A MONTH!! A whole month since I've written?!
Life right now for me is like a rug that's been pulled out from under my feet;like trying to walk after riding those spinning things at the park
like having both hands on the saddle of a galloping horse trying to jump on!!
Do you get the picture??
It's been crazy awesome exhaustingly wonderful month of my life but I'VE HAD NO TIME to write and tell you the rest of Harold's story! BUT it's here! It's finished. And I hope from this last part of Harold's story you feel the spirit of what I've been trying to share with you.*By the way this is part three people!! For the beginning of his story click here! For meat of the story click here!!*
Harold explained to us that night, "I have lost the faith I once had in God. And I want it back." We testified there was a way!
Invited to church and an appointment made to meet with us, Harold walked away from his meeting with the bishop with a new book in hand and a new hope for his life.
As soon as their car left the church parking lot, my companion and I...celebrated!! We were so excited to help someone who had sincere desires to increase their faith in God. Knowing we had exactly what he needed to do so, we jumped up and down all the way to OUR car, then sang at the top of our lungs all the way home.
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| Abnormal and way boss |
THIS IS NOT NORMAL in the life of a missionary. We frantically flipped through our scriptures to find another chapter that would best continue the faith growing journey he had now begun. We landed on Alma 42, skimmed it, knew it was the right one, and sent it along.
The following morning we awoke to another text from Harold! "Read it! Now what?" I looked up at my companion, back down, back up, and the celebrating began again and so did the frantic, yet joyful, scripture flipping for yet another chapter for him to read.
The first meeting with Harold in his home included us opening up to his first Book of Mormon reading, and asking, "Harold, what did you think and how did you feel?"
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| "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." 2 Nephi 2:11 |
"Do you feel like it helped your faith in God increase?"
He answered in the affirmative.
As we taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that beautiful summer morning, something began to happen to Harold. It was like he started to wake up, spiritually. (Although sometimes at our morning lessons he had trouble being awake physically!) He was smiled more and talked more. At the end of the lesson we testified that through baptism by the Priesthood authority we had taught him about he would rebuild his faith, and receive all of God's promised blessings.
"So Harold, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ --" "YES!" "....by being baptized by someone who holds this priesthood authority of God?"
"Oh!...uh..."
He had totally interrupted us and as a result said yes to something he had not seen coming!! We didn't know what to do!! So we just sat there quietly and personally very tensely, unsure what was going to happen, waiting for him to absorb what we had just invited him to do.
He sat and pondered, then said, "Yes. I will!"
We sighed extremely relieved and excited. We extended a specific baptism date for the following month and he accepted. Now it was our turn to walk away from a meeting and I like to imagine that it was Harold's turn to celebrate, jump up and down and sing at the top of HIS lungs!...I've never asked him if that's what went on after we left, so for the sake of the story we'll say it happened, why not?!
A few days later. *ring, ring ring*
"Hello?"
"Harold!!"
"Yes. Hello!!"
"Harold, something really neat is happening at the church! Someone is getting baptized. Would you like to come with us and see it?"
"Ya! When is it?"
"....in 20 min! Can you make it?"
".....sure!"
"Ok, Reece is already on his way to pick you up."
Harold watched Tony as he came up out of the water for the third time. "Usually you only go down and up once!" I whisper nervously into Harold's ear. Tony beamed as the ordinance was at last accepted. There were smiles all around the room, including Harold, but the biggest one was Tony's!
After the baptismal service, we asked Harold, "Do you have any questions?" He paused, thought, and said, and to this day it was the most beautiful question I've ever heard, "How does one prepare for baptism?
Like how do I?"
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| It is upon the rock of your redeemer, who is Christ, that ye must build your foundation! Helaman 5:12 |
Over the course of teaching Harold we all became dear friends. We cried with Harold, laughed with Harold, grew closer to God with Harold. He told us of the struggles and challenges he had faced in his life and the bad decisions he had made that still made him feel guilty and unhappy. The challenge he was facing at this time, and still to this day, was the heartbreaking situation his family was in. Our hearts broke with Harold, but we all felt the healing comfort of our Savior those warm Cali mornings.
One of our last meetings with Harold before his baptism, we asked him if he believed the Book of Mormon was truly the word of God. He paused as he always did when we asked him a question. "Yes. I believe the book is."
"Why?"
"Because when you first gave it to me, I prayed for the first time in I don't know how long that and asked God to let me know if it was true. Then when I started reading, I couldn't stop!! That's how I know, I couldn't put it down and it's helped me believe in God again. But I still feel that it is not enough, that I don't have enough faith."
"Harold" I said very sternly. "Have you been praying?"
yes
reading your scriptures?
yes
coming to church?
yes
keeping the commandments?
yes
"That is faith!! Faith is action. You have been acting. Brick by brick you have laid your foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. And now you are getting baptized, a huge act of faith!! I don't ever want to hear you say again that you don't have faith. YOU have faith! Harold began to smile as the spirit testified of truth. Sitting in front of us was a spiritual giant, and he didn't even know it! Our dear friend Harold, found his faith again. Do you really think so? he timidly asked. I think I just gave him one of my looks and he laughed and said ok ok and laughed again. It seemed to me that he was lighter then ever before and he was glowing. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it's true! Harold was a changing, glowing man.
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| Meet "Harold"! |
Harold does not fully realize how much he has impacted my life. I'll never forget the time we spent together those wednesday mornings, sunday afternoons, and the text and calls between to answer his questions. It wasn't just Harold that came closer to Christ, my faith had also been strengthened brick by brick with each meeting. We had both been facing the toughest challenges in our life at that time and together we were able to solidify our testimony that God truly is our loving Father in Heaven.
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| A message of HOPE |
One of the endings of my favorite movies sums up how I feel about Harold and our experience being converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "Everyone thinks we bought this broken down horse and fixed him up. But we didn't, he fixed us. And I guess in the end we sorta fixed each other." I'll never forget those few months one summer when I came closer to and got to help someone come closer to Jesus Christ, but it wasn't just someone, it was, my dear friend Harold.
"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
The die are cast! I
have stepped over the line. The decision has been made;
I AM A
DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still.
My past is
redeemed, my presence makes sense, and my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and
dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am
uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait fast and my goal is heaven.
My road is
narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my
mission is clear!
I cannot be bought compromised, detoured, lured away, or delayed.
I
will not flinch in the face of sacrifice,
hesitate in the presence of
the adversary,
negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool
of popularity,
or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up,
until I have stayed up, stored
up, and paid up of the cause of Christ.
I must go until He comes,
give until I drop,
preach until I know,
and work until He stops me,
and when He returns, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My
banner will be clear."
-President Henry B. Eyring
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