This picture is from five years ago. When our family was in California for a visit we stayed with my friend and former neighbor Jake. I have remembered his birthday for my entire life because it is exactly one month before mine.
Although Jake is not Mormon, we visited the grounds of the Oakland Temple together and ate dinner at Round Table Pizza a block away. At the time he had accepted an invitation to have missionaries in his home and was involved in discussions with two young elders. I remember I was proud to be in his house after a discussion and hear him talk about the spirit that the two young men brought with them every time they visited.
Jake said he felt the same spirit when we visited the temple and when he attended sacrament meeting before I left on my mission.
After a short time he stopped meeting with the missionaries. I think he knows I would have loved it if he would have gained a conviction of Jesus Christ through the Book of Mormon, but it didn't happen that way for him.
His meetings with the missionaries did change some things in his life, however. The discussions with the missionaries served as a springboard to a period of self introspection for him. He stopped reading the Book of Mormon but he began a serious study of the Bible for the first time in his life.
As a result of his studies, he became a man who knows what it is like to exercise faith on a daily basis. I know because we talked about it -- many, many times.
We live far apart now but I hope both of us will continue to grow stronger in our faith and trust of the Savior. And that as we age we will do so with a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Hey Jake -- Happy Birthday
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2 comments:
I think I should just e-mail y'all, but for now I'll leave a comment. Today, a mother to a person I work with (mentally handicapped individuals), proceeded to tell me that "Mormons don't believe that Christ is the Messiah". I did in every way possible attempt to explain to her that this was not the truth, what she thought we believed was not true and simply put I had dreaded this conversation because I KNEW it would come up someday (the father is a preacher to a very well known religion in these regions). This conversation has bugged me. Jamie wants me to print out a conference talk by J.R. Holland. I don't feel that's the best way to approach this situation. SO, the reason I vent all this on your lovely blog is that you hit the spot with the statement "peace that passes all understanding". I did a search on the church web sight and found a talk, one that I truely feels approaches this topic with no contention( Howard W. Hunter, “The Gifts of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 2002, 16.) I'm still not sure there will ever be an need to address this topic again. She made it laughable to her, the mom = as if I'm so young and have the wool pulled over my eyes that I can't see that our church doesn't believe in Christ! What I feel is truely laughable is that so many other religions spend so much time attempting to bring down ours. The Lord offers us peace, not the world.
Thank You. I needed that today and that day.
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