My Dear Friend Harold. Part 3

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.

Abnormal and way boss

To our surprise, soon after arrival to the apartment we received a text from Harold informing us that he had finished reading the chapter we gave him (2 Nephi 2) loved it, and asked "what else can I read?"
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?"

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."
2 Nephi 2:11

"Well, I felt that it was true. I think verse 11 really helped me understand a lot what Bishop Potter was explaining to me."

"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*

What is all this "Because of Him"?

If you've been on facebook at all this week, or any other type of social media, you may have noticed a new trend happening.

What is all of this #becauseofhim anyways??

Well this is a special week for millions and millions of people around the world.  This is the week set apart to celebrate the life and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The 'because of Him' inititives purpose is to share the wonderful, glorious, and miraculous message that changed the world, and personally, changed my life. 

Because of Him, I don't have to be afraid. 

Because of Him, I have hope.  Because of Him, there is purpose in my life. 

Because of Him, there is a life for me after this one.  Because of Him, I always have a friend.  Because of Him, there is One who understands what I'm going through. 

Because of Him, I am not alone. 

Because of Him, I know who I am.  Because of Him, I can be clean.  Because of Him, I am free. 

Because of Him, I HAVE JOY!

What do you have/know/feel because of Him?

or even...

Do you want to know what you have, can have, or will have because of Him?

Dark Nights Then Sunrises

There is something we have yet to talk about! Something that I cannot even believe we've missed! It's something beautiful, and moving. I've converted upwards of three people to it. This something that I'm referring to is...the incredible story of Les Miserables! I know right!! How could I have not written about it yet?? In my eyes its just about the most applicable thing ever to a blog about finding happiness. I mean after all the title does translate basically into "the miserable people." But while heartache and tragedy does befall the characters of this story of miserable people, the overall message from Mousier Hugo is that "even the DARKEST night will end and the sun WILL rise!"

For all of you lovely people who read my post about Sister Spence last week, thank you for your kind comments, messages, and wishes of happiness that you sent me via blogger, Facebook, etc. I really felt your love and I want you to know that I am doing very happily. Because of Heavenly Father and a lot of prayer I was able to climb that specific mountain in my life. It was an experience of overcoming sadness that I hoped could help someone in anyway.

Everyone will experience these dark nights and sad mountains in life. It is normal and it is ok. Let me add to that, it is ok because there is an ending to our sorrows and heartaches. Whether in one day, two days, three years, or like many of the characters in Les Mis, in the coming life. The message it shares with me is one of hope, optimism, and trust in God.

Each character faces agonizing and unbearable hardships. Valjean deals with unfair treatment and poor circumstances, the which causes a haunted past that he can never escape. Fantine was an upstanding and virtuous woman who was left to the cruelest of desperation to provide for her child. Eponine experienced one of the hardest friend zone slams in history and dealt with the loneliness accompanied with it. And so on with all the characters of Les Mis, each experiencing their own dark nights of sorrow and unhappiness.

There comes a point for each of them, that they must each decide, will I fight or will I give up? I think of those moments, those epic moments, of these people on the edge of right or wrong, death or life. I can see the moments even now: Enjorlas at the barricade before the final battle. Valjean as he looks upon the man blamed for his crimes. Eponine between Marius and his impending death.

My Own Road to Happiness

This one time in my life, I was so not happy. I tried and tried to be happy, but I just wasn't. I didn't have many friends growing up (and by many I actually mean any!) and like most preteens/teenagers I didn't know where I fit in the world, but it definitely felt like nowhere. I felt so completely and utterly alone. That is not a fun feeling. I didn't even have any sure belief that God was there. It felt like my life was pointless and that nobody wanted me around.

I remember this one time coming home after school, I think it was when I was in 7th grade, and I just started crying to my dad. He has always made me feel wanted and special all of my life. Not that I would always listen to the good advice and kind words he gave me. It was during this time that he was my only friend. Anyways, back to the story! We were in our living room and I was laying on the floor just crying! haha! (Now it's pretty funny to look back on it, in the moment, so not fun, now, pretty funny. I think I can laugh about it because I have overcome it!)