Denise I work for the same company. She is the manager over tooling and I work for the group that handles transportation equipment. We were both involved in designing and installing seismic restraint hardware in a Missile Assembly Building. We had been working together for the past several months and last week we were successful in installing all of the seismic restraint hardware. She was traveling with one of her people whose departure time was two hours ahead of hers and mine was two hours later than hers. I thought it would be more pleasant to spend the time together rather than sitting in the airport. I made arrangements to pick her up and return her rental car and then have a few hours together. I wondered how to approach her about the gospel so I finally asked her what her religious background was. She said she was Catholic but not very active. I told her the name of our church and said we are sometimes called Mormons and asked if she knew why were called Mormons. She had worked with several Mormon people over the years but had no idea why we were called that. I told her I would explain over breakfast.
At breakfast I told her we believed in the Bible and asked how she would explain what the Bible was if I weren’t a Christian. She didn’t have a very good answer. I told her I think of it as a history of the children of Israel and Gods dealing with them through the prophets and about the life of Christ. I then showed her the map and explained that the B of M is the same type of book only a history of a different people. I then asked her if she believed she existed before we came to earth and she said no. We then went to the plan of salvation and showed her what we believed and our relationship to our Heavenly parents. I then told her about Joseph Smith and the first vision and how he found out that the Father and Son and separate beings which was contrary to the doctrine of the day where they taught that they are three all rolled up into one. We went through the witnesses and the angel Moroni’s visit and the translation of the B of M. I showed her how I had marked the book and a few of the initial scriptures. Time was short so I went to the promise and had her read it. I gave her the B of M and she said she would read it and let me know what she thought. I mentioned that the B of M and all the things I’d told her were either true or it was a complete hoax. It was either true of false and couldn’t be anything in between.
On our way back to the airport we talked about the success we had a few days before and how I felt we had experienced some divine intervention in being able to accomplish our task. She believed so also and told me of her experience where the Lord had helped her through some difficult financial times and was successful because she had placed her trust in the Lord.
It was a good experience and hopefully will bear fruit.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Glen
Let me give you some background on Glen. He works in our environmental department making sure our company stays in compliance with all the state and nation laws. He is known for his knowledge of the regulations, his attention to detail and his hard work. His sense of right and wrong is black and white there is no gray. Glen routinely reads and studies the Bible. He is a devout Christian and attends a local Church of Christ. He knows that I am LDS is respectful of my beliefs.
Glen stopped by my office on Friday to inform me we were the last two in the office and that he was going home. He mentioned something about job security in today’s uncertain economic environment. I told him that I believed in the promises of tithing. He was not familiar with the promise. I did not have the Bible with me but I did have a B of M that I had previously marked. I remembered that Jesus quoted Malachi when he visited the Nephites. I opened it to 3rd Nephi 24 and read to him verses 8-10. I closed the book and we started talking about something else. He said his bible study this past week was on what happens to your spirit when you die. Does it go back to God or some other place? He had not come to any conclusions, as the bible was not clear on the subject. He did note that the Catholics believed that the spirit went to purgatory prior to the resurrection.
I asked Glen if he knew what the B of M was. He knew some bits and pieces. I asked him again “Do you know what the B of M was? He responded that he did not. I asked him if he had 5 minutes for me to tell him about it.
I asked Glen how he would explain to me what type of book the Bible was if I had never heard of it or of Jesus. He explained it very well and his answer revealed his depth of knowledge. I opened to the map of the world and told him how I would explain the Bible and then we talked about the B of M. I kept my explanation short and did not go into much detail beyond what was written on the picture. I told him that the B of M did not contradict the Bible but rather it complimented the Bible.
I asked him if he believed that he lived before he was born. He said that he did not believe that he did. I turned to the picture of the plan of happiness. We talked about each item on the picture. I remembered his interest in life after death and turned to page 308 and read to him the verses I had marked. I then turned to the pictures at the front of the book and explained a second time how two families left Jerusalem, built a boat and came to the Americas. We talked about Christ’s visit to the Americas after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem and how Moroni hid the gold plates.
I turned to Joseph Smith’s testimony and explained that in 1823, at age 17, he was visited by an angel. The angel told him about the gold plates and how they were buried near where he lived. I pointed to the bracketed paragraphs and told him that this is Joseph’s description of the angel.
Four years later in 1827 when Joseph was 21, the angel gave him the gold plates and instructed him to translate it into English. The translation took less than 2 years. I told him that they did not have word processors back then and that everything had to be written by hand. While Joseph translated someone else would write. I turned to the testimony of the 3 witnesses and pointed to Oliver Cowdry’s name. I explained that the hand writing of the B of M manuscript was primarily Oliver’s. We then talked about the 3 and 8 witnesses.
I turned to the first page of the B of M and pointed to the summary of 1st Nephi. I again briefly explained about two families leaving Jerusalem, building a ship and coming to the Americas. Glen then asked to see the book. He looked at that page for what seemed like quite a while, as he appeared to be reading it. When he finished I asked him to follow the note at the bottom of the page and turn to page 6. After reading 1 Ne 3:7 he seemed to be in agreement. I asked him to turn the next marked scripture on page 57. He read the marked scriptures and then re-read them a second time. We continued through the scriptures I had marked.
Sometimes Glen would just read the description and other times he would read all the verses. At times he seemed to read and re-read the verses over and over again. As he read I would ask him questions. I asked him how he would define faith and then we would turn Alma 32:21 (pg 289). I asked him if he believed in the physical resurrection. He believed that we would be resurrected spiritually. I asked him about Jesus’ physical resurrection and then we read Alma 11:40-44 (pg 236). I find it is easier for me to remember the page numbers rather than the chapter and verse.
By this time our 5 minute discussion had lasted an hour and 15 minutes so I jumped to Moroni’s promise. We discussed this a little and then I offered him the B of M. He said that he had one at home somewhere which he received +10 years ago. He did not want to take my marked copy but said he would like to transfer the markings over to the book he had. I told him that I share my belief in Christ by marking B of Ms giving them out. He said he would accepted it if I would write my name in it. I wrote a short testimony about prayer and the B of M.
I have wanted to introduce Glen to the gospel for years but never could find the right time. We routinely pray for missionary opportunities in our personal and family prayer. This was a wonderful experience. I do not think this would have ever happened had I not had a marked copy in my backpack.
Glen stopped by my office on Friday to inform me we were the last two in the office and that he was going home. He mentioned something about job security in today’s uncertain economic environment. I told him that I believed in the promises of tithing. He was not familiar with the promise. I did not have the Bible with me but I did have a B of M that I had previously marked. I remembered that Jesus quoted Malachi when he visited the Nephites. I opened it to 3rd Nephi 24 and read to him verses 8-10. I closed the book and we started talking about something else. He said his bible study this past week was on what happens to your spirit when you die. Does it go back to God or some other place? He had not come to any conclusions, as the bible was not clear on the subject. He did note that the Catholics believed that the spirit went to purgatory prior to the resurrection.
I asked Glen if he knew what the B of M was. He knew some bits and pieces. I asked him again “Do you know what the B of M was? He responded that he did not. I asked him if he had 5 minutes for me to tell him about it.
I asked Glen how he would explain to me what type of book the Bible was if I had never heard of it or of Jesus. He explained it very well and his answer revealed his depth of knowledge. I opened to the map of the world and told him how I would explain the Bible and then we talked about the B of M. I kept my explanation short and did not go into much detail beyond what was written on the picture. I told him that the B of M did not contradict the Bible but rather it complimented the Bible.
I asked him if he believed that he lived before he was born. He said that he did not believe that he did. I turned to the picture of the plan of happiness. We talked about each item on the picture. I remembered his interest in life after death and turned to page 308 and read to him the verses I had marked. I then turned to the pictures at the front of the book and explained a second time how two families left Jerusalem, built a boat and came to the Americas. We talked about Christ’s visit to the Americas after his death and resurrection in Jerusalem and how Moroni hid the gold plates.
I turned to Joseph Smith’s testimony and explained that in 1823, at age 17, he was visited by an angel. The angel told him about the gold plates and how they were buried near where he lived. I pointed to the bracketed paragraphs and told him that this is Joseph’s description of the angel.
Four years later in 1827 when Joseph was 21, the angel gave him the gold plates and instructed him to translate it into English. The translation took less than 2 years. I told him that they did not have word processors back then and that everything had to be written by hand. While Joseph translated someone else would write. I turned to the testimony of the 3 witnesses and pointed to Oliver Cowdry’s name. I explained that the hand writing of the B of M manuscript was primarily Oliver’s. We then talked about the 3 and 8 witnesses.
I turned to the first page of the B of M and pointed to the summary of 1st Nephi. I again briefly explained about two families leaving Jerusalem, building a ship and coming to the Americas. Glen then asked to see the book. He looked at that page for what seemed like quite a while, as he appeared to be reading it. When he finished I asked him to follow the note at the bottom of the page and turn to page 6. After reading 1 Ne 3:7 he seemed to be in agreement. I asked him to turn the next marked scripture on page 57. He read the marked scriptures and then re-read them a second time. We continued through the scriptures I had marked.
Sometimes Glen would just read the description and other times he would read all the verses. At times he seemed to read and re-read the verses over and over again. As he read I would ask him questions. I asked him how he would define faith and then we would turn Alma 32:21 (pg 289). I asked him if he believed in the physical resurrection. He believed that we would be resurrected spiritually. I asked him about Jesus’ physical resurrection and then we read Alma 11:40-44 (pg 236). I find it is easier for me to remember the page numbers rather than the chapter and verse.
By this time our 5 minute discussion had lasted an hour and 15 minutes so I jumped to Moroni’s promise. We discussed this a little and then I offered him the B of M. He said that he had one at home somewhere which he received +10 years ago. He did not want to take my marked copy but said he would like to transfer the markings over to the book he had. I told him that I share my belief in Christ by marking B of Ms giving them out. He said he would accepted it if I would write my name in it. I wrote a short testimony about prayer and the B of M.
I have wanted to introduce Glen to the gospel for years but never could find the right time. We routinely pray for missionary opportunities in our personal and family prayer. This was a wonderful experience. I do not think this would have ever happened had I not had a marked copy in my backpack.
Charlie
On the return flight from Santa Barbara to SLC I had another B of M marked up ready for whoever might sit next to me. A man sat down and introduced himself as Charlie. This was a first; I’ve always had to start the conversation. Charlie runs a veterinary company for large animals near Lehi Utah. Turned out he’s LDS and has been a Bishop and has four children. Charlie explained he sat in the seat right behind me on my trip down to Santa Barbara on Monday. He mentioned that he had noticed I had a B of M in the pocket in front of me when he boarded in SLC.
He couldn’t hear the conversation between Korbi and me but he could see Korbi’s face and was taken by Korbi’s attention and concentration as we talked. After we deplaned at Santa Barbara he watched Korbi as she waited for her room mate to come pick her up. Her luggage was put away but Korbi still held the B of M and it appeared to him she was excited in talking to her room mate about the book.
I explained to Charlie about how we presented the B of M and used the map and plan of salvation to explain our beliefs. I showed him how we marked the book and that when you had followed the scripture trail through the B of M you didn’t know who Lehi or Nephi were but you did know the gospel of Christ. He was excited about how we were able to present the B of M. I asked him if he would like the book if he had someone to give it to. He had some one in mind. I gave him the book on the condition he would have to tell me about how he placed it and if the pictures and markings helped in getting it placed. He agreed and was going to make a copy of how we had marked the book. I told him I would send the information to him rather than trying to copy it from the marked B of M.
What a fun experience. I had been scheduled to travel back on Thursday but had problems at work so had to change my flight at the last minute to Friday. I wouldn’t have gotten to meet Charlie if my plans hadn’t changed. Isn’t it wonderful to see the hand of the Lord in so many of the events of your life?
He couldn’t hear the conversation between Korbi and me but he could see Korbi’s face and was taken by Korbi’s attention and concentration as we talked. After we deplaned at Santa Barbara he watched Korbi as she waited for her room mate to come pick her up. Her luggage was put away but Korbi still held the B of M and it appeared to him she was excited in talking to her room mate about the book.
I explained to Charlie about how we presented the B of M and used the map and plan of salvation to explain our beliefs. I showed him how we marked the book and that when you had followed the scripture trail through the B of M you didn’t know who Lehi or Nephi were but you did know the gospel of Christ. He was excited about how we were able to present the B of M. I asked him if he would like the book if he had someone to give it to. He had some one in mind. I gave him the book on the condition he would have to tell me about how he placed it and if the pictures and markings helped in getting it placed. He agreed and was going to make a copy of how we had marked the book. I told him I would send the information to him rather than trying to copy it from the marked B of M.
What a fun experience. I had been scheduled to travel back on Thursday but had problems at work so had to change my flight at the last minute to Friday. I wouldn’t have gotten to meet Charlie if my plans hadn’t changed. Isn’t it wonderful to see the hand of the Lord in so many of the events of your life?
Korbi
Korbi 12/1/08
My son, Mark, and I have made it a point to take the Book of Mormon with us when we fly in support of our work. We’ve had limited success in past years talking to the people we sit next to about the gospel and giving them a B of M. Mark put together a plan to help increase our success rate. His plan uses two pictures, one of the world showing the Bible coming from the old world and the B of M from the new world. The second picture is of God’s Plan of Happiness. Then he marked important items on the introductory pages and then specific scriptures through out the book. Next to the marked scriptures is a simple statement of what the scripture is about. We mark at the bottom of the page telling what page to go to next. When you’re through reading these scriptures you don’t know who Lehi and Nephi were but you do know the doctrine of Christ,
Let me tell you about Korbi
I traveled from SLC to Santa Barbara CA on 12-1-08. I brought a marked copy of the B of M and intended to place it with whoever sat next to me. If I really want to place a B of M I’ve found it necessary to let the Lord know that I’m prepared and will need His help to meet the right person. I got to the airport with more than enough time and security was a breeze and I had over an hour before flight time. As I walked through the terminal I noticed the Cinnabon counter and the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls. I decided to get two of them and maybe I could share with the person that would sit next to me.
I was one of the first ones to board and had an assigned aisle seat near the rear of the plane. I watched the plane fill up and looked at each person wondering if he or she would take the seat next to me but no one took it. The plane finally looked full except for the seat next to me. I kept thinking maybe I wouldn’t get to meet anyone. Finally a middle aged lady got on and I was sure she would be the one but she had a different seat assignment two rows in from of me and someone was sitting in her seat.
A young girl got up and was told by the attendant to take the seat next to me. Just after she sat down I called home to check in before the door closed. I spoke to my oldest daughter Jodi who was visiting her mother and told her I was sitting next to a lovely young lady about 18 or 19 and the young lady smiled and agreed. Then I spoke to my wife and told her I was sitting next to a young lady beautiful enough to be my granddaughter. I asked her name so I could tell wife and her name was Korbi. I asked my wife if I could adopt her for 2 hours and spoil her little and Korbi smiled and laughed a little and said it would be OK. After I finished talking and turned off my cell phone. I reminded Korbi about the wonderful meals we get on the flight and she said oh I know I got peanuts on my last flight. Then I brought out the Cinnabons and gave her one. She had never eaten one and neither had I. We had to use our fingers as I hadn’t picked up any utensils, just napkins. Next time I’ll get forks and knives.
We ate them with our fingers and had fun just visiting. She was from Vail Colorado and I told her one of my daughters lived in Highlands Ranch, which is near Denver, and she had been there playing sports of some kind. She was going back to college in Santa Barbara. Korbi has an older brother and two younger stepsisters. She wanted to know how many granddaughters I had and I couldn’t instantly remember (I have 15 granddaughters) but told her I had seven great granddaughters. Becoming friends is so easy when you both share information about yourself. By the time we had finished the Cinnabons we both were pretty gooey and sticky. I just happened to bring some alcohol wipes with me on this trip and we got ourselves fairly clean using them. We talked about her school and she had a class about religion and history. She said she didn’t belong to any special church and was trying to find one. I asked if she had been to Utah before. Only driving through, she said. When she flies she has always gone through Phoenix and this was the first time she had ever gone through Salt Lake City.
I asked her if she believed in the Bible and Jesus Christ and she said yes. I told her I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we’re called Mormons. I asked if she knew why we were called Mormons and she had no idea. I pulled out the B of M which I had placed in the seat pocket and showed her the book. We talked a little about the Bible. I asked her if she could tell me what type of book the Bible was if I knew nothing about Christianity. She did a fair job by saying it was about the prophets. I told her I think of it as a history book about the children of Israel and the dealing of God with them through the prophets and also about the life of Jesus. Then I opened the B of M to the map pasted in the front. It is so easy to explain where the Bible comes from and show how the B of M is the same type of book only from another part of the world. It is a different history but with prophets receiving information from the same God the two books should teach the same things. I asked her if she believe she existed before this life and she wasn’t sure. This led into the next picture of the plan of happiness. This is such an important part where they learn they are spirit children of heavenly parents and they just didn’t happen when they were born. I told her I was sure we were friends then and our spiritual brains knew it but our bodies are controlled by our physical brains and they don’t remember. We talked about all of the phases and importance of the plan. I told her about Joseph Smith and having the first vision and the great knowledge that the Father and Son are separate beings and not three rolled up into one as was taught by all of the Christian churches at that time. I told her if we did have a Father in Heaven wouldn’t he really want us to know what he looked like.
We talked about Adam and Eve and that they were our first parents. We went through the introductory pages of the B of M, the three witnesses and all of the parts that had been highlighted. I like to use a red pencil and highlight individual sentences. In the book where we have scriptures I just color in a line down the side of the passage so it is easy to find. Next to the scripture I had written one or two words about the scripture subject. This really helps. There isn’t time to read all of the scriptures but with the explanation next to them they can easily go back and find a subject they are interested in. We went through each explanation talking about it to about page 400 and we were almost out of time so I turned to the promise. We had talked about so many things. I tried to stress the importance of free agency, making good choices and that she was a daughter of our Father in Heaven. She believes in prayer and I encouraged her to pray about the B of M and told her she would receive an answer just as I had. She asked if I had always been a member of the church and I said yes but I had to find out for my self if it was true and if the B of M was true. I told her that I hadn’t had a marvelous manifestation as some have but every time I picked up the book and read it I know that it is true and that Joseph Smith or any other man could not have written it and that it had to have been translated by the gift and power of God.
She is still young and does not know much about religion except she wants to find one. I told her that there should be an LDS group at her college. I told her if she read only the scriptures that had been highlighted she would know more about Jesus Christ and His doctrine than anyone else in her class including the teacher. She was excited to have the Book of Mormon and she said she would call me if she had any questions. This was a great visit. It’s exciting to look back and see how the hand of God helps us accomplish His work. It is amazing how things just work out.
My son, Mark, and I have made it a point to take the Book of Mormon with us when we fly in support of our work. We’ve had limited success in past years talking to the people we sit next to about the gospel and giving them a B of M. Mark put together a plan to help increase our success rate. His plan uses two pictures, one of the world showing the Bible coming from the old world and the B of M from the new world. The second picture is of God’s Plan of Happiness. Then he marked important items on the introductory pages and then specific scriptures through out the book. Next to the marked scriptures is a simple statement of what the scripture is about. We mark at the bottom of the page telling what page to go to next. When you’re through reading these scriptures you don’t know who Lehi and Nephi were but you do know the doctrine of Christ,
Let me tell you about Korbi
I traveled from SLC to Santa Barbara CA on 12-1-08. I brought a marked copy of the B of M and intended to place it with whoever sat next to me. If I really want to place a B of M I’ve found it necessary to let the Lord know that I’m prepared and will need His help to meet the right person. I got to the airport with more than enough time and security was a breeze and I had over an hour before flight time. As I walked through the terminal I noticed the Cinnabon counter and the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls. I decided to get two of them and maybe I could share with the person that would sit next to me.
I was one of the first ones to board and had an assigned aisle seat near the rear of the plane. I watched the plane fill up and looked at each person wondering if he or she would take the seat next to me but no one took it. The plane finally looked full except for the seat next to me. I kept thinking maybe I wouldn’t get to meet anyone. Finally a middle aged lady got on and I was sure she would be the one but she had a different seat assignment two rows in from of me and someone was sitting in her seat.
A young girl got up and was told by the attendant to take the seat next to me. Just after she sat down I called home to check in before the door closed. I spoke to my oldest daughter Jodi who was visiting her mother and told her I was sitting next to a lovely young lady about 18 or 19 and the young lady smiled and agreed. Then I spoke to my wife and told her I was sitting next to a young lady beautiful enough to be my granddaughter. I asked her name so I could tell wife and her name was Korbi. I asked my wife if I could adopt her for 2 hours and spoil her little and Korbi smiled and laughed a little and said it would be OK. After I finished talking and turned off my cell phone. I reminded Korbi about the wonderful meals we get on the flight and she said oh I know I got peanuts on my last flight. Then I brought out the Cinnabons and gave her one. She had never eaten one and neither had I. We had to use our fingers as I hadn’t picked up any utensils, just napkins. Next time I’ll get forks and knives.
We ate them with our fingers and had fun just visiting. She was from Vail Colorado and I told her one of my daughters lived in Highlands Ranch, which is near Denver, and she had been there playing sports of some kind. She was going back to college in Santa Barbara. Korbi has an older brother and two younger stepsisters. She wanted to know how many granddaughters I had and I couldn’t instantly remember (I have 15 granddaughters) but told her I had seven great granddaughters. Becoming friends is so easy when you both share information about yourself. By the time we had finished the Cinnabons we both were pretty gooey and sticky. I just happened to bring some alcohol wipes with me on this trip and we got ourselves fairly clean using them. We talked about her school and she had a class about religion and history. She said she didn’t belong to any special church and was trying to find one. I asked if she had been to Utah before. Only driving through, she said. When she flies she has always gone through Phoenix and this was the first time she had ever gone through Salt Lake City.
I asked her if she believed in the Bible and Jesus Christ and she said yes. I told her I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and we’re called Mormons. I asked if she knew why we were called Mormons and she had no idea. I pulled out the B of M which I had placed in the seat pocket and showed her the book. We talked a little about the Bible. I asked her if she could tell me what type of book the Bible was if I knew nothing about Christianity. She did a fair job by saying it was about the prophets. I told her I think of it as a history book about the children of Israel and the dealing of God with them through the prophets and also about the life of Jesus. Then I opened the B of M to the map pasted in the front. It is so easy to explain where the Bible comes from and show how the B of M is the same type of book only from another part of the world. It is a different history but with prophets receiving information from the same God the two books should teach the same things. I asked her if she believe she existed before this life and she wasn’t sure. This led into the next picture of the plan of happiness. This is such an important part where they learn they are spirit children of heavenly parents and they just didn’t happen when they were born. I told her I was sure we were friends then and our spiritual brains knew it but our bodies are controlled by our physical brains and they don’t remember. We talked about all of the phases and importance of the plan. I told her about Joseph Smith and having the first vision and the great knowledge that the Father and Son are separate beings and not three rolled up into one as was taught by all of the Christian churches at that time. I told her if we did have a Father in Heaven wouldn’t he really want us to know what he looked like.
We talked about Adam and Eve and that they were our first parents. We went through the introductory pages of the B of M, the three witnesses and all of the parts that had been highlighted. I like to use a red pencil and highlight individual sentences. In the book where we have scriptures I just color in a line down the side of the passage so it is easy to find. Next to the scripture I had written one or two words about the scripture subject. This really helps. There isn’t time to read all of the scriptures but with the explanation next to them they can easily go back and find a subject they are interested in. We went through each explanation talking about it to about page 400 and we were almost out of time so I turned to the promise. We had talked about so many things. I tried to stress the importance of free agency, making good choices and that she was a daughter of our Father in Heaven. She believes in prayer and I encouraged her to pray about the B of M and told her she would receive an answer just as I had. She asked if I had always been a member of the church and I said yes but I had to find out for my self if it was true and if the B of M was true. I told her that I hadn’t had a marvelous manifestation as some have but every time I picked up the book and read it I know that it is true and that Joseph Smith or any other man could not have written it and that it had to have been translated by the gift and power of God.
She is still young and does not know much about religion except she wants to find one. I told her that there should be an LDS group at her college. I told her if she read only the scriptures that had been highlighted she would know more about Jesus Christ and His doctrine than anyone else in her class including the teacher. She was excited to have the Book of Mormon and she said she would call me if she had any questions. This was a great visit. It’s exciting to look back and see how the hand of God helps us accomplish His work. It is amazing how things just work out.
Anthony
5/5/08Can you imagine hearing from your grandpa so soon? Just want to share another experience I had just yesterday. I flew to Atlanta GA and onto Huntsville, AL. On the trip to Atlanta it is 3 and a half hour flight.I was in the center seat on row 44, last row in the airplane. On the aisle was Kaleb, a Delta pilot living in Liberty and by the window was Anthony, a black person in his mid forty's. Kaleb was LDS and had gone on a mission to the French Caribbean. Anthony was a minister for the Calvary Baptist Church in South SLC. He of curse was my opportunity to discuss the gospel. I had my B of M in my lap and he started the conversation so away we went. I was careful to not put him in a defense position and using as many bible scriptures that I could remember. He did believe in a pre earth life. We discussed our Plan of Happiness and he had no questions. I asked him if I knew nothing about Jesus what he would tell me what the bible was. It ended up being a variety of writings about God's word. I suggested it was a history of the children of Israel and the revelation of God's word through his prophets. Heagreed and I showed him the world map and how Lehi came to America. He already knew a lot about Joseph Smith and his wife's great grandparents were Mormon pioneers. I concentrated on the B of M and its scriptures and had him read Moroni's promise. I told him that many people had a very powerful witness of its truthfulness but I never did. I just knew that when ever I read it I knew that it was a true record and not a story written by man. I offered him the book but he said he had one,which didn't surprise me, but he wanted mine since I had marked it up and asked me to dedicate it to him so I did. I told him had had to read all of the scriptures I marked since it took me 2 1/2 hours to mark it up. He did say that I presented my "witness" very well. Time will tell.
First Experiences
In the past when I’ve been traveling for my work I’ve always tried to take a BM with me in the hope that I might place one. I had no real plan in mind just try to get it placed. I had some success but nothing magnificent and I’ve never heard from anyone that I’ve ever given BM too. Your Uncle Mark loves to do missionary work and he has also been trying to place BMs the same way but has developed a great approach to doing it. I didn’t travel at all last year and only twice this year but using his approach I’ve had three great conversations about the church and placed two BMs. On the fourth leg of the trips I was ready but no one sat by me. Mark’s approach is very simple but effective. He starts with getting acquainted – introduces himself, where are you from any why are you going and generalities. He then asks a simple question like what does your church teach about your purpose for being here on earth is? Or what do you think your purpose for being here on earth is? That gets the conversation going and then he can says this is what our church teaches. He has a BM and pasted on one of the first blank pages he has prepared a plan of salvation. He used to draw it on a piece of paper but having a good one that he made is much better. See attachments. Then he can talk about the Bible and the BM. On another blank page he has a map of the world and shows the journey of Lehi coming to the Americas and the BM from there. That leads into where the BM came from. That can be a detailed as the spirit directs including what the pictures in the front show. The next step I think is one of the best. He has underlined specific items on the beginning pages prior to Nephi. Then on the first page of Nephi he underlines items in the chapter heading and writes America out on the border for the Promised Land. On the bottom of the page it says go to page 6 with an arrow pointing to go forward. Then he has marked specific verses and chapters all the way through the BM. The important thing is the reader can follow the arrows and gets a great doctrinal understanding of Christ and the gospel and never reads one word about wars or contentions. Where appropriate he has written on the pages what the specific message is like faith or resurrection. The reader can read more if they want but having a direct path to follow is the important thing. Of course the visit of Christ is there and the BM promise. He asks them to read the promise and possible some of the other scriptures if they have some specific questions. Then he offers to give the BM to them and has had great success.
On the first leg of my trip to California I sat next to Erin. She was probably in her thirties and Catholic I’m sure. She knew quite a bit about the church and I just filled in the missing information. She didn’t want a BM but I did learn some interesting things. She was brought up in Vermont and wanted to know if I had seen the JS monument in Sharon. I hadn’t. She was very impressed with it. She said that Vermont is small and doesn’t have many attractions. They have a list of the the most interesting things to see and the JS monument is on the top of the list. Pretty neat!
On my way home I sat next to Chris Lee. He is in his 40’s and a consultant for IBM. He had been in Santa Barbara for a week fixing some security problems for a bank. I had s BM on my lap and he initiated the conversation. I used the lead in question and he got it right. Living correctly and sharing his knowledge with others. We had a great gospel conversation and when I asked him to read the promise, he read it out loud. This was very unusual. He didn’t want to accept the BM since I had it all marked up, but I told him I marked it up for him and he accepted. I gave him my business card since I didn’t have my name in it any place and he gave me his business card. Now that is unusual. Chris has never been married and I thought what a great person for our over 30 singles group. I didn’t have the plan of salvation or world map and so I was handy capped in that respect. They both are important along with the BM mark ups.
On my next trip I sat next to Dustin. He is in his 30’s and comes from Brooklyn NY. He and his live in girl friend are house sitting for a friend in a town some 70 miles from Santa Barbara. Dustin is a self proclaimed short (15-20 minutes) movie maker and presently working on his next script. Conversation went well; I had the plan of salvation and map with me which really helped. He wasn’t sure he wanted the BM but said he was sure he could find a good home for it and maybe read it himself so he took it. His girl friend was picking him up and I said I would like to meet her. I was standing on the curb with my bags waiting to be picked up and the drove by so I got to meet his girl friend, who was very attractive, and tell her that Dustin was OK and that we had had a great time visiting together.
On the first leg of my trip to California I sat next to Erin. She was probably in her thirties and Catholic I’m sure. She knew quite a bit about the church and I just filled in the missing information. She didn’t want a BM but I did learn some interesting things. She was brought up in Vermont and wanted to know if I had seen the JS monument in Sharon. I hadn’t. She was very impressed with it. She said that Vermont is small and doesn’t have many attractions. They have a list of the the most interesting things to see and the JS monument is on the top of the list. Pretty neat!
On my way home I sat next to Chris Lee. He is in his 40’s and a consultant for IBM. He had been in Santa Barbara for a week fixing some security problems for a bank. I had s BM on my lap and he initiated the conversation. I used the lead in question and he got it right. Living correctly and sharing his knowledge with others. We had a great gospel conversation and when I asked him to read the promise, he read it out loud. This was very unusual. He didn’t want to accept the BM since I had it all marked up, but I told him I marked it up for him and he accepted. I gave him my business card since I didn’t have my name in it any place and he gave me his business card. Now that is unusual. Chris has never been married and I thought what a great person for our over 30 singles group. I didn’t have the plan of salvation or world map and so I was handy capped in that respect. They both are important along with the BM mark ups.
On my next trip I sat next to Dustin. He is in his 30’s and comes from Brooklyn NY. He and his live in girl friend are house sitting for a friend in a town some 70 miles from Santa Barbara. Dustin is a self proclaimed short (15-20 minutes) movie maker and presently working on his next script. Conversation went well; I had the plan of salvation and map with me which really helped. He wasn’t sure he wanted the BM but said he was sure he could find a good home for it and maybe read it himself so he took it. His girl friend was picking him up and I said I would like to meet her. I was standing on the curb with my bags waiting to be picked up and the drove by so I got to meet his girl friend, who was very attractive, and tell her that Dustin was OK and that we had had a great time visiting together.
Explanation
I've attached a PDF file with the pictures and scriptures I use when I mark the Book of Mormon. If you have any questions you can call or email. I follow the same pattern each time I talk to some one about the B of M. Typically it is on an airplane where I have a captive audience. Every time I follow these steps I can talk to the person next to me about the church. So far it has worked each and every time I have tried it.
First I visit with the person.
I bring up religion.
I state that "I go to the Mormon Church".
Then I pull out a Book of Mormon and say "We use the Book of Mormon".
I then ask "Do you know what the Book of Mormon is?
I then open the front cover where I have pasted the picture of the Bible and the B of M.
I talk to them about the picture.
When I'm finished explaining the picture I turn to the second page where I have attached the picture of the Plan of Salvation.
I then explain the Plan of Salvation.
While we talk I ask them about their beliefs regarding death and the resurrection. I turn to the page references for the Spirit World and the Resurrection and read to them the verses I have previously marked.
At some point I offer them the B of M. Some will accept it and some won't.
First I visit with the person.
I bring up religion.
I state that "I go to the Mormon Church".
Then I pull out a Book of Mormon and say "We use the Book of Mormon".
I then ask "Do you know what the Book of Mormon is?
I then open the front cover where I have pasted the picture of the Bible and the B of M.
I talk to them about the picture.
When I'm finished explaining the picture I turn to the second page where I have attached the picture of the Plan of Salvation.
I then explain the Plan of Salvation.
While we talk I ask them about their beliefs regarding death and the resurrection. I turn to the page references for the Spirit World and the Resurrection and read to them the verses I have previously marked.
At some point I offer them the B of M. Some will accept it and some won't.
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