This story is about a valiant seeker of truth, who is a powerhouse of knowledge and the Spirit, and loves Jesus Christ. Her name, is Angela.
One day, Angela was down by the pool at her apartment complex, when she met Tevin, who is a member but had not been to church in a while. They got to talking, and began to do Bible studies together, which of course led to discussions about church. Angela had been looking for a church to attend since she moved here, and while she had visited a few, none of them felt quite right. She’d always had a strong relationship with God, and when Tevin brought up the Church, she convinced him to go to church and to bring her as well. She enjoyed the experience, listening to the talks and the music, and she introduced herself to the missionaries, and expressed interest in learning more.
We set up a time to come see her later that week. We went over and got to know her, and even at that first meeting it was clear that she had a strong relationship with Jesus Christ, and that it meant a lot to her. One of the first lessons we taught her was about prophets, and how important they are, and we invited her to listen to some talks by President Nelson. After listening to some of his talks she remarked that she had never felt so much peace in her home as she did when she would play his sermons. She explained that she would turn it on and have it play in the background becasue of how much peace it brought to her. During this same time she started her study of the Book of Mormon.
As she opened the Book of Mormon for the first time, she read the Testimonies of the Three Witnesses, the Eight Witnesses, and of course, the Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. As she read Joseph Smith’s testimony, she gained her own testimony of it’s truthfulness, and the reality of the First Vision, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and that he had indeed found the ancient record and translated it by the gift and power of God. She said that God had been preparing her for a long time, so when we taught her the doctrine of baptism, it was more like she taught us, and as we extended the invitation to be baptized, she was more than ready to accept.
Angela’s original date for baptism was September 28, 2024. But the day before her baptism, Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, and unfortunately for us, we were stuck right in the middle of it. Due to a lack of water, power, and service, we were unable to have Angela’s baptism that day, despite our best efforts.
Following the hurricane, there were also a lot of needs in the community and our church family that prevented us from using the church building. As we consulted with the Bishop, he said that her baptism (and eternal salvation) was top priority, and he even offered his pool if the church remained unavailable. Fortunately, the church got power and water back in time for us to perform Angela’s baptism on October 9, 2024.
It is often said that the opposition in our lives reflects the faith that we have. We know that Angela’s faith was so strong, that a literal hurricane was the only thing that could slow her down. She was able to persevere, and make that sacred covenant with God. We’re grateful for Angela’s faith, and for God’s hand in her life.
Angela is proof that God is preparing people, and He has a plan for each of us. One visit, Angela said that she wished she could have heard this message earlier, but she recognizes that she wasn’t ready at that time, but that God had been preparing her for, and leading her to, the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God is in the details of each of our lives. We each experience hardships and trials that may feel like a hurricane. We can testify that there are no accidents and that God always provides a way. He did for Angela and he will for you!
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Barlows in TKM 