followHIM - What Are Your Intentions With My Book? • followHIM Favorites • December 16 - 22 • Come Follow Me

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

Join Hank Smith and John Bytheway on followHIM Favorites as they discuss a touching story related to Moroni 10:4 from the Book of Mormon. This episode features a heartfelt narrative about a foreign exchange student who explores the teachings of the Book of Mormon while attending seminary. SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM51ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM51FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM51DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM51PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastBM51ESALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIMpodcast.comFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookWEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletterSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Follow Him Favorites. This is where John and I are sharing a single story to go with each week's lesson. John, we're almost done with the Book of Mormon. Our lesson this week is in Moroni chapter 10, the last chapter in the Book of Mormon. We've made it quite a ways. And I have a story for you. It has to do with Moroni chapter 10, verse 4. Most people know Moroni's promise, right? Something that comes up a lot. Sometimes we say, oh, you just need to read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and God will tell you if it's true.

And it seems there's a lot more to it than that. We look at God's mercy, ponder God's mercy. And then Moroni makes this statement, ask God, the eternal father in the name of Christ, if these things are not true. And if you will ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, I have a story for you. It doesn't turn out as well as you'd hope, but it actually does. I hope teach this lesson right way back when I taught seminary at Copper Hills High School, if anybody knows where that is, go Grizzlies. I was there for quite a few years. In this one year, we had a foreign exchange student come in from Denmark. Her name is Bella. And because Bella's host family, the daughter that

was in the host family about the same age as Bella, she took seminary. So Bella took seminary. I knew upfront, this wasn't a matter of let's try to took seminary. So Bella took seminary. I knew upfront, this wasn't a matter of let's try to convert this girl. So this particular seminary class of which she was a part of, they adored her, John. I mean, she's spoken kind of broken English. She was really fun. They said, Bella, have you ever had an Oreo milkshake? And she says, what is that? We got to get had an Oreo milkshake? And she says, what is that? We got to get her an Oreo milkshake, right? Absolutely.

Have you ever had Sour Patch Kids? They're basically giving her diabetes. Everyone bought her a treat every time. Her friend in her host family, she would explain to her, what is a bishop? What is a deacon? What is, right? So there was a lot of that going on. And in fact, when the next semester came and her host family, their daughter, when she switched her schedule

around, Bella decided to take seminary again. And this time she wasn't with her friend. The class just loved her. They ended up giving her a set of scriptures with her name on it. Really beautiful experience. And I told them upfront, look, this is not about trying to convert Bella or asking her to be baptized. We can do none of that. She's 17. She's going to go home to Denmark. It's not allowed. And it's not really okay to do that without her family around. Towards the end of the year, she came into my office and she said, brother Smith, can I ask you a question? I said, sure, Bella, what's up? And she said, I've been praying about the book of Mormon. And I of course said, Oh, Bella, I don't know if you, if that's something that you

should even be interested in or talking or thinking about. And she said, Oh, don't worry. I've talked to my mom. She's okay with me praying about the Book of Mormon. I said, okay, okay, what's going on? And she said, I kneel down to pray and nothing happened. I said, okay, what's happening? And she said, I kneel down. I say, Heavenly Father, is the Book of Mormon true? And nothing happened. Am I broken? And I said, yes, Bella, you are. No, just kidding. I didn't say that. We went through Moroni's promise.

We got to this part about if you shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent. John, I think she had a sincere heart. I think she really wanted to know. I think she loved these friends that she had made. Yeah. Now, this real intent is a little bit different. I think it was the Holy Ghost. I hope it was the Holy Ghost.

I said, Bella, if you get your answer that you are after here, what do you intend to do? Do you intend to follow up with everything that comes with that answer? That is the question. It's a lot. She hadn't thought of that. She said, no, like what? And I said, well, I mean, you're going to go home to Denmark and the nearest chapel is 45 minutes from your house.

And you're going to have to tell your friends you joined this church. And she loved having coffee with her friends. And I said, that's probably something you're going to have to have a conversation about. There was just a lot. We kind of listed all the things that are awesome, would be really good for her, but are significant. Those are significant changes. She kind of looked sad and disappointed. And she said, Brother Smith, I don't want to do those things, but I do want to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I think she was sincere. I think it's merciful that the Lord would not give her that answer at that time, don't you think? Yeah, maybe she wasn't ready for that. And that real intent, that's something you might have to

work up to. I really intend to follow what I'm told. Thankfully, there's stories of so many others who get to that point. I really intend to do what I'm told. And sometimes it involves some pretty huge changes in their lives. This girl was wonderful, John. Just a wonderful sweetheart. I do think she was sincere. We would ask anyone who is going to pray about the Book of Mormon to, I think, think about that question, right, John? Okay, if I get this answer, what's expected?

What am I going to do? Yeah. Yeah. Do I intend to follow through on all of that? With everything that means. I hope that was a little bit of an insight. Of course, I wished that she would have joined the church. That still may be yet to happen. means. I hope that was a little bit of an insight. Of course, I wished that she would have joined the church. That's still maybe yet to happen. Yeah. I think he will suit his mercies and maybe even his answers according to our conditions at the time. Yeah. Yeah. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called follow him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. We're with Dr. Anthony Sweat this week. And John, he changes this chapter almost entirely for us.

Yeah. It's awesome. Come join us there and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow Him Favorites.