Sometimes God sends you a lift

I was in Park City picking up a woman to take her to the airport. It was snowing like crazy and even getting up to her location was difficult. We were leaving 2 1/2 hours before her flight and we thought we had plenty of time.

I got there early and she decided to come out and we got in the car and started to drive. Once we got on I-80 we saw a problem. There was a tremendous back up and all lanes were at a standstill. No one was moving. All of a sudden that sure arrival at the airport seemed to be in jeopardy. It turns out there was a semi-truck that jackknifed and everything was blocked

I figured we were going to be here for a while and we started telling Ride share stories. I felt impressed to share the story of the man who tried to attack me but was disabled by God. I asked her if she was religious and she said no. I asked her if she believed in God and she said no. I I felt impressed to proceed with the story anyway. Normally if someone says they’re not religious or that they don’t believe in God I don’t proceed with spiritual topics unless indicated by the Holy Ghost.

In that story when the guy tried to cross over to grab me it was like he was tased and started having convulsions. He lost control of his fingers and hands as long as he was in the front seat with them. When I threw him back in the backseat he was fine. I knew God had protected me.

She said, that’s amazing! What a coincidence! I took that opportunity to tell her that it was no coincidence and that there’s no such thing as coincidence. I told her it was the power of God and I testified that we have a loving father in heaven. I told her that he loves each of us.

Right then I received inspiration as to what she needed to hear. There were three things. First, she needed to know that our father in heaven loves her. Having just finished the story I could feel the spirit in the car and I decided to press that advantage. I discussed our relationship with our father in heaven and how he loves us and how our spirits crave his presence.

I thought her about her father in heaven. I could feel his presence. She told me that she was taught about God as a child but had abandoned those beliefs years before. It was very interesting to see her face light up as the spirit of her father in heaven touched her. I could tell she was feeling his presence. I told her that when we feel the spirit of God our spirit is remembering that from before we were on earth. I told her that our spirits thrive in his presence.

I told her that the Spirit of God makes her smarter, and more capable. I told her that I felt the spirit of God right now and that I could tell she was too. I asked her what she felt and she almost choked up. Power and peace are the words she said. I asked, do you know would that is? That is the spirit of God and do you know what that means? It means that God exists. I told her that she can no longer tell people she didn’t believe in God. She looked at me and said, You’re right! She said, this has been a very eye-opening experience.

I told her that our father in heaven loves all of his children, every one. I asked her if she had any friends that were members of our church and she said yes. They had a family that lived by them who were members of the church and were really good people. She said that their son was going to BYU.

She said that they had always admired that family and the way they lived their lives. She asked me if I thought that they were making the boy in that family who was 20 go on a mission. I laughed and said nobody makes him go on a mission but my guess is that if he went to BYU he probably is on a mission right now.

I told her that when I was 19 I went on a mission to Argentina and she thought that was really neat. She asked me what we did on a mission and I said we taught people about their relationship with their father in heaven just like I was teaching her in the car. She said, that’s cool because I’ve always kind of wondered a little bit what you guys believe.

We were still in the traffic jam although we had worked our way off of I-80 on the frontage road at Jeremy Ranch moving toward Summit Park on the south side of the road. There was no traffic there so we were able to bypass about an hour of delay. That said we still had plenty of time.

I asked her if I could pose some questions to her and she said yes. I asked, if God is an all powerful loving father which you know he is, does he love all of his children or just some of them? She said, he loves all of them. The spirit was telling me that this was the second issue that she had. She believed that Christianity was exclusionary of a large portion of the people in the world. She believed that it wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right.

I jumped right in that and said God loves all of his children and he is the God of all of these children. That’s why he sent his son to die for all of his children. I told her that Heavenly Father sent his son to atone for our sins, feel the pains and sufferings of this life and rise above it all. I said that he did this so that we could rely on Christ and his atonement to lift us when we had problems or tragedies in our lives. I pointed out that Jesus suffered for injustice and sickness and every evil that could be inflicted so that our burdens could be lifted by praying to God and asking him to bless us with the benefits of that atonement.

I told her that someone who is sick can still feel lifted even though they still have pain. They can still find joy because the burden seems light. I told her that the other part of this is that God then expects us to be his hands. We can take care of people’s needs while Christ succors them and blesses them spiritually emotionally in a way that no one else can. She said that’s awesome.

I told her that all Satan does is blames God or says there is no God. I told her that’s not useful, it’s not correct but it’s just the kind of lie that Satan tells people to pounce on them when they’re down. She said that’s right.

She mentioned that her aunt who is very religious and believes in Jesus had cancer and even though she was in pain she never quit believing. She told me that when her aunt died it was one of the things that made her not believe in God. She said that after our discussion tonight she knows that her aunt was happy even though she was going through this trial. Her aunt’s family was happy and joyful throughout, even after their mother had died they still expressed love and joy.

She said that before tonight she never realized that it was the power of God. I told her that God isn’t a genie that gives you three wishes or a vending machine where you put your money in and push the button and get your desired effect. I told her that God is there for us so that we can be strengthened and grow. If he just answered all of our questions the way we wanted them answered there would be no growth.

I told her that when we first started talking there were three questions that I felt like she had with regards to God and one was her relationship with God and we had discussed that, the second was what happens when people suffer and why does God allow it. The third was about all of the people everywhere that never get to hear about Jesus. She though this was unjust.

I told her that in the Bible Jesus said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was commanded to go to them. I told her that the normal Christian world is very provincial in its view of Jesus Christ. He came to visit people at a specific place and a specific time and nobody else. I told her that’s not how it was.

I told her Jesus came to America and to the people here. I told her that he descended from heaven and the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and they knew that this was their God. I told her that they had prophets who previously prophesied of Jesus. God gave them prophets and sent his son because God loves everyone.

I told her that Jesus taught them and then told them that he still had other sheep and other places and then he went to visit them. I told her that Isaiah indicated he went to many places in the world to visit the house of Israel who have been scattered all over the world. She said, that’s really cool.

The spirit was really strong and I testified that Jesus Christ came to America. I testified that God loves all of his children no matter where they live. I talked to her about the prophets who had written these prophecies and about the visit of Jesus Christ to America and that because of what they wrote we know what Jesus did at all of the other places where he went.

I told her that we knew what he thought and how much he loved everyone. I told her that the prophets wrote these prophecies and they were given to Joseph Smith. I asked her if she had heard of Joseph Smith. She said, I am from Vermont and we learned about him. I said yes, he was born in Vermont.

I told her that when he was 14 years old he was just like her. I told her that he was very confused about which religion he should join and then he knelt and prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. The spirit was so strong in the car and I knew she felt it. I stopped and said do you feel that? She said yes. I asked, what does that mean and she said it means that’s true. I told her that Joseph Smith was called to be the prophet, and then was given this book of revelations from the prophets of America so that he could translate it. I told her that this is the Book of Mormon.

She asked, so do you guys believe in the Bible too? I said yes! We believe in the Bible and we believe in the Book of Mormon and they testify of each other and they both testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

I asked her if she had ever heard of baptisms for the dead and she said yes. She said that her friends had talked about it to her. I explained to her that it’s where we are baptized for people who have died. I told her that way every one of God’s children can have a chance to come home. I asked her if every person on earth had received a baptism while on earth or at least an opportunity and she said no.

I said would a fair and just God exclude a large portion of his children just because they didn’t live in the right place at the right time and she said there’s no way. This is a problem that I have had. I couldn’t believe that God would not make a way for them. She said, I am Catholic but that just never sat right with me.

She said I understand that people need to be baptized but it just didn’t seem to me that God had made a way so therefore I didn’t see how that God was the loving God everyone thought about. That just seemed wrong to exclude everybody that wasn’t in a favorable circumstance to be baptized.

I said baptism for the dead is the answer to that and it was practiced in the New Testament and restored to us through Joseph Smith.

I said, as a Catholic you have lots of beliefs that are good but somewhat incomplete. I want you to know that we’re not here to tell you that you need to replace them. We’re here to provide light and understanding.

I told her that when Jesus came to America, everyone had previously been baptized. I told her that Jesus gave them a new baptism. I told her that Jesus gave them authority to perform the baptism and commanded them all to be baptized even though they have been previously baptized. I told her that Jesus offered them a new level. I told her that this level included baptisms for the dead and eternal marriage which she had heard about through her family friends.

I told her Jesus didn’t make them forsake their previous baptism because he appreciated the faith and love embodied in the act but now he had something bigger, now he had something better and now he had something glorious for them to receive. This required that new level.

I told her that her friend that was probably on a mission right now is out baptizing people with this authority so that they can have that new level.

I told her that he is out teaching them these very things, that God loves everyone, that God has a plan for everyone no matter who they are, where they live or when they lived. God, their loving father, has a plan to bring them home. The atonement is there to lift us through our adversities and bring us home by looking to God not blaming him.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I reached in my glove box and pulled out one of the copies of the Book of Mormon the Secrists had prepared and gave it to her. I also helped her download the Book of Mormon app. I testified to her that the Book of Mormon was true and when she read it she would feel that same spirit we felt in the car that night.

By this time we were arriving at the airport. It had taken an hour and a half to get from Park City to the airport in Salt Lake. Just enough time to accomplish what God had sent us there to do.

I asked her what she thought about what we had talked about. She said, you answered every question I’ve had about God. All my doubts are gone. There’s no way you could’ve known that those were my questions except for the spirit of God revealing that to you. I know that the things that we have talked about tonight are true and I can’t wait to get started.

She said, I believe in God and I’m going to read this book. I need to study. I told her to seek for that spirit and it will help her learn. She said her roommate has some friends that are members of the church and that she was going to talk to them about the ride. I told her that would be awesome and that I would pray for her.

It really was an extraordinary night in the snowstorm. We were able to reconnect a father with his daughter and answer her unspoken questions.

One evening after I’d been working in Park city all day long and it was time to go home. When you’re in Park City you have to make a choice, you can go through Heber and it takes you about 50 minutes or you can go through Salt Lake and it takes you about an hour and 10 minutes. Clearly the better choice at 2:30 in the morning is Heber.

Whereas I had just finished a long day I was tired but I felt impressed that I needed to go through Salt Lake. I told myself that I would do that because I can get the cheaper gas at the Maverik on California Avenue. It’s an extra five minute drive but the gas is $.20 a gallon cheaper.

I started to go through the Salt Lake Valley and got ready to shoot out on the 201 so I could go over to California Avenue when I felt the impression that I needed to go to the Maverik on 33rd South on the west side of the freeway. I go to this Maverick sometimes when their gas price is low and I like the people that work there.

I feel sorry for the people that work there because it is less than a mile from the county jail and everyone released from the jail walks over there and hangs around. The people that work there are terrified most of the time and one of them got stabbed in the neck by one of these people.

That’s where I went, I filled up my tank and started walking in and there was a guy standing in the front of the store. This is not unusual because that’s where the homeless people and recently released prisoners hang out. They hang out there and beg for money and this night appeared to be no different and this man appeared to be one of them.

He started yelling that he needed a ride to Trolley Square. I told him I didn’t have any money for him because I only have credit cards. This is usually what I say to these people because if they know I have cash with me it puts me in danger. I know they can’t take a credit card.

He said, no, you don’t understand. It’s cold outside and it’s snowing, I need a ride. When we get there I will pay you $20. I’ve heard that story before and have very little confidence that those kind of things will ever happen or come to fruition.

The spirit had other ideas. It indicated to me that this was a different situation and that I needed to look more closely at what was going on. I went inside and asked the lady who works there what the deal was and she told me that the police arrested him and then released him but that he hadn’t got his money back from them so he had no way to get home.

I received the prompting that I was supposed to drive him to his home right by Trolley Square. After I went to the restroom and got ready I went out and told him that I would take him home. He was really excited and got in the car.

The first few minutes he spent telling me about the injustice of his situation and explained to me that he had been arrested for marijuana possession even though he had a marijuana medical card. I kept my mouth shut while he droned on.Sometimes it is the hardest thing for me to do but miracles are happening all over the place I guess.

When he got done the spirit told me that I would be teaching the gospel to that young man and so I started talking to him. I was trying to figure out a way that I could possibly talk to this kid and touch him. He seemed hard and extremely angry.

I asked about his family and he said, my dad‘s 70 and he’s very LDS like you are. That gave me everything I needed. I knew that if his dad was LDS and very LDS that he had been taught the gospel in his younger years.

I said, well, that means you are LDS too. He said, not really. The spirit moved and impressed me what the next things were that I should say. I told him that he was angry that people in the church said things and did things that were hurtful. I told him that bishops and leaders aren’t perfect. He said, they’re not perfect, nobody is perfect. I could tell that he was thinking about himself and and his relationship with his leaders like I was talking about. I told him that the great thing about God’s church is that even though we are not perfect his authority is perfect and the callings he gives us are perfect.

I told him that the power that we have is perfect because it comes from God who is our father and he is perfect. I told him that God is our father and he loves us and that love is perfect.

The spirit testified of the love of our father in heaven in the car. I could feel his anger subside and it was replaced with the sweet feeling of the spirit. He was listening.

I told him that he had been deeply wounded by people who judged him. He said, yes, the most judgmental people I have ever met in my life are members of the church. He said it with anger and venom. I told him that may be true. I asked him what he didn’t like about their judgment and he said they judged him for his sins and they wouldn’t tolerate him or allow him room to be better or fail and then improve.

I asked him if he thought what they did was a sin and he said yes! I told him that I agreed, then I said that what they did was a sin but that they needed to receive from him the same kind of tolerance, forgiveness and love that he expected to receive from them.

Silence!

I asked, how can you expect them to love you in your sins if you’re not willing to love them in their sin? I told him that we all need to do better. I told him that he needs to go up to those people who are judging him, put his arm around them and tell them what great examples they are to him and ask them for their help. I told him that this would change everything.

He said, you know, you’re probably right! I said this is how we become more like God and follow him.

I told him that my perception was that he had sins that he had committed that he felt guilty about and therefore he was critical of his leaders and critical of other ward members. I said that you try to bring them down so you don’t feel so low.

Silence.

The spirit was everywhere in the car and we could both feel it. I asked him if he felt it and he said yes. I told him it was the spirit of God and that it was testifying that the things I was saying were true. I told him that the words I had spoken came from God and that’s why his spirit accompanied them.

I told him that this is how it goes. I told him that this is how Satan convinces us to turn our backs on the people who would love us and help us. He makes us feel shame and we can’t stand the glare of the light. I told him that reaching out to people would transform him and help him feel that love and walk in that light.

I asked him what it was that he told himself was the reason he left the church. I phrased it that way very purposefully so as not to legitimize a reason. He said, I left the church because none of it made sense. I believe there’s a God but all of that other stuff seems a little bit out there sometimes and I haven’t seen anything that would make me believe.

I talked to him about the Book of Mormon and said the book is true. I said I know that book is true because I’ve prayed and God has revealed it to me. I told him that the spirit we felt there in the car was confirming to him that the things I said were true and he said yes. I told him the Book of Mormon was true. He nodded.

I told him that if he wanted evidence, there is evidence. I told him about an ancient temple in Mexico built 700 years after Christ that has a depiction of the Godhead with a descending God. We agreed that it clearly represented the Godhead. I asked him how that could happen 700 years after Christ. I asked him how in the world that information could’ve gone to America 700 years A.D. He said he had no idea. I said I know, it’s in the Book of Mormon.

I told him that Jesus came to America and that is the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is about the preparation for Jesus‘s visit to America and the aftermath of Jesus‘s visit to America. It’s all about Jesus and his visit to America. It’s a testament of Christ. I told him that book is true and the spirit testified of it to us in the car. I could tell he was moved.

Sometimes when you testify the spirit bears witness and the power is overwhelming. This was one of those times.

I asked, “you never thought you’d feel this way again, did you?” When you felt the spirit when you were young you loved it but you’ve allowed Satan to tell you you don’t deserve it. You’ve allowed Satan to tell you that God doesn’t want you. You’ve allowed Satan to tell you that God doesn’t want you to pray and you’ve allowed Satan to tell you that you shouldn’t go to church.

I told him that those whispering in his ear saying these things were Satan. I told him that the Book of Mormon teaches that anyone who teaches a man not to pray or any thought that teaches a man not to pray is of Satan. I told him that likewise the Book of Mormon teaches that if there is any thought or person teaching not to go to church that person is also doing Satan‘s work.

I asked, how can you let him just walk all over you and win? How can you let Satan win? I told him you’re not a quitter and you can’t allow Satan to win. The spirit was really strong in the car and I said “the spirit is here because God sent me here tonight to pick you up”.

I said, look at the condition you’re in and where I found you. I told him there’s no chance on earth that I would ever pick him up and give him a ride but I did. I did it this time because God told me to. I told him this is how angels work and God had sent me to give him this message.

I told him God sent me so that he could know that God loves him and that he wants him back and that he shouldn’t listen to Satan. I said that he’s got to straighten his life out. I said “that seems like a long way away right now”

I told him that we need to pray every day and we need to repent every day. We need to remember the things that we do so that we can ask forgiveness from God and try to make better choices the next day. I told him that repenting every day is something our prophet has said is important and it will help us step by step come closer to God. I told him that everyone needs to do this from me to him to my wife to the prophet himself. Everyone needs to pray and repent every day.

I told him that if he would do this, God would help him. I told him that tonight God sent me to help him know that he was not a lost cause and that he needed to get about it. I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon, he nodded and said yes and I also have a mother.

He said “tomorrow morning I’ll call my mother, she needs to hear about this. I’ll go to church with her on Sunday because you are right. Tonight I was in a very vulnerable state and at my weakest point ever.

I then said, God sent me when your ears were open so that you could hear the words I had to say.

I told him, tonight in this car God has given me things to say that I should not know about you. Things that you haven’t told anyone and when I said them you were astounded that I knew them. You wondered how I knew them. I told him that God gave me promptings of those things to say so that he could know that the things I said were from God.

I told him God knows that you were at the perfect time to receive this message and so he sent it. I looked back and he was sobbing. A grown man just out of jail crying in my car. He said, I really needed this. I needed to feel this. I promise you I will call my mom and I will go to church.

I told him never forget who you are and that God knows who you are and now you know that he knows where you are and what you’re doing. He knows the promise you made here tonight.

He said, I am going to do the things that I told you I would do. He reached out to touch me and shake my hand. His face had transformed and his spirit was happy. His spirit had just spent 15 minutes with the spirit of his Heavenly father and it was excited.

He turned around and went in the house. I thought back on all of the things that went into putting me in that position to receive the prompting to say those words. Heavenly Father knew his son was in trouble and I’m glad that he sent me.

I went over to pick up a lady that works at an senior adult care center. She was waiting out front when I got there and very cheerful. When she got in the car we started talking about where we were from.

I always ask that question because it seems nobody’s actually from Utah. When somebody says they’re from Utah, I always say “you’re the one!” “She wasn’t from Utah so she’s apparently she is not the one….. not in that way anyway. She talked about her life and how she lives with her son. She works this difficult job but she is really a happy person.

As we talked it occurred to me that she really liked living in Utah. She liked the people she worked with and she was happy. I had the impression to flat out ask this woman that I had known for three minutes if anyone had ever asked her if she wanted to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I usually try to be more nuanced than that. I try to find common ground or work into something. Nope! Not this time. The spirit said and asked her the question so I did. I kind of half expected that she would be shocked at the boldness. I was surprised to see her face light up and a smile as she said, I’ve always wanted to learn more. I’ve always wanted to find someone that could help me know more but no one has ever said anything about it or offered to help. As I spoke I felt power in my words a direct result of obeying the promptings of the spirit. The spirit flooded the car.

I felt properly chastised for doubting the revelation and then said, you’re Catholic aren’t you? She said yes, I knew this because the spirit indicated that to me. This time I just said it. I said one of the easiest things to think of as you’re looking at the church is that we have everything that you have plus more.

I talked to her about God‘s love for us. I asked her how it is that God shows us his love. She said that God shows his love by helping us live good lives. I said that’s exactly right. We are God’s children and he loves us, everyone. He wants us to be happy. To help us with this he gives us prophets and then reveals his words to those prophets so that they can teach us.

I told her that those revelations that the prophets receive are called prophecies and commandments. I told her that the prophets then gives us those revelations and commandments and if we obey them we can be happy. She nodded her head in agreement.

I said, that’s what the Bible is and we believe in the Bible. It is a collection of the revelations and commandments that the prophets received from God. I told her that they wrote them down and we have the Bible. She agreed.

I asked her if God just loved the people in Jerusalem or if he loved everyone. She said he loves everyone. I told her that we believe that the people here in America anciently had prophets as well. That God loved them too so he gave them prophets to receive revelations and commandments. When they lived those commandments they were happy and they were blessed.

I told her that those prophets wrote those commandments and we have them today. I told her that those commandments are found in the book called the Book of Mormon. She said, I’ve heard of that book!. I told her that the book contains commandments from God and talks about the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

I said that they had the bible and so do we but we have more, the Book of Mormon.

I told her that when Jesus was in Jerusalem he said, other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was talking about the people in America. I said that he descended from heaven and they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and they bathed his feet with their tears. He blessed them with commandments. He taught them and he loved them

I told her that when Jesus was here he told the people that they needed to be baptized even though they had already been baptized in their previous religion. He taught them to be baptized to this new covenant and this new level and invited everyone of them to do so. I told her that this is the baptism that we have today and the invitation that Jesus gave to be baptized to this new level and this new covenant still stands.

I told her, we have a baptism too, only more

I told her that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from the writings of the ancient prophets to English by the power of God. I told her that Joseph Smith, who was a young man, had been searching for the true church. I told her that he had prayed and that God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet to restore the church. I told her that today we have a prophet and apostles who lead and guide the church and speak with God and then reveal his will.

I told her that they had a leader of their church, the pope. I told her that we have leaders in our church too only they have the authority from God, the priesthood and we have a prophet.

The same but we have more.

I told her that we believe that people should be married just like they do but that we believe the marriage lasts for eternity. I told her that when Peter was on the earth he was given authority to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven. I told her that we use this same power to seal things on earth. We seal marriages and families so that they last beyond this life. She said “that’s beautiful.”

I told her, that’s exactly what God has us doing. We are building eternal families to serve him.

I said in your church and in our church we have marriage but in our church we have a little extra, eternal marriage.

I could tell that she was feeling the spirit very powerfully so I asked her, “tell me what you feel right now.” She said that she felt exhilarated and she felt the power of the things that I was saying. I asked her if she thought they were true and she said she knew they were true.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I asked her if I could give her one and she said yes. I grabbed one of the book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and gave it to her. She said she would read it. She said she couldn’t wait to get started. I asked her if she had any friends that were members in the church and she said the owners of the business where she works were members of the church and she likes them quite a bit.

I told her to go and talk to them and tell them about our discussion and she said she would. I told her to tell them about what she felt. She said that she would try but it would probably make her cry.

I told her, that’s ok, sometimes we cry in church. I asked her if she wanted to go to church this Sunday which was two days later. She said she couldn’t this week but she would love to the following week. I got the information from her and I am calling the missionaries to make sure that she is well received while she attends the ward. It was time for her to get out of the car and I said, do you remember the part where Jesus invited the people to be baptized to that new level? She said yes! I asked her if that would be an invitation she would accept. She smiled and said she would love to and she wants to do that.

I think this day I learned that sometimes you just have to say the words and not worry about finessing yourself into a conversation. The bottom line is that the Lord knows where the conversation needs to go and he will guide it there.

One day I picked up a girl in the Greek sorority section by the University of Utah. Normally when you pick someone up in this area you don’t think missionary work. I do think there’s obviously a lot of missionary work that needs to happen but these people are the very definition of debauchery most of the time.

She was heading to her job which was acting. She was acting in a play in another part of the valley. I asked her where she was from and she said California.

I asked her what brought her from California to Utah and she said, I don’t know, I liked my audition I did with the drama department at the University. She explained that she had to do auditions by zoom for colleges and none of them went well except for the University of Utah one so she came here.

She said that an extra bonus was that her good friend went to BYU. I asked her if she had been to Provo and she said that she had. She said she loved it. She said that she loved the mountains and that she was going to go down to visit her friend and try to climb the Y someday soon.

Strange words coming from Greek Row indeed!

I said, that was cool for her to have a friend so close at BYU. She said yeah, I tried to get her to go to the University of Utah but the rivalry and everything made it so her parents wouldn’t support that, not even for a second. I see that as quality parenting.

I said, do you know why they wanted her to go to BYU? She said, besides rivalry? I said yes. I asked her if I could tell her what is is, she said OK, what is it.

I said that her parents wanted her to date and marry someone that she could marry in the temple. I told her that we believe that when we marry someone in the temple that our marriages are forever marriages and our families are forever families. I told her the odds of finding a young man with those values is extremely high at BYU. I told her that her friend’s parents were playing the odds.

I told her that the parents wanted her to be with people that had similar beliefs so that when she had struggles, her college friends wouldn’t take her out to get her drunk but would lift her spiritually and in another ways.

I told her that the fact that BYU requires eight classes of religious instruction is a wonderful way to get to know her father in heaven and his word. I told her that these are the things her parents wanted along with the distain for the opposing team in the rivalry. We laughed.

Then the spirit moved me and I said you have been presented with opportunities to be baptized before. You’ve studied the gospel before. I told her that she didn’t do it because of fear for her social circumstance at college and her family‘s reaction. I told her that she liked it but those things were the complications that stopped her from being baptized.

She said yes, how did you know? I asked her how she felt right then. She said incredibly energized and peaceful. I asked her if she liked that feeling and she said yes. I told her it was the spirit of God and it was there to confirm the truth of the things I was saying and that the Holy Ghost had given me the words to say.

I felt impressed to say, “there’s someone in particular that you are thinking about right now who had really worked hard tying to get you to be baptized, who was that”? She said, that’s my boyfriend. He’s serving a mission right now.

I said that was great that her boyfriend was serving. I told her that he was out following the same spirit she was feeling now and saying the words the Lord put into his heart as well. I told her that this is how he was blessing people’s lives by bringing them the Spirit of God and God’s word just like we were experiencing in the car. She said that is was cool.

Then she said, my friend and Provo just opened her mission call and she’s going to South Carolina. She said that her friend was so excited.

I asked, you always seem to find yourself with members of the church don’t you? I told her that I felt that she was drawn to the light they have and that it was the same light our father in heaven has. I told her that this was the way he beckons to her and she felt the need to have that light in her life. She was drawn to it. I told her that she kept looking for it and was drawn to people who have it. I told her she wanted to have it but that this can only happen when she’s baptized.

She looked shocked and had a look of recognition on her face. She said, you’re right! I never thought about it like that.

I told her God puts people in my car and the spirit gives me the things to say. I told her again that the reason why you keep being drawn to members of the church is because your spirit knows that this is where you need to be.

I told her that her heavenly father knows who she is and loves her. He wants his spirit to be with her. I told her that her spirit wants the same thing. I told her that her spirit craves that association.

I asked her if she’d read the Book of Mormon and she said yes. I asked her if it was true and she said yes.

I asked her if knowing that it was God‘s will that she be baptized so that he could have his spirit be with her always made a difference and she said yes.

Then she sat back and said, WOW! There was silence for a minute. We sat there marinating in the spirit. Then she said, “I have to call my friend in Provo. We need to discuss this ride and the spirit we have felt”. She thanked me and told me this was the best ride she’d ever had. She said that what we had talked about and the spirit in the car had answered all of her questions and eased her concerns.

She said her friend would be so happy, and her boyfriend would be too!! She said , this was just what I needed just when I needed it. She smiled and got out of the car and went into the theatre.

I picked up a lady in Rose Park at about 12:15 one night. Rose Park isn’t exactly the place you want to be at 12:15 but this time it felt OK. It took her a long time to get to the car but finally she came up and knocked on the window. It startled me a little bit but we got it together and she got in the car.

We started to drive to the first location, she had two locations in the App, when I started out she said we are headed to the wrong place. She got us going to the right place, went in and got the things she needed and then came back out to the car. While she was gone I kept having the thought that she was here for a purpose. I decided I better find out what that was.

We were headed down to West Jordan so we jumped on California Avenue and then onto I 215. She told me we should get off on Redwood Road and that’s how she wanted me to go. The app clearly was giving directions that I was supposed to get off on 47th South.

I said to her are, you sure we’re not supposed to get off on 47th South and she said she was very sure, “it’s so much better on Redwood Road”. Then the spirit whispered to me and said that the reason why 47th South kept propping up was because I was supposed to talk about the building being completed off of 47 South. and I-215. It is the temple. It’s nearing the end of its construction.

I knew that there had to be a reason that the app was telling me to go on 47th South. When I saw the temple this made sense. The spirit told me exactly what it was and I knew what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. I also felt like someone else who loved her was in the car.

I said, well, as long as were driving by 47th south and not getting off we can still look at the temple that’s being built there, it’s a beautiful building! She said yes, it is, it’s gorgeous! At this point I didn’t know whether she was less active or not a member and we hadn’t had any discussion it. The spirit indicated to me that she was one of these so I knew that she was one or the other.

She didn’t smell like smoke, she wasn’t drunk, she was modestly dressed, she didn’t use very much foul language and the spirit told me that we needed to have a discussion about the temple.

I said to her, are you excited that once it is finished you get to go into it? She said, “what? go into a temple? I’ve never been in a temple! Are you sure? I would love to go into the temple and see what it’s like.” I told her that right after they finish building it, they will have an open house and for about three weeks people will be able to go through and see the temple. She said “I would love to do that! I’m going to do that.”

I told her, the other cool thing is that the Salt Lake Temple will be finished in a couple of years and she will be able to do the same thing there. She said, “oh my goodness! That would be a dream to go in that building!”

She said, you may not know it but my husband went on a mission for your church. We were members of your church right up until he was murdered. Her husband was murdered in 2006 and since then she had kind of dropped out of everything.

I saw why I was supposed to talk about the temples, I asked, you were never married in the temple were you? She said no! So you’ve never been in a temple I asked?. She said no. I said do you know what we do in temples? She said hold services I suppose. I said well, not really.

I told her that we are married in temples. I told her that when Peter was on the earth he was given power and authority by Jesus Christ to seal things on the earth that would be sealed in heaven and that we have that same authority today. I told her that we use that authority to seal marriages and seal families so that those people will be married and together in the next life. I told her that I was sealed to my wife. I told her that we do not do marriages “till death do us part” in the temple. I told her that temple marriages are forever.

She said that is amazing. She said “I wish I’d known about that”. I told her it’s not too late because the other thing we do in temples is we do work for people who have passed. I asked her if she’d ever heard of baptisms for the dead and she said yes. I told her that when Jesus was in the spirit world and his body was in the tomb before his resurrection he set up the preaching of the gospel to the people who had died. I told her that we go to the temple and we are baptized in their name so that they get a choice to accept the baptism or not. I told her that if my grandfather had died without being baptized I could go and be baptized for him so he could chose to accept this baptism. She said that’s awesome!

I told her that we also do marriages the same way. I told her that she could go to the temple and a worthy man could represent her husband. I told her that this way she and her husband could be married and sealed for time and all eternity. She was emotional, she was crying.

The spirit of God was in the car it was touching me and it was touching her. I could tell she was also feeling the presence of her husband and I said you’re feeling him here now aren’t you. She said yes, I am, how did you know? I told her that the gift of the Holy Ghost was whispering it to my heart. I told her that our father in heaven’s spirit was in the car and that it was telling me the things that she needed to hear.

I told her that her father in heaven wants her back. I told her that he wants her to go to church and go to the temple, not as a visitor in an open house but as a worshiper and a covenant maker. I told her that her heavenly father wants her to be sealed to her husband and that her husband wants to be sealed to her. That’s why I was sent here tonight.

I told her that God puts people in my car so that they can receive messages and he sends his spirit. He also sends the words to say. I told her that God and her husband wanted her to learn about the temple and start making a plan to get there.

She said, this is right! This is what I want to do. It would make my husband so happy. I told her that I felt like she was feeling sad. She said she was because she was thinking about her husband being killed.

I told her that the atonement of Jesus Christ was a complete sacrifice to make it so that we could walk with God through our lives and have him lift us in our burdens. I told her that Jesus Christ could help ease the pain of the suffering that she went through. I told her that God did not want her to suffer like this. I told her that the atonement of Jesus Christ and being sealed to her husband in the temple is God‘s way of helping her feel joy, love and happiness in the midst of her trials.

I asked her again if she could feel the spirit of God and she said yes. I told her that this is because the things I was saying were true. She said she knew it was.

I told her that her husband‘s not in pain and she said she knew that. I asked her why she should be in pain if he’s not? There was silence in the car the spirit was strong. I said God does not want you in pain. God wants you to look to his son Jesus Christ and his atonement. God wants you to pray. She said I don’t do that very much. She said “I will start.” I said God wants you to go to church and God wants you to prepare to go to the temple.

She asked is there someone I need to talk to that can help me get ready? I said yes! It is your Bishop. You need you to go to church and find out who the bishop is then go to him and tell him what we’ve talked about in the car tonight and tell him your story. I told her that he would know what to do to help her and that he would be able to get her to the temple. I told her that he would make it possible for her to be married to her husband for eternity .

She said, this ride seems like a dream. This is what I need to do. This is why you’re here. I said there’s one more thing, we need to find out where you go to church. She said, that’s a good idea I haven’t been in 20 years and I don’t know.

I put her address into the meeting house locator and came up with her ward, it met right behind her house. It also gave us the name of the bishop and the time of their meetings. I said, do you promise me you’ll go? She said, wild horses couldn’t keep me away at this point. God has told me this is what I need to do tonight in this car and I felt my husband here. I know this is what he wants me to do too. I took the picture of the meetinghouse locator page and showed it to her and she took a picture of that page off of my phone so that she could have the information

I said go to church ask for the bishop and he’ll probably have some missionaries come over and talk to you. They’re missionaries just like your husband was a missionary. She said, he would love that! This is what I need to do.

She thanked me and headed into her house. She turned around and waved five times in the time it to to cover the 10 yard sidewalk. She had a smile on her face and she had clearly been lifted by the spirit. I rolled down the window and said, I want you to promise to me one more time that you’ll go Sunday. She said, “I’ll be there”. I know that she will! She wants to get married, this time in the temple.

It’s interesting to feel the spirit bring to your recollection things that you’ve learned in the past and prompt you to use them in a discussion. Sometimes you’re in uncharted waters, and somehow miraculously you just say the right thing. It’s the spirit!

When I’m mowing the lawn I listen to the scriptures. If you’ve ever yelled at me while i am out there mowing the lawn and wonder why I don’t hear you it’s because I’ve got my noise cancellation headphones and am listen to the Book of Mormon. Listening this way allows me to open my mind and focus on what the spirit is teaching me instead of scrutinizing what I am reading.

This is how I’ve come to understand Isaiah better. I listen to the story and think about what I’m hearing and what I’m feeling. It has made it easier for me to understand. It has also help me understand a little bit more about the scattering of Israel and the gathering of the tribes of Israel. I really look forward to that time each week in the summer. It has become quite a time of learning and closeness with the spirit for me.

It has helped me with my understanding of the scriptures and sometimes it gives me the background of the information I need so that the spirit can prompt me to use it latter when discussing the gospel. One cold night this was the case.

I picked up three guys outside of a club in Salt Lake City. At first I was a little aggravated because they had been smoking and you just can’t leave that smell outside the car……(rant alert) Just because you throw your cigarette away five seconds before you get in the car doesn’t mean the smell goes with it.

All three of them climbed in the car and we started to go. We began with the normal smalltalk and in that smalltalk I found out these guys were from Israel and that they were Jewish. One thing I have never taught is a Jewish person. Imagine my surprise when the spirit told me to get with it.

Argentina had just won the World Cup and I asked if they liked soccer and mentioned that I had served in Argentina. We talked for a minute about Lionel Messi and then they asked, are you Mormon? I said yes sir I am. Then one of them said but are you still Mormon? I said yes I am. They said do you still believe everything and go to church all of the time?

I somehow felt like I was in a really important temple recommend interview. These guys behind me in the car were grilling me about my beliefs and whether or not I practiced those beliefs. They were very interested. Once I had assured them that I believed the church is true and that I go to church every Sunday and serve where I can they seemed to be pacified.

One of them said that his last name was Zachariah. He asked me if I knew anything about the prophet Zachariah or if I’d heard about him. I told to him that I had and he said that he hadn’t ever heard much. Even though he had his name he had never really studied his words. He seemed relieved and even proud that I knew something of this prophet who he told me was his ancestor.

Then they said, teach us something about your church,. They said, we know that you guys have a lot in common with our church and our religion, so teach us something. I was grateful for the forewarning I had received from the spirit because I had already been praying about what to say and the first thing that came to mind was prophets.

I told them that we have a prophet that speaks with God and that our church was founded by a prophet. I talked to them about Joseph Smith and how as a young man he knelt and prayed to ask God which of all the religions was true. I told them that God spoke to him and told him that he would be the prophet to restore his church on the earth.

I told them that he was called to be a prophet by God just like Moses, Samuel, Isaiah and all of the prophets in ancient Israel.

I received the prompting that I should speak of the Godhead as Elohim, Jehovah and the Holy Spirit. In retrospect, I believe there was because they were confused by me using the words God and Jesus. When I started using those names they said well, that’s what we call them. Those are the same names we use for God. I said that we believe Elohim is God the father and that Jehovah is Jesus Christ. I said that he was born and then later crucified to pay for our sins. He also suffered so that he could lift us through our trials in this life and our sins in the next. I said, Jesus Christ is who we believe the Messiah is.

They said that they had heard that we believed Jesus Christ was the Messiah but that they had never realized that Jehovah was Jesus Christ and the relationship with Elohim was something they didn’t know a great deal about.

I explained them that the children of Israel were scattered to the ends of the earth. I told them that Isaiah spoke about this. I told them that Isaiah prophesied extensively about how the Messiah would minister to scattered Israel. I told them that isaiah taught that God never forgot those children of Israel who were scattered and that he loved them and remembered them.

I mentioned that they were scattered to everywhere, every continent and the isles of the sea. I also mentioned to them that Abraham was promised that the whole world would be blessed by his seed and that this was Gods way of fulfilling that promise. I also said that Isaiah mentioned that the Messiah would go to the house of Israel, all of the house of Israel and that he would gather them and bless them.

Right then the phrase that the Book of Mormon will convince the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ came to my mind. I knew then what to do. I went into the Book of Mormon and started teaching. I mentioned to them that the Book of Mormon was the history of a Jewish family and it started in Jerusalem. The father of this family was a prophet in Jerusalem.

I told them that Isaiah was very important and his words brought great comfort to these Jews. I said that this family knew and was contemporary with Jeremiah. They lit up as I used these names because they were all names that they were familiar with. I told them that the father of this family who was a prophet was commanded by God to leave Jerusalem with his family and commanded to keep a record.

I told them that God took them from Jerusalem, helped them build a boat and brought them to America just like Noah had been instructed to build a boat to save his family. Then I said that at this point his family became part of scattered Israel in the isles of the sea. I pointed out that Isaiah had mentioned this and that they were a fulfillment of his prophecy.

I told them that the people came to America and from America went to other places in the sea, other islands and possibly other continents. I told them that the Book of Mormon was nothing more than the revelations given by God to his people and his prophets. I asked them how important the words of the prophets are to the Jews and they said very important.

I told them, the cool thing about the Book of Mormon was that it is a record of a family of Jews that become Christians and how God directed that change. I told them that the prophet received revelations about Jesus Christ and that he would come. I also told them the Jesus Christ came to America and taught the people. I told them that once Jesus was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem he descended from heaven in America and the people came to him.

I told them that they knew who it was because they had been taught by their prophets that he would come. They were waiting for the Messiah and they had him standing before them. I told them that as a nation that day they converted to Christianity.

I could feel the spirit in the car and so I stopped teaching for a minute to identify it. I asked them if they could feel something different. They said yes! One said he felt peaceful and another one said he felt warm and the final one said he felt peaceful and warm. I knew they were feeling the spirit and so I told them that it was the spirit of God and that he sent his spirit to testify of truth.

Then one of them said, isn’t the Spirit of God found in all things? I said the spirit of God is all around us but it comes into our hearts to testify of truth. If I had been lying would you feel like you feel right now? They said no. I said, if I had told you something that was false, how would you feel? Would God have sent his spirit to ratify that? They said that they thought that he would not. I said that the Spirit of God comes to us to help us know the truth.

I told them that they are children of their father in heaven and they readily said that they believed that to be true. I told them that his spirit is important to our spirits and that this relationship is vital. I told them that our spirits recognize his spirit because it is a father-child relationship.

They agreed with that and said they had never thought of it that way. I said, having the spirit with us makes it so that we can know that God is blessing the things we do in our lives. I told them that if we do the right things and make the right choices we can walk with the spirit of God.

I told them that once we are baptized we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost which walks with us and confirms truth to us. I told them that it comforts us and helps us. They said they heard about the Holy Ghost but didn’t have a great understanding of it. This made sense to them.

I told them that the Holy Ghost that they were feeling right now was here because the things I was saying were true. I asked them if they had a copy of the Book of Mormon and they told me they have the app. I reached in and pulled out one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and gave it to them. I said, I want you to have one of these so that you can sit and read it.

They were touched. I told them to remember that this is the story of a Jewish family. A Jewish family who became Mormons. We all laughed. I told them what was more important is that this book is the story of a prophet who followed God and fulfilled prophecies pronounced by other prophets. I told them that this book was their heritage and that it would speak them.

Each one of them said we want to read this book, We want to study this book and we want to learn about your church through this book. I told them that as they read they should pray and when they pray, God would send the spirit that they were feeling right now to their hearts and they would know the things are true.

I told them that God doesn’t expect us to wander without a light and without a guide. I told them that he would walk beside us and that his spirit will be around us if we will do the things that he asks us to do. We were finally at the place where I was supposed to drop them off and one of them opened the door and the other one said shut that door we’re not done.

I could tell that they were feeling the spirit and not wanting the ride to end. They enjoyed this communion. To them it was a moment of enlightenment.

Then I looked at the one whose name was Zachariah and I said do you know what Zachariah taught? He said no, I just know that I am related. I told him that Zachariah taught of the gathering of Israel In the last days. I asked him if he knew what the mission of the book of Mormon was? He said no. I said it is to gather Israel. I said it’s very interesting that you, a descendent of Zachariah, are holding your hands the instrument of the fulfillment of his prophecy. He was touched and said, this is amazing.

We sat there for a minute and then finally they had to go. First there were fist bumps and handshakes. Then all three of them, six hands, were grabbing my shoulders and shaking me in a loving friendly way. I have said before than once people feel the spirit in my car they like to reach out and touch me and these three young men were no exception.

I know this ride was supposed to happen. I don’t know if they’ll get baptized but I know that they knew that this was true. They know that God confirmed it to them and I know that they’re going to read the Book of Mormon. I know God had a purpose for that ride and I know it’s a good thing I have paid attention when I’m mowing the lawn.

I picked up a girl at some apartments in Northeast Salt Lake City. She was just getting off a date and she was going home. She came out of the house and got in the car and had an unsettled spirit about her. I asked her how it went and she said it went good but I could tell she wasn’t telling the truth.

I said sometimes the guys are just underwhelming aren’t they. She said yes they are. I talked to her about a study I saw with regards to tinder and how easy it is for guys to be players and girls to be superficial. She said that’s exactly right.

I asked her if it would be OK if I spoke like a dad or like a grandpa and she said she would love that. The spirit had let me know early that she had been unsettled by her night and that this guy had tried to push her and she was not having it. I told her what I thought had happened and she said that I was very perceptive.

Then she went into an explanation on how tough it is to find good guys and asked me where do you think I should find them? She said my dad tells me to go to libraries. I laughed. I said you don’t strike me as a library type and then she laughed.

I said the issue is that in the daring process these days many women don’t feel like they need to have the man prove himself or his intentions and earn the right through commitment. Since the women don’t require this the guys aren’t looking to give this. That is why the dating apps are so horrible and just degenerate into a bunch of people trying to have sex.

She said you sound like my dad. She said, I was raised a Mormon but I’ve left the church. My dad has been a bishop and my dad and mom are still very active and you sound just like him. She said I can tell that you’re Mormon too. Then I told her, well then you know where I’m going to tell you you should meet the kind of guy you’re looking for, in a singles ward.

She said, let me tell you my story. She told me about being married at 18 to a young man that was 22 years old. She said that they were divorced now and that she was quite disillusioned and had left the church. None of this shocked me as I could feel her wounds but I could also feel her father in heaven‘s love for her.

I told her that the first thing that was important for her to understand was that God loved her. She had lived with her father in heaven for thousands of years and their spirits knew each other and her spirit craved the presence of her father. When I testified of her Heavenly Father’s love his spirit came in the car.

I could tell she was moved and I could feel that she was gobbling it up. I told her that what happens is people are led away and fill the space intended for the spirit with riotous living and substances that drag them away from happiness not to happiness.

She said that’s right, that’s what had happened. I told her that the spirit was telling me that when she thinks about going to church or drives by a church she has Satan in her ear telling her that she can’t go there because she’s not worthy. He tells her the people will be judging her and that she is not welcome and that she can’t pray because her father in heaven doesn’t want to hear from her because she’s unclean.

I told her that these things come from Satan and they are lies because Satan is a liar. I told her that her father in heaven wants her back.

I told her that he’s given her the atonement. There was a pause when I said atonement and I could tell she was thinking about confessing in the bishop’s office. I said repentance is only part of the atonement, when Jesus atoned he also suffered for our pain, the injustice, the angst, the infirmities and all of the negative things that we would have to go through so that we could lean on him.

I told her that the only way to heal totally and move forward is to take the atonement as if it were medicine and rub it on your heart and soul so that it can heal.

She said, that is beautiful. I said, that’s God‘s way of making things right.

The spirit was really strong in the car and I asked her what it felt like and she said it was a very strong feeling of peace. I said that’s how you felt in the presence of God for all those years and he is here. I said this is how you feel when you’re hearing truth or when you’re in the presence of the Holy Ghost. You know that the things you’re hearing are true. I told her that one of the problems we have is that she went to girls camp and felt that crying or shivers down your spine were the spirit. I told her that what she was feeling now was the spirit and that emotion could also be involved at times but that this peace she was feeling is how she felt in the presence of God.

I told her that God sent his spirit because he wanted her to have a message. I told her that God had given me these things to say so that she would know that he loved her and that he wanted her to come back to him.

I felt like asking her about the Book of Mormon so I asked her how long it had been since she read it. She said she had read it many times. Then it became clear to me that she had been frustrated by not receiving what she considered to be an answer after she read the book. When I said this she said she was confused by the fact that she had never received what she considered to be a revelation or answer as promised.

I took some time and went over Moroni 10:3-5. We talked about “receiving these things and pondering them in your heart.” We discussed making a decision and taking it before Heavenly Father and asking him to confirm that decision or let you know if it was wrong. I also told her based on verse five this is a pattern for receiving revelation in our life.

I said, that same feeling that you’re feeling right now in the car is the very feeling that you’ll feel as God confirms to you that the Book of Mormon is true. That is your answer! It’s not an angel, (probably). It’s not a whisper in your ear, (probably). It’s definitely the love and spirit of your father in heaven as manifest to you by peace in your heart as you have indicated here tonight. She asked, why didn’t somebody explain this to me. I told her it is very personal and very difficult to teach but that is why she was in my car tonight.

I asked her how she felt about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon based on the spirit she felt now. She said its true and that she was thinking about all of the times she missed that confirmation looking for something else.

I told her that when people look for who they’re going to marry they ask Heavenly Father to show them who they should marry and then look for dreams of 8 x 10 glossy photos of the person floating by that they are supposed to marry. They do this rather than study it out in their mind, make a decision, ask for confirmation and follow the spirit. I said that’s how we can follow the spirit and make good choices.

I told her that if you go to the singles ward there are still a few guys that are not great guys and you still have to make those good ones prove themselves. You still have to make them earn the right to be with you and prove their intentions. I said, you start ahead of the game by being in a pool of people that are looking in the same direction you’re looking. They are trying to walk in the same way you are even though they’re not perfect. She said that makes sense.

I told her that I felt impressed by the spirit that she hasn’t been praying for years. She looked down and said, how did you know. I told her that the spirit whispered it to my heart. I asked her how God can bless her and give her the man that he has prepared for her if she isn’t willing to turn to him in prayer?

I told her that the young man she’s looking for is in a singles ward and that if she prepares herself she will be able to recognize him. I said he’ll see the light in your eyes and recognize you. I told her to get to that point she needs to pray every day, she needs to read her Book of Mormon every day and that she needs to go to church.

I got the impression that she felt very deeply with her heart and that this gift wasn’t appreciated. Her heart had been wounded and that discussing the atonement was very soothing. I also had the impression that she really wanted to love more but had felt like she needed to restrain herself. I got the distinct impression that her love and her ability to love was a huge part of her patriarchal blessing.

I said these things to her and she agreed but when I talked about her patriarchal blessing she said there’s no way you could’ve known that. I told her that it was God that put these words in my heart so that she could know that this message was for her and that it came from him.

The spirit was in the car and she was feeding off of it. I could tell it was like you feel when you start drinking water after having been a long time without. You just soak it in.

Her spirit was soaking it in. I told her that her father in heaven loved her so much that he would do anything to get her back. I told her that he would even send a driver with a message if that’s what it took. She smiled. I could tell she didn’t want the trip to end even though we had been sitting in front of her house for sometime.

I asked her if she would commit to doing the things we talked about and she said yes. I told her it’s time to come home. I shared my testimony of the truthfulness of the church, of the Book of Mormon, the power of prayer and the love of our father in heaven. I told her that I have no doubt that he reached out to her tonight and sent me to help her remember so she could come back.

We went back to the discussion of who you want to date and marry. I said, one of the questions you need to answer is, when you’re sick or your child is sick, do you want the father of the child and your husband to give a blessing and call down the power of heaven? Or do you want to have to take that child to your father. She said she wanted the child’s father to be able to give the blessing. I said, that’s your answer and that’s what you need to work towards.

My perception on this is that when she left the church she was not ready to listen but after years of very unsatisfying and distressing social dating situations she was ready to listen to the spirit that spoke to her heart. She was ready to hear the word of God preached to her in a way that she had never heard before and it fed her soul. By coincidence I happened to stop by just at the right minute. I pointed out to her this coincidence and said how do you think it happened that out of all of the drivers, I show up tonight just at this time. I told her that I believed her parents were praying for her and the power of their prayers set this up.

I told her that tonight she saw the hand of God move to lift her and that if she will follow it she would find the companion she needs that will protect her, that will help her and that will uplift her and they can be one. I told her that this is what God has to offer to her if she’ll follow through with those commitments.

She sat there for a while, reached up and grabbed my shoulder and thanked me. She said she would do those things. I know that she will and that there is some lucky young man out there who will be the beneficiary of the work that she is now willing to put in so that they can walk together back to God.

I picked up a girl clear up at the top of the valley. It’s a road called Donner Road. Somehow I think that somebody should put a restaurant there that serves kidney beans and finger sandwiches. (Sorry my wife thinks that this joke is in bad taste haha) but i couldn’t help myself. I pulled around the corner and there was this young lady in the back of the cul-de-sac with her suitcase. She was heading to the airport to go visit her family in Colorado.

She had a big smile and was very happy. I could tell that this wasn’t one of those college students that spend a lot of time drunk, in Uber‘s heading out to do unmentionable things on Friday and Saturday night.

I asked what she was studying and she said biology. She was on a pre-med track. There’s a lot of that, it seems everybody wants to be a doctor these days.

As we started to go I asked her what she thought about living in Utah. She said she liked it. She said it’s not so much different from Colorado but that the people are really nice. I felt the impression from the spirit that I was supposed to talk to this girl about the church and so I immediately started looking for an opening.

I asked about her friends, I asked about her classes and her family. I was getting nowhere fast so I decided to jump right in.

At this point I didn’t know for sure that she wasn’t a member of the church. The spirit had just indicated that I was speaking to a nonmember. I asked her if she had much exposure to the church before she came to Utah. She said no.

I asked her what she thought and she said that she didn’t know much about the church but since she was going to live here she would like to learn some more. That’s always the best answer.

I said do you want me to tell you what some of the differences are between our church and your church? She said yes! I said, before I can tell you what the differences are I have to know what church you belong to. She laughed and said that she was Catholic. She said that while she was growing up they went to church every week but since Covid they had even started doing Easter and Christmas online. They didn’t go anymore.

For a Catholic to miss Christmas mass or Easter mass and accept online as a substitute was something new to me. I said, whoa even Christmas and Easter? She said yes. She said, we just don’t feel it like we used to.

She said I guess we can blame Covid in part but we just kind of grew away from the things in the church. She said for herself there were a lot of questions that she didn’t have answers to.

I said, now that I know that you’re Catholic we can talk. I told her that I went on my mission to Argentina and I knew lots of Catholics. The one thing I learned is that we’re not trying to repudiate their religion. I told her for the most part we are adding to what they already have. They don’t have to replace their savior, we have the same one. They don’t have to replace their heavenly father we have the same one. They don’t have to replace the Bible because we believe in the Bible.

I talked to her about Joseph Smith and how he was looking for the truth and there were many churches saying they had it. I told her that he knelt and prayed just like it told him to do in the Bible. I said that God the father and Jesus Christ once again called a prophet. Just like in the bible.

I told her that Joseph Smith was called to restore the church. I told her that in the time of Christ, after the resurrection the apostles were all killed and the church fell. I told her the people grabbed parts of the doctrine and reformed their churchs around those parts of the doctrine. I told her that they loved the church and they grabbed what they could but left some things on the floor.

I told her it’s just like a mirror that breaks and you can’t pick up all the pieces but maybe you pick up one or two and use it as a mirror because it does almost the same thing but it’s just not quite as good. She said she loved that analogy.

I testified that the Prophet Joseph Smith was called of God and the spirit was there. I asked her if she could feel it and she said yes! I told her that Joseph Smith restored the whole mirror or the whole gospel and that’s where we find the differences. I told her Jesus, the son of God, didn’t just go to the people in Jerusalem because God loves everyone. God is the father of everyone no matter where they live and he sent his son to them.

I told her how in the Bible Jesus said that other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he had received a commandment from his father to go visit those other sheep so they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I told her that Jesus appeared to the people who lived here in America. I told her that the people here in America had prophets who taught them the will of God. I explained to her that the commandments we received from God are the way he blesses us. I told her that obedience to the commandments is what allows us to live a happy life. I told her that this is very contrary to what she’s seeing at the University but that God has always sent his prophets to teach us the things that we should do so we can follow himand be part of his plan of happiness.

She said that’s correct! I always feel better when I obey the commandments. I said, these prophets received revelations from God and wrote them down. Their writings included the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America where he descended from heaven and stood in front of the people on the steps of the temple. They touched the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet and bathed his feet with their tears.

I told her that Jesus Christ taught these people to be baptized even though they had already been baptized. He taught them that they should be baptized to a new level, to a new covenant, and to a new understanding. He gave the authority to the 12 people he called to perform those baptisms and he taught them how to do it. After he taught them he commanded them to go out and baptize everyone even though they had previously been baptized.

Once he had done this and when he taught the people, he said still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout and I have received a commandment from my father to go to these people so they can be counted among my sheep.

I told her that Jesus went to people all over the world because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I said no other church teaches that. She said, that’s crazy because it makes so much sense that a loving perfect all powerful God would love all of his children and send his son to all of his children. I asked her if she could feel the spirit when we talked about that and she said yes. I asked her what that meant and she thought about it for a second and said it means it’s true.

I asked her to describe for me what it felt like. She thought for a minute and said that it felt like a glowing light inside of her. She said “light! That’s exactly what it feels like”. I told her that this was how she felt the spirit of God.

I told her that God was her father and that her spirit recognized his presence and this is how she felt in his presence. She said I love it. This is what I have been missing.

I told her that this was correct, that God would not send his spirit if the things we were saying we’re not true. She agreed and I continued.

I told her that indeed she was correct in saying that God loved all of his children and wanted them all to learn the gospel. I told her that’s why in Peter, in the Bible, it says that when Jesus died he went to the spirit world and taught the people who had died without hearing the gospel. She said, that’s incredible. I wonder why I’ve never heard about that?

I asked her how loving it would be to go and teach people of the gospel and of its blessings, who did not have a possibility of being baptized because they were already dead. I asked her if that would be kind and loving and she said no. It’s never kind and loving to dangle something in front of someone knowing that they can’t have it. I said that’s right. I asked her if she had ever heard of baptisms for the dead.

She said yes! She had heard of that but she didn’t know much about it. I told her that you first find references to it in the New Testament. We go to the temple and are baptized in behalf of someone who has passed using their name. Then they get the opportunity to accept this baptism after having been taught the gospel in the spirit world.

I told her that is God’s way to make sure that everyone of his children has the opportunity to come home. Every one of his children will be taught the gospel and have a chance to accept it under favorable and perfect circumstances for them. They will be able to choose. She said, that truly makes this a very inclusive or the most inclusive religion because everyone has the opportunity no matter when they lived or where they lived to be baptized and come home. She said, I’ve never thought of such a beautiful thing but it’s incredible.

I told her that God also sent Peter, James and John to restore this authority to Joseph Smith. I told her that in the Bible it said that Peter received the authority to seal things on the earth that are sealed in heaven. I told her that we use that power to seal marriages for time and all eternity not just until death do we part. I told her we also seal children to their parents.

She said, you can tell that there’s something different about families of the LDS faith. They’re just a little stronger and this must be why.

I said, baptism for the dead, Jesus coming to America, the authority to seal people on the earth to their families and to their spouses are all things that were originally part of the church of Jesus Christ. I told her that these things were restored to Joseph Smith and we have them today.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said no. I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and asked her if she would like to have it. She said yes, she would very much like to have it and read it. I explained to her the questions of the soul and the tabs and how she could do some studying on what we believe using that Book of Mormon. She said, what a great gift! Thank you.

She quickly looked at the questions of the soul and said, well I have these same questions. She said this will be fun.

She said I promise that I will read it.

I asked her if she had any friends that were members of the church and she said yes, two friends were in her biology classes last semester. I asked her if they were good friends and she said yes. I asked her if she would go to those friends with that Book of Mormon and tell them about our ride in the car today. I asked her to tell them what she felt and she said she would.

She thanked me for the book and got out of the car and went into the airport. When she gets back some friends are going to get a fantastic opportunity.

I picked up this girl in Sugarhouse who was doing Christmas shopping. It was October and I admired her early approach to the holiday. She was a student at the University of Utah and I felt like the spirit was prompting me to talk about the church with her. She looked like a member of the church in every way but the spirit assured me she was not. I proceded with that knowledge.

I saw an opening with the Christmas presents and I took it. I said, a lot of people complain about the commercialization of Christmas but I think that it is a choice. She said what do you mean? I said well, in my family I told people that if they ever gave me a list they would never get anything on the list. I told them that part of their gift was that I went to the store and spent time thinking about them and what they would like. That didn’t go over so well as children but they usually got something they liked and for me it was never about the commercialization but always about the gift and the person. That way Christmas can be focused on my family and on Jesus Christ.

I said far too many people don’t bring Jesus Christ into that equation. She said, I know and it really bums me out. I told her that this year part of my family would not even be in the country. They were going to be in Argentina. She asked me if I had been to Argentina and I said yes, I went on my mission to Argentina. She asked if I spoke Spanish and I said yes, I still do interpretation of church meetings.

She asked how I could still speak Spanish after all of these years since my mission. I told her that when I was in the MTC we had an apostle come and he promised us that if we would say our prayers and read our scriptures in our mission language that we would never lose it. I told her that a promise from one of the apostles is a promise from God and since that day I have never said a personal prayer in English and I read my scriptures in Spanish. I told her that my Spanish is better today than it was when I was on my mission. She was impressed.

She said her friend just got called to Argentina on a mission and she thought it was awesome.

This was the opening I was looking for. I asked her if her friend had told her what she would be teaching and why she was going. She said no but that she thought it was really cool. I asked do you want to know what she’ll be teaching? She said, I absolutely do!

I asked her who wrote the Bible, she said prophets. I asked her what they wrote and she said the word of God. I asked her if God loved the people who lived in Jerusalem more than others and she said no. I asked her if God loved people from other places in the world and she said yes. I asked her if he loved them as much as he loved the people in Jerusalem and she said yes. I asked her if she thought that God was capable of giving his word to people other than the people in Jerusalem and she said yes.

I asked her, given that love why wouldn’t God bless them with his word as well. She thought for a minute and she said that she thought that he would.

I told her that Heavenly Father loved each of us and that he’s given us prophets through which he reveals his will and his commandments. I told her that we have a prophet today that speaks with God for us and he had called her friend to go to Argentina.

When I talked about the prophet and her friend she began to tear up. She said that feels so right, there has always been a special feeling around that girl and what you just said feels right.

I pulled out one of my Book of Mormons that was marked by the Secrist’s and I said this book is what she will take to the people in Argentina. I asked , have you ever heard of the book of Mormon? She said, I live in Utah of course I’ve heard of the Book of Mormon. She laughed! I said do you know what it is? She said no, she didn’t have any idea. I told her it was the revelations that God gave his prophets who lived here in America. It contains all of his truth and is another testimony, companion of the Bible, of Jesus Christ and his divinity.

I told her that her friend was going to take this book to Argentina and using this book teach people that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he paid for their sins. their sorrows and their oppression. He made it so that we could return to God again. I said that is what is in this book and that’s the power of this book.

She asked where she could get one like that one! I handed it to her and said that book is yours if you will do one thing. She said, what? I said read it and pray about it with your friend who’s going on the mission.

She said she would and that sounded like a great idea and a great way for her to understand her friends mission with her.

The spirit was really strong in the car and I told her that I know the book is true and she said “I believe it is too”. “I can’t wait to learn.” I said, the Spirit of God will help you learn. I asked her if she knew what the Spirit of God felt like and she said she wasn’t sure. I asked her what she was feeling right then and she said warm energy. I told her that that is what the spirit of God feels like to her. I asked her what she was thinking right then and she said her mind was alive with questions and possibilities. I told her that’s how she felt when she was under the influence of the spirit and how God would reveal his will to her.

I told her to talk to her friend about that and her friend could help her understand the spirit as well.

She had to go to class but she reached out and touched my shoulder and said I want you to know how much this ride has meant to me. It’s like I found a piece to my puzzle that I didn’t know was missing. She got out of the car and ran to class.

And

A quick little bonus story

I picked up a family who just moved here from Peru a couple months ago and we started to drive. They asked me how I learned Spanish so well and I told him that I learned it on my mission. They told me that they had been talking with a couple of sister missionaries and that they wanted them to get baptized.

I asked them what was holding them up and they said two things

Thing one, they were baptized Catholic when they were kids and they didn’t see why they had to go against that tradition and why that baptism wouldn’t work.

I told them about Jesus coming to America and teaching how baptism was to be done and calling apostles and giving them authority to baptize and then commanding that everyone be baptized even though they had previously been baptized. He wanted them to be baptized to this new level to a new covenant to give them more power. I told them that it was no repudiation of their former baptism but an embracing of the Savior and his covenants. They loved that and said that’s great.

I could tell the spirit was touching both of them. Even their children were quiet. I couldn’t see the lady but I could hear sniffles and the husband had tears in his eyes. I said, that’s the power of the spirit testifying of the truth of what I just taught you. This is how you know that it’s important to do whatever it takes to be baptized. This is God confirming those words and helping you with your decision.

It turns out that the barriers are easily overcome mobile. They didn’t have a car.

Thing two, they lived in a house with three cars but they didn’t have a car. The church where the Spanish branch meets was some distance away from their house and they had no way to get there with their small family. They said that the sisters keep getting mad at them because they don’t go but they don’t understand them when they tell that they don’t have a car and they can’t make that journey. Their friend had paid for their ride that night but that they didn’t have money for car rides

I told them that the next morning they needed to get on the phone with the sister missionaries and tell them that they need to have either the ward mission leader or the elders quorum president pick them up and bring them to church because they don’t have a car.

Armed with the new spiritual experience and confirmation they had received, the husband spoke up and said, that’s exactly what will do. We will call the sisters.

Then he asked, are you sure they will they do that? I said absolutely they will. They were excited for 9 AM the next morning. They were going to call the sisters and arrange for someone to drive them to church. Why someone wasn’t already doing this I have no idea.

This whole thing breaks down over assumptions and miscommunication. We all need to make sure that the people in our lives understand the love of God and his covenants and that we understand their circumstances so we can best support them and help them on their path as new members of the church. Sometimes we might even need to give someone a ride but it seems to me that is all fair and good because Jesus has had me on his back, packing me and my problems around for a long time. This is how we become his hands.

Sometimes you get riders that become regulars. Sometimes it is by coincidence and sometimes it’s not. There is one young lady in particular that I have picked up about seven times.

The first time was a night that I had a flat tire. I drove her home with less than 5 pounds of pressure the last few blocks. We kind of bonded over that situation. I have picked her up when she’s been drunk and I had to make sure she made it safely to her house. I have picked her up from work, as well as her friends houses.

Mostly we’ve done small talk but she said she always felt good and safe in my car. She said she liked it when I picked her up. As you know I pray over my car everyday that the spirit of God will ride with me. I pray that the people who are in my car feel is spirit so that reaction doesn’t surprise me. The other part of it is that I tell people I shower and use deodorant which isn’t necessarily a given for Uber drivers.

One Tuesday I picked her up from work and we started driving her home. She is a waitress and she was going home early to ice her back. She was in an accident last year where somebody ran a red light and plowed into her which is why she uses Uber. She reiterated how comfortable she felt in my car and said that she wished I was her dad. Her mom and dad have been separated for many years after he had an affair and left the family. I took that as a compliment and an opportunity.

As we were driving we started talking about how crazy things keep getting for Uber drivers. I told her that sometimes I get downright distressed and depressed with some of the things I hear from the kids that use the service. I told her that one of the things that is most aggravating these days is how young women brag about their body counts ( in today’s vernacular “Body Count “is the number of people with whom you have had sex. ) I told her that there are a lot of reasons that this is just horrific.

We talked about the science of how it makes it very difficult for a woman who has a high body count to emotionally commit in a relationship. Then I said, this is one of the reasons is why God doesn’t want that behavior. It disrupts and destroys the family. She said that she and her mother could attest to that fact.

I asked her if it was OK for me to talk about the church and she said yes! I said the God gives us commandments to bless us and help us and keep us away from pitfalls. This would be a typical indication of what a pitfall would look like. It looks like fun but it’s a real pit. She laughed.

I told her that a lot of these women are just trying to bury pain and that’s why the church teaches the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I told her that Satan tempts a man to do evil and then he turns to his victims and tells them to blame God and the church. I told her that when people start taking this path they just keep going down that path. She looked at me and said, “Yep that’s right.”

I told her that God is there and saying, look to Jesus and he can lift your burdens and ease your pain.

I knew she had a hard upbringing and I talk to her about the cups of Kool-Aid and how you even them out versus how the Lord doesn’t worry about even they are, he just comes in with a new pitcher of Kool-Aid and fills everyone’s cup.

I told her that God is there and all we have to do is reach out for him. She said that so beautiful why don’t they teach that at church? I said they do! I said redemption and atonement is what the church is all about. I told her that the atonement is what God has given us so that we can make it through life focused on the things that are important not the things that damage us.

By this time I had figured out that she was a member of the church and the spirit was confirming that to me. She said, I was a member of the church when I was young but when all these things started to happen I couldn’t do it anymore. Right then the spirit indicated to me four things that have been problems for her with the church.

I had an understanding by spiritual prompting that these things were the reasons why she left the church. They are 1. she felt judged, 2. she felt unworthy because of a traumatic event in her life 3. she felt like the church was not inclusive (I felt like that was more of a smokescreen for her looking to find reasons not to like the church but it had become a huge issue), and 4.she didn’t pray.

I decided to start tackling these one by one.

I told her that part of the reason why she left the church was that she felt judged. She said I don’t know how you knew that but that’s true. I told her that she even felt judged when she drove by a church and there was nobody there. She nodded and said yes. I explained to her that Satan is in her ears telling her that she’s being judged and trying to get her to turn from Jesus and blame God. She said that’s true, wow.

I told her that everyone who goes to church has Satan telling them that they’re not worthy, that they can’t be clean, there’s no way they can be clean, there’s no way that they can be in the presence of God, that there’s no way they can pray, that there’s no way they can do these things because they’re not worthy. I told her that he also tells them that the people that are there are hypocrites and judgmental.

I said, to combat that, imagine the power of walking up to one of those people who you perceive to be judging you and put your arm around them while saying“ I want to thank you for being a good example for me, I need that!” She said, that would change everything. It’s just a different way of handling it. I said, this way you are fighting the perception that Satan is putting in your mind and you’re turning to the love of Christ and to heal the wound and come to Christ. She said, until today I had never had an application for the atonement like that explained to me.

I told her that the spirit had let me know that she had a traumatic event in her early life that she never told anyone about. I told her, you just don’t talk about it, you push it down. She started to cry and said yes. She asked, how do you know these things. I asked her how her Book of Mormon knowledge was and she said it was pretty good. I said do you remember Ammon? She said yes! He cut arms off! I laughed and said you’re right. I told her that after he cut the arms off of the robbers and the king had asked where he was. When they brought him in the king was blown away by his service. Then Ammon interpreted the words that were in the kings mind and heart because the king was so astounded by his service that he could not speak. When Ammon told him what was in his heart and mind the king said, are you God? Ammon said no, but God has sent me and given me your thoughts so that you can know that the words I say or from him. I told her, “same thing” she started crying harder.

I told her that the abuse that she had suffered was also covered by the atonement of Christ. If she would use it the burdens and pain of that abuse could be healed and lifted. I told her that the people with Alma who were captured and enslaved by the Lamanites were given horrible demeaning and physical tasks that were difficult but because they turned to Christ and his atonement they were blessed that their burdens were lifted to the point where they barely could feel them.

I said that’s the atonement. Christ fills every glass so that we are full and no matter what our circumstance or hardship he has felt it, he knows it and he can give us peace in our souls.

I told her this peace is what we’re all after. The spirit was really strong in the car, she was crying and I identified the spirit to her. I told her that she was her Heavenly Father‘s daughter and that she had a relationship with him that was very real and that she could feel it. I told her that she felt this for thousands of years before she was born and she was feeling it today in the car. I told her that is the spirit of God. She said I know that is the spirit of God. I told her God gives you his spirit so you can know whether or not things are of him.

I told her that the spirit was also telling me that she had concerns about the inclusivity of the church. I explained to her that when Jesus came to America he said still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem and that he was going to visit them. I explained to her that God is the God of everyone not just the God of Jerusalem and we are the only church that teaches the Jesus visited God‘s other sheep. I told her, “that’s all inclusive”.

I told her about baptisms for the dead which she had performed when she was young. I told her that those people were taught in the spirit world about the gospel but needed to be baptized to come home to their father. I told her that the reason why we do baptisms for the dead is to assure that every person no matter where they lived, no matter when they lived, no matter what color they were or sex they were would have an equal opportunity to be saved in the kingdom of their father in heaven under favorable circumstances. I told her that we are the only church the teaches that.

I asked, can you tell me of another religion that has doctrines so totally inclusive as these. The spirit was strong and she said no, that’s incredibly inclusive. God is the God of everyone and he loves us all, he’s our father. As she testified the spirit was very strong.

To round out the four issues she had that were prompted by the spirit I said, you don’t pray. You haven’t been praying and your heavenly father really wants to hear from you. She said, that’s way true.

The spirit was testifying in the car and I testified of the truthfulness of the church and how obedience to the commandments and obtaining and honoring covenants brings happiness so that we can have the spirit of our father with us.

I told her that she needed to fill that hole in her soul with the spirit of God that she was feeling in the car right now and she said yes I do. She said, it’s amazing how you knew all of those things about me. I went back to the Ammon’s story and re-emphasized that God gave Ammon those things to say so that the king would know that the words he said came from God. She said that’s right. I said why do you think that God gave me the things in your heart and your thoughts, it’s the same thing.

It clicked. You could see it in her eyes and then her countenance. She sat up and said you’re right! She cried some more. I told her that there’s a reason that God has been putting her in my car and it’s so that she could become at ease with me enough that we could have this discussion. I told her this is the reason she was in my car today. Through the tears she agreed.

I said, so what do we do with this? I said that she needed to pray and she said that she would.

I said, you need to go to church. I said find a ward and go there at least for sacrament meeting for a little while until you’re ready to jump all in. She smiled and said, that’s only one hour, I can do that!

By this time we had been sitting 15 minutes in her parking lot feeling the spirit and seeing the spirit of God give CPR to her soul. There’s no other way I can explain it. The way she sat up was like she sprung back to life with the realization that God loved her and he sent someone for her. He had sent someone to rescue her and she knew it. God had sent someone to show her how much he loves her and she felt that.

She got out of the car and walked into the house waving.

Given what she had been through in her life this young woman had put up walls and it took all of those other rides and good encounters to lower that wall and give her the confidence in me where the spirit could work through me to bless her. I’m just glad that the Lord gave me the opportunity to be his instrument.

I picked up a guy at a warehouse out on 900 W. in West Valley City to take him home clear out by Magna. When he got in the car we talked about his name.

His name sounded Spanish but it was French Polynesian and his family was from Tonga. I said malo le le to him and he said, oh you speak Tongan and I said no but I can say one word and that’s it. I explained to him that when I served in the MTC part of my responsibility was to receive the international missionaries and I tried to learn how to say hello to as many of them as I could.

Right away I felt the impression to play the clip from the missionaries who sang Folofola Mai ʻa Sīsū in the MTC. I have used this song once before but it packs a punch in an inspired circumstance. The prompting let me know that this was one of those. I didn’t know if he was a member or if he was even religious. I had no clue if he spoke or understood Tongan but away we went. here is the link to that song. https://vimeo.com/578265270

(Those Tongan missionaries from back in 2018 are still blessing and teaching. We never know the profundity of our contribution. I’ll bet they thought their mission was over already)

As the song played the spirit burned in the car and you could tell that he was worshiping in the backseat and I was being treated to a spiritual feast. That song always does it for me. When the song finished he said that was amazing. I asked him if he’d ever heard that song before and he said no. He said it was amazing even though he’d never heard that song he loved it.

I mentioned to him that it would be a travesty to play an organ or a piano while the Tongans are singing because their voices are the musical instrument and they carry the spirit with them. He said yes that that was correct. I had the prompting to ask him which church he belonged to.

He said that he was from a mixed family. Half of were Mormon and the other half were Methodist but his father was Methodist and so he was Methodist. He told me about some of his cousins that are members of the church.

You could still feel the reverence in the car from the song and I asked him if he knew much about the Book of Mormon. He said yes, I have one. I asked him if he was aware of Hagoth and how they left to the west in the ocean. He said no. I told him that many Polynesians have taught me that they believe the Hagoth was one of their ancestors and brought those people to the Polynesian islands.

I told him that this is entirely possible. I told him about the National Geographic story that talked about the Columbian people that had the same genetic markers as the Polynesian people and that this surprised people in the scientific world. The Book of Mormon teaches that Hagoth and the people with him left from the north west corner of the land southward which is Columbia.

He said that’s cool. He’d never considered that. I felt very strongly that I needed to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it was the record of his ancestors and how Jesus had come to America to these people and then to others which would include his ancestors.

I told him this is the story of your ancestors.

I told him of Joseph Smith the 14 year old boy who translated the sacred revelations by the power of God. I told him that Joseph Smith had a second grade education and had no capacity to do this if it hadn’t been for the power of God. I could feel the spirit bearing witness. I asked, what do you feel right now? He said I feel like I’ve been told something that I should’ve known. He said a light has come on all over in my head and in my heart and I feel warm. I said, that’s the spirit of God and when he is here you feel that.

I said, God has sent his spirit to testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was his prophet. He felt, we felt, the spirit surge as I bore that testimony and I could tell he was deeply impacted. I asked him if he could feel that spirit and he said yes. I said what does that spirit mean? He said, it means that what you’re saying is true.

I said that’s correct! Would God send his spirit if it wasn’t true? He said no. I asked him specifically if the Book of Mormon was true based on the spirit he was feeling and he said yes. I asked him specifically if Joseph Smith was a prophet based on the spirit he was feeling and he said yes. I told him that God would not send his spirit if it wasn’t true because God isn’t trying to trick us.

I told him that God also sent his son, Jesus Christ, to America and he descended down and the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and then his feet. They cried save us and in response to that plea he gave them baptism. He called up 12, taught them how to do baptisms, gave them authority to baptize and commanded them to baptize everyone even those who had already been baptized which was the majority. I told him that God commanded everyone to be baptized and they were. I told him that when Jesus commanded them to be baptized he didn’t spend any time ripping on their former beliefs or their former churches but he invited them to take a higher step, a higher law, a higher opportunity, a higher authority with more power.

I said, this is the same baptism we have in our church today. I asked him if he wondered why all of his friends and cousins who were members of the church continually asked him to be baptized. He said yes. He said that he always kind of felt a little bit defensive with that because he had already been baptized and they knew that. I told him that what they were doing was the same thing Jesus was doing.

I told him that when Jesus invited the people who had already been baptized to be baptized again to the higher level that became an invitation to everyone to be baptized to that level including him. I looked at him and I said that’s an invitation to you to be baptized. He said I can see that.

He said, this is incredible why didn’t my cousins tell me about this. I said don’t be too hard on them. A lot of times people have that testimony burning so brightly and they don’t know how to express it.

I asked him if he had any feelings about Jesus coming to America. He said it’s awesome. I told him that when Jesus was in America he said that he still had other people in other places, other sheep that he was commanded to visit. I told him that Isaiah said that Israel was found in the isles of the sea. I asked him if he knew any islands in the sea and he laughed and said Tonga.

I said, this is your story. These are your people. The spirit was strong in the car and he said this is incredible, I don’t want to leave. We had already been in front of his house for 10 minutes and his wife was looking out the windows. I said, when you’re in the presence of the spirit of God your spirit is soaking it in because it’s been in the desert and this is like water. He said, oh my goodness I love this.

I said so what do we do now? Where do we go from here? He said, I have to read that book. I said yes! I said, what else? He said I need to go to my cousins and ask them about being baptized.

I said when you talk to your cousins tell them about what you felt in the car. I asked him what that was and he said I feel that what you taught me is true. I feel that the Book of Mormon is true. I feel that there were prophets in America and among my ancestors. I feel that Jesus came to America. I feel that because the Book of Mormon is true and it was translated by Joseph Smith that he has to of been a prophet of God. I feel like I need to be baptized.

I said, will you tell them that? He said yes. I told him that he could probably be baptized relatively quickly but that he needs to read this book and pray so that he can have the spirit with him and he said he would. I asked him if he would promise me and make a commitment to me and God that he would talk to his cousins and tell them these things and he said yes.

I asked him if he understood the song at first and he said yes, every word. He said it brought the spirit into the car and touched our hearts. I said it always does. He said I speak fluent Tongan and that was a treat.

I told him that God puts people in my car and whispers to my heart the things I should say to them and he is here tonight. I told him that God loves him and just like the people in the Book of Mormon pled with Jesus to be saved, God wants to save him as well.

He thanked me, got out of the car, waved and walked away with a knowledge of the truth. The thing is he had heard these things before but this time the spirit bore witness to his soul. He recognized that spirit and what it meant and it all started with a song, Folofola Mai ʻa Sīsū which means thus sayeth the Lord in Tongan…… Amen.

One Friday I was picking up a young man from the Pie Pizzeria up on 13th East not too far from Rice Eccles stadium. I wanted to go by the stadium because Orem High school was playing in the semi finals against Timpview right then and so I was in that area. I got the ride and thought I’ll do this quickly and run in.

I pulled up and this kid came out who looked like a normal American kid. When he got in the car we started talking. He had a little bit of an accent but not much. I asked him where he was from and he said Brazil. I asked him if he liked working at Pie Pizzeria and he said that he put on a lot of weight working there but he likes it.

We started driving to his apartment which was in the campus housing up by Fort Douglas. We passed by the football stadium and I mentioned to him the game that was going on. He said he would like to learn American football because he only knew soccer. I told him that I served my mission in Argentina. I told him that I served near Iguazú Falls which are on the border with Brazil.

When I mentioned my mission my mind was enlightened about this young man and what a good young man he was. I felt God‘s love for him and knew that we were going to be talking about the church. I changed my focus a little bit from football. I asked him if he had ever seen missionaries.

He told me that right now he was talking to a few of them. He said he had two sisters that he talks to and that he’d been to the temple a couple of times. The temple he referred to was the Institute building on the University of Utah campus where they have meetings on Sunday. It was not an actual temple.

I could feel the spirit filling the car and knew that it was time to start saying the words that were filling my heart. I looked at him in the mirror and said so, have you thought about being baptized? He said, they’ve asked me to but I don’t know, I don’t think so.

I said, what is your question? That was not an artfully phrased question and given the language issues I am sure that it was a hard one for him to understand so I rephrased the question. I said to him, given the fact that they’ve taught you about the church and they asked you to get baptized, what is the question or doubt you have that keeps you from taking that step?

He had a shocked look as he glanced at me and said well, I’ve only been studying with missionaries for four weeks and I don’t think I know enough. He said he had read a little bit here and there in the Book of Mormon but that he didn’t think it was sufficient. He said, “they say I do and I don’t need to know everything but I think I need to know a lot more”. In my experience, when people say this it’s a smokescreen. It’s because they have other things that are bothering them and they fall back on there’s so much to learn and I don’t know enough.

Even though this isn’t generally a true objection and I knew that, I decided to deal with it anyway. That objection is a straw man to hide the real concerns in most cases. I talked about the importance of the spirit and how the spirit is the thing that teaches us. I talked about how once were are baptized we get the Holy Ghost. then the spirit can help us learn. I told him that the spirit guides us. I said that we need to learn to have faith in God and trust in his spirit. He agreed.

I told him that he could never know everything that he wanted to know but that he could know that the spirit of God had confirmed to him that it’s true. I asked him if that was enough and he said yes. Then I bore my testimony. I testified of the boy Joseph Smith going to the sacred grove, kneeling, praying and receiving a visit from his Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. I testified of the Book of Mormon and its truthfulness and how it proves that God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I said it proves that there were prophets in America and the Book of Mormon proves that Jesus not only came to America but he went to other places because God loves everyone. This is a gospel for everyone not just the people from Jerusalem.

I testified that we have a prophet today who leads the church and that a living prophet makes all the difference because God can speak to us through him. I told him the prophets are always God’s mouthpiece and we need God more than ever. He agreed. The spirit was really strong in the car and I said do you feel that?

He said “yes I do”. I said what does it feel like? He said it feels powerful and warm. I said, that is the spirit of God. I said that God has the power to touch your heart and confirm to you that the things you’re hearing are true. I said, “you know they’re true don’t you?” He said “yes”!

I told him that he lived with his Father in Heaven for thousands and thousands of years and he had a relationship with God. I told him that it is like a vibe if you will. I said he had that special feeling with God and it was the most important thing to his spirit. I told him that this feeling that he was feeling right now is that feeling.

I asked him if he believed that was true and he said yes I asked him if God would send that feeling to him if the things we were saying in the car were not true and he said no. I told him that God wants to save him not trick him.

I told him that and right as I was saying it I saw a flash of a thought on his mind. I told him that he was thinking of his doubts concerning the baptismal date that the sisters had challenged him to. He said that’s right, how did you know? I told him that when I was baptized I got the Holy Ghost and it whispered this to my heart so I could know to say it. I told him that God gave me that so that he could know that the things I was saying were true.

I told him that he was worried about that date and being baptized but that he didn’t need to worry. I told him that when Jesus came to America, he descended from heaven and stood on the steps of the temple. He invited the people to touch the prints of the nails in his hands and the prints of the nails in his feet and then they knelt and worshiped him. They said the word “hosanna”. I asked him if he knew what that meant? He said he didn’t know, I told him it means “save us”.

He said, I love that you mentioned that because this is one of the things that the missionaries had me read. He said it was beautiful how they bathed Christ’s feet with their tears and worshiped him. I told him that God loved them and he wanted to save them. I told him that he was right there in front of them and they knew this was their God. They were willing to do whatever he asked.

I told him that he called up 12 and gave them the power and authority plus a commandment to baptize everyone there. He instructed them how to do it and commanded these 12 to baptize everyone.

The spirit was strong and I said “I testify to you that this is the same baptism that the missionaries offered you and when Jesus extended that commitment to them he also extended it to you. I said do you accept that? He said yes! I could see another flash of a thought in his countenance and I felt the prompting that it was about his previous baptism and and his family traditions regarding his previous religion.

I told him the spirit is telling me that you are thinking about your previous baptism and your previous religious experience, your previous family traditions with regards to religion and your feelings that this is some sort of a repudiation of those things. I told him, this is no repudiation! Everything your family did for you they did to bring you closer to Christ. He loves them for that and he loves you for taking those steps.

I told him that when Jesus came he offered a new level, a higher level. Even though those people had been previously baptized he commanded that they be baptized again so they could take that next step in discipleship to follow him. I told him “that is what he required of them and that is what he requires of us”.

I testified to him that this was true. I said that this is the baptism that his Father in Heaven wants him to have so that he can take that step. He said, I feel like you’re right.

I saw another doubt flash in his countenance and the spirit helped me understand that he was worried about fitting in. I told him the spirit makes me feel like you are worried about fitting in culturally in the church. I feel that you think it might be difficult for you. He said how did you know these things? He said, I have tattoos and have already had people in the church negatively comment about my tattoos. Are they going to accept me?

I said,, your tattoos don’t matter! You come before God and offer him a broken heart and a contrite spirit and he will lift you, bless you cleanse you and sanctify you. Only the spirit matters. I told him it is important that we go to church so that we can have the spirit with us. I asked him if he felt the spirit right then and he said yes. I asked him if the things I was saying felt right. He said yes.

I told him that everybody has sinned, some people lie, some people steal, some people judge and some people break the word of wisdom. We all have sins. It’s up to us to help those people. I told him, “imagine how helpful it would be to those people judging you if you went up to them and put your arm around them and said, thank you for being such a great example for me. It means a lot!” I told him that they would melt and this action would change everything.

He laughed and said I guess you’re right!

I told him the story about the lady in our ward that told us she didn’t want us to sit by her because our kids were too noisy. I went every week early so I could find where she was sitting so we could sit behind her. He laughed. I told him that eventually we became good friends with them.

I could tell by the spirit that he was concerned about his family when I talked about them and I asked him what was his concern regarding his family. He said that the sister missionaries had told him that it was his responsibility to baptize his whole family or they couldn’t go to heaven. They said that they would have to go to the terrestial kingdom if he couldn’t get them baptized.

I thought, that’s a lot of pressure and kind of unfair to put on him now. I said, that’s not exactly how it works. I told him that he needs to be a great example and that he needs to try to introduce the gospel to his family. He needs to do the best he can but that God‘s timing is not our timing. I said that what God considers an opportunity may not be not what we would consider an opportunity necessarily.

I told him that God looks at time from the beginning of time untill the end of time and we look at it like 40 years. I told him that God would present each member of his family with a perfect opportunity under perfect circumstances to not only learn the gospel but then have the opportunity to accept it and accept a baptism. I told him that he may be God’s instrument in that for some of them but that this is God‘s work.

I told him that as a member of the church he would be blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost and would have the priesthood to bless the lives of his family. I told him that this would help but that it isn’t all on him.

I told him that in the three days when Jesus was in heaven and his body was in the tomb he organized the teachings of the gospel to the people who had died without hearing it. Even the people at the time of the flood who maybe knew Noah but didn’t have a great opportunity. Jesus organize the teaching to them!.

I told him that Jesus didn’t do it so he could hold it in front of them and say, see, you could’ve had this! He did it with the intent that they would have an opportunity to accept it and have a baptism so that they could return and live with their father.

I told him that we go to temples and we are baptized for them using their name. I told him that someone will learn the gospel in the spirit world and when we are baptized for that person they are waiting to accept it or rejected immediately.

I testified of temple work and baptisms for the dead as God‘s plan to make it possible for each of his children to come home, even if we cant get to them on earth. I could see the spirit carry my words to his heart and ease his concern.

I could see the stress disappear. I told him we do everything we can but God loves all of his children and he will prepare a way for all of his children to have the opportunity under perfect circumstances to accept the gospel and come home. I told him that a father would always prepare a plan to make it possible to save all of his children and a perfect father certainly would do that and he agreed.

I asked him if he felt the spirit and he said yes. I felt it every time you have spoken. I know the things that you have said are true and that they’re from God. He said, I had decided today that I was not going to be baptized and that I was going to quit listening to the missionaries but now everything has changed. I asked him if he would contact the missionaries and tell them about our ride. He said yes.

He said he couldn’t find his Book of Mormon so I gave him one of the Book of Mormon‘s that I had prepared by the Secrists and told him he should keep it with him in his backpack. He said he would.

He said that it is amazing to him that on this day when he was doubting, on this day when he had decided not to continue with the lessons, on this day God sent this car and this message to him. He said if that’s not a sign from God I don’t know what it is. He said, I know that you were sent from God with this message

He said that he’s going home to Brazil for Thanksgiving so it will have to be in December but that he’s excited continue towards baptism.

One evening I picked up a guy by the capital. He was a landscaper and I was picking him up and taking him clear up by the hill in Centerville. It seemed like a long trip. When I got to the spot where I was supposed to pick him up he wasn’t there. There was no one there and I wasn’t excited to do the trip. I thought about canceling but I felt that I should call him.

When I called him he didn’t even know exactly where he was. He was down the hill in the Avenues somewhere. By that time his time had expired and I had every right to cancel the ride, make the money and not have to make the drive. The spirit had other ideas. I felt compelled by the spirit to go find him.

There I was driving around the Avenues looking for this guy. Finally, there he was down at the bottom of the hill just up from the Cathedral of the Madeline. A good 10 blocks from where he was supposed to have been.

He got in the car and we started driving. I figured that there was a spiritual reason for him to be in my car so I started asking questions that could lead us to a discussion. I asked him where he was from and he said Mexico. I asked him how long he had been here and he said two weeks. That’s a really short period of time and I was struck by it because usually people have been here quite some time when they have a job already.

I asked him what he thought about Utah and he said that it was peaceful. I asked him why he thought it was peaceful and he said that he didn’t know. He said that he guessed that the people were just good people. I told him that the people were good people but it’s because they obeyed God and they tried to do the things that they had been taught to do.

He told me that made sense. I asked him what religion he was and he said Catholic. In my mind now it was set how I was going to approach this. I was going to talk to him about the differences in the Catholics and our church and how we believe that God sent Jesus to America because he loves all of his children. This is a routine method I use of bringing up the church and highlighting the differences in our churches without being negative towards the other church.

I started to talk to him about prophets in America and how there have been prophets in America. He was interested but the spirit said no! Stop! So I did.

I was impressed to teach the Joseph Smith story just like we teach in the first lesson. I started with Joseph Smith a 14 year old boy looking for truth. He went to all the different religions and he couldn’t find it. I said that he was reading the Bible and he found the scripture in James and decided that he needed to go pray.

I talked about him going to the sacred grove, kneeling and praying with this question on his mind and had a vision where he was visited by God the father and Jesus Christ. I testified with power of the first vision. I could feel the testimony touch his heart.

He was looking down and then he looked up at me and said, that boy had an unbelievable amount of faith for that to happen to him. He said if you don’t have faith and a tremendous amount of it there’s no way something like that can happen to you. He said that boy has faith.

The spirit of God was in the car and you could tell that he was physically moved by it. He said, I believe you, I believe every word you said. I asked him what he felt and he said it’s like there’s a fire in my body put a peace in my heart. I told him that it was the spirit of God and that’s how God made him feel when he was near. I told him that when he felt that he would know that the things he was hearing were true. He told me that he knew it was true but this made it certain.

Then I asked him if he remembered the prophets that I had briefly spoken about earlier and he said yes. I said because God loves all of his children they had prophets in America. Your ancestors had prophets who spoke with God and they wrote the revelations just like the prophets did in the Bible. That’s why we have the Bible and we have the revelations written by your ancestors too.

He said really!? I would really like to know about that. Where can I find those revelations and prophecies? I told him that the same young man Joseph Smith was commanded to restore the church of God on the earth and that angels appeared to him to help him do that.

I told him one of the angels was a prophet who anciently lived in America and he showed him these prophecies and revelations written by his ancestors on golden plates. I told him that he translated those by the power of God and we have those revelations today.

He asked again, how do I get one of those? I said, I have one and I’ll give it to you. It’s called the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he’d heard of that book before and he said no. I told him that Mormon was an ancient prophet here in America and the book was named for him but it contained all of those revelations. He was excited I told him that that book also contained the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. He said what?

I told him that that book talked about Jesus Christ coming to America and that Jesus Christ held his ancestors in his arms and blessed them and their posterity. I told him that Jesus Christ invited his ancestors to touch the prints of the nails in his hands and then his feet.

I told him that this means that he and his family are important to God because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. Then in America Jesus said that he still had other sheep he was going to go visit.

He said that is so cool. I told him that we believe that God loves everyone and that he sent his son for everyone and to everyone. He said that sounds right. It feels right. I asked him if he felt that spirit again and he said yes I asked him what it meant and he said it means that this is true. The Book of Mormon is true.

I told him that when Jesus was in America after the people touched the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet they all said hosanna, which means save us. He called 12 and instructed them how to baptize and gave them authority to baptize everyone into this new covenant, to this new understanding.

I told him that all of those people had previously been baptized but Jesus wanted them to take this next step to be disciples at a higher level. He said that’s beautiful. He said the spirit just keeps getting stronger and stronger in the car. Everything you’re saying is true. I know it.

Then I asked, do we need to be baptized to go to heaven? He said yes. I asked him if he had ancestors that didn’t get the chance to hear about Jesus. He said, yes, before the Spaniards came none of them did. I asked him if God loved them and he said yes. I asked him if a fair and just God would condemn them for not being baptized.

He said no but that’s the law. I told him that when Jesus was crucified for three days while his body was in the tomb his spirit was in the spirit world organizing the teaching of the gospel to people who hadn’t yet heard it or had favorable circumstances to receive it. I told him that those people that died without hearing it on the earth or having the opportunity to hear on the earth are taught in the spirit world.

He said oh, so there’s a great big school up there founded by Jesus. A great big Sunday school! I love it! I told him that in that great big Sunday school everyone gets a chance to learn and decide whether or not they want to follow Jesus Christ. Then I asked him, is that enough? Do they still need to be baptized? He said yes.

I asked him how that happened? And he said that he didn’t know because they were dead. I told him that in the New Testament there was a practice called baptisms for the dead. I pointed to the Bountiful temple. I said in the temple we do ordinances that tie families together. People go in that temple and they are baptized for and in behalf of someone who has died.

Then the person who is dead gets the opportunity to accept or reject that baptism. That’s God‘s plan to give every one of his children a perfect opportunity to come home. Everyone will have the opportunity to be baptized either on the earth or by someone on the earth in a temple. He said that’s amazing. He said I’ve seen that building and it looks so beautiful I’ve wondered what they do in that building.

I told him that Jesus gave authority for people to seal things on earth that are sealed in heaven. He gave that authority to Peter and we have that authority today. We use that authority to seal important things like marriages. I told him that in our church we’re not married until death but for time in all eternity. He said, in our church were married until death do us part.

He said, that would be amazing to know that you would be together forever. No wonder the people around here have so much peace. I told him that not only is your wife sealed to you but your children also and you can be together with your family. He said, that is incredible. This is how it’s supposed to be.

I talked about the example of the mirror, where you have a mirror on the wall held up by 12 pegs. I asked him if you knock those 12 pegs out, what happens to the mirror and he said it falls down and crashes on the ground. I asked him how many of pieces would there be. He said there would be a lot of pieces. I told him that the ancient church of Jesus Christ was organized perfectly with all of the doctrines including eternal marriage, eternal families was held up by 12 apostles.

I told him that one by one those 12 apostles were killed and eventually just like the pegs, were gone and the support was gone and the church fell and broke into many pieces. I told him that the people loved the gospel and they love Jesus so they grabbed pieces of the gospel and formed churches like the Catholic church around the pieces they had. He said, like the Catholic Church? I said yes.

I told him that the things we had been talking about were the pieces that got left out that nobody grabbed. He said that makes sense. I reached into my glove box and grabbed a Book of Mormon in Spanish. It was one of the books prepared by Sister Secrist and I gave it to him.

He was visibly excited and emotional and thanked me. He asked me how much he had to pay for it and I said nothing. I only needed him to promise to go to church and to read the book. He said there are churches everywhere, which one should I go to. I looked up on the gospel Tools app and found out the church right around the corner was where the Spanish Ward met and I showed him that. I showed him that it also contained the phone number and name of his bishop. I told him that this man would help him on his journey.

He saw that it met at 9 o’clock on Sunday morning and he said I’ll be there 100%. I want these things. He said, everything you’ve said today has made sense and I know it’s true. I need this for me and I need it for my family.

I told him if he would pray God would send his spirit to confirm the truth. He said, I know, he’s done that already here tonight. I told him that’s what you look for. I told him that you’ll feel it when you pray, when you go to church, when you take the sacrament and when you get baptized. He said baptized? I said yes. I told him that we have that same baptism Jesus taught in American. When you are baptized, you will be clean from your sins.

I felt the impression to say to him that he had been having a struggle inside of himself in the car, wanting to embrace fully the spirit he was feeling but also hearing in his head that he wasn’t worthy because of bad things he had done. He asked how did you know? I told him that when we are baptized we are clean and we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and it whispers to our hearts the things God would have us say. I told him that the Spirit whispered that to my heart so that he could know that God knows who he is and that God loves him and that God wants him to be baptized.

He said, then I will be baptized. He said I will go to church on Sunday and I will do the things that you’ve said. He asked me if it would be OK if he called the bishop and I said yes. He told me he would call him later on that evening so the bishop would know he was coming. He asked if that would be OK and I said perfect.

He walked away with a smile and thumbing through the pages of the Book of Mormon on his way into his house. That was an amazing ride and this guy’s getting baptized. That boy has faith!

I picked up a young woman on 400 west and about 300 North. These are newer apartments and mostly known as areas where people are partying and enjoying their best single life outside the constraints of the gospel. The young lady came out of the apartments and she just didn’t seem to have the same feel as the people I drop off at that place most of the time.

Usually I get out and help people with their luggage but with her I felt like I needed to pop the hatch and offer rather than just take it upon myself to grab a bag. She said that she would put it in and that would be OK.

When she got in I told her that I have traveled a lot in my life and I hate it when people touch my luggage. I told her that I hate it when a driver has been blowing his nose and then grabs my bag.

She said I agree with that, I hate that, what’s wrong with people. We laughed at the thing we had found in common, Germophobia. We talked about hand sanitizer and how for 30 years I’ve been wiping down my seat on the airplane, my rental car steering wheel, gearshift windows everything. I mentioned that I even wipe down the radio in my rental cars. She laughed and said she did the same. Then I told her when I get to my hotel rooms I wipe down the remote controls, the door knobs, the light switches, the thermostat and pretty much anything I touch including the toilet handle.

She laughed and said you would think people would’ve learned better but it seems that people don’t understand. I said that is correct and we chuckled

Then the Spirit directed me to a line of discussion that came off of this topic that I believe was guided in the first place.

I told her, I get the impression that you’ve been marginalized, made fun of and kind of pushed aside in your way of thinking. Other people have done this to you and it’s made it so that you feel ostracized a bit.

This was a beautiful young woman and I would’ve had no other reason to say that except for the spirit prompting me. I told her that furthermore I believe that she has other gifts, abilities and talents that she’s hiding because of the fear of the shame that’s been heaped on her.

She said, how do you know this, you’re going to make me cry. I said that I am a member of the church and when we’re baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost prompted us what to say and do. I said that I felt prompted by the spirit to say these things to her and tell her that God loves her.

I felt prompted to tell her that not only did God love her but he didn’t want her to hide the light that she had inside that was bursting to get out.

I looked at where I was with regards to the airport (which was our destination) and realized I needed to get with it. I told her that she was a daughter of God and that he loved her and that her relationship with him was the most central thing in her life. I said that she had lived with him for thousands of years and she craved that feeling. I told her that when when she came to earth she didn’t feel that anymore She blurted out the word yes! She said that’s exactly right.

I told her that her father in heaven loved her and he had given her these gifts so that she could bless other people. She said that she was going through a tough time right now trying to decide what to do in her life and that she was sure that I was sent to help her with that today. I told her that regardless of which way she decided to go in her life, God wanted her to use her gifts and blessings to help other people one on one.

I told her that her experiences had given her a rich sense of empathy and that she would have the ability to touch and lift other people, one on one.

She said, like you’re doing with me today.? I said yes. God gives us these gifts so that we can help other people. She said she was going to cry and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She said she prayed all the time every day that God would help her and that this is the first sign that he had heard he prayers.

I asked her what she felt and she said amazing. I said that’s how you felt in the presence of God. I said he gives us this feeling so that we can know when we are hearing the truth. He gives us this feeling so that he can testify of that truth.

She said that is awesome. I said that when we’re baptized we are clean we get the gift of the Holy Ghost to go with us and to tell us the things to say. It helps us know the things we should do. I talked to her more about how the spirit felt to her. I said that God had sent his spirit to show his love. She said yes, I believes that.

I told her God also sends that spirit to testify. I asked her if the things I was saying were false, would the spirit still be here? She said no. That feeling is helping me know the things you’re saying are true.

I told her that she had been focusing on the things in her life that were negative. I told her that she had been thinking about how she had been treated poorly and that this had made it so that she wasn’t acting like she wanted to and the way she knew the lord wanted her to. She said yes that’s right.

I told her that this is where we have to look to Jesus Christ. I told her that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ he can swallow up all the pain, hurt, injustice, infirmity, unfairness and sin in the world so that we do not have to suffer the effects if we will look to him to heal our soul, heart and our mind. She started crying overtly.

I told her that God doesn’t look at life like we do. He doesn’t take away from one person to give to another because he wants us all to have everything. I said that the way Jesus works is he comes in and sees us differently. It is like five glasses at different levels. To make them equal rather than take from one to put in another, he just fills them all. She said so God fills us full. I said yes. I said God loves everyone and regardless of our circumstance he will give us everything he has if we do our part. We will all have a full glass.

She said, this is awesome do you have a podcast? I said laughed and said no but I have a blog and I pointed her to the blog. I said in that blog I talk about when God puts people in my car to receive a message. She said, just like he put me in your car today to receive this message. I said yes!

I asked her if she had friends who were members of the church and she said yes. I asked her if she would go to them and tell them what she had heard and felt that day. She said she felt like she shouldn’t because they weren’t people who obeyed the tenants of the religion very closely.

She asked me if when she got back from her trip if she could reach out to me and I said yes. She said I have never felt like I feel in this car today. It’s an amazing feeling and I want to have this power with me.

She said that she would be in touch and with a huge smile on her face turned and went into the airport

I picked up two ladies down in Vineyard from Sri Lanka via London England, who were heading up to Costco. I’ve never given a ride to someone from Sri Lanka before and we began talking about traveling. I didn’t know why but I felt I should find a reason to talk about religion and so I said, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and I’m very devout so sometimes when I travel I look at the religious aspect of the places I go.

One of them asked me where the coolest place is that I have ever been that had a religious connotation. I said Cairo, Egypt.

She said, you’ve been to Cairo? What did you see there?

I told them that in Cairo I stood in the spot where I could see the Mohammed Ali Mosque. It is the biggest mosque in the world. I also saw one of the oldest synagogues in the world, built over the pharaohs daughters wading pool (Yes, the rabbi took us down there and I waded in the water). I also saw one of the oldest Christian churches whose foundation was laid about 78 A.D. by the apostle Thomas over the spot where Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived when they were in Egypt. It is less than 50 yards from the synagogue that had been there for 3000 years over the place where Moses was taken from the Nile.

I was blown away being there and I told them that it was really cool. She said, I love that! That’s amazing! I need to go to Egypt!

She said, I’m very religious too. She said that she was Christian and that Jesus Christ was very important to her. I said, as it should be! She said so you’re a Mormon? I said yes I am! She said, tell me what you believe thats different from what we believe.

I told them that we believe that God loves all of his children everywhere in the world no matter where they were born or when they lived. I told them that God not only loved all his children but his son had died for all of his children. They said, we know and agreed.

I said that not only did God love everyone he sent his son to visit many of his children. They said, what?

I said that in the Bible Jesus said other sheep I have which are not of this fold. I no sooner got that part out then they finished the scripture. I asked them, who was he talking about? They said, I had never thought about that.

I asked, who was he going to go talk to, teach, bless that had not heard his voice at that point. She said she didn’t know. I said well we do! And it is one of the main differences between our church and your church.

I said he came to America. He descended from heaven in glory and stood there while the people felt the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet. He loved them and he taught them. He blessed them and then he said that were still other sheep that we’re not of that land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout. Then he received a commandment from his father to go to them so they could hear his voice.

I asked her where they thought those other people were?

She said she had no idea. I said that Isaiah gives us a hint when he talks about the children of Israel being in Egypt, in Africa and Europe and Asia and the Isles of the sea which includes America and the rest of the islands of the world. I asked them if that sounded right and they said yes.

I told them we know this because we had prophets in America and they wrote down their revelations along with the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

She said, is that your Bible? I said no! Our Bible is the same Bible that you guys use but we have the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ and it testifies of him. I told her that the Book of Mormon is the place where Jesus said he still had other sheep he had to go see. That book is proof that God loves all of his children not just his children in one little country and that Christ is the Savior of all of the world.

She said, I like this, I believe this. I told her that she believed it because she believed that God was her father and that he loved her and a loving father would be fair and treat all of his children with love not just the specific ones in one specific area. She said you’re right. I I told her that the Book of Mormon was true, that it was the word of God that it was prophesied by Ezekiel as the stick of Joseph. Ezekiel said that it would be a companion to the stick of Judah, which is the Bible.

One of them said that makes sense to me. I told them that the Book of Mormon teaches us about Jesus and testifies that the things the Bible said are true. She said again, I love this. The spirit was strong in the car I knew I’d been guided from the start of my conversation as to which way to take it to open these women’s hearts. I didn’t want to blow it and the spirit was telling me to talk about baptism for the dead.

I told them that God loved every one of his children like we talked about then I asked them what would happen if somebody wasn’t baptized. They said they can’t go to heaven. I asked them if their ancestors in Sri Lanka 500 years ago were baptized and they said no. I asked them if they got the chance to hear about baptism. They said no. I asked them if they could even possibly have heard of Jesus Christ and they said no.

I asked them if those ancestors could possibly go to heaven then not having been baptized. They said no. I asked them if this is just. They said no. I told them that this was another big difference in the way we believe and in the way they believe. I mentioned that in the Bible it talks about the ancient practice of baptism for the dead and that we do that today in our temples. They said that they were very familiar with that passage in the New Testament.

I told them that when we go to the temple we are baptized for and in the behalf of another person who has died. They said, wow. I said then that person gets a chance to accept this baptism and it is as if they had been baptized on earth, thus allowing them to go to heaven. I asked them if a loving God could possibly ignore all of his children that hadn’t been born in a favorable time or circumstance to receive the gospel? They said no, there’s no way the just and loving God that I believe in could just condemn his children. I said that’s right.

We were now sitting outside Costco and I asked them to just be quiet for a minute and tell me what they felt. The words came rapid-fire joy, peace, emotional and tingly. I told them that this was the spirit of God and that when you feel this you know that the things you’re hearing are true. They said that they knew it was true but they had never felt the spirit this powerfully before. I told them that it was because God was there testifying about his truth to them.

They said, this is really exciting. We love this We want to learn about your church. I asked if they had a Book of Mormon and the one sister said yes. The other glared at her sister like, why have you been holding out on me! I laughed. I asked if they had friends that were members of the church and the sister that had been here the longest said yes several. I told her to tell them about what she had felt in the car that day. She said she would.

Her sister piped in and said well, I want to Book of Mormon of my own and I want to go to that church. I love it when they’re so demanding. I got their information and took them over a Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists. The sisters contacted their friends that night. My expectation is that great things are going to happen.

One night I was picking up a guy at a hotel downtown. I picked him up at the Hilton and we were heading into a neighborhood. I asked him if he was going to an Airbnb and he said no, he was visiting friends.

I asked her where he was from and he said Cody, Wyoming. I know a lot of people from that area. My MTC companion was from Cody and still lives there today. My sister lives in Burlington which is just a little ways away and she teaches school in Cody.

We played the who do you know game. As I started talking to him I looked at him and thought that he was a dry Mormon for sure. A dry Mormon is someone who lives the gospel who hasn’t been baptized. He knew the vernacular and he had the feel of somebody who had lived right for the most part. I felt the distinct impression that he was not a member of the church but that he had grown up obviously in Mormon communities so he knew everything about the church.

I received the impression that he had been approached many times and that there was a specific reason that he had never wanted to tell anybody about why he didn’t get baptized. So I went right in with that.

I asked, you’re not a member of the church are you? He said no, but everyone of his friends were. He said that he was Catholic but that he didn’t go to church so he didn’t consider himself to be much different than his friends who are members of our church.

I asked, do you mind if I ask you a question? He said no, go ahead. I said growing up in Cody with all of your friends being members of the church, obviously they took you to church, they had you play ball with them at the church, and you did scouting with them, is that true? He said yes, that’s exactly what happened. He said, I guess culturally I would say we are the same.

I said, obviously there was something in the teaching of the church or in the belief system that didn’t work for you. Clearly there was something that bothered you and you didn’t want to offend your friendship by bringing it up so you just went with the culture.

He said, no one has ever asked me that question. He said, it’s not like I wanted to come straight out and challenge their beliefs. I like the results of their beliefs but there is something that just was hard for me. I asked what it was.

He said it was the Indians. He said, I don’t know how I could believe that the Indians came from Jerusalem. Where the Indians come from is my question. When I asked that they never felt comfortable or were able to make me feel comfortable in their answer so I quit asking it. He said that without this it didn’t make sense.

Sometimes we are really good at living a religion but not so great at explaining our religion. I looked back at him and said so the Book of Mormon is the issue? He said, yes. Not with the teachings because I think it’s a good book but it just doesn’t seem possible that the Indians came from Jerusalem.

I asked him if he thought God was all powerful. He said yes. I asked him if God loved everyone in the world. He said yes. I asked him if he loved people in one place more than he loved them in other places and he said, no.

I asked him how God showed love to his children. He thought for a minute and said that he gives them blessings. I asked him if he just blesses them regardless of how they act and he said no. He gives them blessings when they do what he says, when they act like he wants them to act.

I asked him how people knew what God wanted them to do and how he wanted them to act. He said that’s why we have the Bible. I said, God revealed his will to the prophets who then relayed that information to the people and wrote it down. This is why we have the Bible. He said yes. I asked him who had the Bible and he said the people in Jerusalem and later everyone in the world in the last 200 years.

I asked him if we need to know about Jesus Christ to be saved and he said yes. I asked him if we need to be baptized to be saved and he said yes.

I said, if God loves all of his children the same and they’re scattered all over the world why would he choose only one group of people to have his word and not all of his children. He thought for a minute And said, I don’t know. That’s a good question.

I asked, if God is all powerful as you said and he loves everyone the same like you said why wouldn’t he give his love or his commandments like you said to all of his children everywhere not just his children in Jerusalem?

He said wow! I never thought of it that way. I said that is the Book of Mormon. The people who lived in America could not get the words from the prophets in Jerusalem at that time. God loved them just like he loves the people of Jerusalem,or you and I, and he wanted them to have blessings. That’s why he gave them prophets. They wrote down their prophecies and that’s why we have the Book of Mormon. It’s a record of God blessing the people, his children, who lived in America because God loves everyone.

He said that makes a lot of sense. The spirit was strong in the car and I testified of Joseph Smith and how he translated the Book of Mormon and how it was the word of God. I could feel it and I could feel this young man readily accept that spirit because he had felt it in his life.

I asked, do you feel that? He said, yes it feels good! It feels right! I said think about the things I just said to you. They are not normal things in the world but how did you feel when I said them? He said I felt good. I said it didn’t feel strange, did it? He said no.

I said that’s because it’s true and the spirit is telling you it’s true.

I said, 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 had been commanded by his father. This is more evidence I said. I said God loves all of his children and if an all powerful God loves all of his children who is he going to send his son to? He said, all of his children.

I said in the Book of Mormon it contains the record of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. Jesus descended from heaven brilliant and beautiful. He stood on the steps of the temple and the people felt the prints of the nails in his hands and the prints the nails in his feet. They asked him for salvation and he gave them baptism and the authority to baptize. He instructed them how to baptize. My rider said wow that’s amazing. I told him that those people had already been baptized but Jesus brought a new covenant, a new level and instructed them to be baptized by that power to that level.

I told him Jesus didn’t spend any time demeaning the previous baptism that they had received. He gave them a new level and a new way to have more power. He said that’s amazing. I said that’s the Book of Mormon.

Then Jesus said still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout. He had received a commandment from his father to go to them too so they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I said this happened because God loves all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem or America. He said that makes sense.

I said do you feel that spirit again, he said yes. He was astounded by the feeling. He said that it was overwhelming. I asked what does that mean and he said it means it’s true.

Now that he’d had a witness of the spirit I just had to have some fun and I pulled up a picture of Tulum. Tulum is an ancient Mayan temple built around 700 A.D.. In the tower of the temple it’s got three doors and three spaces on top of those doors where images were carved.

He looked at it with interest. I asked , do you know what those carvings above those doors are? He said no. I said, above the first door it is a carving of a king God with robes and a crown.

I said above the second door there is a carving of a God descending from the sky. Just like Jesus descended from the sky to the people in America.

I said above the third door it is empty.

I said, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The father, the King God, the son descending from heaven like he did in America and the Holy Ghost. He said, with no carving because there is no body with the Holy Ghost. I said, that’s right. I asked him how it was that they got that information in America 700 A.D. when that building was built.

He was stopped in his tracks, he couldn’t put that together. He said, I have no idea. That’s amazing. There were no planes or boats to bring that knowledge there. People didn’t even know America existed. No phones, no TV, no communication at all. He said, that’s right.

How did they get this knowledge that is very specific? He said I don’t know. I said, didn’t someone need to bring it? He said yes, Jesus obviously brought it with him.

I asked him again how he felt, he said that this cleared everything up for him. I could tell that his concern about the Indians was swallowed up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ’s visit and the words of God‘s prophets here in America. He said, I will have to go on the internet and research that. I laughed and said , I have a better idea. He said what? I asked if his best friends were members and RM’s. He said yes

I said, go to them and tell them what you have learned and felt in the ride. I told him to talk about how the spirit felt. He said he would He said, “this will be fun”.

I asked if he had a Book of Mormon. He said dozens of them. I said, you should be reading them then. He chuckled and got out of the car.

I feel bad that all of those years he let the fear of that question keep him from the full blessings of the gospel. I am stoked for his friends and their opportunity.

Here is a copy of that photo of Tulum that I showed him.

I picked up a young lady downtown in Salt Lake City from a bar called London Belle. I was expecting her to come out and be pretty much sloshed like everyone that comes out of that place. I was a little upset to begin with because this was going to be one of those trips clear on top of the mountain in the southwest corner of the valley. That’s a money loser folks.

I decided to take it anyway because I was feeling good. The ride right before this one I had picked up a young man and we discussed the gospel. It ended up a bit of miraculous experience. I was flying high so I decided to pick up this trip as well. I guess I thought I was being generous or magnanimous.

She got in the car and we started to drive. I noticed she was a very happy person and I told her that and she said people tell me that all the time. She said I just had to go home because I wasn’t gonna sit around with a bunch of drunks from work.

She said I’ve got little kids and I’m a single mother and I feel like I need to get home to my children. I told her that’s the right call and I supported that 100%.

As we drove down the road she started talking about her life.

She talked about her baby daddy, the father of her five children and how he had not been faithful to her and that he left her damaged.

We talked about how crazy it is out there now, people don’t seem to have great morals in some circles. She very much agreed and said that wasn’t the way she was raised.

This girl was not very modestly dressed and seemed a little wild but I received a prompting that this too would be opportunity to share my testimony. I started looking for a way to bring up the gospel.

She talked about how she had thought about driving Uber and that she was a little bit afraid because she was afraid of people sometimes. I asked her how she knew which people to be afraid of and she said she gets a feeling, an intense feeling around people who aren’t good.

I told her that driving Uber was dangerous but that I felt like I had protection from God. She told me that even though she was raised Buddhist she didn’t believe in that either and considered herself atheist. She played the religion role for family members.

I told her my story about the guy who came between the seats to attack me and God struck him almost as if with a taser.

She said well I’ve thought of myself as atheist.

I told her that story knowing that this was the opportunity that God had given me to use that previous experience to open up an avenue for testimony with this young lady. I told her about how I had prayed and that the power of God was very evident.

I told her that God works with us and he helps us in good times and bad. I told her that it seemed like she’d have a rough patch for much of her life. She said she had and she had some very heartbreaking experiences. I told her God knew that but that he loved her and wanted her to look to his son Jesus Christ to lift her.

She said well I’m Buddhist. I was raised Buddhist and whenever I do anything with regards to Christianity my family tells me they’re going to disown me. It’s very difficult for me. I said I am sure it is.

I told her about her relationship with God and how she was his daughter. I testified of his love and it filled the car. I could tell she felt it. I asked her how it felt right then and she said right now I know this is right.

I told her, I’m sure that it is very difficult. I discussed with her how Satan is always in her ear telling her that she’s damaged, telling her that she’s not worthy and telling her that she doesn’t belong with God. I told her that Satan is a liar. I said he’s a liar and everything he says is a lie.

I told her that anything that teaches a man not to pray or not to come to God is of Satan. I told her that I learned that in the Book of Mormon. She said, oh, I have gone to the Mormon church many times. My ex/baby daddy is a member of the Mormon church and we would go together.

I didn’t know whether she would be happy or angry but I decided to just roll with it. I asked her what she felt when she was at church. She said she felt calm and peace and that’s why she kept going to the Mormon church. She said she never felt anything like that before even though her family is Buddhist. She said that when she prayed to Budda she didn’t feel anything but when she prayed to God she felt his spirit.

I asked her if that kind of made her decision for her about what she should be doing and she said yes. She said that God had always given her the ability to tell good people from bad people. She knew when she got in the car that night that I was good and that this ride would be special. She said she could feel the presence of God in the car. I told her how God gives us capacity to do things that we’re not normally able to do. I explained to her gifts of the spirit and how once people have the gift of the Holy Ghost these abilities to perceive things are intensified because of the presence of the Holy Ghost. I told her that God gives us gifts of the spirit to serve each other and do his will.

I asked her if she had been baptized while she was attending church and she said no. I discussed with her the importance of baptism for becoming clean so the Holy Ghost can dwell with us and fill us with that peace and that feeling that she enjoyed so much.

She said, I’ll tell you one thing I’ve never felt it as strong as I feel it right now in this car. I told her that God gave her that so that she could know that the things that I was saying true. I asked her if she was familiar with the Book of Mormon and she said yes. I asked her if she knew that it was the writings of prophets from America and she said yes. I asked her if she knew that Jesus came to America and she said no.

I talked to her about Jesus coming to America and commanding the people to raise their level of discipleship by being baptized with his baptism so that they could become clean. I told her that this was what she needed to get over the hurt and the pain of the things that happened to her in the past. I told her that she needed to be clean so that when Satan whispered in her ear that she wasn’t valued by God and that she wasn’t worthy of his love, she could tell him that was a liar and dismiss it.

She was touched and moved by now. She said that’s what I need. I told her the spirit was important because it’s how we learn truth. I asked her if she believed the words I was saying were true and she said yes. I asked her if that meant that the Book of Mormon was true and she said yes.

I asked her if that meant that Jesus came to America and invited her and others to be baptized. She said yes. I asked her if that meant she should be baptized and she said yes.

I said, at this point normally what we have to do is come up with an action plan. I said clearly you can’t go back to the old ward where your ex-boyfriend/baby daddy attends.

She said, well that was in Taylorsville and I don’t live there anymore. I live in West Valley City. I said that’s great. She said there are several churches in that area and that she would go to one of them. I said, do you ever see any missionaries? She said absolutely! I see them all the time! They live two doors down.

She said, I always say, hey brother! She said it with a grin. It was impressive and very telling of the joy she was feeling in her heart.

I asked her if she would do me a favor and go to those missionaries when she sees them next and tell them about this ride and about the witness that she received from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true. She said she would.

Then I said you should discuss with them about getting baptized. She said, I would love to be baptized but my family tells me that I am betraying all of my ancestors because of my Buddhist religion.

I told her that I knew by the spirit that she was not betraying her ancestors but that they would praise her name.

Then she said, wait wait! But I’m an atheist! She said it with a huge smile on her face because she had said it earlier in the ride with meaning. I looked at her and said well, I guess not anymore, huh?! She laughed and said, I guess not.

I picked up a girl on State Street going to Park City. This was really weird because her pick up point was five blocks away from where He indicated pick up point was. I got her on the phone. It took some manipulating and interpreting to get us on the same page. Instead of being on 100 South and 3rd east she was down by Little America Hotel. I felt like ditching the ride because I could. It was a ride to Park City and I was going to lose money on the ride, but I felt impressed by the spirit to take this ride.

She got in the car and we started to go. It was a good ride but not long into the ride she confided in me that she was an alcoholic and 23 days sober. I congratulated her and told her how awesome that was. She told me that it would have been longer but she fell off the wagon 23 days ago and she was battling it hard core. She told me that it consumed every second of her thoughts.

As we started up the canyon she told me that she was from American Fork and she had moved there as a young child from Colorado. She also indicated the kind of work she did but frankly I forgot. I might not be a very good listener sometimes.

I felt like I should talk to her about the church The promptings came very strong that I needed to talk to her about the church but when talking about her family she said nothing about religion and almost purposely pushed away from the topic. I felt like I wasn’t welcome to go there.

I decided to talk about my grandfather‘s addiction to alcohol and how my wife had worked in the gastroenterologist office. She had seen people in their late 20’s early 30’s die from cirrhosis of the liver. Heather always mentioned how horrible and said that was. It just devastated her to know about this.

She said, well that’s my age! I said yes, alcohol will kill you! I told her that this is why getting rid of this addiction is so important. She said I know but it’s so hard.

I asked her if I could tell her something that I think makes it easier for me to understand and might help her. She said yes. I looked at her in the mirror, our eyes met, and I asked even if I talk about religion? I knew that she hadn’t wanted to talk about religion before but this time in this context she gave me the approval to talk about religion.

I told her that I had been Elders Quorum President and that I had people in my quorum that had been addicted. I had worked with them and the one of them had died from his addiction. I told her how sad it was. Then I asked her, do you want to know what I think is the difference between those who are able to overcome this and those who aren’t? She said yes.

There was an earnestness and a desire to learn in her voice and I felt like at this point she was open to hear what I had to say. I started talking about her being a daughter of God. I told her about how she lived with her father in heaven for thousands of years and that her spirit and his spirit knew each other and they loved each other. It was wonderful and amazing and it was the most central part of her soul. I told her that in everyone’s soul there is this place that is meant to be filled by the Spirit of God. I told her that was developed when she lived with her father in heaven before we were born. She was OK so far.

The spirit began to testify of the truth of her relationship with her father in heaven and I could see that she was thoughtful and I could feel her mind opening.

I talked about how when we came to earth and received our bodies we also lost our ability to remember exactly what that spirit was. Being prompted at that time that she was indeed a member, partially by her reactions and partially by the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, I said, when you were a child, either at girls camp, in family home evening, at church or praying with your mother, at some point you felt the spirit.

I told her that when she felt the spirit it was a wonderful feeling and that her spirit went crazy enjoying the presence of that spirit. I said it was like your spirit shouted my father’s here my father’s here, my father’s here. I told her that the spirit then filled that hole in her soul and she felt happy and complete.

I told her that we spend our lives on earth trying to learn how we can have that spirit with us like our soul craves.

I told her that Satan on the other hand is real. I said that people had told her that Satan wasn’t real, but he is and that he tries to copy and frustrate everything that God does. I told her that he tries to copy this feeling to lead us astray into paths where we won’t be happy.

I told her that getting high and getting buzzed is one of the things that he does. I told her that one time I was interviewing a sister in the MTC and when the spirit was there I asked her what it felt like and she told me it feels like I’m high. She explained to me that the only feeling she had experienced that was close to this was being high. he said that the Spirit of God was more powerful but that it was a similar feeling.

I told my passenger that by having us get drunk or high Satan counterfeits the feeling of the spirit and tries to fill that hole that’s been vacated in our soul. I told her it’s like feeding someone potato chips when they haven’t eaten for a week. I told her it’s not substantial and it doesn’t last like good food does. She said that makes sense.

She said that Alcoholics Anonymous says we’re supposed to look to a higher power, this must be the reason why. I told her that as a member of the church she has a greater understanding of that and a greater ability to understand what it is and why it is necessary. She asked me how I knew she was a member of the church and I told her that I just felt a prompting from the spirit that she was. I told her coming back to the church would be a way that she could get that help to fill the void in her soul. I told her that her alcoholism is a physical battle and a spiritual battle. I told her if she would take care of the spiritual void by filling it with the power of God that it would lessen her dependence and make it so that she could fight the physical battle. She thought about that for a minute and then said, my father and mother are members of the church, my brothers went on missions but I left that a long time ago. I could tell by the way she talked and by the venom in her voice when she said it, her parents disapproval of the lifestyle she was living created a great chasm even a gulf between them. It seemed as though she disapproved of the church almost exclusively to spite her parents.

I told her that if she would go back and surround herself with that spirit and fill that hole with the spirit instead of the things Satan was trying to stuff in it, she would have the power to resist the cravings and temptations to drink and do other drugs. She said, that would be hard to go back to my parents like that. I asked, how bad do you want to quit drinking? She said really bad.

By this time we had arrived at the place where she had pre design to go. She was getting ready to get out of the car. She said, I’ll have to think about it. I said do you believe what I said? She said maybe. I said during the ride you felt the spirit and she started to smile and she said yes. I said that spirit testifies of truth and she said, I know.

I said would God send that if he didn’t mean to validate what was said, if it was wrong? And she said no.

I said I have one more question for you. She said what is it? I said I want you to just stop and think about the cravings right now that you’re having. How are they by comparison with the way they’ve been for the last few days?

She gasped and answered, oh my, they’re Way less. She said that’s amazing. I told her that they were diminished because the Spirit of God was filling her soul right now as it had been during that ride. I told her that it was making it so that she only felt the physical craving. I said, now you see how this works.

She said how do I do this. I said go to your dad and ask him for a blessing. I told her to go to her mom and dad and discuss with them what we talked about. I asked her to be open with them about the fight she was having. I told her that they would love to wrap their arms around her and help her feel the spirit. I told her not to judge them for what had been said and what had been done before. I told her that she doesn’t like to be judged so she should let them off the hook a bit too. She smiled and said I guess you’re right. She said I’ll do that.

She turned and walked away full of the spirit. I’m pretty sure there’s a mother and father in American Fork that have been worried sick about their little girl because I know there is a father in heaven who has been. The fathers blessing is just what she needs and a hug of love and understanding like she got from the spirit in the car that day can help bring her home.

I got called to pick up a lady on Circle Of Hope Drive which is the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I pulled up and she was clearly a disabled lady. She was able to walk very slowly. She walked up and asked if she could get in the front seat. She said she felt better in the front seat of a car but she had never asked that question of a driver before.

I said, absolutely and she got in the car. I could feel right away that she was a little bit of a tortured soul and the biggest pain she was feeling had nothing to do with her physical challenges. Fortunately for us it was rush-hour and we had to go from Huntsman Cancer Institute all the way down to 72nd south and that is a long ride so we had time.

We started driving. I knew by the spirit that I was supposed to talk to this lady so I started early trying to find out what were the things that I should say. I prayed and then the answer came to me.

First, I listened to her tell me the story of her mother who had advanced Alzheimer’s and had lived with her for six years. She said no one realized how hard that was. I told her that was Gods work caring for her mother and that no one understands how hurtful and abusive someone who doesn’t recognize you can be. She said no one gets that. I told her that God loves her for that service and her mother will remember it.

I told her how Covid had financially devastated us and that I wasn’t getting money from work so I had to drive. I told her things like that happen but the funniest thing is that I know I’m here being protected by God and doing the things God would have me do. I told her, “I am saying the things God would have me say”.

She said, what do you mean? I told her that I was protected by God physically! I told her the story about the guy that came through between the front seats to attack me and was shocked by God just like he was tased. I felt like I needed to attach it to the Book of Mormon so I said you’re a member of the Mormon church aren’t you?

She said I was raised a Mormon but I am no longer a member of that church. I said well you remember the story from the Book of Mormon don’t you. She said yes. I talked about how Laman and Lemuel were shocked when Nephi touched them. I said that’s exactly what happened to me in my car; God protected me.

I told her that God can protect us at times but I could feel her spirit cry, why didn’t he protect me? I had the impression that she was seriously abused at home as a child.

I started talking to her about the atonement and how Christ is there to lift us through our adversities and Satan is there blaming God. I told her that God gives us agency and many times people abuse that agency. I told her that its up to us to decide how we react to the abuse of agency.

I could tell the light came on. I could tell that this thing that I had said to her was a direct hit to her soul. I said you have been hurt in your life. People that you have trusted abused you and it made it hard for you to turn to God.

She said I have fought the impulse to blame God but I am angry at the church. My father abused all of us and it was horrible. He used the church to control us. My brother committed suicide by jumping from a hotel balcony because he couldn’t deal with it.

I felt that she had been sexually abused by her father even though she didn’t say that. She indicated physical and psychological abuse but I felt that this was the case very strongly and I alluded to it without saying it.

There was such pain in her voice and such pain in her face and she told the story of the beatings she would endure and the humiliation her father would heap on her.

Then almost to change the subject she talked about the other pain in her life. How she had been arrested, convicted and put in prison four times for forgery. She had broken her back and become addicted to drugs and had forged the doctor signatures to get the pain medicine that she needed.

She talked about how the judge told her that if she could ever get her life together she could be an amazing person. She told me that she was released from prison six years ago and had been caring for her mother since then.

I started talking to her about addiction and how there are two prongs to addiction. Two battles to face. The battle to fill our soul with the spirit which is the thing “the high” attempts to replicate with Satan‘s counterfeit and the physical addiction to the chemicals. I told her that everyone I know tells me that if you get the spiritual part under control it makes the physical part easier because you can focus on it.

She said wow, I had never considered that. I told her I learned that because one of my missionaries in the MTC had told me that a spiritual experience felt almost like being high and it was occurred to me that Satan was using that to fill the part of our soul where Gods love should reside.

I told her that even though she had an earthly father that was not a great man she had a Heavenly Father that was the best and that she had lived with him for thousands and thousands and thousands of years and she had a love with him and that feeling of being with him was so important to her. I told her that it was like when her child walked in the room, she knew that child was there without even looking. She said yeah I know that feeling.

I said you have that feeling with your father in heaven and I can’t tell you what it feels like because it’s between you and him. I told her that she had experienced that feeling and that she had been searching for that feeling, chasing that feeling ever since. I told her that I always ask people to identify that feeling so that they know what it is. This way, the next time they feel it they know their father is near.

I said, it’s just like Satan to lie, cheat and create a counterfeit to this. That way we become addicted to the counterfeit because we are pre-designed to crave the spirit of God.

I said it’s the most natural thing for us. If we feel the spirit of God, it fills us and makes us more capable and more powerful. If we choose Satan‘s plan and his counterfeit it wastes away and does nothing for us. That’s why drugs harm us spiritually. She agreed 100%

She said she had a brother that went on a mission. He lives in Australia. I said that’s amazing.

I told her that there are good and bad people and families in and out of the church. I told her that everyone has problems and everyone has sin. I told her that no one is perfect. I told her one thing for sure is that when her father abused her and her brothers using the church to do it, he was damning his progression and damning himself by unworthily using that position.

I told her that someday he would have to apologize to her and she would get the opportunity to forgive him. I told her that his own actions damned his progression. I said that I use the word damned because it stopped his progression. I told her that this is why if he is ever to progress he would need to come to her and ask for forgiveness, be sorry and be repentant.

I told her that God puts people in my car to receive messages. He whispers to my heart the things that I should say and today he put her in my car. I told her that this is why I had known the things I knew about her struggles and the abuse she had suffered. She said that it was amazing that I knew it. She said she had never told anyone except her therapist these things.

She told me about one time when she got 24 wacks with a 2 x 4 that had holes drilled in it. It left so many welts and bruises that it was noticed when she showered in PE. The case was sent over to child protective services for an interview. She said the people showed up and within 15 minutes they were laughing and joking it up with her mom and dad like nothing ever happened. She said they did nothing to help me. She knew that no one was coming to help her.

I also said it’s deeper than what you’ve told me. I remembered back to when the spirit prompted me that she had been sexually assaulted by her father. I said, there’s more abuse you suffered in an inappropriate way. I said that while you were suffering God cried for you. I told her that he sent his son for her so that she could have her burdens lifted but his heart hurt for his daughter he loved while she was suffering so.

She told the story about her 12th birthday when he humiliated her in front of people from their ward and the boy she had a crush on. He said something humiliating of a sexual nature and she said, “why didn’t the other adults in that room catch on to my dad and ask, how would he know that? Why didn’t they try to do something to help me?” I told her that I had the impression that it had been going on for several years before she was 12 and with tears in her eyes and a quivering voice she said, ”yes it had”.

She said that when her dad died of a heart attack he was still spiteful and bitter. I told her that she was bitter as well. I said that it’s understandable and she has a right to feel that way. I also told her that the atonement can take that sword out of her hand if she would let it. I told her that through the atonement she could learn to move on and not be so angry. I told her about Alma and his followers who were enslaved,beaten and abused. When they prayed and turned to the atonement their burdens were lifted and they were so light they could barely feel them. I asked her how she would like to have that burden lifted. I asked her if she would like to have Jesus Christ carry that for her. She said “yes, please yes!”

I told her that her father in heaven was everything her earthly father wasn’t. I told her again that she lived with her father in heaven and she loved him and that they had a perfect relationship and that it was on going for thousands and thousands of years. He loved her and even though she had been abused and taken advantage of in this life he loved her more than she could ever know. The spiritual was strong. She started to cry. She said, this is why I’ve never given up on God. She said, I’d hoped that he still loved me.

I said, do you feel that love right now and she said yes. I asked her what it felt like. She said it felt like her heart was so full it was about to burst. She said that the peace felt warm. I said, that is how you feel the spirit of God. That is how you feel in his presence. I said it’s here because the spirit of God is here with us now. I told her to remember how that feels because she will know that God is with her and that he loves her when she feels that.

I told her that God has given us the atonement of Jesus Christ so that we can be healed from the injustice and pain that comes from evil. Using the atonement of Jesus Christ is how we turn to him and feel his love in our lives.

By this time there were full on tears. I told her that her father wasn’t the church and that he had used the church. I told her that God really would love to have her back.

She said that this whole ride has been all too amazing. She’s been thinking about calling her brother in Australia and her daughter-in-law who previously served missions for about the last week. She had been feeling like she needed to do that and start going to church again. She said they had just been thoughts but then I show up and this happens in my car. She said it can’t be a coincidence.

I told her there is no such thing as coincidence and that the experience she had in the car was a way for her Heavenly Father to reach out to her. She said, I can’t go back to church, I’ve done so many horrible things in my life.

I told her that didn’t matter and that’s why we have the atonement so we can become clean. I told her that the atonement cleans us. Through the power of the atonement Jesus Christ saves us, not just in the end but during the trials that we experience.

I told her that every single person at church hears whispering in their ears telling them that they’re not worthy to be there that they’re not good enough to be there, and that they can’t do the things God has asked them to do. Satan tries to make us feel unworthy and inadequate. He does that so that he can keep us away from God.

I told her that anything that teaches not to pray or anything that teaches not to go to church is of Satan. I told her that if she feels that she’s not supposed to go to church or welcome, that is Satan talking and to never let him win. I told her Jesus would open his arms to receive her so what does it matter what everyone else thinks.

She said that’s a good point.

Through her tears she told me that all these things happening were crazy and that feeling the spirit and recognizing it for the first time in the car that day had changed her complete perspective.

I told her that this week is conference. I asked her to listen to one session of conference. She said OK. I said will you listen looking for a message from God to you? She said, yes. I said, do you promise? She said, yes, I promise but not more than one session. I’ve been away a long time.

I asked her if she knew who her bishop was. She said yes he is a very good man. I told her to go to him and tell him about our car ride and discuss the things in her heart with him. I told her he would know how to help her. She said, that’s exactly what I need to do.

Getting out of the car she said this is why all of this is happening. I’ve just never said it to myself out loud. I’m supposed to come back to the church. I’ve got some health struggles and it’s going to be hard. God is reaching out to me and I need to grab his hand. I promise you I will do these things.

She turned around and walked into her house. I had just seen the hand of God move to recover one of his injured daughters from the field of battle. She didn’t tell me but I think she has cancer. Getting rid of the cancer is important, but Satan is every bit as much of a cancer. When she listens to conference this weekend I am sure that (by coincidence) she will listen to the talk that speaks to her soul. (By coincidence) she will hear multiple talks that speak to her issues.

I can’t wait for conference!

I wrote this on Monday before conference and felt prompted that it was this weeks story. I just got done listening to President Nelson’s talk on abuse. The lord grieves for the abused. Look to christ! Let’s be his hands to lift and bless

Sometimes we are a little timid to bring up baptism but other times we need to be bold. Sometimes we need to ask Have you been baptized yet?

I picked up a young man at a Vape shop by State and 33rd south. On the way to pick him up I passed a car accident that had the route blocked off that we would need to take on the way out. I knew I would have to be creative.

It told me to pick him up at the Vape shop and I thought he worked at the Vape shop. I thought, eww a vape shop. When he got in the car I told him about the accident and that we would have to find another way. Silence! He told me he didn’t speak English but I heard a Spanish accent so I jumped right in.

I told him in Spanish that the road was blocked and he started laughing and said well, let’s try it anyway. We started down the road and found out we were blocked and we would be detoured and it was going to add about 10 minutes to arrive at his home. He was OK with that and so we went.

We had to make a turn north. The second I made the turn the spirit told me in a prompting this young man was highly stressed, very worried and needed to feel the spirit. I felt like God was going to show his power to this young man.

The first thing that came to my mind was, have you been baptized into the church yet? He looked shocked at the surprise frontal attack. He gathered himself and said wait no, I haven’t been baptized into the Mormon church yet. I said. Maybe it’s time you look into it.

I asked him if he had any friends that were members of the church and he said yes. He said he had two good friends that were members of the church. This is usually a question I ask at the end of the night or ride but for whatever reason I felt like I should ask it early on.

I asked him, what do your friends believe that’s different than what you believe as a Catholic. He thought about it and said, I don’t know. He said, I don’t have any idea what your church believes.

I told him that our church believes that God is the God of all of the world and not just Jerusalem. I told him that God loves everyone in the world and not just the people where he originally sent his son. I asked him if he believed that and he said absolutely.

I asked him if God loved the people in America that were his ancestors and he said yes. I asked him, if God loved them how would he show that love. He said he would help them. I told him that’s exactly what God did. He helped them. I told him that he gave them prophets.

I told him the prophets were people who receive revelation from God to help and bless the people. They wrote these revelations down and that’s why we have the Bible. They are the revelations of the prophets in Jerusalem. I also told him that the prophets in America amongst his ancestors also received revelation from God and they wrote them down.

I asked him, if that were true, would it be important for him to have that record? He said yes, it would be very important. I told him that those prophets also wrote about Jesus Christ coming to America. He said, what? I’ve never heard about that! I told him Jesus Christ was in Jerusalem after his resurrection and he said other sheep he had which are not of this fold and that he received a commandment from his father to go to them so there could be one fold and one shepherd. I told him that Jesus was talking about his ancestors here in America.

He said, this feels good, this feels right. I asked him if he knew where he could find these revelations and the history of Jesus Christ coming to America? He said no, where would I find that? I told him it was the Book of Mormon and he said ohhh.

I told him that when Jesus was crucified there was destruction in this hemisphere. I told him that there were earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunami‘s. I told him that after the destruction the people and the continent were covered with darkness for three days and they couldn’t see. They couldn’t light a match and they couldn’t do anything.

Then they heard a voice that said “this is my beloved son”. They looked to the heavens and saw Jesus descending from heaven dressed in white and glowing in glory.

I told him that his ancestors went up to Jesus and touched the prints of the nails in his hands and then his feet. They knelt and said hosanna which means save us. I told him Jesus helped them and blessed them and loved them. I said, this should be very personal to you because Jesus held, loved and blessed your ancestors.

When I said this I could tell that there was a tremendous peace in the car and I could tell that his eyes were wide open and he was eating it up. I could feel the spirit testifying to his soul. I said, then Jesus called up 12 and gave them authority to baptize and give the gift of the Holy Ghost. He commanded to these 12 to go and baptize everyone.

I told him that these people had previously been baptized and that they were good people. Jesus wanted to give them more blessings. Jesus wanted to give them a new level of commitment and a new level of discipleship. I told him that Jesus wanted to give them the ability to have families forever and to have power to save and live with those families forever in the gospel.

He said wow! That’s amazing! I asked him what he was feeling and he said he was feeling a tremendous peace like he had never felt before. I asked him what it meant and he said he didn’t know. I told him it meant that God was with us and that the things he was hearing were true. He said that he knew that they’re true! He said there’s no mistaking that right now.

He said he was also feeling a tremendous desire to learn these things that I was saying. I told him that because God loves us he sends his spirit to help us learn. I told him but I believed that God put him in my car tonight to receive this message.

He told me that he had a tremendously stressful day and he didn’t know how to move forward. He said that in the car he felt the peace of God and he believed that he had also seen a path forward for him.

I asked him if included learning these things and he said yes. I asked him what it meant to him that God would reach out and bless him with the spirit to help him tonight. He said it meant a lot to him. I asked him if it meant that he should follow these promptings and he said it did and he would.

We talked some more about the spirit and about baptism. I told him that based on the confirmation he had received from spirit it was important that he follow through and be baptized. He said that this was true. I asked him if he would be baptized and he said yes. Then he started talking about his family in Columbia. His wife and son live in Columbia.

He lives here and works two jobs and sends the money there so that they can be provided for. I told him that families are really important to us in our church and that the full restoration of the gospel teaches that families are the most important thing. I told him that when we are married our marriages are sealed for eternity. We don’t just do it until death but for eternity.

I told him that when Jesus was on the earth he gave Peter the authority to seal things on earth that will be sealed in heaven and we have that same power. We use that power to seal our marriages for all eternity. He said that this was an amazing thing and that he is 100% sure that his wife would love that.

He asked if it would be possible for her and his son to hear about the gospel in Columbia. I told him that we can send missionaries to their home in Columbia. I told him that when he was working with the missionaries they could conference In his family and the missionaries from that area so that they could learn together. This way they could be baptized together and sealed together later on. He loved that.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said no. I grabbed one of the copies of the Book of Mormon in Spanish prepared by Sister Secrist and gave it to him.

I asked him if he would promise me that he would ask his friend about that book and he said he would. He said that he would do it the next day. I asked him if he would tell his friend about the spirit and the presence of God that he felt in the car. He said that he would. He said, I cannot deny It.

I told him once again that God had put him in my car to receive this book and these teachings so that he could move forward in his life and finally be baptized in the church. He said that’s just what I need.

I said do you work in the vape shop? This was a potential problem I foresaw. He said, no, I worked in the Subway right next to it. It’s one of two jobs that I have. He said lately he had been very worn down and without a hope. He said tonight the spirit in the car had rejuvenated his spirit and given him hope.

He said, I have to follow this path. I believe that for sure he’s going to get pretty wet on this path.

I picked up a kid at a bakery one night. I love bakeries! Alecia and I have always said the bakeries make people happy and I believe that to be a true principle of happiness. This young man was no exemption.

He seemed to be very happy and we were talking about life. We did the where are you from question. I always ask this question because no one is ever from Salt Lake that I drive. He said that he was born and raised! I said, you’re the one! He laughed and we started talking a bit about growing up in Utah.

He lived in Valley City, in kind of a rough area. He was about 21 years old. I didn’t think by the looks of him that he was a member of the church but the spirit told me that he was and that I should ask him about missions.

I told him that I wasn’t from Utah, that I was from Idaho and that I came here to go to BYU after my mission. I told him I went to Argentina on my mission.

He said, oh, I have a friend that’s in Perú on a mission. I said that’s really cool, are you close? He said yes! I felt impressed to tell him that I knew he was a member of the church and say last year when you considered going on a mission you felt like you couldn’t leave your family but now those things have resolved themselves. Don’t you think it’s time to reconsider going on a mission? He said, how did you know that? I told him the spirit of God put those words in my heart to say.

I told him that I had the impression as well that he was questioning the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the church all together. He lowered his head and said yes.

I told him that I believe that these doubts were I just planted in his mind by Satan to try to keep him from going on a mission and that he knew that. I told him rather than fight these impressions and turn to his he entertained those thoughts and began to doubt. He said that’s exactly what it was like. He just didn’t have that feeling of truth anymore like he had at one time.

I asked him why he thought it was important for a young man to go on a mission. He said he didn’t know. I asked him if it would be all right for me to tell him what I thought and he said yes.

I told him that there are a couple reasons but first and foremost because Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he went to the sacred grove and prayed. God the father and Jesus Christ appeared just as surely as he was sitting in my car. When I said this the spirit began to burn in the car. I testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and how that message was a message that needed to be shared.

I told him about how the Book of Mormon taught the everyone need to be baptized. It taught that Jesus descended from heaven dressed in white and loved the people. They touch the prints of the nails in his hands and he gave them baptism and he invited them to be baptized. I told him that when you are a missionary you are the literal ambassador of Christ bringing that invitation that Jesus himself gave to the people. I could tell in the mirror that he was paying attention and I could see the spirit working in his countenance

I told him that as a father one of the most important things we do is give blessings to our children. We give them blessings when they’re sick, we give them blessings when they don’t feel good or when they’re going to school. I asked him how important it was for a father to be able to bless his child by the power of the spirit and the priesthood? He said very important. I asked him where do you think I learned how to do that? He said on a mission? I said yes sir.

I also said, when you’re giving that blessing it’s important to recognize the voice of God to your heart and say the words he would have you say and make the promises he would have you promise. I asked him where he thought I learned how to do that? He said on a mission? I said yes sir.

I asked him if he had felt the spirit in the car and he said he felt it like he had never felt it before. I asked him what the presence of the spirit in the car with us tonight meant and he said it means I’m supposed to go on a mission.

I could tell this was a good kid, I told him that as he reads the Book of Mormon this desire to share that will consume him. I looked back in the mirror and I could see tears streaming down his face.

I said, tonight you know that the church is true. Tonight you know that you’re supposed to go on a mission and he said yes, I know that. He said I’ve never felt like this.

I asked him what he needed to do next and he said he needed to go to his bishop. I told him he could be a great missionary and that peace he felt tonight is something he could take to others. He said that’s what he wanted to do. He asked me what my name was again and I told him. He thanked me and said it was his best ride ever. He promised me he would go to church this Sunday as well as see his bishop and get working on this.

I was thinking about this and the push the brethren made for young men to go on missions last general conference. It’s clear to me that Satan is working extra hard on them because if he wins, even if they stay in the church, without a mission they are less prepared as fathers and servants in the kingdom than they would’ve been had they served.

I end up doing a lot of things in my church calling. Currently I’m ward mission leader and I have a Haitian family that we’re trying to get baptized. They speak no English, a little bit of Spanish, no French only Haitian Creole. There is no help for Haitian Creole. They’re not particularly educated and reading is not their thing. We’re working double time on this one.

I had to take this family to Salt Lake City for an immigration court date on their asylum status. We got in the car and started to Salt Lake City and were going to the courthouse at the Decker Lake facility. I was Driving to Salt Lake for free! On the way I wanted to ask them when they planned on getting married and then baptized. So I asked and the dad said that if things went well that day in Imigration court they would get married and be baptized. I was thrilled and quickly started praying for success in court that day.

When we got there I looked at their paper and found out that we were an hour and a half early which shocked me because they never show up anywhere early. I decided that it was OK and that I would try to find something to occupy my time. We went to the gate to talk to the guard and he told us to go in.

At the same time there was another lady there. She was speaking Spanish to the guard and he didn’t understand a word she was saying. He asked me to translate when I started speaking to her because he couldn’t talk to her. She had an appointment set but they closed down early.

So there she was with her daughter. She had taken several buses to arrive and missed the cut off by a half an hour because they closed early. She was in tears and she had no idea how she was going to get home. I told her that I would take her.

I asked her to wait for a second while I took my Haitian family into the court and got them settled and then I came out and took this woman and her daughter to her house.

She told me their story about crossing the border and walking hours in the desert with her little girl. About how they arrived in Utah without even knowing what it was. I asked her what she thought about Utah and she said it’s very peaceful. We’ve never been anywhere like this, we love it!

I felt the spirit prompt me that I needed to get my head in the testifying game here. So I asked her, why do you think God brought you to Utah instead of one of those other areas? She paused for a minute and said, “I hadn’t thought about that, why do you think it is?

I told her it was because of the church. I told her that the peace she felt was because the people of the church follow Jesus and her family was brought here to receive that.

She looked shocked. I asked her what she knew about the church, she said that there were some missionaries that lived in the apartment complex by them and that she had talked to them a little bit. It had been quite a while since they talked.

I asked her if she knew what it was that the church taught that was additional to the things she already believed. She said, I don’t know.

I asked her who does God love? And she said God loves everyone. I asked her if he loved them equally and she said yes. I asked her if he loves everyone in the world and she said yes.

I told her about in the Bible where it says other sheep I have which are not of this fold and she finished the scripture for me. I asked her where those other sheep were if they weren’t in that fold right there in Israel that he was talk to. She said all over the world.

I asked her what does he say in that scripture he was going to do? She said go to those other sheep.

I asked her, does that mean he was going to go visit the people in America, your ancestors? She said, I guess it does but I don’t ever remember hearing about Jesus coming to America. She said I wonder if it happened.

I told her it absolutely happened. I talked about the destruction that happened in America when Jesus was crucified and the three days of darkness and then his descending from heaven to the people. I talked about how they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and worshiped their God. He then called up 12 and gave them the authority to baptize, instructions on how to baptize and commanded them to baptize everyone. The spirit was so strong in the car, she was tearing up and I was emboldened.

I told her that God loved her and her ancestors every bit as much as he loved the people in Jerusalem. She said, for whatever reason I’ve never heard this but I know the words you are saying are true. I told her it was because of the spirit she was feeling.

I told her that Jesus came to America and blessed her ancestors and their posterity, that meant her. She was visibly touched. I told her that this was exactly what she had always known in her heart but that the spirit was helping her understand it better right now. She agreed.

I told her about the Book of Mormon and how it came to be. I testified that God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and called him to be the prophet to restore Gods Church. I testified of the Book of Mormon and it’s translation. I held up a Spanish Book of Mormon prepared by Sister Secrist and said this is the word of God directly from your ancestors.

She grabbed the book and was a little bit emotional. The spirit was still very strong and I asked her if she still felt it. She said yes. I asked, what does that mean and she said it means this is true.

I told her how we had arrived at the court way early today and that I should’ve been there much later but God had brought us earlier so that I could help her and I could testify to her. I told her that God wanted me to give her this Book of Mormon and she held it to her chest.

She said, your church is true, it’s Gods church. I said yes that’s why it’s called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I said, now that you know this what do you need to do? She looked puzzled I said do you remember the invitation that Christ gave for them to be baptized? He invited everyone to be baptized even though they had already been baptized in the church previously.

He invited everyone to be baptized to this new covenant, to this new promise, to this new level and he is extending that same invitation to you.

She said I see that. I can’t do it without asking my husband because I think we need to do this as a family. I said that’s right! I told her to go talk to those missionaries and tell them what happened in the car and that you want to look into being baptized and learning the things you need to know. She said she would and then she said, I can’t believe what has happened today. I missed my appointment because they closed early. I was there without hope and you came in and bring me home and bring me this spirit and message. This was from God and I will do it. I know that she will.

I left her and returned to wait for my Haitian family and found that they had been expedited and were coming out as I arrived. They were done and the court went well for them. All good!

It was a very good day!

I picked up a young man downtown by the Union Pacific Depot to take him to his home in West Valley City. I could hear a little bit of an accent on his English so I knew he was Latino but he spoke very well. I spoke to him in English for about five minutes before we started speaking Spanish. I was really proud of how well he was doing. He had never gone to school or anything to learn English.

I asked him with no schooling what he did for a living. He said he worked In construction. I said that’s cool. I asked him what brought him to Utah and he said that he had lived in New York and Houston after he came here from Mexico City. He said that those places were crazy violent. He told me he wanted to be in a better place. His brother had told him to go to Utah so he did.

I asked him what he had felt in Utah and he said he had felt tremendous peace in Utah. The people are so nice he said. I love the way it feels here there’s just something special.

I asked him why he thought there might be something special and he said he didn’t know. I told him it’s because of the church. I told him it’s because the people here are blessed by the members of the church who live the gospel. I told him that it creates an environment where people feel peace.

He said, I like the church. I asked him what he knew about the church. He told me that he works on the construction of the Salt Lake City Temple. I was blown away.

I asked him about that experience and he said it was amazing. He said the people take care of them and they feed them. He said, remember I told you there’s a special feeling here? There’s a better feeling in there and everybody feels it. It’s an amazing thing to go to work.

I thought, this is great! I asked him if he knew what we did in temples and he said no but he’s been all through it.

I asked him if he had seen one of the rooms with an altar in the middle with big mirrors on the sides. He said yes. I told him those are the rooms where we get married. I told him that I was married in one of those rooms in the Salt Lake City Temple. I told him that we get married in temples because for us it’s different and it’s a very sacred thing.

I told him that when Jesus was on earth he gave his apostle Peter the power to seal things on earth that would be sealed in heaven. I told him that in the temple when we are married we seal our marriages for eternity not just until death do us part.

The spirit that goes along with speaking about the temple was palpable and you could tell that he was feeling it. I asked him what it felt like he said he was feeling knowledge and energy and peace in his heart. I told him that this was a spirit of God and that when he felt that he knew the things he was hearing were true.

I told him God gave us that authority so that our families can be together forever. I told him that God is all about families because we’re his family. I told him we can’t be saved without each other and that’s what the temples are about. He said that’s very powerful and I can tell that it’s true.

I asked him if he’d seen a baptismal font. He said yes! It’s impressive! He said, I saw them both in the Salt Lake Temple and in another temple where I was working. He asked if that where you are baptized?

I said kind of. I started by telling him about how when Jesus was crucified, during the three days while his body was in the tomb his spirit was in the spirit world and according to Peter he organized the preaching of the gospel to the people who had died without receiving the gospel or being taught the gospel. I told him that these people who are taught the gospel in the spirit world then get a chance to accept it or reject it.

I asked him, does your church teach that being taught the gospel is enough? He said no, we have to be baptized. I asked him if a person could go to heaven without being baptized according to his church and he said no.

I asked him if he believed Heavenly Father was his loving father and he said yes. Then I asked him if a loving father would condemn a majority of his children because they didn’t have the opportunity to hear or accept the gospel. I asked him if that would be fair and he said no

I asked him what his church’s answer is and he said frankly I’ve looked at a lot of churches and I’ve never heard anyone that even addresses this. He said,I don’t know that anyone has that answer. I told him that we do.

I told him that this baptismal font in the temple that he has seen is where we go to perform a sacred ordinance. That is were a person can be baptized for one of the people who were taught the gospel in the spirit world.

I told him that it that then the person in the spirit world has the opportunity to accept or reject their baptism. He said, that is right! He said I know that is right. He said that he had been looking for that answer all of his life.

He said that he knew God was good. He knew God was just and he just didn’t see the justice in the Catholic teaching of condemnation for people who hadn’t had the opportunity to be baptized. People who had died and never been taught the gospel or had a chance to learn it.

He said this is the answer!

I told him that we have prophets and they speak to God and that’s how we learn these things. I also told him that his ancestors in America had prophets and they spoke with God and blessed their people for many years. I told him that they wrote their prophecies. I told him that the prophesies were engraved on plates and the Prophet Joseph Smith translated those prophecies and that’s what the Book of Mormon is.

I asked him if he heard of the Book of Mormon, he said yes, but he didn’t know anything about it. He said all of this makes so much sense to me. I asked him if he still felt the spirit when we talked about the book of Mormon and he said yes.

I told him that the Book of Mormon also talked about Jesus Christ coming to America. He said what? I told him that when Jesus was with his disciples after his resurrection he said, other sheep I have which are not his fold. Jesus said that he was commanded by his father to go to them. I said that he was talking about the people in America, his ancestors.

I said that he descended from heaven and the people saw him and knew that he was their God. They touch the prints of the nails in his hands. I told him that then they knelt and worshipped him and said hosanna which means save us.

I told him that Jesus then called up 12 and gave them authority to baptize people even though they had already been baptized in the church. I told him that he commanded them to be baptized so that they could take on the new covenant that he was offering them so they could take that next step. I told him that Jesus Christ held his ancestors and blessed his ancestors and their posterity.

When I told him that his ancestors have been blessed and their posterity by the hand of Jesus you could see the spirit work on his face. You could tell the spirit was working in his heart and it was burning in the car.

He said, wow that’s true. I told him that this account of Jesus coming to America was also included in the Book of Mormon along with the other writings from the prophets of America. I told him that God loves all of his children and he sent his son here.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said no. I pulled out one of the Book of Mormon‘s prepared by Sister Secrist and gave it to him. I asked him if he had Mormon friends and he said yes.

II told him to talk to them, and talk to the people that fed them at the temple while they were working. He said he would.

He thanked me again for the Book of Mormon and said, I’m going to read this! Then he looked me in the eye and said I promise I’m going to read this.

I bore my testimony to him of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It was a sacred experience for me and I believe For him as well

I asked, how is it to know what it is that you feel in the temple? He said awesome. I asked him if he would ever look at that baptismal font the same ever again. He said no, that’s the answer I was looking for. He said that he would follow up like I had asked him to do and thanked me for the book.

I wonder how many other workers in the temple are feeling the same thing. They don’t even know the answers to their prayers are right in front of them. Maybe this man can help some of them find that.

I picked up this kid on State Street. I say kid because he’s under 35, ha ha. I was a little further south on State Street than I normally would be because I was stupid and didn’t turn off my app during my previous ride and let them stack a ride to take me further out of town. That means less money and it’s a bad move financially.

He got in the car and we started to chat. He asked me if it would be possible for me to stop for a second. I said that would be OK and I pulled over at the indicated spot. Lo and behold two of his friends came from inside the building and jumped in the car with us.

This was not what I was expecting and I thought about it for a minute but it felt like it was going to be OK. I liked the kid so we started to go. The kid sat up front with me and the other two who were boyfriend and girlfriend sat in the back. We started from south Salt Lake on the way out to West Valley City. On the way out we had general discussions about what it’s like to drive, the frustrations and general smalltalk. When we got out to the place we were going they asked me if I could bring them back in to the same place where I had picked them up and I said yes.

The kid sitting next to me and his friend got out and went in while the girlfriend stayed in the car and we talked. Instantly I got a feeling that she was closed to anything spiritual. That she was not open to hearing about the gospel. We chitchatted for a second and then I felt impressed to tell her my story about the guy who tried to attack me and was shocked by God.

I didn’t publish that story but if you would like a copy please direct mail me on the contact tab and I can forward a copy to you.

Not being a woman of faith she thought the story was cool and interesting but she didn’t think more of it than that. She liked the story though! She liked it so much that when the guys got back in the car to head back in to town she said why don’t you tell them that story so I did.

The story talks about how I prayed and God shocked the man as he tried to come between the seat and to attack me. As I told the story the kid sitting next to me was wide-eyed and engaged.

When I finish the story the friend in the back said “I really like that Mormon stuff, we’ve got a little group together and we talk to some missionaries now and then”. “It’s really good stuff”. He was interested but not engaged. He was more interested actually in his girlfriend in the backseat. There were two levels of interest none and some in the backseat.

To the contrary, in the front seat, it was 100% full on attention. He asked me what it felt like to be protected by God and I told him it is a great feeling and it’s one that everybody can feel. He said, so you’re a Mormon? I said yes! He said, my grandmother took me to that church a couple times when I was really small living in Washington. What I really am is Catholic but I don’t do any of it.

I asked him if he would like to be able to get to the point where God can help him and protect him. He said that would be great. I told him that when we’re baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is a protection and a comfort and it helps us know God‘s will.

I asked him if he’d ever seen a Book of Mormon he said, yes he had seen a few of them but he didn’t have one. I reached into my glove box and grabbed one of the book of Mormons prepared by Sister Secrist and then asked him if he’d ever seen one like that. He said no. I asked him if he knew what was in that book and he said no.

I told him that the people who anciently lived in America had prophets that spoke with God just like the people in Jerusalem had prophets and spoke with God. I told him that this was the case because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I asked him if that sounded right to him and he said absolutely.

He said that sounds right that’s what I believe. I told him that God spoke to his prophets and gave revelations to protect those people and help those people and that they wrote them down. I told him that this book also contained the history of the visit of Jesus Christ to America.

He said what? I asked, “Have you ever heard about that?” I told him that Jesus had said in the Bible that he had other sheep and that he would go to visit them. This is why he came to America. This kid’s mom was from Mexico and I could tell that the idea and the spirit did touch his heart. I asked him, “How does that feel when I say that?” He said it feels right.

I said there were three days and three nights of darkness after the death of Christ and then a resurrected Jesus descended from the heavens and stood there in front of his ancestors. He had the people come up and touch the prints of the nails in his hands and they knew it was their God. He said that’s amazing.

I told him that he taught them and loved them. He blessed them and their posterity. Then I looked at him and said I imagine that means you! When I said that I could feel the spirit. I could tell he felt it too. He grabbed his chest as if to grab his heart. I heard some noise in the backseat and could tell that they were tuned out but we had full on attention in the front seat.

I said, your heavenly father loves you and that feeling that you’re feeling right now is evidence of that love. He said I’ve never felt anything like this. I asked him what does that feeling he was having now mean? Does it mean that what I’m saying is true or is it false. He said this info is new, it’s not what I’ve heard before, but I know it’s true. I told him that the fact that he was feeling the spirit was not a mistake and it’s not a coincidence.

I told him that he is right! God sent his spirit to testify of truth.

I told him about Joseph Smith and how he translated the Book of Mormon from engravings on plates to be a companion with the Bible. It’s mission is to testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ. He said I believe that’s true.

I said, you know, the spirit is telling me that right now you’re thinking about some things that you’ve done in the past. You don’t feel great about those things and you’ve always heard in your mind the words you’re not worthy of better. You’re not able to be better. You’re not good enough and you can never be clean. He said, how do you know these thoughts of mine. I said that the Holy Ghost whispered it to my heart so I could know to say it to him. God knows that’s what you think. He said that’s true. I always feel like I’m stuck in a hole and that there’s no hope. I said Jesus is the hope.

I told him that when Jesus came to America, after they felt the prints of the nails in his hands, he called up 12 and he taught them how to baptize and gave them authority to baptize so that they could be clean and pure and later receive the Holy Ghost. I told him we felt the Holy Ghost tonight.

I told him that Jesus commanded that they should baptize everyone, even if they already been baptized. He commanded that everyone have this baptism and take upon themselves this new level of discipleship. He taught them that their sins would be washed away and they would be clean and pure before God.

I also told him that when they were clean they were able to get the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told him that the gift of the Holy Ghost would help them make good decisions. It would also protect them like I was protected in my car. It would help them in their lives. I told him that being clean is important and that because of Jesus Christ we can repent. We can go to church every Sunday after we’ve been baptized and take the sacrament. This way the Holy Ghost can confirm to us that we are clean and pure.

He said that would be an amazing day I asked him if he would like to be clean and pure before the woman he wants to marry, before his grandmother and before God? I asked him if it was his desire to stand pure before God. He said, “That would be exactly what I would want to do but I don’t know if it’s possible.”

I told him that it’s totally possible. This is what we do. I told him that when he’s baptized, his sins will be washed away. He said “I’d like that”. The spirit was strong and testified of the importance of baptism. He was visualizing his future and it was amazing.

Then I saw him doubt, I could see the change in his face so I asked him, so are you all in? do you want to get baptized? do you want to work towards that? He said well, that’s a lot of decision to make really quick. I said we have people that can teach you and help you get to that point if that is this something you want. He looked down for second and then he looked at me and said, yes, this is exactly what I’d like to have. I want to be clean. I need God’s help.

When he said this I saw his countenance change, it was an incredible change, you could see it in his smile and you could see it in his eyes. He had been nourished by the word of God and ministered to by the spirit. We talked again about the spirit. I asked him what it meant to him to know that he was feeling the spirit and he said it means that the things that you have said are true.

He said, I’ve been floundering around for a little bit here and I’ve had a lot of troubles. I’ve had a lot of challenges and this is just what I need.

That’s when his friend from the backseat piped in and said, well I’ve got a couple missionaries that can help you out if you want! He was really excited.

By this time we were at our destination. The kid looked at me and said, this has been life-changing. This has changed my whole point of view. I’m going to do this. He lingered to shake hands while his friends ran off. He said I want you to know how much this means to me and off he went.

As he turned to go, I said,” hey one more thing”, he said what? I told him that in his situation he felt like he was drowning and in that God had seen him and had thrown him a rope. I told him this was the rope. When God throws you a rope you grab on to it and you don’t let go.

He said, I will not let go I promise! He shook my hand again, turned around again, and headed across the road.

The thing that keeps coming back to me about this is how God put three people in my car. One to start the conversation even though she had no faith and no desire. One who had looked into it a little bit but wasn’t serious yet but he had connections with the missionaries, and he put them both there to help the kid who was ready. Everyone together in the same place at the same time and it was a miracle. I was blown away by this miracle.

I got a call for a three minute ride north from the Embassy Suites in Salt Lake. I went to pick the guy up and wondered where we would be going in just three minutes.

When I arrived he was standing outside waiting for me. He got in the car and said that he wasn’t from here. He is from South Carolina and before he went home tomorrow he wanted to see some things in Utah. I asked him what he wanted to see.

He said he wanted to go see the temple and learn some thing about it. He told me that the night before he ate dinner very close to the temple at the Cheesecake Factory. He said if he had realized he was so close he would’ve gone then. Anyway he didn’t want to miss this opportunity on this trip to see the temple.

Right then the spirit started screaming at me saying dude, you’ve got three blocks now get with it.

I asked him if he had any friends that were members of the church and he told me that he really didn’t. I asked him if he was a member of any church in particular and he told me that he was baptized as a Catholic when he was born but now he didn’t have a religion and considered himself spiritual, not religious.

I said, oh you can’t find one that fits huh? He chuckled and said nope. He said, I have some questions and none of the churches can answer them. I said,well, let’s get into this this sounds like fun. He said, tell me a little bit about your church.

I told him that the base belief in our church is that we are children of our father in heaven. Not pretend children, not fake children but real spiritual children of our father in heaven and he loves us and he wants us to come home and live with him.

I told him that God loves everyone who ever lived no matter where they lived. He asked me to explain that to him a little bit because that didn’t seem the same as the other religions he knew. I told him that we believe that God sent his son Jesus Christ to die, be resurrected and atone for all of the sins of everyone in the world not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him that we believe in a God who is all powerful, all knowing and all loving. He sent his son not only to Jerusalem but to America. I told him we believe that he came to America and taught people just like he had in Jerusalem.

I told him that Jesus descended from the heavens and the people went up and touched the prints of the nails in his hands and knew that he was God. They had learned about him and he had been prophesied by their prophets here in America. I told him that God loves everyone so he sent prophets so that they would be blessed here in America just like they were Jerusalem.

I told him that when he was here in America he instituted baptism not just any baptism. I told him the people had been baptized before but that he instituted his baptism, his way, with his authority. I told him he called up 12 and gave them his authority and commanded them to baptize everyone even those who had already been baptized.

I told him that then he gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost. I took that opportunity to identify the Holy Ghost. It was in the car and it was impressive. It was a very sweet powerful presence and he said he could feel it. In fact, sweet and powerful were the words he used to define it. I told him that’s the spirit of God and when it’s here you know the things that you are hearing are true. He said, that makes sense what you’re saying seems true to me.

He said, I still have one other question that you haven’t answered. Right at this moment the spirit impress upon me that his question was about all of Gods children and how they would receive the gospel.

About this time we arrived in front of Temple Square on South Temple. I found a spot between some construction pylons so that we could continue our conversation and I could address his concerns. Believe me when I tell you that finding construction pylons is not a hard thing to do these days.

I told him I think I know what it is. You’re wondering how it is that God, who is a loving God and father, who requires baptism to enter his kingdom, could condemn or reject most of his children. He said you are right and that doesn’t seem to fit.

He said, let’s say there’s a Muslim in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia who is a very very very good person, will he be kept out of God‘s kingdom because he never heard about Jesus Christ or received those teachings?. I was like the kid sitting in the front row at school going, pick me pick me pick me. I smiled and said you’re gonna love this! We believe that God loves all of his children. We believe that God made a plan for each one of his children to have the opportunity under positive and encouraging circumstances to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. I said, for example this Muslim who never hears about the gospel in this life will pass away, he will go to the spirit world. I told him that in the Bible during the three days that Jesus was dead according to Peter it says he set up the preaching of the gospel to the spirits in the spirit world who hadn’t had a chance to receive it under proper circumstances. I told him that this Muslim would qualify.

I told him that this Muslim would be taught the gospel and accept or reject it. I then told him that we have an ordinance called baptism for the dead. We go to the temple, I pointed at the temple, and we are baptized for that person and then that person gets the opportunity to accept his baptism as if he had been baptized himself. I told him that this is God’s way for everyone to have an ideal opportunity to accept God‘s will, be baptized and come home.

I told him it’s like a father who has a lot of kids. If you build a house knowing that there’s going to be a fire someday, how many does he plan to save? This man said all of them, every single one.

I told him this is about God’s love for each of his children and he’s prepared a way for us to come home. I asked him if he had heard about the Book of Mormon and he said yes. I asked him if he had a copy and he said no. I reached into my glove box and grabbed a copy of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and gave it to him. I explained the questions of the soul and told him that if he read the book he would feel the same peace in his heart that he felt right then in the car.

He said, this feeling has been incredible. He had never felt anything like it. I told him that when Joseph Smith was 14 he had the same exact question. I told him that Joseph Smith was looking for the right church and he couldn’t find the right one. I told him that he may have even in today’s vernacular considered himself to be spiritual not religious because he didn’t have a religion to attach himself to. Then he prayed and God called him to be the prophet. He interpreted the Book of Mormon from ancient plates and that’s why we have this record. I reemphasized to him that he had the same question as Joseph Smith.

The spirit was burning and he was feeling it. He said, I need to get in there and talk to the people running this tour about this experience. I said yes. I told him that he should tell the sister missionaries about the ride over and what he felt and he said he would. Then as he got out he said, “I’ve never heard the love of God and the gospel described in such a beautiful way.”

I identified Identified the spirit again. He said that the spirit that he was feeling had been amazing and it couldn’t be here like this if what I was saying wasn’t true. He said that he knows that God puts messengers in people’s lives and he had sent me to pick him up today. He then said, with these answers and especially with the spirit that was with me, it was a very strong indication of God‘s will. He shook my hand for like 30 seconds, shut the door and left.

He walked across the road all warmed up and ready to go

I picked up a girl downtown who needed to go to Bountiful. It was hard getting to her because Main Street was really full of cars and I couldn’t find her. I was about to cancel the ride but I felt like I shouldn’t and I didn’t.

Finally she got there and she got in the car and we started driving. As I looked back in the mirror at this 21 or 22-year-old girl, it seemed like she was trying to shy away from my gaze. We started talking about what she likes to do and she said she liked to dance and that she used to be a dancer and do competitions.

I told her I don’t dance and she laughed and she said all guys say that. I asked her, since she’s not a dancer right now what did she do and she said she worked at Panda Express and she gave me some pointers on what to order. By this time I could see that she was sitting up and engaging with me but we were almost to Bountiful. The spirit impressed me that I needed to move quick and gave me the words to say.

I asked her if it was OK if I spoke to her about my impressions of her and she said yes that would be fine. I told her that she had a very charming smile but she wasn’t using it and it was like she was trying to hide her smile and herself from everybody. I told her that there was a light burning inside of her that wanted to get out and that she felt like she had to protect it and keep it away from others so that it wouldn’t be extinguished.

I told her that somebody had been hurting her for a long time and that because of that she didn’t feel like she was worthy of that light. I said that she feel like people were trying to take it away. She felt like she was damaged goods and dirty.

When I said these things she started crying and said you’re seeing right through me aren’t you. I said no. I asked her if she’d ever heard of the Holy Ghost and she said yes I grew up in Bountiful, all my friends are members of the Mormon church. I said when we are baptized we are clean and pure before God we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. He gives us the words God would have us say. I told her that God was seeing right through her and he had given me those words and that he loved her and that he wanted to lift her and help her and let her know that she is loved and she’s amazing.

I told her that when she was hurt and damaged, she had blamed God and turned away from him. I told her, Satan just wins twice that way. I told her God would never take away somebody’s agency to do evil and that if a person or people decide to do evil, It is their right to choose.

When we make that choice to be evil that’s on us. The victim of our evil has been victimized by Satan and then Satan goes to that person and tries to convince them that God let this happen. He get them to think “How could God let this happen to me”? I said that’s how you felt.

I said that we can’t let Satan win twice. He made the person or prompted the person do the evil in the first place and then he gets you to reject God as the answer.

I told her that God has given us his son Jesus Christ to be the answer. He can lift our burdens and ease our pain. I said that christ could help her so she could feel the love of her father in Heaven. He would help her so she could turn to god and reject Satan. When I said this the spirit was strong in the car and I helped her identified it

I asked her if she could feel any difference in the car. I asked her what she felt and she said she felt heard. She said for the first time in my life I feel heard, I feel power and I feel love. She said I feel awesome. She said that it was incredible. I said this is what it feels like for you in the presence of God because his spirit has been here and this is how he lets know that you he loves you.

I told her that one of the things that Satan tells her all the time is that it doesn’t matter because she’s dirty, that she’s impure, that she can’t be clean, that she’s broken and that she’s humiliated. I told of her things are not true. They are lies and that God could make her clean. He could lift her and that he given his son so that she could come home.

She asked how does that work? I said in the church when we’re baptized we become clean from our past, then we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. He can be with us so that God can speak to our hearts. You can have his spirit with you always. I told her when we sin we need to repent and take the sacrament so that we can be clean and worthy to have the spirit again. This way we can feel the spirit that she felt right then and have it with us all the time. She said that’s amazing I would love that.

I told her that one of the best ways to feel the spirit is to read the Book of Mormon. I said that the Book of Mormon is the word of God revealed to his prophets who lived here in America. I said that It testifies of Jesus and brings us closer to God. I told her that it was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith by the power of god. I said, there is power in this book. When I talked about the Book of Mormon the spirit testified again. I asked her if she felt the spirit testify of that too and she said yes. I said, it True!! She nodded.

I asked, do you have a Book of Mormon? She said no. I pulled out one of the copies of the Book of Mormon prepared by the Secrists and showed her the questions of the soul. I told her that if she’ll read that book she’ll feel the spirit. I also told her that she needed to look for some friends who were members of the church.

I asked her if she knew any good friends that were members of the church and she said every one of my neighbors. I asked “will you go to one of them and tell them about what’s happened in the car tonight?” I told her not to tell them the stuff about her situation but about the feelings she had and the love she felt from God and that the Book of Mormon was true. She promised me she would. She said I need to have this in my life. I can’t believe I’ve gone my whole life and it’s been right there and I haven’t reached out to grab it.

I told her that because God sent her a message and gave me these words to say. I said that she knows that the things I said are true. I asked her if that was correct and she said yes. Then I said well, then you know that this book I’m giving you is true and she said yes. I said, go to your neighbors and tell them about this and they will help you get this light in your life they will help you get baptized and they will help you feel the spirit. I told her then she could let he light shine and quit hiding it.

She said, “for the first time ever, tonight I feel like somebody heard me. Then they heard my heart and what the desires of my heart are. I’ve never had that happen.”

She said she would call when she got out of the car. She waved with a great big huge smile on her face beaming from ear to ear.

By the way she says the Honey Sesame chicken at Panda is the best thing they have. You should try it, I know I will.

I’d had a rider who took me down to 21st south. Usually I turn off at that point because I want to get right back to downtown but I left it on and they stacked right on top of the one I already had. This ride took me to West Valley City which was not happiness. That’s how it works for us you go to West Valley City then you go to West Jordan next thing you know you’re digging for copper at Kennecott. It is what you get for not turning off your app.

When he got in I said, you have a very biblical name don’t you? (The name is being withheld to avoid problems. Think before Nehemiah and Ester) Do you know where that comes from? He said “teach me”. We talked about the Bible and the prophets. We talked about how prophets talk to God and reveal his word to us so that we can be safe and happy

I asked him if he was religious and he said that he wasn’t. He said that he had never been part of a religion even though he had attended a Christian church and that members of his family were members of our church. I asked him if he had ever been to the Mormon church and he said yes. He went with his brother who is a member.

I bluntly asked him why he hadn’t been baptized and he said he didn’t know. It just hadn’t been important to him and that he needed to learn so much more before he could commit himself. He said he needed to know all about the church and all about it’s doctrines.

I told him that the most important teaching is that God loves all of his children. That he is one of God’s children and that God loves him. I told him that God sent his son Jesus Christ to atone for our sins and make it so that we could return to him. I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he would go to them.

I told him that Jesus then appeared to the people in America. I described the scene of three days of darkness that followed tremendous upheavals and calamity. I told him as the people lay there they heard the voice of God say “this is my beloved son”. Later they looked into the heavens and saw Jesus Christ descend, beautiful and dressed in white and stood before them. I told him that they touched the prints of the nails in his hands and realized they were in in the presence of their God. I told him that in that condition they asked him to save them.

Then I asked him what he thought Jesus did as an answer to they plea and he said, “he saved them”. I said that’s right. He called up 12 and gave them the authority to baptize and commanded them to baptize all of these people so that they could be saved with the baptism of Jesus Christ. I told him that Jesus Christ invited everyone of those people to be baptized and then they were given the gift of the Holy Ghost so that they could walk with God and feel his spirit.

I told him that we have that same baptism in the church today. I told him that through that baptism we can be cleansed from our sin and have our guilt removed. I told him that after we are cleansed we can have the gift of the Holy Ghost to walk with us and lift us and comfort us in our times of need. I could tell that he was touched and that considering losing the weight of his sins was an attractive proposition.

I told him that in his life he had done some things that he was ashamed of and that he was thinking about those right now. I told him that Satan was in his ears all the time telling him that he’s not worthy and that he’s not right with God and that there’s no way God would want him. I told him that nothing could be further from the truth. I told him Satan is a liar and that Christ’s invitation to baptism, cleanliness, purity and exaltation was extended to him as well. I told him not to let Satan use those things from the past as a hammer to beat him into submission.

I told him that baptism makes you clean and frees you from your sins. Then when you’re clean you get the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told him that the gift of the Holy Ghost allows God to whisper to you the things you need to do, the things you need to say and give comfort to you but also it teaches you the things you need to know.

I told him that he had been avoiding baptism because he thought he didn’t know enough things but the gift of the Holy Ghost was exactly the thing he needed to be able to learn what he wanted to learn.

Satan really has a way of getting people to focus on what they don’t know instead of what they do know. That way he can negate the importance of faith in conversion.

I asked him what he felt right there in the car, he said he felt a tremendous rush of knowledge and understanding to his soul. I asked him what he physically felt and he said warm and peaceful. I told him that was the spirit of God and that’s how he knew the words I was saying were true and he said I know they’re true.

I told him that the things I had said were brought to my heart to say by God. He said that he had never had more perfect words like this spoken to him and they spoke to his soul. He told me that because of this he knew what he needed to do. He told me that this was a sign from God and that he needed to follow it.

I asked him about his brother that went to church and he said that his brother had served a mission in New Mexico. I asked him if he would call his brother tonight as soon as he got out of the car and tell him about what had happened in the car. He said he would do exactly that as soon as he was out of the car.

Do you remember that when Jesus Christ was in America he invited the people to be baptized? He said yes. I asked what is Jesus Christ invitation to you? He said it’s to be baptized as well. I told him that he needed to tell his brother that one too. He said that he would.

I testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the power of God‘s love for him. I also testified that his father in heaven loved him and he put people here to help him on his way and that’s what tonight was all about. He said that he couldn’t wait to get started.

I asked him if he had a copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he did. He said that his brother always wanted to read it with him. I asked him what he was going to do and he said he would read the book with his brother. I asked him what he was going to do right now and he said. Right now I am going to call my brother.

He asked me if he could shake my hand and told me that as soon as possible he promised he would be baptized. He called his brother right as he was getting out of the car. Somewhere in South Salt Lake this month there is going to be a baptism!

One Friday night late as I was finishing up. I drop someone off in holiday. I was going to make one last pass through town. It was 2:45 and I thought if I could get one last ride it would finish a day off nicely. A three or four minute ride, boom and go home. That’s what I thought. Turns out Heavenly Father had different ideas.

I got a ride to go out to the town just west of Tooele about 20 miles. That’s right! West of Tooele about 20 miles. I thought, no! And I called the rider. He wasn’t drunk and he of had some car troubles. I begrudgingly accepted the ride and decided to take him home.

We started driving and I got the impression that we were supposed to talk about the church but I really didn’t know how to start. It was like a boxing match when you’re looking for an opening.

He was a professional bull rider and we talked about bull riding and rodeo for quite a while. We talked about how high up in the rankings you need to finish in order make money a rodeo. I don’t think I’ll be doing that anytime soon.

Finally about 25 minutes of rodeo talk had passed when he said, I used to enjoy rodeo more when I went with my brother but he passed away in a car accident a few months ago. The bells went off in my head Ding Ding Ding. This is how I was supposed to talk to him about the church.

He talked about how his brother had lived a really messed up life but had pulled it together and they were rodeo teammates. He talked about how his brother had married a really good woman and they had a baby. He told me he was godfather of the baby.

I said so you’re Catholic. He said yes I’m very Catholic. Then I asked him, so where do you think your brother is now? He thought about it and said I hope he’s with Jesus but I think sometimes he’s with his little son.

He said that’s all I know and that’s all I can say but his six month old son will lay in bed and say daddy daddy daddy daddy and we can all feel my brother there.

I love talking about the plan of salvation so I started in.

I told him that we believe that the spirits in the spirit world work amongst us. I said that it’s very possible that this child, so fresh from his father in heaven, could see his father there and was actually speaking to him. He loved that and said he believed it 100%.

What are the things that we teach that makes Mormons different and prove that the church is true?

I asked him about all the people who had ever lived in the world from the beginning of time, I asked him if they were God’s children and he said yes. I asked him if God loved them he said yes. I asked him if God love them all equally, he said yes.

I asked them if they could go to heaven without being baptized according to the Bible. He thought for a long minute and said the Bible does say you need to be baptized and as Catholics we baptize children because if they die without being baptized they can’t go to heaven so the answer would be no they can’t.

I asked him how many people die without the opportunity to even hear the word of God and he said 90% of them. I asked him if that would make God a just and loving father to condemn 90% of his children without giving them an opportunity to hear Gods’ word, and he said no!

I told him that this is why God‘s true church has to provide an answer to that question. It has to teach how God can be a perfect loving father and still require baptism. I told him that the answer is baptism for the dead. We go to the temple and are baptized in the name of someone who has passed. At that point this person gets the opportunity to accept that baptism and they then can go live with our father in heaven. He loved that answer. I said the true church of God has to have this answer.

I told him that when Jesus Christ was on the earth he gave the power to his apostles to seal things on earth that will be sealed in heaven. I told him we have this authority today and we use it to seal families together. When we are married we are also sealed for time and eternity not just until death. I told him that his brothers widow can be together with his brother forever along with their young son. He can still have his family that he loves so much. He was emotional and he said that’s beautiful. I need to make sure my sister-in-law knows about this.

I told him that God loves everyone in the world not just the people in Jerusalem and that in the Bible he said he was going to go to other sheep. When he said this he was talking about the people in America because they had prophets and they had revelation. It’s just like it is with baptisms for the dead. God loves everyone and he provides a path for everyone. I told him that after Jesus was resurrected he came to America and he visited the people and he loved them and taught them. I told him that he commanded them to be baptized even though they had previously been baptized so that they could take upon themselves this new commitment and covenant. I told him that this visit from Jesus Christ to America along with the other revelations to the prophets were contained in the book of Mormon. I told him that that the Book of Mormon really is another testament of Jesus Christ.

As I talked about the Book of Mormon and bore my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his interpretation of that book the spirit powerfully manifest itself in the car. It wasn’t silent but it was quiet and there was a tremendous calm in one sense but you could also feel an energy and excitement.

I asked him what he felt on the ride and he said I felt a tremendous peace for the first time since my brother died. I asked him what that peace meant and he said it meant that his father in heaven is there. I asked him if his father in heaven would send his spirit to be with us if the things we were saying weren’t true. He said no. I said does this mean that the things I said were true? He said yes.

He then told me that his mother, his sister and himself were the only Catholics in his family and that all the rest of his family were members the church but that he had never been taught anything about the church. I told him that he should ask some of his cousins about the things that we had discussed. He said, these teachings make a difference in my life.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon and he said he had been given one in his life but he didn’t know if he had one right now. He said, I’m sure that my sister-in-law doesn’t have one and once I tell her what you said she’d love to have one. I gave him a Book of Mormon. I explained the tabs and the markings that Brother and Sister Secrist put in there to help people answer thei questions of life. He was blown away and said thank you.

He went to get out of the car and then stopped and he said, I don’t think I can get out of this car. It feels so good in here, the peace and comfort is amazing. He said I love how it felt in here. So we lingered a little bit longer before he shook my hand and got out. It wasn’t like a handshake handshake, it was like a Ben Hur handshake if you know what I mean!

He said that he has the impression that sometimes God puts people in other peoples paths to get messages and he thought that’s why he was in my car tonight. I love it when the passenger realizes that.

I picked up a lady and her daughter in Heber city and started to take them to Park City. I knew it would be a little bit of a ride and they seemed to be quite quiet but when you’re on longer ride you need to chat a little bit so I tried to get a discussion going. I asked where they were from and they said Acapulco Mexico. I told him that I had been there a few years back and they said that it wasn’t like it used to be.

They lamented the fact that there are lots of murders and that you can’t stay out after dark anywhere in that area. We talked about how the people need to rise up but they’re afraid of the repercussions or they just don’t care enough. No one wants to die, everyone’s afraid. She said that her uncle lived here in Park City and told her that she should come up to live and so they did. I felt a prompting right then that this was the time to start discussing the church so I asked her what she felt living in the area and she said she felt peace. I asked her where she thought that peace came from and she said she didn’t know. I told her that it came from obedience to the commandments and the people who live here who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. She said, oh yeah I went to see one of your temples. I went to the Salt Lake Temple and talked to some people there. She said, I really like your view on the family.

I told her that this was very important to us. I said that we believe the families can sealed together by the power of God. I told her that Peter got that authority from Jesus to seal things on the earth that would be sealed in heaven. Then Peter in turn passed it along to Joseph Smith so that we have the power to do that same thing. Today we seal things on earth that are sealed in heaven. One of those things that we seal on earth that is sealed in heaven is it the family unit. She said that’s beautiful and I love it. I told her that this is the church of Jesus Christ and that our belief in Jesus Christ is what gets us through our hard times. I had a prompting to say something so I did. I told her that she had been through some very terrible horrible things and she suffered quietly inside about these things. I told her she had also made mistakes and felt like she couldn’t ever get on top of these things and I told her that heavenly father didn’t want her to suffer.

I told her heavenly father sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane so that we don’t have to suffer ourselves. He felt the pain of injustice, the shame of embarrassment, the effects of illness and the agony of sin. He suffered all of that for each of us so that he could know how to succor us.

She said, I love Jesus. I asked her if she realized he did all these things for her and she said she had never thought of it like that. I noticed that she began to tear up and I knew that she was feeling the spirit. I knew that she had things that were very weighty on her soul and she was fighting to keep her head above water. I believe that this is why the tears were welling up in her eyes. She started to feel some relief.

When you testify of the love of God and atonement of his son there’s a special sweet spirit that attends that conversation and that was in the car in abundance. I asked her if she felt it and she said yes. I told her that this was the spirit of god and it testifies off truth.

I asked her if she ever heard of the Book of Mormon and she said yes. She said her friend gave her one after she went to Temple Square about a month ago.

I told her that that it was a book written by ancient prophets in America who her her ancestors and that they wrote the prophecies given to them by God. Part of those prophecies included the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I told her this book was written by those prophets and translated by Joseph Smith. I told her Joseph Smith was the first prophet of this dispensation and I shared my testimony of the first vision with her. The spirit was very evident in the car and again I could see tears in her eyes

I told her that Jesus made it so that we could be clean. And when he came to America he taught the people to be baptized so that they could come to him even though they had previously been baptized. She said that she was baptized as a baby and she baptized her children. She asked why we don’t baptize our babies. I said that we believe all little children are saved by Christ, if a baby dies the baby goes directly to heaven because they do not have knowledge of the law so it’s impossible for them to sin.

She said that’s right, I’ve always believed that but I’ve always been taught different. I said these are the words of Christ himself.

I told her that I felt that I was supposed to tell her that God loved her and that he was her father not her jailer. He wasn’t there to see that she was punished but that God had sent his son to make sure that she could have her burdens lifted. I said these things and by this time the tears were streaming down her face.

I asked her if she had ever felt this feeling in her heart before and she said no. I said it’s the spirit of God and it’s the love of God for you manifest through the spirit. I told her that she is God’s little girl and fathers love their little girls. Can you imagine how much a perfect father loves you? That is what you are feeling.

She asked me how I knew these things about her and I said that I didn’t know but God did. I told her that when we’re baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and it whispers the things of God would have us say. These are the words that God had prompted me to say. God knows who she is and knew this would touch her. I told her that because of this she would know the words I was saying were true. She said that’s exactly right.

I asked her if she remembered when I was talking about the power that we had to seal and she said yes. I said the power also gives us the ability to give blessings. Someone who has this power could come to her house and bless her home and her family so that the spirit of God could be there with her to help her. I told her that this would be a good idea. I remembered in my mission that this was absolutely the most amazing way to get into people homes, teach them about prayer, the priesthood and leave the spirit of God to bless the home. We had much success with this.

She readily agreed. I said do you ever see missionaries in the street? She said not really. I said you could go to the church on Sunday morning and ask for the bishop and he could help you out. Then she said I think I should ask my friend who is a member of your church maybe she could help me find the right person to talk to. I chuckled and said, I guarantee that she can help you find the right person to talk to.

By this time we were coming up on the destination and she said that this ride had changed her life. This light she felt from God was something she wants to have in her life and now it’s all right there in front of her to do.

The other night I picked up a man in northeast Salt Lake at a restaurant. He had been eating dinner with some friends who were moving the next day. I asked him if they were friends from work and he said no, but we all went to school in the same language arts masters program. I said oh, what languages do you speak? He said, I speak Spanish and English but would love to learn more languages.He said he’d love to learn Portuguese, Arabic and Italian.

He told me that in his masters program he had qualified to be able to teach Spanish on the college level and was going to finish up his summer job and then start applying to schools to get a doctorate. He said that he loved languages.

I started speaking Spanish to him. It blew him away. He said, I totally racially profiled you! I had no clue that this white dude speaks such good Spanish. He asked how I learned. I told him.

I told him that I went to Argentina on my church mission and that I learned to speak down there. He said, he had lived in Chile for a time as well but that he didn’t speak nearly as well as I did.

I told him that I speak better now than I did when I was 20 finishing my mission. He was puzzled and asked how that could possibly be? He asked if I was married to a Latina. I said no! She’s spicy but not Latina! He laughed.

He said if you didn’t marry someone that speaks Spanish and you’re not immersed in it how did you learn to speak so well? I told him that in our church we have apostles and prophets and they speak with God and they speak for God on our behalf. I told him that one of those apostles Elder Packer came to the MTC when I was in the MTC and made us a promise.

He promised us that if we would say our prayers and read our scriptures out loud in our mission language every day we would never lose the ability to speak and that it would be a tool we could use in our lives to bless the people around us.

I told him that since I was 19 I haven’t said a personal prayer in English and I have prayed more than three times a day every day since that time. I told him that when we pray and we’re in the presence of the spirit God he quickens our intellect and makes us smarter than we are and more capable than we are. I told him that when we pray and we’re reading the scriptures we have the spirit of God and we’re in the presence of God and it makes our ability to learn more vibrant and powerful.

I told him that doing this was how God helped me maintain and increase proficiency in my language. I told him that we have gifts of the spirit that we’re given when we’re baptized. When we’re baptized we are pure and we receive the Holy Ghost which fills our soul and makes it so that we can receive these blessings.

He said that is amazing! I have some friends that are Mormons but I never had any idea about this. I told him that after we’re baptized and we get the gift of the Holy Ghost it not only helps us with languages but it helps us so that we can know what God’s will. I asked him what college he was thinking of going to go to. He said the University of Utah to get his doctorate.

I said that I went to BYU. I asked him if he had ever taken the proficiency test for languages where they give you a rating on a scale of 1 to 5. He said yes, I’ve taken it and I’ve given it many times when I lived in Alabama. I asked him what the name of the test was. He thought a minute and said the BYU Proficiency Test and then he said ohhhhhhh.

He asked if that was the BYU down in Provo and I said yes. I said there are so many return missionaries that go to that school speaking many languages that their department is the most advanced language skills department in the world. He asked rhetorically, well why aren’t I applying there? I laughed and said, maybe you should be.

He said that he wanted to learn Portuguese. I told him that one of the best ways to learn and prepare to learn Portuguese is to have a great vocabulary in Spanish. A lot of the words in Portuguese have the same roots as Spanish and or one of the verbs in Spanish are also verbs in Portuguese. Most of them are not routinely used in Spanish and therefore you need to expose yourself to great writing to learn them.

He asked me to run through my daily routine with regards to Spanish and I said I start with prayer and then I listen to the Book of Mormon on the church app. I told him that the Book of Mormon has great writing and uses the kind of vocabulary that expands your capacity to speak very good in Spanish and gives you a leg up on Portugese.

I brought up the church app and played it. It happened to be that I was in Mormon chapter 9 and It was in Spanish when It started to play.It was talking about how the people in the last days would not believe in God but that the people of God would speak in tongues and would have interpretation of tongues and the gift of tongues and that it would be because of the power of God.

I looked at him and said, do you think it was a mistake that this first came up when I hit play? I have to tell you how powerfully the spirit came in the car. It was intense and he said, I don’t think I’ve ever had anything happen to me like that. He said the feelings I’m feeling are incredible and that is just too coincidental to be an accident.

I said God put you in my car today. He put you in my car so that I can give you one of these. I handed him a Book of Mormon in Spanish. One that had been prepared by the Secrists. I told him that the third thing I do every day is I read out of that book in Spanish out loud.

I said that’s how I have the spirit, that’s how it quickens by intellect and makes it so that I can maintain my language for the purpose of serving God. I told him that God gives us spiritual gifts so that we can serve others.

I told him that he was put in my car tonight to receive this book and to understand what I was saying. I asked him what he felt right then. He said he felt like he was having an amazing rush, an incredible level of engagement and on a high. He then said he was tingly.

I told him that was the spirit of God and that this is what he would look for after being baptized. I told him that God would help him develop his spiritual gifts to serve others.

He said first off I think I probably should change my mind and apply to BYU for my doctorate program! I laughed and I said that would probably be an awesome idea! But that’s your decision.

I asked him if he’d ever had anything happened to him like he had experienced that night and he said no. I asked him how close of friends he was with these members of the church he knew and he said very close. I said to him, they’ve had this experience, you should take your Book of Mormon to them and explain to them what you felt tonight in the car.

He said, I will do that tomorrow. I said the other thing is you should say your prayers in Spanish and talk with your father in heaven, you should listen to the Book of Mormon and you should read. He said he would do that. He said there’s something to this book. There’s a power in this book and I want to unlock it.

He asked how he could get the app so he could listen to the Book of Mormon too. We pulled out his phone and went onto the App Store and downloaded the church app. We set it up in Spanish so that he could click on the Book of Mormon and listen to it every day. He shook my hand for about three minutes on his way out the door and said I am going to do these things I promise you.

God gives us gifts of the spirit so that we can bless his children and I am so happy that he gave me that gift so I could bless this man with his knowledge. Who knows, he may show up at BYU next fall.

I picked a girl up from a piercing parlor in Salt Lake City and was took her up to the University of Utah. On the way we started talking about names and her name which was pronounced a little bit differently than you would think and the interesting thing about genealogy and names. I pointed out that my name has been misspelled. In fact hotel employees used to correct my name spelling after I made my reservation making it an adventure every time I checked in.

Then I talked about how cool it is to know about our ancestors. I found out that she was from India there was no genealogy done in those areas of the rural part of India where her family was from. She talked about how in the cities they kept better records. The spirit touched me and I knew that this was a great opportunity and that I had some work to do here. I told her that a lot of my ancestors came from small towns and when doing genealogy work in small towns, a lot of the times it’s not the government that has the records it’s the churches.

People go to the churches and then the churches keep the records of baptisms and things like that. I told her that this is how a lot of genealogy work gets done in our church. She said you’re Mormon right? I said yes and she asked me flat out, what are the things that the Mormons believe? She said, I have some friends and I’m trying to learn a little bit about them.

I told her that it would be perfect for me to teach her that! I asked her if it would be fine if I started with three things that we believe as members of the church that no one else believes. She said that would be awesome.

I started by teaching her about how because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. Because he loves everyone he sent his son Jesus Christ to more people than just the ones in Jerusalem. She said, when did that happen? I told her that in the Bible Jesus said other sheep I have that are not of this fold and that he had received a commandment from his father to go to them so that they could hear his voice. I told her that this happened in America. I told her that in America God had prophets who had prepared the way and the Jesus Christ appeared from heaven. He descended down and taught the people. I told her that when Jesus was here after he taught the people and after he organized his church he said, still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout. He said that he had received a commandment from his father to go to those people so that they could hear his voice and be counted among his sheep.

I asked her if the people back then in those other places, had the ability to know about Jesus Christ and she said no. I said, then there would be no other way for God to show his love to everyone without sending his son and his word to the other peoples. He sent his son Jesus Christ. She thought for a minute and said yes.

I told her that because of this we have the Book of Mormon. I told her that the Book of Mormon contains the prophecies from the prophets and the account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America. I testified of the truthfulness of the book and of Joseph Smith, the prophet, and the spirit came in the car. I could tell she was moved.

I told her that the second reason had to do with what we talked about at first, Genealogy. I told her that we collect information into genealogy

because that’s how people are saved. I told her that through this God saves all of his children.

I explained to her that when Jesus had died and his body was in the tomb before he was resurrected he went to the spirit world and organized the teaching of the gospel to everyone, no matter where they lived,who died. I asked her what are the chances that someone who lived in India 2000 years ago was taught the gospel and she said zero.

I asked her if these ancestors of hers needed to be baptized to go to heaven? She said according to the Bible they do. I said, how do they get there? She said, they can’t. I said does that sound like a loving God who loves all of his children? A God who is equal and gives them all an equal opportunity and she said no.

I said wouldn’t a loving father have a plan to save his children? She said yes! I said that plan is baptism for the dead. We go to the temple and we are baptized for someone who has died. They then get the opportunity having been taught the gospel in the spirit world to accept or reject it. She said that’s beautiful.

I said that’s God‘s plan to bring home as many of his children as he possibly can. She said, I’ve always had a question about something I’ve heard from my Mormon friends. Will you answer my questions? I said yes! She said what is the outer darkness and how could that possibly be just or loving?

I said our heavenly father is light and he gives light through his teachings. His truth has light and he gives us as much light as we can handle. The more clean and obedient we are the more light we seek.

I told her that there are some people who full well know the truth who have experienced the light who turned from it, who rejected and who refused to be part of the light. Those are the people that go to outer darkness. I said, in a way I don’t see that as being mean or bad to them because that’s what they sought, that was their goal.

I said if it’s somebody that’s just disobedient and doesn’t obey the laws of God there are three kingdoms of light. I said Ephesians talked about the kingdoms that are the glory of the moon and the sun and the stars. Someone who is not being good in this life would be in a kingdom with the glory of the stars or someone who is doing the best they can would have the opportunity to live in the kingdom with the glory of the sun.

I told her that someone that rejected the greater glory in life probably wouldn’t want that level of light or feel comfortable with it for eternity. She said that makes a lot of sense. I told her that our father in heaven is a loving father but most of all he is a father. He wants his children to be happy and he wants to bring as many of them as close to him as will come.

I was dropping her off at the University of Utah where I perceived by the spirit that she had a lot of questions about some of the things that we believe.

I told her that I was getting the impression that she looked at commandments as being restrictive and making you less happy. Also she viewed the fact that she was being bombarded up by her friends about how stupid the beliefs of the church were. She looked shocked when I said that and said absolutely! How did you know? I said let’s deal with these one at a time.

You’re worried about the word of wisdom. I’ll let you know that we have alcoholism in my family. My grandfather was an alcoholic and he was miserable. He was a slave to that drink and he never had freedom. He never had true joy because he needed that drink and that cigarette. She said you nailed that one right on. I was thinking exactly about that. My father is an alcoholic and that is 100% the case.

I told her that the commandments help us make choices that keep us free and keep us happy. I told her I’m sure that every day her father would like to have a normal relationship with her that didn’t include alcohol. I saw that she had a tear in her eye. When I said that, she said yes. God gives us commandments that may seem difficult to obey but obeying them it makes us truly free in life.

Another example of that is the case of a man or a woman that has a lot of sex and has abortions and has multiple kids. Those people are not free they are enslaved to the decisions they make for the rest of their lives. They have diseases, they have child support, they have mental stress from the decisions they’ve made and the things that they’ve done outside of the commandments of God. Those things done in the name of fun enslaved them for a lifetime. She said wow.

I said, the last one that you were concerned about was the LGBTQAI+ community. I said, your friends have been telling you that we hate gays or we hate the LGBTQAI+ community. I said nothing could be further from the truth. We see them making these decisions that we know do not lead to happiness.

We understand that making these decisions might be fun in the moment but it doesn’t bring happiness and we understand that God‘s plan is for us to have happiness and so we follow his plan. I told her that God has also commanded us to love members of the LBGTQAI+ community. That means we’re supposed to love them and not mock them and not hurt them. We should not do anything to them that we wouldn’t want to have done to us. We are supposed to love them because they are our brothers and sisters.

She said wow again. The spirit had been profoundly working with her in the car and I asked her, what do you feel in the car? She said I feel an energy. I want to learn. I want to feel this peace that I feel right now always. I said, you can! Earlier I talked about the Book of Mormon. Do you have a copy? She said no.

I reached into my glove box and got a copy of the Book of Mormon that the Secrists prepared and I gave it to her. I showed her the questions of the soul and I said read this book and you’ll feel the peace and the warmth of the presence of God.

I explained to her that Heavenly Father was her father and that he loved her and what she was feeling right now was his presence telling her that these things were true. I said, right now do you doubt that these things are true? And she said no. I said read this book and pray and God will help you see the truth.

I asked, have you ever been to one of our churches and she said no. I said you mentioned that you have good friends who are members of the church and she said yes. I asked, will you see one of them tonight? She said no but I’ll see one this week. I said when you see one this week go to that person and tell them what you’ve learned tonight. Tell them what you’ve felt tonight. She said so I should go tell them that I’ve got this Book of Mormon and I believe it’s true? I said yes. They will help you.

I asked her if she knew where the Institute building was and she said no. I just pointed in the direction of the Institute building and said it is a couple of block that way. She said, oh I believe I’ve seen that. I said, they have meetings there on Sunday and you should go. She asked, anyone can go? I said yes! She said is it really OK if I go. I said yes!

She had to go but she said it was amazing how you perceived and answered all the points and all the questions I’ve had since I got here. I told her that when we are baptized we are clean before God and then we get the gift of the Holy Ghost. I told her that the gift of the Holy Ghost whispers to us the things we should say.

I told her that because she was God‘s daughter God knew what she wanted and needed to hear and the Holy Ghost whispered that to me and that’s what I taught her. She said you were right on with everything. She said this is amazing and I can’t wait to get started. I said your friends will be eager to help you on this journey.

With tears in her eyes she thanked me for the ride and went into her apartment. She waved, pointed at the Book of Mormon, gave me the thumbs up sign and went inside. Amazing.

I was downtown by the University of Utah when I got a ride at 45th South by the freeway at a gas station. That should never happen because there are many drivers between me and there. It should always go to the closest driver but it chose me. At first I was going to let it go and I really debated it and then I got the impression that I needed to be doing this ride so I took it.

When I got to the place, the rider was just getting off work and she had to count out her till. She asked me if I would wait and I waited for 17 painful minutes. We’re supposed to leave after seven because time is money. Finally she came out and she thanked me.

She was bubbly and happy and confident and seem to be sharp as a tack. We started having the discussion about where are you from and things like that. Then the spirit told me to ask her what she felt here. I said, what do you feel here and she said well, there’s work and it’s easy to get work and I like it.

Each night when I bless my car I pray that the Spirit of God will be in my car so the people will feel it and their hearts will be touched. I want people to feel something different in my car.

I said, let me try again, what is it you feel in your heart living here that’s different than where you came from. She started to get emotional and she said I feel peace. I feel like I can relax here. I really like it here. She said, I really feel it here in your car. I feel safe and peaceful and protected.

I asked her why she thought it was peaceful here and she said she didn’t know. I said it’s because the many of the people here obey the commandments of God and when you obey the commandments of God you have peace. It is disobedience to those commandments that destroys your life and takes away your peace. Because the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints is here and many people belong to it and obey they take within them this peace that everybody feels.

She said that makes sense. I love how it feels. Then I had impressions about her and I asked her if it was OK for me to say the words that are in my heart and she said yes. I told her that she has a confident look but she’s had a rough time. I said that she had been hurt and suffered tremendous losses. They were almost more than she could bear. I told her that she felt like she escaped and that she was here but it still hurt. I told her that she felt lonely and like she been abandoned. I thought this was particularly curious because she’s been talking about her little girls and I thought I was taking her home to them. Why would she be lonely I thought?

I told her that she’s missing a big part of what God would have her enjoy and that she knows it and she’s looking for it. I looked back in the mirror and she was crying.

I told her people had hurt her, people ahead abused her people and taken advantage of her but that she was a strong woman. God had put me there tonight because she needed help tonight.

Through her tears she started to tell me her story about her how children had been taken away from her. She had been in jail when she had been coerced by a DA to plead guilty for something she didn’t do so that she could get out of jail and be with her kids. Then the court used that conviction to take her kids away from her. She said she felt like she had lost everything.

She said she had her children stolen, she had been robbed, she had been raped and she was broken and no one had ever offered to lift her up. This was not the confident happy illusion that she portrayed but God knew different . She asked me, how did you know this and I told her that when we’re baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and God whispers to our heart to things to say. I told her that the gift of the Holy Ghost gives us the ability to say the words that God knows will touch people. I asked her if there’s anyway I could’ve known the things I said and she said there’s no way. I said who is the only person that would know that and she said God. I told her that God had given me those words so that she would know that the other things I said to her were also true.

I talked to her about Jesus Christ and the atonement and about how Jesus suffered for all of the injustice, iniquities, infirmities and pain in our lives. He did that so that he could lift us so that he could help us. God puts other people here to be his hands and do what he would do.

She talked about her time in jail and how she felt like she was still in jail in her life. She said that tonight in the car was the first time she felt the spirit of God was there for her. She said that in her heart she felt this. I told her that if she wanted to feel the spirit of God she could do that by reading the scriptures and going to church.

I gave her a Book of Mormon, one of the Book of Mormons prepared by the Secrists and discussed with her the questions of the soul. She said I have all of those questions. I told her that this is where you’ll find your answers.

I told her that God loves everyone in the world not just the people in Jerusalem and that he sent his son to other places in the world like America. There were prophets in America and they wrote their prophecies. I asked her if that would be important information to have and she said yes. She believed in the Bible and if there is more she said she would like to have it.

I told her that this is the Book of Mormon is the writings of those prophets that lived here in America and that it contained the visit of Jesus Christ to America. Then he went to other places because God loves all of his children not just the ones in Jerusalem.

I said that when Jesus Christ was here in America he invited everyone to be baptized with his baptism, by his authority so that they can become clean and holy and walk with confidence before God. She said she would love that.

I asked her if she knew that she was a daughter of God and if God was aware of her. She said she never considered that and she felt that was true. she felt like this had been a missing part of her life. I asked her what she felt right now and she said tonight she felt his love.

I told her that God loves her and he will put people in her life to help her. I told her that is why I was there and why God had sent me. I told her that I had rejected rides like hers before and I was considering rejecting this one but God intervened on her behalf. I told her God sent me to rescue her.

I told her about Joseph Smith and I bore testimony that he was a prophet. He was called of God and that the Book of Mormon was true. The spirit burned in the car and I asked her again what she could feel. She said, I feel the power of God and I feel that what you’re saying is true.

I told her that she has a bishop and that he could help her. We looked up her bishop‘s info and I called him right after she got out of the car. I told her that we could have sister missionaries stop by and teach her of the gospel. She said that’s exactly what I need. I need that in my life.

I told her that this is exactly why she was brought to Utah to live. She was brought out of that pain and suffering to a place where she could feel peace in her life so that she could bring peace to her soul and be baptized. She agreed.

I told her where her church house was and the church meetings were there at 10:30 Sunday morning. She went to church, met the bishop and the missionaries.

This woman’s story is just now being written but God is moving his hand to help her recover her life. This wat she can be the mother to her children that she wants to be.

PS

For members of the church, in the tools app under the “more” setting on the lower right hand side under missionary you can submit a referral. Once you put in the name and address of your reference and submit it, the app will give you the option to see the missionaries assigned including their phone number and email addresses as well as all ecclesiastical leaders.

This is a new (or at least new to me) function of that app and will make it easier for all of us to be involved with and updated on the teaching of the people that we refer.

I used this function of the app in this case to contact both of Bishop and the missionaries. It worked amazingly well! Good job missionary department!

One Friday I was mowing my lawn and thinking about the scriptures I was listening to. I like to listen to the scriptures while I mow my lawn because I can focus on what they’re saying and focus on what the spirit is teaching me. I were in Helaman and it was talking about the secret combinations. I had the impression to look and see for sure which chapter I was in.

It was chapter 6 .

I thought about the secret combinations and how God is preparing us with the Book of Mormon so that we can recognize and be ready to live and stand with and for God in the last day.

Fast forward to Wednesday. I picked up a man on West Temple at the Salt Lake bees baseball game. I was taking him quickly over to his hotel which is by the triad Center. On the way over we started talking about things in our society that are trying to tear down the family and individuals. We also spoke of iniquity in our society and how bad things are going. We started talking about the corruption politically but we were at his hotel and it was time for him to go.

But then something happened, he said, I’m staying at the Four Points Sheraton by the airport not this one! He said, dang this is the address I put, I guess I put the wrong hotel. I said, I’ll just turn off my machine and I’ll drive you out there. He said OK and off we went. I felt the prompting that the door had been opened to discuss with this executive from Texas about the church. The door has been opened to the Book of Mormon and I went straight for what I learned and had been revealed to me on Friday while I was mowing the lawn.

I talked about how we have prophets and that there were prophets in ancient America. They had faced the same crisis and faced the same issues about people in high places in the governments who would set people up and do things to protect themselves in their iniquity.

We talked about how Satan is trying to tear down gender and gender roles and and then families and then the church and then society so that he can rule the world.

I told him that those prophecies are in the Book of Mormon. He said, my best friends are members of your church. I knew you were a member of the church all along. I asked, did they talk to you about the Book of Mormon before? He said yes. I could tell he had some questions and issues that he hadn’t felt comfortable challenging them with.

I told him first off the Book of Mormon is true and if you want to learn about the secret combinations that we’ve talked about today we’ve got that covered in the Book of Mormon. I asked him if he had one and he said yes. I told him to read in Ether and then Helaman six. I told him that Helaman 6 talks about their activities that correlate with today and that Ether talks about how we need to recognize their presence amongst us today. We can recognize these robbers in secret combinations.

I got the prompting of what the next thing I should say would be. I set it up by saying, have your friends talked to you about becoming a member of our church? He said yes but we’ve never quite been able to get there. I said that the spirit is telling me that the issue you have with becoming a member of the church is that you feel like you would be a traitor to what you’ve done in the past. There have been some members of our church who tactlessly have told you that or made you feel that we believe what you did in the past is evil or needs to be undone. I said I can assure you that nothing like that is true.

I told him that God loves him for his diligence and his love. God loves the prayers that he has uttered and loves him. He said I know that and I feel bad. I told him, we’re not trying to take that away from you. We’re not trying to take away anything, we’re trying to add to what you already have.

I told him about the mirror and how it broke. The mirror represented the complete church of Jesus Christ and when it broke people grabbed the pieces they loved and reformed churches around them. I told him that we just bring the whole mirror back the way it used to be because there were things that were lost.

I told him that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that in the Book of Mormon we learn what some of those things were that were lost and we confirm other things that we know to be true from the Bible. I told him we love the Bible.

He told me he can’t bring himself to leave Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I said I love those guys and the work they did and the work that is the Bible. I told him it was the word of God and the Book of Mormon is its companion. I told him God loves and stands by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Savior chose them and they wrote God‘s word.

I told him one thing the Book of Mormon teaches is that God loves everyone, not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him God loves all his children and he’s a perfect God. He loves all of us and the Book of Mormon peaches that Jesus came to America sent by his father because he loves all of us. He taught the people here and loved them and then said still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout and he went to them.

I told him that God is perfect and he loves everyone and he wants to bring everyone home. I discussed with him traditions in Buddhism and Shinto where a person who was the son of the great king came many years ago and taught them how to live and love. I said, who does that sound like? His eyes were as big as saucers. He said, that sounds like Jesus Christ.

I said I believe it is. And when he came to America that’s just what he did. He took these people who had been in darkness after calamity for three days and three nights, he appeared to them and they touched the prints of the nails and they knew they were in the presence of God and they asked him to save them. I told him that he did save them. He immediately called 12 and gave them the authority to baptize and instructed them how to baptize. This covenant brought these people to a new level, to a new covenant and that he didn’t spend one second ripping on them for what they believed and how they worship him previously.

I showed him the picture I have of 600 AD ruins in Mexico that depict a king God, a descending God and the space for another God is empty. I told him given what we know about Jesus Christ ascending to heaven being the son of God and the Holy Ghost not having a body, what would you say that’s depicting. He was shocked. I asked him how they would’ve known about this in America 600 years A.D. How would they know these things to portray them. How could they have found out? He said he was shocked and there’s no way they could’ve known. He said that this blew his mind.

I asked him if he’d ever heard about temples and he told me that his neighbor had talked to him about temples. I asked him if he’d heard about baptisms for the dead and he said he had. I asked him what his religion taught about God’s plan to save all the people who would never hear his word but require baptism to be in the presence of God. He was stumped. He didn’t know.

I said, if God had 24 children and he had a big house with 24 rooms, one for each child. And he knew that someday there was going to be a fire, which of those children would he plan to save? He immediately said all of them God is perfect and he has a perfect love for each of his children. I said yes!

I asked him how God could save his children that were born in Africa or China 500 years ago and he said he didn’t know. I told him it was baptism for the dead. God gives us the opportunity to help them be saved. He said, that was one of my questions, it always seemed a little weird but today in this car with the spirit it seems perfect.

He said the baptisms for the dead thing was one of my big questions and you answered it. It’s not only something you do in the church it’s part of God‘s perfect plan.

I had him identify what he felt he said peace calm and an assurity that the things were talking about are of God. He said he felt the spirit of God and I’ve known it was here. I’ve learned so much. He said that the angst he felt about the future and the anger he felt about the politics we’re gone. I told him to the spirit brings peace to our heart in a troubled world. He just felt a portion of that.

We turned back to the Book of Mormon. I told him that this book brings the rest of that mirror back to us and helps us understand the Bible. I told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He said he knew about Joseph Smith because his friends told him. I told him that he was a prophet and translated that book. The spirit bore witness and I could tell he was feeling it.

I asked him what he was feeling and he said he was feeling hope and like there’s a plan and like God was in charge. I told him that that was the spirit. I asked him to focus on the feelings that he was feeling not the thoughts that he was having previously.

I asked him what it meant that he was feeling the spirit and he said that the things we were talking about are true. I went back and reiterated the things that we had talked about. I talked about the Book of Mormon and Jesus coming to America and baptism and Joseph Smith. I said, if the church wasn’t true and if these things weren’t true what would you feel as I said those things? He said he would feel anxious and confused. I asked him how he felt again and he said peaceful and calm and he has an assurance that these things are true.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon with him on the road, previously he told me that he had been given one by his neighbor. He said that he did not. I told him that I would like to go back to the first of our conversation and have him read what a prophet in the Book of Mormon said about our day with regards to the secret combinations. I reached into my glove box and got one of the Book of Mormons that was prepared by Sister Sicrist and gave it to him. I gave him the reference that I had been taught on Friday while mowing the lawn and he said he would go in and read it tonight.

I told him that the reason he needed the Book of Mormon was so that he could understand that when Jesus came to America, he extended an invitation to those people to be on a higher plane, to accept a higher covenant, to receive more power and blessings. He said, you mean like being married forever? I said yes.

I told him that Jesus brought this to those people and that he needed to have that power so that he could gather his family and protect his family in these troubled times. I told him it’s important that we have a prophet, it’s important that we have warnings from these prophets.

He mentioned how amazing this ride had been and how it has changed his life. It gave him a chance to get answers to the questions that he was afraid to ask for fear of offending his friends. I told him that the invitation that Christ extend to the people of America to be baptized and accept this covenant is the same one that is being extended to him right now.

I told him that God puts people in my car for a reason and that he was put there tonight. He said that was very true and it was clear to him that it was the case. He said he was put there by God to learn these things and he thanked me for teaching him and said I accept.

He said he was going to read tonight and when he got home he was going to talk to his neighbors about the church, again. I told him it’s now at a point where he understands that God isn’t trying to replace his faith that god loves him and wants him to take that next step.

I have no doubt that he will

I picked up a guy at the Brickyard restaurant on a Friday night. He came out and he had been drinking a beer but he wasn’t drunk. He was loud! Loud doesn’t scare me. He got in the car and liked the song I was playing on the radio and started talking about how growing up in Costa Rica his family used to listen to the radio and that was one of the songs.

I told him how much I liked Costa Rica. I told him it’s a beautiful country and it’s one of my favorite places to go. I said Pura Vida which is the Costa Rican word for awesome or cool. He laughed and said he doesn’t hear that much up here.

He said that he really liked my Spanish and that my accent was really cool. I told him I have a lot of opportunity to use my Spanish. I told him that I do interpretation. I told him that these days I do a lot of interpretation for Venezuelans. He said oh, I know! There are Venezuelans everywhere.

He said it’s like almost every other person he speaks Spanish to is from Venezuela these days. He said, I have a serious question for you. I said all right fire away!

Why do you think that all these Venezuelans are coming to Utah? I said, well, obviously they want to get out of Venezuela. It’s a communist, socialist country that robs them of their soul, freedom and dignity. They want to be free.

He said, I know that, but why Utah and not New York or Los Angeles or Chicago or Texas? I said do you really want to know? He said yeah. I said, I’ll tell you if you really want me to tell you what I think. I wanted to give him a second chance. He said yeah, I want to know what you think.

I told him that they are brought here by the hand of God to receive the gospel and learn about the church. It was dead silent for about five seconds. After five seconds was up however there was a loud obnoxious groan from the backseat. He was almost a little angry that I said that.

I said, you asked me what I thought and I asked you if you really wanted to know and you said yes. This is what I think. He calmed down and said, I shouldn’t have reacted like that because I did ask and I apologize. He said, it’s just that I have so many questions about some things regarding your church.

I said we’ve got a few minutes let’s get into it. He said we don’t have enough time. I said let’s try with your most serious concerns. He said OK. Explain to me polygamy and familial incest along with clergy abuse.

I’m sitting there like, whoa, but I prayed in my heart and then I talked to him about a different time. I talked to him about we have different standards now and how during the time of polygamy, people with means took care of people without money. I talked to him about how these days the idea of polygamy should be abhorrent to us as it is. I told him that this had been the case since the practice was abandoned over 120 years ago.

I told him that my wife just wouldn’t put up with it for a second and he laughed. Then I told him I don’t think I could put up with it for a second and he laughed harder. As far as the sexual violation of anyone, it is against God‘s law and is against the churches law.

I said that sometimes evil people find their way in. I told him that other times people who are not evil but are lost and confused make horrible decisions that could cost them their salvation.

I told him that in any case God has given us his son and his son has given us the atonement to help us through these things.

As I bore my testimony of the atonement to him a sweet peaceful spirit came upon the conversation and I could tell that he was really interested in what I had to say. I continued talking about Jesus and how he loved Gods children but he didn’t take away their circumstances, he gave them a way that he could ease their pain. This is why we teach of Christ so that he can lift us above that pain.

I asked him if Jesus and God were all powerful and he said yes. I asked him if Jesus and God loved everyone in the world who would ever live and he said yes. I asked him if God loved his ancestors in America less than he loved the people in Israel and adjoining areas where the gospel was preached and he said no

I said if God loves you as much and he’s all powerful wouldn’t a loving father send his son to visit your ancestors also? He thought about it for a minute and said yeah. I asked him if God chose favorites and he said no. I told him that it is very consistent that God would send his son to his other children because God is a perfect father.

He said that is an amazing thought that I’ve never heard before but it makes total sense. Why wouldn’t God sent his son to visit the people in America?

I said, that’s what I thought you’d say. I said, have you’ve heard of Joseph Smith? He said yeah. I told him Joseph Smith was a boy seeking the truth and God the father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be the prophet. I told him that he received the Book of Mormon written on plates in their original language and he interpreted those writings. This is the Book of Mormon. I told him that the Book of Mormon is the religious history of his ancestors.

I talked to him about some archaeology that we were both familiar with that show a king God and a God descending from Heaven and a God without a body who was a spirit. I asked him who he thought these Mayans were worshiping when they worshipped these gods. He said it’s clearly God the father Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost but there’s no way they could’ve known that at 600 AD unless someone came and taught them.

I told him that person was Jesus Christ. He was the descending God because here in America he descended from the heavens. He said that makes sense. He said, those dang Mayans knew everything! I laughed.

He said who’s Moroni? He is the guy on top of your temples, right? I said Moroni was one of the prophets from America that is one of your ancestors. He is the one that brought the plates to Joseph Smith so that he could translate them.

I reached into my glove box and pulled a Spanish copy of the book of Mormon prepared by Sister Secrist and gave it to him. I explained the questions of the soul and how to find the answers to those questions un the book. I held it out to him and I said this IS the ancient religion of your ancestors, would you like a copy. He got emotional and said yes and he took the book.

In this instance the spirit didn’t come like a wall of power. It gradually grew and by the time we got to this point it was clear that the spirit was in the car. I asked him, how do you feel now compared to the way you felt when we first started our ride? He said he felt warm and an emotional rush and excitement from deep inside. He said he couldn’t explain it. I told him I could explain it, it was the Spirit of God testifying that the things I was saying were true. He agreed.

He said he would love to read it and he promised me that he would read it. He said that he never had anyone explain to him anything about the church and that he only heard negative. He commented on the peace that he felt and how inside right now he had a burning desire to have the knowledge in this book.

He asked me if he could shake my hand. It’s really interesting that when I have an experience like this with people they always want to touch me, whether it’s my head or on my shoulder or my hand. It’s not common at all when I’m giving rides for people to want to touch me. Yet almost exclusively when we’ve had one of these experiences it happen. It’s like their spirit is reaching out hoping to hang onto just a little bit longer.

He was clearly motivated to read and excited to do so. He looked back at me as he was heading to his house and said I promise you I will read this book, all of it. I know he will. That was incredible

One Saturday night it was 12:45 and I was getting fired up for the most lucrative 90 minutes of the week. In that time you should make a dollar a minute or more. From 1:00 to 2:30 is gold. Bonuses everywhere and usually short rides around town. That is easy on the gas tank.

I thought I would position myself on West Temple and Main to be ready. I decided to turn on my app at 12:45 to get the early rush and boom! 35 minutes south it wanted me to go. That stunk. There went the vast majority of this time and in exchange for about $.35 a minute. That’s not horrible but we use the big money to make up for the slower times. I was bummed.

I headed over to the club right across the street from the Marriott to pick them up. Three guys got in. Two in the back and one asked if he could sit in front. I can refuse that but I felt like I should let him plus he wasn’t inebriated unlike the back seat boys so I opted to let him sit there and off we went.

We started towards American Fork. I wasn’t pleased. They asked me how my night was and I laughed so I wouldn’t cry. Then the spirit told me to get in the game and shape up. I felt prompted to listen and follow.

At first there was just banter about the kid in the front seat and how his ex-girlfriend’s sister was there that night shooting daggers with her eyes. They laughed at him.

As I looked at him I had the impression that he was less active. The spirit told me that he was a returned missionary that wasn’t making good choices. The spirit said that he wasn’t going to church, he felt judged by members, praying wasn’t happening and for sure he was not reading scriptures. I was looking for an opening to start a discussion so that I could be guided in what to say.

Finally, one of the kids in the back, while talking about a common acquaintance said “didn’t you know him on your mission?” That was my que. I said, a mission? Where did you serve? He said Houston Texas Spanish speaking. I asked where he went to the MTC and he said Mexico. I asked how his Spanish was and he said not good.

I told him that when I was in the MTC Elder Packer told us that if we would say our prayers and read the Book of Mormon in our mission language, we would never lose it. I told him that this was a promise from an apostle and I hadn’t said a personal prayer in English since my third day in the MTC in 1981. I also told him that I speak better today than when I was on my mission.

When I finished saying that the spirit instructed me how to teach him that night, parables! The backseat boys were drunk and rowdy and having a meaningful religious conversation seemed impossible. I think that they would have blown it up.

Teaching with stories or parables however bored them and they stayed out of the conversation. It worked. I introduced him to my blog and told him about how God puts people in my car. I told him about how Ammon perceived the king’s heart and thoughts thus opening his heart to God. I told him that the Lord still works that way.

I then started hitting all of the points the spirit had impressed upon me addressing them by sharing the story of a former rider who had been struggling with that same issue.

One by one, I hit each issue and addressed it with a story. I talked about the atonement and the backseat boys were getting loud as did I. They were trying to drown out the truth. I prayed that they would be silenced and within minutes they sat muted in the back seat.

I continued telling the stories that made the points and he was listening. He was agreeing and had a wide eyed acceptance kind of look. Finally as we were getting close to his stop I felt it was time to let him know that I knew why he was there. I said, this is why you were put in my car tonight. I said, right off the bat the Holy Ghost whispered to me that you weren’t making good choices. The spirit said that you weren’t going to church, that you felt judged by members, and praying wasn’t happening and for sure you are not reading scriptures.

He said that he knew something was up because in every single story I told, he saw himself. He was having the same doubts and questions. He said he was in the same pit. He said every story struck a chord and addressed his issues.

He said that he was at a crossroads in his life and trying to find who he was. I told him that he is a son of God and that the spirit he felt right then and on his mission was a manifestation of his relationship with his father. I told him that he had this relationship for thousands of years and that this feeling is meant to reside in his soul. Without that he feels incomplete and lost. I said that Satan tries to fill that with alcohol, drugs and riotous living but that this won’t fill it. It won’t feed your soul and you will always feel empty.

He said that this explains exactly what he was feeling. I told him that Satan always wants you to double down on the junk but God want to fill your soul with the feeling that is intended to be there.

I said that without this in place you can never find out who you really are. I told him that with God he can find out who he is and become who God wants him to be.

With the back seat boys muzzled I felt able to speak more freely. I said, when the spirit whispered to me the most prominent prompting was that you don’t pray and because you don’t pray everything else is falling away. I told him about a man I met that week who didn’t believe the Joseph Smith story and I told him that he didn’t believe because he didn’t pray and didn’t have a relationship of love with his father. I told him that if he developed that relationship with his heavenly father, the thought of a loving heavenly father visiting Joseph Smith to bless his children wouldn’t be hard to accept.

When I told him this last story he said, you nailed it. I haven’t prayed in 6 years and it has all fallen away since I stopped. He said that this ride had been remarkable and that for sure God sent me because he was at this crossroads. He said, I am going to start praying again. This ride has changed everything for me.

I said, speaking of this ride, did you notice how God quieted the backseat and brought his spirit with power? He said, yes. I said tonight you have seen the hand of the Lord. I told him that I see my role as a guy in a little rowboat going out into the river of filthy water from Lehi’s dream, pulling people out and bringing them to the iron rod. He smiled and said, yep!

The perfect time. The perfect place. The perfect prompting. The perfect amount of time. The perfect back seat control. The perfect teaching strategy and the perfect missionary companion arranged it all. My Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost.

Some people ask me how I know that these passengers are really sincere. There are different ways, but this man gave me a much appreciated $30 tip. That is more than I made on the ride. It was a blessing to help me that night. I have faith that he will be back soon. He made the right turn at his crossroads.

I was in Midvale and I got a ride going 46 minutes north. Clearly I didn’t want to go 46 minutes north but I felt prompted to do it anyway. I picked up a woman outside of the 7-Eleven who was smoking talking to a bunch of ne’er-do-well looking dudes. She had a bunch of her clothes in a bag which indicated to me that she was borderline homeless.

She got in the car and we headed up to Ogden. I could feel right away that there was a lot of pain in the car. I could feel desperation and I could feel a lost soul. The spirit let me feel these things but then I felt the words from God to me “I want her to know how much I love her.”

She talked to me about her life and drug rehab. She talked about her two little girls who live with her parents right now. She said that they charge her half of her paycheck. She talked to me about how she had lost her apartment and that she was moving from one house to another right now so that she didn’t have to sleep on the streets. This is why she was going to Ogden.

She thanked me for picking her up realizing that a lot of times it’s hard to get rides and she was in a desperate situation. I asked her if it would be OK if we talked about God. She said I guess it would be OK, my parents are atheists and I had to sneak out to go to church a couple times when I was a kid. I just quit fighting it at one point and accepted that I guess I am an atheist.

I asked her if she wanted me to tell her what her real relationship with her father in heaven looked like and she said yes. I talked to her about how for thousands of years they had a father daughter relationship and it was beautiful and unique to them. I talked to her about the love she has for her daughters and how her father in heaven has love for her just like that only many many times more intense.

I asked her if I could tell her about why I believe an addiction is so hard. She said yes! I discussed with her my belief that the spirit, that feeling of being with her Father in Heaven, is the center of our soul and unless the spirit of God fills that space it’s hard to have the willpower to fight the evil that is the addiction. I said, addiction is a disease that is both spiritual and physical and if you don’t fight it on both fronts it’s very difficult to win. She said that’s exactly right! I’ve never heard that but it makes so much sense.

I felt a prompting to ask, “so you want to know why God lets bad things happen?You want to know why good people have to suffer? You want to know why your life is where it is and much of that is a result of bad decisions by other people? You also don’t feel like your own decisions have made you anything close to a person that would be valuable to their father in heaven?

That was straight from the Lord to her ears and she recognized that. She said, no one has ever talked to me like that, you hit the nail on the head and you were right on with exactly what I was thinking and feeling. How did you do that? I said, we’ll talk about that later but right now I want to talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I told her about the atonement and how in the atonement Jesus had paid for not only our sins but the angst, injustice, pain, illness, and addiction. He suffered it all so that we could lean on him. I told her that he was a God and when he died he gave up his spirit. He was not killed. In the Garden of Gethsemane, what he suffered would’ve killed us but he knelt there and took it until he bled from every pore. No human could’ve done that but a God, who could not be killed, allowed himself to suffer to an extent far beyond what any human could possibly do.

I told her that because of this suffering that he did for her he could understand the pain of not being with her daughters, the rejection, the abuse and everything that she had suffered and he could lift her.

I told her about the people of Alma and the Lamanites. I talked about how they were captured by their enemies and enslaved. I explained to her how through their faith those burdens were lightened to the point where they barely felt them. I told her that this is why we have the atonement.

I told her that everyone has their agency, it’s a great gift from God. When someone misuses their agency, and we all do, God has given us the atonement so that we can look to him for relief. That way we don’t have to turn from God in anger but we turn to God in love. She said she liked that.

I could feel the spirit very strongly in the car and I could tell she was feeling it too. Imagine that! Feeling the spirit when you’re talking about the atonement. Ha.

I didn’t miss the chance to ask her what she was feeling and identify it to her as the spirit of God.

I told her about how a mother will try to even out the amount of juice in glasses so everybody has the same amount but God doesn’t do that for us on earth. Instead he gives us the atonement so Jesus can come as if with a huge pitcher and just fill everyones glass who turns to him and that way everyone is equal before God. She said she never thought of it that way.

She said she thought it would be great to get to where she understood this. She said that she had heard that Jesus was resurrected but was that all she knew. She couldn’t believe the amount of love she felt right then in her heart.

I taught her that God was a perfect, all powerful father. I asked her if that God would love everyone and she said yes. I asked her if that God would be restricted to specific geographic areas and she said no. I asked her if it seemed right that this God would only have prophets in Jerusalem and that he would only send his son to that one spot. She thought about that she said no, God would want all of his children to be taught. I talked to her about the Book of Mormon and how it was the writings of prophets in America and it talked about Jesus coming to America and then going to other places because God loves all of his children not just the children in Jerusalem.

She said that makes sense. I told her that the Book of Mormon would bring her closer to God and would help her feel the spirit. I asked her what she was feeling and she said I’m feeling hope. Maybe for the first time in years I’m feeling hope right now. I said as you read the Book of Mormon and then go to church you will feel this more and It will heal you. This is the spirit of God that you are feeling and that’s how you feel his presence. I said, he sends you his spirit so that he can bring you home. She said, I need that. I asked her if she wanted a Book Mormon and she said yes. I told her about the Book of Mormon I have prepared by Sister Secrist and how they have questions of the soul and the tabs indicating where to find the answers to those and I asked her if I gave her one, would she promise to read it. She said she would love to. She said she loved to read and she would love to read that book.

I revisited her question from earlier on about how I knew the words to say that were right on and she said that no one could’ve guessed that. I told her that when we’re baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and it protects, us guides, us and gives us the words to say. I told her that it gives the gift of prophecy and that those things were whispered to my heart by the Holy Ghost. God did this so that she would know that the things that I said were God’s words. That way she would know that the things I was saying were from God too. She said, I believe that.

I asked her if there was a church near where she stayed and she said yes. I said will you promise that you will go there on Sunday at 9 AM. She said that would be good because she gets off work at 8 AM and can just go straight over. I said that’s exactly right, if you do that you will feel this hope and peace that you feel right now in the car. She promised she would do that.

I felt prompted to say, there are things that you’ve done to survive, there are other things that were done to you and you are thinking that they make you unworthy of love, unworthy of God and unworthy of good things. I told her that that this is not true. I told her that Jesus Christ showed us how to be baptized and when we are baptized we are clean. I told her when she gets to that day she will be clean from her sins and guilt, they would be washed away. I said this would also help with the healing of the issues from the past. I told her that the horrible thing that happened to her was never from God but that it was from Satan. I told her that the person used their free will to follow Satan. I told her that the problem has always been Satan. He tries to get us to ignore God and he wins both ways. I told her not to let that happen.

She said, when I was 13, something happened to me that no one should ever have to go through. It sounds like you knew that. I said that I didn’t know but God does. Had a prompting that she had always felt someone there with her, helping her. I said, I feel like I should tell you that there was someone there with you during this time and at critical times since. She said YES, my grandmother. She always told me that I had something special to do and I can’t imagine what I could have to offer to anyone. I told her that just like God sent an angel to Jesus when he was in the midst of the atonement, God sent her grandmother to her to strengthen her and that there was a work God would have her do. She said, yea and grandma was Mormon! She said it with excitement and joy.

I said that it is important to know that Satan was the one that hurt you when you were 13. Don’t spend the rest of your life running towards him after what he did to you.

I said, can you imagine the powerful example you’ll be to those daughters when you get baptized, when you clean up, when you live a worthy life. Those daughters and their children and their children’s children will look back at their grandmother is an example of faith and courage. I said how much more of a blessing can you be. I told her about how I’ve looked back on the examples of my ancestors and told her that she could be a great influence.

Her grandmother had been a good member of the church but her parents became atheist and I told her that I really felt like her grandmother’s hand was involved that night. She said I feel her here tonight.

I did too!

She said I really needed this. I didn’t know how I was going to go on but now I do. I know that God sent this message to rescue me and I thank you for bringing it. She promised one more time that she would go to church on Sunday. I believe that she will. Grandma will see to it!

I picked up this guy in Sugarhouse one evening. He was standing out front with his friend and they didn’t know which one the car was for. Finally we figured it out and he got in the car and we started driving. He said that he was grateful for the how quickly the ride got there because he said he was ready to go home and go to bed.

He was getting ready to go on trek the next day and wanted to get home and get some good sleep. He said, you’re Mormon aren’t you? I said yes!. He told me how much he admires the church, the structure and the family orientation it provides in the community but then he said I just don’t believe the story.

He talked a little bit more and again he said, “I just can’t believe the story”. I could tell he was baiting me and me wanted to respond to that. I was ignoring it on purpose. I really need to be careful about people who are baiting me into saying things.

As I thought about it the spirit put me at ease about discussing the church with him. One more time he said in today’s modern society anyone who came out saying what Joseph Smith said would be considered crazy. I just don’t buy the story.

He said that his wife goes to church every Sunday and that occasionally he’ll go as well which is how he got roped into trek but that he’s not a believer.

He asked me if I believe the story and I said yes! I know it’s true. I told him that God can walk with us and help us and that he has protected me several times while I drive. I told him a couple of stories where the hand of God protected and saved me.

I instantly got the impression that someone had said something to him that hurt him or angered him immensely and hurt his spirit. I asked him who damaged you, who was it who hurt you?

He said, no one sexually assaulted me when I was a child. I said, that’s not what I was referring to. Someone said something to you that offended you so much that you haven’t been able to get past it and you’re punishing God for it. One more time I asked him who did that to you?

He talked to me about how when he was young he had a drug addiction. He said that now for the most part he stays away from all addictive substances except for that occasionally he has a beer or two.

I said and you never feel filled do you? I explained to him how our soul is programmed and designed to have at its core the feeing of the spirit of our relationship with our heavenly father. We crave the presence of our father and Satan tries to fill that craving with drugs and alcohol.

I told him, to this point you have been filling that hunger with potato chips instead of meat and that’s why you seem unsatisfied. That’s why you can’t seem to find peace in your soul.

He told me that this sounds exactly like something his father would say. I told him that’s because it was true.

He said I still can’t believe the Joseph Smith story. I sat there for a moment not knowing what to say and the spirit told me to testify. I told him that I wanted to bear my testimony and I did. The power of the spirit came into the car. It was palpable and I could tell he was feeling it.

I said do you feel that? He said, yes I said that’s the Spirit of God testifying that what I said was true.

The next thing that happened was a incredible experience for me. I was taught something at the same time I was being prompted to say it.

I told him that he would never be able to have a testimony or an understanding of the Joseph Smith story unless he started praying and developing his own relationship with his father in heaven.

I told him that when people don’t have a relationship with God themselves that burns in their soul, believing in revelation, prophets and the story of Joseph Smith’s first vision is more difficult. I told him that unless he was willing to get to know his father in heaven he could never understand the love of a father performing the extraordinary act of visiting his son in the sacred grove.

He was quiet.

I sat there thinking about what I had just heard myself teach. The fact that we are children of a loving father in heaven isn’t just nice, that love is the foundation for everything. How appropriate it is that missionaries teach that early and often.

I told him that a lot of people have doubts but they understand the love from their father in heaven overcomes all and that he provided a way.

He put his hand on my shoulder and told me you’re what my mother-in-law would call an angel, sent here to scoop me up. He laughed.

He told me that he had been pondering more deeply what I said about him being damaged by someone earlier on.

Then he said you need to know that when I was a kid I was in one of those wilderness treatment programs run by church members. They used the church in their treatment. I had a friend in the program who they forced to say he had been sexually abused as a child even though he had never been sexually abused. They told his friend that the spirit was directing them that he had been assaulted and that he should pray to have strength to admit it. In the end his friend lied and told them what they wanted to hear to get them off of his back. He lowered his head and said that he so distrusted them after this experience that he decided to rid his life of anything that they stood for or taught.

I told him that it was time that he quit holding his father in heaven accountable for the unworthy manipulation of his words and the manufacturing/manipulation of what they said was of God. I told him it was time that he came back. I told him that it was time he go to church.

I had the prompting to tell him that he had wanted to come back to church but that he had felt that he couldn’t. I told him that Satan was whispering there in his ears and that every time he heard a reason not to go back it was Satan.

Then I had a very clear prompting to tell him that five years from now he’ll be sitting in a sacrament meeting and he’ll think back on that day in the car with me. He will see the hand of the Lord and how it moved in his behalf. He will see the hand of the Lord and how it rescued him. I told him that he will see the hand of the Lord in his marriage and the happiness in his wife’s face.

He said this has been incredible. He asked me to excuse the saying but that In every way this has been a come to Jesus meeting. He said that he knew that God had sent me and that it wasn’t a mistake.

He said there was something different about the ride all the way along. He said he could feel something different. He said that I got there so quick it astounded him and from that moment on I had him a little bit off guard. He said that he felt the spirit in the car. He said it was something that he hadn’t felt or hadn’t recognized for many many years.

He said he felt like he had a desire to grab on to that and hold on tight. I told him, you’re going on trek, you better hold tight onto something. We laughed. I told him it was very important that he remember the spirit that he felt that night in the car and seek to do the things that would bring it into his life.

I asked him what those things were and he said first and foremost, praying like you told me to. I need to start praying and I haven’t done that for years. We discussed reading the scriptures and going to church and he committed to do those things.

I know that I am not the angel that he was speaking of but I know 100% that there were angels in the car that night and the Spirit of God was there touching and softening his heart. I saw it happen right in front of me.

I picked up a girl from the Urban Lounge, a music venue and bar in Salt Lake City. When I was waiting for her to get in the car two guys came up and asked me who I was waiting for and I gave them her name and they said, oh, we’re here for that ride. That’s us.

I was about to let them in, I had already unlocked the door when the spirit said that’s not your ride, wait! Waiting is not fun because time is money. It’s very frustrating when you’ve got people there you want to go but I followed the prompting and re-locked the door. I said, through the window, I don’t think this is you. I think you’re just trying to get her ride. They held up a $50 bill and said, I think this says that we’re the right people. I said no it doesn’t. I’m waiting for the person assigned to my ride.

They got really angry and then out of the bar she came and pushed through them.

I could tell it was her, I could tell she was frustrated and I could tell things weren’t good. I unlocked the door and when she got in I said you’re the right person right? She asked for my name, I asked for hers and everything matched so off we went.

When I started to tell her the story about those guys trying to steal her ride she got very angry and said that those guys have been tracking her all night. She said they’d been rude to her and when she turned down their advances they have been vulgar and abusive.

She thanked me for having the integrity to turn them down even though they had offered me money. She was a little emotional but very grateful that she was able to be away from there, escaping from a bad situation.

Then I received a prompting about her but given the state of what had just happened I didn’t know if it was the right time. I thought about it in my mind for a second and debated whether to say it or not. The spirit forcefully said to say these things. In addition the spirit said this is the perfect time.

We were heading down 700 east turning west at the south east corner of Liberty Park when I said, do you mind with a if I share with you a couple of impressions I’ve had about you? She looked surprise and said sure go ahead.

I said, you put on a very strong front, like a tough girl. It’s like you’re saying that you’re not bothered and that you were tough and that you have an exterior that just lets things bounce off as if you didn’t care.

I said, that’s not the real you! The real you is very loving and very caring and you’ve got a huge heart and you desire to share that not hide it. I said, there have been circumstances in your life where you’ve been hurt because you’ve extended your heart and you’ve learned to protect it by not putting it out there.

I said, you’ve even had people you trust in your life that told you to quit putting your heart out there and sharing your heart. Then I had a strong impression to say that her mother had been the author of most of this and because of it they didn’t get along. I repeated to her that impression and she said how can you possibly be so right on.

She said, that’s exactly right. Everybody thinks that I am a cold, cranky mean woman because that’s the face I show. I’ve been told my whole life that people will take advantage of me and hurt me if I show them who I am inside. She asked how could you know this because no one has ever picked up on it.

I asked her if she really wanted me to tell her because it had a religious implication and she said yes, I’d love you to. I said when we are baptized in our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we get what’s called the gift of the Holy Ghost by the power of the priesthood which is God’s power. The gift of the Holy Ghost protects us, helps us and whispers to us the things we should do and the things we should say.

It also gives us the words to say to others that God would have them hear. Today he put this in my heart to say to you so that you would know that he is here and that he loves you and he is your father. Her eyes were wide open and she looked astonished. The spirit was very strong in the car and I said can you feel that? She said, oh my gosh it’s a wonderful feeling. I said that’s the spirit of God and he’s embracing you and he’s letting you know that he is your father and he does love you.

I told her that her desire to love is not something to hide but a gift to be shared. I told her there were people that would try to take advantage of her and that she needed to be on the lookout. I told her that God would help her and protect her as she she used that gift that he gave her for good.

She said, I have to tell you something, I just felt like there was a reason why I was in your car tonight like I was supposed to be here. It was a battle getting here but I know this is where I’m supposed to be and I thank you for that message.

I said, what do you know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She said I really don’t know anything, I was hoping to learn some thing on this trip. She was from Canada and down here for a business function.

I asked, do you know any members of our church? She said that she worked with a couple but she had been a little timid to bring up religion with them. I assured her that it wouldn’t be a problem.

We arrived at her location and I turned off the meter so that she wouldn’t have to pay to receive the word of God. I told her that God has a plan for each of us and he loves everyone of us just like he loves her and he’s given us each tools so that we can do the things that he needs us to do.

I told her that we worship Jesus Christ and we believe that God is the God of all the world not just the God of Jerusalem. He sent Jesus Christ to redeem all the world not just the people in Jerusalem.

I pulled out a Book of Mormon, one of the special ones prepared by the Secrist’s and I asked her if she would like to have one. She smiled brightly and beamed as she said yes, cool! I gave her the book and explained the questions of the soul on the front page and how it correlated with the tabs in the book. I said, if you read this it will answer a lot of the questions you have and help you along your journey.

I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon and it’s truthfulness. I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith and told her that God speaks to us today not just through the Holy Ghost by through prophets. Because of this we can know the truth and know God‘s will for us. I felt the spirit again and asked her if she felt it again. She said yes. I told her that God gives us confirmation of truth through his spirit and that when she felt it, she knew that the things she was hearing were true. She said well, I know this is true I feel it deep in my soul.

She held the book tightly and she said that she would love to read it. I told her that it testifies that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. It talks about his visit to God’s children in places other than Jerusalem. I told her that those prophets in the Book of Mormon wrote their prophecies and teachings. Their testimonies have impacted me very deeply and it is changed my life.

She said that I am sure it will also change mine. I promise I will read it.

I said will you make me another promise? She said anything you want. I said, will you take this book and sit down with your friends who are Mormons and discuss it with them. Talk to them about it and tell them what you felt and learned in the car tonight. She said that she had already been thinking about that and that she would be excited to do so.

One glance back at her showed a light shining brilliantly in her face with big beautiful eyes and smile from ear to ear. Her countenance was on fire! She had been touched by the spirit and she knew it. Compare that to when she came running out of the bar angry and in a huff, having just protected herself and hidden who she was. The transformation was remarkable.

She got out of the car and grasping the Book of Mormon tightly with one hand thumbing through the pages with the other she walks slowly into her Airbnb on 13th West

This all reminded me of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 123: 12-14 where it says that we should waste and wear out our lives bringing light to those who know not where to find it.

She’s found it and I think she’ll do good things with it.

D&C 123: 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—

14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.

I picked up a guy at a hotel downtown. He works maintenance at the hotel. It’s an older hotel and they don’t throw things away. They repair furniture and stuff so it was kind of cool to talk to him about how they can’t do anything new. They have to try to keep up the look of an old hotel. We talked about his girlfriend, where she’s from and that they live together.

He said that her her family was in town and it looked like it was progressing really fast towards him asking her father if they could be married. It looked like he may even be going to do it the next day. He really liked her family and they liked him.

We talked about having kids and coaching your kids teams. We talked about body pain and having kids when you’re young enough to be useful. He thought that this was a good idea.

About this time I started thinking, talk to him about the church. The spirit was screaming that this guy is ready. I thought this guy lives with his girlfriend, there’s no way he’s ready but I obeyed . I asked him what he thought the religion of his ancestors was. He was from Mexico so he went on to tell me that the history of his ancestors was one of many gods which are based on the conditions, the times and the seasons.

I showed him a picture I have of a Mayan temple that has three carvings on the top in front. These carvings are of a king God with a crown, a descending God, descending from the sky and one is empty. I asked him if that looked familiar and if it made sense to him. I talked about Jesus coming to America after he had been resurrected. I told him in Jerusalem he said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that he was going to visit them. I told him it was the people in America.

I told him even hundreds of years after he had been here, as evidence by that archaeology I was showing him, they believed in a father God, a descending God, descending from heaven and a God that had no physical shape or body. I asked him again if that sounded familiar and he said, oh yes, now it does. He then went on to explain to me that his father and mother were members of our church. He said, I know that it is Jesus Christ that you’re talking about.

I talked to him about how when Jesus came to America, there were three days and nights of darkness following incredible destruction from tremendous storms and earthquakes. When Jesus came, the people in that horrible condition recognized him as their God and prayed to him to be saved. He did exactly that by calling up 12 of them, one by one and giving them the authority to baptize and commanding that all of these people be baptized.

I told him that almost all of these people had previously been baptized but that Jesus required of them that they be baptized again and make this new covenant by the power and the authority that he, their God, had given them.

I said again that Jesus commanded that everyone be baptized and that the difference between us and the other religions was that we have the power that Christ gave on that occasion. We have the fullness of this new covenant not just part of it like other religions do.

At that point the spirit whispered to me that it was still his desire to party and participate in inappropriate activities. These things kept him from wanting to be baptized in the first place even though the rest of his family was baptized.

I told him that, exactly as the spirit whispered it to me.

I told him that the reason why he wasn’t baptized is because he didn’t want to commit to God and that he wanted to put these other things in front of his worship of God. Then he bowed his head and said you’re right. I asked him if he thought that getting baptized would make him a better boyfriend/husband or not. He said that it would make him much better.

His girlfriend had been wanting to get baptized and he had been dragging his feet. He decided it just wasn’t exactly what he was going to do and hated feeling pushed into it. I said, “so you don’t get baptized so that you can show that you are willing to make huge mistakes in order to show how independent you are?”

I called him out in a way that no one else had. There was a battle going on in the car and I could feel that he wasn’t wanting to be forthright about something, later I found out it was that the missionaries were currently in the process of trying to commit him to being baptized.

He was still in the stubborn mindset of being his own man and not being baptized and not going along with everyone else. We talked about the authority that Jesus gave to his apostles and how that made it all work. I talked to him about his girlfriend that he wants to marry and their kids. How would he feel when they asked him why he wouldn’t want to be with them forever? He was shocked.

The bottom line is that this kid had been taught since he was young and always rejected the gospel. I looked at him and said that God puts people in my car to receive a message and clearly tonight the message you’re supposed to receive is that it’s time to give up the pride and follow Christ.

He told me that he didn’t know if he was ready and I asked him what he was waiting for. I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The spirit filled the car. I asked, do you feel that? He said yeah! I said what does it feel like and he told me what it says in Galatians about what the spirit feels like. I told him that I wasn’t asking him what Galatians said it felt like, I was asking him what he was feeling right then. He thought for a minute and said peace, warmth and power. I told him that this is how you feel the spirit. That’s how the spirit of God feels to you. I said that this is a reflection of the relationship you have with God that you have had for thousands of years. When that spirit is present, you know that the things you’re hearing are…. and I paused…..and he said “true”

He said “wow” that is powerful!! I have never felt and understood it like this.

I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon again and asked him if that was true he said yes. I asked him if the spirit was testifying to him that it was true and he said yes. I told him that we have a prophet today and testified of that fact. I asked him if he felt the spirit and he said yes I asked him what that meant and he said that it’s true.

I told him that when Jesus came to America he invited the people to be baptized. I then asked him if he thought that was true and he said yes. I said, don’t you think Jesus is inviting you to be baptized? He said yes! I said, by what date will you promise to me that you’ll be baptized? He looked shocked. Then he thought about it and he said, “my birthday is in June. I’d like to be baptized on my birthday.” I told him that he was promising me but then asked who else he was making that promise to. He said God. I asked him if he would promise God and he said yes.

I said that’s totally doable. You and your girlfriend need to get married. He said yes, we’re going to do that. I asked him what his next step was. He said that he would tell his girlfriend. I asked him when he would tell the elders and he said the next day at 7pm. They already had it set. He told me that he couldn’t wait to surprise them and just say, I’m in! Let’s get baptized. He said along with his girlfriend and family, they would be so happy.

Thus ended the rebellious days of this son who gloried in the pride of his iniquities and disobedience yet was moved by the spirit to humility and saw the hand of God! (In my car!!)

I picked up A 20-year-old young man at his house. He wasn’t coming out and I was trying to text and call him so that I could get going but he wasn’t coming out. Finally with about one minute left before cancellation he showed up and he started apologizing profusely for making me wait.

I said it’s no problem and thanked him for riding with me. We started off and he said, I feel like I need to ask you a question. I said OK. He asked,who is God? I told him God was my father and that god loved us. I said he knows us and he cares about us. Then I said, his son Jesus Christ is also a God. I said that Jesus Christ paid for our sins but not only paid for sin but he paid for the anguish, injustice, infirmity and every negative thing that we can pass through so that he can give us relief.

I was very impressed by his boldness. I could tell he was a born again Christian by the way he talked so I decided to start asking him questions.

I asked him what he knew about the Book of Mormon and he said he knew it was an evil book written by an evil man.

I asked him about God, prophets and how the Bible was written. I asked him if God loved everyone. He said yes. I told him our perspective on each one of those things. I told him that Joseph Smith saw the God the father and Jesus Christ. I told him the Joseph Smith story.

The spirit was strong after the Joseph Smith testimony. I then talked to him about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon was translated.

He said that his grandparents believed this. He told me that they had insisted that he be baptized when he was eight but he hadn’t been back to church since. He said that last year he had been baptized again into another religion.

He said the many churches are corrupt and I agreed with him and told him that this is why Joseph Smith couldn’t find Gods true church and why God had to call him to be the prophet to restore the true church to the earth.

The spirit was really strong and I said do you feel the spirit in the car? He said absolutely! I said how does it make you feel? He said it makes me feel like praying. He said we need to pray. I asked him, when you feel this way, is God with us or not? He said yes he’s with us! I said if God is with us what does that mean about the things that I have been saying? He paused for a minute and said I guess it means they’re true.

I told him that the spirit of God always testifies of truth and if the thing is not true the Spirit of God will not accompany the statement. He said that’s right! I asked him if the Spirit of God had born witness to him of the things I’d said and he said yes. I said that means you know they’re true and he said yes.

I talked to him about Ezekiel and the sticks and he said why would we need two witnesses. I talked about a legal court and the power of multiple witnesses to establishing truth. I talked about the board with a nail analogy. This analogy says that if you have a board and drive a nail into it, you can still move it around. If you drive a second nail into it, it makes the board firm and it will not move. I told him that the Book of Mormon was that second witness that firmly established the divinity of Christ. I identified the spirit again in the car and he was clearly feeling it.

I talked about when Christ came to America. I described the serene laid out in third Nephi of his ancestors touching the prints of the nails in his hands. This was impactful because his mother was from Mexico.

I talked to him about the other places where Jesus might have gone. I talk to him about other sheep that he still needed to visit at that point. I asked him questions about the resurrection and the atonement. To help make the point of the need for Christ to visit in person, I asked him if there were airplanes or ships that could make it to America or telephones when Jesus was on the earth that he could use, he said no.

I asked him again if God loved all of his children he said yes. I asked him if he loved them no matter where they were and he said yes. I asked him if an all powerful God who was all loving would ignore 80% of his children and he said no. I told him that this is why God sent Jesus to America and then to “still other sheep”.

He told me about the ride we were on and asked me do you know why I came here tonight? I said no. He said I came here to sin with the girl that lives in that house. Now I think that I’m going to talk about Jesus with her. Talk about a big change of plans! Again he asked if we could pray and I said yes and he prayed and then I prayed.

When I prayed the spirit was really strong and I said some things that the spirit whispered to me in the prayer about him. In the prayer there were three things in particular that I said and I felt a powerful surge of the spirit when I said those things and I knew that he felt them too. They were how he feels lost right now, how he feels like he’s being treated unjustly and needs to rely on God and the atonement of Jesus Christ. The spirit prompted me to say that his life had been hard but that if he would do God‘s will, God would never abandon him and would walk by his side.

When we got done with the prayer ask him how he felt, he said I feel like I want to be out teaching about Jesus, I said that’s what our missionaries do! He said that’s right! That’s what I need to do. I know that now I need to be a missionary. I promised him that I would look up his bishop and give him his ward and times for meetings. Then I said I would have his bishop call him.

I told him that I needed to have the bishop call him so he could talk to him about getting ready to go on a mission. Then he said, well I need to think about getting ready to do this. I told him that he had had a revelation from God to go on a mission and he shouldn’t doubt that revelation. I told him not to back down from that prompting he had felt. He said ok, call the bishop.

He asked me if it was possible. I said yes every young man that’s a member of the church is commanded to prepare to be worthy so they can go on a mission. He said, is it possible that I could go to Russia? I said it’s absolutely possible that you could go to Russia or South America. He smiled and said that he would never forget that night that ended in prayer. I pray that the Spirit of God will walk with him and I believe that he will prepare to be the servant that his father wants him to be.

The very next day I looked up the information for the bishop and called him. He was very excited as we discussed this young man. The bishop made the phone right after he talked to me so that he could help him start his progress, and get ready to be the missionary that he already wanted to be.

I picked up a girl one Thursday night in Salt Lake City in front of the temple by the City Creek shopping center. I was taking her out to West Valley so it was going to be a little bit of a ride maybe 15 or 20 minutes.

We started to go when I asked her what she did for a living and she said she worked with events. I said that’s really cool I work with events too but a little bit different. She’s a party planner I do meetings, conventions and incentives. Shameless plug here if you need help with a meeting, convention or incentive please let me know!

Right off the bat I got the impression that she hadn’t prayed in a long time and that her Heavenly Father really wanted her to pray.

I talked to her about how we are a corporate travel agency but Covid had chased away 99.3% of our business and it hadn’t let up much. We had to lay everybody off and then it was a really rough time and she concurred but the party industry had certainly rebounded quicker than the corporate travel scene. I told her that I speak Spanish and she though that would be very helpful. She asked how I learned it and I said I learned it on my mission in Argentina.

She said her brother had served a mission in Paraguay and that he had gone through Argentina to get there. We talked a little bit about that. She had two brothers that had served missions and one of them was going to BYU right now with his brand new wife.

She asked me if it was a big adjustment moving from corporate travel to Uber and I told her that is was. I told her it was scary and that there was a lot of pressure. I told her about God protecting me during drives and how I called upon God and know that he sent angels who protected me. She said wow.

We then started talking about her family and then I mentioned to her that I had served in the MTC and that I would’ve been there the same time her brother was there.

I had the prompting to talk about Elder Bednar‘s Character of Christ film. We would show Character of Christ to the missionaries in their first week at the MTC. The film, Character of Christ talks about how the character of Christ is to turn out in service and love to others instead of turning inward to satisfy your own needs and desires. Christ never turned in, he always turned out even when he was being tempted. It was interesting as Elder Bednar points out that the temptations of Christ were all for him to turn in and deny who he was by turning in instead of turning out.

I mentioned to her that when I first started driving when the pandemic happened and we had to lay everybody off I was focusing inward and really struggling and the spirit told me to remember the character of Christ and that I should start turning out instead of turning in. I told her that’s why I’m here today.

I told her that Heavenly Father has blessed me with opportunities to turn out and that he puts people in my car and I am given the opportunity to share the gospel, sometimes members and sometimes non-members. As I said those words the spirit told me she was one of these people. It was a very clear prompting and her face was kind of lit up in the backseat.

I talked to her about how a lot of people struggle because they don’t use the atonement of Christ as they should. I told her that God gives people free will and some people use it poorly. I told her that when those people use their free will poorly we have to make a choice to turn to Jesus and turn out or turn to Satan and turn in and become angry and disaffected.

I told her that in choosing to be angry or hurt instead of accessing the atonement people don’t even realize that they’re rejecting the atonement of Jesus Christ but they are certainly missing the blessing it would be to their life.

What I heard in the backseat was crying. She was crying quite loudly and sobbing profoundly. I said this has been your issue hasn’t it? She said yes! how did you know? I talked to her about how the Holy Ghost will whisper to our hearts when God wants us to say or do something. I told her that I had received a prompting that she was in trouble. I received the prompting that she was slipping and that I had this message for her, that her father in heaven wanted her back.

I told her I received a prompting that she had been offended and that she felt like everybody was judging her and it made her angry and that’s why she had left the church.

She told me that she had left the church when she was 17 years old and hadn’t been back in nine years.

We talked about how even though Satan whispers in her ears that everybody is judging her and everybody is looking at her the truth is that nobody has time to focus on her. For the most part people live in their own little world and they don’t turn out like they should.

I also told her that the good news that they’re not judging her as much as she thought they were could also be accompanied by other good news. If we believe in not judging people for their sins, we should understand that as much as we don’t want them to judge us for our sins we shouldn’t be judging them for their sin either. Judging others is their sin. The same intolerance they exhibit that makes us angry is the sin we need to be tolerant of.

She said that’s beautiful I’ve never understood that. The spirit whispered to me that she had never understood how the spirit works and it never really felt like she had a confirmation of the gospel. As luck would have it the spirit of God like a fire was burning in the backseat. The power we felt was incredible. I asked her to tell me what she felt and she said she felt peace and power and warmth and love. I told her that this was the spirit of God and that when she felt it, she knew that the things she was hearing are true. I told her that the things I was saying were true and so that spirit was testifying of that.

She said, wow that’s cool. I said no one has ever identified the spirit to you like that, have they? She said no. I told her that when people have this and feel the spirit, it becomes like a homing beacon. They can follow it and it brings them to God. It brings them home to their father. I said, as much as you love your family, you need to understand that this is all about family. Your father in heaven is your father and for thousands of years that relationship was the most central relationship in your existence and it felt like this for you.

I told her, no one else in the world could tell her what the spirit felt like and that it was between her and her father. She said yes this is awesome.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yeah she still had the quad she received when she was baptized in 2004. I said you need to read that book. She said this is where we start running into problems. I said, you don’t know that that book is true? She said no and I’ve never really wanted to read it. I bore my testimony that I knew that right there in that moment she could feel by the spirit that the book of Mormon is the word of God and that would it would bring her closer to God If she would read it, it would bring the spirit that she was feeling there tonight into her life and she needed that. I said that this is what she had been missing. She started sobbing again and said OK I’ll read the Book of Mormon. I told her that God will bless her efforts because he knows that it’s hard for her.

I identified the spirit again and she recognized it. I pointed out that because of these feelings she knew the Book of Mormon and the church are true. She said yes and that this confirmation was something she had sought and not understood. Because of this she didn’t think that she had received her answer. She was excited to feel it and know.

I told her that she needed to think about what I said about turning out like Jesus Christ and let Christ carry her burdens so that she could feel the spirit to come back to the church. I told her that one of the first impressions I had when she got in the car was that she had not prayed in a long time. I asked her how long it had been since she prayed and she said that it had been since she was 17 when she left the church.

She said she had been feeling lately that she had a desire to pray but she didn’t how to start. I told her that sitting there in the car and feeling this she she knows 100% that her father in heaven wants to hear from her because she is his daughter and fathers love their daughters. I told her that right then she was thinking about other challenges and more things that her father and her brother Jesus Christ could help her with because they wanted to walk with her.

I asked her if she had anything she’d like to say and she said I told you four things about me and you told me everything about what’s in my heart and I know it’s God and I know he sent you here today. I’ve been getting signals lately and ignoring them but tonight God sent you. She said you are not easy to ignore.

I asked her if she was going to do the things we talked about, pray and read the scriptures. She said yes I will. I need the spirit in my life. I need this feeling that I’m feeling in this car tonight all of the time. She said laughing, can’t you tell we arrived 15 minutes ago and I’ve been sitting here for all that time and I don’t want to leave?

She thanked me and said I sure hope I get to ride with you again. So do I.

One night I did a pick up in West Valley City I found the girl on the side of the road, not where the app said she would be. She got in and she said hello. We headed 15 minutes southwest so it was a pretty long drive. After I picked her up, felt the greatest wave of anger and disgust and despair hit me. She was clearly hurt damaged and in pain emotionally and spiritually.

I asked her how she was doing and she said I’m doing great but I knew that wasn’t the truth. Even though I couldn’t see her the feeling was so intense. So I said, it didn’t go very well tonight did it? She said what? I said it didn’t go like you wanted it to go tonight. You’re not happy with the way everything turned out. She said, I told you I was doing good.

This is a dangerous area because we’re not supposed to pry into personal lives but I decided to pray an then I decided Ed that I was supposed to do it anyway. I said, I just get the vibe that you’re upset, that you’re sad, that you feel betrayed and used.

She started openly crying and she said how do you know that? I said, it’s a feeling that I just can’t ignore. Through her tears she agreed and she said, “it hasn’t been a good night.”

I asked her if she wanted to talk about anything because, I said, you don’t know me, I don’t know you and you’ll never see me again. Sometimes that provides a really good foundation for a conversation. She was silent but the spirit told me to press on a little bit more.

I said you really liked that boy didn’t you?She was quiet for a minute then she said yes. I said then he used you and kicked you out to the curb. She said yes. I said, now you feel like you’re dirty, filthy and cheap. You feel horrible. She said yes.

How can you possibly know all of this? I told her that in my church when we get baptized we get the gift of the Holy Ghost and that gift of the Holy Ghost allows God to whisper to us the things we need to hear. I also told her that God puts people in my car when they’re struggling or when they need to get a message and today I felt like that was her.

She said I’m struggling for sure. I asked her if she was a religious person and she said she was a Catholic. I said I feel like there are some people who are praying for you and a lot of people who are on your side. I want to tell you about someone who’s always on your side and he loves you very much, that is your father in heaven. I told her that she had a relationship with her father in heaven for thousands and thousands of years and that this relationship had a feeling to it and that she loved it. To her it was a beautiful relationship.

I told her it’s the most amazing father- daughter relationship. I told her I felt like there were people looking out for her and people that loved her that are with God. She told me that her mother and father had passed away several years back and that she she knew they were watching out for her.

I said so you’re a Catholic? She said yes I said did you know what the difference is between Catholics and members of our church? She said no what is it? I said pretty much we believe everything you guys believe but a whole bunch more and a whole bunch of really neat things that make the difference.

I said, you feel like you are dirty and unclean. Through her tears that had not stopped now for over five minutes she said yes. I asked how would you like to be clean before God? how would you like to be clean spiritually and emotionally? She said I’d love that more than anything.

I taught her doctrine that many times we take for granted, we are a child of a loving father in heaven and this touched her to her soul.

I bore my testimony of the book of Mormon and the spirit came in the car. The spirit had been there as a shared the words the Lord put into my heart but when I testified it intensified and radiated.

I talked about the atonement and how in the atonement Jesus had suffered all the pain and embarrassment and shame and injustice and hurt that we feel in our lives. I told her that turning to him was the best way to deal with her situation. Turning to him and trying to follow his commandments.

I said, “If I could tell you how that happens would you be interested?” She said yes. I told her that Heavenly Father revealed through son, Jesus Christ how we were supposed to be baptized and gave us authority to do it. I told her that the baptism she had as a child was a beautiful statement of her and her parents love for her father in heaven and Jesus Christ. Now Heavenly Father was offering her more and a higher level and a new baptism and with that baptism would come complete remission of her sins and she would be pure and clean and able to stand before God.

She said that would be amazing. I told her about the Book of Mormon and how in the Book of Mormon Jesus came to America and went to the people who had already been baptized and asked them to take on this new baptism and this new covenant. They did because they wanted the same thing she wanted right then. I told her about the Book of Mormon and the prophets who wrote it and how God loves everyone in the world not just the people of Jerusalem and how the Book of Mormon is it testament that God loves everybody in the world not just the people in Jerusalem.

I testified of Joseph Smith and how he translated the words those prophets wrote so that we have it today. By this time the spirit in the car was undeniable and very strong and I asked her about the things that had been said in the car. She said “there’s no way on earth anybody could’ve known everything you do.”

I told her that God knew and the Spirit of God was there in the car to testify that the things I said were true and to let her know that they were of God. She said I believe! I know that’s true.

I told her that God put her in my car so that she could see this new path, so she could see this new way and come back to God. I told her that she could have that baptism and be cleansed and then take it to other people.

I told her that she could also do that work for her parents and help assure their salvation and their place in the kingdom of God. This touched her very much

I told her that if she should look at the night and see how she felt before and then how she felt not. How do you feel right now? She said I feel lifted, I feel better and I feel like I’m starting to heal. I said that’s what the spirit of God does and when you are baptized you can feel that way from your head to your toes.

She said that’s beautiful

I told her there’s no coincidence that she was placed in my car by God that night, so that she could hear this message. I told her that there’s no such thing as coincidence I said that she was here and I was sent to her at that time because she needed to be rescued and needed to hear this message. She agreed she loved the feeling in the car and she didn’t want to get out of the car.

We pulled up to her house. She loved with her uncle. Even though we had arrived she kept asking questions and talking about how she loved what she felt right then and how blown away she was by the whole event. I asked her if she had any friends who were members of the church and she said no. She said, she went to the Catholic high school and all of her associates were Catholic. I asked her if she knew where Mormon church was and she said right around the corner. I said every Sunday morning at 9 o’clock the members are there. She said, yes they are I said you should go there and tell them about what we’ve experienced.

They’ll have some missionaries help you get to where you want to be. She said, right now where I live with my uncle that might be really difficult. Is it OK if I do it down the road about six months? I felt impressed to tell her that if she’ll pray she’ll remember the feeling she had that night so that when she’s ready to make that move this same feeling will be waiting there for you.

It made me think that none of us have perfect circumstances and God sometimes plants seeds. He uses us to do that work. But boy does he provide the power to make it grow. That testimony that night was filled with the spirit and she knew it she couldn’t deny it. Someday that seed will grow. She thanked me.

One thing I noticed is that during the ride at some point she stopped crying and she started smiling. That’s what God can do for us

I was up in Park City earlier than usual. I picked a family up from the airport that I was referred to by a friend so I could make a little extra money. When I dropped them off I decided to do some rides to see how it was in Park City that night. I got a ride right off the bat and had a couple that canceled. I was driving quite a bit between rides. I didn’t like that, I wanted a quick ride.

By the time I dropped off my last ride I was clear out at Kimball Junction which is almost to the freeway and close to 10 minutes from downtown. I drove around for a minute and got nothing. I wondered if it had died. I called Heather on the phone while I drove into town, the whole 10 minutes away, still nothing. Heather seemed astounded that so much time had past and I hadn’t had a ride. I was considering going back to Salt Lake but felt like I should just do another loop.

While I was driving on that loop I got a ride to pick up a young lady. She was from Costa Rica but she lives here permanently now. She seemed bubbly and bright when she got in the car and we started driving. I talked to her a bit about Costa Rica and how much I like it. I told her about how funny it is that in Costa Rica you’re always an hour from whatever it is you want to do but it’s the most beautiful hour you’ll ever spend.

I started speaking Spanish to her and she wanted to know all about how I learned to speak Spanish. I told her I learned it in a year and a half on my mission. She had been here in the United States for a year and a half and it made absolutely zero sense to her that you could learn a language that well in that short of time.

Her own experience with the English language had been difficult and so she was intrigued. She said, really? How did you learn to speak Spanish SO WELL!. I told her that when I was on a mission I was constantly in the presence of God. I had the spirit of God with me and when we are in the presence of the spirit of God our capacity to learn things and do things increases far beyond our own abilities.

I told her there’s no way on earth I could learn that language without the spirit of God and without his help because it quickened my intellect and made me better than I am. She said I am very interested in this.

She asked me how I like driving people and I said that it is fun to meet people but sometimes it’s very scary. I told her that the Spirit of God that helped me learn Spanish, also protected me. I told her about the time that I felt prompted to pray for protection and call upon God to protect me when a guy was in my car. I could tell he was evil and he went to try to grab me and my phone and was shocked into convulsions as he crossed from the backseat to the front seat to try to attack me as if he had been hit with a taser.

I told her that God shocked him to protect me because God knows who we are and he loves us. If we will call upon him he will save us. I then told her that this is how it was with Jesus Christ. I told her that because it was Easter it is a good time to talk about this. I said that in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus had suffered for our sins and our weaknesses, frustrations, our pains, illnesses, inequities that happen to us or injustices there are thrust upon us. I told her that because he suffered those things he can lift us above all of those things. The spirit was really strong in the car and you could tell that she was eating it up.

The spirit told me to tell her this thing and so I did. I said “you’re very happy on the outside because you’ve decided to put that out there but on the inside something very sad is happening to you right now and it’s very hard for you to deal with”. She started to cry and said yes. I said that the person who is doing this to you is using his agency poorly and was not from God, but that God can save you from that if you look to him. Through the atonement of Christ he can save you if you’ll turn to him.

She said, I want to do that! How do I do that? I said let me tell you a little bit about the church. I told her that God loves everyone in the world not just the people in Jerusalem and that Jesus came to America. I told her in the New Testament Jesus had said other sheep I have which are not of this fold and that God sent his son to those other sheep. Those sheep were the people in America and other places. I said God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem.

I told her that the people in America, her ancestors, also had prophets and they wrote down their revelations. I told her that those revelations were translated by the power of God through a prophet of God named Joseph Smith. I could feel the spirit coming out of me as I said those words and I could tell it was impacting her.

I handed her a Book of Mormon and I said these are those prophecies and it also contains the story of the visit of Jesus Christ to America where your ancestors touched the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet. They asked him to save them just like you need to be saved now.

She said, should I take a picture of this book? I said NO! This book has been prepared for you. It was one of the books that Sister Secrist and her husband Bert had made and prepared. She was blown away. I said do you have any questions right now? She said just one, no one knows about what I am going through, so how did you know?

I told her that I didn’t know but that God knew and that through his spirit he had whispered this thing to my heart to say even though it didn’t make sense to say it. He gave me those words so that she would know it came from him and that the rest of the things I was saying were true. She said I know they’re true! I told her that when Christ came to America and the people asked him to save them he gave them HIS baptism and the authority to preform it then he gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost to be their constant companion. I told her that the whisperings of the Holy Ghost is how I knew to say these things.

I took this opportunity to point out to her that it wasn’t the words that I said that made her know that it was true but the feeling she was having in her heart. I asked her to identify that feeling then I taught her that those feelings come from God and her relationship with him developed over thousands of years living as his loved daughter.

I told her the one thing she should know is that she’s a daughter of God and he loves her very much I said I am a dad and a grandpa. When I look at those little children’s faces the love I feel is incredible. She said I know that feeling because I have nieces and nephews too. I told her that the love her father in heaven feels for her as his little girl is like that only many many many times greater. He knows you and he loves you and he wants to help you.

I told her that the reason she was in my car today was to be lifted, helped and blessed by her father in heaven and with God on her side she had everything she needed.

I asked her if she could feel the presence of God and she said yes and she’s missed it so much in her life. She said “I love the feeling right here and I hate that I have to go. We had arrived and had been sitting there for a little bit. Sitting behind me she reached out and touched my arm and she said “I want you to know how much this has meant to me”.

I asked her if she knew of anyone who was a member of the church and she said no, but I really want to. I asked her if she would go to a Mormon church and ask for the bishop. I told her that there she would find someone that could help her and she said she would do that. She promised me that she would go to church this Sunday. She said she wants to know people who carry that spirit.

We are not able to ask for phone numbers or even exact addresses and were she is a young single woman I really felt that I shouldn’t ask for those details But I felt an assurance of the spirit that she would do exactly what she said that she would do.

She got out the car and she started walking away. On her way she kept looking back and waving at me.

The fact that it was impressed upon me so strongly for this young woman to look to the atonement made me think about Easter. I think it’s a great Easter message for all of us rather than trying to do it ourselves or suffer in silence we should turn to Jesus Christ so that he can take away the sting and lift us, not turn against God or to give into anger and say we feel like we were dealt with unjustly.

One night I was out driving and I was starting a three ride streak at 1 AM. That means that if you do three rides back to back to back then they give you an additional $18. I got my first ride done then my second ride took me clear to North Salt Lake. I started getting texts for that ride while I still had my other passenger

The text said my husband is out in the cold, hurry up and get there. You never know what the reception is going to be like when you get a text like that. I went straight there after the drop off. It was in North Salt Lake in the industrial area by the hard to get to side of the railroad tracks and it was a little freaky.

I waited for a bit and finally the guy comes out and he gets in the car. We start chatting about cops and being pulled over for things like not signaling enough. That’s happened to me twice this year on the freeway all by myself at 3 am. We laughed about it and talked about how hard it would be to be a cop. I told him my dad was a cop and a little bit about that and he was really interested.

Then he said that he had been in prison and it was really hard but that he was on probation and he was trying to straighten up his life. He told me that he took this horrible job at horrible hours so that he could take care of his two little girls.

He lit up when he talked about those little girls and the spirit told me that it was time to talk about the truth of the gospel. I talked to him about his responsibility as a father, to protect them physically and spiritually. I told him he needed to teach them to pray and that he needed to pray for them.

He told me, I won’t lie, I haven’t said a prayer in a long time and I’m not sure I know how. I told him that it was really important that they learn how. I asked him if he’d ever seen Mormon missionaries and he said yeah, there were some that lived in his neighborhood. I told him to go to them and they would teach him how to pray.

He told me this would be so awesome, he said, I’ve had a lot of interest lately in learning about the spirit and praying. I told him that his father in heaven was his real father every bit as much as he was a father of those two girls. He hadn’t understood about the love that heavenly father has for him. I asked him how he would feel if his little girls didn’t talk to him, he said horrible. I told him that’s how your Father in Heaven feels when you don’t talk to him. He wants you to talk to him. He was touched by the spirit as he started to consider what I was saying.

There was an amazing spirit in the car and I could tell he was feeling it. I thought we were done with the trip. We had arrived at the stop but I was wrong. They had programed a second stop and he was just going in to get pizza and then we were going to continue the journey.

While he was in getting the pizza, I had been thinking and praying about what to say next. I asked him to tell me about his time in prison and he said that it was really hard. He was in solitary for a while and once they put a pedophile in the cell with him. He said he had to get that changed but he said that this man was bad and evil, you could tell. He had to get away from him.

The spirit started whispering to me about what to do and what to say. First, I asked him what he was feeling and he said emotional energy and love. I said that’s the Spirit of God. I asked him if he had ever felt that before he said yes. The spirit whispered to me what to say and I said there was somebody in prison who made a big difference to you, who touched you and he did it by the power of God.

He said, how could you possibly know that? Yes! There was a man, he was from your church and he would come around and he would teach me through the door and when he had the same spirit with him that I feel in your car tonight. The same feelings and the same power. I feel that power tonight only a lot more and I love it. One time when he was teaching us he told me that God would never leave me alone and just as he said that I looked out the window on a cloudy day and a ray of sunshine came through the window rested on my shoulder. I knew God loved me. That’s what got me through.

He was very emotional at this point, he said I want to cry. I told him that the missionaries would teach him a lot more than how to pray. I told him that the missionaries would help him understand his feelings and help him come to Christ. I told him that Jesus Christ had suffered for him, for everything he’d ever done wrong. He also suffered the pain of injustice , infirmity and poor choices so that he could take all of that upon himself. This way christ could lift him above it. He said that would be amazing

I told him that when Jesus Christ came to America the first thing he taught was that they needed to be baptized even if they’ve been baptized before. I told him that those missionaries could help him prepare to be baptized and what that would mean is that he would be following Christ and in return Christ would wash away his sins.

He was quiet, then he said I’ve got a lot of sin. Do you think Christ would really wash away my sins? I said absolutely and I testified to him that the atonement was real and that Jesus Christ could cleanse him of those sin and lift him above the other issues that so tormented him.

He said, I would love that. I asked him about his probation. I asked him how much longer he has on probation and he said six months. I told him that in the next six months if we worked, I was sure that by the time he was off probation the missionaries could have him ready to be baptized. His face lit up and he said this is exactly what I want for me and for my little girls.

I asked him if he had a Book of Mormon. He laughed and said, I’m not even a Mormon why would I have one of those. I told him that he would find power in it. I told him Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and that it was the ancient writings of prophets from America. I told him that there had been prophets outside of Jerusalem around the world who received revelation. I told him in America they wrote it down and that’s the Book of Mormon. I told him that the book is true and it brings us to God. He said I want that book. I told him I had happened to have one with me and gave him one of Sister Secrists marked copies. He grabbed it and said that he would read it for sure.

As he got out of the car I said I had the urge to tell him one last thing before he went. I said you know, God really wants you to be baptized, to be clean and bless your family. You know that don’t you? He said never in my life have I thought that God would want me for anything but tonight after what I felt, I know that he does. He said, tonight has changed my life and what I have felt tonight has put me on a path that I need to follow. He grabbed the pizza and said that he would talk to the missionaries the next day. He shut the door and went into to the hotel where his wife was waiting. I dropped him off, I was tingly.

One day I was picking up a person at the point of the mountain Maverick gas station. I pulled up in front of the doors of the Maverick station and a young man came out and got in my car. He was a Polynesian and was a happy guy.

I said hi and I asked him where the end of the ride was taking him. We don’t see the whole ride we only see turn by turn instructions of where we need to go and I like to have a vision of where I’m going. I like more than just instructions.

While I was getting the information the lady parked between me and the Maverick decided to back up into my door. This was not part of the plan.

Immediately after I had been hit I asked him to cancel the ride so that he could request another car. I had to do the information exchange so that she could pay for the damage to my car. That took me about 20 minutes and I figured that he would want to be getting on the road.

He told me to take my time because she was so totally responsible and that he wanted to be a witness.. I got out and took all of the information from the lady and gave her mine and then got ready to go. He was still sitting in the same place with a smile on his face.

I thanked him for waiting and asked him how his day had been. He said it had been OK but he was coming home from his first job for just a minute and then he was going to go to his second job. I asked him what his second job was and he said he was a bouncer in a bar downtown.

I told him I could see that, given his stature, and he laughed. I asked him if he was Tongan,Samoan or Hawaiian. He said that he was Tongan and asked me why I wanted to know. I said that way I’ll know whether to say Malo e lelei or Aloha or Talofa. He laughed and said do you know lots of Polynesian people?

I told him that I had served in the MTC with the international missionaries and learned how to say hello in most of their languages. I told him that we had lots of missionaries from Polynesia at the MTC and they were all my friends. I asked him if he had any family or friends that went on missions. He was quiet for a minute and then he said, “I served a mission.”

This was clearly an uncomfortable moment on his part. He then went on to tell me that since he had come home from his mission he had fallen away from activity due to some challenges that he faced but had not lost his knowledge that the church was true. He said one thing led to another and had taken him away from activity and that he felt embarrassed by that.

I could see in his face that he was a good man and felt that he just needed a little bit of a peptalk. He needed to know where to turn. I started teaching him some thing that I taught missionaries many many times about Nephi and his bow. The thing about Nephi’s bow breaking was that it was a blessing to everyone because they had to look to and have faith in God to provide for them. Without the bow breaking they would have believed in their strength and their abilities and their skills. Once the bow broke they had to rely totally on God and his capacity to provide and prosper them.

This was a great lesson for missionaries who in the MTC found themselves in situations where they knew they could not do it. They knew they couldn’t speak the language, or they couldn’t teach, or they knew everybody else knew more than they did but in the end it didn’t matter. What they learned that mattered is that God could provide and they would be successful because of his power and his ability not theirs.

The thing for this young man is that he had forgotten this lesson. He got home and started trying to confront things, challenges and situations by himself with his power and his knowledge and his ability instead of relying on the power and arm of God like he had learned on his mission.

When we started talking about this he lit up and got excited. He was feeling the spirit and you could tell. It was like a long lost friend had jumped in the car with him and they were reminiscing. You could see the light start coming back on in the presence of the spirit.

He said I forgot what this feels like. He said this is amazing! I said, you need to get back to church! How can you have the spirit and make correct choices if you’re not taking the sacrament. He talked about how he had started to become less active one week and one decision at a time.

I said that the bright side is that with Covid no one was attending church at that time so this was the perfect time to come back because he was just as active as anyone else. We laughed.

I said he needed to start relying on the power of God to contend with the hard time and avoid bad decisions. I asked him why he stayed in my car when he should’ve called another ride and I had told him to call another car.

He said he felt that this car is where he was supposed to be for some reason and now he knew that the spirit was going to work through me to help him remember.

I asked him if the spirit helped him understand what it was that he was supposed to do next. He said yes and he was going to start making changes.

I told him that the lesson of Nephi and the bow was one that I learned when I was studying the scriptures after first being called to the MTC. The spirit told me to share it with as many missionaries as I could. He told me that’s exactly what he needed to hear and that I should share it with return missionaries as well. He then thanked me for saying God’s words to him that he needed to hear.

By this time we got to his home and he got out. While he was getting out he dropped some thing, looked back and mouth the words I don’t need that, he turned around and walked off to his home.

I drove off a little way down the road and parked to disinfect the backseat as I do between every passenger in the era of Covid. I looked to see what it was that he had dropped and left because he didn’t need it. It was the bottle of Starbucks iced coffee that he had purchased in the store that day.

I love that he was already making a conscious decision to turn to God. “Let God prevail.”

The other night it was late. It was about 2:30 in the morning. It had been quiet for about a half an hour and I was fighting the urge to go home because I felt there might be one more ride and there was. In the western part of West Valley City I got a call to pick someone up.

When she got in the car I didn’t recognize her. She had her face covered and I could tell she was disturbed and upset. I’ve learned to tread carefully around disturbed and upset women! I said “hello, how has your night been”? knowing full well that something was wrong. She said that her best friend had just killed himself and that it was almost more than she could bear. She said that each of the last four years a friend of hers had killed themselves and that she didn’t know if she could take it anymore.

She then looked straight at me shooting darts with her eyes and said, “and you guys think he’s going to hell ““you don’t even know what a great guy he was and you want to send him to hell”

I was a little shocked by this assertion and yet understood what she was saying but I wanted her to spell it out. I asked her, when you say, “you guys” who are you talking about? She said you guys, you Mormons.

By this time she was sobbing uncontrollably with anger and grief. Immediately Elder Holland‘s talk on mental illness popped into my head. I begin to discuss it with her.

I said that her assertion of our belief was not an accurate description of the doctrine of the church. I did concede however that many members of the church carried this belief that has been passed down from other religions over the centuries, especially the Catholics but that our religion and doctrine doesn’t teach that. We believe that God loves his children and is looking for ways to help them not punish them.

I mentioned from Elder Holland‘s talk how if you have a broken arm people can see the broken arm and know that something is wrong, but with mental illness it’s quite different. With mental illness they are just as injured as someone with a physical ailment but we can’t see it and many times we erroneously make judgments and treat people poorly because of our ignorance. I talked about how he said that Christ suffered for that wound and would heal that wound in this life or the next if we look to him.

I felt inspired to tell her that her friend was with his family members and no longer encumbered by the mental illness that had driven him to this point.

This is about the time when I realized that she hadn’t told me he was mentally ill, but that if the spirit was dictating it to me, I was going to go with it. I told her that if she could see him now he would be happy and would not want her suffering because he was no longer suffering.

I couldn’t really see into the backseat but what I could see was her with her head bowed and her face covered. She talked about how this boy‘s mother had passed last year and that he was inconsolable about that. He talked about wanting to be with his mother. She also mentioned that he had some serious mental illness issues so what I said made sense to her. I told her it wasn’t me that came up with that, it was the Holy Ghost and that the words came from an apostle of the Lord. I only repeated his words. I said, “that’s what the Mormons believe”.

Then she started talking about how much fun they had together and what a good kid he was. She talked about how happy he must be to be with his mother but that it still wasn’t an easy thing for her. I told her to trust in God and understand the Jesus, through his atonement, could ease her pain. She shouldn’t have to suffer through this alone and could find comfort in him. The car was full of the spirit by this point and I asked her if she could feel that. She said yes

She said that’s why I was so happy when I saw it was you that was picking me up. I knew I would feel good and comfortable in your car. I knew that I could cry and get answers in your car. I was shocked why would she say that, I thought.

She said, “when you have driven me before I have always felt something special in your car.” “This is where I needed to be tonight”. I turned around and looked at her closely and then recognized her. She works at a Starbucks on State Street and I’ve given her a ride home a couple of times. She’s always been very happy and always very bright.

We’ve always had friendly banter about things but I’d never felt an impression to say anything specific to her about doctrine until that night.

By this time she wasn’t crying any more and had pulled herself together. She said she was grateful for how peaceful and loving God made it feel in my car. She said she enjoyed riding in my backseat and the way it made her feel.

She got out of the car waved, smiled and said, “I’ll see you soon!” I have no doubt I will.

Many of you know that I worked for farmers when I was growing up. I know a little something about planting seeds and I know that this one was planted in fertile ground.

Here is a link to elder hollands amazing talk. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2013-10-0110-like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng

I was driving in Salt Lake City on a Wednesday night. Wednesday nights are really poor usually and I was afraid I wasn’t going to make too much money so I was trying to work at the airport and pick up bonuses. It seemed to me to be very difficult to get to the airport.

Every time I tried to get to the airport I would be taken somewhere else. One time I even got to the airport in the waiting area for an airport ride. The first thing that flashed up was a trip to Park City from the airport and I accepted it quickly. Then the app malfunctioned and said “oops sorry something went wrong” and it sent me on another ride outside of the airport over to East Salt Lake. I had to pick somebody up and take them down to Sugar House. That should never happen. It just seemed like I wasn’t going to make it to the airport

Once I dropped the couple off in Sugarhouse I looked at the map and it showed there was still a $15 bonus at the airport. I decided this time I’m going this time I’m getting there and I drove there with my app off so that I could make it all the way to the airport. I waited until I had been in the airport waiting area for 15 seconds before I turned my app on. That way I couldn’t suggest that I wasn’t in the area. I wanted to qualify for the $15 bonus and drive someone from the airport.

I immediately received a ride request and accepted it. I was going to go from the airport down to Cottonwood Heights. That would be a good ride and I would make good money. I was excited and I went to pick up this young lady.

At the airport she had gone over to the wrong area and it takes quite some time to come back from that area. Normally drivers cancel and let them just get another driver when they get to the right place but I decided to wait for her and I told her to take her time, no sweat, I got you etc. etc.

When she got into the car she thanked me for waiting for her. I could feel that she was a happy person so I was glad I had waited for a happy person. I I told her that I could feel she was a happy person and that this made me happy. I told her my theory about the heart monitor, that we make our own decision on how we are going to react and that’s the only power we have and we can decide to be happy. With regards to the heart monitor some people live their life on the bottom and every now and then blip up when they let something make them happy. Then they settle back down to their miserable selves and then wait for something else to make them happy.

I told her that the challenge was to decide to be happy, flip that monitor upside down and live your baseline as happy and every now and then something will make you sad but you bounce right back up to your normal state of happiness. We discussed how people who chase victimhood or grudges make the decision to not be happy and allow their circumstances to determine their level of contentment.

The only power we have is our power to decide how we react and we need to decide if we want to be happy. She talked about how she was having her ACL repaired the next day and I marveled at how happy she seemed to be.

She was coming back from a business meeting and she said that it went really well. I asked what she did and she said she worked for a nonprofit and she had presented in a conference. The spirit started telling me things to say to her so I asked her if she minded if I told her some impressions I had. She said no, go ahead.

I told her the words that were in my heart which were that she was pursuing a life that she wanted to pursue but that everyone else in her life was telling her she was wasting her life. Her family members and people around her wanted her to work in more lucrative pursuits. I told her that it caused some friction and that this was a great sorrow to her. I told her that these people didn’t understand how fulfilled she feels in this line of work and how happy it makes her.

I told her that almost everyone in her family was saying these things and that no one wanted her to move to Utah. I told her there was a reason though that she was brought here. I told her that was not the worst part, the worst part was that it was being whispered in her ear too that she needed to quit. She kept hearing that she needed to move onto another career and that she needed to leave this Utah. I told her that the person whispering that in her ear did not have her best interest at heart. I told her that that was Satan and she shouldn’t listen to him. I said that she should listen to the feelings that came from her heart and believe that.

As I was saying these things she was astonished. The shock from the backseat was palpable and the spirit accompanied each truth I spoke. There was silence! Reverent silence!

I asked her what she thought about what I was saying. She said It was right on and she said, “you have some kind of a crazy gift”. I told her, yes I do! It’s a gift of the Holy Ghost. I got that gift right after I was baptized and through that gift, God whispers to my heart the things to say. That’s how I knew what God wanted me to tell you and that it would touch you.

She said, I figured that’s what you would say! She said it in a loving happy way and not in a critical or mocking way at all. I could tell that this in and of itself was a sign to her. I believe it was an answer to a prayer in some fashion.

I said, the gift of the Holy Ghost gives us the gift of prophecy and revelation and through that God can tell us what to say and when to say it. I told her that tonight was a special time for her.

I told her that God puts us in situations and in places so that we can be his hands to touch the people that God would have us touch or be touched at the right time. I told her that I believe she knew that. She said, this is what I’m feeling right now that’s why I moved here. I’ve kind of known that. Right now I feel like this is why I’m here, God wants me here.

I told her that God loved her and that he was a loving father and everything he did was about loving his children, teaching his children and bringing his children home. I asked her what religion she belongs to and she said that she was a Catholic which she said means she really didn’t have a religion at all.

I told her we believe most of the stuff the Catholics believe but a whole bunch more. She said well I know you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints even though you haven’t told me this, I can tell. She said I know you have a lot of beliefs that are different.

I told her that the church has a lot of teachings that bring great happiness to our lives and that it seems like she might do really well amongst the members of the church. She said it seems to me that’s why I’ve been led here, that’s why I’m here.

I told her that we believe that Jesus is the God of all the world not just Jerusalem and he went to America after his resurrection and then to other places. He did this because God loves everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. I told her that this is because he is a perfect God and God loves us unconditionally. I told her that God has all power to save his children if they will look for him.

I told her that when Jesus came to America he taught the people, he loved the people and then he left and ministered just like that in the other places where he went. He taught them the same things because God is the same and Jesus is his son and he sends him.

I told her about the Book of Mormon and how it contained this record. I testified to her that this book is true.

I asked her what she thought about this doctrine, that God is a God of everyone not just the God of Jerusalem and how he loved everyone and how he made a plan for everyone not just the people in Jerusalem. She said she never heard that before but she loved it and she knew that this is exactly the way it was supposed to be. She said that she knew that what I was saying was true. She said that it made sense with some of the other things that she’s heard about our beliefs, that God is the God of everyone. The spirit told me that she was thinking about baptisms for the dead, so I said, you’re talking about baptisms for the dead! She said yes!

I said that doctrine proves that God loves everyone that ever lived no matter where they lived and that everyone will have a chance to not only be taught the gospel, like it says in the book of Peter but to receive their baptism so that they can be exalted in heaven. She said that’s beautiful.

She said no other church had ever told her anything like that. I told her that this is proof that this is the church of God because no other church can explain how God will bring an opportunity for salvation to all of his children no matter where or when they lived in the history of mankind. She said, wow that’s amazing.

I told her that baptism is very important, so much so that when Jesus came to America he instructed everyone to be baptized even if they’ve been baptized before. I told her it was a baptism to a higher level, to a higher law. She said that makes sense.

I returned to speaking about God as our father and the feeling we have in his presence. I asked her what she felt in the car and she said it was really hard to explain but it was amazing. I said that this was the spirit of God and when she felt that she knew that what she was hearing was true. I asked her, think about it, do you doubt anything that I’ve told you tonight is true? She said no! I know it’s true. I told her the church was true and the Joseph Smith was a prophet. She said I feel that spirit and that these things are true.

I asked her if she had a Book of Mormon and she said yes, I do! It also has a wonderful little note written on the inside cover. I was promoted that this book was from a young man to whom she was special and I said, you will feel the spirit when you read the book. That’s why this person gave you that book because they know that you are a child of God.

The power of the spirit in the car was palpable and energizing for me. I knew she was feeling it. I knew it was speaking to her and I knew that she knew that these things were true.

I told her that I believe that God has a plan for all of us and he puts us in places to bless people and I told her that I believe that he uses her to lift people with her happiness.

I told her that I believe she was special and that God brought her to Utah by his hand and by that same hand, put her in my car to receive this message. She said that she had no doubt that this was true.

I asked her who gave her the Book of Mormon and she said that it was a young man. I already knew that. I asked her if she was still in contact with him and she smiled and said yes. I told her that she should call that young man and tell him what she felt and heard in the car tonight. She smiled and she said I can’t wait to do that. I asked her what the spirit had told her tonight and she told me that she believed that the things I had said were true and that the church was true.

I told her that we have the priesthood which is the power of God and with that we can give blessings for healing and comfort. I told her that the following day she was going in to have an ACL surgery and she should call this friend and have him give her a priesthood blessing.

She said, do you think he would do that? I said, if he gave you that Book of Mormon he absolutely would! She said, I’m going to text him right now and ask for that. I’m just a little nervous. I could use the power of God on my side.

I told her that if she followed through and read the Book of Mormon she would find in our church the home that her soul has been looking for. That’s why she came to Utah.

I picked up a cold dude standing alone In a parking lot in Park City with his ski equipment. It turns out he had been working in Park City this season. He was from Chile and we started talking in Spanish. He asked how I learned Spanish and I told him that I went on a Mormon mission and that’s how I learned Spanish. He said that he needs to go on a Mormon mission so he can learn English. We laughed and I said, well we better teach you what the church believes so you’ll be ready.

He said, what do you believe?

I told him we believe that God loves everyone in the world not just the people in Jerusalem. I told him we believe in God, that God is a just God, an all powerful God and a loving father who loves all of his children no matter where they were or when they were born.

I told him that when Jesus was in Jerusalem he said that he had other sheep and that he had received a commandment from his father to go to those other sheep. I told him that Isaiah had prophesied specifically of where the children of Israel have been scattered and it was all over the world. Then Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would go to them. I told him that Jesus came to America and when he was in America he said and still other sheep I have which are not of this land or the land of Jerusalem or the lands roundabout and that he had received a commandment from his father to go to them. I told him Jesus loves everyone in the world and God sent him to his children.

I asked him if he had ever read the Bible and he said yes. I asked him who wrote the Bible and he said the prophets. I said that’s right, the prophets wrote the words of God that were given to them from God. These prophecies were collected and preserved and today we have them. That is the Bible

I told him it was the same thing in America. God had prophets in America and he told them what people should do and he gave them teachings through revelations to bless and help the people. I told him that these prophets wrote those revelations down including the visit of Jesus Christ to America and because of this we have the Book of Mormon.

I told him that when Jesus Christ came to America he taught the people the gospel. He taught them similar things to what he thought them in Jerusalem. I told him that when he was here the first thing he did was teach them the proper way to be baptized and we gave them authority to baptize and be baptized. He gave the commandment that everyone should receive this baptism.

I asked him if he thought he was included or excluded in “everyone”. He laughed and said I guess I’m one of them. I asked him that if he knew this were true, what would he need to do and he said, I guess I would need to be baptized.

Speaking about the book and Mormon and thevelations in it, I told him that those writings were written in the language of those people, on plates of gold and then preserved until God gave them to a prophet to translate. I told him that the name of the prophet was Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was a young man who was seeking the truth and couldn’t find the Gods true church. They would all say some good things but they didn’t seem to have the complete truth. I told him that Joseph Smith went to the sacred grove, he knelt and he prayed and God the father and Jesus Christ called him to be a prophet.

I told him that later he was given the these plates with the engravings from the ancient American prophets and by the power of god he translated it. Today we call it the Book of Mormon. He said, I have heard of that book.

There’s something special about bearing your testimony about the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Every time you do it the spirit will bear witness if you bear pure testimony. The spirit was there and we could both feel it. It was really intense and I asked him what he felt right then. He said that he felt tremendous peace in his heart and had a lot of excitement and 1 million questions in his head. I told him that what he was feeling right now was the spirit of God and when he feels that spirit he knows that the things he is hearing are true. I told him that not only had I testified, but God had sent his spirit to testify and this is how he could know these things were true. He can follow this spirit and it will guide him in his life

I gave him a Book of Mormon. It was one of Sister Secrest Book of Mormons. He was touched by the gift and excited to start reading the pages associated with the tabs. Those tabs indicate answers to the questions of the soul as printed in preach my gospel. He looked at some of the questions answered in the tabs and said,”these are things I need to know. I can’t wait to start”.

I felt by the spirit to tell him that he was lost in his life and confused about which way to go. He said that was true and asked me if this book would help. I told him absolutely!

I told him that if he would read the Book of Mormon he would get the answers to his life. I told him that by following it’s teachings and what he felt while reading it he would find himself making better decisions and he would begin to feel a direction to his life.

He asked me what I learned about myself reading the Book of Mormon and I told him that I always learn that I can’t do it myself. I need to rely on my father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ. I have learned that with his power I can do anything and go through anything and come out on top with peace in my soul. He said, wow! That is what I need! I said it will be interesting to see what you learn.

He’s was going back to Chile the next week and I asked him if he knew any members of our church there. He said no but he knows where there’s a church house. He promised me he would go to that church house.

He asked me if he needed to read the whole book before he went to church, I said you should probably read it while you’re going to church and have the missionaries read it with you.

It was a cold night in Park City but it was warm in the car and it had nothing to do with the heater. I always like how they never want to leave the car even though they’ve arrived at their destination. He lingered in the spirit for a while and then said he was excited to start reading and left my car.

One night I was out about 1 AM and I got a ride to go 40 minutes north of Murray. That’s Clearfield folks! That’s a long ways away for a 1 AM trip but I decided to take it. It was in a pretty sketchy area and the app said it was some unknown dude. I always wonder why someone would leave their house in the middle of one of the coldest days of the year, let alone that it was happening at 1 AM. I pulled up and a girl came out of the house and got in the car. It is never a good thing in my opinion when a guy orders a car to bring him a girl in the middle of the night and she is all dolled up.

The two words to describe this girl would be happy and bubbly. She was a really nice girl and we started up a very pleasant conversation about how smiles are better than masks and how we can’t wait for the Covid mess to be gone. I mentioned to her that being happy and bubbly like she was is a gift.

I use the word gift specifically because I was prompted to and I also felt that we were going to be having a discussion about the gospel at that time and the spirit told me that this was an important passenger.

I asked her what other things she did, what other gifts she had. She said that she was good at art. She loves to paint people and she had received a scholarship to an art school in Chicago but for whatever reason she didn’t go.

She said she’d love to paint people and we talked about how for her, hands were more difficult than eyes or other facial features. We talked about other different things like that. I asked her if she’d ever heard of my friend Liz Lemon Swindle. I’m sure you all know that Liz is an amazing artist and paints the Savior among other church topics.

She said, “I’ve heard of her”, then on her phone she looked up some of her paintings and said, wow! Those are amazing. We started talking about how this girl painted from pictures and I said as far as I know that’s what Liz does too.

She really liked that and said that her grandma had painted paintings that were in a church building in Provo, she thought it was a temple but she wasn’t sure.

By this point we had a little bit of a rapport and I felt like I needed to start asking the questions that had been given to me in my heart by the spirit. I asked her where she was from and she said Lehi. I asked her how long ago she moved to Salt Lake and she said she was in the process of moving right now.

I asked her how long has it been since she graduated from high school. She said it have been a few years. I could tell by the promptings I had received she had fallen in with some unworthy people who had pulled her in bad directions. I felt right then that the decisions that sprung from this were the reason why she had given up the scholarship. She said, yes I kind of decided to take my life in a bit of a different direction.

I didn’t feel like I could say things directly in this conversation but I felt to ask her, “knowing that I am a member of the church and have no clue who you are, do you have any questions about God you would like to ask me?” She said “yes! This is easy! Why me?”

I had the impression that she had been through some injustices and some abuse. She felt like she had been abandoned and misunderstood. She had not felt love and felt a little prickly about a church leader. I asked her if this was true and she said that it was all true. The emotion from this had made it hard for her to stay with her family in Lehi even though she loves them very much. The spirit was strong in the car as we discussed this.

I taught her about the atonement and how it helps us look to God and makes us whole without taking agency the away that we need to grow. I told her, agency is a wonderful thing. It’s the reason why she can choose to move to Salt Lake City. She has agency! I told her that sometimes when we exercise our agency, we are unjust or not fair or hurt other people. I told her that when we do this we need to repent but also we need to understand when someone does this to us we need to turn to the atonement to take away the sting. Sometimes it almost seems like we need to cover ourselves in the atonement to soothe our pain.

I talked about how we think of atonement as confession in the bishop’s office and this is important but that this is only a small part of the power that the atonement provides and the miracle it performs in our lives. The atonement not only cleanses our soul but it eases suffering inflicted upon us by others and that we inflict upon ourselves.

I talked about how Satan uses the agency God gives us, he inspires people to damage us and then we get offended sometimes we look to satan and his path instead of turning to God. That is Satan‘s plan, to damage our spirits and souls while God stands there all the time ready with relief and love.

I told her that I had the impression she hadn’t prayed in a long time and that she pushed thoughts of God out of her head. She said yes and she had been wondering if God even cared. I told her that God stood ready to sooth her pain, relieve her suffering and lift her.

I told her about her relationship with God and that she had this relationship for thousands and thousands of years. I told her that she loved the feeling she felt in his presence.

The spirit was strong in the car and I asked her how she was feeling. She said that it felt amazing. I said she was feeling the spirit of God and that this is what she felt like in his presence and it was the thing she missed in her life.

I told her that she had felt a distinct emptiness lately and she said that’s right. I said, think about it, do you feel that emptiness right now? She looked like a light bulb came on and she said “No! The emptiness is gone”. I told her that it was gone because it was being filled right now by the spirit. I told her that this is why we need to make good choices so that we can have this feeling with us all of the time. I told her God loved her and he felt her pain. I said that I could feel that he loved her very much.

I asked her if she had been surprised by the things I said and she said “absolutely, how did you know those things”? I told her about how in the Book of Mormon the spirit had whispered the thoughts of the king to Ammon. Due to the fact that Ammon said these words, he knew Ammon had the power of God. Through my verbalizing of these promptings, she knew that the words I was saying were true and that they came from God just like King Lamoni did.

I talked to her about how in the atonement Jesus suffered all of the pain, angst, embarrassment, injustice, sickness and all the things, and then he suffered them all at one time. That’s why he bled from every poor and that’s why God sent an angel to give him strength so that he could finish that task. With that atonement Jesus Christ can lift us above the trials and suffering if we will just we look to him.

I asked her if she remembered the story of Nephii’s bow. She said that she did and I made the point that everyone was angry when the bow broke because they looked to their own strength and their own abilities instead of the strength and abilities of God. What Nephi did was look to the strength and abilities of God by going to his father and trusting that the Lord will deliver. I told her that we need to look to God and his ability and his strength instead of trying to do it on our own.

I told her that they were asked to do things that they could not possibly accomplish on their own. Their life was designed and their mission required that they look to God instead of doing it on their own. I told her that her life was no different and that she could not do it alone and be happy. I told her she needed to learn to look to God instead of her own abilities or finding others to condone the sin.

I talked to her about the people at church who she believed were judging her and she said that’s right. I said that their harsh judgements were their sin and we should hope that we are as tolerant of them and their sin as we want them to be of ours.

I told her that she controls how she responds to this. I said that it’s impossible to be harshly judging someone who comes and stands right next to you, smiles and is happy. She laughed and said yes. I said that you loving them in their sin and forgiving them of their sins is just as important as them being tolerant of your sins.

She told me that I was hitting all of the points and that she felt in her heart that the Lord had sent me that night to bring her this message. She said that for whatever reason, the spirit was opening her heart to the words I said. I agreed with her and told her that I felt the same way.

I asked her what she had learned that night and she said that she needed to reevaluate and correct her direction. She said that she wanted to have this feeling with her all the time. She told me that she would make the changes in her life. She couldn’t believe this ride and the beautiful spirit that was in the car.

I asked her for a firm commitment going forward. I asked “what will you do?” She said “start by reading the Book of Mormon and saying my prayers”. She also committed to go to sacrament meeting and start on the road back. God is great and he sure loves this little girl, his little girl, a full grown woman that still needs her father in heaven. Now she knows it

When we got there, her boyfriend or whoever that guy was came out and she said she didn’t want to leave the feeling in the car. I could tell that she didn’t want to go with him anymore. I think I ruined somebody’s plans but I think we carried out God‘s plan.