MEMORABLE CONVERSIONS

The following info was related to me by a friend and I will paraphrase his words as if they were my own:

“While on my mission, my companion and I met a Catholic priest who would quote from the Book of Mormon when he gave his sermons. He was assigned to a beautiful cathedral, very ornate and finely appointed. We asked him how it was possible for him to quote from a book not approved by his church. He indicated that most people in his congregation knew little of the scriptures, so that it was not a problem. This priest liked Alma chapter five and thirty-four, among others, and would say, ‘according to the Holy Scriptures,’ when quoting and would not give the specific reference. We asked him why he just didn’t join the Mormon Church and he said that he was only two years away from retirement to receive his pension and then he would join. True to his pledge, this is what happened.

Later we moved to a new area and we, as young missionaries, would often run into a Baptist preacher who had a great gift of enthusiastic oratory. He could spout scripture and quote chapter and verse from the Bible. He had his own successful radio broadcast but over the years became intrigued by the Book of Mormon because it testified that the Bible was true and also included additional scripture. An older man and wife missionary couple came to the area and soon the friendship ties grew between them and the preacher, probably because he related more to them than to us. Finally the older couple was scheduled to return home and visited him to say their goodbyes. They found the preacher sitting on his rocking swing with his wife, on the front porch. He was reading the Book of Mormon and smoking his pipe.

They visited for awhile and then the older couple mentioned that this was probably to be the last time they ever saw each other and that the preacher needed to be baptized into the Mormon Faith and put it off no longer. He thanked them for their invitation but declined. They left and he continued to read when suddenly he threw his pipe down and said to his wife, ‘You know what this means don’t you? Now we’ll have to change our life completely and be baptized Mormons!’ She remarked, ‘I’m surprised it took you so long to make up your mind!’

The next time he went on the air with his radio program, he announced to his shocked listeners that he was joining the Mormon Church and invited them to do likewise. The producers of his program promptly fired him and he could not get a job doing anything in that town. Eventually he was hired as a custodian of a local Mormon Chapel and later became the ward Bishop.

But the story doesn’t end there. On a certain Saturday, about 25 converts who had received the missionary discussions were scheduled to be baptized in the Stake Center baptismal font. This new bishop was conducting the meeting. He got so excited about these baptisms that he gave another enthusiastic call for baptism to the friends that these new converts had brought with them. We were all surprised and embarrassed when he called for something more common in other faiths than in the Mormon Church. He encouraged what is known as an ‘altar rush’ and several more committed to baptism. This had to be organized properly so that these newer converts could receive the missionary discussions first before being baptized. Thus the Church continues its amazing growth.”