My first time on exchanges and while we're chatting with this family I started to think that the lesson we had planned was to bold. It might be ineffective or even misinterpreted. So what now? My companion is just meeting this family for the first time, I'm supposed to lead the discussion and now I don't even know what to say, let alone how to tell my companion that I don't think our lesson is a good idea.
I quickly flipped open my scriptures wondering what message we could possibly share. As I looked down at some of the scriptures I had marked, one in particular jumped off the page.
"How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?" (Moroni 7:40).
This was the scripture I would use. But how would I apply it? I really had no idea but as I started to speak the Spirit took over. After reading the verse, I asked, "what role does hope pay in having faith?" They went on to speak about various life experiences that their hope in the Savior lead to their faith being strengthened. The process of sharing those experiences allowed us to get a better understanding of their testimonies, the experiences they had with the Gospel and most importantly, it allowed them to recall experiences where they felt the Spirit which invited a very strong Spirit into the room.
This conversation led to another question:
"How can you better show your committed to God?"
Their responses brought us into the very topic I had avoided and proved to me that I am not the teacher. I don't know what they need to hear.
It was a testimony to me of the power of the Spirit. Where the topic might have been dodged by my desire to be discrete rather than bold, there was a needed boldness and God made it happen. While there are still concerns that need addressing, I have felt the Lord work. I know they felt the Spirit. I know they know where they need to be. I know they know they can do better. More importantly, they know that God knows they can do better.
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