A tag, a tag, I've been tagged...

Mrs. Rawlins has tagged me, with an interesting yet fun tag. Here it is:

Do you have a story? One that makes you say "Wow," and it makes you feel good to reflect on it, to remember it, and to possibly share it? I do!

I think the most 'wow' story of my life was when I was serving a mission in New York City. I was serving in Long Island in a place called Brentwood. I had a new Companion, Hermana Diaz from Bolivia. She and I were not having a lot of success with investigators. This particular morning we put Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 to the test "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when you do not what I say, ye have no promise". We prayed, and as is customary picked a place on the map to tract. Now, let me share the conditions of Long Island at this time. It was January 8th 2003, about 19 degrees, 9 in the morning, snow and ice covering everywhere. It was not ideal tracting weather, but of course, the Lord provides a way. We tracted three streets and were on our last before Church. We knocked on a door, and a little girl opened the door. She looked up at us and smiled, but not seconds after that an older gentleman came rushing to the door telling her not to open the door, that it was too cold... he saw us, and I introduced us as "Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"... he told us that he was busy that day, but that we could try him another time. He then shut the door. We thought it was just another rejection, but we kept his address anyway. Another week went by, and we decided to just stop by. When we did Hector answered the door again, and said that his wife, Millie was very sick, and he was getting sick also. This time we got his phone number and told him that we would pray for him. We also tried to give him a book of Mormon, but he looked at us and said "this is the book you believe in? Come in sisters, come in please." We sat down, and he was gone for about 5 minutes. He came back up the stairs holding a tattered black book. My heart welled up with the spirit, and I knew what that book was. It was the book of Mormon. Hector's brother had been in prison in Puerto Rico 40 or so years earlier. His brother had sent this Book of Mormon to Hector, and not a few months before we came to his door, he had found the book, and prayed for 'Angel's' to come and teach him the truth of God and of his people. We shared with him out prayer to the Lord the week earlier. He was touched, as were we. In the book of Mormon was the names of two missionaries, and their phone number in Puerto Rico. We taught Hector that day about the falling away of truth, and shared with him the First Vision and the Restoration of Truth. The spirit was so strong in that home. I still remember the feelings I had. We continued to teach Hector the gospel, and he had many good questions. He wanted to know why we needed a prophet on the earth today, and we told him that he could find out for himself by watching General Conference (it was now almost April Conference time). We gave him "Special Witnesses of Christ" to watch and get to know the Prophet and Apostles before conference. Saturday morning, at the church walks in Hector and Millie. Hector comes to me, puts the video in my hands and looks up at me (he was shorter than I) and says, "Hermana West, I know that these men are men of God." Needless to say, Hector was baptized shortly thereafter, and he baptized his wife a month later. He now is one of the most effective member missionaries that I have ever known of. I have since contacted the Puerto Rico mission, and obtained on of the missionaries in that book of Mormon's information. I called him, and he was overjoyed to hear the story. I truly know that the Lord watches over his missionaries, both those called to serve, and those who serve every day.

As Joseph Smith proclaimed in The Standard Of Truth,

"...the standard of truth has been erected; No un hallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

I tag: Kylie Glover, Caralee Alldredge, Gwen Evans and Kaylani Mavity