Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] OK, well, my mom died when I was eight. My dad, I never met him. After my mom died, my aunt kind of took care of us, probably till, like, pretty much freshman year. And then after that, she did stuff that got her locked up for two years. I started getting involved in stuff like sports, you know, music. And I would volunteer just 'cause I didn't want to be home. My stake president asked us to pray about someone we could help. And so our family tried to do that. And we got together and prayed, and each of the kids individually prayed about it too. And that next day, Jessica went to school, and she had been talking to Lupe before and just decided to ask her if she wanted to listen to the missionary discussions. At first, when I just asked her, the reason why I did it was because I felt the Spirit. And I knew that that's something that Heavenly Father had planned for her. So I asked her, and then she came to my house. After she started coming to my house more, I loved her and I wanted her to have the happiness. And I really cared about her. And I really wanted her to be baptized and to feel it. And I remember, I kept going to Mutual, and then I started going to church. And I remember, you know, sitting at church on those Sundays, and I would look around and be like, "Everybody looks so happy, you know, like there's no problems or anything. I guess it's just the gospel in their life"--something that I didn't have at home, you know. Well, you know, with Jessica, she's had some experiences, like all of us, with the Atonement. And as she has reflected back on what the Lord has done for her, I've seen a light grow in her. She has recognized what the Lord has done for her. And she remembers that, and I think that is where her testimony comes from. When she went up to Lupe to ask her, she wasn't trying to do something that someone told her to do. She really wanted to share something that was inside of her with a friend. And I think that's why Lupe responded, because she knew it was sincere. I think one of the main reasons why it was easier to go to Lupe and to be able to listen to the Spirit and ask her if she wanted to get baptized was, I had a testimony already. And so it made it easier for me to share the gospel, because I knew the happiness that it brings into my life and I wanted to share that happiness with her. ,When the missionaries told me about the Atonement, they kind of explained what it meant, 'cause I had no idea what it meant. i was just like, "OK, it's just a word." Then they explained how Jesus Christ goes through all your pain. Because of the stuff I was going through at the moment, I think it hit me more, because, "OK, He knows what I'm going through. He knows how I'm feeling right now." It kind of helped me know that Jesus Christ was there for me. [PLAYING GUITAR AND SINGING] I feel like everybody cares about you.

It's not just the people that know you. We are a family. Her ward loves her more than anyone. And I think that was something that Lupe needed, is that love. And that's one thing that draws a lot of people, is the love. We know how to really show love, and we can care about others. I feel like for her, I have the love that Christ has for her. She's just such a good person. I can see her spirit in her and know that she's a daughter of God. I know it's hard to explain. It feels like calm, if I can say that. It feels like, oh, man, you know--something I was looking for. And I found it. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Because I Have Been Given Much

Description
With the help of a friend, a young woman in a difficult situation finds hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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