The Rest
of the Story
by Paul Christian
Last
month in "I'm Going on a Mission", we read about a reluctant missionary,
Paul Christian, as he was transformed during his experience at the
MTC. Like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, Paul went on his mission
to New York and saw many sights and people along the way that opened
the eyes of his understanding and unloosed his burden as he helped
to relieve that of others. His only desire was to serve the Lord
faithfully. This is the story he told shortly before returning home
after two years of diligent service.
It's Christmas
Eve. I've just had the best day of my life; the best Christmas I've
ever had.--- I've been dreaming of a white Christmas.
About four months ago, we had a missionary activity in the morning.
While we were playing handball, a family passed by and I smiled
and then they smiled, then I waved and they waved and then they
looked back at us. I left a serve, picked up my notebook and ran
over to them. All sweaty with my shirt untucked I said, "How are
you doing? Where are you from?"
"Columbia," they said.
"Cool! I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints. We have a plan of happiness. Would you like us to come by
and tell you about it?"
They accepted! -----We didn't get in contact with them forever.
We tried for three weeks on the phone with no answer. Finally we
got a hold of them and went over. While there, we asked them to
come to church and they said, "Well, maybe?"
"I'll be waiting at the door for you," I said.
We had been working with some other people too, but when we got
to church that Sunday there was no one, no contacts showed, for
the first time. I was feeling rather frustrated because I knew I
had been doing my part and started asking the Lord, "Why," and "What
more do you want from me?" My faith was lacking. I had called all
our people the night before and even in the morning before church
we had gone to pick some of them up but were stood up, over and
over again.
We decided to
take the train to church to see if anyone had shown up. To our disappointment,
no one had come.
"Elder," I said
to my companion, "let's hit the streets." We were not about to have
a no investigator Sunday. We worked in the streets for about half
and hour. I was on one side of the street and my companion on the
other. He wanted to get back to church so he was telling me, "Come
on, let's go." I signaled the opposite,-- not without an investigator.
I said a silent
prayer, pleading with the Lord for help, I knew I had done my part.
-----I then received a prompting to return quickly to the church.
----Following that prompting, I signaled to my comp that we needed
to go, ---He was needless to say, happy. We walked into the church
and one of the AP's who was there, said, "Elder Christian, a miracle
just happened, ---a family came in looking for you, a huge family
from Colombia and another investigator as well!!!"
We entered
the chapel [as the meeting was ending] and greeted them all. The
family said, ----"Well, we had to come, because we knew you'd be
waiting for us."
I excused myself
and found a room where I could be alone to ask for forgiveness and
give thanks. ---I cried, and felt so bad for doubting the Lord.
----When you do your part, the Lord will always do his,-----ALWAYS.
We had eight
investigators at church----EIGHT, more than at any other time on
my mission. Miracles happen.
We gave the family a discussion and were teaching them about prayer
when the baby made a noise and the family, all of them real jokesters,
started laughing. The spirit wasn't strong after that. This didn't
discourage us. My comp and I went to see them a lot. During the
second discussion, on baptism, they said, "But we've already been
baptized." We told them that
they must be baptized as Jesus Christ was baptized.
During the third
discussion we talked about the apostasy and restoration. "We don't
see any difference in this church and our church," they said. I
replied, "Your church teaches a lot of good, however--- the church
is Christ's and to be His, it must have everything that was in His
church anciently, otherwise it is not His church." I really never
remember exactly what I say, I just speak the words that I am given.
I bore my testimony after every principle that we taught that night,
but the father, Juan, didn't accept it and his wife, Janet, agreed
with him, however, the children were all very willing. We gave the
younger children, Shelby and Kevin a Book of Mormon for kids and
they read it, cover to cover before we came again and loved it!
For two months
we worked with them before we stopped seeing them, but I still kept
praying for them.
One day, after prayer, I was prompted to visit them. When we went
over, we said, "Christmas is coming and we want to give you a white
Christmas." The children said, "With snow? That's cold." I always
did little things to make them smile. I also presented things over
and over again so that in their minds they could get used to them.
"No, no," I said, "not with snow. There is a very special ordinance
we do in the church, and you wear white suits, to perform it. The
ordinance makes you clean. You must become clean to start on the
path of happiness. I want to give you a gift, the best gift that
I could give you, the gift of Baptism."
The next Sunday
they came to church and we gave them the fourth discussion, the
plan of salvation. They liked the idea of being together forever
as a family. We took the father and mother aside, and gave them
the fifth and sixth discussions, without the children. When we talked
about tithing, Juan, burst into tears. He was a carpenter and had
lost his job. ---He didn't even have money to buy Christmas presents,
how could he pay tithing? ---Things had not gone well for him since
we had stopped visiting with them. [I had been praying and asking
God to bless him with something that would humble him so that he
would be receptive.] I told him, "The Lord will bless you as you
do your part." Juan, said, "Okay, Christmas Eve we will be baptized.
They arrived at the church on that sacred Eve. Shelby was so sick;
she had been throwing up, but she was not sick at all after her
baptism. Kevin had been scared before, but after, wanted to be baptized
again! Lorena the seventeen year old daughter had always been a
good girl, no drinking and smoking or other things, and was so happy.
The baby, Ashley had not interrupted. Father and mother had finally
felt the influence of the spirit and had trusted in it; their was
peace in their minds and joy in their hearts as one by one their
family members came forth from the waters of baptism.
----Today Juan, Janet, Lorena, Shelby, Kevin-----all took the step
to be baptized,--while baby Ashley looked on and angels attended.
This is the happiest day of my life. I can't explain it. I'll do
anything for them. I love them; I love this work; I love it! It
is the best, there's nothing better. I promise you there's nothing
better! I always dreamed of a white Christmas and I'm so thankful
to the Lord that he blessed this family with the whitest Christmas
they could have had. God is great. The power of prayer is real.
The church is true. I know it. I feel it.
Editors'
Note: Submit your missionary stories to our Meridian Missionary
Journal editor, Peggy Proctor at missionaryjournal@meridianmagazine.com
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
