Walking the Torch--the Journey Continues

 by H. Linn Murphy

I recently wrote a post about my experiences in the park. At the time I thought I was in for the long haul. Valya wasn't ready. I'd had my bid for that blazing moment where the Gospel bursts forth in a brilliant sunrise to bless the dark and weary world and thought I'd blown it.

Turns out, not so much. And it's crazy how the tapestry gets woven despite my fumbling attempts to mess with the threads which often only cause snarls.

I messed up my knee sometime between the last run and the day of this story. I'd had an old PCL injury that I'm determined to ignore. On this day it rears its ugly head and I'm forced to walk. So as is my wont in such times, I take something to read while walking. I instinctively know every pothole in that place, so it works.

Since I'm doing NANOWRIMO and have little time, I decide to take my scriptures instead of my Kindle. Two birds with one rock, as they say (although killing any bird with a rock seems counter-productive).

So I'm lugging my quad around the park, trying to read and walk at the same time. In the near distance I see my friend, Valya, alone and hobbling as fast as she can, listing a little to the right like a beached fishing boat. I hike up to her and she gives me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. That's encouraging since it seems before like she was avoiding me somehow.

She looks down at the quad and asks, "Is that the Bible?"
I grin and say, "Yes it is. It's the Bible and the Book of Mormon and some other scriptures."
She says, "What does your church believe?"
Inside I'm jumping around like a Mexican Jumping Bean and screaming a bunch. It takes me fully ten seconds to calm down enough to say, "We believe in Jesus Christ and in God the Eternal Father and in the Holy Ghost."
"Three separate people?" she asks.
"Yes," I say. I get ready to show her my recently assembled scripture strings dealing with the Father talking to His Son so I can prove it.
But she preempts me and says, "I believe that too. They separate peoples. I like that."

And then I launch into a halting version of the first discussion. She has little understanding of English, but I work with it. I find out she's Baptist and she thinks we have too many cars in our parking lot sometimes. (She lives right by the stake center.) I hope she won't think it's too busy for her to find a home there.

I have plans for Tuesday because she isn't the only missionary experience I have had recently.

The other story is just as interesting.