We
have visited with this couple and a friend a number of times now. I will refer
to the couple as the Springs because the gospel will give them a renewed birth
and freshness that comes with spring and I will refer to their friend as John
because he reminds me of a famous person named John. Also we have both John the Apostle and John the Baptist who were faithful followers of Christ and involved
in the restoration of the Gospel.
We
met with the Springs and John again last week and shared a little video on
Wilford Woodruff’s search for the restored gospel. This Church history video
is called, “A Search for the Truth” and is one of my favorites.
I
like the video because it teaches several important aspects of Christ’s gospel.
The need for Apostles and Prophets, the importance of Priesthood Authority, the
need for baptism and that the true church must teach correct doctrine. We
invited them all to be baptized. They all agreed that they would want to be baptized
if they gained a conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints is Christ’s true Church that has been restored to the earth in our day.
They asked some very good questions. John asked what would be involved in
joining the Church and how long it would take. I told him that we would need to
share some additional information and it may require some lifestyle changes,
but it would require at least two weeks because a person needs to attend Church
at least two times before they can be baptized. He asked what the lifestyle
changes were and I shared that they would need to live the Word of Wisdom among
other things. He asked what that was and we said it was basically to abstain
from alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee. John said that he would need to give up
coffee but said that he likes water and that he thought he could do it. He is a
very sincere and honest person and we really like him. In an earlier meeting
with them, he shared with us that he had smoked for most of his life and that
when he decided to quit smoking, he prayed to Heavenly Father to help him quit
and he was able to quit cold turkey. I believe he is a man of great faith and
has started to listen to an audio version of the Book of Mormon. We are hopeful
that he will continue to do that and then, go to the Lord in sincere prayer and
gain a witness that the Lord has restored his Church on the earth in our day.
Mrs.
Spring is also a very special person who Sister Anderson thinks very highly of.
She is a good mom and tries to provide good training and a good environment for
her children. She does have a rare medical condition that causes her body to
swell up at various times and particularly when she is under stress. When that
happens she often has to drive to the emergency room for treatment. She has a
tobacco addiction which will require some faith on her part to overcome. We
know that after we exercise our faith, then the blessings come. We pray that
she will exercise her faith to make those changes in her life that will enable
her to enjoy all the blessings of the restored gospel. Heavenly Father stands ready to
bless our lives as we gain faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and act on
that faith. True faith promotes action.
Mr.
Spring is a very likable person, and everyone seems to like him. John once said
of his friend that he didn’t think anyone could not like him. He quit smoking
several months ago, but I believe is still using one of those vapor cigarettes
or e-cigarettes. He has a good job now and I believe that has been a blessing
in his life. I believe he has enjoyed the things we have shared with him. His
parents are members of the Church and so ours is the church he has the most
exposure to. It will be a lifestyle
change for him just to attend church on Sundays with his family. The Springs
have two children, a girl age 8 and a boy age 5. Their son graduated from
pre-school and they invited us to that event. I was really surprised all these
preschool kids were in cap and gown for their graduation. I had not experienced
that before, for pre-kindergarten-aged children. I was thinking maybe that is a sign
of the times, that being the level of education that the public schools will produce
in the last days. Their 5-year-old boy was cute and it was fun attending.
