hands of godOver the past 3 years I’ve been working together with the full-time missionaries in my area, there have been many miracles. Most of them are small ones that don’t seem like the big ones everyone talks about such as someone getting healed from sickness or addiction, etc.  However, in all of the miracles I’ve seen, the result is a changed heart (including mine) and a person or people accepting Jesus into their heart and acting on it.

Such was the case with a lady, I’ll name Jess, I just met a few months ago.  I had known her daughter, I’ll name Kris, who was baptized into our congregation almost 3 years earlier, over the course of a few years and had been her home teacher.  For those who aren’t familiar with what a home teacher is, the lds.org website has a great in depth definition.

Over the course of a few years, I had built trust with her daughter, Kris, by being her home teacher.  Her daughter rarely came out to church, but I would visit her with my home teaching companion and we would share gospel messages with her as well as administer healing blessings to her children, visit her in the hospital when she was sick, etc.  When she was living at home, her mother (Jess) and father wouldn’t allow us to come in to visit so we usually communicated outside of her parents’ home, while she was there.  Over time, she developed trust and respect for me and would call on me (usually via text) in times of trouble.

One such occasion was when Kris’s grandmother died while the family was on a cruise.  It was a terrible tragedy and it happened only a couple days after being out to sea.  The family felt hurt, anger at the medical staff for messing certain things up,  By the time they came home, everyone, including Jess was terribly angry, bitter, hurt, and all of those feelings that are natural when tragedies happen.

Kris had moved back in with Jess and her father, so I connected with the sister missionaries in our area to visit them and attempt to share a gospel message of healing.

When we arrived, Kris had left, but Jess answered the door.  She appeared very skeptical when she saw who it was and only opened the door a crack.  The sisters were new in the area and I was the only one who had any form of relationship with Jess via being Kris’s home teacher, so I thought I would be very transparent about my feelings and said a quick prayer, hoping for a miracle.

I told Jess that I was from the church and that I had visited her daughter with the elders of our church many times over the years and was aware of the hurt the family was going through at this time.  I told her that I personally couldn’t understand how painful things must be for her and the hurt she must be feeling.

At this point, the door opened just a crack.

I went on, feeling the Holy Spirit come over me, putting words into my mouth that told her about how God can’t take away the bad situation that happened, but that he could help lessen the pain through his atonement.  I testified about how bad things happen to everyone, but that Jesus died for us so suffering doesn’t have to be forever and that it can be a temporary thing.

At this point, she had fully opened up the door and stepped outside onto the porch.

I then asked her if she would join us in prayer.

She accepted and I prayed.

Once again, the Holy Spirit came over me and I shared a prayer with words that she needed at that exact moment.

We closed the prayer and set up a time for the sisters to visit her again.  From that point on, she had a complete change of heart.  She warmly let us visit her and the family.  The sister missionaries visited her regularly.  Her countenance changed and positive started flowing into her life.  Although the loss of her mother was still painful for her, she allowed the love of the Lord to come into her heart as she accepted Jesus and the gospel.

Yesterday, she was baptized.

The miracle of a changed heart is such a blessing to be able to witness.  God is awesome and I feel it such an honor that He allowed me to be there to have the Holy Spirit witness to her.  I think it is awesome that she chose to allow the Spirit into her heart and accept those words as well.  I hope and pray that I can be led to those who need the gospel and that all of us can make decisions to keep the love of God in our lives and hearts.

In closing, I’ll share a scripture from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 9:21-13, that sums up this experience

21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

 23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.