Last night we were knocking doors in a trailer park and this one
ladies son opened the door. There inside the trailer the lady was sitting on the
floor. At first she didnt want to talk to us. Then when she finally decided to
talk all she said was "I am Catholic and my husband is Catholic". We responded
"Great well our message is for everyone whether they are Catholic, Mormon, Jew".
After a little bit she let us in and we sat down and began to get to know her.
Turns out she had met with missionaries about 2 years prior and went to church
several times. She had liked what she learned and felt good about it. Her big
question was "with so many churches how do I know which is the correct one?" We
talked about prayer and asked her about any experiences she had had previously
with prayer. She told us of how she went to a Pentecostal church and some other
Christian churches and how the people sang, clapped and how the Pastor would hit
them on the head and people would faint. She said she didnt feel good there but
that she felt scared. She then told us of how the missionaries who had visited
her 2 years ago had asked her to pray to know if the LDS church was the true
church. She said she did and felt this feeling of peace and an assurance that it
was and it brought her to tears, she had never felt that way before. Elder
Murillo and I then testified of how what she felt was the Spirit and it was
answering her prayer telling her that this is the true church. We invited her to
be baptized and she accepted. After the lesson she was so happy and almost
wouldnt let us leave. She even invited us over for dinner on tues. The Lord does
prepare people and sometimes we do not recognize it at first.
On monday I had an experience that I will not soon be able to forget.
The Crawfords (a service missionary couple in Olympic Park 3rd ward) has a small
party for Elder Bowers and I to say goodbye. They invited the other service
missionaries and all the people we taught that got baptized in that ward. We ate
a lot of food and then afterwards they had Elder Bowers and myself bear our
testimonies. I looked at these people I had taught and as I bore my testimony I
began to tear up, I didnt full on cry, not yet at least. After that each person
we taught got up and bore their testimony. Lizzeth Moran was the first to get up
and speak. As she told us of how the gospel had changed her life and of all the
things she now knows and of how much the Elder Bowers and I mean to her family I
could not hold back the tears. I was overcome by the spirit. It was telling me
that I had made a difference. Lizzeth is expecting her 3rd child this month and
she is already telling me that I am his Tio (uncle). Her husband Eric followed
and he told us of an experience he had a few weeks ago where there son Anothony
(7yrs old) ran up to him and said "dad I want to get baptized when I turn 8 and
I want Elder Jolly to baptize me." Eric talked about how amazing he felt as a
father to see his child have the desire to follow Jesus Christ. Then he looked
at me with tears in his eyes and said "Elder Jolly will you do me the honor of
baptize my son when he turns 8 in Feb.?" My jaw was shaking and I could only nod
my head and squeeze out a "of course". It hit me right there and then how much
this gospel means to these people. How they have come to find a treasure in
their lives. I was blessed enough to take part in that process in helping them
change their lives. This is Christ's church, I know it! I pray I may live by
that knowledge.
Love,
Elder Jolly
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