This past week, I was able to visit with a member regarding his calling. I went there initially with the intention to review progress and to see how the individual was doing with the calling. This is something I get to do regularly. It was a typical neat experience in which this individual opened up to me and let me know of his struggles. We probably conversed for nearly an hour. The spirit was there and it kept telling me things relating to him and what he needed to do to progress in the gospel, stay close to the spirit and work hard to be a better father and husband. It was a lot of good advice not only applicable for him but for me as well. This individual has struggled doing the daily things that keep him close to the spirit. He has struggled feeling close to God because of the struggles and hardships he and his family has had to endure. He was not cursing God, but he didn't feel really close to Him either. He had all the right answers in knowing what needed to be done to be closer to God, but was having a difficult time applying them into his daily schedule. He also let me know of his financial struggles from the poor economy. He had been a general contractor and was constructing numerous homes at once. A string of bad luck caused him to go bankrupt. He did not get paid on a few homes he had constructed and then the bank foreclosed on a couple other properties he was developing causing him to be nearly $300,000 in personal debt. He had taken out a couple loans which linked personal assets to the company and was left with nothing after all the material possessions he had were repossessed. He got out of the bankruptcy with the ability to pay off his sub contractors but because of actually paying those bills, was left with nothing for he and his family. He struggled to put food on the table for his family. Although he did not say it, I felt that he somewhat thought and felt that he had been abandoned by God and that God left him to be on his own. He had felt that he was a good man trying to always do his best and to keep the commandments. But, he just could not get ahead in life and that he was unhappy living where he is. Renting, which is what he is doing right now, is difficult for him because he loves to tinker and do projects around the house and feels he can't do that because it is not his house. So, while he was getting down on himself, it was then that I was able to testify that God does not abandon us but allows us to go through trials to learn who He truly is and who He would have us become. Jesus did not have an easy life. If He did, He would not have learned what He needed to become our Judge and Advocate with the Father. He had to descend below all things before He could ascend above all. In the end, this man felt that this trial would pass and that he would be able to overcome the obstacles placed before him. He is such a good man and I felt so impressed with him. I knew he was going through hard times, but I also knew that he would overcome his trials and would come out better than if he had not gone through them. At the end of our conversation, he committed to doing the personal things that would keep him close to Heavenly Father. What a great man!
On another occasion, I was giving a temple recommend interview for one of the young women in the ward. The young women in the ward have a goal this year to go to each temple here in Utah. What a goal! In fact, when I was doing another temple recommend for one of the adult women in the ward, she commented to me that she was so impressed with the young women leaders and how they have helped her daughter so much in gaining her own testimony. This particular individual I was interviewing is only 13 years old. We got through the first 3 questions of the interview which ask about one's testimony. I was impressed to ask her to share with me her own testimony and feelings of the gospel. She started sharing her testimony with me when all of a sudden she couldn't speak anymore. She was getting all emotional and was having a hard time expressing herself. She could relate that she loved Heavenly Father and Jesus. She said she knew the gospel of Jesus Christ was true. It was neat to witness a young 13 year old feel close to God and have a testimony
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