Monday, January 16, 2012
MLK day so the kids were out of school.
It was nice and cool when I went on my walk to Walmart. I warmed up by having a fruit and oatmeal cup at McDonald's for breakfast. You are right Sheri they are yummdelicious!
I had an appointment at Arizona Arthritis and Rheumatology today. It's just my routine that I have every 4 months where I see the doctor and then have my blood drawn. (They took 4 vials today). My blood pressure was 112/62 and I'm not mentioning my weight. Let's just say I need to loose some.
In high school Stacy had a friend named Cindy Ganado. Cindy was a devoted Catholic girl and Stacy tried inviting her to Church activities but she was never interested. When they were 16 Stacy gave Cindy a Book of Mormon. Cindy ended up joining the Church and marrying a good friend, John Teasley, who also happens to be Mormon. Stacy got a Christmas card from John and Cindy this year (they live in Carlsbad, Calif.) with the following letter from John inside:
"Stacy, I wanted to share an experience with you that I had today at church. I teach Sunday school to the 14 year olds (including our 14 year old, Alyssa). This year we will be teaching from the Book of Mormon. Cindy has such a powerful conversion story, I asked her to come share her experience with how she came to know that the Book of Mormon is true.
Stacy, as you know, it was the Book of Mormon that you had the courage to give to her when you were 16 that she read when she received a spiritual witness as to the truthfulness of that book. As she related her experience of how the Book of Mormon was the foundation of her testimony, and how it was the something that she couldn't deny when deciding whether she should be baptized or not, I got to thinking. I started to think about what would have happened if you hadn't given her that Book of Mormon. When she began to have a mild curosity about the church when we were dating as freshmen in college would she have reached out to me or someone else to get a copy of the Book of Mormon? Probably not. She didn't even tell me that she had been reading it until she was well into the book. Other questions flashed through my mind such as: If that book that you gave her wasn't easily within her reach, would she have been baptized? Would we have been married? Would we have had kids born under the covenant? Would our lives and the lives of our children have been the recipients of the rich blessings that we have received over the years as a result of the gospel? Maybe, but maybe not. Regardless, it hit me like a ton of bricks today that I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for loving her enough and having the courage to write down your testimony and giving her that Book of Mormon back in high school.
Though she would never admit it, or even necessarily agree with it, today, Cindy is a force for good in the gospel. She is one of the most noble and valiant spirits I have evern known. She has affected so many lives through her example, love, and service. She has faithfully served in many callings. She has served in the Young Women's program, as a stake missionary, and as a Primary President. Currently she is the Relief Society President in our ward ministering to the temporal and spiritual needs of many. Most importantly, she keeps me on the right track, and is an amazing mother to our 4 children.
Please know that your single act has had a major impact for good in Cindy's life, my life, the lives of our children, and the lives of countless more. Thank you again, Stacy. I guess we sometimes wait for years to realize the impact of sharing our testimonies with others.