It was hot in Utah. The three of us in our group started on this journey very excitedly, looking forward to entering people’s houses and talking to them about Jesus, the real Jesus. But so far, every answer had been the same: a quick excuse or an unanswered knock. My teammates and I noticed our energy starting to wane, growing tired of the merciless sun and the even more merciless empty houses. Eventually, I started questioning what God was doing in this situation. If He wanted us to talk to people, why wasn’t He providing opportunities?
Probably about an hour in, we drudged up the stairs of another house and knocked once again. A young woman opened the door, a smile on her face as she greeted us. All three of us perked up instantly and launched into our introductions. We asked her if she had a moment to talk with us. There was a brief pause, and from behind the young woman’s shoulder, I saw a face peer out of the door frame, her blonde curls swaying as she observed us.
“I’m sorry, I’m actually leaving for class in a few minutes.” My eyes went back to the first woman, and I saw the look of sympathy on her face. We thanked her and wished her a good day. At this point, we had run out of houses in our designated section, but we ran into our leader a little ways down the street. We told her about our shortcomings on the houses, and she assigned us a new section.
She encouraged us to keep persevering, “because you never know how God is working.”
As we turned around, we caught a glimpse of someone racing down the street towards us. We glanced at each other in astonishment as we recognized the face of the young woman’s roommate who had seen us just a moment ago. Catching her breath, she spoke first. “I’m so sorry, but I heard what you said, and I really wanted to talk to you. I have class in twenty minutes, but could you guys talk until then?”
My teammates and I were amazed at the fact that this young woman had wanted to talk to us so much that she had quite literally run down the street to catch up to us. We enthusiastically agreed and made our way back to her house. The conversation was short, but sweet. This girl, who introduced herself to us as Grace, had such a visible passion for Jesus, and all she wanted in life was to know Him better. She argued that the Book of Mormon was simply another way that Jesus revealed Himself, and therefore something that she holds very dearly. We told her the Gospel story, specifically focusing on the difference between it and the way LDS insists on good works to enter the “celestial kingdom.” Christianity claims that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough.
Grace was so intentional in listening carefully and wrote down passages that we said so that she could read them later. She gave us passages of the Book of Mormon as well, and told us that she wanted to continue the conversation and learn more about how we view Jesus. She gave us her phone number, and we prayed for her before leaving so that she could get to class on time.
God’s timing is incredible. He opened up a door that we thought had been closed already, quite literally. The moment that we told our leader about how we were discouraged, an opportunity to share the Gospel opened up as Grace raced down the street, looking for us. Looking for truth. I learned how faithful God is, and how He is always working, even when I don’t see it.
Please be praying for Grace as she goes through her college experience as a member of the LDS church. Pray that her eyes would be opened to the real Jesus, the Jesus who loves her no matter what she does or doesn’t do. Pray that she would continue to seek truth and find herself at the feet of Jesus with us.
Elyse Worrell, Class of 2027
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