A FOREVER PURPOSE
I am so sorry about that, Sister!”, I stated for the four billionth time.
Despite her reassurances that everything was alright, I could not help but feel terrible for putting my companion on the spot during our dinner appointment. A couple in our ward had invited us over for a lovely dinner, and beforehand my companion and I had mapped out the short lesson we were going to teach. I knew which part of the lesson I was supposed to teach, and yet when it came time to actually do it, I froze. Luckily, my sweet companion had swooped in and saved me. Would I ever get over being a Greenie? I sure hoped so!
The sweet sister who had been kind enough to feed us, had also been nice enough to drop us off in a neighborhood a few blocks away from our apartment. We were standing on the corner, trying to decide which doors to start knocking on, when I managed to slip in the four millionth apology mentioned above. Now, as we stood in the chilly night air, we said a prayer, picked a house, and began to try to share the Gospel in this cute, little neighborhood. We had managed to knock on some of the doors in this neighborhood earlier that day, but we were hoping to be able to tie up the loose ends before heading home. We knocked down one side of the street, without talking to a single person besides each other. We began to try the houses on the other side of the street, and walked up the driveway of a quaint, little house. I can remember vividly that the house had this beautiful, ornate cross hanging on the outside.
As we approached the door, I remember getting the strangest sensation that we shouldn’t be there, and that we needed to say a prayer. It came out of nowhere and did not seem to make a whole lot of sense. We knew this was a safe neighborhood, and sure it was dark, but we were not out past curfew or anything. However, that feeling was so strong, I did not even second guess it. I immediately told my companion that I felt we needed to say a prayer. Startled, she agreed, and we walked down to the end of the driveway to converse with the Lord. Both of us received the impression that we needed to return home, and quickly. We walked as fast as we could in our skirts, regretting the decision to conduct door approaches in such a poorly lit neighborhood. The atmosphere had an ominous air to it, and every sound made me jump out of my skin. I prayed the whole walk home that we would make it home safely, and we did. The terrified feeling of danger was immediately replaced with feelings of comfort, safety, and peace. We stayed in the apartment the rest of the night.
The next day, the scary memories of the night before had quickly left my mind. I was forever grateful for the prompting we had received, but had somehow managed to distract my mind with the tasks we were meant to accomplish that day. It was a Sunday, and as we walked into the chapel, one of the sweetest ladies in the congregation walked up, wondering if we had heard the terrible events that had occurred the night before. This sweet sister explained that there had been a shooting in the town in which we served, and quite a few people had lost their lives, or been severely injured. A somber mood overcame us, as we realized how much the Lord had protected us the night before. We did not know where the shooting had occurred, but we knew the Lord had protected us when He encouraged us to go home. I was incredibly humbled to receive such an important prompting, and am grateful for a companion who was in tune with the Spirit.
A week or two later, I was flying home after completing my mission for the Lord. Early. The shooting had made National News, and now that I was home, I was able to receive more information about what had actually occurred that night. As I looked over the map of the path of the shooter, I was immediately taken aback. The shooter had driven down the exact street my companion and I had hurriedly walked down on our journey home. I am so incredibly humbled by the fact that the Lord protected my companion and I that terrible evening. So many things could have gone wrong, but the Lord prompted us at just the right time to return home. I am forever grateful for a wonderful companion, who listened to the fears of a Greenie, followed the prompting to pray, and was worthy to receive the guidance of the Spirit.
Reflecting over that night always brings things into perspective. It is a humbling experience, that reminds me how blessed I truly am. Lately it seems that my entire life has been a series of questions marks. What career should I pursue? Should I move somewhere else? Will I ever get married? Sometimes it can truly feel as if I will never discover the plan for my life, or discover its purpose. However, after reflecting over the horrible events that occurred that night, I am reminded that I always have a purpose in this life. Sharing the Gospel. There are so many people who do not know the happiness of the Plan of Salvation, or the incredible change of repentance. Even if I cannot determine right now what the details of my life will turn out to be, I am incredibly blessed to know who I am as a child of God, and where I am going, and I have a duty to share that with others. So, despite the terrified feeling I have whilst writing this, I feel sharing it is the right thing to do. I want everyone out there to know that we do have a loving Heavenly Father, and a Savior, who lead and guide our lives. I know that because of the sacrifice our Savior made, we will see our loved ones who have passed on, again. His sacrifice made it possible to link families together forever and gives us the ability to repent of our sins, so we can return to live with Him someday. The Savior comforts us, protects us, leads us, forgives us, and helps us to live our most happy lives. I hope to always be the best example I can be of how much this Gospel has changed my life. That way, I know I am fulfilling one of my most important purposes.