Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

April 19, 2021

This past week I hit 9 months on the mission,🥳🥳 my brother got his mission call (to Ghana, Africa👀) and Rachell got baptized!!

Sooo it was pretty exciting. And in honor of Rachell's special day, I wanted to share a part of her story.

Rachell's journey started 25 years ago, when her friend gave her a Book of Mormon and asked her to promise to read it. She immediately agreed to do so and then went home, placed it on her shelf, and didn't pick it up again.

Fast forward through 25 years, and Rachell felt so lost and alone. She'd made a lot of hard choices, and she didnt believe there was any hope for her. 

One of her roommates invited her to come to church with her that Sunday, and she agreed. It was a Sunday where anyone in the congregation was invited to come up and share their beliefs and experiences about Jesus Christ.

Rachell told me later, that as people talked about Christ during that meeting, she felt a warm and peaceful feeling that she had never felt before. She knew immediately that she needed to be a part of this church. 

And that's where me and Sister Maycock were lucky enough to enter in! 

The very first time we met Rachell, I handed her a Book of Mormon and started to explain how we believe in Jesus Christ, and that both the Book of Mormon and the Bible testify of Him. Before I could even finish talking, Rachell was flipping through the Book, and landed on a random verse. With emotion in her voice she told us how relevant this verse was to her and told us that this Book must be true. 

Every lesson following that was just as amazing to be a part of. Rachell was "hungry for Jesus"😆 and we couldn't teach her fast enough. It was amazing to see her eyes light up as we talked about how because of Him, death is not the end, and sin doesn't have to be. She was so relieved to know that no matter her past choices, she has limitless potential to be like Him. 

At her baptism on Tuesday, Rachell hugged me and said "Thank God for Joseph Smith. Thank God for my sweet sisters."

It was such a special experience, and I was thinking a lot about why those things must be so important to her. 

As I was thinking about it, I thought about the stories of Jesus.

Before my mission, when I heard the phrase "the stories of Jesus" I'd think of Him in New Testament times: walking on water, teaching revolutionary sermons, healing the sick, etc. 

But over these past 9 months of being a missionary, my perspective has changed. Now when I think of the "stories of Jesus" I don't just think about the miracles He preformed back then, I think of the miracles He preformed today.

I think of how He changed Laura's life, or Rachell's. 

Or how He is constantly changing mine.

And as I thought about why the story of Joseph Smith would be so important to her, I realized that was the answer.

The story isn't important to her because it's the story of Joseph Smith.

It's important to her because it's the story of Jesus Christ.

And even more than that, it's the story of Jesus Christ being willing to enter someone else's story.

If Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are willing to enter a 14 year old boy's story, then why not Rachell's? Why not Laura's or Mo's or anyone elses?

I have a firm belief that the stories of Jesus are not limited to the New Testament times. 

Jesus Christ is an intimate part of thousands of stories TODAY. 

His original New Testament church is on the earth TODAY.

If you you look for Jesus Christ in your story, you will find Him. Isn't it so cool that the stories of Jesus are also the stories of us?

I love you all!

-Sister Gwilliam