...YOU SHARE

                                 …YOU SHARE

 

W. Clement Stone once said. “If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” I truly believe that this has been the real motivation for our wanting to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, out of our genuine gratitude for it.

Phillis Crisp was a wonderful person to begin with. Her husband Greg and their 8 children were our next-door neighbors on Eden View Drive in Sacramento, California. Phyllis had a smile that was contagious and she was warm and friendly by nature.

When our stake announced a fireside with Michael McClain, a well-known church composer, we were excited to pass out flyers to our friends and neighbors. Phyllis said she would come. Phyllis did come and after the fireside we introduced her to the missionaries and loaded her up with pamphlets and a Book of Mormon. As she studied with the missionaries at her home and at ours, the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ began to enlarge her soul. As Alma explained, (Alma 32:28-33) she had planted the seed and it was growing and becoming delicious to her.

The time came when she desired to be baptized, but this presented a big problem for Phyllis. Her parents who lived not far away, were a big part of her life. What would they think? How would she tell them? She prayed for help from heaven and that’s exactly what she received.

As Phyllis began talking with her parents, she felt calm and at peace. She explained that she had been learning some new things; like families can be together forever and it just felt right. She had been reading from a new book of scripture which confirmed all the good things she was feeling inside. Her parents, Paul and Lilla Lynch, listened attentively. The more she said, the more they smiled. Unknown to Phyllis, her parents had been receiving their own missionary lessons, doing their own reading of the Book of Mormon. They also had grown a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and wanted to be baptized but worried how to tell Phyllis!

Parents and daughter had traveled their own paths to discover the same truths. Tears flowed and embraces were shared. God in his tender mercy had heard and answered all their prayers. Phyllis, her parents and several of Phyllis’s children were all soon baptized and rejoiced in their newfound faith. Paul became my favorite auto mechanic, and we all grew in love and friendship for about a year. They all decided that North Carolina, closer to family, was the next move for their family. Years passed then one day we heard a knock at our door. To our pleasant surprise, there stood Phyllis at our door!

Paul and Lilla were now temple ordinance workers and Phyllis was teaching Sunday school. All had stayed active and happy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We’ve reflected on our experience with Phyllis and her family often. All we did was make and invitation, open our hearts and home and the Lord did the rest. It has been said that the gospel of Jesus Christ can make bad people good and good people better. That’s what we experienced with our wonderful neighbors. Good people were made happier and better by embracing the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!

We hope our posterity will embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ and never hesitate to share it. We hope you remember the wise words of W. Clement Stone- “If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.”

Much Love- 

The Grandparent Chronicles

                         

 


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