Mission Miracle from Elder Justin McBride

September 27, 2009

About two or three weeks ago we were walking our usual loop looking for the elect when we saw what looked like a wedding on wheels... so we decided, "Why not get closer?" So we did. As we got closer we could see that it was not a wedding, but rather a funeral progression. Kinda sad. There were three coffins in this big truck and about a hundred sad people following behind it on foot. It was moving really really slow! So we just kind of tried to see what was going on when a dude in an Audi A6 rolls down his window and asks us if we are with Jesus. He was following the progression in his car... I mean why wouldn't you ---it is an Audi! Who needs feet in a situation like that? ... So we of course tell him yes! And he motions for us to get into his car... I was reluctant at first but decided that I could use myself a good adventure story... I hadn't had one since I was hit in the face... So we climbed into this guy’s wicked nice car and began to talk to him. Well he asked the million dollar question, "Where is my friend? Really?" So we began to tell him the whole idea of a spirit world and so on and so forth. And then he asked about the man's sons. I guess what happened was this family was driving between Ploiesti and Bucuresti and got in a major head on collision and everybody died! Except for the mom... I'll get to her in a bit. So we told him that God gave us families as a gift and he is not one to take gifts away unless we mistreat them... and so on... and then he thanks us and we hook him up with a family proclamation... that took about 15 minutes.

Then about a week ago now we were knocking doors. Nothing was going for us. NOTHING! So we worked our way down the street a little further and there was some old lady out in front of her house and initially I just walked by... thinking nothing of it. Then about four steps past her the whole spirit thing kicked it and I was compelled to turn around. So I did and I asked her if she had ever seen us around and so on. The response she gave was so random, but without it we would have never had the experience we had. She said, "We just had a family tragedy where a father died in a car wreck..." I cut her off there, remembering the funeral progression, and said, "With his two sons huh?" She was amazed that I could tell... and just answered in awe, "Yeah" Then we began to tell her that we have the happiest message in the whole universe! That we know exactly every jot about our fate after this life! And we don't need to be sad! In missionary terms we call this a hook. She was in.

So we tried to sit with her then but she was all alone and didn't want to sit with us alone... understood... so we set up to go back last tuesday. AND WE DID! And it rocked! They were so down with knowing God loves them even in their trials! But while we were there her daughter told us that the mom from the accident is in a coma and still has no idea about the rest of her family! Yikes, we call that holy sad Batman! So we told them that we wanted to come back and tell them the whole plan, we had only talked about after life on Tuesday. So we set up for Sunday.

Sunday rolls around and we get into the lesson and it was going really really well. They were asking awesome questions and everything. But then, as we are teaching them in their courtyard some old man, they don't know, comes rolling in. uh oh. He began to tell us that he has studied the Bible for fifty years or so and knows everything about the gospel of Jesus Christ. So he killed what we had going for us... and after hearing his persistence on the Sabbath being Saturday we realized he was adventist! Oh goody. So we let him shpeal for a time until finally I'd had it with him. He was in the process of bragging about how he stumped an orthodox priest on some crazy subjects and so on... and he began to list them, the first being the sabbath.... until he got to miracles. Then he continued the story. So I stopped him. I asked him very politely about how great he knew the scriptures and he replied that he could respond to any question. So I put mine forth, "Prophets? They have been around since Adam, Jesus said they would come... where are they now?" He was stumped. He just looked at me, and I at him. I let the silence kick in for drama then turned to the family and said, "I know where prophets and apostles are!" Then the testifying began. I have never testified so much in my life on Joseph Smith! It rocked socks! The family was hooked, this was a message of happiness! Sorrow has no reign on truth! "O grave where is thy victory? O death where is thy sting?" We are going back next Sunday and we are going to give them a proper restoration lesson. This was a story I wasn't going to tell originally, but after yesterday I had to! I just thought it would turn out to be another bung story! But they are honestly earnest! I love it!