A poor wayfaring man of grief

This week was a very colorful week. I Went on an exchange with my zone leader elder Fadely and had a great time helping him in his area.

When I came back to my area with Elder Taylor we just worked and worked and worked as hard as we could. It is bike week and the temperature was really nice for us. We decided that we would do our best not to let anyone in our path go without talking to them. President challenged us to do this and it just made it even more fun and more affective to be a missionary. We stopped everyone we could, from crazy people to some people simply walking their dog. A lot of people didn't want anything to do with us but there were a good few blessed souls that would listen. I found one thing prevalent with all who wouldn't listen, pride. there are so many people that are so prideful. We talked with this youth pastor and he said he had a relationship with the holy ghost and god. So we asked him if he would ask god if the Book of Mormon is true; and he wouldn't even ask. Seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

There was another man named Roy Spivey who is a less active member. We went to go and visit with him. He lived in a Broken down shack that smelled bad. He let us teach him. He was struggling to make it to church because his wife was ill and on bed rest and she also couldn't walk. So he was constantly taking care of his dear wife. Roy also had a hard time reading, it took him weeks to figure out what a slip of paper said. So instead of reading with him out of the Book of Mormon we just told him a story about a man named Nephi. We told him how Nephi was commanded to build a ship and how his brothers mocked him and said that It couldn't be done. Then nephi said this," I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them, that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them." 1 nephi 3 :7
We testified to Roy that God will and already has provided a way for him to keep every single commandment that he has given him. Roy felt the spirit and said that he would do the best that he could.

What I remembered most of all from that visit is what he did after Elder Taylor prayed for him. Roy asked us if we had something to eat. We said no. Then Roy Spivey, a poor wayfaring man of grief and pain, who cares for his sick wife day and night. who lives in a shack, whose kids don't come to visit him or call. Who is poor and has no source of income, flips through the ones in his wallet until he found the one and only ten and held it out humbly to us. At that moment we both shed tears of joy and love for the kindness of this man who barely knows us. We embraced Roy and thanked him for the greatest gift he gave us. Roy was a great example to me and It humbled me greatly. "He hath No greater love than this, than he that layeth his life down for his friends". That is what I felt Roy did for us and the savior is so happy that Roy is the man he is today.

I hope that I can be a man as loving as Roy. I love this mission and I know that God is leading and guiding us to where we need to go and to what we need to say. I love you all.

-Elder Spencer Larson