working hard and seeing a lot of success.
But I want to share the tender mercy we had this week with Hannah. We
were out knocking when Hannah opened her door with a smile.
Hannah... Is an interesting character. She came to the door to talk to
us because her gay friend from Utah told her to be nice to the
missionaries. She's in her early thirties, and had short (buzz short!)
blonde hair. We were a bit surprised by her frankness and jocularity,
but what I was perhaps most alarmed at was the short silk Kimono she
came to the door in.
Despite being a little rough-around-the-edges, Hannah was kind to us.
She swore once or twice but immediately apologized, saying she admired
mormon missionaries for being "squeaky clean". She was bright and
alert, and listened to what we said intently.
She shared with us her battle with addiction, then with rehab,
sobriety, breast cancer, and mastectomy, and how demoralizing it had
all been. She would shortly have her uterus removed to protect her
against cancer returning in the future. She described her trials as
having her womanhood stripped away, and lamented that she would never
get to bear a child. She was clearly discouraged.
We shared with her what we could of our testimonies of Christ in that
brief interaction, and saw her heart soften.
Then the spirit called to my remembrance Chelsea, the addict and
sex-slave I met early on in my mission. I shared our experience with
Chelsea to Hannah, and what a blessing the Book of Mormon had been to
Chelsea's hope and spirit. Hannah's eyes melted.
She wept as she relayed her own similar story and escape from
imprisonment ten years earlier. She hoped, she said, that Chelsea's
life had turned around as much as hers had.
What a blessing the commandments are! What safety they offer! And what
solace! I have truly gained a testimony of the commandments.
Have a great week Y'all! If you haven't prayed yet today, say one now!
Elder Derek Troy
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