The Land of Mormon

Since my arrival here, I have felt the Spirit very powerfully. I believe that a big part of that feeling is the beautiful people who live here, the Lord’s love for them, and the future that they have. They don’t have all the material wealth of those in the United States, Canada, or Europe and it is not because they are any less intelligent or work one wit less. I believe it is the Lord preparing them for what lies ahead.

This morning as I was reading “The Book of Mormon”, my heart burned as I read the following passages:

3  Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.
4  And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.
Mosiah 28:3-4

Those verses very much described the feelings that I had before I was called to come to this land for the first time, almost forty-five years ago. I found the similarities unnerving and the fact that we were probably called to come to the very same place. 

This morning in Sacrament meeting I related another modern story with wonderful similarities to The Book of Mormon. It was related to us by our Mission President, Benjamin Parra, several years ago. When President Parra was a boy, he went with his father to rescue two missionaries held captive by an angry mob. When they arrived, the scene was very scary. The mob carried machetes and other weapons and were worked up into blood thirsty frenzy, at the point to kill the two young missionaries. Young Benjamin slumped very low in his seat in fear, but his father boldly got out of the car and walked through the mob to the building where the elders where being help captive. Without hesitation, he opened their jail, took one missionary on each arm and turned and faced the now quieted mob. “If any of you touch us, he will die,” Benjamin’s father said in a loud voice, full of the Spirit. The mob cowed away in fear, parting to let them pass. No one touched them and they drove away safely.

I do believe that this is the land of the prophet Mormon.