Faith Promoting Stories From The Missionaries, The Atonement Is All Encompassing

Our Mission President sends out a weekly email to the missionaries. These emails are used to teach us, invite us to do things, or materials that will help us to be better missionaries. He will also often include several emails he receives from missionaries serving out in the field. I was touched by one he shared this past week and Included it below:

Ask Everyone - We had an amazing teaching appointment this week. A few days prior to this event, we stopped by a less active family. Their teaching record said "We are never going back to church again!" 

We knocked on the door and the mother answered. She was extremely nice to us, and invited us to have dinner with the family that Saturday. We were blown away when she said, "What made you want to serve missions? I want my daughter to serve." We bore testimony of the Atonement, we told her it was a big factor in us coming into the mission field. After this we asked her if she knew anyone we could go visit. She pointed to the apartment building across the street and said "His wife is a member, but not on the records of our ward."

We went and knocked and a man opened the door. We asked him if his wife was there, and he said no. And then we asked him if he was a member. He said "No, I have tried many different churches, and they all judge me. I never feel right for God." We helped him understand the Savior, and when he was rejected by his own. After much conversation he accepted a return appointment. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (I learned that I have a powerful gift) but I will explain that later in my letter. I saw this man, full of regret. He had been raised in "the hood" in KCK. Prior to that, he lived in Ukraine and his mom was sold to an American soldier. The look in his eyes was dark, complex, and hollow. He said, "I don't get it, based on the life I've been born into, it's almost like I'm destined for hell, I've had to do many things that I wish I didn't. I had to defend myself many times. I know I'm going to hell." 

I didn't see it, I refused to believe him. I testified with all my heart that he was a child of God. That he has every bit of potential to reach heaven as I did. I watched this tough guy's eyes tear up, his countenance change, and a new light enter into the room. I asked him what he was feeling right now and he said, "Elders, it feels like you are taking a sponge to a dirty soul, I feel a powerful feeling deep inside that I've never felt before." I invited him to be baptized and he said most definitely (he's on for 12/12/15).

At the end of the lesson we invited him to pray. The most sincere prayer I have ever heard anyone say, when he thanked God for the message we gave to him. We told the Less Active Family about the experience, and testified of the healing and enabling power of the Atonement, and that the sacrament is the most important thing you could partake of. We told them that the Ward needed them, and that they could be a great force for good, after much discussion. They came to church that following Sunday, and they had a marvelous time.