Prayer and Popcorn

Because of my husband’s navy career, we have lived in many different places all over the world. With each move, we have fasted and prayed for guidance about which state, city, neighborhood, and house we should live in. Each move has brought us new missionary opportunities, and we have learned that if we listen to the promptings of the Spirit, the Lord will guide us to where we should go.

Our move to Hawaii was a little different. Since our commanding officer assigned us to live in a house on the base, there was no need for us to fast or pray about where to live. We felt as though the Lord had placed us in Hawaii specifically to help someone who needed the gospel.

Some time after our move to Hawaii, our mission president challenged us to ask the Lord to help us find someone who had been prepared to hear the gospel. My husband and I prayed to know who it should be.

Soon afterward, a friend mentioned to me that she wanted us to meet her neighbor, Debbie. After I met her, the Spirit whispered to me that she was the one I was to share the gospel with. However, this worried me, since Debbie was actively affiliated with the Protestant services on the base. Furthermore, one of her close friends, a chaplain on the base, was a good friend of ours, too. How could I share the gospel with Debbie without risking the friendship I had developed with the chaplain and his wife?

I proceeded with caution and decided just to be an example and a friend to Debbie. One day, while visiting with her, the Holy Ghost bore witness to me clearly, “This is mine elect. The elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts. Share the gospel with her now!”

This thought came to me with such force that my entire being was filled with the Spirit and my eyes welled up with tears. I could no longer wait to share the light and truth of the gospel with my friend. So I did. As we discussed religion and spoke of our feelings, I was prompted to let her borrow our videotape copy of How Rare A Possession.

After she left, I was sure she would watch the tape immediately. But a month went by, and she still hadn’t watched it. I wanted to think I had done my part, but the Spirit whispered that I could do more. I called Debbie and asked her if I could bring some popcorn over and watch the videotape with her. She agreed.

This was the beginning of many gospel discussions. Two weeks later, Debbie, her husband, and their three children were baptized. What joy filled my soul!

I have gained a testimony that the Lord works through us to bring others into the Church. I have learned that it does not take a perfect person to do missionary work—it just takes a person willing to ask and act.