LOUETTA Conversion story
We were out tracting, and we came upon this door. We knocked a couple of times, and no one answered. Finally we knocked the third time, and still couldn't get anybody to answer the door.
We started down the sidewalk and were about to turn the other way, when we heard this feeble little voice say, "Don't go boys!" We turned around. Standing in the doorway was this little woman, a little black lady with pure white hair, who must have been in her middle eighties.
She said, "Come back!" We went up and she told us that her name was Louetta Fry. Louetta was very lonely, maybe a little senile. However, I learned on my mission that it's very important to answer the needs of the people.
A lot of times you have to fulfill those needs. When they see that someone cares enough to satisfy those needs, they are interested in why, What's motivating you to take this step that no one else has before? Then they are interested in your message.
Louetta talked to us, and that's all she did. For about an hour she just talked nonstop. She talked about her family, and of her husband who had passed away about ten to fifteen years earlier, and she told us that she was just basically getting over losing him. When she finished, she just let out a big sigh and she said, "Thank you for listening now I'm sure you must have come with something to tell me, so I'll listen to you because you listened to me." We taught her the first discussion and we left her with a challenge to read a copy of the Book of Mormon. It wasn't the best discussion we had ever had, and as matter of fact, we didn't even make a return appointment.
She was just a little lonely old senile lady who needed someone to talk to. About two weeks passed. We had a morning full of appointments, and every one of them fell through. We found ourselves Tracting. That wasn't getting us anywhere.
The Spirit said, "Go visit Louetta." We went back and she invited us in. Her house is like every Grandma's house in Iowa. It's stuffed to the hilt with memories. It had an over stuffed couch, one ratty dog that likes to chew on your shoe, and when you sit in the couch you just fall into it. Again, for about an hour, all she did was talk to us.
She shared many things about her life. Same thing when she finished, she'd sigh and say "Now what do you have to tell me?" I said, "Well, Louetta, did you get to read anything that we asked you to?" She said, "Yeah, I read some!" I said, "Do you have any questions?" "No....well, I understood the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount better in that Third Nephi that I did when I read in the New Testament. Is that what you want?" "Sounds good to me."
Elder Green said, "well, anything else:" She said, "Yes I do have a question. Now I read about some people called Jaredites, were they the people scattered at the time of the tower of Babel?" Now, Elder Green and I are intelligent missionaries. We know that the Jaredites are not in Third Nephi. That was our reading assignment, Third Nephi, chapter eleven through eighteen. This makes us pretty excited.
We explained to her that they were indeed the people. Wow! She'd read more than we had asked her to read! Third times a charm. "Anything else?" She was so cool! She has no teeth. She just puckers up them lips, then she goes, (smack) "I read about two boys! You know, their father's a prophet: their brother's a really righteous man.
God shows an angel to them. Oooo! You just can't teach some kids anything!" I would like to have leapt up and kissed her. I knew who those two boys were. They were Lamen and Lemuel. I was definitely bright enough to know that Lamen and Lemuel were in the First Nephi, and not Third Nephi. I said, "Louetta, how much of this book did you read?"
She said "I read it....and I loved it! I READ ALL OF IT." I get something in my eye, and my companion gets something in his throat, and we know that maybe Louetta has potential. We ended up that day challenging her to baptism. She accepted. I wouldn't tell you the story if she didn't. Teaching her was so cool. She was like a little child in a candy store. She wanted everything, and she wanted it now.
She was just so beautiful! We found out she was eighty-four, and she weighed like ninety-five pounds. Both of us baptized her, because she was so frail. In everything we put on her she'd look like a tent, no matter what. We baptized her, we took her out of the water, and when it was over she was crying. She said, "It's done. After eighty-four, it's done." We went over the next day. Louetta was way cool...She made us sign this little sheet, (she had a friend at the bank who notarized it for her) that we had certain responsibilities as her adopted grandchildren. We had to listen to her stories, we had to drink her hot chocolate, and we had to come by at least once a day for twenty minutes. We came by the first day, and we were so excited. We were going to tell her all the things she could do. We wanted her to plan on a date so that she could go to the temple and be sealed to her husband. We told her about home teaching and visiting teaching, and Elder Green said, "Do you want to get a Patriarchal Blessing?" We explained to her what that was, and she said, "Ooooo! I want one of those." She wouldn't let us leave that day until we called Patriarch Botts, and made an appointment for her. She got an appointment for about three days later. We'd been coming by every day, generally about two o'clock in the afternoon, visiting with her. One morning about nine o'clock
(It's been about two weeks), She called, and said, "You coming over today?" I said, "Yes Louetta, you know we're coming. We're always going to come at two o'clock." She said, "No, no it came!" "Louetta, what came?" "That blessing. That blueprint thingy." I said, "well, that was quick, they generally don't come that fast." "Well it came!" "Okay, We'll come over this morning." We went down, and sat down with her, and she handed it to me. She said, "Elder Carpenter, will you read this to me?" I said, "No, I think it's personal, Louetta. I think you ought to read it first to yourself." And she said,
"No Please, read it." Again I declined. I said, "No, I really think that it's important that you read it first yourself." Her eyes got big, and she looked at us for a moment, and for the first time that I'd taught her she called us "Elders." She said, "No, Elders, you don't understand, do you?" And I said, "Louetta I don't understand what?" "Elders, I can't see to read. For twenty years I haven't been able to see the words on a written page. But when you left that book with me, for the first time in twenty years I saw words on a page, and I saw them until I finished it. The Lord wanted me to read it. But I don't have those eyes now. You have to read this to me."
This was more than we could handle. I started to read to Louetta her Patriarchal Blessing. It was a beautiful blessing. I got about three-quarters of the way through, and there was a paragraph that talked about her and the elect lady that she was. It said that if the Elder who had been called and appointed of the Lord to teach her would have accepted his call, that this fine lady would have joined the Church some twenty-five years earlier. Now, after some sacrifice and trial, and some testing of the missionaries now with her that had proven worthy to teach her, she had embraced the gospel, and that she'd done what the Lord needed her to do.
It was three days later that I stood at the grave side of that woman, and dedicated her grave. She'd done everything that the Lord had wanted her to do, and her mission in this life was complete. That's when I really understood just how important it was that we go where the Lord wants us to go.
The Room
We were out tracting, and we came upon this door. We knocked a couple of times, and no one answered. Finally we knocked the third time, and still couldn't get anybody to answer the door.
We started down the sidewalk and were about to turn the other way, when we heard this feeble little voice say, "Don't go boys!" We turned around. Standing in the doorway was this little woman, a little black lady with pure white hair, who must have been in her middle eighties.
She said, "Come back!" We went up and she told us that her name was Louetta Fry. Louetta was very lonely, maybe a little senile. However, I learned on my mission that it's very important to answer the needs of the people.
A lot of times you have to fulfill those needs. When they see that someone cares enough to satisfy those needs, they are interested in why, What's motivating you to take this step that no one else has before? Then they are interested in your message.
Louetta talked to us, and that's all she did. For about an hour she just talked nonstop. She talked about her family, and of her husband who had passed away about ten to fifteen years earlier, and she told us that she was just basically getting over losing him. When she finished, she just let out a big sigh and she said, "Thank you for listening now I'm sure you must have come with something to tell me, so I'll listen to you because you listened to me." We taught her the first discussion and we left her with a challenge to read a copy of the Book of Mormon. It wasn't the best discussion we had ever had, and as matter of fact, we didn't even make a return appointment.
She was just a little lonely old senile lady who needed someone to talk to. About two weeks passed. We had a morning full of appointments, and every one of them fell through. We found ourselves Tracting. That wasn't getting us anywhere.
The Spirit said, "Go visit Louetta." We went back and she invited us in. Her house is like every Grandma's house in Iowa. It's stuffed to the hilt with memories. It had an over stuffed couch, one ratty dog that likes to chew on your shoe, and when you sit in the couch you just fall into it. Again, for about an hour, all she did was talk to us.
She shared many things about her life. Same thing when she finished, she'd sigh and say "Now what do you have to tell me?" I said, "Well, Louetta, did you get to read anything that we asked you to?" She said, "Yeah, I read some!" I said, "Do you have any questions?" "No....well, I understood the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount better in that Third Nephi that I did when I read in the New Testament. Is that what you want?" "Sounds good to me."
Elder Green said, "well, anything else:" She said, "Yes I do have a question. Now I read about some people called Jaredites, were they the people scattered at the time of the tower of Babel?" Now, Elder Green and I are intelligent missionaries. We know that the Jaredites are not in Third Nephi. That was our reading assignment, Third Nephi, chapter eleven through eighteen. This makes us pretty excited.
We explained to her that they were indeed the people. Wow! She'd read more than we had asked her to read! Third times a charm. "Anything else?" She was so cool! She has no teeth. She just puckers up them lips, then she goes, (smack) "I read about two boys! You know, their father's a prophet: their brother's a really righteous man.
God shows an angel to them. Oooo! You just can't teach some kids anything!" I would like to have leapt up and kissed her. I knew who those two boys were. They were Lamen and Lemuel. I was definitely bright enough to know that Lamen and Lemuel were in the First Nephi, and not Third Nephi. I said, "Louetta, how much of this book did you read?"
She said "I read it....and I loved it! I READ ALL OF IT." I get something in my eye, and my companion gets something in his throat, and we know that maybe Louetta has potential. We ended up that day challenging her to baptism. She accepted. I wouldn't tell you the story if she didn't. Teaching her was so cool. She was like a little child in a candy store. She wanted everything, and she wanted it now.
She was just so beautiful! We found out she was eighty-four, and she weighed like ninety-five pounds. Both of us baptized her, because she was so frail. In everything we put on her she'd look like a tent, no matter what. We baptized her, we took her out of the water, and when it was over she was crying. She said, "It's done. After eighty-four, it's done." We went over the next day. Louetta was way cool...She made us sign this little sheet, (she had a friend at the bank who notarized it for her) that we had certain responsibilities as her adopted grandchildren. We had to listen to her stories, we had to drink her hot chocolate, and we had to come by at least once a day for twenty minutes. We came by the first day, and we were so excited. We were going to tell her all the things she could do. We wanted her to plan on a date so that she could go to the temple and be sealed to her husband. We told her about home teaching and visiting teaching, and Elder Green said, "Do you want to get a Patriarchal Blessing?" We explained to her what that was, and she said, "Ooooo! I want one of those." She wouldn't let us leave that day until we called Patriarch Botts, and made an appointment for her. She got an appointment for about three days later. We'd been coming by every day, generally about two o'clock in the afternoon, visiting with her. One morning about nine o'clock
(It's been about two weeks), She called, and said, "You coming over today?" I said, "Yes Louetta, you know we're coming. We're always going to come at two o'clock." She said, "No, no it came!" "Louetta, what came?" "That blessing. That blueprint thingy." I said, "well, that was quick, they generally don't come that fast." "Well it came!" "Okay, We'll come over this morning." We went down, and sat down with her, and she handed it to me. She said, "Elder Carpenter, will you read this to me?" I said, "No, I think it's personal, Louetta. I think you ought to read it first to yourself." And she said,
"No Please, read it." Again I declined. I said, "No, I really think that it's important that you read it first yourself." Her eyes got big, and she looked at us for a moment, and for the first time that I'd taught her she called us "Elders." She said, "No, Elders, you don't understand, do you?" And I said, "Louetta I don't understand what?" "Elders, I can't see to read. For twenty years I haven't been able to see the words on a written page. But when you left that book with me, for the first time in twenty years I saw words on a page, and I saw them until I finished it. The Lord wanted me to read it. But I don't have those eyes now. You have to read this to me."
This was more than we could handle. I started to read to Louetta her Patriarchal Blessing. It was a beautiful blessing. I got about three-quarters of the way through, and there was a paragraph that talked about her and the elect lady that she was. It said that if the Elder who had been called and appointed of the Lord to teach her would have accepted his call, that this fine lady would have joined the Church some twenty-five years earlier. Now, after some sacrifice and trial, and some testing of the missionaries now with her that had proven worthy to teach her, she had embraced the gospel, and that she'd done what the Lord needed her to do.
It was three days later that I stood at the grave side of that woman, and dedicated her grave. She'd done everything that the Lord had wanted her to do, and her mission in this life was complete. That's when I really understood just how important it was that we go where the Lord wants us to go.
The Room
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for one wall covered with small index card files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings.
As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “People I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.
And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.
A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named “Friends” was next to one marked “Friends I have Betrayed.”
The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my short life to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my own signature.
When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.
An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them! In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards.
But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.
Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than 3 inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.
But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?
Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me.
Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.
“No!” I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “No, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.
He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”
I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.
Footprints In The Sand
"One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Scenes from his life flashed across the sky
and he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,
he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child.
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints...
That was when I carried you."
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Scenes from his life flashed across the sky
and he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,
he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child.
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints...
That was when I carried you."
- Mary Stevenson
Satan's Meeting
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said,
"We can't keep Christians from going to church."
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their saviour."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."
"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."
"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."
"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.."
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "
"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
"Give them headaches too! "
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"
"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."
"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."
"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."
"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."
"It will work!"
"It will work!"
It was quite a plan!
The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.
Having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
In My Hands
A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.
A basketball in Michael Jordan's
hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends whose hands it's in.
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
A baseball in Mark McGwire's hands is worth $19 million.
It depends whose hands it's in.
A tennis racket is useless in my hands.
A tennis racket in Venue Williams'
hands is a Championship Winning.
It depends whose hands it's in.
A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends whose hands it's in.
A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy
A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon.
It depends whose hands it's in.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my
hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in
Jesus's hands will feed thousands.
It depends whose hands it's in.
Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse
Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will
produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends whose hands it's in.
As you see now it depends whose hands it's in.
So put your concerns, your worries, your fears,
your hopes, your dreams, your families and your
relationships in God's hands because...
It depends whose hands it's in.
This message is now in your hands.
What will YOU do with it?
