It was one of the last days.
We walked through the heavy heat to a sidewalk shop that is a favorite of some friends of mine.
We were going for the coconuts. At least we thought we were.
But as we walked up to Samuel’s shop, I couldn’t help but notice his scriptures set on a chair, up off the ground.
We purchased our coconuts, and then I asked Samuel if he had a second.
“Sure,” he replied.
“Could you tell me about your scriptures?” I pointed at the worn gray book sitting carefully on the chair.
He picked them up and immediately opened them for me.
I love when that happens. When “scriptures” mean the words on the pages, not the book itself.
“I love the scriptures too,” I told him. And then I asked the question I ask every single person who opens up their scriptures with me:
“What is your favorite story?”
Over the years I’ve heard all sorts of answers: the woman at the well, David and Goliath, the splitting of the Red Sea. People’s eyes light up when they respond. I love those conversations.
“My favorite story?” he questioned.
“Yes, in the Bible,” I replied, “what is your favorite story?”
His eyes lit up, just like you imagined they would, but his answer stunned me. So simple and yet so grand.
An answer I have never received from anyone before. Just Samuel, at an African street shop.
“God’s.”
His favorite story in the Bible:
God’s.
The coconuts were good, but that’s not why we came.
I think we came to be reminded that all of us, every single one, is part of God’s grand story.
How sweet is that?
—President Emily Belle Freeman
Young Women General President