The day after Ryan and I had that conversation about him reading the Joseph Smith History, I had this thought to see if he would be interested in going downtown to see the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration". It plays at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and has done so for several years. The last time I had seen it was probably five or six years ago. Anyway, I decided to email Ryan and see if he would be interested in going. As I was typing up my email I noticed an email pop up from him. I opened it, began to read and was surprised to see what he had written. He asked me if I would be interested in going to see the Joseph Smith movie downtown. Apparently another friend of his had mentioned it to him and he thought it would be worth seeing.
So the next night, Saturday, October 23, 2010, we headed downtown to see this movie. We were probably two of fifteen in the entire theatre. Because it had been so long since I had seen the movie, I had forgotten much of it. I had also forgotten the power, the emotion, and the spirit of it. I don't think I have cried so much in a movie as I did that night. I was reminded by a feeling of calmness and peace, despite the pain and anguish I felt in my heart, that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. What he witnessed that spring day in a grove of trees was real. Heavenly Father did, in fact, appear to him along with his Son Jesus Christ and over the course of several years, they restored their Gospel to the earth through Joseph. I honestly don't think Joseph would have gone through everything he did if it was all a lie. Why endure that kind of persecution for no reason? Everything I felt that night brought me back to the exact same conclusion...he was not making this up.
In fact, when the movie ended and after I grabbed a tissue on the way out to dry my tears, we headed back to the car. As we began the drive home I asked Ryan what he thought of it and he said he enjoyed it quite a bit. He also said he was starting to believe it. Then he mentioned two things that really stood out to me. First, he brought up a video clip of a conference talk I had him watch about a month or so ago by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland . In this video Elder Holland mentioned something about how Joseph would not have endured all that he did if it was all a lie. This kept coming to Ryan's mind as he was watching the movie. The second thing he mentioned was that there was no way that Joseph, having experienced the Vision first hand, could ever deny it. It really struck me that those would have been Ryan's thoughts upon watching the video because in the Joseph Smith History, Joseph himself says,
So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.Joseph, having seen what he had, could not deny it. It was remarkable to me that Ryan would understand that so quickly.
The next day, Sunday, October 24, 2010, Ryan came to church with me. This wasn't the first time he had gone to church with me, but it was the first time he attended all three of the meetings (three hours is a long time for a newbie). He went to Priesthood meeting and then we sat through Sunday School together and then we went to Sacrament meeting. While we were waiting for Sacrament meeting to start we talked a little and he told me he really enjoyed Priesthood meeting because everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Then he paused a minute then said, "I had a very interesting experience in the middle of the night..."
I don't know why, but when he said that my mind immediately went to "middle of the night? Dreams..." *gasp*
"Did you have a vision?!?!?" I asked excitedly.
He laughed and said, "No, I didn't have a vision."
"Oh...well what happened?" I asked.
He then told me that he had woken up in the night feeling rather anxious about things but not sure why. He had a lot of doubt and confusion. He laid in bed contemplating the movie we saw that night about Joseph Smith and everything he went through. Then he remembered Moroni's promise in the Book of Mormon that if he prayed with a sincere heart, the truth would be revealed to him. So, he asked Heavenly Father if everything Joseph went through was true and if he were really charged with translating the Book of Mormon. He then said that almost immediately all his doubts and confusion washed away and he was left with an overwhelming feeling of peace and love that said to him, "Yes, it's all true!"
I could hardly contain my joy and excitement. I wanted to jump up and down and say, "Oh my gosh!" but alas, I was sitting in Sacrament meeting and had to maintain my composure and a spirit of reverence. I did manage to sit there as composed as possible but I could not stop the huge grin from spreading over my face, nor could I stop the "So you believe it?!?!?" question from bursting out of my mouth. He looked at me and nodded his head then said, "I think I need to meet with the missionaries."
After sacrament meeting I went straight up to my ward mission leader and asked him how we could go about introducing Ryan to the missionaries. And then not a minute later the missionaries walked right through the door! You can believe what you want, but to me that was not a coincidence.
So much joy filled my heart that day. Not for me, and not for "us", but for Ryan. I knew that his life had just changed forever and he would now have the opportunity to have that peace and happiness in his life that he had for so long seen in mine. I wanted nothing more for him; Heavenly Father wanted nothing more for him; and now it was within his reach. My testimony was strengthened that day because I had just received yet another witness, as Ryan had received his own, that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. That when we "ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto [us], by the power of the Holy Ghost."
Just like Joseph Smith would never deny that he saw God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, neither can Ryan ever deny that his prayer was answered. And when times get tough, when "persecution" comes, he will always have that experience and that knowledge to lean on. But receiving his answer was not the end of this journey. The next few weeks would prove to be a remarkable test of faith thanks to our least favorite adversary.
*For anyone interested in learning more, I invite you to go to LDS.org and read the Joseph Smith History. You can find Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon in Moroni Chapter 10 verses 3-5. You can also view the full length video of "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration on YouTube. (Note: the video is an updated version of the one Ryan and I saw, but it is still just as powerful, emotional and spiritual as the original. I recommend it to all!)
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