Catch!

by Jeffrey T. Erickson

He had caught the vision of what he should do, and now he was ready to coach his mom.

With a few months left in my mission in eastern Canada, I was transferred to a new area. The day I arrived, Elder Miller, my new companion, could not stop talking about one family with four boys—Jason, 14; Dawson, 11; Tyson, 8; and Robin, 5. Elder Miller was excited about this family. He said the Lord had truly prepared them.

The four boys all loved sports, especially baseball. I was elated since I thrived on sports of any kind. On our visits, the gospel and sports were our major topics of conversation. Occasionally we were able to play catch with the boys on their front lawn or watch them participate in athletic events.

My first discussion with the White family is forever embedded in my memory. That evening as we spoke about the plan of our Heavenly Father, the spirit of the Holy Ghost fell upon all of us. As the Spirit prompted us, my companion and I knew it was time to invite these good people to be baptized. We turned to the father and extended the invitation to baptism. He accepted. We then turned to his wife and asked her. She replied, “I do not feel ready at this time.”

Normally when someone says that they do not feel ready for baptism, missionaries ask them why. This time we did not even attempt to ask her why.

Next, we turned to the oldest son, Jason. We invited Jason to be baptized and he said yes.

His mother was a little shocked at his quick acceptance. She turned to him and said, “Jason, why do you want to be baptized?”

Jason started, “Well, Mom, you know how you feel when you win a championship game? You know how it makes you feel inside?”

She nodded.

“Well,” said Jason, “that’s how I feel right now, and because of that, I want to be baptized.”

As Jason concluded his comments, tears flowed from his mother’s eyes. She then turned to my companion and me and said, “I too would like to be baptized.”

Jason had powerfully taught us all that the Holy Ghost’s promptings are real and must be acted upon.

A few days later this faithful family was baptized.

In Mosiah 5:2, as King Benjamin was teaching the people, he wanted to know if they believed what he was saying. “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent.”

What a great blessing it was for me to teach that young man, who understood and heeded the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Photography by Welden Andersen