A Shiny Example

We had an amazing lesson in Relief Society today...Kristen Brittain taught so that is to be expected. The lesson was on sharing the gospel and she asked moms of missionaries who are currently serving to share some experiences their missionaries have had. Cameron Cox is serving in Samoa, Jacob Hager is in Brazil, Justin Hill is in Georgia, Kyle Clegg is in California--Vietnamese speaking, and Carissa Clive is in Kirkland, Ohio. Jacob Hill has received his mission call to The Provo Utah Mission and he came in and talked about his brother Justin. He said, "As many of you know, Justin isn't the sharpest crayon in the box! But, I want you to know that his mission has changed him in many ways. He was kind of quiet, but now he speaks out boldly to teach people the truth." Then he told of Justin and his companion riding their bikes down the road, and Justin had a strong feeling he should turn down a road-- but it was a dark road in a sketchy neighborhood. So he turned and his comp was worried. Soon they saw a man coming toward them. He said, "Are you Christian?" Justin said, "Yes we are!" and the guy said, "My mom needs to see you." and he led them to his home. There they met his mom, she had received a pass along card and was waiting to hear from the missionaries. Jacob went on to say he wouldn't be seeing his brother for three years because their missions overlap. But he couldn't wait to see his brother again and hug him and thank him for being such a great example for him. Through a letter, Jacob Hager told of a young man who joined the church but couldn't afford the bus fare to get to church on Sundays. He was walking over an hour one way to get there. The members pooled what little money they could spare to get him bus fare. Then a man in the branch offered to help him get a used bike from the bike repair place he ran out of his garage. What a fantastic example for us--our lives are pretty easy! They all had amazing, spiritual experiences and then she ended with a story from Carissa Clive. She and her companion were teaching a woman who lived a pretty rough life. She loved what she had learned about the Savior and really wanted to be baptized. Carissa asked her if she could make the commitment to quit smoking and be ready for baptism and she said "Yes, because I want to be shiny like you!" Carissa said, "What do you mean?" She replied, "When you come in, you shine and the light from you shines all around-- I want that too."