week 38

Happy Halloween! this is at one of our favorite member's house last night. they had all their halloween costumes out when we went to do a book of mormon read with their son... and we couldn't resist getting a picture.

I think I might have said something about Book of Mormon reads with the youth before... but here's a little story for you. We've been given permission to start teaching the Book of Mormon how to really READ the Book of Mormon in 10 minutes. We sit down with them, set a timer for 10 minutes, address a concern or question they currently have and start reading for the Book of Mormon. Every single time, they get answers and they are always amazed. We then committ them to reading the Book of Mormon like this every day for the rest of the week, and then they get hooked to the fact that the Book of Mormon is almost like their own personal magic 8 ball and their testimonies start. We love it.

 

So last night we went to do just that with a young man in the ward. He's 17 and planning to go on a mission next year because he's always wanted to serve. As we thought about his lesson throughout the day, my companion and I decided we wanted to take a different spin on it. 

 

We started talking with him and he immediately pulled out his phone and started texting, so I pulled the phone.

 

Suddenly he realized we meant business and I think we kind of freaked him out.

 

We talked about the next year and how close his mission really is and we asked him about the Book of Mormon and he said, "Yeah, I have no idea if it's true. I just tell people it's a good book, but do I have to read it before I go on a mission?" 

 

We dug deeper. And then he said, "How do you even gain a testimony? Like how can I know if the Book of Mormon is really true?" At this point, we couldn't resist smiles. 

 

We opened to the introduction of the Book of Mormon and read one sentence with him, " We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true". We called a timeout.

 

He looked up at us and said, "WOAH! I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS EVEN IN HERE!! WHAT THE HECK?! Man, where have I been?" 

 

So then we asked, "What do you need to do?"

 

His response, "Read and ask God if it's true".

 

Folks, that's what he will be doing from now until he leaves on his mission. We got him to agree to reading for just five minutes every single day and asking God every time he reads, if it's true. We set an alarm on his phone to remind him so he won't forget. As we kept talking he said, "You won't be here until I leave, you'll have no idea if I actually do it!" I told him that he better believe he will be receiving a call from me on his 18th birthday... which is next August, asking him to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon to me. He laughed and said, "Deal".

 

Children really are the largest group of investigators we have and they are off to change others lives, are they prepared?

 

Love you all!

Sister Mal