Hope of Israel; Would I Make a Difference As a Missionary?

I was filled with the hope and vibrancy of a young member of the church. For Youth Conference, our ward had traveled to Manti Utah for the Manti pageant. I was surprised to see so many people standing at the outskirts of the temple grounds, actively protesting the church and our beliefs as we walked in. We ignored them and gathered to socialize before the activity. As we talked, I couldn’t help but notice one man, probably in his early 50’s, with a young shade of gray on his head. He was standing about 50 feet away, and was one of the protesters, often referred to as “Anti’s.” I had a pass along card with a picture of Jesus Christ and a scripture from earlier in the trip. I pulled out the card, and with a great amount of nervous excitement, I leaned over to my good friend and told him what I was thinking. Together, we approached the guy and started a conversation. I held out the card, introduced myself, and handed it to him. I bore him a simple testimony of how Jesus Christ and his gospel had impacted me. He almost looked stunned, but then started to challenge us with questions about Joseph Smith. At first, we started to answer the questions calmy and collectively. I was sitting there inside my thoughts of how to respond, almost unawares of the crowd of members that started to gather around us. One pitched in, and soon the conversation had shifted so we weren’t even in it. My ambitious mind wanted to stay and see out how the conversation, now an argument, would end, but my good friend leaned over to me and said, “Hey, let’s go.”

I slightly reluctantly listened, and we left. I watched out of the corner of my eye from 50 feet away as the conversation continued . . . then ended. I wondered why I had been prompted to hand him a card. I wondered if the testimony I bore had helped him. I wondered if we left at the right time. I don’t know if anything happened. I didn’t think anyone involved was better off because of the argument that had taken place. However, I felt a peace that I had acted. I felt that the Lord was pleased with my efforts to build his kingdom, no matter how small they actually were.

There may be times when it feels like the adversaries’ influence is so widespread, and his hold is so strong, we wonder why should we even try. The fact is that these very thoughts and feelings are from the adversary. I may go as far as to say that each of us knows someone who has fallen away from God’s fold. A lot of us also know someone who actively protests the beliefs of the restored church. Some of us may be struggling with doubting questions and feelings ourselves. The good news in each of these situations is that “The victory has already been [won],” according to Elder Holland. He says,

“The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard.”

No matter how small the Lord’s battalion may seem at times, God will ultimately win! I want to end with one more story.

A long time ago in the Old Testament, there were two opposing peoples: the Syrians and the Israelites. The Syrians were enemies to the Israelites, and being so, the Syrian king sent a “great host” of his men, with “horses, and chariots” to surround the Israelites in the night. When the morning came, the servant of Elisha–the current Israelite prophet–awoke and was understandably afraid. He may have felt hopeless, without any potential escape from their enemies. What he didn’t see was the lesson the Lord would teach with this historical event. Elisha responds with this momentous counsel:

“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

Then “Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:13-17)

“The Victory has already been [won].” There is hope in Israel, and it starts with you.

- Zander Coombs