"24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory."
People ARE being prepared to hear the gospel! The real question is, are we prepared to recognize them?
Two years ago I had the incredible opportunity of attending a summer music camp at Julliard School of Music in New York City. I knew going into this program that I would be the only member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was really excited for this opportunity to share the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone.
Before I left I made sure I had a copy of the Book of Mormon that I could give away. I knew that the gospel blessed my life so much and I really wanted to share it. I prayed that I would be able to have the courage to share the gospel.
When I got to my dorm room I met my roommate, Liz. She's the second one on the left. I just KNEW I was going to tell her about the gospel. All week long I looked for opportunities to talk to her, but it just wasn't happening. She knew I was a member of the church, but she didn't seem to care. I invited her to come to church on sunday but she had plans and I began to get a little discouraged. I really wanted to share the gospel. Why wasn't this working?
On the last day I was in New York I began to accept the fact that I probably wasn't going to share the gospel with anyone. I was a little sad because I really wanted a missionary experience. Growing up in Utah makes it easy to miss those experiences. As I was packing my bags, Shirin, the girl on the right, came up to me and asked me why I was different. She noticed I was happy all the time and that there was a peace about me. I told her it was because of my belief in the gospel and we ended up talking for two hours about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. The spirit was so strong testifying of truth as I invited her to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.
I haven't heard from her since that day and probably will never know what the end of that story is, but I will forever be grateful for the missionary opportunity the Lord blessed me with. Because I was prepared, He gave me the opportunity to share the gospel, but it wasn't with the person I thought it would be. People are being prepared. Hearts are being softened. Heavenly Father's children are looking for peace and forgiveness that comes through the Atonement of Christ,
AND
Heavenly Father knows who those people are.
I would invite everyone to pray for missionary experiences. Not just a chance to tell people that you don't drink coffee because you're a mormon. Pray for experiences to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and to invite them to act! Pray to have Heavenly Father put people that have been prepared in your path and seek to recognize them. If we are preparing and seeking missionary opportunities, the Lord will put people in our path who are searching and ready to accept the fulness of His gospel.
