Popular Post Garden Girl Posted October 8, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted October 8, 2014 No, not to me... I've been posting on this Board since 2005, and have read and/or shared some wonderful experiences... I share one with you now... In July I noticed some posts by "CountryBoy" and so one of them prompted me to send him a Personal Message... something I do at times when I want to be encouraging or share something off board. He responded and we began exchanging messages back and forth. His consisted of 2 or 3 sentences, but in the course of our messages and in answer to my questions he opened up more and told how he had had a faith crisis and lost his testimony and how he desperately wanted to be able to regain it... how he had loved serving a mission, of how he had loved being Mormon, loved the Book of Mormon, and missed the feeling of peace he felt in the temple. And how he continues to pray... and fast... for answers.Of course I responded, being as encouraging as I could... but I had many questions about what had made him lose his testimony, etc... questions that I hesitated to ask because I didn't want to push... all of this time I was praying that the Spirit would guide me, would help me to be able to help him because it was obvious that he wanted very much to regain his testimony. He was in my prayers daily, and I called the temple and asked if I could place a name on the prayer roll... CountryBoy... who was indeed in need of prayers. They accepted the name. I had learned from him that he was from Texas...Finally one day I asked him... Aren't you ever going to tell me your first name? (I had begun to sign my posts with my first name). His next post he said... My name is Steve. My questions still remained... when one day... a poster by the name of MaudieB posted a thread that was 3 years old from a person by the name of Stevedallas... the title of the thread was "I Am So Torn" and expressed the posters struggle he was having... and why...I saw the name Stevedallas, and wondered... Steve? Dallas as in Texas? Could it possibly be CountryBoy. I read the OP and certain phrases matched,,, I read all 5 pages of the post... All of the questions I had had about CountryBoy were answered in that thread pulled up by MaudieB, and in which she addressed two of his major concerns... Joseph as a prophet... and the Book of Mormon... and bore her testimony of the truthfulness of Joseph and of the Book of Mormon.Now I felt I understood him and could perhaps be of more help... I emailed and told him about MaudieB and the thread... he confirmed it was him, but that he had forgotten all about starting that post... and now here he was three years later still struggling... I said... Now Steve, what are the odds that a poster by the name of MaudieB would go into the archives and out of the hundreds of threads/topics pull up your 3-year old thread that answered all of the questions I had, let alone use it to bear her testimony in regard to the two main issues of your concern? Ponder it I told him. We continued to exchange emails when in one about three weeks ago he told me that he missed his testimony, missed believing, missed the peace of the temple, but that he would always cherish that he had felt that way. Well that sounded pretty final, so I decided to end our correspondence as I felt there was nothing I could do to help... so I wished him well, and that he would find peace. As I wrote those words I was filled with a deep sadness... I felt I was losing someone that was dear to me. Steve responded, asking me if I would share my telephone number... something I never do, and something I later found out he never would do... But I felt prompted to do so, so I did, and Steve called me... we were in the midst of talking for about 10 minutes when he was telling me that his best friend was LDS, and another friend was LDS... and then he casually mentioned there was his relative Dean Jessee at BYU... Wait a minute, Steve!!!... Wait, I said... Are you telling me you are related to Dean Jessee?... Yes... Well, I'm related to Dean Jessee... Dean Jessee and I are cousins! And so began a time of discovery of our being connected... We are cousins... I have told Steve that he surely knows that I do not believe it is by chance or coincidence that I have been put in his life path... particularly in consideration of the MaudieB post... and both of our prayers...We are sharing family history... and yesterday I mailed him a packet of family information that I have... and we are enjoying a wonderful friendship...To me, this is not by chance... not by coincidence... from the beach... GG 11 Link to comment
MorningStar Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 So cool, GG! Thank you for sharing. 1 Link to comment
jwhitlock Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I have told Steve that he surely knows that I do not believe it is by chance or coincidence that I have been put in his life path... particularly in consideration of the MaudieB post... and both of our prayers...We are sharing family history... and yesterday I mailed him a packet of family information that I have... and we are enjoying a wonderful friendship...To me, this is not by chance... not by coincidence... Amen. I'm not a great believer in coincidence. Too many experiences like this to deny the guiding hand of God in our lives. Thanks for sharing. 2 Link to comment
Popular Post UtahTexan Posted October 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted October 9, 2014 She messaged me. I rarely, rarely respond to private messages. But I did. She wanted to email. I never give my real email out. But felt something saying I should. She was so disappointed when she though I was trying to nicely leave. So, I told her I would phone. I NEVER give my phone number out. She asked about how I became LDS. I told her. I casually mentioned I had a relative who at least used to be the LDS Historia: Dean Jessee. There was a pause. 'You are related to Dean Jessee?" So...the person I was drawn to over the last few months is my cousin. I still can't get over it. 7 Link to comment
MorningStar Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 She messaged me. I rarely, rarely respond to private messages. But I did. She wanted to email. I never give my real email out. But felt something saying I should. She was so disappointed when she though I was trying to nicely leave. So, I told her I would phone. I NEVER give my phone number out. She asked about how I became LDS. I told her. I casually mentioned I had a relative who at least used to be the LDS Historia: Dean Jessee. There was a pause. 'You are related to Dean Jessee?" So...the person I was drawn to over the last few months is my cousin. I still can't get over it.That's so awesome! Link to comment
Kenngo1969 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Kudos to both of you! (Garden Girl, you are a gem! ) Steve, I don't know if I can give you any satisfactory answers to your questions, but remember what the Savior told the father who asked Christ to cast the evil spirit out of his son: "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth," and what the man said in response: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." See Mark 9. See also Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's April 2013 General Conference address that takes that scripture as its text: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng. Also remember what Alma told the poor Zoramites: "If ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you . . ." (Alma 32:27). Best to you, sir. Link to comment
bluebell Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 So cool! I love those kinds of "coincidences". Link to comment
Avatar4321 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 The hand of divine providence is usually seen by skeptics as mere coincidence. But it's not. Link to comment
Kenngo1969 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 The hand of divine providence is usually seen by skeptics as mere coincidence. But it's not.Indeed. Link to comment
Mystery Meat Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 (edited) She messaged me. I rarely, rarely respond to private messages. But I did. She wanted to email. I never give my real email out. But felt something saying I should. She was so disappointed when she though I was trying to nicely leave. So, I told her I would phone. I NEVER give my phone number out. She asked about how I became LDS. I told her. I casually mentioned I had a relative who at least used to be the LDS Historia: Dean Jessee. There was a pause. 'You are related to Dean Jessee?" So...the person I was drawn to over the last few months is my cousin. I still can't get over it. The promise "the hearts of the children shall turn to the fathers" and vice versa is a POWERFUL thing. Mysterious. We would know very little about the meaning of that promise had it not been revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Could it be, that a mutual ancestor is helping to fulfill this powerful promise? Makes the heart wonder. Edited October 9, 2014 by lvjd66 1 Link to comment
UtahTexan Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I am currently "celebrating" my 30 anniversary of my mission. I am reading my journal and remembering what I did as a missionary. My cousin (I love saying that) has been a sounding board for my memories. Additionally, I "found" her at a critical tome in my life. My incredible wife and best friend took a job in a different state for 2-3 years. We hated it...but it was take the job or leave the company she has been with almost 20 years. So, I have struggled with her being gone. My cousin has been there to talk to. God has blessed me indeed. I would be lying to say that this is just coincidence. How it happened, the timing of WHEN it happened..... But does it mean something? I know it means God loves me. But does it mean anything more? It does not help with my basic questions....... But Garden Girl is an incredibly patient and comforting soul. And, as I discovered....she is family. I marvel at that. 3 Link to comment
Calm Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." 2nd favorite scripture. Link to comment
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