spirit, harder and faster than a testimony of how much God loves his children. I believe it comes especially fast and hard when those children are on the edge or in danger. I believe he wants to reach out and touch them and that he was doing it right then.

The car was burning and I said to the girls, do you feel the spirit in the car right now? Do you feel it? They almost shouted the word yes in unison. They said, yes, yes we feel it.

It was almost an emotional reaction in the back seat and I could tell that they were feeling it. They were flying high. It was time for them to get out and they both asked if they could touch my shoulders and one of them touched my head. As I stated one other time, many times passengers that have felt the spirit and have been impacted deeply like to touch my shoulders. It never happens in any other circumstance. There is pretty much a no contact arrangement in the car but when they have felt the spirit, they want to touch my shoulders or shake my hand. I believe that this is how they want to reach out and feel more deeply for the spirit they are feeling.

I believe it is them reaching out from their heart to their father in heaven. They got out of the car and went up towards the house. I turned around in the cul-de-sac and started heading back out. As I came back through, the girl who wasn’t a member of the church came right up to the car and waved at me. I rolled down my window. She said, I’m going to ask her where I can learn more about this. She smiled and waved again. She come back down after getting to the house just to tell me that. The spirit whispered to me that this girl was the main reason for the ride today.

I was blown away. The Lord was doing work with both girls. I felt the prompting that the way the first girl will come back into the church is through the teaching of her friend. That night there was no denying the truthfulness of the church. That night there was no denying the spirit in the car and they did not try to deny it. That night they knew the church was true, and a course was set for the return of these two young women to their father in heaven.

When I finish having these experiences, I dictate the stories on my drive home. I do this so that I don’t lose details. I always feel the spirit while I’m doing it because it was a spiritual experience. This time as I wrote the final paragraphs about the second girl and her friend helping her into the church, the spirit testified to me very vividly that I got the point. I just wanted to share that.

I picked up a young man one afternoon in Salt Lake City who was headed up to classes at the University of Utah. He said he was from the Midwest and that he was a Junior. It was the first week of school and he was excited to go to this class for the first time. I knew he wasn’t a member of the church. The spirit was whispering that to me even though he looked like a return missionary with his haircut and the way he dressed. It’s awesome how the spirit will just put that in your mind and if you follow it, you’ll be OK.

I asked him what he was studying and he said that he was pre-med. He said that he had hopes of staying in Utah and going to the University of Utah med school. Then he shook his head and he said, I don’t know, it looks tough.

I asked, “are you talking about this last year’s first year medical students? I saw a picture of them!” He said, yes! In that whole class, there’s not one white male. He said, I hope that the recent Supreme Court decision can make it so that I can go to med school.

On the campus at the University of Utah, they have the signs that say, “racism exists! We are not exempt. If you see it, report it.” I asked him if he’d seen that sign and he said yes. I told him that he should submit a copy of that med school photo to the information provided and report it as racism. We both had a laugh.

He said that the world is so crazy and corrupt these days. He talked about how corrupt everything is and how he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.

I talked to him about the movie, A Bugs Life. I talked to him about how if the people stand up for what’s right, we can have a great effect. I told him that when the people are willing to be true and honorable, they can make great changes in the way these things are going. I told him that was the great message in the movie. He said that he had watched it with his niece just the other day and got the exact same message, that we need to stand up.

I told him that God knew about what was going on. I asked him if he was familiar with the Book of Mormon. He said yes, he had a friend who was a member of the church. He said his friend was a good member of the church and had gone on a mission. He talked about how his friend had given him a Book of Mormon, but that he hadn’t read it.

I asked him if he would let me read a scripture from the Book of Mormon that would describe what we were talking about. I told him it was going to blow his mind. He said yes, that would be awesome.

I pulled up Helaman 7: 4-5 and read it.

4. And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;

5. Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—

He said, that’s amazing! That is spot on with what’s going on today. I told him that we had been warned that this would happen again in our day, and that the Book of Mormon was written for our day. I told him that this was a warning to us.

He said, they nailed it. I told him that is what prophets do. I told him that God loves all of his children, no matter where they live, and that the way he shows his love is through commandments. I told him that prophets receive these commandments and give them to us. I told him that prophets prophesy so that we can be prepared.

I told him that the prophet that wrote this was an ancient prophet from America and that there have been prophets in America because God loved the people here. I told him that God gave them his word so they could know God’s will. I told him that this prophet wrote it down, so that we could know God’s will.

I went on with the theme of God loves everyone and so he sent his son Jesus Christ to visit the people here in America. I told him that those same prophets had prophesied that he would come here after he was resurrected.

I told him that in Jerusalem he said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was going to visit them.

I asked him if it made sense to him that an all powerful God would send his son to just one part of the world, and he said no.

He said, “I kind of believe that all of the religions seem to have similar points that come from Diety.” He said that it makes a lot of sense that God was working amongst all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem.

I told him what I had learned from some passengers I had given rides to that were from India, and also an other that was Buddhist. They both told me that their religion started when the son of God came, dwelt among them, and taught them how to live. He said, that makes so much sense.

He said that if everybody had similar beliefs it had to come from the same place. I told him the analogy about the mirror that represents the church of God and that it broke into pieces. People grabbed pieces of that mirror because they loved the mirror and formed churches around that, but nobody had the complete mirror. I told him that this is why Joseph Smith was so important.

I told him Joseph Smith was called as a prophet by God so that he could restore the complete church with all of the teachings, the whole mirror not just pieces.

I told him that the other important thing that Joseph Smith was given was the power and authority from God to speak in his name and do his work.

I told him that when Jesus came to America, he descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands, and bathed his feet with their tears and asked him to save them. I told him that to fully respond to this Jesus called up 12 and he gave them authority to baptize and commanded that everyone be baptized, even though they had previously been baptized.

I told him that Jesus invited them to a different level, a higher level of discipleship with no more wading around in confusion amongst all the broken pieces of mirror. I told him that now they had the complete mirror.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was really an important part of this because the fullness of the gospel was also contained in the book because it came directly from Jesus Christ. I asked him if he had heard about that, he said yes, from his friend.

I bore my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The spirit was really strong in the car. I asked him what he felt in his heart. He thought for a minute and said, joy.

I told him that this was the Spirit of God, and that when he felt this he knew that the things he was hearing were true. I asked him, do you believe what I’m saying is true? He said yes! I don’t have a doubt.

I told him that the invitation that Jesus gave the people to be baptized and assend to that new level was the same invitation that Jesus was extending to him. I told him he needed to be baptized.

I told him by the spirit that he had been struggling in his life with some things and that he had wanted to make a change. I told him that he felt like he was a little trapped and that’s why when I talked about being confused, with the pieces of the mirror, it made so much sense to him. I told him that he wanted to be clean and then he wanted to have a redo on some things.

I told him that he loved being with his friend because of the light his friend had. I told him that he could see that light in his eyes and in his face. He smiled and said, yes. How could you know that?

I told him that, God wanted to bless him and help him and lift him and that is why he sent me. I told him that God puts people in my car and prompts me to say things to them. I told him that he does this by the power of the Holy Ghost, and that was the power we were feeling in the car today.

I told him that the Holy Ghost whispered the things to my heart to say so that he would know that the rest of the things I said were true.

He said, it’s shocking to me. It’s shocking to me the timing of all of this. Before I came today I was praying and telling God that I needed to make a change in my life. I prayed that I needed help to make a course correction, I needed to come closer to him. I had asked him to help me make that change and then you show up. The spirit was really strong in the car. He said, this is overwhelming. He said, the spirit that I feel right now is overwhelming and I’m having a hard time keeping it together.

It was time for him to go to his class but I could tell he didn’t want to go. I asked him to text his friend and tell him about what had happened in the car. He said he would do that. I said his friend would be so happy. I told him to tell his friend that he wanted to be baptized. He said, “that’s exactly what I want so that’s what I’m going to do.”

I said, do you remember when I talked about how Jesus gave the authority and power to the people to baptize? He said yes. I told him that his friend also had that authority to baptize. I told him that his friend could help him all the way with this thing.

He said again this is overwhelming. I can’t believe this is happening, but I’m so happy and I always want to have this feeling. I asked him if he knew the things I had said were true and he said yes. I told him to tell his friend that too. He said he would. He was five minutes late for his class when he got out of the car. He ran to his class.

I know that God prepares people and I love it when I get to be the one to deliver the message like I did that day.

I picked up a guy at a motel on North Temple. Motels on North Temple aren’t notoriously great places to be. He was going down to 72nd south and I debated taking him because when you take people from one drug hotel to the next rundown hotel, it can be a real uncomfortable ride.

He got in and we started to drive. We talked about the usual stuff. Where are you from? How long have you lived here? Those sorts of questions. He just moved here from Pennsylvania but originally he was from here.

He had moved to Pennsylvania to try to keep his wife happy. They had a little boy and he didn’t want to break up the family. The fact is she was going to Pensilvania and that was it. He went back to Pennsylvania and her behavior didn’t get better and they ended up getting a divorce.

He stayed out there a while and his boy was now 10 years old and they were very close. He choked up as he talked about talking to his son on Zoom and how that just wasn’t enough. He said that he wanted to bring him out here.

I started talking to him about Pennsylvania and the spirit told me to get busy talking about families and the family of God.

I told him that family was important and that our church believes families are everything. I told him that we believe that our families are sealed together and are together forever. I told him Heavenly Father wants us to be together as families because he knows how important they are.

I talked to him about his father in heaven, and how his spirit lived with his father in heaven before he was born. He said, I do believe in a higher power. He said that he couldn’t be sure what else he believed though. I asked him what he felt in my car. He said, “I feel a lot of peace. The second I got in your car I could feel peace and with you talking about families and God it’s made me feel that peace even stronger.”

I said, that peace is the Spirit of God. I told him the God shows us truth by giving us his spirit so that we can know that the things we are hearing are true.

I felt a prompting that he was a man who prayed when he was in trouble or stressed. This isn’t very common in my ride stories. Most of the time people haven’t prayed ever or for a long time but I got the distinct impression that he prays when he is down.

I said, it seems to me like you pray a lot. He said, “how do you know? I pray for help all the time”. He said, I very much believe in a higher power. I wasn’t doing very well with his higher power thing, and I said, you mean God, and he just kind of brushed it off.

I went on to talk about our relationship with God and how he loves each of us and that he made a plan so that each of us can come home to him if we want to. The spirit prompted me to tell him that when he was young, he had kind of felt like God wasn’t there, and that many times he blamed him. I told him that even now when he prays sometimes he’s blaming God.

I told him God loves him and he should never doubt that. The spirit was really strong and he said one more time, I’ll never doubt that there’s a higher power.

I stopped the car and I looked at him and I said, you need to quit saying higher power because you know that it is your Heavenly Father. He is your father and you need to treat him with that respect. He loves you and he has given you everything. He has given you your son. You need to show him that love and respect because he’s your father. I told him that his father in heaven had never left him alone and never abandoned him in his life, regardless of how he felt. I told him his spirit knew that and that’s why it always felt to reach out in prayer.

I said, it’s amazing that you pray. I said, think about how much you enjoy those zoom calls with your son. He lit up and he said I enjoy them very much. I said this is how your Heavenly Father feels when you pray. I said, you just can’t pray when you need something or when you’re mad. I told him you have to pray all the time and make God part of your life.

I asked him if he would like it if his son just called him when he was angry or if he wanted his son to make him part of his life. He laughed and said, I want him to make me part of his life. I want to be part of his life as much as I can. I said, that’s how a loving father thinks.

I testified to him that Heavenly Father is his father. He said that he was feeling the spirit more intensely than he had earlier and I told him this means that it’s true.

I told him that God sent the spirit so he could know this and so he could feel that relationship. He said, this is crazy, but I love it.

I told him that God loves all of his children and that he sent his son, Jesus Christ. I told him that Jesus Christ came to America to prove that he loved all of God’s children and that he gave us a new level to attain. I told him that it was like playing a video game. When he came to America, he commanded those people to step up to a new level. I told him about Jesus descending from heaven and the people touching his hands and his feet. The spirit washed over the car. I told him that the people had been waiting for Jesus because the prophets had prophesied that he would come.

He gave them baptism, he taught them repentance, and he taught them how to come back to his father. I told him that all of these prophecies and the visit of Jesus Christ were included in the Book of Mormon. He said, you mean another testament of Christ? I said, yes! How did you know that? He told me that the missionaries had told him that.

Right then the spirit told me that he was being a little coy. I knew that he was a member of the church. I said, why didn’t you tell me that you were a member of the church? He said, because I don’t consider myself to be a member of the church. I haven’t been to church forever. How did you know that I’m a member of the church? How did you know all the things that you said about me?

I asked him, well, are they true? He said yes, but how did you know? I told him that the Spirit of God revealed it to me because God knows those things, and he whispered them to me so that I could say them. He did this so that he would know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that God was reaching out to him. I told him that even though he prayed and tried to help other people, he was very proud. He was not a person who was known for being humble. I told him that Heavenly Father needs him to humble himself and accept the love of God in his heart. I told him that he needs to accept the church and the covenants he’s made and I told him that he needs to accept a challenge to turn his life around.

I told him that the pride he felt was a stumbling block and it was put there by Satan. I felt to tell him that his father had been a bad example but that he can’t go on trying to punish his father by ruining his own life. He said, there’s no way you could’ve known that.

He said, my father was a member of the reorganized LDS church. He later joined the Mormon church and now he’s a miserable, horrible person. He’s probably going to go to jail for tax evasion.

He said, I don’t get along with him very well. I said, that’s too bad but you shouldn’t allow that to determine whether or not you’re going to obey your father in heaven. I told him that God put him in my car today so that he could feel the spirit and know what it’s like to have a father that loves you unconditionally even though you don’t do the right thing sometimes.

He asked me in a joking way if someone from his family had called me. He said, I truly believe that God sent you. This ride and the these things you said are filling my heart. I need to change and I promise you I will. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and said no. He said he hadn’t been to church in over 20 years.

I gave him one of my Book of Mormons, prepared by the Secrists and asked him to read the questions of the soul. He read those and said these are the questions that there really aren’t any good answers for. I told him, those answers are in the book. Those answers are marked by the tabs in the book.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God. I told him that it was the words of the prophets who had lived in America. I told him that Joseph Smith received these engravings and translated them, and when I bore my testimony of that the spirit was strong.

I told him that Joseph Smith went to the sacred grove. He knelt and prayed, and his father in heaven appeared to him. I told him that he had a relationship with his father in heaven, just like Joseph Smith did. I told him that Joseph Smith had studied and prayed to develop that relationship with his father, and that he needed to do the same.

I told him that if you would read, his heart would fill with the spirit and he would find peace and contentment in his life like he found peace and contentment in the car.

He said, I promise you that I’ll read this book.

I said, who do you know that could go to church with you? He said, what? I said, you’re thinking about someone right now to go to church with you. Who is it? A smile came across his face, he shook his head, and he said, it’s my brother-in-law. I said, send him a text right now and ask him if you can go to church with him or if he can go to church with you on Sunday. He said I will but I don’t know where I am supposed to go to church.

I looked up his meeting house and time and it was like a block and a half away. I gave it to him and said, Sunday morning you know at 11 o’clock where are you going to be. He said, I’ll be at this church with my brother-in-law. He let me watch him send the text.

He said, the spirit I felt in the car is something I’ve not felt in a long time, and the understanding in my relationship with Heavenly Father is something that I hadn’t thought of for a very long time. I asked him if he would commit to pray to his Heavenly Father. I asked him if he would commit to use the words, Heavenly Father, and not higher power.

He said, I don’t know why I started that and I see now that I need to address my father in heaven properly. He said, I promise I will do that. I said, while you’re reading the Book of Mormon, make sure you pray and talk to your Heavenly Father about it. I told him, you know, he’d like to hear what you have to think about that. Just like with your son, you like to hear from him. He had a tear in his eye, and he said I will do this. I promise you, I will do this.

He said, I need a new life! I need to change my life! He said, this is what I need. He shook my hand and thanked me. I knew he wasn’t thanking me in so much as he was very grateful for what he felt and the understanding that came to his soul there in the car. The light came on, and if he keeps feeding it, it will be bright and glorious.

One evening I was in Salt Lake and I got a call to go to Harmons and pick up a young lady. When I picked her up she talked about Harmons and we discussed their deli. It’s a pretty good deli and they have lots of different options. She said she liked to go there to get her coffee. She said she goes there for lunch a lot and that she works in a building over on Main Street.

We started driving and discussing things like the building where she worked and I started getting impressions about this young woman by the spirit.

I asked her if it would be OK if I talked to her about some thoughts I was having regarding our conversation. She said, yes! I felt impressed to tell her that she had felt alone and that her father in heaven loved her. I told her that this loneliness sometimes is pretty consuming.

I told her I felt like she was a member of the church but that she hadn’t been going to church for a while and she hadn’t been praying.

I stopped for a minute and just let that sink in. Part of me was a little afraid that maybe I had said too much and been a little too bold. If that ever happens, I can get deplatformed. I sat there praying, knowing I had said the words the Lord put in my heart.

She said, how did you know these things and she started to tear up. I talked to her about how much her father in heaven loves her. I talked to her about how she lived with him in the preexistence for thousands of years and that she had a relationship with him. I told her that this relationship was the most central thing in her existence and that she had a feeling when she was in his presence in the preexistence.

I told her that this feeling is the same feeling she was experiencing right now. The spirit was burning in the car and I knew that she could feel it. I asked her to tell me what it felt like and she said it felt amazing, peaceful, and like she was seen and found.

I told her she was never lost to her father in heaven and that he wanted to hear from her. I asked her how long it had been since she read the scriptures. She said a long time but that she had graduated from seminary and been active in the church most of her life. She said lately the last couple of years she had fallen away because she had some problems and questions.

I told her that part of the problem we have is that when we quit reading the scriptures and quit saying our prayers, we quit having the spirit with us and we quit understanding things from God‘s perspective. We allow Satan to come in and influence us with his perspective. The spirit was really strong and I bore my testimony of the love of our father in heaven for her.

I knew she felt it and she acknowledged that she missed that spirit and loved feeling it there in the car. I asked her how long it had been since she had been to church and she said years.

I told her that if she didn’t go to church, she couldn’t feel the spirit. I told her if she didn’t go to church, she couldn’t take the sacrament and that in taking the sacrament we are promised that we can have Heavenly Father’s spirit to be with us always. I told her that’s what she needed, that’s what she lacked. She had tears running down her face and she promised me that she would go to church.

I asked her if she would promise me that she would pray and read her scriptures too and she said yes. We had arrived at our destination and she was late for the party she was attending. It was an ice cream party with her good friends. She said she had to go, but she thanked me.

She said she couldn’t believe how amazing that ride was and the spirit in the car amazed her. She promised again that she would go to church, pray and read the scriptures.

This was a really quick encounter and most of the time I don’t write stories about these quick little encounters. We were going on a nine minute ride and we felt the spirit but I didn’t feel that it was quite the level of the story that I usually experience and that I usually write about. It was special and it was wonderful, but it was short.

Fast forward two months. I got a call to pick up someone from a building on Main Street. I went out in front of that building and sat there for seven minutes. The thing about seven minutes is that after seven minutes are told to cancel the ride and leave. We get paid for the ride even though we don’t take the ride as a penalty to the person for making us wait.

I sat there for the seven minutes seeing the name of this person and then finally the icon with the name turn red which tells me that it’s been seven minutes and I can cancel the ride. I canceled the ride and started driving off down the block.

Then I got another ride. I accepted that ride but it was the same building the same parking space with the same name on my app. This never happens. Once you cancel a ride they don’t put that person back in your car. I was a little worried about it because I thought maybe this would be a ratings disaster.

The spirit told me to follow through and so I drove around the block to the front of the building and she got in the car. We had a small discussion about what transpired with the cancellation. At this point, I didn’t know who she was or recognize her.

As we started to drive, I looked in the mirror and saw her eyes. I recognized those eyes and as I listened to her talk, I recognized her but I didn’t know from where. I said, you’ve been in my car before and I recognize you.

She sat there for a second and thought and she said, I recognize you too. She said, I’m looking at your eyes in the mirror, they look familiar. We sat there for a minute and talked about when it might have been, I could feel a connection and knew that I had talked with her, but it was fuzzy. Finally it came to her.

She said, you gave me a ride a couple of months ago. you made me cry going into an ice cream party. She said that with a smile on her face. She said, I called my mom that night and told her about that ride. I told her that you knew more about me than I knew about myself. I told her that you knew everything about me and what you had asked me to do.

She said, you invited me to go to church and change my life. She said, my mom told me that God puts people in your path to help you and that this was clearly one of those occasions.

It started coming back to me then. I remembered having her in the car and I remembered the things that I had said before. I asked her, well, how are you doing?. She said, I’m doing better, I’m saying my prayers now, but I haven’t gone to church and I haven’t read the scriptures.

I told her, how does it feel to be so special to your father in heaven that he sent me once to help you, then he sent me today to follow up. I had left and he sent me back to make sure that I got you. How does that make you feel to know that he loves you that much? She was obviously moved and told me that I was about to make her cry again just like I had before. I told her it’s not me making her cry. That is the spirit of God.

I told her that he really is reaching out to her because he loves her. I told her that he wants her to obey and he wants her to have a happy life.

She said, well that’s kind of my issue. I don’t really feel happy. She said, I feel like I have so many questions and I don’t have anyone to answer them. She said that her mom isn’t good at answering questions and doesn’t like them and there’s no one that she can talk to that is in the church.

I told her that this comes from not going to church. She said, I don’t feel like they want someone who thinks like I do. The spirit told me that the things she was thinking weren’t that bad and that I should press forward and ask.

I asked her, what is this great big issue that makes you think you’re not lovable to your father in heaven? She thought for a minute and she said, I don’t want to have children. She said, I don’t want to have children because I don’t want to bring them into this world that is so bad and evil and horrible.

She said, that is against what they teach in the church and no one would understand it. She felt like having that view made her unworthy to go to church.

I told her that anything that teaches you not to go to church is of Satan and that it’s him that wants her to be miserable. I told her it’s him that created and inspired all the misery in the world.

I told her that she lacked faith. I told her that was her problem and she nodded her head affirmatively. She said that’s exactly right. I lack faith and I don’t have anyone that can help me. I don’t have anyone to talk to me about faith.

I told her that if she thought back to our last ride, she would remember how shocked she was when I said the things that I had said. I told her it is because Heavenly Father gave me those words so that you would know that I was saying the things that he would have me say. Due to this you knew that the things that I said were true.

That’s where faith starts. Having faith on the words of others is the building Block of faith. I told her about Ammon in the book of Mormon and how he had that same experience with King Lamoni. Ammon said the words the king was thinking and hadn’t told anyone. The king was so shocked and thought Ammon was God. Ammon told him that he wasn’t God but that he was sent from God, and given those words so that the king would know that the things he said were true.

I told her that it was the same with her. She knew because I had those words that God loved her and that the things I said were true. I told her that if she would read the Book of Mormon, she would hear more accounts of people testifying of faith. She would hear more stories about faith and she could build her faith off of the faith of those people who wrote those words. She could begin to have faith by believing on the words of others. Then, with that seed, she could build her faith.

I told her she would have to go to church, say her prayers, and obey the commandments as well because you’ve got to nourish that little bit of faith until it grows. I didn’t realize I was talking about Alma 32 at the time.

As I finished, saying this, I received a strong, prompting to say these words. I said, you need a father, you don’t have a father and you need a father. You need a dad.I felt the prompting that she had just been thinking this right then.

She started tearing up again and said, that is exactly right but I’ve never told anyone that. She hadn’t told me that and there’s no way I could’ve known that without the spirit. There’s no way it would’ve had the impact it did if it didn’t come from the spirit.

I explained to her that in the church, there are leaders and people who have authority and responsibilities to minister and lift. Those people would be able to fill that void but not to forget her other father, her father in heaven. I told her that her father in heaven, who had moved his hand two times to rescue her and bless her life was more than invested in her well-being.

I told her that her father in heaven was lifting her and blessing her now and I asked her if she would commit to do those things again. She said she would. She said she would do it this time.

She told me that she had been an inactive member of the church therefore I had assumed that she had the scriptures in her home. The way she talked I thought it was a sure thing. The spirit told me to give her a Book of Mormon. I reached into my glove box and got one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I said, I need you to take this.

I asked, do you have a Book of Mormon? She said yes. I asked, where is it? She thought for a moment and said, I haven’t seen it for years. I think it’s at my home in New Jersey. Now I could see in real time that the Lord had prompted me to ask about the Book of Mormon, and I said, take this Book of Mormon. You need one in your home.

You need one to read and to study. She took the Book of Mormon and said she would read it.

I also told her that she needed to go home that night and write down both of our experiences in the car. I felt prompted to tell her to do this so that it could help plant that seed a little deeper with a little more nutrients. I felt impressed that having her do that would be the equivalent of bearing her testimony to somebody else. We all know that when you bear your testimony to somebody else, your testimony grows.

She said she would. She said that would be a great idea and she would love to do that.

It was time for her to get out of the car but before she went, I told her that she needed to make sure that Heavenly Father didn’t have to send me again. We laughed and she said, I better get it right this time. She turned around and went in to the store where I dropped her off.

I picked up a man by 900 S. and 900 E.. His name was Juan and so I tried for the cheesy joke when he got in and I said your number Juan. He was Spanish-speaking as his first language and he didn’t get my horrible joke.

We started driving and started talking. He was from Venezuela and liked it here. He didn’t want to speak Spanish because he was learning English and he wanted to speak English. I totally respect that and always defer to that. I remember when I was on my mission and I would try to speak Spanish, people would act like they didn’t understand because they wanted to speak English. It made me so angry, so I’m sympathetic.

So we started talking in English about how things were going. As we talked, I had the impression that I needed to ask him the question, did you go to church yesterday? I also knew by his jewelry that he was not a member of the church. He had several crosses and seemed religious.

As we were driving, we passed by a church house and I thought that this was a good time to transition to that conversation. I said, that’s a really neat church. Have you ever been in that church? Of course I knew he’d never been in that church but I just wanted to get the conversation going in that direction so I asked.

He said no, he hadn’t. Then I said, well, you must have gone to another church. Did you go to church yesterday? He said no. I told him that I go to church every week because it makes me feel good and I love to feel the spirit of God. I told him that I love to go and pray and take the sacrament. He lit up.

He said, I’d love to go to church but I can’t find a church where they speak Spanish. I want to go worship God in Spanish. I said, I can help you with that! I told him that I could find a church in his neighborhood where they spoke Spanish. He said, that would be awesome! He said, if you could do that, I would love to go.

I told him that I don’t know how to find Catholic churches, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has Spanish congregations all over the valley and we can find one of them close to his house. I asked him if that would be fine and he said that would be amazing! He said he would do that for sure.

He said that he missed being in the presence of God.

He said he’d always been a religious man but it was really hard to stay close to God without attending church. I told him that was awesome! I told him needed eat. I said I thought the he would be fed by the word of God.

He said the word of God is important. He said that he loved to read the Bible and loved to hear the stories from the Bible. I asked him if he’d ever heard of the Book of Mormon. He said no. I just got here no to long ago. What is it?

I told him that it was the writings of prophets who lived in anciently in America. I told him that his ancestors here in America had prophets because God loves them and he spoke to those prophets. hey wrote these revelations down. I told him that those writings were translated and became the Book of Mormon. I told him the Mormon was a prophet who was among his ancestors.

He said, this is very important. I feel like what you’re saying is very important and I’m supposed to listen. He said, let’s speak Spanish, so I can understand. I said OK, and we flipped over to Spanish.

I told him that Joseph Smith was a young boy, who was looking for the truth. He, knelt and prayed. God,the father and Jesus Christ appeared and called him to be the prophet. Then he who was given the engravings from the ancient prophets. By the power of God, he translated them into English, and latter they were translated into Spanish.

I told him that Joseph Smith was called to be the prophet to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth. I told him that we have that gospel. He asked me if we read the Bible and I said, yes. We have the Old Testament, we have the New Testament just like his church does but on top of that we have the prophecies and revelations to the people here in America and it’s called the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ. I told him that this was his testament for his people and their testimony of Jesus.

I told him that one of the things the prophets in American taught was that Jesus would come to them after his crucifixion. I told him that Jesus descended from heaven and stood in front of the people. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and worshipped him and he blessed them. I told him, your ancestors were blessed by the hand of Jesus Christ. The spirit was burning in the car. I asked him what he felt right then in his heart and he told me he felt a tremendous peace.

He told me he knew it the peace that comes from the spirit of God because he’d felt that in his life. I told him that the peace comes to him when God is there and God is there when he’s hearing truth. I told him that this spirit was testifying that the things I am saying was true. He said, I recognize that.

I told him that when we feel this we know that God is reaching out to us, and that God was reaching out to him. I felt a prompting to tell him that he had felt a little bit lost and alone. I said that God didn’t want him to feel that way. I told him that if he would go to church, he would feel the spirit of God and he wouldn’t be alone anymore.

He said, that’s amazing and that’s what I need to do. He said, can anyone just go to your church? I said yes! We invite everyone to come. I told him that our church is all about invitations. We do that because that’s what Jesus Christ did.

I told him that the people in the Book of Mormon had the church and they been baptized. When Jesus came they all asked him to save them. As an answer to this plea he gave them authority, instruction, and a commandment that each one of them be baptized again to a new level of discipleship. He commanded them to follow him with more purpose and to receive the Holy Ghost.

I told him with the Holy Ghost we never walk alone. I told him that with baptism we are free from our sins and we can stand before God. We qualify to be saved just like the people in the Book of Mormon. He was touched and he said this is true! Do they teach this at that church?

I said, yes they do! I reached into my glove box and I pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists, and I handed it to him. I told him this is the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. I want to give this to you. I showed him the questions of the soul and he read them. He said, some of these are questions that everybody’s always told me there’s no answer to.

I told him that the answer is right there in that book and that he could look it up and read it. I told him when he does, he would feel the same peace he felt in the car. He said, this is incredible. He said, God put you here didn’t he? God put you here today to give me this ride. I said, yes! God put you in my car because he wanted you to read this book.

God put you in this car because he wanted you to go to church. God put you in this car because he wants you to be baptized. That’s the invitation that Jesus gave to your ancestors in this book.

Not only is it the invitation Jesus gave to your ancestors but it’s the invitation that Jesus is extending to you. He wants you to go to church, learn, prepare, and be baptized.

He said, this is really exciting. I can’t wait to go. Then he said, where is the church? I looked up the church and gave him the address and told him that they meet at 11:30 on Sundays. He said that he would be there early. He didn’t want to keep the Lord waiting. He said, He said it’s been a few months and maybe I can just go, sit in the church and soak it in.

He said that was what he used to do before. He would go to the Catholic churches and sit there. He said, I never felt the spirit there like I have in this car today.

I asked him if it would be OK if I had missionaries give him a call and he said he would love it. He said he wanted to learn all about this and more than. He wanted to feel the spirit like this. He thanked me for the Book of Mormon and he said you’ll never know how much this means to me. You’ll never know how important this divine gift is to me. He said, I can feel how important this book is.

I’d been taking him to the bank and it was 4:50 and he had to get out and go inside before the bank closed. He shook my hand and said, I want you to know that this means a lot to me. He said, I’ve always been someone who loved going to church and I have a feeling that this is going to take me to a new level! He smiled and got out of the car. As he walked away, he was clinging tightly to the Book of Mormon I had given him.

I went on the Tools app and put in his address and sent the missionaries over to him. I called them and talked to them to make sure that they had received the message. I’m sure they’ll take great care of him.

I’m sure the missionaries are excited to have someone who can’t wait to commit and who wants to go to church. We should all want to go to church as bad as this man did. He will be a great member.

I was driving on a Friday and got a ride to the airport. It’s really funny how every day about 4 o’clock you’ll get a ride to the airport. As much as you try to stay off of the freeways it is to no avail. There you are on the freeway going to the airport.

I felt like I should take the ride, I didn’t feel anything in particular about the person that I was picking up and I didn’t believe we were talking about religion on the ride. I just took the right away. We went to the airport. On the way, I got the impression that there was a missionary purpose to the ride, but it wasn’t with the person I was driving.

I thought, maybe I’m going to pick up another rider at the airport. Usually I don’t do that because then you’re back on the freeway during rush-hour. I had my app turned off, so I wouldn’t get anyone else. Even though I had my app turned off, I still felt this feeling that I needed to be ready to share the gospel and it seemed strange to me. I felt like I had sufficiently insulated myself against any new passengers.

The Lord is smarter than we are!

I like to take people to the short term parking lot from time to time. I do that because it’s quicker and easier for me and it’s quicker and easier for them. They go straight through the tunnel to security. You don’t need to go up, down, cross the road or anything. As I pulled into the second floor of the short term parking where I was going to drop this young man off a woman stopped in front of me.

I stopped to wait for her and as we waited she put her Chevy suburban in reverse and forcefully backed right into my car. When she was backing up, I started honking and I honked for a good three seconds before the collision. There we were about 25 feet short of our destination.

I asked my passenger to get out and go in to the airport as we had almost arrived. He said that’s great. He gave me his phone number in case I needed a witness and he went in to get on his flight.

As he got out of the car, I saw the young woman who was driving the suburban get out and I heard the words “now you know who you’re supposed to teach”.

I have to say in the years I’ve worked with missionaries or been a missionary I’ve seen many mission programs and gimmicks, but not one ever involved getting into an accident with someone and then teaching them. I thought about it for a second, and then said, let’s go.

I got out and we started talking about things. Due to the fact that I drive a rented car, I need to get a police report and I told her that. I called the police and we had to wait for them to get there. She was on the phone with her family and they were concerned.

I started talking to her and I was doing the best I could to be supportive and friendly. I told her I know what it’s like to make mistakes when you’re driving. I told her it happens and that everything was going to be OK.

Finally, the policeman got there and we started doing the report and getting things arranged. He was a little bit rough and not very nice, at least to me. Finally when he was back in the car getting things ready I asked her if she was Samoan. She said. yes! I said talofa. That is a Samoan greeting and when I said that she lit up.

She said, where did you learn to speak Samoan? I told her that I don’t know how to speak Samoan, but I know a few words. I told her that I learned how to say those words working with missionaries in the missionary training center. I told her that the missionaries before they go on missions come there to be trained. I said that I worked with the missionaries that came from other countries, including Samoa.

I said, I thought it was important for me to learn how to welcome them. Then I said, so, talofa. She laughed and said, that’s awesome. She said that’s a great thing that you did. I said it was a great thing that God does for all of his children. He puts light in our heart and then we share it.

She said, I am blown away by how warm and friendly and understanding you have been with me here today. She said, I could’ve never imagined that you would’ve treated me this well and that you would’ve treated me better than the police officer did. We chuckled. I said, the prophet of our church has counseled us to be friendly to people, loving to people and I’m trying to do that. I told her, it’s easy to do that with great people like you.

I told her that I don’t believe there is a race of people anywhere that has bigger hearts than the Polynesian people so we’re just trying to keep up with y’all. She laughed and said, well we like to have people over to eat for sure. We both laughed.

I said, are you a member of the church? I knew the answer already, the Spirit had indicated she wasn’t and I could tell by the spirit when I mentioned the church, hat she also had questions.

In answer to my question, she said no. I gave my standard response to that which is, you mean, not yet! She smiled and said yes, that’s correct. She said that she had been taking lessons from the sister missionaries, but they stopped coming to her house. She said she liked the things they said, but she didn’t think that they liked the answers she gave.

We looked back and the policeman was deeply intent on whatever it was he thought he was doing. I’m sure he was running my name to see if there was something more he could write a ticket for. It was apparent that this was going to take some time.

I said, that’s awesome! You know the missionaries! She said, well, I don’t know the ones now because it’s been a couple of months, but I did like it when they came by.

I said, how did you feel when they’re around and teaching you? She said I felt awesome. I asked her what religion she was and she said that her family were all Christian. I said that’s awesome because we all believe in Jesus Christ.

I asked her what the things were different in our beliefs. She thought for a minute and she said the golden plates thing. I love that answer! I started to talk about the Book of Mormon. I talked about how we have prophets and they had prophets and God spoke to them. He speaks to us through their prophets and our prophet.

I told her that their prophets wrote things down and that is the Book of Mormon. I told her that the Book of Mormon teaches that God loves all of his children not just his children in Jerusalem. I told her God sent his son Jesus Christ to America so that his children here could be counted among his sheep and he that loves everyone. I testified of the Book of Mormon and of God‘s love for her and God‘s love for them.

I said, God loves everyone and he sent his son to his children which were everywhere. The spirit was strong and confirming the testimony that I bore. I could tell she was moved by the fact that she had tears in her eyes. I asked, is this what you felt when the sisters were there.? She said, yes, this is what I felt, I love this! I told her that this was the spirit of God. I told her that he sent the spirit to testify of truth and that’s why it was there because the things I was telling her were true and the things the sisters told her were true.

She said, oh I love this feeling. I told her that this was the feeling that she had between her and her father in heaven. I told her that this feeling was the thing that heavenly father has with us that helps us know what’s right and helps us come home to him.

I told her by following that spirit, seeking to have that spirit in our life and living worthy to have that spirit in our life is how we hold on to the gospel that helps us come home to our father in heaven. I told her that this is how he brings us home! I told her that he established this with us before we left to come to earth and it’s like a homing beacon. She laughed and she said, that’s awesome.

She said, this is beautiful. This makes so much sense. I told her not only did we believe that God loved everyone and sent his son for everyone but that he loved everyone no matter when they lived. I told her that 800 years ago in Samoa her ancestors had never heard of Jesus Christ, but that God‘s perfect plan allows us to be baptized for them so they can come home.

She said, you do that in temples, don’t you? I said yes! I said, it’s God‘s perfect plan so that every one of his children has a chance. She said it’s never been explained to me like that. She said that the sisters mentioned it but then moved on very quickly. She said, that makes a lot of sense a father loves all of his children. I said that’s right.

Then I decided to get down to brass tacks. I believe that I was guided by the spirit to do that and I asked her the direct question, “Why didn’t you get baptized?””Why didn’t you get baptized when the sisters asked you to get baptized?”

I said you know that’s why they stopped coming because you didn’t want to get baptized at that time. She said, yes, it’s almost like you were there. I told her that I had been there many times but that the spirit was helping me know that this was the deal in her case.

She said that in her mind she wanted to get baptized for herself. She said that she had a fiancé who was a member of the church and returned missionary. She wanted to be baptized and follow him, but she wanted to do it for herself. She thought that if she got baptized before she got married everyone would think that she got that baptize for him, and not for herself.

I thought about that for a second and I said, what do you need to do to be baptized and feel that you’re ready? She said, I guess I need to study. I don’t know what to study.

I said there are two things I want to say here. First, is that you have felt the spirit of God and it testified to you that the things we are saying are true. I asked her if that was correct and she said yes. She believed everything we talked about that day from the prophets to the Book of Mormon were true. I told her that’s what you need. That’s the knowledge that you need. You need to know that it’s important to follow God, that you want to follow God and how to follow God.

I told her that she knows that it’s important to follow God because that’s how she believes. In speaking about the spirit, I told her the spirit would teach her how to follow God. I told her that it was important to get that spirit, follow that spirit and do what that spirit says to do. I said, the spirit won’t lead you astray.

Then I told her that we have prophets and their words help guide us to know what we’re supposed to do. We follow those words. I told her an example of that is that the Prophet told us to be nice to people. I was trying to be nice and she had noticed. She nodded her head and said, yeah that’s true. I told her, that’s what he wants us to do because that’s what Jesus would do. He wants us to be more like Jesus so we can come home too.

I told her we also need to get the words of the prophets who lived before. These words are in the Bible and these words are in the words of the Book of Mormon. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said that she did but she had no idea how to study it.

I had an idea. I reached in and grabbed one of my copies of the Book of Mormon that was prepared by the Secrists. I opened the book to the front page with the questions of the soul. I gave it to her and I asked her to read those. She read them and asked me, Do all Book of Mormons have these questions here? I said no, these are specially prepared and the tabs indicate where the answers are to those questions. She said that’s amazing. These are the questions I have!

I told her that by following the tabs she can find a way to start studying. I also told her it was important to read the whole book cover to cover and to pray. I promised her that if she did that she would have the spirit with her which is what she needed.

She said that’s what I need, that’s what I want and that’s what I’ll do! She said, can I have this book? I said, yes! It’s yours.

I said, you need to be baptized but next year after your marriage seems a long way away. She said well, we won’t be able to be married sooner because I live here and he lives in California and we’re back and forth.

The spirit gave me an impression so I ran with it. I said, I know you want this to be like your idea and not his. I asked her, why does it have to be after you’re married, though? I said, why don’t you bring in the missionaries, take the lessons, set a date to be baptized, call him the day before and say I’m going to be baptized tomorrow I want you to come and be there.

I said that by doing it this way, you would absolutely be doing it by yourself and for yourself. It would be a great surprise for him. She had a great big smile on her face with tears in her eyes and she said, I think that would be an amazing way to do it. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that!

She said, I love doing little surprises like that! I think that’s exactly what I need to do. I told her that if she did that the Lord will bless her and lift her and help her through. This is what she felt like she needed in her life right now.

She said, it’s been difficult lately with my family, but I think you’re right. This is what I need. I need to have the spirit with me. I told her that Heavenly Father knew that and he was reaching out to her.

I told her that normally I didn’t believe that it was an accident when God brought me together with someone to testify. I said that in this case today there is no way I could say that because it truly was an accident they brought us together. She laughed and called it a divine accident.

She said she hadn’t felt good about going around rudderless for the next year, just waiting for the right time. She said hat this was her answer. She said, I’m going to call the missionaries tonight. I want to get going on this because I think this is going to be a lot of fun. I told her that the most important thing to remember was the spirit that she felt. I told her that right now even in a time of stress, the spirit was there.

I asked her if she was feeling stress and angst, she said no. I told her that this is because the spirit was there. I told her God puts people in my car or better yet, in my path and I share the gospel with them.

I told her that I was glad that she backed into me and we both laughed.

By this time the police officer finished whatever it was he was doing and came over and gave us our sheets of information and said we were free to go. It had been an hour since I entered into the parking garage. It cost me $10 but compared to the price of a soul that is insignificant.

She was happy and holding tightly to her Book of Mormon. She got in the car and drove off. Her return missionary boyfriend has probably been praying that her heart would be touched and that day it was. He and her father in heaven will be so pleased with the outcome of that accident.

One night I picked up a young lady from a very popular chicken joint to take her home. Right off the bat I could tell there was a special feeling around this young lady. She didn’t feel worldly and she screamed dry Mormon.

I said a little prayer and received a confirmation that I should talk to her. I always get a confirmation on that before I go or have a confirming feeling before I talk because of the regulations of the rideshare companies and how I would be deplatformed if someone were to complain.

First, we talked about chicken. We talked about how lots of people go to the restaurant and how I like their lemonade freeze because it is really yummy. Then I told her that it’s really tough because the lines are always so long but right next-door there’s a Mo’ Bettas so sometimes I’ll go get Mo’ Bettas and then come back and get my lemonade freeze so I can have the best of both worlds.

She laughed and she said she loves Mo’ Bettas and that she’s sure that they have an agreement between those two restaurants for that exact purpose.

I told her that her restaurant was founded by good Christian people with good Christian faith. She said she knew that and she likes that. She said, I am a Christian. I said, so am I. When they say I’m a Christian, I know full well they mean that they’re a born-again Christian and not a member of our church but I never back down. I don’t want to allow the narrative that we are not Christian to persist

She started talking about how she was from a Mexican family so out of tradition she was baptized into the Catholic church. She said that it had never felt like it was anything special. She felt empty. She said she went to a lot of churches, even our church, but that for now she was continuing her search while attending the Christian church.

We talked about how evil the world is, and how lately it seems especially bad. She said it seems like everyone is following Satan. I said, sometimes it seems that way because we don’t stand up. She said, I want to stand up.

I asked her what it was that she was looking for in a church and she said that she was looking for a more complete experience. She said that the Catholic church had some things that the Christian church didn’t have and the Christian church had some things that the Catholic church didn’t have.

I had the thought (prompting), I’ve got someone that’s looking for the truth, someone that’s trying to find the church of God and she’s got all the same questions Joseph Smith had. She’s looking for the gospel.

I asked her if I could talk to her about our church a little bit and some of the things we believe. She said, I’ve been to your services once and I’ve talk to the sister missionaries. I asked her if I could tell her some things that I didn’t think the sisters had taught her or that maybe she hadn’t understood? She said she would love that.

I talked to her about my mirror analogy. I use the mirror and how the mirror represents the church of Jesus Christ exactly how he founded it when he was on the Earth. The mirror hangs on the wall using pegs but the things that were holding up the church of Jesus Christ were Jesus Christ himself and his apostles. When they were killed, that mirror fell down and broke into a bunch of pieces. I told her the people loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and so they grabbed parts of that mirror and reformed churches around that part that they had grabbed but that the complete mirror or the complete gospel of Jesus Christ was shattered and scattered. It was not close to intact when Joseph Smith was looking for the truth.

I told her he had the same question she did. He went and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet to restore the whole mirror. The spirit always testifies of the prophet Joseph Smith and this was no exception. I could tell she was feeling it strongly.

I asked her if she could feel anything or if she felt different. She said, there’s a reverence in the car. I told her that this was the spirit talking to her spirit, letting her know that the things were discussing were true.

I asked her if I should go on and she said yes, I talked to her about how we believe that God is the god of all of the world. He’s not a provincial God, he’s not just a God of Jerusalem, he’s a God of all of the world. He is the God all of the people and he loves all of the world, and all of the people.

I told her that many churches say this, but they don’t have doctrines that reflect this and that this is part of the disconnect.

I asked her if the missionaries taught her about Jesus coming to America. She said yes they did. I recounted to her how Jesus came down from heaven, stood there, and the people recognized him as their God. I told her that they asked him to be saved, and he invited them and commanded them to be baptized to a new level.

I told her that even though these people had already been baptized, Jesus needed them to be baptized so that they could have the Holy Ghost. They needed this so that they could step up to that new level and find the same happiness that she was searching for.

I told her that the people here in ancient America had prophets because God loved them just like he loved the people in Jerusalem. I told her that when Jesus left here he said that he was going to other places to other people to count them among his sheep because God loves everyone. I asked her if she believe that and she said yes. She said, I’ve never thought about that, but of course, God would send his son to everyone because he loves them.

I asked her if baptism was important. She said, yes! Everyone needs to be baptized. She said, in both churches I belong to we believe that everyone needs to be baptized. I asked her if someone could go to heaven who hadn’t been baptized, and she said no. I asked her if everyone in the history of the world had been given an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ during their lives and be baptized?

She thought about it, and she said, no, I’ve never thought about that, but very few have had an opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. I said if they didn’t hear about Jesus Christ, were they able to be baptized? She said no.

I said God loves everyone. Every one of them that ever lived is a child of God? She said, Yep, I believe that. I asked her if she was mother of a bunch of children how many of them she would want to save, and she said all of them, of course. I asked her if Heavenly Father was a perfect father. and she said yes. I asked her how many of his children he would want to save if he’s a perfect father, and she said, thinking for a moment, I guess all of them.

I asked her if a perfect father would have a plan, or a way to save all of his children and she said of course he would. I asked her in her other religions, what they taught was God’s plan to save everyone who had ever lived if they wanted to come home to their heavenly father. She thought for a moment, and she said that she had never heard a plan.

I told her we have that plan and they had it in the New Testament. They had it when the mirror was complete and that’s called baptisms for the dead. She said, oh. She said I have friends that have done that, but I didn’t know what it was. I told her we go to the temple and are baptized for someone who has passed on. I told her they then get the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism.

I told her, this way every one of God’s children will have a chance to come home. I told her God is a perfect God. I told her, God was a perfect father, and he sent his son to save us. I told her that this is why Jesus came to America and he blessed the children. He gave them authority to perform this baptism, and commanded them to receive it.

The spirit had intensified in the car, and she said, this is certainly one of those pieces that is missing. I never understood this. I said the church and its doctrine are all about a father saving his children whom he loves. He knows us and loves us

I told her that I know that she is special to her father in heaven because he put her in my car tonight so I could share this information with her. She said that she knew that was the truth, because she has been wanting to take that next step and find the church that offered everything.

I told her that I thought it was special that that we have the record of Jesus Christ, visiting her ancestors and the blessings he left upon them and their posterity. I told her that this is all contained in the Book of Mormon.

She said she remembered hearing about the Book of Mormon from the sister missionaries. I asked her if she had one, and she said no. I reached in and grabbed one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and handed it to her. I told her that this is a religious and spiritual history of her ancestors.

I told her that her ancestors knew Jesus. I told her that they touched him and were blessed by him, and that their posterity was also blessed. I told her that Jesus is inviting her to take that next step. I told her that the spirit has been working in her, trying to get her to take that next step, and that’s why I am here today. I told her that God put her in my car so I could share that with her.

She said, I felt the spirit the second I got in your car. She asked if I was sure it was OK for her to keep that book, I said yes. I had her open it and read the questions of the soul. I told her that the other things she was looking for were in those questions and the answers were in the book indicated by the tabs.

She took a second to read the questions and said you’re exactly right! I asked her what she was feeling and she said I’m feeling like the things you’re telling me are true. I feel peace and assurance and reverence in my soul right now. She said her soul has been a really loud place lately but right now it was calm and peaceful and that was how she liked it.

I said to her that this is the way she feels in the presence of God. I said that the spirit of God was there because we were teaching truth. I told her that there’s another thing in our church that she would be interested in. I told her that we believe in being married for time and all eternity. I said, that means that we’re not married until death do us part. I told her we’re married in temples by the power of God that he gave to Peter then Peter gave that authority to our prophets.

I told her we use this power to seal things on earth that are sealed in heaven. I said that this includes marriages. I told her not only do we do baptisms for the dead in the temple, but we do marriages for eternity. I told her that the family of God is eternal, and the families who believe in God and go to the temple to be sealed are eternal.

I told her that we make covenants to follow God and his power blesses our lives forever. I told her that this is the power that was missing and this is the power she’s looking for in a church.

She said, I can’t believe how happy I am, that God gave me this opportunity to hear this. I know this is true. She said, I’m going to read the Book of Mormon and I will go to church this Sunday. I need that next level and I want these things in my life.

I need the blessings of God on my family.

Sometimes people are wandering around looking for truth and they don’t know where to find it, even though it’s right under their nose. They may have even brushed up against it. I think that’s one of the meanings of this scripture, Doctine and Covenants 123:12-13

12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—

13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

I felt an excitement, a relief and a commitment from that young lady. For whatever reason she hadn’t heard the right things the first time she met the missionaries but this time she’s loaded for bear!

One night late I took a ride out to West Valley. I forgot to pause or turn off my app and so I got another ride on top on that one. You can’t see where the ride is going when you’re already on a ride, they stack one on top of you. I hoped that it would bring me back into town or take me down south. I didn’t think it would be Herriman and I mean like back up on the mountain southwest Herriman.

It was after 2am so I decided to take the ride. It might not have put me closer to home but it ended my night and it was time. I drove to where I was to pick up this woman and pulled into the cul-de-sac. There she was kissing her boyfriend.

I sat there for a minute while they enjoyed their prolonged goodbye and then she got in the car. As soon as she got in the car the spirit indicated to me that she was someone that I needed to talk about the church with. That was great because we had a 25 minute ride and it would give me something to talk about. I was tired and this would help.

On top of that, when you talk about the church you always get energized or I do anyway. I asked her where she was from and how long she lived here. The usual stuff. I asked her how long she had been with her boyfriend and she said that she had been dating him for about a year.

I asked her how she chose to live in Herriman and she said she lived with her sister and her family. With all of that information I decided to start talking about the church. The spirit led me to know that the family was the key here and so I asked, so do you go to church with your sister‘s family? That is assuming a lot in ride-share late night circles but I felt strongly that the spirit wanted me to ask that direct question.

She said, well, yes, I do. I said, following a prompting, then they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day. Saints aren’t they? She said, yes they are. I said, and you haven’t been baptized? She said, no! I said, you mean, no, not yet!

She laughed, and she said, I guess you could say it that way. I asked her if she could tell me what the issues were that kept her from joining the church. She said, yes. I asked her if she would answer my questions about the church and she said yes.

I perceived by the spirit that she was not a terribly religious person, but I assumed or believed that she was Catholic. I asked, do you consider yourself to be a Catholic since you were baptized as a Catholic? She said, no, I don’t consider myself to have a religion, but I was baptized as a Catholic.

I asked her straight up, do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that he is the son of God!? She said yes, I do. That’s what I believe in but I don’t believe in all the stuff they do in the Catholic church.

I said, do you believe in God the father. She said, yes I do. I told her that we do as well. I asked her if she knew what the major differences were between our church and the Catholic church. She looked at me as if she hadn’t recognized that there were any differences. I asked again, do you know what they are? She said no.

I asked her if it would be OK if I told her what some of the differences were and she said she would love It.

I told her we believe that Heavenly Father is the father of everyone that ever lived no matter when they lived or where they lived. I told her that God was the father of her spirit, and that her spirit knew him personally, intimately and well. I told her that Heavenly Father is our spiritual father and he loves us. He wants us all to come home. I told her that’s what we believe and everything else we believe stems from that.

I told her that in our church we don’t say the word God to refer to Heavenly Father nearly as much as the another religions. She said, you know, I’ve noticed that! That’s true you guys say Heavenly Father. I said that’s correct because that’s who he is, he is our father.

I said, because of that we don’t look at the gospel of Jesus Christ as having happened in Jerusalem and Israel 2000 years ago and we’re just along for the ride. We believe that our Heavenly Father guides and loves us always. He has prepared a way for everyone.

I told her that the people who lived in America anciently we’re also children of our father in heaven. I asked her if that was true, and she said yes. I believe everyone is a child of our father in heaven. I asked her how God blesses his children, and she thought for a moment, and she said, he gives us commandments and his words so that we can follow them.

I told her that’s right, he blesses us for obeying his commandments. I told her he gives us his commandments because he loves us. I told her that the people who lived in America anciently had prophets and God had revealed his will to them so that the people could be blessed through their obedience to him as well. She said, that makes sense. I believe that!

I told her that we believe that God not only loves everyone in the world that ever lived, but he sent Jesus Christ to them also. I explained to her that after his resurrection, Jesus said he was going to go to other places and other people and teach them. I asked her if she thought an all powerful God would want to reach out to all of his children or just some of them. She quickly answered, all of them! I told her that Jesus, after his resurrection descended from heaven, pure and full of light and stood on the steps of the temple. I told her that the people who lived here were expecting him because they had been taught he would come by the prophets.

I told her that they went up and they touched the print of the nails in his hands and they begged him to save them. I told her that in answer to that he taught them that they needed to be baptized to a new level of discipleship even though they had previously been baptized, even those who had been baptized recently. He commanded them to be baptized so that they could have the gift of the Holy Ghost and step up to that next level of discipleship.

She asked, what is that next level of discipleship? I said, well, do you know how long we get married for? She smiled and said for eternity! I said that’s right! Jesus has given the power to people on earth so that they can seal marriages and families on earth and in heaven. We do that in our temples.

She said, oh, I know my sister has been married in the temple and I went to an open house down in Utah county. I asked her what she felt there and she said that she felt amazing in that building. She knew it was a special building. I told her that it was the spirit of God that she felt. It was the love of her father in heaven. I asked her what else we do in those buildings.

She thought for a minute, and I said, we do baptisms for the dead. We are baptized in the name of people who have passed so that they have the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism. She said, oh, that’s right. My sister’s children went and did that. I told her that because of that doctrine every person that ever lived no matter where they were would have the opportunity to be baptized and come home to their father in heaven.

I told her that it’s the only doctrine in the world that teachers that all of God’s children will be treated equally and fairly. She said, that’s amazing. I never looked at it like that. I told her that we also can then go in and seal them to their family so that they can be together forever. She said that was beautiful. The spirit was really powerful in the car. I said, you feel that? She said, yes it’s amazing. She said, I love this feeling.

She asked, did Joseph Smith teach all of this stuff, wasn’t he the one that wrote the Book of Mormon?

I told her that Joseph Smith was a young man who was searching for the truth. He decided he would pray and ask God what church to join. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They called him to be the prophet. They called him to restore the whole church that Jesus had founded when he was on the earth.

I said part of that restoration was the translation of the Book of Mormon. I told her that an angel, who had been a prophet here in America gave him those plates and the translating equipment so that he could translate that book by the power of God.

I started to bear testimony of the Prophet, Joseph Smith and something that is all too familiar happened. Her boyfriend called. I don’t know about you all but when I was on my mission every time we were testifying of Joseph Smith, we had a car backfire, or a kid drop a plate or someone knock on the door.

I saw this as the same kind of thing. I listened to her. She tried to get rid of him for about five minutes. Finally, she said to him, look, I’m talking to the driver. He is a Mormon and he’s teaching me about the church. I feel like it’s really important that I listen. She said, I feel like this is supposed to be happening right now and I need to pay attention to what he saying, so I will call you when I get home. She hung up on him and apologized.

The spirit was in the car, and I finished sharing my testimony about the prophet Joseph Smith. I told her that God had always worked through men who were not capable of doing the things that he asked them to do. I said, that this way God could show his power. I told her that if God called the richest, most powerful people to do things, people would believe that they did it, not God.

I told her, on the other hand, if God called someone who is incapable, they would know that it had to be the power of God. I told her Joseph Smith had a second grade education and he was a country kid. I told her that because of this, his faith and his belief, he was the perfect person to be called to do this work.

I told her that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God and he did it in 90 days. A kid with a second grade education translating a 600 page book in 90 days is astounding. She said, oh my gosh, that’s incredible,

I told her that Joseph Smith was called of God to teach us about God’s love and to show us his power, but most of all to restore his church so that we could return to live with him. I asked her if she felt that spirit still, and she said I do. I told her that people find their way to my car who are needing to hear the gospel.

She said, I believe that I am one of them. She said, I go to church every week with the family but I haven’t known what I should do. Recently, I’ve started zoning out but I think I need to pay more attention.

I asked her what feeling the spirit meant. She said, it means God’s here. I asked her, would God send his spirit if what we were saying was wrong? She said no. I told her that’s exactly right, the spirit of God testifies of truth, and when we feel it, we know that the things we’re hearing are true. I asked her if she felt that in church. She said not as strongly but yes, I do feel it in church. I asked her what it felt like and she said peace and happiness. I feel like my question has been answered.

We were pulling up to the house and I said I think God put you here in my car so that I could help you understand more about the church and help give you that push that you’ve been waiting for.

I told her that she had been coasting along, not wanting to make a decision, not wanting to commit, and kind of wanting to establish her individualism by not being baptized. I told her that now is the time for her to make that decision so that she can serve her father in heaven and follow him. She said, normally I wouldn’t like being called out like that but you were right and I can see that you’ve done it out of love and out of the love of Heavenly Father.

She said, I guess it is all about family and love if it’s done right. Then she said, I will take the challenge. Like I said, I go to church every week now I know that I just need to take the next step. I told her that in the morning she should tell her sister about the ride and what she had felt. She said, oh I plan on it.

I told her that her sister‘s husband could baptize her and she said she knew that because he baptized her nephew.

I told her it’s all out there in front of her for her to do. I said God would have her do and take that next step. She should take that next step up in discipleship and follow God. She said, message delivered and accepted.

I drove off thinking about how she told her boyfriend that she felt something special was going on here, that she was receiving information from me that she was supposed to have and that she was supposed to be in my car. Of this I have no doubt.

What a great way to end the day!!!

.

I picked up a young lady by Redwood Road and I-215. She was going out to the Amazon warehouse that is way out at the western edge of 90th South. She got in the car and she seemed really happy. There are thousands of people moving here to work at Amazon in their various facilities. None of them have cars apparently.

She had moved here from Texas and was afraid of the cold. It looked like it’s going to snow that night and she was just terrified. She said she wasn’t built for this weather and in Fort Worth it was always nice.

We started to go and I got the spiritual impression that she was very spiritually sensitive and that she had a lot of faith. I knew that I was supposed to talk to her about the church. I sought the spirits guidance on where to start the conversation and then realized that she had already given me the start.

I asked her if she liked it here and she said yes for the most part. I asked her how it came about that she got here. She told me that her boyfriend‘s friend was coming out and she just decided that she was supposed to go with her for some reason.

I asked her what she felt here. At first she started talking about the cold but then I refocused my question and asked how she felt spiritually here. She said it was very peaceful and living here made her believe that good things are possible.

I asked why and she said the people here are so good and they have treated me extremely well. I said, do you know why that is? She said, no I don’t.

I told her that it’s because people here try to follow God and do the things that he tells them to do. I told her that when you fallow the commandments and live right, God can bless you with his spirit.

I mentioned to her how funny it was that her friend was coming here and out of thin air she felt compelled to come with her. She said, that’s right! That’s exactly how it happened. She said, I don’t know how you knew that, but you nailed it. I told her that she was brought here by the hand of God so that she could be blessed and she said that she believed that one hundred percent.

Then she said, you know sometimes God puts people in your path to help you out. I said, I know. She said when her son had leukemia and she was in the hospital with him she felt down and depressed and sad. A man came up to her and said, everything is going to be fine, your son will be healed and he was. She said, that man told me that God put him there that day in the elevator to give her that message.

I told her that this is how she knows that God loves her. He sends people to her. I told her this happens to me all the time. God puts people in my car and gives them a message through the words he whispers for me to say. I told her that God loved her and that he wanted her to know that there was a purpose behind the things that were going on now. I told her God had never abandoned her.

She got very emotional and said “I guess somehow my life is an open book to you”. She said at times in her life she had wondered if God was there. I told her God is here and the fact that she’s here in Utah is evidence that he loves her and he’s got her. I said, even in those times when God seemed far away he was with you”.

I then had the impression to tell her that when she was a very young child she was abused by someone she knew and trusted. I told her that during that abuse it fell dark and she felt alone. I told her that God sent her his spirit so that she could hold on and make it through.

She said, I’m going to work and now you’re making me emotional because that’s exactly what happened. I have never told anyone that. It would have blown up my whole family. I found that listening to beautiful music lifted me and let me transport myself away from my troubles. Even though I was being abused listening to that music made it so that I could get through. The music reminded me of heaven and I felt the presence of God.

She said, I feel the presence of God right now in your car. I asked her what it felt like and she said peaceful, happy and motivating. She asked me how I knew these things about her and I told her that when we are baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and that God can whisper to our heart through the Holy Ghost. He will tell us the things to say.

She said, oooooh, I know it comes from God. There’s no other way you could’ve known. I told her that God brought her here so that she could learn more about him and his gospel. I asked her if she knew what the members of the church believe and she said no.

I said we believe that God is the God of all of the earth not just Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he said he was going to go to his other sheep and that is exactly what he did. He went to his other sheep possibly including her ancestors in Africa. I asked her if she would like to know what He said to them. She said she really would! I asked her what it meant to her to know that her great grandparents had possibly been blessed by Christ and she said that thought gave her chills and made her feel loved.

I told her that he taught them the same things he taught the people in Jerusalem and we know this because he also came to America. I told her about the Book of Mormon and how it’s a collection of the prophecies God gave to the prophets that lived here in America, the ancestors of the Native Americans. I told her that Jesus also came to America and it is here that he said and still other sheep I have that are not of America or Jerusalem or the lands adjacent. He said that he was going to go to them so they could hear his voice.

She said, “I’ve heard of the Book of Mormon”. I said it testifies of Jesus Christ, that he is the son of God. I also took this opportunity to bear my testimony. I told her that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that God loves each and everyone of us. I testified to her that God whispered to my heart today the things to say and I told her that the spirit was testifying to her of this right now.

She said, the spirit is really strong in the car. I said yes, and could that spirit be here if what we were saying was not true? She said, no, everything you’re saying is true.

I reached into my bag and grabbed one of my marked Book of Mormon‘s made by the Secrists and gave it to her. I explained the questions of the soul and how to find the answers. I said to her, this book will teach you the things of God and it contains the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. She asked, can I have it?! I said yes! She said, I’m going to read it tonight, I’m going to read all of it!

She smiled and said I know this book is true and now I want to know what’s in it. I asked her if she had any friends or knows anyone who is a member of the church. She said yes, the man that she works with, that she was going to see that very minute is a very strong member of the church. She said that he and all of his family are members.

I told her to show him the book and tell him about our car ride and she said she would.

She got out of the car and said, this ride has changed my life. I know that God is watching over me and I know he put me in your car tonight! Thank you for the message. She turned around and walked into the building with a surprise for that member of the church that she works with. Exciting times at Amazon

.One Wednesday I went out to work a little bit early and was picking up a couple rides. It seemed like every ride was going to the airport. I guess that’s what happens sometimes. The problem with the airport is that you’re at the airport and it doesn’t always work out so well financially.

I followed the directions to get to this kid, and soon found that I was up at the University of Utah in the President Circle area. He got in the car and immediately I knew there was something really neat about this kid. He really had that, “I’m going to be a member” feel and the spirit told me unequivocably that this young man would be baptized. The spirit told me he was ready and that this ride was important. I started paying attention really quick to what the spirit was whispering at that point. I started talking to him about what he was doing.

He said he was here at the school on his orientation trip and that he would be starting in the fall. He said he loved it so far. I asked him why he decided to come to Utah. He said, first and foremost, snowboarding, I love to snowboard.

Then he said that his grandparents had a place in St. George and he had always liked the people in Utah. He said everyone was so nice and he was excited to be a part of that. As we were driving down the hill, we talked more about the people here in Utah.

He said that he had not had any bad interactions with anybody. I asked him how he thought he would fit in and he said just great. He said that he had gone to a junior college in California, but he was looking for more of a real college experience. That’s why he was excited to come here.

He asked me if I went to the University of Utah, and I said, no. I went to BYU. I told him that my grandmother was one of the first women to graduate from the university back around 1915. I then made it clear that even though we are proud of her legacy, we had repented and started wearing blue.

I told him that today universities made it really hard on people of faith. He said he knew that was true. He said he had friends all over the place. They were losing their faith because they were in school.

He said he was not going to be one that lost his faith in Jesus Christ. I told him that at the University of Utah they hit at your faith that really hard, with an emphasis on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He said, I heard that. You would think that they would be nicer to the Mormons here in Utah, but I’ve heard that they can be very anti.

I told him that whatever he did he should get his information from the people over at the Institute building and not from his professors. He laughed and said he would do that.

As we drove down, Second South towards the freeway, so we could go to the airport he said, “Are we going to drive by the temple on the way out?” This was the kind of an opening that I’d been waiting for, and I said, yes, if you want to, we will. He said that would be cool and off we went. We went up West Temple around North Temple and back down Sate Street to fifth South on the way to the airport, passing the temple on three sides.

As we drove around the temple, we discussed his beliefs. I asked him what religion he was and he said that he was Christian. He said that he hadn’t been Christian for very long, but that he wanted to follow Jesus Christ. I told him it’s really important that we follow Jesus Christ! That’s why the name of our church is the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints.

I asked him if he knew what the differences were between our religion and his. He said, I believe it’s Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. You guys believe in the Book of Mormon instead of the Bible.

He asked me, is that true, did I get it right? I said it’s partially true we believe in the Book of Mormon! It is an other testament of Christ. We believe in the Book of Mormon as a companion to the New Testament and the Old Testament. I told him all three are testaments of Jesus Christ. He said, oh you believe in the Bible too? I said yes! We also believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God just like the Bible. I told him that we believe that the Book of Mormon is more pure because it hasn’t been translated and changed so many times. He said, that’s a good point.

I used the old missionary adage with him about pounding a nail in a board. I said when you pound the nail in the board you can still move the board but if you put a second nail in that board it becomes immovable. I said that is the value of having a second testament of Jesus Christ, a second testimony that he is the son of God.

I said, with that second testimony that board doesn’t move and the truth is firm. He said, I love that it’s great. I said yes! Do you believe God loves everyone, that we’re all his children, and that he loves us no matter when we were born or where we were born? He said yes! God loves everyone! He created everyone and he is our father!

I said, that is the basis for everything we believe. I told him that we believe everything that he believes except that we have more. I asked him to look at the temple and he did. I said we do really important things in these buildings. He said, what are they? I told him that when Jesus was crucified, his spirit went to the spirit world and taught the people that had not heard the gospel or had not yet accepted the gospel there in the spirit world. I told him, Jesus set that teaching up and that work still continues today. Every person, no matter where they were or when they were born is taught the gospel because of what Jesus did during that three days when his body lay in the tomb before his resurrection.

He said, that’s really cool. I’ve never thought of that. I asked him what those people would want to do after they had received those teachings. He said, they would want to follow Jesus. I told him that he was right, but that they needed to be baptized before they could go to heaven. I asked him how someone that was born 500 years ago in China could be baptized 500 years after they died.

He said, I don’t know, that doesn’t seem fair. I asked him if God was a father that would not be unfair to his children. He said, no! He would totally be fair. I said, that’s what we do in that building. We go in there and are baptized for someone who has died. I told him that the person then gets a chance to accept it or reject it.

I told him, it’s a perfect plan so that every one of God’s children has a chance to come home to him. I asked him if that sounded more like the God that he believed in. He said, yeah! That does sound right. I told him that in those buildings we also do marriages.

I told him that I was married in that building and when we are married in that building we’re not married until death do us part, we are married for eternity. I told him that our families are sealed to us. I told him that Peter got authority from Jesus to seal things on the earth that would be sealed in heaven.

I told him that Peter gave that authority to Joseph Smith by laying his hands on his head conferring it upon him. I told him that today we have that same authority and we seal our families. I told him that’s why our families are so important. He said, that’s amazing.

He said, I never knew all these cool things that you believe. There was a really peaceful, strong feeling in the car and I asked him, do you believe those things are true? He said, yes, no question, yes I do. I’ve never thought of these things, but as you say them, I believe they are true.

I told him that he had mentioned Joseph Smith. I asked him where he had learned about Joseph Smith. He said that he had a very good friend who is a member of our church. He said his friend talked to him about Joseph Smith and even took him to church a couple times. He said he loved that friend and he had always loved the fact that their family was so strong and that he felt such a good feeling when he was there.

I told him that that feeling was the Holy Ghost and that he loved being there because the spirit of God was there. I told him he is a son of God and he loves being in the presence of the spirit of God.

I asked him if that family had taught him about temples and if they had been married forever. He said yes, he thought so, but it didn’t really sink in like it had today. I asked him what else they taught him.

He said that they taught him about Joseph Smith and the Joseph Smith story. I said that’s really important. I stopped and bore testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first vision and the book of Mormon. The spirit amplified my testimony at that point and I could tell he was feeling what I was saying.

I asked him if he felt that, and he said yes, oh my goodness I do! I said, what does it feel like? He said a peaceful fire ball of energy. He says it makes me want to go do something. I told him that is because it is true. This is why that feeling is in your heart. It is God testifying to you of the truthfulness of the things that I said. I asked him what he knew about the Book of Mormon and he said not much. I told him that God had prophets in America because that’s how he blesses his children. He gives them prophets and then he gives the prophets revelation to bless his children. I told him God had prophets in America and they wrote down these prophecies that God gave them on metal plates. They passed these plates down from prophet to prophet until they were buried in the ground and centuries latter given to Joseph Smith to translate.

I told him these prophets wrote about Jesus Christ. These prophets testified about Jesus Christ and about his divinity. I told him that these prophets taught almost excessively about Jesus Christ.

I told him that in the Bible, Jesus said other sheep I have, which are not his fold, and that he was commanded by his father to go to them. I told him that these prophets had told the people that Jesus would come to them, and he did. He descended from heaven, and stood on the steps of the temple, and they worshiped him. I told him that he commanded them to be baptized to a new level. I told him that this was the same level we had been talking about today, where God brings his gospel to all of his children, no matter when they lived, and no matter where they lived. On this new level God makes it so that we can live together forever as families in the family of God. He said, that’s amazing.

We arrived at the airport and he said I’ve got a few more minutes can we talk longer? I turned off my app and said sure. We pulled into the waiting parking lot by the Chevron and talked some more. I told him that when Jesus got here he had the people touch the prints of the nails in his hands and then his feet. They knew who he was because they had been taught. They had been looking for him and awaiting his arrival. He said that is so cool!

I told him that Jesus invited them to be baptized, cleanse their sins and to step up to that new level. I told him that now Jesus was inviting him to be baptized and take that step up.

He said, I haven’t been baptized yet, I was thinking about doing it this fall. Before leave for school I thought I should be baptized. I was going to be baptized in another church. I said, wouldn’t you like to be baptized by your friend? I asked him how old his friend was and he said 21. I asked him if his friend went to church all the time, and he said yes. I said, likely your friend would be able to baptize you. How would that be?

He said that would be amazing! I would love that! That’s what I want!

I told him that his friend, like me, as the priesthood of God. That is the authority that Jesus gave to his disciples in America to baptize. I told him we have that authority today and that his friend has that authority and that he can use it to baptize him.

I told him that the authority of God is an amazing blessing. It allows us to do the things God would do if he were here. I told him that through the priesthood we can give blessings of health or comfort and officiate in the ordinances that save us.

I told him that the word of God is powerful and great, but acting upon those words and using his power is another level. This is what what God would have us do. He said I can see that.

I told him that we have a prophet today who guides the church. He looked shocked. He said, really, a prophet? I said yes.

He asked, he speaks with God? I said, yes! I said he lives right here in Salt Lake City. I told him that he used to be a doctor and a teacher at the University of Utah school of medicine. He laughed and said things have changed a lot apparently, haven’t they. I laughed and said yes.

He asked, what is his name? I said Russell M Nelson. He said, I would like to see him or read some things that he has said. I told him that all of his talks are published and that through the church app he could download the conference sessions and read what all of the apostles and prophets have to say.

He looked at the app and said he would do that on the flight.

He said, there has been such power in our discussion today. I felt the spirit of God and I know the things we’ve discussed are true. I said, well, when you have a powerful feeling like that what does it require of you? He said, it means I have to act! I said, that’s right, you have to act. I asked him what he was going to do and he said he was going to go to his friend and ask him about it.

I said, I have a better idea, go to your friend and tell him what you have felt and learned in the car. Tell him that you want to be baptized. He said, that’s exactly what I’ll do! I want to be baptized! That is what I’m going to do! We left the parking lot and drove up to the departure point. I said to him, you know it’s not a mistake that you were in my car today.

I told him that God put him in my car, and he said, I felt that the second I got in. I felt safe and I felt the spirit of God. He said, when you testified I knew the things you were saying were true and now I know I have to act. It was no coincidence that I was in your car and I know God put me here because I need to take this step. I need to step up.

He got out of the car and waved and said one last time, I promise I’m going to call my friend as soon as I get through security.

Now, that’s a ride to the airport!

One Saturday night I got a call to pick up a girl at a restaurant on State Street. When I picked her up, she was in a group of women and they were hugging and embracing. She came over and got in the car and we started off.

When she got her seatbelt on she said, “wow! I just had something incredible happen”. I asked her what it was and she said that she had been at dinner with these people she had known for a while socially, but that she didn’t know them personally. She didn’t know their life story very well. They were considered her acquaintances, not close friends she said.

She said that while they were at dinner, she had the thought come to her mind that she was to turn to the lady and tell her that her husband, who had passed, wanted her to know that it wasn’t her fault and she needed to stop beating herself up over it. The woman in my car didn’t even know that her husband had passed or anything regarding the circumstances of that death. She then turned to the daughter of the lady who was there and told her that she was worried that her dad didn’t love her, but she needed her to know that he did love her and that he sends his love. She said that everyone got emotional and asked her how she knew this. They all were shocked and emotional.

She told me that she never had anything like this happen to her before. She said that she just felt the overwhelming urge to say these things and she needed to say them. She said that for some reason she felt like she should talk to me now. She asked me what I thought about that.

She said she was pretty freaked out.

I really didn’t think this young lady was a member of the church based on the vibe I was getting from her. If this was a member of the church, I would easily jump in to talking about gifts of the spirit and how Heavenly Father gives us gifts to bless other people. I would tell a member of the church that we are given gifts of the spirit so that we can serve others, bless others and that if we want to get additional gifts of the spirit, Heavenly Father can give us that blessing as long as we are trying to use that gift to bless his children.

That’s what I would tell a member of the church, but again she didn’t seem like a member of the church. The spirit, however, started telling me that I needed to teach this. The spirit was quite forceful with me, indicating the importance of this, and so I taught it. I told her that when we’re baptized we are clean and we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told her that with the gift of the Holy Ghost, comes these gifts of the spirit. This is how our Heavenly Father blesses his children. He blesses them through each of us.

I told her that our father in heaven really is her father. That she spent thousands of years with him, she loved him and he loved her. The spirit overwhelmed the car while I was testifying of the father’s love for her, and I could tell she felt it.

I told her that when we’re in the presence of the spirit of our father in heaven, he can help us, guide us, bless us and give us joy. I asked her what she was feeling right then and she said she felt like her mind was opening up, and her heart was opening up at the same time. She said she felt peaceful, calm and excited all at the same time. I told her that this was the spirit of God testifying of the things I was teaching. I told her that Heavenly Father has us do his work for him, we are his hands.

I told her that Heavenly Father gives us the words to say that he would say if he were there. He gives us the words to say that touch people in such a way that they can know that it’s his will and that the things we’re saying are true.

I shared a couple of experiences with her where Heavenly Father had blessed me with the words to say. I told her he gives me those words so that the person can know that the words I say come from God. I told her there’s no way I could know those words. God had to have given them to me and because of that they know that what I’m saying is true.

When I was done saying this, she said, I know a little bit about this because I was baptized and received this gift of the Holy Ghost when I was a child. She said I was eight and I remember getting the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This made a lot of sense to me. Boy, was I glad that I had talked about spiritual gifts as the spirit had directed me when she first said this about receiving these revelations. I didn’t know what to think because I was not exactly sure if you could have a gift of the spirit if you’re not a baptized member who has the gift of the Holy Ghost. I don’t know how that works but I knew and I am familiar with what she was experiencing. When I found out she was a member it all came together.

Now that I knew she was a member of the church, the spirit told me that this was a great opportunity to teach her about her father in heaven’s love and help her resolve issues and come back to him. One thing I knew is that she hadn’t been active. She told me she hadn’t been to church since she was 10.

I asked her why she hadn’t been to church. She told me the story of their family. She said that they were from Columbia. They moved here when she was very young and they were living in a ward with a bishop they knew pretty well. She said that they had neighbors that were African-American. Her family, being Hispanic felt a certain kinship to that family and started fellowshipping them.

The bishop told them that they should not have anything to do with that family. He said that this was not the kind of family that they wanted in the ward or at ward events.

The family was so offended that they decided they wouldn’t go back to church. She said, “that’s why we left the church, because there are racist people in the church”.

I asked her if it was OK if I spoke straight forward to her and she said yes. I said one thing I know about human beings is that we are horrible animals and we do and say horrible things. That’s why we have Jesus Christ so that when somebody says something or does something that offends us or hurts us, we can turn to him.

I also said, that’s why we have Jesus Christ so that we can turn to him and repent when we fall short. I told her it was all part of the plan. I explained to her that when somebody makes a mistake and does something hideous like she had experienced, we have a choice to look to Christ, and have him use the power of the atonement to lift us and lift our burdens or to look to see and blame God and follow satan. I told her that these were the two options.

I asked her how long it had been since she prayed to God. She said she hadn’t prayed to God for years. Since she was 10 years old she had been calling him a sky genie. She said right now that sounds very wrong to say but that’s what I’ve called him.

I doubled down and said, well now you know that he is your father and that he loves you. You’re his daughter and that love is central to who you are. I told her that this love fills a hole in her life that she has been trying to fill with other beliefs and other endeavors but hasn’t found a way to scratch the itch. I told her that she drinks and has done some drugs, but that didn’t fill it either.

I told her that this space is intended for the spirit and power of God and that’s the only thing that can satisfy you in that space. I asked her how she felt right now and she said amazing. I said this is how you feel when the spirit occupies that space.

She said thank you for explaining it like that. My mind is opening and I am understanding what you’re saying. I told her that in her life since she was 10 she’s gone around looking at members of the church and thinking bad thoughts about them. She said that was true. I told her that she thought that they were judgmental, harsh and rude. She said that this was true. I told her that none of those things are true. I told her that there are members of the church that are bad and there are members of the church who do bad things, but that by and large the members of the church are very good and trying to get better.

I told her that it was Satan who told her those things, who whispered those things in her ear, who whispered in her ear when she passed by the church, or by the temple, which is only a couple blocks from her house and told her that the people in there were hypocrites.

I told her that Satan is a liar. He’s the father of lies and lies about everything. He says we should do the opposite of what God would have us do.

I told her the story about the stake president stealing my great grandfather‘s cows. We discussed what a big deal that would’ve been back in the 1800s. I told her that my great grandfather left the church and because of that the vast majority of my father’s family are not members of the church or active.

I told her that they’re alcoholics, and that my grandfather was an alcoholic, and he beat my father. I told her that rarely in that family does someone have a marriage that works and no one is happy. I told her it’s all because they left the church.

Then I asked her why my great grandfather left the church and she said to punish the stake president. I asked her who actually got punished? She thought about it for a minute and a light came on. She said, your great grandfather punished himself and his family. I said that’s exactly right.

I talked to her more about the atonement and about how Jesus not only paid for our sins so that we can be cleansed of sin, but also our infirmities and the injustices and all of the pains and sufferings we could go through in this world. I told her that Jesus actually suffered those so that he could have the power to lift us. I told her my great grandfather should’ve looked to Christ.

I told her that this way when people do stupid things, satan will lose power with them if they look to Christ. Christ makes it all right.

There was stunned silence. She said this is amazing. I want to learn more. I want to know more! I pulled out a Book of Mormon, one of the ones prepared by the Secrist’s, and asked her if she had a copy. She said no she hadn’t seen a copy in many years. I asked her if she wanted that copy and she said she would love it.

I had her open to the questions of the soul and read those. She said, oh my gosh! These are the questions that have been coming to my mind lately. She said I need the answers to these questions. I told her that they were in the book. I told her that if she would read that book, she would feel the spirit and get the answers to those questions.

I asked her what else she thought she might need to do. She said, I think I need to pray! I said, that’s exactly right. You need to study the Book of Mormon and you need to pray. I said what else do you need to do? And she said, in a timid, unassured voice, I think I need to go to church. I said that’s right. You need to go to church and get right with God and then you can have his power supporting you, lifting you and helping you bless others.

She said that would be awesome. She said she wanted to do that. She said I’m going to start tonight reading this Book of Mormon. She said, it’s been a long time. I should have done this a long time ago.

I asked her if she knew anybody that was a member of the church and she said she knew people back where she used to live. I asked her if she knew anyone around here and she said that there were people at work. She said she worked at Primary Children’s Hospital and she knew some of the doctors were really good members of the church.

I told her to go to them and tell them about what we had felt in the car and talk to them about this experience. Then show them the Book of Mormon and ask them what they thought. I told her that they would be able to help her.

By this time we had been sitting in front of her house for 10 minutes. There was somebody who pulled up behind us and we needed to move. We drove around the block so that we could have a few more minutes. She didn’t want to leave the spirit.

I told her that Heavenly father puts people in my car. I told her that it was no mistake that today when she had this experience that Heavenly Father put me there to help her make sense of it. I told her that Heavenly Father put her in my car because he loves her so much and he wants her back.

There were tears in her eyes and she said, this makes way too much sense right now. I know what you’re telling me is true. I told her that there’s no such thing as coincidence and that Heavenly Father had a plan for her, including receiving this today. She told me that this had been the most remarkable half hour of her life. She told me that the light and knowledge that she was receiving and experiencing was incredible. She told me that it was clear to her that she is experiencing an awakening, and that she intends to take advantage of it. She told me that I had answered the question she had for quite some time, and that I had done the same thing to her that she had been able to do for those ladies by following the spirit.

I could tell that the spirit was in the process of changing this young woman’s heart, even as we spoke.

She said, I love this and I want this. I know she did and I believe she will run with it.

One night I picked up a lady just getting off work on Foothill Boulevard. She worked in a nursing facility and I could tell she liked her job. She gave great care to the people and she seemed very happy. That’s important I think, to be happy when you’re taking care of the elderly like that. It seemed like it was very rewarding for her.

We got going and started talking about experiences in the car as far as strange and funny experiences that I’ve had. She asked me if there was a time when I was able to make a difference? I told her that I had seven people that tried to or were about to commit suicide and they let me know riding in my car. I told her that I took the time to stop and help them. I told her one particular story that I wrote in December about a man who wanted to commit suicide and we prayed together. I told her that we drove by the church and I felt impressed to make a promise to him.

I told her that he has followed through and he’s doing really well. As I said this and told the story the spirit impressed upon me that this young lady had been through a lot of things. It impressed upon me that I was guided to this line of discussion and had said the exact right thing. The spirit told me that I needed to continue.

I said a quick prayer and then started listening for the spirit. I asked her if she was religious and she said that she was spiritual not religious. Immediately the spirit told me that she had felt betrayed and damaged by someone who she considered to be a religious figure and a person of trust. I said that to her and she said you’re absolutely right.

I told her about the pain and the stress it caused in her life and the darkness that resulted. These were the words that I felt to say so I said them. She said this is all too weird. How do you know so much about me?

I said I don’t know but the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, has whispered these things to me so God has let me know them. I told her that she had hid these things from the world but that God knew them. I told her she had hid these feelings from people but God knew them and he had revealed these words to me to tell her tonight in the car so that she could know of his love.

She said, yeah but you started out talking about suicide. How did you know that I tried to commit suicide when I was 15? I said, again, I didn’t know that but God knew that and he gave me those words for you so that you could know that he knew of your pain. I promised her that when she was in her pain, when she was in her darkness, God did not abandon her as she had previously thought. I promised her the God stayed with her and that likely he shed tears with her in those moments.

She said, wow. This is really quite an experience I’m having. The feelings I’m feeling are something that I haven’t felt in a long time. I told her that those feelings were the feelings of the spirit. I told her that God loves us and she had a relationship with him. I told her that this feeling was a manifestation of the relationship of God that she enjoys and that he sent his spirit to be in the car with us tonight.

I felt prompted to tell her that many times she drives by the church and every time she does she feels a desire to go but then is bombarded by negativity. I told her that she thinks that everyone there is a hypocrite, that they’re all judging her, that they are all arrogant and hateful. She said that’s exactly right I never thought of it that way. I told her that was Satan and that he was trying to keep her away from that place. I told her that he doesn’t want her to be happy and that he’s a liar. This is why he whispers those things in her ear.

I told her that God gives us free will and evil people are enabled by Satan to use that free will to damage and destroy. They hurt and maim. I told her Satan then tries to get us to blame God. Meanwhile God has given us Jesus Christ that we can turn to. He feels our pain, our sorrows and injustice. He suffered for our sins and made it so that we can live again with our father in Heaven. He made it so that we can live through our pain and suffering and still find joy. God would have us turn to Christ. Satan would have us turn away from God.

I told her more details about the man who was going to commit suicide that I had in my car. I told her the story about how God told me what to say by the spirit. In the end we he and I talked, prayed and we felt the love of God and we felt the presence of our Savior. I told her that it was the exact same thing that we were feeling in the car tonight. Clearly this was not something that she had expected to hear.

She told me, I do feel that spirit. I feel it very powerfully here in the car. I told her that because she’s felt that spirit she knows that the other things I’m telling her are true and she said, I know they’re true. She said, I am a member of your church but I haven’t been in decades. I consider myself to be spiritual not religious. I had convinced myself that the church wasn’t true.

She said, but in this ride I’ve just told you that I know it’s true, I know that to be true and I don’t know how to deal with it. She was very fidgety. I told her she needed to just relax and enjoy the spirit. She said that she would. I told her that her father in heaven really wanted to hear from her. She needed to pray. She needed to talk to him so that she could feel this in her life. She said she would. I reached into my glove box and grabbed a Book of Mormon, one of the copies by sister and brother Secrist.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yes, I have a Bible in my home. The wording of her phrase was not lost on me and I said again, do you have a Book of Mormon in your home. I emphasize the words BOOK OF MORMON that time and she said no. I said I want you to take this book. She hesitated for a second and then took it.

I had her open the front page and showed her the questions of the soul and had her read them. She said many of these are the same questions I have. I told her that the answers she seeks are in this book and that the spirit that she has enjoyed tonight will come through reading this book and praying to her father in heaven. She opened her purse and put the book in

I didn’t feel like I could ask her any further personal questions. but I knew that everything she had believed for over 20 years since she was a little girl had been thrown in the air and swept away.

She had a neatly organized view of how the world was. She had constructed this world to explain why God hadn’t saved her and tonight she found out that he had. He sent his son Jesus Christ and she’s been given the tools where she can accomplish that.

I told her, as you contemplate these things, one thing you always need to remember is that tonight your Heavenly Father who loves you, reached out and gave you a hug. He wants to walk with you and be with you. Reading this book, prayers and going to church are the ways for you to do that. She thanked me and walked away.

She’s got a lot to think about but I know she felt the spirit, I know she knows that what I said is true and I know that she will never be able to forget or deny that. Most of all she knows that her father in heaven loves her and never quit loving her.

I think she finds her way back in the end. Now God has shown her that there is more power in being spiritual and religious.

It was a Monday night and I was going to work and then after work drive up to Idaho to give my dad a blessing. I was going to work until 1:30 am or so but around 12 o’clock I decided to take my last ride and go.

As I drove out of town to the Mavrek with the cheapest gas in the Salt Lake or Utah valleys, I got a ride clear out in the industrial areas by West Valley City.

At first I thought that I wouldn’t take that ride because I wanted to get on the way. I was a little tired and a lot worn out. It’s been a long couple of weeks and I have been working a lot of hours. I just wanted to get to Idaho safely.

As I reached down to touch the cancel button, I received a distinct impression that I should not cancel this one. I needed to take this ride. I pulled my hand back, put it on the steering wheel and away I went.

I pulled into the driveway of the warehouse and waited. He saw me, came out and he jumped in the car. I asked him where he was from, and he said that he was from Samoa. I said “Talofa”, which means hello in Samoan.

He said, how does a white guy know that word? I told him that I used to serve in the missionary training center, and I got to hang out with all of the missionaries from outside the United States. I learned to say some words in a lot of their languages.

He said could you say some of them! Sometimes I try not to be a show off, but this was not one of those times. I said hello to him in Tongan, Samoan, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Laotian, French Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and Guarani.

He said, wow, that’s pretty impressive. He said, that’s some kind of a gift. I told him it was exactly that, it was a gift from God. I told him that God gave me the ability to learn those things so that I could connect with and show love to those missionaries when they came into the MTC. He said that’s really cool.

I asked him when was the last time he went to his church. I knew he wasn’t a member of the church but I was trying to figure out how active he was in his own church. He said that he was Pentecostal, but he hadn’t been to church since he was a very young boy.

I told him that it’s important to go to church so that we can have the influence of God in our lives. I told him that when we go to church, we learn that God loves us, and we learn things about ourselves and our relationship with God that we didn’t know before.

He asked, like what? I told him that many of the Polynesians in our church, believe that their ancestors are represented in the Book of Mormon. The look of interest on his face told me everything I needed to know about how ready he was to hear this.

I told him that in the Book of Mormon it mentions that people left in boats from the north west corner of South America. I told him that is where Colombia is today. I told him that I read a National Geographic story last year that said that the Indians of Columbia have genetic markers that are matches to the people in Polynesia. I told him that they assumed it’s because by Polynesians traveled to America but we know that they came from America.

I told him the Book of Mormon, testifies of Jesus Christ. I told him that the people who had lived in America were the ancestors of the Native Americans. They believed in God along with his ancestors. I told him that they had prophets and those prophets spoke with God and he gave them commandments, revelations and blessings.

I told him that Jesus Christ came to America, and then in America said, I still have other sheep, that I am commanded to go to. I told him that if he reads Isaiah he will find that the children of Israel were prophesied to be scattered all over the world, including the isles of the sea. I said, that means America, and that means Polynesia. I told him that God sent his son for all of his children, to save all of his children, because he loves all his children.

As I talked about prophets, his eyes lit up. I could tell he believed in prophecy, and that I was speaking a language that was familiar to him. I told him that the people who lived here in America were taught by the prophets about Jesus Christ and that Jesus Christ would come to America once he had been resurrected in Jerusalem. I told him that God loved all of his children and not just the ones in Jerusalem and that he had promised he would send his son to his other sheep, other places in the world.

He did this through his prophets, both in the Bible, and in the Book of Mormon. I told him that Isaiah prophesied that he would go to Israel, but that Israel would be scattered all over the world, including the islands of the sea.

I told him that when Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem, he said that he had other sheep, and was commanded to go to them by his father. I told him that in America, he descended from heaven, pure and bright, and stood on the steps of the temple. I told him that the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands, and he taught them and invited them to a new level, a higher level. I told him it was just like a new level in a video game. Once you accomplish the first level, you move up. I told him that’s what Jesus did. I told him all those people had been baptized, and he gave them a new baptizing by his authority and commanded them to be baptized.

I told him that all of these prophecies, along with this account of Jesus Christ were written on plates, metal plates, and given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I told him that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated them by the power of God so that we would have them today. This is how we know. We have prophets, and they speak with God.

I told him that this translation is the Book of Mormon. I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that he was called to be a prophet by God to restore the church on the Earth.

I told him that he called 12 and gave them this authority and commanded them to baptize the people. This way they could go to that higher level. I told him that Jesus gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost so that God could walk with them, all of the time.

The Holy Ghost was strong in the car and I said, do you feel that? He said oh wow, I really do. I feel so comfortable and loved in my heart right now. I told him that this is the feeling he feels in the presence of God. He said I knew it was the Holy Spirit but I never understood exactly that until you taught me.

I said to him, with the gift of the Holy Ghost we can know the things that God would have us do and we can know the things that God would have us say. I told him, right now, the Holy Ghost is whispering to me that as I’ve talked about Jesus and as I’ve talked about baptism, you felt good about it, but it’s always been really hard for you to be in these kinds of conversations because you feel dirty.

I told him that he had done some things, even some things recently that made him feel unworthy to be in the presence of God. He bowed his head and said, yes, how did you know? I told him that the Spirit of God whispered that to me so that he would know that the words I am saying are true, but that God has hope for him because he sent me to teach him about baptism.

I told him that when he is baptized, he will be cleansed from that sin, and will be pure before God. I told him that the baptism will be the thing that makes him feel like he can stand with confidence and power.

I asked him if he was married and he said yes, and he had a little boy. I asked him if he would like to be pure and clean before his family and with his family so that they could stand together before God. He said yes! That’s exactly what I’d like. I asked him if he would like to have God’s spirit in his home and with his family and he said yes.

I told him this message was for all of them then. I told him that when Jesus was on the Earth, he gave Peter the authority to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven. I told him that Peter gave that authority to Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith passed that authority down to the prophet we have today.

I told him that we use that authority to seal marriages and to seal families so that we can always be together. I told him that we do not do ‘“til death do us part” but that we marry for eternity, and that we will always be together.

He said, hold on just a second, are you telling me that we have a prophet on the earth today? I said yes! Yes, we do and he tells us the things that we need to know and the things that we need to do to be holy and serve God. He said I want to learn more about that guy.

He said that is an amazing thought that we can be sealed to our families forever. I told him that it was part of the next level, the higher level the Jesus brought. I told him it truly is a higher level of discipleship and of commitment, but also a higher level of blessings received.

He said he saw that and that a wonderful feeling was burning in his heart. By this time we had been sitting 15 minutes in front of his apartment and I received another ride. I promptly canceled that one so I could continue our conversation. I hadn’t intended on taking any new rides, but I neglected to turn off the machine.

Our conversation continued. I asked him if he would like to have a Book of Mormon and he said yes! I pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists for us, and I gave it to him. I explained to him the question’s of the soul. He read each one saying these are the questions I have had. These are the questions everyone has. I told him that the answers to the questions were found by the tabs in the book.

He asked “can I keep this? I said, yes. I said, do you have a friend who is a member of the church? He said yes! I have a cousin who is a member who went on a mission. I don’t know why it didn’t surprise me that a Polynesian had a cousin that was a member of the church! I asked him to read the book, pray to Heavenly Father and ask his cousin to answer his questions.

He said he was going to see his cousin the next day, and that he would do exactly that. I told him that as he reads the book and prays, he would feel the same spirit that we felt in the car and that he would know it’s true by that spirit. I told him that this feeling was kind of like a magnet that Heavenly father uses to bring us in if we allow it to.

He said that’s amazing. I know I’ve been sitting here a long time, but I love this feeling. I said, I love it too and I never get sick of it! I asked him if he had seen missionaries around. He said yes, there are some on bikes that live right in the building next to ours. I asked him if he would talk to them? He said he talked to them all the time.

I told him to tell them what had happened in the car that night, what he had felt, what he had learned and what he now knew to be true. He said that he would love to do that.

I told him my circumstance about going to give my dad a blessing and having my thoughts on spiritual things. I told him about how I believe that God had guided him to my car to receive this message, to receive this book, and to feel the spirit. I told him most of all God put him here in my car so that he could know what that spirit was and know that his father in heaven loved him. I told him that God loves everyone not just the people lived in Jerusalem and that meant him.

There was a silent reverent feeling in the car. Finally, he said, I think I need to go, but I promise that I will do the things I have said that I will do in this car. I want to have my family forever. I want to have the spirit with me all the time and I appreciate God putting me in your car.

He got out of the car and walked into his home.

On a personal note I drove to Idaho Falls after this ride. In the morning I helped my dad give my mom a blessing and then I gave my father a revelatory and powerful blessing releasing him from this life. He passed away less than 48 hours later. What an amazing experience to share at the end of a great life.

My dad read every blog post and told me how much he loved them every week. Now maybe he can ride along.

Love you dad

One day I finished my car wash and I just felt the impression to flip the app on in Orem to see if I could pick up a couple of quick rides. I got a ride and it wasn’t a quick ride. I was picking up at the Starbucks in Spanish Fork. My first impression was, what? My second thought was not to question the impression from the spirit.

As I drove to Spanish Fork, I contemplated what could be the reasoning for this ride. I was sure that it wasn’t an accident. I pulled into the driveway and this guy got in my car. He seemed like a nice kid and we talked about his name which was a little different. One thing about this kid was that he sat in the seat right behind me.

As he sat there, I looked in the mirror, and the spirit told me that we needed to discuss some things regarding this guy. I got the impression that he was taking the discussions, but was struggling.

Usually people don’t get in and sit in the seat behind you because they’re instructed to sit in the seat on the passenger side. This provides, the driver with a view of the person and maximum distance between the two. This rule was instituted during Covid as a safety precaution and was kept following Covid as a security precaution.

He wanted to hear driver stories. I told him about the one time I threw a guy out of the car by his belt and his ponytail. He laughed and thought that was funny. He asked if it was ever really scary. Seeing where he was sitting, I told him the story about the guy I referenced a couple weeks ago that was trying to attack me but was shocked by God. I told him that the guy sat in the seat right where he was sitting.

He apologized and asked if he should move and I said no, you’re OK! As I told the story, I asked him if it would be fine for me to discuss religion with him. He seemed a little standoffish.

We talked for a minute and finally, he said yes. I knew his answer would be yes because I knew that this was why I was sent there. I started by telling him that I bless my car with the power of the priesthood every day, so that the spirit of God will dwell in it and people will feel it. I ask that I will be protected from evil and danger. I then started to retell the story in minute detail, including Book of Mormon references regarding the power of God that Nephi used to shock his brothers. When I finished the story this time, he said, God really did protect you that day. I said yes, he protects me everyday.

He said, that’s amazing. I said, you know we see God’s hand in our life all the time. I told him that I had the feeling that he had heard about the Book of Mormon before. I told him I thought maybe he had been talking to some missionaries.

He said, how did you know?. I told him that the Spirit of God whispered it to my heart so that I could know to say those words. He told me that he was Greek Orthodox, and that he had been very religious his whole life.

I asked him how long the missionaries had been visiting him and he said, about five weeks now. I asked him to tell me what the things were that concerned him and were keeping him from joining the church. . I told him I knew that missionaries had asked him to be baptized and for some reason he hadn’t been baptized. I told him there must be a serious concern he has that makes him unwilling to commit.

He said, well yes, there are a few concerns. He said the Book of Mormon and the Bible contradict each other. He said, I don’t like that. He said, you use the King James Bible and some of the verses are different than the Bible are use. That explains some of it, but not all of it.

He said, missionaries told me that the Book of Mormon was a completion of the Bible. He said, that didn’t make any sense to him, because he didn’t think that the purpose of the Book of Mormon, or any other scripture would be to trump the Bible.

I told him that being a missionary is a difficult thing and trying to explain what you know in your heart can be a challenge. I asked him if I could take a crack at it. He said he would love that.

I told him the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith using the power of God. I told him that Joseph Smith translated the revelations and writings of the ancient prophets who lived in America. I told him that they wrote down the revelations that they received, and that God gave them revelation so that they could share God‘s will so that they could be happy. I told him God wants all of his children to be happy, and that because the people in America were his children, he wanted them to be happy so he gave them prophets and revelation.

I asked him if that made sense to him and he said yes. I said, does it make sense to you that they would write something so important down. He said yes. I told him that through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated this book, that included the visit of Jesus Christ to America. He had heard about that!

I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches about Jesus Christ all throughout the book, and that the people were looking forward to the arrival of Jesus. I told him that the people were listening to the prophets, reading the scriptures and being baptized.

He said, well, that’s another thing, they want me to get baptized and I just don’t know what’s wrong with my Greek orthodox baptism. It seems perfectly fine to me.

I told him that the people in the Book of Mormon had been all been baptized and that it mentions this in the chapters immediately preceding his arrival. I told him, that when Jesus came, the people came to him and felt the marks of the nails in his hands, and bathed his feet with their tears and they asked him to save them.

His direct response to that was to give them his baptism and teach them his new covenant. I told him that he called 12 and gave them authority to baptize and commanded that everyone be baptized even if they’re already been baptized so that they could take this step up to a new level. He invited them to do this so they could take on this new covenant that would bless their lives.

He invited everyone to be baptized and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost so that they could walk with God.

The spirit was strong in the car and I could tell he felt it. I could tell that he was polished and trying to act cool, but that veneer was cracking. Talking about Jesus Christ, and the truth of his gospel had an affect on this young man.

I told him it was the same for him. He needed to be baptized, not because God was angry or dismissive of his first baptism. I told him that God loved him for the faith he exhibited along with his family performing that baptism but that God had a higher level and a higher law. He wanted him to accept THAT baptism to take THAT step to THAT new level.

He said, oh, that makes more sense. He said why are there no histories or stories about Jesus coming to America if it happened. I told him about Cortez the Spanish conquistador. I talked about how when he arrived in America, the Aztecs received him as a god and gave him money and gold, because they thought that he was a bearded, white god that had dwelt among their ancestors and said that he would return someday. They thought Cortez was this great white God, and he robbed them blind.

I told him about Tulum that was built in 700 A.D.. I told him that the images carved into the stone reflect God the father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. I showed him my Tulum picture and he agreed. I asked him how in the world they could’ve known this at that time if Jesus hadn’t come to America.

He said that there was no way and that this made sense. I told him as much sense as these things make, the only reason to get baptized is because you know the things you’re hearing are true by the spirit. I testified to him that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that Jesus really did love him. I testified to him that Jesus paid for his sins, and that he could be clean. I testified to him that the Book of Mormon was another testament of Christ not a completion of a former Testament of Christ.

I told him that the Book of Mormon helped give us perspective and then light which gives you an understanding of the Bible, but it didn’t complete it or upstage it in anyway.

I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches that God loves everybody and not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that God loves everyone everywhere no matter when they lived. I told him that we are even baptized for the people that have died so that everyone can get the chance to return home to their father.

He told me that the missionaries had taught, him this and that he thought that it was one of the most amazing doctrines. It was one of the things the made him believe and that made him seriously consider that our church may be true.

I told him that the spirit made me feel that he was uncomfortable about the Godhead. He said, I see contradictions in the Bible about the Godhead. The missionaries tell me that you believe that God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three people. The Bible teaches that it’s one person. He said the missionaries say that they’re one in purpose.

He asked me what I thought. I told him that I think that they are three separate people, but that the Godhead is a unit where these three men work as a unit we refer to as God. I told him that when Joseph Smith went to the sacred grove, God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. I bore my testimony of that vision, and the spirit testified in the car powerfully that it was true. I told him that they work together to bless the father’s children and carry forward his work. He said, that makes sense, I like that explanation. .

He asked about how in John, it says that Christ was the word. If Christ is the word, how can there be more than one god. I told him that he had to realize that Jesus was Jehovah of the Old Testament who gave them their words, their commandments and laws under the direction of the father. Because of this he was the word, but then he was made flesh as it says a couple of verses later.

He said that makes more sense.

He told me that he didn’t know how it was that he ended up in my car today but this chat had really helped him. He said the missionaries had come over every weekend for the last five weeks. He said they really want him to get baptized but they haven’t had really great answers for these questions. He said today, I got those.

He said the missionaries will be really excited to hear this report. I bore my testimony to him and told him that if he will do the things and make sure he prays, the spirit of God will confirm the truth in his soul. I told him that there’s no reason to be baptized, unless the Spirit of God confirms that it’s true.

I asked him, what have you felt in your heart while we’ve been talking? He said that his heart had been kind of troubled but that as we talked today, it had soothed that angst, and he felt confidence. I told him that this was the spirit of God testifying to him that these things were true. I told him to tell the missionaries that as well. He said that these were private questions that he hadn’t asked them, but now it was all OK.

I asked him what he thought God would have him do now that he had received a witness? He said, follow it!

He said again, I still can’t believe how this ride has gone. He said, drivers never talk to me about these kinds of things. This ride has changed everything. He thanked me and got out of the car.

I can’t wait for those missionaries to find out, that these important questions that have kept him from the waters of baptism now all have answers.

Fill that font

It’s LGBTQAI pride celebration this month. This weekend is the big kickoff in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake is full of all kinds of people promoting and celebrating sin. Driving in that morass can be difficult because passengers are very crude and combative.

Many of them will take that opportunity to rip on me for being a member of the church. Their hateful words and abusive actions make it hard to feel the spirit sometimes. I rely heavily on the blessing that I put on my car asking that the spirit will be there. That spirit really helps me through. By the end of the night I feel very drained,

I had just dropped off a person and was making my way through a crowd of people cheering with signs filled with vulgarity and mocking God when I got a ride. The ride was very close and so I cruised over to pick him up.

This man stood out from the other people around him. I knew right away that he was different and the spirit prompted me that we would be talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of this prompting, I immediately started thinking about ways we could bring up the gospel as a topic of discussion.

When he got in the car, I asked him where he was from. He told me where he was from and mentioned that since he moved here, he has really enjoyed living here a lot more than the other places he had lived.

He said, normally there’s a peace living in this city that I’ve never experienced in any other cities around the world that I’ve lived in. He said I like it! Then he said he couldn’t wait for this festival to be over because it doesn’t feel the same today.

I pointed out to him but it’s going to be a whole month so will have to hunker down. We laughed for a minute, and then I said, so why do you think it is that it feels different here.

He said,, it is the people. There’s something about the people! He said that it’s not all the people but a good portion of the people. You can tell they have something and it transforms the area.

I asked him if he wanted me to tell him what that was and he said yes! I told him that people here are members of the church, and that there are a lot of them. I told him that as members of the church we believe in Jesus Christ and we believe in following his commandments.

I told him that as the father who gave those commandments, God gives us peace and those around us feel that peace. I asked him if he felt that in the car? He said yes! It was all crazy out there, but when I got in your car, I could feel that peace and that’s why I’m so excited to talk about it.

I told him that as we live the commandments of God, we as members of the church are allowed to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I told him that the Holy Ghost and his influence is what he feels that makes him so peaceful. He said that’s amazing.

I told him that I had lived in some other places too, including Argentina, where I went on my mission. He said, that’s so cool I lived in Buenos Aires for a while as well. He said that he really liked Buenos Aires, but it wasn’t very peaceful.

I asked him what he knew about the church. He said, not really that much. I asked him if he wanted me to tell him a few things, and he said yes

The Holy Ghost whispered to my heart and let me know that he was a Catholic so I approached it so as to answer his Catholic questions. I said, first off your Catholic and the things you believe are important to you. I told him, we believe most of what you believe but then we believe a whole bunch of things that you guys don’t know about yet.

He said, how did you know I was Catholic? I said the Holy Ghost let me know by whispering to my heart that you were Catholic. He said that was amazing and that he would love to hear more.

I told him that we believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that when Jesus was on the earth, he established his gospel, then he was crucified and later resurrected. After he was resurrected, he told the people that he had other sheep in other places, and that he was going to go to them.

I asked him, where do you think those other sheep were that he was going to go to? He said wow I’ve never thought of that. He said, I wonder where that could be? I told him that Jesus came to America.

The spirit emphasized to me that he had either Latin or Native American heritage, and so I asked him, “does God love your ancestors from here in America, just as much as he loved the people in Jerusalem?“. He thought for about 1/3 of a second and fired back with a fervent yes! God loves everyone. I told him we’re all God’s children and the people in America were God’s children every bit as much as the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that God had called prophets in America to give his commandments and teach his will to them. people who were his ancestors. I told him that God loved them so he gave them his word and his commandments, so that they could be happy.

I told him that as we see here, when you obey the commandments, you feel peace and you are more happy. That’s why God sent his commandments through his prophets to the people in America. I told him that these prophets wrote the prophecies down on metal plates through all of the years.

I told him that those plates also contained the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I told him that Jesus Christ descended from heaven. He descended down until he stood on the steps of the temple. The people marveled. They came and felt the prints of the nails in his hands and bathed his feet with their tears. They knew that this was Jesus Christ. They knew that this was their God. They had been taught by their prophets that Jesus would come and visit them in America and here he stood in front of them. He taught them his doctrine and gave them a higher level of discipleship.

After this they said, with one voice hosanna. I asked him what that meant. He said I think it’s a praise, isn’t it? I said that he was partially right but the actual translation of that word is save us.

He said, oh, it’s a petition for salvation. I said yes. I asked him what he thought Jesus did in response to that, and he said, Jesus Christ would save them. I said that’s exactly what he did. He called up 12, he gave them authority to baptize. Then he commanded everyone there, even though they had previously been baptized, and believed in him to be baptized again by this authority that he had given, and in the way that he had taught.

When they asked to be saved he did exactly that. He gave them the baptism that would make them eligible to go to heaven and live with their father in heaven. He said that’s so cool.

I said Jesus taught them and blessed them, and then he said still other sheep I have, which are not of this fold or the land of Jerusalem or the lands adjacent, and that he had been commanded by his father to go to them so that they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I asked him, where else do you think Jesus went. We talked about the possibilities. I talked about things i’ve learned about other cultures that seem to fit, and he thought that was great.

I told him that the writings of the prophets, and the account of the visit of Jesus Christ were translated by a prophet of God named Joseph Smith. I told him about Joseph Smith and how he was given these plates. He translated the plates by the power of God so that we have these prophecies today.

I told him that the Book of Mormon really is another testament of Jesus Christ because it testifies about Jesus Christ, his divinity, and witnesses that he is the son of God. I asked him if he’d ever seen a Book of Mormon, and he said no.

I pulled out one of the copies of the Book of Mormon I carry with me prepared by the Secrists, and gave it to him. I explained to him how it works, as well as the questions of the soul in the front. I said, this book is your book. He said I will read it. I love to read, I testified to him of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and of the prophet Joseph Smith. The spirit was very powerful in the car and I asked him if he could feel it. He said yes.

I asked him what it felt like. He said, a tremendous peace and assurance that the things we were talking about were true, even though they sounded a little bit different than what he had heard before. He said, I like this feeling, I like this!

I told him that we have a prophet today that leads us and guides us because this world is very evil, and there are a lot of people and a lot of things trying to take us away from the path of God. He said, you mean like all of those people downtown.

I said yes, all of those people downtown. He asked me what our prophet had to say regarding, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, and all of the proclivities being celebrated downtown. He said I just can’t believe it’s from God. What does your prophet have to say.

I said, well, being a prophet he and his predecessors foresaw this years ago. They put together a document, called the proclamation on the family that discusses our roles and our purpose in life with regards to our gender and family status. I told him the family is the most important thing for us. I told him that we’re not married until we die, we’re married for eternity and our families are together for eternity.

I told him Peter had the power to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven, and we have that same power. I told him our marriages and our families are sealed together by the power of God, it talks about all of this in the proclamation of the family.

I asked him if he’d like a copy of the proclamation on the family as well. He said absolutely! I looked it up on my Internet and I texted it over to him. He said, I can’t wait to read this!

He said, these things have given me such hope. Hope for me, and hope for our world. With all the evil in it, our world needs this help.

The spirit was strong in the car, and I asked him again to identify what he felt. Again, he said he felt an amazing amount of peace. I told him that this was the power of God letting him know that the things I was saying were true. I told him that he was placed in my car by God to receive these things today.

He said, I know I was because this is just what I needed. He said that he had been feeling a little lost and this brought him back. He said that he loves this spirit and that he knows the things that we had discussed were true.

He said, you know I’ve never heard these things before, and you would think they would be a little strange to hear the first time. But they’re not strange they seem right on and perfect. I know that it’s the power of God that confirmed it to my heart that helped me understand that.

He needed to go, but he told me how much he appreciated it and asked me what he should do next. I asked him if he knew any people that were members of the church and he said yes, he worked with one. I told him to go to that person and discuss with him what had happened in the car that day. This person would help him know what to do.

He asked me if he could text me if he has any questions while he’s reading and I said yes. Before he left, I looked him in the eye and I said, remember when Jesus came to America and he invited those people to be baptized to this new level? He is inviting you to be baptized to that same level as well. This is his invitation to you and that’s why I’m here today.

He said I know that’s true. I’m going to follow up with my friend at work. He’s always talking about church. I think he will be glad to help me.

He said that he was glad that Heavenly Father could pull him out of that evil and put him in a holy place to learn his word. Then he got out of my car and went into his appointment.

I guess all that stuff going on in the street can cut both ways, can’t it!?

One day I was working close to home because I needed to be home for an appointment. I pulled up to a house over by Orem High School and I waited. I waited almost all the time they provide. I was about ready to leave and had the feeling to give it another minute. Out of the house came a mom in sweats carrying a baby car seat.

I’m always relieved when they bring car seats because so many times they don’t and then it’s sticky because you have to say no. She strapped the baby in and we started to go. I started to think that this lady looked like a member of the church.

She just looked like someone who felt very comfortable living in Orem and she just seemed like she was probably a member of the church, but I didn’t know if she was for sure. I learned a long time ago never to assume. Then I got the impression that she wasn’t a member of the church and that we needed to talk.

I asked her if she liked living in Orem and she said yes. She said it was very peaceful and that she and her husband liked that. I asked her how long they had lived here and she said that they had lived here about two weeks but we’re looking to stay. Having been primed by the spirit that she wasn’t a member of the church, I asked how her interaction with members of the church had been?

She said it had been great and that she really would like to learn more about the members of the church because they seemed like really good people. She had said that where she was from everybody was Catholic and so to her that seemed to be kind of what you did there.

She said that here everybody is a member of the church and so they thought that maybe they should go to our church because that’s what people here do.

I don’t believe that anyone should chose a church because that’s just what the people there do. I do, however, believe the whatever it is that opens the door to going to church or having these discussions is a very good thing. I believe that Satan is trying to slam doors as fast as he can and when one opens you jump through it.

I said, that’s great! Going to church is an awesome thing. I asked her what she knew about the church, and what the differences were between our church and the Catholic church. She was stumped!

She thought for a minute and then came out, saying, well, I don’t think you believe in the Virgin Mary. She said we believe in the Virgin Mary and you don’t.

I told her that that’s not totally true. I told her we believe that the Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ. I told her that we believe that the Virgin Mary was chosen of God, and was blessed among women. I told her that we honor the Virgin Mary and love her, love her courage, love how obedient she was, and love her example.

I told her that we didn’t believe in praying to the Virgin Mary and that she didn’t have any godlike power. I told her that we believe that she was a very good person, but that we only pray to God, the father, in the name of his son Jesus Christ. She said, oh! Well, that’s not bad. She said, that sounds pretty good!

I saw the baby and was prompted what to say next. I told her that for us it’s all about family! She said, what do you mean?I said we believe that we are children of our father in heaven, and that he loves us. I told her everything we believe comes from the fact that we know we have a loving father in heaven, who loves each of us individually and personally. He has an individualized plan for each one of us to come home to him.

She said, that’s beautiful, but what do you mean by individualized plan? I told her that we believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem, and that he sent his son to his other sheep who didn’t live in Jerusalem.

I told her that he said this in the Bible after his resurrection. He meant that there were people around the world who were his sheep who did not live in Jerusalem, and they needed to hear his voice and know of the love their father in heaven had for them.

I told her that when Jesus was crucified, his spirit went to the spirit world. and taught the people there, who had never lived in a place where the gospel was available, or who would never Been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I told her that after that he was resurrected and once he had been resurrected, then he told his apostles that he still had other sheep to go see. He received a commandment from his father to do so!

I told her Jesus went to these sheep, and some of them were in America. I told her that the ancestors of the people that lived here had prophets who spoke with God. Those prophets had taught them to look for Jesus. Jesus appeared to them, descending from heaven, and he stood before them. They felt the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet, he taught them and loved them.

He told them that the old law has been completed and then gave them a new baptism so that they could go to the next level. I told her that these people who already had their religion and their baptisms accepted the invitation to the go to the next level of discipleship and follow Jesus Christ.

She asked me if this was in North or South America. I told her I’m not sure, but that it didn’t matter because Jesus mentioned that he had other sheep that we’re not in that land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout. He said he was going to visit them so they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I told her that with this being said he could’ve gone to sheep in North America, South America, India, Africa, Japan, all over the world. I told her that because God is all powerful, he is not restrained in the loving and blessing of his children.

She said that’s right. It’s all about God’s love for his children. I told her that the prophets that lived here in America received revelation from God because he loved those children. They wrote down all of those prophecies as well as the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America on these plates.

I told her that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet, and by the power of God he was given those plates and commanded to translate them. He was able to translate them by the power of God. I told her that today we have these teachings in the Book of Mormon and we call it the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ. I told her that this book is the word of God just like the Bible.

She said, I have heard about the Book of Mormon, but I didn’t know what it was about. The spirit was very strong in the car, and I could tell that she was engaged in the conversation, and that her spirit was engaged. I could see in her eyes that she believed, and she was accepting of the witness.

I asked her what she felt and she said I can’t even describe it. It’s a beautiful feeling. She said I feel amazing. I told her that this was the spirit of God confirming to her the things that she was hearing were true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, called by God. He translated the book of Mormon, which was the ancient writings of the people from America and their dealings with God, and his commandments to make their lives better. I told her that I know these things are true because I prayed and I felt the same spirit that we were feeling right then in the car. I told her that’s how I knew these things were true.

She said, I know they are true as well! I asked her what she thought about Jesus going to other places. She said, I had never thought about it and if you had asked me about it, I might’ve thought it was weird. Here in this car today it doesn’t feel weird it feels right and I know it’s true in my heart.

I told her it’s great to believe in a God that you know loves you and sent his son for you and to your ancestors. She said, yes it is and I believe that.

I asked her if she remembered what I said about Jesus going to the spirits in the spirit world who hadn’t had the chance to accept the gospel and she said yes. I asked her if baptism was important and she said yes. She said Catholics believe in baptism. She said we baptize babies so they can go to heaven. I told her that we believe in baptism too.

I told her that when Jesus came to America, he invited everyone as part of that new level to be baptized, and he gave them authority to preform these baptisms so that they could all have the chance come home to him.

I told her that baptism is so important that there’s no way we can go home without it. Then I asked her, what about somebody that lived in Mexico 700 years ago? I asked her if that person knew about Jesus. She said no. I asked her if that person had been baptized, and she said no. I asked her if that person could go to heaven according to the doctrine she had been taught in her life and she bowed her head for a minute, then shook her head, and then said no they can’t.

I asked her if a just and loving God would allow someone to be condemned, and stopped in their progression just because they never had an opportunity and she said no. I asked her how many people as a percentage, she thought may have lived in places over the last 5000 years where they weren’t able to hear the gospel.

She said, like 95%? I said, I’m not sure if it’s 95% but I know it’s really high. I said according to the doctrine that you’ve learned what has to happen to those people. Can they go to heaven? And she said no. I asked if a loving God would condemn 95% of his children and she said no, no way.

I asked her, if everyone needs to be baptized to go to heaven and the vast majority of God’s children never hear about that or about Jesus, how can that be fair? She said it can’t. I said, how can that be loving? She said it can’t.

I said, your a mom, how could a loving father condemn a child like yours just because it hadn’t been baptized? She looked at her baby in the car seat and said, no way!

I asked her what she would do to save her child. She said anything! Whatever it took. I told her that God as a perfect and loving father feels the same way.

I asked her if she heard of Mormon temples and she said that there was one just a block from where she lived. I told her that this was a church house, but that a temple was a bigger building where we did different things. By this time we happened to be driving by the Provo City Center Temple and I pointed it out. I said that’s a temple! She said, oh, there was a big one like that in my old town where I used to live.

I told her that in these temples we do important work and one of those things that we do is save the people who died without hearing the gospel. I asked her if she remembered what I said about Jesus going to preach the gospel to the spirits who hadn’t heard about Jesus during their life. She said, yes, I do. I asked her what she thought about that, and she said she thought it was amazing. I said, how cruel would it be to teach them and then not allow them to fully accept that and become part of it just because they weren’t baptized?

She said that would be horrible I said, in our temples we do baptisms for the dead. We go into the temple and are baptized for a person who has died. I said if a guy‘s name was Fred I would go to the temple and be baptized for him. I told her that Fred would then have the chance to accept or reject the baptism.

I told her that this is God‘s plan so that every one of his children will have a perfect opportunity to accept the gospel and come home.

She said, I love that. I said, doesn’t it sound exactly like something an all powerful, loving father in heaven would do for his children? wouldn’t he want to bring them home?! She said yes! I am a parent, and I want my children to be with me.

I told her that brings me to the other thing we do in temples. I told her that when we get married in the temple, we are married for eternity, not just until death. She looked shocked and said, that’s awesome!! She said, I would really like that!

I told her the members of the church can go in and be married and also be married for their ancestors just like they’re baptized for their ancestors. I told her that right after she’s baptized they can go in and be baptized for their grandparents and then once they’ve been sealed or married for eternity then they can go in and do that for the people in their family who had passed away.

She said, this is how it should be. I think my husband will love this. I I told her it’s all about family with us. It’s all about the love of our father in heaven, and because of that love, he wants us to be together. He gives us commandments and made a way that everybody can come home because he loves us.

The spirit was testifying in the car, she was emotional and we were at her destination. She asked me when and where she should go to church. She said that they’ve been looking for a church and didn’t know what to do. I looked up her ward address and their time and gave it to her and she said they were good and would go on Sunday for sure.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. Where do you get one?

I told her that you get one right here my car. I reached into my glove box and grabbed copy a copy Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists, and gave it to her. I showed her the tabs and the questions of the soul. She asked, can I take your book!? I said, this book is yours, and it was prepared for you.

I told her that she was put in my car to get this book. I told her that was the reason for this trip. As I said that the spirit bore witness of this and I could tell she was feeling it.

She told me, I knew that early on. She said, ever since I moved here strange things like this have been happening, and I know that God‘s trying to direct us somewhere. She said, it seems like the things you taught me today were perfectly tailored to the questions I had. I see God’s hand in the things you’ve said, and the things you’ve taught.

She said that the spirit she felt is something she wanted in her family and she wanted in her life.

She said we’re on board. She took the book and the baby and headed in the building where I was dropping her. I have to say this woman was powerful, and I know the power of the love her father in heaven showed to her was the key for her. She saw everything through that lens. Isn’t that how we should all see it?

It seems like an inordinate amount of my stories begin this way but when I showed up to get this lady at the University of Utah ski team building she was nowhere to be found. I waited for a minute on the spot that was indicated and I was close to bagging it. It had snowed a lot that day and getting around was not easy. This ride was going down to Lehi and the last thing I wanted was a trip over point of the mountain with a lot of snow on the road.

I felt very impressed that this was a ride I was supposed to take so I picked up the phone and called the passenger. When I talked to the passenger I received very confusing instructions and I wasn’t any closer after that conversation to finding them than I was to begin with.

I took a moment, cleared my head, said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help me find them if I was supposed to take this ride. I could have just stayed there for another 30 seconds and got paid without going but I wanted to take the ride if Heavenly Father wanted me to even though the weather was horrible.

As I said my quiet prayer the Geo tracking for the person popped up on my screen. I followed the map around to where they were. There they were, 3 people right next to the Huntsman Center. That was a long way around from where I was supposed to pick them up but I was glad to have found them. I felt like my prayers had been answered and so I started this trip with my thoughts leaning towards looking for the gospel topic we were going to talk about.

We started talking about where they were from and what brought them to Utah. We talked about where we had lived and I mentioned that I served my mission in Argentina and spoke fluent Spanish. Talking about my mission usually opens a door. When I said this one of the people in the back sat up and took note.

There were three people in the back a guy on the left, a girl on the right and the lady in the middle. The lady was in charge and it was her account.

She leaned forward from her middle position and said I’ve had some sisters from your church coming over to my house.

I asked her if she had gone to church and she said yes. I wondered if she was going to get baptized because I figured this would be the result of the normal course of events when you go to church and have missionaries in your home. I asked her if she was going to be baptized and she said no. I quit seeing the sisters three weeks ago.

I said, why did you do that?! She said because I am a Pentecostal Evangelist and that’s the church I go to. I said, it can’t be that easy. There had to be some things that they were teaching that you liked or you wouldn’t have had them in your home and you wouldn’t have gone to church.

She said, hmmm, you’re right there were lots of things they taught that I liked. I liked how I felt and I liked talking about Jesus. I said, what were the differences between what they taught and what you believe in your church?

She said mostly Joseph Smith. She said, “in our church we don’t believe in the Prophet Joseph Smith”. I bore my testimony of the importance of prophets. I testified about Joseph Smith and the first vision. I told her that God loves us today just like he did in the Bible times and that’s why he sends us prophets to guide us. The spirit was very strong in the car and I could tell she was feeling it.

I asked her how she felt in her heat about what I had said. She thought for a minute then said “very calm and peaceful, you know I never felt like Joseph Smith as a prophet was wrong.” I thought that was an interesting answer so I probed a little deeper. I said, what were the things that they taught that made you feel like you couldn’t follow through and be baptized.

I then followed up quickly asking her if the missionaries had challenged her to be baptized. She assured me that there had been discussions of the topic of baptism but that no firm date or commitment had been presented to her.

I asked her what were the things that they taught that made her want to withdraw from the lessons and quit inviting the sisters. She started her list.

First she talked about timing. She wanted to know what we did with the tithing. She wanted to know if everybody paid tithing and then finally she wanted to know if her husband, who wasn’t interested in being baptized, or joining the church, could pay tithes at our church even though he wasn’t a member. Of course I said yes and I answered her other tithing questions as well. She was very satisfied with the answers and liked what I had to say.

I could see the spirit was working with her in two ways. One, she was focused and peaceful. Two, everyone in the back of the car mellowed and almost melted into the corner and it seemed like it was just us two in the car. The spirit was there and it was testifying of the principle of tithing. Fortunately she believed in it and had been paying tithing in her other church for years. This discussion was about nuts and bolts.

She asked about the Book of Mormon and what it’s purpose was. I told her it’s purpose was to be a second testimony of Jesus Christ. I told her that God loves all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem and he had prophets in America. I told her that these prophets received revelation to bless God’s children with his word. I said he did it because he loves everyone and the Book of Mormon is the testimony that Jesus is the God of everyone and not just the God of Jerusalem.

Then she said what in the world is wrong with my baptism. I was baptized by immersion, when I was old and it was done by my preacher. I just don’t buy that I need to be baptized because I think I already have been. As you know if you read this blog I deal with this a lot and so I discussed Christ commanding the Nephites to be baptized even though they had previously been baptized. He invited them to a higher level of discipleship, to a new covenant through this baptism!. This is why we invite people to have that same baptism and to step up to that new covenant.

I then went into explaining, or giving an example of this new level by presenting eternal families through temple marriage. I said we don’t marry until death do us part, we marry forever! I told her that when Peter was on the earth he received power from Jesus to seal things on the earth that would be sealed in heaven. We use that same power to seal marriages and our families so that we can be families forever.

She said that’s beautiful except for I believe the Bible says that people are not married in heaven. I asked her where it said that and she said she wasn’t sure but her preacher had read it to her. The spirit then gave me the answer for this lady. I said well that is absolutely right! You have to be married on this earth. Marriage is an earthly ordinance that has to be done here but it is in force throughout all eternity if it’s done here properly by the proper authority.

I told her that if she and her husband were married in the temple and had their children sealed to them that they would be a family unit forever but that it had to be done on the earth. You couldn’t do it in heaven. I told her that we go to the temples and are married or sealed for other people who have died and then they get the opportunity to accept it but it has to be done on the earth it can’t be done in heaven.

I felt the spirit profoundly testify as I said these words and I knew that it was speaking to her heart. I could see a physical change in her countenance and her face seemed to shine in the little light that came from my phone, the radio and the lights from outside.

She said that makes so much sense because I’ve always thought it that was weird that love should die. I said that’s right. Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to love him and love each other and he’s provided a way for us to be with those we love the most forever. To receive this blessing you have to be on this new level. You need to take this new covenant.

I asked her, do you agree with me that marriage for eternity is a new level? She said yes! It is! I said, you have to have the baptism of Jesus Christ to achieve that level and receive that blessing. I said there are many blessings in our church that are additional to the blessings that you have received by the spirit and through your worship to this point but this is one of the most important.

She said, that’s amazing. Why didn’t they teach me that. I said my guess is that there was miscommunication but if you were to call them and ask them about if they would come out and teach it to you.

This ride on snowy roads to Lehi had moved quickly and we were finally pulling into her residence. I asked her, do you want that new level? Do you want these additional blessings? She said yes, I do.

I said then you need to call those missionaries and get them back in your home. Ask them about temple marriage and tell them you want to prepare for baptism.

She asked me what time they went to bed and if she should call them that night. I looked at my clock and it was 1035. I said, no, call them tomorrow because they’re in bed. I told her that if she would do this it would change her life and she would see positive changes in her marriage and her children as the spirit worked with them. She was tearing up at that point.

She said, yes I believe that. I said what does that mean you need to do. She said I need to follow the spirit, I need to call the sisters and I need to prepare to be baptized.

In front of the two people that were with her who were silent and stonefaced this woman was emotional because she felt the spirit. I asked her, what is it you’re feeling and she said tremendous pressure from my heart that’s making me cry. I told her it was the spirit of God and that he is here with us. I told her that his spirit was here to tell her that the things I said were true and what we had just discussed was being confirmed to her by the spirit.

She got out of the car and way goodbye and said she hopes to get me as a driver again. That would be great but I wish she’d move closer to downtown!

I’m so glad I got this chance to clear up a few misconceptions that had ended her pursuit of the truth in the gospel. The spirit had a plan all along.

I

One afternoon I was working in Salt Lake City and I was a little tired and thinking about taking a nap. I decided to take just one more quick ride and then take a nap. I was in the Cafe Rio parking lot on Fourth S. and Fifth E. When the ride came up, it was to Kearns. I thought, no! I’m not going to take that but the spirit said yes you are going to take that and you’re going to testify to this young man. Away I went.

I picked him up and started talking about the distance out to Kearns. I mentioned the route that I wanted to take. I was going to go down the Mountain View corridor, but the spirit impressed me that I should take him off of 47th S. and I-215 by the temple that’s being built.

I ran that route by him and asked him if that sounded OK. He said it sounded great and away we went. Talking about the route we were going to go gave me the perfect opportunity to bring up the church so I took it. I asked him if he had been noticing the temple that was being built. I told him I love how big and beautiful that temple is.

He said, it’s amazing! It’s beautiful and I can’t wait until it’s done. I want to go in it. I want to go in all of the temples when they have those open houses so I can go.

I knew that he wasn’t a member of the church because the spirit indicated to me that he wasn’t. I asked him if he had friends that were members of the church. He said, yes. I have friends along with my mother and her husband. He said my little sister is also a member.

He said they go to their little meetings and mentioned how happy it makes them. He said that he’s also got family that are Christian. He said that his dad was Christian and that God is very important to him.

I asked him why it was that he hadn’t joined a Christian church yet. I have to admit that I had a prompting about what the reasons were and this worked right into that plan. He said that everyone has good beliefs and truth but they’re all different and he couldn’t figure out which one he should join.

He said that he loved that they did good and that was an important part of the religions, but that each one of them was a little different and had a little different take on the truth that they espoused.

I told him about the mirror analogy. I told him that the church at the time of Jesus was perfect and it had all of the truth and it was held up by the apostles and prophets. Just like a mirror is held up with pegs

I told him that the church was just like that mirror. It was held up by the apostles and prophets and authority of God. I asked him what happened to the apostles and prophets and he said they were killed and died. I asked him what happened when they were taken away, he said, the same thing that happens to the mirror when you take the pegs that hold it up away. He said it would fall and break.

I said that’s exactly what happened. The mirror would fall and break into a bunch of pieces but the people loved the gospel and they would come and grab a little piece and form their church around that little piece. Just like you could take a mirror and still look into a little bit of it and see yourself. I told him it could function, but not like the full mirror could and it would never be as good.

I said that’s why there were so many churches. People grabbed pieces of this mirror and took the peace that was precious and important to them and reformed everything around that little piece, but they didn’t have all of the other pieces.

I told him that what he said is exactly what Joseph Smith said. I told him that Joseph Smith was a boy just a bit younger than he was. He was looking for the truth. He found that all of the churches had some truth, but they were different, and they taught different things and he couldn’t figure out which one was the right one.

I told him that he went and knelt and prayed to ask Heavenly Father, which one he should join. Heavenly Father commanded him to restore the whole church with all of the truth just like it had been on the Earth before when Jesus was here. The Church of Jesus Christ has the whole truth, not parts of it, not pieces of it.

Heavenly Father wanted Joseph Smith to restore the exact complete church of Jesus Christ as it existed on the earth before. He was called to became the prophet who did that. Part of what he would called to do was receive plates that contained the prophecies of the people who lived in America anciently.

I told him that the people that lived in America had prophets and they wrote their prophecies on these plates. They were given to him by an angel and he translated them by the power of God. I told him that this was the Book of Mormon.

By this time, the spirit was really strong in the car, and I said, what do you think about what I’ve been saying, do you believe it’s true or not? He said, I believe it’s true. It just makes sense to me in my mind that what you’re saying is true.

This was an 18 year old kid and he wasn’t thinking about what he was feeling and I wanted to get him to the point where he could understand that not only was his intellect being stimulated by the spirit but that his heart was too. I talked to him about how we all lived with our heavenly father, and that we have a relationship that is manifested in feelings that we developed with him. When we feel those feelings, we know that the things we’re hearing are true. The spirit poured out and we felt a burst of love in that moment.

I told him that you are the son of your father in heaven and he loves you. I said, when I say those things what do you feel in your heart? He said, I feel happy, and I feel peace. I told him that those feelings were indicative of the relationship that he had with God and when he felt those things, he knew the things that he heard were true. I told him that this was how God could guide him.

I asked him to think back and tell me if he felt that previously in the conversation. He did and said yes, I felt that since I got into your car. I told him that this was the spirit of God, testifying of the things that I was saying. I told him God was with us. His spirit was there to help him know that these things were true.

I told him that there were a couple things that he had questioned about the different Christian sects and these were the reasons why he hadn’t joined any of them to this point.

I told him that he was concerned that Christian religions seem to be very provincial or regional. These are my words for what he described as a religion that isn’t worldwide so doesn’t have the ability to save all of God’s children. He didn’t see how God could not put in place a mechanism where all of his children could come home.

I agreed big time because he was walking right into it. The spirit was helping him ask the question in a way that all I had to do was answer it. I told him that the Book of Mormon is proof that God loves all of his children, no matter where they were born. I told him that when Jesus was in Jerusalem, he said he had other sheep and that he would go to them. I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus came here and then went to other places.

I told him that when Jesus came to America, he descended from heaven, stood on the steps of the temple and he invited people to a new level. They touched the prints of the nails in his feet and hands then asked him to save them. That’s when he gave them this new level.

I told him it’s like when you are playing a video game and you’ve done everything you can on the level, then they give you a new level. Jesus invited them to step up to a new level. He called 12 and gave them instructions and power to be baptized and to baptize others.

I told him that when his mother, sister and stepdad were baptized that they were baptized by this authority and with the same baptism as Jesus gave that day.

I told him that after Jesus taught, loved and blessed the people in America, he said, and still other sheep I have and that he was called by God to go to them. I told him that God is the God of everyone not just a God of Jerusalem . I told him that God loves everyone and so he sent his son to everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him what the Buddhist guy in my car had told me about Budda. He told me how the Buddha was the son of the great Buddha, and came to dwell with them and taught them.

When I told him, he just laughed and said, that’s the same story you just told me about America. I said, exactly! Because God is the God of everyone. He’s not provincial, and he loves all of his children.

I told him because he loves all of his children he sent his son to his children, not just to those in Jerusalem. He said, I feel that one in my chest when you say that! That’s true. I said, the spirit is testifying to you of these things, and now you know them.

I said, your mother, sister, and stepdad were baptized, why? He said, I suppose they wanted to be members of the church. I asked him why people in churches get baptized, and he said, I don’t know.

I told him that they get baptized, because Jesus commanded that everyone needs to be baptized to enter into heaven. That’s why when the people in America asked Jesus to save them, he gave them baptism. He saved them!

I told him we have the authority to do that baptism and that his family members have taken advantage of that. I told him that when Jesus came to America, he didn’t spend one second ripping on the other baptisms that the people had done previously. He gave them the next level and invited them to be baptized. I told him that his family members had accepted that invitation.

I asked him, what about people that never have the opportunity to hear about Jesus? There are people all over the world over thousands of years who have never heard about Jesus. I asked him if it would be fair for God to condemn them just because they hadn’t been baptized. He thought for a minute and said, no, they should be able to go to heaven, if they’re good people.

I asked him if it would be fair for him to withhold the opportunity to receive that baptism from them, and he said no. Right then we were turning by the temple on 4700 South and I-215. I said in that building we do baptisms. One of the main things we will do in that building is baptisms for people who died without ever having the opportunity to be baptized and have the baptism the Jesus taught, that next level.

I told him that when Jesus died, he went to the spirit world and set up the teaching of the gospel to the people who died, and that these people now had the opportunity to believe and accept those teachings. Then I told him that we go to the temple and are baptized for these people.

I told him if one of their names was Fred, I would go to the temple and be baptized for Fred. Then he would have the chance to accept it. I told him this way, God gives everyone of his children a chance to come home no matter when they were born, no matter where they were born, or under what circumstance they lived. He does this because God loves every one of his children.

I told him that this was one of the pieces of the mirror that had been lost but now that we have the full mirror, we understand God‘s plan to give everyone of his children a chance to come home.

I told him that not only do we do that in temples, but we seal families and marriages so that we could be together forever. He said that’s an amazing thing. I love that! I told him that’s next level stuff, isn’t it?! He said yes, it is. I told him that the complete mirror is a beautiful mirror and a perfect mirror and the complete gospel is the same.

He said, I wish somebody had explained this to me earlier. You’ve answered all my questions, and I didn’t even ask them. How did you know what it was I needed to hear? I told him that God had whispered to my heart through the Holy Ghost what things I should say, and I said those things. I told him I didn’t know, but God did, and that he gave me those words so that he would know that the things I taught came from God.

He said, my eyes have been opened, and I am seeing things that were right there in front of me, but I never saw. He said, you’ve explained these things to me and I want this. I asked him, do you want to be baptized? He thought about that for a minute, and said maybe.

I said, did you feel the spirit in the car witness that these things are true? He said yes. I asked him if he believed the Book of Mormon is true, and he said yes. I asked him if he believed that Joseph Smith translated that book and was a prophet based on what he felt and he said yes, those things are true.

I asked him, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, the Book of Mormon was true, and Jesus came to America? He said yes. I told him that Jesus came to America, he invited the people to be baptized, and that same invitation stands today. It’s not me inviting you to be baptized. I said, it’s Jesus extending the invitation and that’s the invitation that your mother, step father and sister accepted.

He said that makes sense. I think I would like to be baptized because that makes sense. He said I have friends that I talk to as well. I talk to a lot of people about God. I talk to my mother, I talk to my father, who is a Christian, I talk to my friends too! One of them that I talk to is a Brother Howard. He is a member of your church and he wants me to get baptized.

I told him that what I thought he should do is go to his mother and this Brother Howard and tell them what he felt in the car today and what he learned in the car today. I told him that he should tell them that he thinks he needs to get ready to be baptized and that they would help him. He said he would do that.

I told him that he should read the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he had one, and he said no but he could get one from one of his friends he was shore of it. . I told him that as luck would have it I happened to have one right there in the car with me. I reached into my glove box and pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists. I explained the tabs in the book and how they correspond with the questions of the soul pasted inside the front cover.

I told him that he should read this book and pray, and it would confirm to him what the spirit confirmed today to him which was that that book was true. I told him that reading this book would bring the spirit and would give him strength.

I looked back and he was glowing. I could see that the spirit was working on him and that he had been 100% genuine and honest about the things he had felt in the things he now believed. I asked him if his father would be upset if he decided to join his mother, stepdad, and sister in the gospel and he said no. He said that his father was very interested in him believing in something, and that he would be happy.

I told him that being around his father and doing the right things would change his father and his father would want more of what he has. I told him someday under the right circumstances your father will want to be baptized and you will be a big part of that.

I told him that earlier in the conversation, he said that he believed in helping people. I told him that’s exactly what God would have him do. I told him that he should get baptized and go on a mission. He said that he had talked to some missionaries. I told him that because he’s 18 he can go on a mission and teach people, help people and serve people. He said that’s what he would love to do. I told him I thought he would be a great missionary. He asked if I thought that they would let him do this and I said yes they would. He said, wow, that would be awesome.

He said, I want to call my mom and Brother Howard. I want to tell them about this! I’m so glad that I decided to ride with you today. I told him I was so glad that I decided to accept the ride because I was really considering canceling it because I didn’t want to drive out there and lose money. I told him that God has a better payment plan than the ride share company and that the experience we had was priceless. He laughed and said, for me too.

He got out of the car and went into his house. This kid said he wanted to be baptized and he loved the idea of serving a mission. I have no doubt based on what I felt and the fact that God put him in my car that day that these things will happen. This is a young man who wants to serve God. This is his time.

I picked up a guy up in the research park by the University of Utah. It was 2 o’clock in the morning and I decided to take this one last run. My goal had been achieved on the previous run and so I had thought that I would go home after I hit my goal for the day. The spirit had me take this last ride and I’m glad I did.

I pulled into the parking lot and this young man was standing outside. As I pulled up, I said his name. I do that so that they can know that I am the real driver. He said well, your name is Bruce and I said yes. He said I do that so that you can know that I am the one who is supposed to be here.

I laughed and said that’s true but the funny part is we never know who’s really getting in our car. People can put fake names or send cars for their friends. He asked me if that was scary, and I said sometimes.

The spirit then stepped in and told me to tell the story of the man that tried to attack me but was shocked and disabled by the power of God ( didn’t publish that story, but I have written it. If anyone would like to have that story, let me know by sending me an email in the contacts section and I will forward you a copy of it.)

Before I started, I asked him if he was religious. He said that he was more spiritual than religious. Then I told the story about this guy attacking me and how God was protecting me. As I told the story, I could feel the spirit in the car and I could tell that he was engaged. When I talked about how God shocked the attacker and that it looked like he had been hit by a taser, I could tell that he knew that I was telling the truth. There was a real understanding between us.

I told him that God had saved my life and that he had protected me that night. Then the spirit had me push In and start asking a couple of questions. I set up the questions by telling him that my experience tells me that when people say they’re spiritual, not religious, it is because of one of two reasons.

The first reason is because I don’t think they’ve found the church that they know is God‘s church or at least they haven’t taken the steps necessary to know that.

The second is they just don’t like the commandments. They think the commandments cramp their style and they don’t like to be told what to do. They just want to have fun.

He nodded, and then the spirit had me say, you’re in the first category. You’re not sure that you found the church and you have some doubts. He said that’s true.

I told him that the spirit had whispered some things to me about that and I asked him if it would be OK if I asked some personal questions. He said yes.

I said the first thing is that you feel like you were abandoned by God. You felt like he wasn’t there for you. You don’t feel clean.

He said that’s exactly it, I don’t feel clean. I don’t feel worthy of the presence of God. I told him that when he was hurt and when he felt helpless and damaged, Satan whispered into his ear and said that God doesn’t love you. Since then, he’s told you that you’re dirty and not worthy. I said, you’ve done things that you know you should not have done and you feel bad about them and it’s just added to the guilt.

I told him that Satan now uses that on top of the guilt he heaped on you initially. Now it seems insurmountable, like there’s no way he could ever be clean.

I told him Satan is a liar And the things he says aren’t true. I told him that God is our father and he loves us. The spirit was there in the car with us. The spirit was really strong and I could tell he was feeling it. I told him that God would not send that spirit if he were hopeless. I told him that his father loved him.

I asked him to identify that spirit to me and he said that it felt like he had someone right there with him and wasn’t alone anymore. I told him that was the spirit of God, and it was there to help him know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that one of the things that made him not want to be in a religion was that Satan had convinced him that God wasn’t real, because a just God, and a loving father, would not allow someone to suffer like he had. I told him that this was one of his great doubts. I said it was the thing Satan used to drive a wedge between he and his father.

He said, that is amazing! How do you know these things? I told him that the spirit had whispered them to me because his father in heaven knew them. He had given them to me, so that he would know that the words I said, come from God.

I asked him if he believed that they came from God and he said that they had to. There’s no way you could’ve known this.

I explained to him that God gives us free will and allows us to choose to sin or to follow Christ. I told him that when people make bad decisions, sometimes other people are casualties of those decisions. I told him that this is where Satan gets in the ears of those people who are the casualties and tells them to blame God, hate God, and hate his religion.

I told him that this is how Satan gets us to turn from God and Jesus and their church. I told him that God wants us to look to Jesus because he atoned for our sins and suffered all of the negative impacts of sin.

Then I looked at him and said this that I am going to say now is especially for you. God wants you to know that Jesus paid for your embarrassment, your humiliation, your pain, and the injustice of what you suffered. He suffered those things so that you wouldn’t have to go through this alone.

That’s why he is reaching out to you today because you shouldn’t have to go through this alone. I told him it was really cool that when he felt the spirit it felt like he wasn’t alone. I told him that God has an answer to what Satan is saying which is to blame God, blame the church and to blame other people. God’s answer is look to Christ and be healed. Let Christ comfort you and you can be lifted. Give him your burdens.

I told him that God also expects us to be his hands to help people who have been damaged by other people’s agency. I asked him if that made sense. He said, wow, yes.

I told him that the next thing that I felt to say that was an issue for him was the justice of God. I said he looked at God like some people look at Santa Claus. A lot of kids when they’re around 10 years old start figuring out that it would be impossible for these things to be true because there are so many people in the world and most of them don’t even believe in Christmas.

He said that’s the exact analogy that I’ve thought of. I told him that his view of God as being provincial and regional because of Jesus Christ and the church being in Jerusalem was really a stumbling block. It was really an issue for him. He was putting limits on God.

I taught him that Jesus came to America and then went to other places to gather God’s children, teach them that God loves them and bless them. I said, is that more like what you think an all powerful God should be? He said that’s exactly how God should be, he should love everyone,

I said Jesus came to America and he descended from heaven and he stood on the steps of the temple. The people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and then they said Hosana which means “God save us”. He answered that plea as their God by calling up 12 men and giving them the authority to baptize and later, give them the Holy Ghost so that these people could be saved, this way these people could come home to God. This way they didn’t have to be alone

I told him that God loved everyone no matter when they lived or where they lived. He sent his son for everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that when Jesus was in the tomb before he was resurrected he organized the teaching of the gospel to those who died without hearing it, or having a good opportunity to hear it. Because of this, regardless of whether they lived 2000 years ago in China or they’re going to be born next week in India they will all have a chance to come home.

God sent his son to them so that they could be taught. I told him that we go to the temples and are baptized for these people using their name so that they can accept that baptism and go home.

I told him that when Jesus was in America, he invited those people to be baptized, and when they were baptized, they were clean and pure. They could then be confident to stand before God. I told him likewise when these people who have passed on have their baptism in the temple, they are clean and confident to stand before God.

Then I said, “that’s your problem.” You’ve never felt clean and confident to stand before God because of these things that have happened to you and those things that you have done. I told him it’s time to throw that off and become clean. I asked him if he knew that when he’s baptized all of those sins will be washed away. He said , no he didn’t know that. I told him that this is true. He said that he had never been baptized in any church. I said, “well, here we go!”

I told him that when he is baptized and gets the gift of the Holy Ghost, he will feel the presence of God like he did right then in the car and it will be with him, it will testify to him that he’s clean. This will give him confidence to be able to stand before God.

I told him that in the military they’re taught to have confidence and stand with their brothers. I told him that he couldn’t be strong without that confidence. I said it’s the same in this war. We are at war with evil and we need to have confidence in our ability to stand with God. I told him that starts with baptism and knowing that he’s clean and worthy.

I promised him that he would feel clean. I asked him if he felt the spirit confirm this and he said yes.

I got the impression that he was thinking about someone who had talked to him about the church. I said, you have someone that you’re thinking about right now. Someone who’s been talking to you about the church. Am I right? He said yes, how do you know? I told him that the spirit whispered that to me and I wanted him to know that this person will be the one to help him be baptized. I asked where he knew that person from.

He said that this person is a member of the national guard and that he is in the military with him. He said, he talks to me about it all the time we’re good friends. I asked him when was the next time they have drill and he said this Saturday.

I laughed and said, it wasn’t a coincidence that he was in my car today. I told him that there is no such thing as coincidence. He said he believed that.

I said, have you got the impression yet that God put you in my car, told me things about you I had no business knowing, teaching you the doctrine of Christ, perceiving your thoughts, and speaking so boldly? He said, it is pretty amazing.

I asked him why he thought that might be happening. He said, God has found me and he wants me to come home. I said, how amazing is that to know that your father in heaven knows you personally, knows where you are, knows what I needed to say, and revealed it to me so that you can know this. He is reaching out to you to bring you home. He said words weren’t sufficient to explain how he felt.

I said, when Jesus was in America, he stood there and invited the people to be baptized He meant that for you too. I told him that Jesus was inviting him to be baptized. I asked him if he would commit to do what Jesus wanted so that he could come home. I asked him if he would be baptized, and he said yes. I told him that his friend would help him and he said he knew that his friend would.

I asked him if he had been to church before and he said a couple of times. I asked him if he had been recently and he said no. I told him he would have to go for a few weeks in a row to show God that he was serious. He said, I will and I am serious. I’ll go with my friend this week at drill.

I told him much of what I had said was in the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he had one and he said that he had one somewhere but wasn’t sure. Where it was. I grabbed a copy prepared by the Secrists and handed it to him. I told him, “here’s one. I would like you to study this book. I would like you to pray, and I would like you to feel for the same feeling you feel right now.”

You should know that when the Holy Ghost is with you, you will never be alone. That is the spirit of God that had brought me here tonight and brought these words to you. I told him that when he sees his friend, he should walk up with that copy of the Book of Mormon, put it down in front of him and say I need to talk to you about what happened in my car ride the other night.

I told him to tell his friend everything that had gone on, including what he felt and his commitment to be baptized. He said he would. The spirit was incredibly strong. I decided to bare my testimony of Joseph Smith, his translation of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel. I bore my testimony of the love that our father feels for us, and how he wants to bring us home. I told him that tonight he had seen firsthand how God loves him. I said that a father reaches out to a child in trouble, gives him confidence and then brings him home.

The car was a reverent place and it was almost as if neither one of us wanted to move. Finally, he decided he needed to get out and go in. He thanked me and reiterated his commitment. He said his life has been changed and his doubts had been erased. That’s what the spirit can do.

He got out of the car and walked into his new life of faith and knowledge of who he is, and that his father loves him. He knows not to listen to any bad thoughts or any doubts that would say otherwise

I picked up a guy at the orthopedic therapy building at the University of Utah. It’s on the south side of a medical campus and you always pick up people who are struggling from that place. The guy really had a hard time getting into the car.

He was in his late 30’s – early 40’s and seemed like a really nice guy. After he got in and got settled I told him that he needed to quit skateboarding. He laughed and said he wished he could. I asked him where he was from and he said he lived in Utah all of his life.

I said, here comes another $10,000 question. What really happened to you? He said, “I was out on the freeway changing the tire on my work truck. I had been towing our work tailer and the flat was on the drivers side rear wheel. While I was changing the tire on the truck, another truck came along and hit me.”

He said that it broke his back and both legs in the femurs. I decided to be obvious and said, wow that sounds like it hurt really bad. He laughed and said it hurts really bad. He said that he was trying to do this without getting addicted to the drugs and so he was allowing a little bit more pain but he needed something and it was really hard for him.

He said he was married and had three kids ages 17, 15 and eight. He said he needed to go to work because he was only getting 60% pay and that was going to run out. The problem is that he couldn’t move. My heart went out to him.

I asked him what his employer had done to try to help his figure out how he could get back to work. He said he was working with them to see if they could get therapy to train him so that he could do something until he got better.

I asked him if there had been a spiritual component to his recovery. Then I stopped and asked him if it was OK if I asked questions about that. He said yeah, go ahead. I asked him again if there was a spiritual component to his recovery, and he said he didn’t know what I meant.

I talked to him about the atonement of Jesus Christ and how when Jesus suffered for us he not only suffered for our sins, but he suffered for our pain and illnesses and injustices. I told him that he was smack dab in the middle of pain, injustice and illness and that the atonement of Jesus Christ could help.

I had the prompting that he was a member and I said, are you a member of the church? He said, well, I was baptized, and I went to church until I was about 15. I haven’t been back since then. I said ahhh you’ve been on vacation! He laughed. I said, when I started talking about the atonement you were thinking in your mind,”I’ve turned my back on the church. I’ve turned my back on Jesus. I’ve done a few things that are against the commandments and there’s no way he’ll help me.”

I told him, that was exactly what Satan wanted him to think and that Satan had planted those ideas in his head. He said you are right about what I was thinking, how did you know? Talk to me more.

I told him that in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross, Jesus suffered an infinite atonement and not just infinite in time, but infinite in it’s scope where he suffered all of the negative feelings and emotions and conditions that anyone would ever go through. I told him that by doing this, Jesus received the power to be able to lift us and take ease our burdens when we struggle.

I told him about the people of Alma in the Book of Mormon. He remembered Alma, but not the story of when Alma and his people fled from the King but were captured by the Lamanites.

I told him that the Lamanites made them slaves and gave them heavy burdens, but that their faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement was able to lift them through those burdens.

I told him that the burdens they had were not removed, but that they seemed light after Jesus blessed them through his atonement.

I told him that Jesus has the power to help us in our condition, whatever it is, through that power that he earned by performing the atonement. The spirit was in the car and he was feeling it. I asked him what he was feeling and he told me that it was a feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time. He told me that he loved it and that he was calm inside and knew everything would work out.

I told him that being confident in the presence of God is what the atonement is all about. I told him Satan was the one whispering things in his ears about not being worthy or qualifying for Jesus. I told him Jesus spent his life with people that weren’t worthy nor qualified and he healed them and he lifted them.

I told him he can do this for you. The spirit was really strong in the car and I testified to him that we have the atonement because things are hard and that’s God’s way. I told him about the brazen serpent in the wilderness. Moses erected this serpent so that the people bitten by the snakes could look to Christ or to the serpent and be healed. Those who wouldn’t look died.

I told him it’s the same for us today. God wants us to look to him and Jesus Christ when we have a problem so we can live. Satan wants us to blame God, be afraid of God, run from God and we die spiritually.

I said it is the same today just like it was in the time of Moses. Christ is there, all we have to do is look to him and he can help us through our hardest times. He will carry us through our trials if we let him.

He said, the spirit is really strong and I know that what you’re saying is true, but I haven’t been to church in forever. How do I go about doing that?

I said, who is your bishop? He said, “I have no idea who my bishop is!” I said, do you know anyone who would? He said, yeah, my mom.

I told him to call his mom, get the name of the bishop and his phone number and then call him.

I told him to ask the bishop to come over to his house and give him a blessing and to bless his home and his family.

He was quiet in the backseat then he said, do you think he would really do that for me? I said, yes absolutely, 100% without a doubt. I told him that the bishop had the priesthood and the authority to call down the power of heaven and could help him access the atonement.

He said, maybe that’s the part I’ve been missing here. We were coming up to his home and he said, do you think it would be OK if I called him tonight? He said, it’s not Sunday. I assured him bishops are used to getting calls all days of the week. I promised him that his bishop would not be offended and he would be more than happy, even thrilled, to come over and do this for him.

He promised me that he would. He said, as soon as I go in I’m calling my mom and getting that number. He said that probably she’d want to come and I told him that was OK. He grabbed my shoulder and thanked me and said, do you know that this has meant a lot to me. This ride was meant to be. I promise I am going to call my bishop.

He got out of the car and walked into his home in Magna.

Yeah, you’ve heard me complain about driving from the University of Utah to Magna before, but I am struck by the number of times the Lord uses that distance to help me get an opportunity to teach.

I have heard people make fun of people from Magna, but I’ll tell you what, miracles happen in Magna and this week one of His sheep is taking steps to come home in Magna

I was working in Salt Lake and trying to stay up there to make money. It was 11 o’clock at night and I had three hours left when I got a ride to go to Freedom Boulevard in Provo Utah.

That’s about as horrible as it can get because that ends your night. Let’s be clear. I don’t work the app in Utah County because It isn’t profitable. You drive 20 minutes to pick up a person to take them 5 minutes and get paid $4. I was going to cancel the ride and then I thought, no! You need to take this right and so I did

I went over and picked up this girl. She was a Korean girl who was a returned missionary and we had a good talk. It was a lot of fun but in the end it put me right in the middle of Provo. I got got some gas and thought I would go home. When I got up to Orem, I got a new ride. It was for up South Provo all the way down to Saratoga Springs. No one wants to go to Saratoga Springs.

When I picked this guy up, I asked him if it was hard to get a ride and he said nearly impossible. He said, I wonder if this is a bad ride for people. I explained to him that it’s a big money loser but that he seemed like a nice guy so let’s go.

He’s a 21 year old kid that sold solar panels all over the place. He was a salesman and I like that!!!

As we started the drive, I saw a light in his face and I knew why he was in my car. I didn’t know if he was a member of the church or not but I could see he had a light and we were supposed to talk about it.

I asked him, “are you a member of the church? He said no. I said I only ask because you’ve got a light in your face that makes me think that you are. He said, I get that from people sometimes.

I asked him, is it OK if we talk about this? He said yes. I asked him if he has friends that are members of the church, and he said yes, he’s got a lot of them. A lot of the people he works with live in Utah County and are good members of the church.

He said that he grew up partially in Midvale and that his adoptive parents who he lived with are very against the church. Personally he doesn’t know where he stands.

I asked him if he wanted me to talk about what some of the things are that we believe as a church. Things that he might not know. He said yes.

I started with, we believe that we are children of our father in heaven, real spiritual children of our father in heaven, and that he loves us, and we love him. I told him that everything else is based on the fact that he is a loving father.

I told him that because Heavenly Father is a loving father, he loves all of his children. I told him that Heavenly Father is a perfect, loving heavenly father, and he loves all of his children and that’s so important for us to know.

When I said that the spirit was in the car instantly and I could tell that it has been waiting to burst into the car and it was pretty intense.

I told him that our heavenly father sent his son Jesus Christ, to be the savior, and not just of Israel, or the Middle East or the earth but of all of God‘s children. I told him that Jesus Christ paid for the sins and angst and sorrow and injustice and sicknesses and problems of everyone who ever lived. He didn’t just do it for Israel, but he did it for everyone. It was not a provincial sacrifice, but that it was an infinite sacrifice.

I told him that Jesus Christ paid for our sins and was crucified but then he didn’t quit teaching while he was a spirit in the spirit world. He set up the teaching of everyone who has ever passed away without having a good opportunity to accept the gospel so that everyone would have a chance.

I told him that after Jesus was resurrected, he said other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. I asked him what that meant to him. He said people in other places? I said yes.

I told him that Jesus, then came to America, descended from heaven and the people touched the prints of the nails in his feet and his hands and asked him to save them. He gave them baptism and the Holy Ghost. Then he said still other sheep I have who are not of this land or the land roundabout. I received a commandment from my father to go to them so they can hear my voice and be counted. I told him God loves all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem.

When I was talking about Jesus suffering for our pains and injustices, I noticed that he was a little pensive, and maybe distracted. Finally, he interrupted what I was saying, and he said, how does that work?

The spirit whispered to me that this young man had a rough life. The spirit let me know that he had been abused in unspeakable ways and that he had suffered loss. It was hard for him to bear.

I told him that when he was young and he was being abused he thought no one cared. He felt like he had been abandoned. He felt the dark and evil not only of the acts being perpetrated on him, but of the person that was doing it to him.

I told him that in that moment when he was about to quit and Give up, he felt empowered and lifted from a place he didn’t know. He felt a surge of strength that came from somewhere that he wasn’t aware existed. I told him that strength gave him the power to withstand what was going on.

I told him that power came from God and that God was angry with what was going on but that he had sent his love to carry him through. I told him that this power had stayed with him all these years and that’s part of the light people see in his face.

He said he almost lost his faith, and he had not embraced a religion because he was trying to figure out how God could allow that to happen. How could God allow a child to go through what he and his brother had to go through?

I told him that God gives us our free will to make choices and he can’t take it away but that he has provided a savior for us that we can look to. He can carry our burdens and lift us through.

I told him that Satan would have us blame and hate God and grind on that forever. God wants us to look to Christ so that we can heal and move on. I told him God could take away that sting and God could lift that burden.

I told him that through the atonement of Christ it’s possible for us to forgive people who have wronged us greatly, and let Christ carry that burden for us. I told him that is a very powerful move. It allows us to be strong and happy, instead of weak and victimized.He smiled and I didn’t know why.

As we continued down the road we talked about Jesus in America some more and how he talked about baptism and how it was a new level that everybody is invited to come to.

I told him that he felt dirty and unworthy because of some of the things he had done. I said, you’re thinking about those things right now, the answer is this baptism. Once you are baptized you will be clean. Once you are baptized you will be able to stand before God as if you had never committed those sins..

This is what he offered to the people in America and this is what he offers to you. I told him that this message is why he was put in my car tonight.

We talked about how Jesus said that he was going to go to other places and we discussed what places those might be.

I felt a strong prompting to talk about baptisms for the dead in conjunction with Jesus teaching the spirits in prison so I did just that. I explained baptism for the dead, and about how God has a plan for everyone who’s ever lived even if they didn’t have the opportunity to accept the gospel in this life. They could accept it in the next life and be baptized by proxy through baptism for the dead. I explained to him that this is God‘s perfect plan.

God wants everyone to accept or have the opportunity to accept that baptism this Jesus invited the people in America to have. I told him that the prophets in America wrote down all these things and put them on metal plates. Joseph Smith translated those plates by the power of God and we have the Book of Mormon today.

I bore my testimony of the first vision and Joseph Smith seeking the truth and how in the end he read the Bible, went to the forest, prayed and then saw God the father and Jesus Christ. They called him to be their prophet.

The spirit was incredible in the car and I asked him what it felt like. He told me. Then I asked him to remember that. I told him that’s how he felt with God in the pre-existence and this is how he feels when God’s spirit is present. I told him that God is present in the car with us and that his spirit was there to justify the truth of the things that I was saying. He said he believe that.

I went back to Joseph Smith and told him that Joseph Smith was called to restore the whole church. The way it had existed in the time that Jesus Christ was on the earth and before it had been dismantled and broken apart. The people had left precious parts out. I told him that one of those parts was baptisms for the dead.

That was the second time in a short period that I brought a baptism for the dead and I felt prompted to do it. Then I found out why.

He opened up about his brother who in 2010 had committed suicide. People told him that he was killed in a car wreck, but he knew the truth and it hurt. I got the opportunity to teach him what Elder Holland teaches about mental illness and how it’s the same as having cancer or a heart condition. I told him that dying from a disease is dying from a disease and his brothers,was no different.

I felt prompted very strongly to say that his brother had been taught and accepted the gospel. This is why he was in the car with me tonight and spirit was screaming in our ears. He nodded affirmatively. He said I believe that.

I said your brother has accepted the gospel and now he needs to be baptized and that is your job. When Jesus invited people to be baptized and take that step to the new level, he invited you to take that step also. It’s time for you to do that and then shortly after, go to the temple and be baptized for your brother.

It was quiet in the car but it was hot with the spirit. He said that’s right! I have lots of friends and have had lots of coincidences that have happened. I am not a guy who believes in coincidence but you knowing all these things tonight about me and about what I’m thinking is crazy. I know that it is not a coincidence.

Then he said that his birth mother and father who had abused him had been reaching out to him and trying to make contact. He broke into full tears as he said that he didn’t or hadn’t known what to do but tonight he knows that through the atonement of Christ he can forgive and let God deal with it. He said he knows that he can trust God to take care of it. He said that he will trust Christ and move on. He believes that he can do this without hate in his heart.

I told him that I was given those things to say by God so that he could know that these things are true. He said I know that these things are true. I said, Jesus Christ has invited you to be baptized, and it’s time we get on to that. I reached into my glove box and pulled out a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrist, and gave it to him. I said, this is the Book of Mormon it’s another testament of Christ. It testifies the Jesus Christ is the savior of everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. It testifies that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that we have the authority of God on the earth.

I gave it to him and asked him to read it and he said he would. We talked about his schedule and how he could work this out. He said he works every day with guys that go to church and went on missions. They would be so excited to hear what happened. I told him to go to them and tell them exactly what happened in our car tonight.

I told him to tell them that he wants to be baptized this month and he said he would. I said, you can tell by the spirit that it is the right decision and he said I know. It was time for him to get out of the car because we had been in the car on this last ride of the day for an extra half an hour. I had not been charging him during that time by the way.

He asked me if it would be OK if he gave me a hug and I said you betcha. I got out, walked around and gave him a big hug. He promised me again that this was what he needed to do and that he would follow through. He has missionary and temple work to do

I know he will do it too.

When I think about this experience and the number of miracles, it took to put me in that place at that time. I am blown away. The ride that I didn’t want to take that brought me from Salt Lake to put me in a position that I could get this ride that I didn’t want, where I had work to do. God is great and his plan is flawless

It was a Saturday night and I just finished up my bonus and was feeling pretty good. I decided to take another ride and it took me down to a place called Shades on State. It’s kind of like the new place for college students where they don’t really check their ID and they can dance and get drunk.

I pulled up to pick up a girl and I didn’t know how many people would be with her. Usually when you go to a place like that, you fill your car with people and so I was a little shocked when I saw one person come running towards the car. I want to emphasize no one comes running towards the car on Saturday night at these places so I knew she wasn’t drunk even though she may have been drinking.

She got in the car and she was bubbly but underneath that I could tell she wasn’t really that happy. I said to her, so you like to be happy? She said, I try to be happy. When she said that I had a flood of promptings and so I just started saying them.

I understand the risk of just saying things because if they complain, I can be de deplatformed and I can and lose my ability to drive but the spirit came hard and I decided to follow.

I said you try to be happy but inside you’re trying to cover something up. You’ve been hurt and some people have hurt. Those people hurt you bad and it’s difficult for you so you over emphasize with a cheerful attitude. You try to compensate so that people don’t know what’s going on inside.

I told her that she didn’t feel like she was lovable and she didn’t feel like she was loved. I told her that I was here tonight to tell her that she was loved and that it was her Heavenly Father that loved her.

I could tell in the way she looked that she was shocked. She teared up saying I’m about to cry. She asked me how I could possibly know these things. I told her that’s OK because I felt by the spirit that I was supposed to say those things to her and that she needed to know that her father in heaven knew who she was and he loved her.

She said, I was raised Mormon. When 22 year olds say that they were raise Mormon I always chuckle. It’s kind a like, well, you’re not raised yet! There’s a long way to go! Of course, I don’t say that out loud but I always think it.

I started talking to her about the things that were coming to my mind, first off the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that when we have difficult things in our lives, we need to turn to Christ. I explained to her that God‘s plan is for us to turn to Christ where he can use his atonement to lift our burdens and soothe our souls. Satan‘s plan is to blame God, blame the church, being blamed the people at church, blame our family, blame everybody else and then marinate in our sorrow.

I told her that God’s plan with us looking to Christ allows us to be happy because he lifts our burdens, just like he lifted the burdens of the people of Alma when they were in captivity. I told her that they could barely even feel those burdens.

I told her that if she would look to God, Jesus Christ and his atonement instead of blaming, her burdens could be lifted. The spirit was really strong in the car and she was tearing up again. I told her that in the Book of Mormon it talks about the brazen serpent, and if the people would look to the serpent, which represented Christ, they would live, and if not, they would die. I told her that it’s the same thing here, if we look to Christ, he lifts our burdens and he blesses our life and we live. If we were to Satan, we die spiritually and blame others and become miserable.

I talked to her about LGBTQAI+ people I know who are good members of the church,who hold positions in the church, and worthily exercise the priesthood in their callings because they have learned this lesson. They have learned that if you allow the atonement to work in your life, you can trust God and in the end he will make it right. I told her that the problem is not just for them, but for us. Whatever happens to us in this life or whatever challenge we have, through the atonement it can be made right.

She said she never thought of it that way and she beamed. It was clear to me that this was one of her major issues and she saw an answer, and the spirit confirmed it to her. I asked her if she was feeling the spirit and she said “oh yeah “I asked her what she knew about the spirit and she said she knew what it felt like but she hadn’t felt it in a long time before tonight.

I told her that God is an all inclusive God who loves everyone and that’s why he sent Jesus to America and to the other places in the world.

I told her that baptisms for the dead is another great example of God showing his love to everyone, no matter where they were born, no matter when they were born. God has a plan for everyone regardless of their circumstance.

She said that she remembered doing baptisms for the dead and that it was the time in her life other than in the car right then that she felt the spirit this strong. I told her that it was because she was saving God‘s children. I asked her how she would feel if someone saved her child and she said she would love them and be so grateful.

I told her that when she did baptisms for the dead that is exactly how God felt. He was so grateful and loving for her having gone there to help save his child. I told her that this is one of the reasons why she felt his spirit so strongly in that occasion.

I explained to her that we all lived with our father in heaven and we had this feeling between us, that was nurtured over thousands of years and then when we came to earth, we didn’t feel it. Then one day we felt the spirit, she burst into my explanation and said, and then that’s what we feel when we feel the spirit. I said yes! She said that’s what we’re feeling in the car right now. I said yes, this is what we’re feeling in the car right now.

You’re feeling the spirit of your father in heaven, which is here. He is here with his spirit so that you can know that he wants you back. I told her about Ammon and how he came into the king and told the king the things that were in his heart that no one knew and that no one could have known. The king asked, are you God? He said no, but God has given me these things to know so that you will know that the things I say are from him and are true.

I looked at her and said it’s the same thing for you. The things I’ve said to you tonight shook you and surprised you that I knew them. She said absolutely. I said I don’t know them but God does and through the gift of the Holy Ghost he has let me know what to say so that you can know that the things I am saying are from him. Then he sent his spirit to confirm that to you. She choked up again. I felt the impression that her parents have been praying for her and that’s why I was there that night.

I told her, your parents have been praying for you. She said, yes, they tell me that all the time. I told her that because of their prayers, she was put into my car tonight so that she could feel the love of her father in heaven and know that he wants her back, know that he loves her and know that he cares. I told her that now she knew without a doubt that these things were true.

Her countenance had completely changed since she got in the car. She wasn’t fake happy anymore.

She was beaming. She had reacquainted herself with the spirit that she had forsaken before she came to college. I asked her if she would go to church the next day. She said, I will try. I looked at her skeptically and said that, we don’t like try we like to do. I received the impression that she hadn’t been to church at school and didn’t know where to go. I said, do you know where the Institute building is on campus? I knew that she did because it’s only a little ways away from her apartment. She said yes. I said, promise me that you will go at 11 tomorrow. She said she would.

She said in this ride everything had changed. I know what I have to do.

I told her that her father in heaven wants her back and that it starts with saying her prayers, reading her Book of Mormon and going to church.

She said she would do that. She thanked me like 5 times and got out of the car.

Believe me, I am smart enough to understand that she wasn’t thanking me because it was the spirit that was in the car that made it all happen. She had a miracle that night and now she doesn’t have to try to be fake happy.

One night late I picked up a young lady who had been working and started to take her home. She seemed a little hard. The way she talked the words she used were just the kind of things that had a little street vibe to them.

As we talked I got the impression that she needed a Book of Mormon and that I needed to talk to her about the church.

At first I was questioning this because of her rough exterior. The way she was dressed, the way she talked and just her vibe. I couldn’t figure out how in the world I was going to get into that conversation but I accepted the challenge and away we went.

We talked about work and how things were going and everything and I felt like I should use that as my entry into the conversation. I said, what days do you work? She said, I work Monday through Friday usually but sometimes if we don’t get our work done they have us work on the weekends too.

This was the opening I needed and I said, I need my weekend, I need Sunday off so that I can go to church and rest from everything all week long. I didn’t stop there. I told her that I go to church and I interpret the meetings into Spanish and being in church makes my day really nice.

She said she grew up in a family that went to church all the time but that they were really harsh towards anyone that didn’t believe exactly like they believed and they shouted them down. She said it was very uncomfortable and she had to separate herself from that.

She said that right now she was going around looking for different truths so that she could find her way. I spoke to her from what she said and reconfirmed with her that what she was saying was that she wanted a religion that recognized that the other religions had truth in them. She said yes. She said it can’t be that they’re all evil because they teach similar things.

If this wasn’t exactly the Joseph Smith story, I’ve never heard it. I told her that I wanted to tell her the story of Joseph Smith. She said she had heard of him. I said he was the first prophet of these times in our church. I said that he was a young man and he looked around at all of the different churches. He was confused as to why they all had so much contention between each other and why they taught different things yet professed the same belief.

She said, that’s exactly right. I told her that he read in the Bible in James and learned that he should ask God. He went to a grove of trees and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. When I said that it got quiet. That doesn’t mean that there was a lot of noise before because there wasn’t but it was a quiet all the way down to your soul. I could tell that she was touched.

I told her that God the father and Jesus Christ called him to be the prophet to restore the church just like Jesus had it when he lived on earth.

I told her that when Jesus was on the earth the church existed in its perfect condition but when he was killed and his apostles were killed it fell.

I used the example of the mirror held up by the pegs and when you take out the pegs which are representative of the apostles the mirror falls. I told her that people grabbed parts of that mirror that were important to them and they reformed churches around those parts but they didn’t have the whole gospel.

I told her that was what happened and that’s why every church has a little truth in it but that none of them have the whole truth except for the one that Joseph Smith restored under the direction of our father in heaven. She said, oh, that makes a lot of sense. I asked her what she felt and she said that she could feel a warmth and a peace that was different than she felt before.

I told her that it was the spirit of God and that it was there. I told her that when she felt that spirit she knew the things she was hearing were true. I asked her if God would send his spirit if false things were being taught and she said no. I said this is how you know it’s true, that Joseph Smith restored the church.

I told her that he also translated a book called the Book of Mormon. She said, “oh! I’ve heard of that book.” I said it is the collection of revelations received by the ancestors of the Native American peoples. I told her that they had prophets because God loved them.

I told her that Jesus Christ said he would visit other sheep and that this was who he was talking about. I told her that Jesus Christ descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple and taught the people. We have the account of this visit in the Book of Mormon because God loves everybody.

She said that’s really cool, that’s very important. I reached into my glove box and pulled out a copy of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I gave it to her and asked her if she would like to read it. She said, yes, very much. I said, this is your book. She looked shocked and said, I can take your book?

I told her this book was here for the purpose of helping people find Jesus Christ. I said that’s you, so this book is for you. I told her it was prepared for her so that she could learn and come closer to Jesus Christ. She said, that’s what I need, that’s what I’ve needed for a long time.

I told her that what she was feeling in the car was her soul breathing in the spirit. I told her that the spirit was there to let her know that her Heavenly Father loved her and that God was about love. I told her that we believe that families and marriages are forever not just till death because it’s about love.

I told her that all the pieces of that mirror that everybody grabbed were true but they just didn’t have the whole mirror. I told her that we did and it was contained in that book. I told her we also have modern prophets who help us understand what God would have us do today.

I told her that when Jesus came to America he taught the people the fullness of his gospel which was a step up from what they had believed and he asked them to take that step with him to a higher level. He invited them to be baptized and that’s why as members of our church we want people to be baptized regardless of if they’ve been baptized before. Jesus wants us to take that step so that we can participate with the full gospel, the full mirror. We can be married for eternity and have the power of God in our lives

She said, that’s what I need. I need to find a church that talks more about what they believe in than finding faults in other churches. She said her parents and family were really abusive regarding other churches.

I asked her if she had friends that were members of the church and she said yes. I asked her if she would call one of them and tell them about this ride and she said she would. She said this was exactly what she needed.

She commented again on what she felt in the car, on the spirit of God, and said she wanted to feel it more often.

She said “I will read the book and I will call my friend. I will pray to my Heavenly Father. Maybe someday I will understand that spirit better.” She added, “I just wanted to tell you again that this ride was not an accident, it’s just what I needed.”

As I think about it, it was very impressive that she accepted as true everything I testified of. The spirit was strong and she recognized truth coming into her heart. That’s always neat when that happens. We should never be shy to tell the story of Joseph Smith and the first vision or to talk about the Book of Mormon because the spirit it brings opens hearts and changes lives.

One day I was in town, trying to make up some extra money early in the day. The ride share companies are tightening down our compensation and it’s making it a little more difficult for us to get by. We are having to tighten our belt and work a little bit more so I was doing that.

I got a ride to pick up somebody at The Cheesecake Factory. It’s right downtown on first south and I swooped in there to pick her up. She didn’t come for a minute but finally she showed up. She was a pretty young lady, but I could tell she had pain in her face. I could tell she had been through some things and the spirit was telling me that it was time to get busy. I had an 8 minute ride so it kind of had to be quick.

I told her that she seemed familiar to me. She did but I didn’t know from where. I asked her if she had taken car services before and she said yes. Two years ago she used to take them a lot, but then she went to rehab and hadn’t taken a rideshare for a year or so.

I felt prompted to speak to her about addiction, but I didn’t have any time to ease into it so I asked her if it would be OK if I talked to her about her addiction a little, and she said that would be fine. I explained to her about the spirit of our Heavenly Father and how our soul has a spot that we are programmed to want to fill with the spirit of our father. We spoke about how Satan exploits that. He fills that space with drugs and alcohol and riotous living when that’s not what was intended to be there.

I told her the purpose of that feeling was to draw us to God and bring us home, and Satan uses it to bind us down and take us away. She told me that she never heard anyone articulate that but that was exactly what had happened with her.

She said that she felt like she was caged in and had no out. She said that she felt like she had no options and that she had gone to her tribal elders to ask them for help. She was a Native American of the Navajo tribe. They had told her that there was something in her and something around her that was making her feel that way.

They didn’t help her. I told her that it was satan and that he had tied her down with addictions and bad decisions. This made it so that she wasn’t free. I told her a lot of people look at the commandments of God as restricting, but she was finding out right now in a very real sense that the chains satan binds you down with are the real restriction.

She agreed and said, that makes so much more sense than what they said. What they said had bothered her. Now she had a real answer.

I talked to her about the atonement of Jesus Christ and how he can lift us. I told her about our father in heaven and her relationship with him. I told her that she was his daughter and he loved her. I told her that it was a very tangible love that she could feel.

I asked her what she was feeling right then because the spirit was intense. She said, I feel assured, I feel lifted, and I know that the things that you’re telling me are true. She said that it was an amazing feeling and she loved it. She said that the feeling was overwhelming, but it was comforting her mind. She said her thoughts were racing, but they were focused. She said that this feeling she was having had pushed away any cravings or preoccupation with her addictions. She said she felt lifted and loved.

I told her that this was the spirit of God and it’s effect on her. It hold her that’s how she felt in his presence, and that this feeling was between her and her father. I said when she felt that, she knew the things that she was hearing were true, and that God was present.

I told her that with that spirit filling the hole, then she could physically fight the physical addictions and win. She said, I have no cravings right now! I told her that I had received a prompting to talk to her about this and also a prompting to tell her that she wanted to be clean and that was something she thought about a lot. I told her she felt dirty and embarrassed by some of the things that she had done and that she wished they would go away. She wished she could remove the stain.

She said, how can you know this? I told her I knew it because of the Holy Ghost which is the thing Heavenly Father sends that dwells within us. It whispers to us and tells us the things that God would have us do and that God would have us say. I told her that this was the way God had whispered to me the things to say.

She told me that it wasn’t an accident that she was in the car that day. She told me that she always takes the bus or the train. It goes right by her house but today for the first time in a year she felt compelled to take a car service. She hasn’t done that for over a year. She said that when I told her that I recognized her, she thought well, he doesn’t recognize me, if he knows me, he recognizes who I used to be.

She said, but now I know that I was put here to feel this and learn this.

I told her that God has a plan for everyone and he loves everyone. I asked her if she had heard of the Book of Mormon and she said yes! I asked her if she knew what it was and she said no! I told her it was the history of the people that came to the Americas. I told her that they came in about 600 BC. They had prophets who taught the people. I told her that Jesus Christ came to them. He descended from heaven, like he said in the Bible that he would because he had other sheep. I told her that he descended from heaven and stood there and that her ancestors touched his hands and his feet and worshipped him. They asked him to save them.

I could see that she was very engaged in what I was saying so I asked her if she could feel the spirit confirming the things I said. She said yes, I know that it’s true.

I taught her that Jesus called 12 people to come to him. He gave them power and authority to baptize so that the people could be clean of the sins that they had committed. This way they could be clean before God.

I told her that those were her ancestors that Jesus commanded to be clean even though they had other religions and had already been previously baptized. He commanded them to take that next step and be baptized with his baptism so that they could be clean, so that they could have the Holy Ghost walk with them and fill that part of their soul.

I told her that Jesus Christ blessed them and their posterity. I emphasized to her that these were her ancestors and that Jesus Christ had blessed them and their posterity. He had blessed her. I told her that God had sent me today so that she could collect on that blessing.

She said “I know this is true and I don’t want to leave your car”. I had another ride waiting. It was only two minutes away but I just let it wait until it canceled so I could spend more time. We talked about how Joseph Smith was looking for the truth and he couldn’t find it. He prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They called him to be the prophet to restore the church.

I taught her about how the golden plates were given to him by an angel and he was given the power of God to translate them into the Book of Mormon. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the Books of Mormon I have that are prepared by the Secrists and I gave it to her. I said this Book of Mormon is the translation of those records written by the prophets who are your ancestors. It contains the entirety of the teaching of the visit of Jesus Christ to America to your ancestors and the blessings he pronounced on them.

I felt prompted to return to the narrative of Joseph Smith and tell her that he had a third grade education, that he was a farm boy, he wasn’t sophisticated, but yet God gave him the power to interpret this book. I asked her what she thought when I said those words. She said, first, I think it’s true, because I am feeling the spirit like you taught me. Second, she said, that’s what I need. I need God’s power to make me more than I am, so I can defeat my challenges. She said, hearing that story of a 14 year old boy becoming a prophet and translating a book when he doesn’t have the ability makes me believe that God can help me be more than I am, so I can defeat my challenges. The spirit was strong as she testified. She testified right there of the spirit.

I asked her if she would be willing to receive missionaries and she said she would. I told her that this weekend we have conference and that we have prophets today on the earth and they will teach us the words Jesus would have us hear.

She got excited. She said, I don’t work this weekend so I can watch conference. I told her that it’s on Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM and 2 PM. She said she wanted to do that.

I found the phone number of her missionaries on the gospel Tools app to guide her to them She said she would reach out to them. She sent them a text messages while we were in the car.

I looked down and it had been 45 minutes since we started. I said, Heavenly Father puts people in my car so that I can say the words he would have me say. Today he put you in my car because he wants you to know how much he loves you and he wants you to know how important you are to him. I told her, if you will read this book, you will feel the power of God and it will help you with your addiction. I told her if she would pray she would know it’s true and the spirit of that book would fill her soul with the spirit like we were feeling in the car.

I told her if she would listen to the missionaries she could become clean and she could have that spirit with her always. She said, that’s what I want. She said, I need to go in and you need to go to work but I just haven’t wanted to let the spirit go.

There were angels in the car and we could both feel them and both of our lives were blessed that day. I know that she’s going to hear back from the missionaries and that she’s going to be baptized. I have no doubt. I know God will do his part because I felt his love for her.

One night, I was in Park City and I was going to pick up one last ride before I went down to Salt Lake to work for the rest of the night. I got a ride to pick up three young guys in their 20s from a restaurant.

I pulled up, they got in and we started on our way to their Airbnb which was a short distance away. Right out of the box they asked me, so have you lived here all of your life?

I told them no, that I was from Idaho. They asked me why I came here and I said that I came here to go to BYU. They said, we love BYU football, we love Brigham Young. They asked me if I was a Mormon. I didn’t know how this was going to go because they didn’t ask in a reverent way and it was kind of like they were playing around having a good time. I was wondering if they would make fun of me or mock the church.

I said, yes I am! Absolutely! They said we have a question, will you answer a question? I said 100% I will answer your question. They asked, how many wives can you have? They asked, can you have a lot of wives or is that just a myth.

I told them back early on in the church there was plural marriage but that it was abolished in the church and forbidden nearly 130 years ago. They said, oh, so that’s not a thing. I said nope that’s not a thing.

They asked, why did the church have polygamy 130 years ago? This question represented a transition in the discussion. At this point I sensed that they were really trying to learn whereas before I thought that maybe they were being irreverent and crude.

I told them that back in the early days of the church there were lots of hardships, there was persecution and an extermination order and many men were killed leaving families fatherless.

They asked me why there was such hatred. I said, I’m not sure except that people didn’t change and there, in Missouri the church came out as abolitionists in the pre-Civil War south. I told him that in that powder keg, anything was possible. I told them that with these emotional topics people just lost it and our people suffered. I told them they were driven out of their homes.

I said that one of the things they did to take care of these families and assure survival of their church and make it so that people could have the blessing of family was plural marriage.

I said there are a lot of reasons but those are two of them. They said, what? We’ve never heard about that, an extermination order to kill Mormons in the United States? I said yes and that’s why they came here to Utah to escape the persecution that they received from New York to Ohio to Illinois and Missouri. Finally they’d had it and they were brought to Utah by the power if God.

They said, that’s cool. They said, we’re from Tennessee and I don’t blame them for wanting to escape Missouri! We laughed. Then one of them said, so was this all Joseph Smith’s doing? Who was Joseph Smith?

I told the story about Joseph Smith, a 14-year-old boy with a third grade education who was looking for the truth. He couldn’t find the church of God on the earth and he followed what he learned in the Bible and prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet to restore the church of Jesus Christ on the earth.

I said Joseph Smith was the prophet God called. One of them said oh, so you don’t think he was the Messiah or a God or something like that? I said no,he was a prophet and he was a man just like we are. I told him we have a prophet today that leads the church, they thought that was really neat.

I told them that Joseph Smith restored the church. He also received the plates with the engravings on them that when translated, by the power of God, were the Book of Mormon. I told him the book was written anciently by prophets in America. It is a manifestation of Gods’ love for the people in America. That is why he gave them prophets just like he did in the Bible.

I told them that these prophets wrote down these prophecies from God and that is the Book of Mormon. I told them that Jesus appeared to the people in America. The back seat said, what? I said, God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem, this isn’t a regional church and Jesus was not a regional God. Jesus was the savior of the whole earth. Not just Jerusalem!

I told them that we believe that God sent his son Jesus Christ to America and that Jesus Christ told everybody in Jerusalem that he was coming here when he said “other sheep I have which are not of this fold” and that he was going to visit them. They remembered that scripture and nodded.

I told them that while he was here Jesus said that he still had other sheep that he hadn’t visited and he was going to go to them. I told them about the Buddhist that I had in my car that explained that Budda was the son of the great Buddha. He came to walk amongst them and live with them for a time and taught them how to live. One of them piped up and said that sounds like Jesus Christ and they all agreed.

I said we have the whole truth and it was restored through Joseph Smith. I told him that we have prophets today that continue to receive revelation so that we can know the will of God. One of them said, this is fun we don’t have to get out of the car, do we? I said no. I turned off my app because I had planned to go down to Salt Lake after that ride so it was perfect timing. What a coincidence huh?

I told them that the Book of Mormon was a testament that Jesus Christ is the son of God just like the Old and New testaments. They loved that. Then one said, do you guys believe that if you’re not Mormon you’ll go to hell? That “only you Mormons are going to be running around in heaven”.

It’s a question popularized by South Park in kind of a funny scene but he said it with sincerity. I said, look, we have the authority to perform the ordinances and covenants that we need to go back to Heavenly Father. He said, yeah but does God love everyone or just Mormons and was everything we did to follow Christ in our lives a waste of time just because we’re not Mormons. I said, absolutely not. I told them that when Jesus Christ came to America he descended from heaven, he stood on the steps of the temple then the people knew that they had their God standing in front of them. They touch the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and they said hosanna which means save us.

Then he called up 12 of them and gave them authority to baptize and commanded that everyone be baptized even though they had already been baptized before and regardless of if they had been baptized he commanded them all to be baptized to his new level, to his new gospel.

I said it’s the same now. God appreciates everything you’ve done and he loves you and Jesus Christ loves you for your devotion and your love and your service and now he is inviting you to take a step up. He is inviting you to this new level.

The spirit was in the car and I could feel it and I said, “what are you guys feeling right now”? Warm, excited and engaged were the three words that came out. I said that’s the spirit of God and that’s because he is here and he’s here because the words I’m saying are true.

They said yes, this is a really cool feeling. I told him that this feeling was here so that they would know what I was saying was true. They said they knew it was true and they all agreed. One said, you speak the truth and he slapped me on the shoulder.

I said, God invited the people in the Book of Mormon and he is inviting you to this new level. One said, what’s in the new level? I said we don’t just get married until death do we part, we have the authority to be married for eternity. There was silence in the backseat and one of them said that’s really cool. I said that’s next level stuff.

I said also back on the theme that God is the God of everyone and not just the people of Jerusalem, how many people lived in India and China and Africa that never heard of Jesus Christ? One of them said probably the majority of all the people that have ever lived on the earth. I said that’s right!

I asked them if they were Gods’s children and they said yes. I asked them if God would want them home and they said yes. I asked them if God was perfect and they said yes. I asked them if a perfect God would have a plan for them and they said absolutely. I told them that in the Bible it talks about baptism for the dead.

I told them that in our church, in our temples we do baptisms for the dead. I can go to the temple and I am baptized in behalf of someone who has passed on that did not have the opportunity to be baptized. He then has the chance to accept it if he wants.

I also told them that in Peter it talks about what Jesus did during the three days he was in the tomb. One of the boys spoke up and said I love Peter! I said, well, Peter taught us that that while Jesus’ body was in the tomb he went to the spirit world and taught the people who hadn’t had a chance to hear the gospel. He set up the work so that everyone there hears the gospel and can take that next step.

They asked me if they could go into the temple. I told them that to go into the temple you had to be a member of the church. They asked me how they could become a member of the church or how that would be possible. I told them that the missionaries would have to teach them and then they would have to be baptized and then they could go to the temple and do baptisms for others including their family members who had died.

I told them that because they had been taught, when we go to the temple and are baptized for them they can have all of the blessings even though they were technically never members of the church on the earth.

There was silence, they were stunned by the complexity and the totality of the gospel. One of them said, “he has everything covered.” Another said of them says, I don’t know what you do in your life but whatever it is that you’re talking about I believe it, I’m Buying. He said that he could not help but believe the words that I was saying and that he knew they were true.,

I asked him if they wanted a Book of Mormon and they said yes, all three said yes! I didn’t have the books with so I made arrangements to come back the next day with three Book of Mormonsfor them.

They told me that they were grateful that I had taken time to answer their questions and had brought the spirit into the car. They told me that they were excited to get those books and read them and that they’d like to have missionaries come to their home in Tennessee.

I told them that we could do that and that I would bring them the books the next day and we would have missionaries come over to their home. They went away happy, feeling the spirit and with a peace in their heart. They had been taught by the spirit.

I think great things are in store for these young men because they were expressing great desire that night to learn the gospel and to learn more about the things we talked about. I am very optimistic because I saw that they had a foundation and knowledge of the Lord and Savior and the desire to follow him. They were sensitive to the spirit and accepting the meaning of that. This could end up being a very nice addition for a singles ward in Tennessee

One night I had finished up and I was getting gas and preparing to head home. From time to time at the end of the night, I will give a ride to someone who looks like they need it. This was one of those nights. It was cold. it was winter. It was snowing and while I was getting gas I noticed a girl in a light sweater jacket, short sweats, and flip-flops with no socks come walking by.

She was holding in her hand plastic bags which I quickly recognized as the bags that the jail puts your stuff in and then gives to you when they kick you out the door at 3 AM with no ride and no way to get home. I felt very impressed that I was supposed to give this girl a ride and give her a Book of Mormon.

She needed a ride about 8 miles away and there was no way with those clothes she could walk that distance.

When she got in the car, my first question was, why were you in jail? She said that she had a roommate who was letting her stay in his apartment and she had no idea that he had warrants for his arrest. She said she also had warrants from two years ago for possession and prostitution.

When she opened the door of her place and looked out she saw the whole Salt Lake City police department out in front of her looking for this guy and she was caught up in the net. They told her that they would’ve never gone looking for her but snatched her up because she was part of their search for him and he was a really bad dude.

They put her in jail to make sure that she didn’t have anything to do with what he was doing and then her warrant kicked in.

She told me that she had done these things years ago before she moved to Texas and that she had just moved back and that’s when everything fell apart here.

She told me that she had tried to be clean from drugs and some times she was successful, and other times when she wasn’t.

The spirit told me that this was my opportunity. I told her I know a couple of things, first off, I know that you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and that your family are good members. She looked like a deer in the headlights with her eyes wide open and her jaw dropped as she listened.

You couldn’t tell that from her appearance, especially that night but the spirit was screaming it. I told her that she was angry at her parents and made bad decisions, trying to spite them. I told her that it had snowballed out of control and she had been lost ever since.

She started to cry and said how do you know this? I told her that I knew it by the spirit, that it had whispered to me to say these things. She told me that her father was a stake president in Utah County stake. She told me that he kicked her out of the house.

I asked her if she wanted to go home she said yes. She said she would like to go home more than anything but she couldn’t go home until she got clean and then she didn’t know if her dad and mom would let her.

I didn’t want to put a judgment on her parents because I don’t know her parents and I don’t know anything about the situation and the dynamic between her and her parents, but her desire to become clean first and then go home touched me.

I told her that we were talking about two different kinds of clean. One clean is to be clean from drugs and the other clean is to be clean before God. I asked her if I could talk about both of these, and she said yes.

I told her that the atonement of Jesus Christ made it possible for the people who have done even the most serious sins to be forgiven and become clean but she had to develop a relationship with her Heavenly Father, so she could access the atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that if she would do that, get worthy and go to church she could get and stay clean before God regardless of what she had done.

I told her that she looked back at the things she had done and she had agreed with Satan when he whispered to her that she could never be clean. I told her Satan was lying to her and that she could be clean because Jesus was more powerful than Satan. I told her that Jesus and his atonement is the thing that scares Satan the most. I told her that Satan has no power in the presence of Jesus Christ and Jesus has the power to forgive all.

I told her Satan wanted her in this condition, suffering because he’s suffering and he’s miserable and he wants everyone to be like that. I told her that Satan was lying to her, telling her that she couldn’t be forgiven because he didn’t want to lose her and right now he thought he had her soul. I told her that Jesus paid and bled for her soul, and that he would never quit if she would never quit.

I told her that Satan had put those words in her heart and in her mind and she had agreed with him from a place of fear and desperation. I told her that inside of her I could feel her spirit wanting to be clean and wanting to be good, and that it could happen through the atonement of Christ.

As I said this, the spirit rushed in the car. I told her that her Heavenly Father loved her and that she had felt his spirit throughout her life at different times. She agreed and said that she felt it growing up. I told her that her spirit craved that. I told her that feeling was developed by living with her father for thousands of years and she developed a relationship with him and the way she feels the spirit is how it felt in his presence.

I asked her what she was feeling right then and she said, “I’m feeling tingly warm and I feel love.” I said that’s how your father in heaven wants you to feel because that’s how you feel in his presence. Tonight he is sending you a message and he is sending his spirit with that message so that you can know that it’s true.

I told her the feeling she was feeling right then was the same feeling she felt with him in the pre-existence, it’s the same feeling she felt when she was baptized and it’s the same feeling that God was using to testify to her. She had tears in her eyes and she said you’re right, that is beautiful. I told her that when we’re in trouble our Heavenly Father sends help. Sometimes we take it, sometimes we don’t. I asked her, kind of rhetorically,“which kind of time is this? What will you choose?”

I told her that I was prompted by the spirit to pick her up and that her Heavenly Father wanted her to receive this message tonight. I told her that she needed to pray and that it had been years since she prayed. She said that’s right. I told her that she needed to read theBook of Mormon. I asked her if she had read the Book of Mormon lately, and she said she didn’t have a copy. I reached in my glove box and grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon, prepared by the Secrists, and gave it to her. I asked her if she would promise me to read that every day and she said yes. I asked her if she would commit to pray when she read it, she said yes. I told her if she would do that she would feel the spirit and it would fill her and make it easier to change. I told her she had to go to church. She was a long way from where her mom and dad lived. I told her she needed to find a church house that was close and go to that church house on Sunday morning.

I told her that when she went to that church Satan would not go with her and she would have time to rest her soul and feel the spirit. I told her that this would make her stronger.

One thing she said was, I’ve wondered if my father in heaven was really there and now I know he is because he sent you. She said, I even prayed once a few years ago, to know and now I know he answers.

I told her that over at DI, which wasn’t far away, they have a transient bishop and she should go there and get help from him. I told her that he could help her. She said she would do that the next morning (which was like in 4 hours.)

I asked her if she wanted me to talk to her a little bit about her addiction and she said she would love it.

I asked her if she remembered me telling her about living with her father and that feeling. She said yes, I said you are hardwired in your soul to crave that feeling it fills the hole in your soul that’s intended for you and your father to share. I told her Satan counterfeits that feeling with drugs, and tries to fill that spot with drugs and riotous living. I told her that he makes it look more fun but in the end all she’s doing is filling the hole with cotton balls, potato chips, fluffy things with no substance, not the thing that was intended, not this substantial and soothing spirit of her father.

I told her that if she would go to church, say her prayers, read the scriptures and get involved with the church addiction recovery program through the transient Bishop that she would start to replace that emptiness with the spirit of her father in heaven. It would make it so that she could beat her addiction.

I told her that the addiction is a two-part problem. The first part that is an issue is the physical craving and the second part of the addiction is the hole that needs to be filled with the Spirit of God, the thing that gives us peace and makes us happy. I told her that if she would follow through, it would help her quit and fill that hole so that she didn’t have that craving. This would allow her to focus on the physical craving and she could win that way.

She said that makes sense. Why is it that no one ever explained this to me.? She said it makes perfect sense.

I asked, do you want to see how much sense it makes? She said yes. I said, when you walked up to me what were you looking for? She said money and a ride. I asked her what she was going to do with that money, she said she was craving drugs and she was going to buy drugs.

I asked her to take a minute and think about whether or not, she still had those cravings. She thought for a second and looked up with a surprised face and said no! I do not have those cravings right now. I told her it’s because the spirit was in the car and was filling her soul. I told her that if she really wanted to beat this addiction she would not be able to do it unless she had that spirit with her, filling her soul. I told her, how ever much that spirit was with her depended on her because the spirit was always ready to come around and lift, love and bless if she wants it. I told her she needed to take these steps, that she needed to reach out and that she needed to make this decision.

She said the decision is made. Tomorrow morning I’m going over to the DI to talk to the transient bishop. Do you think he’ll help me like you said he would? I told her he would.

She said, I’ve missed this in my life. I need to get right, I need to get home and I need to be the daughter my parents will allow in their home.

She took her Book of Mormon, clutched it to her chest and said, you don’t know what you’ve done for me tonight. I thought you were giving me a ride but you’ve brought the spirit and that’s going to help me get my life back.

She got out of the car and went into the seedy hotel room that she was staying in.

I felt the resolve and recognition in this young lady. I know our Heavenly Father sent me to pick her up and I know she felt the spirit and the message was delivered by the spirit. If she goes to the bishop like she promised she would and starts attending church, I believe that she’ll soon be home with her family,

I picked up a lady at an elderly facility one night. While I was waiting for her I had an ominous feeling like this was going to be interesting and maybe not in a good way. When she came out and she got in the car said hi. She was plenty friendly but you could tell there was an issue. You could feel the conflict.

In the car we talked about what we had been doing that day. I got the impression to tell her about a lady that I had just giving a ride to and how we had talked about her husband‘s death and the gospel of Jesus Christ. https://sometimesgodsendsyoualift.com/2023/01/08/she-loves-to-see-the-temple-shell-go-inside-someday-soon/

She said, that must be it, sitting in your car I feel the spirit of God so I think I can tell you what I was doing. I was helping my dad write a book. She said that it was a church book and that it was going to be the last thing her dad did more or less. He was in his 90’s and she didn’t expect him to last much longer since her mother had passed recently.

We talked about the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ and this is where she started to hedge her bet. She said that she was a practitioner of light and she believed in teaching about light. She said she believed in the laying on of hands and she have a gift. I was a little speechless.

I said, so you’re a white witch and she said yes. I said, interesting, do you see a conflict with the gospel at all with regards to what you do? She said no.

I felt an impression to tell her about what I do, how I drive and how God puts things in my heart to say.

I started telling her about the last two years and some of the situations where God has let me help him bless some of his children. I felt to tell her about how Ammon interpreted what the king was thinking in his heart and that because of this the king recognized that he had authority from God and spoke for God. Then I turned to her and said the words the lord put in my heart.

I looked at her and said, “and today he put you in my car.” You have had a lot of difficulty in your life. A lot of it started with an abuse that you suffered as a child that you haven’t told anyone about and you’ve been keeping that inside. I told her that this blossomed into feeling unworthy and judged and then trying to live on the edge to justify the feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

She said, Yep, that’s exactly right. It’s like I feel that I could never be good enough to make it. I told her that is exactly what satan says to everyone. I told her that satan is a liar and that he’s the father of lies and everything he says are lies. I told her, he’s not just a liar, he’s a damn liar and if we follow him we will have the same result.

I told her that when she would go to church, she would feel like people were judging her. She would feel like she was inadequate and things would come to her mind about why she shouldn’t be there. I told her that those were from satan and they were lies. I told her that the Book of Mormon teaches that anything that teaches that you shouldn’t pray or by extension, go to church, is not of God but is of the devil. I told her that every one of these kind of thoughts she ever had was from satan.

I told her it’s almost like she became comfortable with satan. She said, how could you possibly know these things. I said that the Holy Ghost was whispering them to my heart and I am saying the words he puts into my heart just like he did with Ammon

As I said this, I could feel a tremendous dark power in the car that was angry these words were being spoken. She was not angry and she was engaged in the conversation. I told her we should pray and we should look to God and we should go to church.

I told her that Jesus Christ had suffered the atonement so that he could understand what she felt when she was abused or when she was unrighteously judged or when she was hurt. I told her that when Jesus Christ suffered it made it so that we could look to him for relief and to be lifted out of our misery. I told her that was God‘s plan. I told her it was satan‘s plan to get angry and leave the church.

I told her about my great-grandfather who left the church because the state president stole his horses. The only one who was ever really punished by that act was my great-grandfather because when he left the church he destroyed his family and his heritage.

I said how “stupid is that!” I told her that the better act would be to go up and put your arm around the person who you think has offended you or misjudged you and say “I love that I have you as an example” then watch him melt and change. She laughed and said that probably would work! I said it does work.

I mentioned to her that these people have their sins just like we have our sins. I said that if someone is judging you, that’s their sin and we need to be as tolerant of their sin as we expect them to be of ours. We need to extend to them the same grace that we demand they extend to us.

She said, I never thought of it that way. I said, we look to God and not to satan. The anger I felt from in the back was building but my passenger was still engaged in the conversation. It was as if she was surrounded by the darkness but not fully participating in it. I said, you left the church sometime ago and she lowered her head and said yes.

She said that she was trying or thinking about trying to get back into it. I told her that was why God put her in my car tonight. I told her that God wants her back and he wants her to know that even in the depths of her abuse or pain he never left her and she knew it.

She said I can’t believe how right on you have been with everything. I said, I’m just saying the things that the Lord has put in my heart.

She said you have a gift, I said I do, it’s called the gift of the Holy Ghost and it’s how God communicates with us. I told her it’s not my gift it’s his gift and it’s his spirit and it’s his work and his glory.

I told her that satan had been there in the car around her and I asked her why. She said, I recognize that and in what I do, sometimes I dance with the devil. I told her that all of the power that satan has is a counterfeit and lesser than the power God has. I told her that everything the people need including the light they need comes from God not witchcraft.

Right then I could feel the power of evil very strongly and I used the power of the priesthood to cast it out of my car. As soon as I did that she repeated after me “in the name of Jesus Christ” in commanding that evil to leave. As soon as that happened the mood changed, the experience changed and she changed. I said you can’t be on the fence anymore because he will drag you down.

She said, I know I have to change. I said you need to go to church. Do you know where and when the church meets and she said yes. I said you need to pray to God not to anyone else. She looked down and said I’ll make that change.

I said you need to read the Book of Mormon everyday. I told her that would help rid her life of the evil we felt in the car and she promised me that she would.

She said, I just figured I could do a lot of good in the middle but what I felt tonight let me know that I wasn’t in the middle at all. I asked will you abandon this white witchcraft? She thought for a minute and said yes.

The spirit was in the car and I could tell that she was feeling the difference between the spirit she had brought into the car, a spirit of division, contention and angst versus the feeling of peace and calm we were then experiencing. I called to her attention that difference and she said I really do feel that difference. This is what I need to have. I told her to ask her dad for a blessing and that he could use the priesthood to bless her.

I told her that satan wasn’t going to leave her alone and that he would try to reel her in because she’d already been there. She said she needed to go to church and she would talk to her bishop and make a plan. This was my previous suggestion and I was very happy that she had embraced it She got out of the car and said there’s going to be a battle for this world and I want to be on the side you’re on. She turned around and walked off with a completely different feeling than she walked into the car with.

This was my last ride of the day. I was headed home pondering the ride. I began to feel that angst and nervous energy that had followed her and for whatever reason it was back. I could feel all of the emotions that I had seen in her countenance earlier. When I got home I cast it out again and I knelt and prayed and asked God to send his angels to push it out and to protect me and my family.

No sooner had I done this I felt relief from the darkness and I had a moment where I was sure that one of the angels my Father in Heaven sent was my Grandpa Wheelwright.

Grandpa Wheelwright died before I was born. I still have his favorite chair in my house and now I know that I have a place in his heart because he was there that night to protect us.

The power of the priesthood is true, the power of the priesthood is of God, the power of satan is insignificant by comparison. The light chases away the dark. Dabbling in darkness doesn’t really ever help anyone it only exposes you to darkness and it gets a little on your soul. This lady now understands that and having been relieved of it that night I pray she follows through with her bishop and her father so that she can stay away from it.

One Saturday night I picked up a guy right in front of the Holiday Inn on 200 S. That is an area with a lot of clubs and most of the people you pick up there on a Saturday night late are drunk. It’s not your most productive area to find people seeking for the truth or praying for miracles but that happened on this Saturday night.

I was heading over to the Marriott to pick up someone and my phone just changed my location to pick up my rider. I drove over to the Holiday Inn and he was standing on the corner. He got in the car and when I slid it on to start the trip it’ said Orem was the destination . I turned to him and looked at him and said Orem? He said yes!

This was not great for me because it was going to end my night prematurely. By the time I drove to Orem and then back to Salt Lake there would be no more traffic and I wouldn’t make any money. As I pondered this I was rebuked by the spirit and told to knock it off. I knew exactly what that meant.

I asked him what he was doing in Salt Lake and he said that he was a DJ and that he had done a show that night. I asked him how hard it was to get a ride and he said very hard but that he had prayed that God would send him someone who was a good member of the church and a holder of the priesthood to drive him. He said felt like he needed to be strengthened and he could tell that I was an answer to his prayer.

It’s not easy to make me speechless. (many have tried and failed!) I was speechless for a minute. The spirit was in the car and I started to get promptings. The spirit told me that this was a young man who was being pulled very hard against what he knew to be right. He had reached out in prayer because he felt like he was being swamped.

As soon as I felt this prompting I related it to him. I told him that he needed to pray because he had quit praying regularly and he needed to quit dabbling outside of the word of wisdom. Then I just shut my mouth and listened. He said, wow you got right to it didn’t you. He asked me how I knew this and I told him that the spirit had whispered it to my heart. He told me it was true.

Doing his DJ job he had placed him in environments where the word of wisdom was more of a suggestion than a hard fast rule and that praying just didn’t seem to be appropriate. He said, sometimes you rationalize that God doesn’t care or doesn’t know but the fact that I knew was a wake up call. The fact that I had spoken those words shook him.

I asked him if he could feel the spirit in the car because I could. He said it felt good in the car, really good but he wasn’t sure he knew exactly what the spirit felt like. I asked him what he was feeling right then and he said that his mind was racing, his heart was pounding and his soul was awakening. He said it felt like an awakening.

I thought that was a pretty astounding description. I asked him what that feeling was and he said that it just felt amazing and that he didn’t know what it was. I told him that this is what the spirit feels like to him. I told him that it feels different to everybody but this is how he felt it. I told him that when he felt this he knew that what he was hearing was from God and that right now God was validating the words I spoke and was testifying to him. He told me how cool that was.

I talked to him about living with his father in heaven in the pre earth life and that this is how he felt all the time in his presence. I told him that he should look for this and look to have it with him all the time. I told him he could use that as a guide and when he didn’t feel it he shouldn’t be in that place or doing that thing.

I felt impressed to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. And I felt the power as I spoke the words. I asked him when the last time was that he had read the Book of Mormon and he said it had been about five years. In high school he had taken a different path and was still trying to decide which way to go. I asked him if he went to church and he said occasionally like once a month.

He told me his problems started because he didn’t get along with his stepdad. He had to move out to keep peace in the family and it kind of soured him on the whole deal. He said that his real dad wanted him to go on a mission but that he had questions about his him too. His real dad had married a former adult film star who had been baptized into the church. He said he had a hard time accepting that she could repent after what she had done.

I asked him why God would allow him or anyone else to repent and not her? Doesn’t God have to allow everyone the same opportunity if they come to him? Isn’t he their father and as a father wouldn’t he try to save all of his children? He said yes to each of those questions and told me that he had never thought of it like that.

I told him that one of the problems is that when we don’t find it in our hearts, to forgive other people, we have a hard time, seeing a path forward for us to be forgiven.

I told him that when you think of it like that, like a father trying to save his children who are in danger, then you see why God has as his top priority our salvation. I told him that is why God asked us to go on missions. He wants us to go to save ourselves and his other children. It’s just the best way to do it.

He was 22 years old and I asked why he wasn’t going on a mission. He said I’ve done a lot of things, so it’s kind of taking me in a different direction. I don’t think I’m worthy. He said that every worthy young man is commanded to go on a mission and because he’s not worthy he feels exempted from that mandate.

I told him that he was right, then I asked him, “who are those who are commanded to become worthy?” He said I guess everyone.

I said, so you’re commanded to become worthy, and he said yes I guess so. Then I said, so who are those commanded to go on missions and he said every worthy young man. I asked him if that wouldn’t be him after he becomes worthy and he thought for a second and said I guess so. I said that’s not a loophole that’s an expectation. He told me that he felt the spirit surge when I spoke these words.

I told him that this process would not be easy but it was possible and that it should start the next day in the bishop’s office. I told him to go into the bishop’s office and say I want to go on a mission and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there. He promised me he would.

I said to him, let’s summarize:

1. You prayed to be picked up by a priesthood holder and God sent me.

2. God revealed to me some issues that you have and it blew your mind and opened your eyes.

3. God sent his spirit to testify.

4. You recognized that spirit and how it can help you.

5. God gave you a commandment to become worthy.

6. God gave you a commandment to go on a mission.

I guess the only question is what are you going to do?

He told me he would talk to his bishop at church later that day (it was now 2:00am Sunday morning). He said he needed to go on his mission and thanked me for the ride. He said that one day he would like to do what I am doing and start giving people a lift.

I had a timely experience that was a little different this week.The other night I picked up four guys from a bar down in Salt Lake City. They’d been drinking but they weren’t drunk and they had multiple stops in their ride. We dropped one guy off and headed to the other stop and I took a survey of the diversity in the car.

We had just about every race represented and it was interesting to hear the viewpoint coming from everyone. They were talking about the perception and or reality of being treated differently based on how they looked.

I chimed in with my experience from my mission of being held at machine gun point and the struggles we had during the Falklands war. I was held at gunpoint 11 times in one month. They were riveted while I told the story and enjoyed it.

The largest person in the group was the guy sitting right behind me. He had a booming voice and he was the one that was most agitated about how he had been treated. When I finished my story his agitation seem to change course and focus on me. Where he was the leader the rest of the car turned on me as well.

He shouted, are you still a Mormon? He said it in an antagonistic tone and with much force. I said in the most cheerful happy and powerful voice I could, yes! Absolutely 100%

He said, I have a question for you Mormon. I started to say a silent prayer asking for help on this one. He said, do you pay tithing to that church? I said yes. He protested saying how could you pay tithing when you know that your church uses that money poorly and hides it from the government? How could you pay tithing when they have that much money and you don’t know how it’s being spent?

Given that this guy was huge, angry, right behind me, agitated to begin with and focused on me I needed all the help my heavenly father could give me. The thing to say came to my heart. I heard or felt the words teach him and testify.

I felt the power of the spirit buoy me up and I spoke clearly, firmly and with the spirit. I could feel the spirit as I said these words, “Oh, I don’t pay driving because the church needs the money, The church doesn’t need my money, it’s insignificant andI I really couldn’t care less what the church does with the money I paid. The reason I pay is because God has commanded us to pay tithing.”

I told him that the Bible asks if we have robbed God. It says that we are supposed to pay our tithes and offerings and that in return the Lord will open the windows of heaven and give us blessings that is are so great that we can not receive them all. I told him, I won’t rob God

I told him that I had lost my job during Covid but had still paid my tithing and have been blessed by the Lord. I told him that we had never missed a meal and that we were being blessed because we play tithing. I testified that the reason why we were blessed is because we were paying tithing. The power of that testimony sunk in and I felt him being disarmed. I felt the animosity leave the car. A reverence and the spirit settled over the car. I told him that I didn’t know how we would’ve done it if we hadn’t paid tithing and received blessings from God.

He reached up and grabbed my shoulders and said that’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever felt in my life. That’s awesome. Thank you for teaching me. All of the guys in the car repeated what he said and mentioned that they had been touched and that they now understood. We were at the place they were going and they got out of the car.

I rolled down the windows as I often do to air out the car between rides and I heard him say to his friends, oh my goodness, that was awesome, did you feel that? The other guys in the car said yeah, that was so cool.

I was driving off and I don’t know how that ended but I know that the Lord gave me the words to say and that it made a difference that night.

This all happened two days after the media ran amok with the story of the church being fined for its accounting and investment practices. These guys thought they had me. They thought I would defend, argue and get down in the dirt to fight with them but that’s not what the Lord had me do. I thought about trying to avoid the conversation altogether but sometimes avoiding the conversation is not what the Lord would have us do either

That night I found that if you put your faith in God and listen for his will, he will fill your heart with the words he would have you say and even touch the hearts of those who would persecute you. Their hearts can be touched and changed. If you want to talk about miracles, to me, that was a miracle

Wednesday night is when they have college night at some of the nightclubs downtown. Drivers love to be downtown because you get lots of quick rides with bonuses even though it requires the ferrying of drunk College students back-and-forth from the clubs to their apartments.

One of the interesting things I’ve learned in taking freshmen who are inebriated from the clubs to their apartments is that a quality fake ID costs about $100. These are the things that we learn. I was driving along trying to scoop up as many of these wayward children as I could. I was right in the middle of downtown when I got a ride at 35th South 40th W..

The ride was supposed to go from 40th W. all the way out to the end of Magna which meant I was going to drive 15 minutes to pick this person up and drive him an additional 20 minutes. This happened at 1 AM right when the most profitable time in downtown had arrived.

I was torn and I was frustrated but I found myself driving out instead of canceling the ride. When he got in the car he told me that the previous drivers all canceled and I told him why it happened. I felt like elaborating on it so that maybe he would have pity on me and throw a tip my way. Then the spirit said to me, don’t you realize why you’re here? I suppose after all this time I should but I had only been thinking about my goals of the numbers of rides and the money I wanted to make.

I started looking for a way to introduce the church and I mentioned to him that I went on a mission. He asked me where I went and I told him I went to Argentina and he thought that sounded really cool. I assured him that it was really cool and that only the coolest missionaries went to Argentina!

I asked if he knew any members of the church and he said he knew a few. I asked what religion he was and he said that he was Catholic but that he really didn’t have the belief in the commandments like the Catholics did. He believed in God and Jesus but he thought that the commandments were a very personal thing that everybody should be able to decide on their own.

We talked about commandments. I talked to him about people who ignore the commandments and instead try to have fun but what they find is that in the process of having fun they lose the ability to feel joy and find happiness in their lives.

I talked about a drunk person I know who used to drink to have fun but then he became an alcoholic and he lost total control of his life.

He said fortunately he doesn’t drink much and that’s never been part of anything he wanted in his life. He’d always tried to be sober.

I talked to him about the people I know who don’t obey the law of chastity and because of that they lose their marriages or they have multiple children with different people and it ties them down instead of letting them be free. I told them him that if these people would obey they would have freedom and not be tied down by the consequences of their decisions.

I told him that it is truly like putting the fence at the top of the cliff instead of the ambulance at the bottom and that God gives us commandments because he loves us. I told him that each commandment steers us away from sadness, destruction and darkness.

I asked him if he knew what our church believes and he said no. I said for the most part we believe a lot of what the Catholics believe but much much more. I told him we believe that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told him that this is easy to see. I asked him to explain to me what the Bible was. He said it was a collection of revelations to the prophets. I said why did God give them revelations and he said because he loved them a the father gives instruction to his children. I said that’s right. I asked do you think God loved the people in ancient America? He said yes.

I said, would an all powerful God who loves his children have prophets for one group of children but no communication at all with others in different places? He said he never thought about that but that it was a weird concept. He said of course an all loving all powerful God would give instructions to all of his children.

I mentioned to him that in the Bible Jesus said “other sheep I have which are not of this fold” and that he was going to visit them because he received a commandment from his father. I asked, would an all knowing, all loving God who is all powerful visit one group of his children but not another group? Back in that day, there was no television , no satellite or airplanes would an all powerful God send his son only to visit a very few of his children? He said no, he would visit them all if he could.

I talked to him about how Jesus Christ came to America. He descended from heaven and the people worshiped him. They came forward and they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and feet and then they worshiped him again.

This young man was of Mexican descent but spoke no Spanish whatsoever. I told him, those were your ancestors. Jesus came to your ancestors. I told him God is the God of everyone not just those in Jerusalem and he loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem and he sent his son to them.

I told him that while Jesus was here 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 had also received a commandment to go to them. I asked him who he thought that might be and he said the other people in the world.

I told him about a young man that I had in my car. We discussed Budda. He told me who Budda was. He said Budda was the son of a Great king who came and lived amongst the people. He taught them how to live. I asked my passenger who he thought that may have been and he said it sounds like Jesus Christ!

I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet, called of God and that he translated the Book of Mormon. I told him that this is where we find these teachings. I told him that it contains the revelations and commandments that God gave to his ancestors as well as the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

The spirit was really strong in the car. I could feel that he was basking in it and breathing it in. While he was enjoying it a light was coming on inside of him. I asked him what he felt and he said amazing! I feel like knowledge is filling my body. Then the spirit spoke to me and I said,in your life lately you have been had turmoil in your soul because someone has treated you very unfairly and very wrong.

I told him that when Jesus Christ suffered and died and was resurrected for us, he paid for our sins. Not only that, he suffered for all of the injustice, angst and all of the problems we have in our life. He felt our sicknesses and our frustrations. He made it so that we could look to him while we were suffering instead of being angry. I told him that anger forces people to turn away from God and that is what Satan would have us do. God would have us look to Christ instead of being angry.

He said how do you know this is going on? I told him that I don’t know but that God does. He said how? I said that when we are baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost that whispers to our hearts the things that we should say. I told him that God put him in my car tonight to get this message. I told him that this is the reason why I was pulled out of downtown during the most lucrative time of the night. I told him that to God he was much more important than money and he sent me to not only teach him these things but to help him understand the feelings he had his heart.

He said it’s crazy, it’s like an overwhelming amount of knowledge going off in my brain. I told him yes. I asked him how he felt in his heart right then, he said calm and overwhelmed with light. I said this is how you feel the presence of God and it’s how you know which things are true. When you feel that you know the things you’re hearing are true.

I asked him, do the things I’ve said to you sound true or not? He said they sound true and they feel true. I said that is because they are true. I told him Joseph Smith was a prophet and by the power of God he translated the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he owned a copy of the Book of Mormon. He said no, but asked where he could get one. I smiled and reached into the glovebox and handed him one of the Books of Mormon prepared by the Secrists.

I testified that today we have a prophet who leads our church and speaks with God for us.

I asked him who the people were that he knew who were members of the church. He said it was his brother-in-law. I asked, when will you see your brother-in-law next? He said Sunday! Family dinner! I told him that’s perfect. I asked him to do me a favor and he said what? I said, tell your brother-in-law about everything that we have felt and learned in the car today. He said he absolutely would but he wanted to sit in the car for a minute longer because he loved the feeling. I turned off the app so that he wouldn’t be charged and we sat there and talked about what it means to receive revelation and about God’s will.

Finally, he said I’m going to do this. He got out of the car and walked into his house. I drove off shamed and chastised that I didn’t understand the purpose of this ride earlier but I’m grateful that my Father in Heaven showed me. I’m grateful that he forgave me and got me back in the saddle that night. I’m grateful that this young man was receptive to the spirit and I have confidence that his brother-in-law will know exactly what to do.

Last summer in June, I think, I picked someone up by the temple in the Avenues. She was headed to a party on 200 S. over by 700 E. As we approached the party I felt prompted to say some things to her.

I told her that she was unsure about the people she was going to be attending this party with and that she was a little nervous inside. I I told her that nervousness was a sign that she was worried even though she looked very confident and bubbly. She was shocked and taken aback but I could tell that she felt the spirit that accompanied my words. The words I received directly to my heart through the prompting of the spirit.

I told her the one thing I felt was very important for me to do was to warn her not to allow anyone in that party to make her do something she didn’t want to do. I told her that it was her power and not to give it away.  I remember feeling like I couldn’t pursue it right then because the timing wasn’t great but I had a prompting that someday we would finish this conversation.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I needed to make three more dollars to meet my goal for the evening and it was 1:30 in the morning. I knew I was going to make it and I had a ride to go pick up a young lady.

I had no idea that it was the same young lady as before but it was the same apartment complex. This is not news as I go to that apartment complex about every week with a myriad of different people but as I sat there the memory of dropping her off kept coming to my mind while I was waiting.

I waited and waited and waited, her time expired and I kept waiting. I felt like I had to even though the no show fee was enough to help me hit my goal. Finally, a girl came out from the apartment complex. It didn’t look like the same girl so at first I didn’t think it was. Before she had blonde hair and was bubbly, this girl was a brunette and not bubbly. This girl had no smile, she was crying and she was very upset. Her countenance was tortured and sad.

Before she had been very dressed up and looked very nice and now she was very dressed down and looked beaten down. She got in the car and started crying and sobbing. I still didn’t recognize her and we started to talk.

The spirit let me know that her boyfriend just broke up with her and that he had been abusive and used her. I could feel that she felt used and horrible. With this information in my heart I had to figure out a way to bring it up and there just seemed to be no good way. She was crying and it was hard to get a word in edgewise let alone a response.

We had to stop at a 7-Eleven on route to her house but I wanted to get something started before I got there because I felt very compelled by the spirit to do so. After the initial I’m sorry things aren’t going well kind of chitchat I said, there are a lot of reasons why we feel bad and horrible sometimes.

I told her that sometimes bad things just happen but other times the bad things that happen are as a result of our mistakes and poor choices. I told her sometimes we make mistakes and the consequences bring us down. I knew that was the case tonight. I knew that it had been mistakes that she had made that had led her to this problem with her boyfriend.

She repeated over and over and over that she had made a mistake and that she was a mistake, she was worthless, dumb and that everything was a mess and that she was a mess. She said her life was a disaster. She was crying and I could barely get her to stop as we pulled into the 7-Eleven. I knew I had to get her calmed down so that she could go in. We talked about how she shouldn’t let him have power to control her and to make her feel worthless. 

I asked her if she was religious and she said she was spiritual, she said that she was a little bit Mormon, a little bit Christian and a whole lot of spiritual. She told me she believed in God but that she didn’t believe in religion. She said that her mom was Mormon but had really done her dirty and that she had a lot of problems with the Mormon church.

I told her that the best thing about religion is it gives us a way to connect to people that believe the way we believe and can lift us and help us. I told her that it’s important for us to surround ourselves with good people that won’t use us and hurt us.

She said, your voice sounds so familiar. Do you remember ever giving me a ride before? I said no. At that time I hadn’t remembered although there was a familiar feel to her presence. She got out and went into the 7-Eleven and was there for a minute or two.

When she came out she had beer. This is not at all what I had wanted but I decided to roll with it. I told her that I didn’t think drinking a beer was exactly what she needed right now and she said that was what was “gonna” happen regardless.

We started to drive. Promptings of what to say  came to my mind very clearly.

She needed to know that she was a daughter of our father in heaven and because of that she had worth and value.  I told her that she had tremendous worth that she couldn’t even imagine.

As I said this the spirit bore witness. She was touched in that very moment hearing these words that God was her father and loved her. I then told her that she was allowing Satan to put up walls around her so that she couldn’t see out, see the light or see a future. I told her that Satan was trapping her.

I told her the pain she was feeling was not just from the boyfriend but from other issues in her life due to bad decisions and by harmful things that other people had done in many cases. I told her that the atonement of Jesus Christ was given to us so that he can share our pain and lift our burdens.

I told her that God loves all of his children and he sent his son so that we don’t have to suffer needlessly. I told her that the atonement was an amazing gift where we could become clean from our sins and the suffering they caused could be alleviated. I also told her that any pains, infirmities and injustices could all be swallowed up in the atonement so that we don’t need to bear those burdens all by ourselves. I told her that this is how we can become happy even in the midst of pain and chaos.

I knew by the spirit that right then she was thinking that she was dirty and couldn’t be forgiven and so I called that out. I said, right now you’re thinking that you’re dirty and can’t be forgiven. That’s a lie. I told her that it was Satan that was whispering that lie to her and that she shouldn’t listen to him. I told her that Satan tells her she shouldn’t pray, that God doesn’t want to hear from her because she’s dirty. She said how did you know?  I said the spirit has whispered that to me and I want you to know that Satan is lying to you.

I told her that Satan is a liar and that is what he does. He tells us we can’t repent and he tells us we can’t come back to God and he tells us that we shouldn’t pray and that we shouldn’t go to church.

She said, I am angry about the church. I don’t go to church. I felt anger and intensity behind those words. It was unsettling and I knew it was the spirit of Satan. I knew he was with her and around her. I cast Satan out of the car and out of her. She shutterd and she said, oh my goodness it’s gone!  There was a very distinct noticeable change in the car. She said, it’s like it was resting on my shoulders pushing me down and when you said those words it was gone. She said that feeling had consumed her life and turned it dark and now it was gone. She cried but it was a happy cry this time.

I told her that she had been surrounding herself with people that don’t have light. I told her that she loved the light. As I look back, I realize that before when I had seen her I saw the light but I hadn’t seen it this time until just then.

She continued crying, she said she knew that she missed the light. I told her that she also knew that the people around her didn’t have light and she had seen that and it bothered her. She said yes. I said you need to surround yourself with people who have light and that’s why we go to church.

I asked her if it would be OK if I looked up her church time and location and she said yes and I got it for her. She said she wasn’t sure if she would go but we kept talking. I told her that she needed to change her job. She’s a bartender at one of the hot pick up spots in town.

 I told her that her downward spiral began when she got that job and that the people at that job didn’t have any light. I told her, “bit by bit Satan was throwing up these walls around you so you can’t see the light and look at what it’s doing to you.”

I told her that Satan was after her, that he was coming around her from every direction and she had to separate herself from that. I told her that Satan would try as hard as he could but God was trying to rescue her. I told her that God put her in my car tonight and he’s giving me these things to tell her, things that I should not know. I told her that he’s giving me these things to say so that she would know the things that I was saying were true.

She said I wondered how you knew those things. I said it is the spirit of the Lord who whispers it to my heart and he’s doing it because he loves you so much that he wants to protect you and bring you home. I told her that if she does the right things Satan could not have strength or power over her. She said, I remember you. She said, you gave me a ride last summer.

She said, it was right at the first of summer and I was bright and happy and I had light. She said, I’ve made many bad choices since then. She said, you don’t know this but I recorded you that night last summer. She said those words were very impactful to me and that voice pierced me and touched my heart.

She said, I listen to that all of the time. I told her that it wasn’t my voice but the spirit that accompanied my voice that touched her heart and the same spirit was touching her heart tonight.

I explained to her that her relationship with her father in heaven is a very special one developed over thousands of years and what she was feeling tonight and what she felt that night were manifestations of that relationship.

I told her that when she feels this feeling she knows that her father in heaven is there. I told her that he wanted to help her and that his spirit was there to embrace her.

She said, “I never want to leave your car. My house is full of the darkness because of what I have done there.” I asked her if she would like to have a prayer and she said yes. I prayed for her and I felt the love of God for her. I looked back and she kept moving her shoulders. She said that she was doing it because they felt free of the burden she had been carrying.  She was smiling ear to ear.  There was the girl from last summer!!!

She said that she wanted to write these things down that we were talking about. I told her that it was important that she remember these things and that when she went into her apartment she should get out a journal and write them down. She said she would do that.

I told her before she did that she should pray. She said she would. I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yes. I asked her if she would commit to me to read in the Book of Mormon and she said she would. I asked her if she would commit to me to say her prayers and she said she would. I asked her if she would commit to me to go to church and talk to her bishop about getting a new job and about getting worthy to take the sacrament. She said she was still a little hesitant about talking to the bishop but that she might talk to him after church.

The spirit was telling me that this had to do with the gay marriage issues regarding the temple and being married. I pressed for her to reveal that to me and finally she did. She said she had a sister that was gay and that this was a big deal.

I said, “tonight God sent you a witness. Many times you have prayed and asked for God to send you a sign. Tonight you got that sign.” I told her that God had sent me to give her these messages and that he had confirmed them with his spirit.  I said that there was no way she could deny what had happened in the car.

I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and modern prophets. The spirit was strong and I asked if she believed those things were true and she said yes.

I said if those things are true then the atonement is the answer for people that suffer in this life. I told her if people would look to God he would lift their burdens and make it so that they can be happy in this life. I told her that counts for everyone including me and her and all of the LGBTQAI people in the world. I told her God loves them all, they’re all welcome in his kingdom but they need to learn to turn to God instead of turning their back on God and being angry.

I told her that she should sing the song “I am a Child of God.” I asked her if she knew it and she said yes. She said she would but then she also said that she really loved the song I Stand all Amazed. She said she was going to go in her apartment, play that song, pray and then write in her journal.

She said, I like that plan. I will go to church Sunday and I will talk to the bishop. I need to have this light in my life. I can’t live without it any longer. I need to do what is necessary to get it back. I told her to remember that the church is a hospital not a museum. She smiled and said I like that!

She grabbed my shoulders and talked to me about how she believed that God had sent her an angel tonight. She said that God had sent me once before and now this was twice. She said that she didn’t want to let this one go. I looked in the mirror and saw a beautiful smiling face where before I had seen pain and sadness.

As she got out of the car, she grabbed the beer and said, I think I’m going to put this on my neighbors doorstep. I think they’ll be really excited to have it. It will be a great gift for them.

It is simply amazing how I happened to be there both of these times and how the spirit gave me the words to say that were necessary both of these times.

She knows who sent me those two nights and she knows God loves her and sent his son, Jesus Christ so that she can come home.