WEEK 9 - To Whom Shall We Go?
How can you build someone’s faith? If you don’t know, you can’t believe. If you don’t believe, you can’t have faith. Faith is the first step, and yet also the most difficult. It isn’t enough to tell someone about something, it isn’t enough to talk about that thing–you must show someone how to identify faith. They must see the streams of light shining through the clouds on a cloudy day, and you can only invite them to look up. It is then within the bounds of their agency to gaze upon the streams of everlasting light and it is up to them to understand the sun is the producer of those rays. You can plea with someone to believe and you can explain to someone what it is like to believe, but they must lift their heads to the heavens to gain a testimony of the light emanating into the atmosphere, because of faith.
I had the opportunity to be companions with one of the AP’s in the mission, Elder Allan on my first day here. We handed out Book of Mormons at the park, right off the tarmac. Elder Allan shared a testimony at this past zone conference concerning faith. He started with a story about him and his companion knocking in an area. They were talking to literally every person they saw and were getting rejected and rejected. They reached this last door at the end of the night. It was overgrown, but lit, and sketchy. Elder Allan had the impression that he needed to knock it, so he did. The door swung open and this old woman stood there, with a smile on her face, and said, “You guys are the Mormons, huh?” Elder Allan said, “Well, yes that’s what they call us–” and within moments, she began attacking them with insults and accusatory questions. She claimed they were in a cult, she claimed they were ruining–and wasting–their lives, and that they were a part of an incorrect religion. At that moment, Elder Allan thought of John 6. In this chapter, Jesus works miracles by feeding hundreds with bread. He then institutes the Sacrament, saying”I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) This caused the multitude, even some of his disciples to walk away from Jesus, confused and even offended. “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” (John 6:66) And Jesus said unto the twelve, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67) “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) If this is a cult, if we we are ruining our lives, if this is the incorrect religion–where will I go? Elder Allan replied, “Where will I go? If this is wrong, I’ll throw it all away. I’ll throw it all away if you tell me where I should go. Where will I go?” The woman said nothing. “Where will I go?” The door swung shut. If not here, then where? What else has the words of eternal life aside from the Church of Jesus Christ. There is no other place to go. No other place with the truest promise of eternal life. Will ye also go away? Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
That takes faith. That takes faith over fear.
On a separate occasion this week, we met with one of our friends Samantha as well as her family and in companion study we decided that we would let the Spirit guide us in the lesson we were going to give her that day. I was a little worried because my companion, Elder Elmer, and I hadn’t prepared at all, but I had faith it would all work out. Samantha ended up having read in Moroni 10–even though I can’t even remember telling her to read on Tuesday–about the gifts of the Holy Ghost. So then, we had the opportunity to read and talk about each one of them and the Spirit was so strong in the apartment. Like, the most I have ever felt in a real life lesson. I ended up bearing my testimony about the Spirit giving us the ability to work miracles and behold angels and the ministering of spirits. I could tell she was feeling the Spirit because I was, and suddenly I was able to speak perfect Spanish. Like perfect conjugations and grammar. It was such a spiritual moment; everyone in the room was on the verge of tears. We then called this Hermana in the ward and she ended up giving a 9 minute testimony about baptism, the importance of sacrament, as well as her own conversion story. It was so cool. And then I testified to Samantha that if she comes to church her life will be changed. That this is the only true church on Earth and that the Devil will do everything he can to make it so she’s not able to come to church tomorrow, but if she does her life and her family’s lives will be blessed. I opened my mouth and God spoke through the Spirit to Samantha and her family. For that entire lesson, I wasn’t sick even though I had been for the entire day, my head didn’t hurt even though it had the moment I walked up her stairs, and my Spanish was the best it had ever been.
That takes faith. There is no one I would rather go to than to Thee. There is no other way. There is no other plan. This is the way. That takes faith.
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