Oh, the voodoo that you do....

Okay, this story is just too crazy to make up. It really happened, none of its fake and I'm not that surprised that it happened to me.

On Thursday night I have my class about diversity and identity. Our homework was to bring two items that represent who we are. I automatically grabbed something that represented my Hawaiian culture because I closely identify with that, but it was hard to find a second thing. I saw one of those free book of mormons on my bookshelf and thought, "That makes sense. Being a member of the church is a strong part of my identity." I took it and put it in my bag.

All day at work I worried and fretted about sharing this book. There are some smart people in my THURSDAY class and not everyone is receptive when you tell them you belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the last minute I decided not to share the Book of Mormon. I admit it...I cowered. I was hesitant and anxious to share it.

Well, class started and I got the overwhelming feeling that I needed to get over myself and just share the gospel with my classmates. I took a deep breath and did it. I showed everyone the Book of Mormon, bore my testimony and ended. There wasn't a massive conversion all of a sudden, but there was acceptance. Everyone in the room was open to me and no one judged. (Not that I could see anyway) Then the girl after me takes out her voodoo doll. I'm NOT kidding. Apparently she got it when she was a kid after her mom went on a visit to New Orleans. She talked about how this doll (it's black with all these markings and crazy stuff on it) chases away her bad dreams. Well everyone is now enthralled by it! They all want to know about voodooism and they're asking her all these questions.

I felt defeated and hurt. Why would the Lord push me to share the gospel and then have voodoo girl follow after me? What did I do wrong? Did I wait too long? Did I question him too much? All these questions swam in my mind as I went outside during our break. I wanted to hide in the bathroom and not come out. I felt like a failure.

One of the students (he's from India) stopped me before I went into the bathroom and asked me if he could see the book I showed everyone. I asked him why and he said that he felt lost and hearing what I said made him feel like he wasn't so lost anymore. (I'm not ad libbing here, this is what he said) I ran back into class, got him the book and gave him a brief summary of what the Book of Mormon and the church is all about. He was so intrigued by it and I have no idea what will happen. He may want to take the discussions, he could decide its nice but nothing more. I don't know.

What I do know is that something great came out of this experience. I was tested, I succeeded in the end. The Lord knew I was feeling down about the voodoo and everything and he told that indian student to come talk to me. I love the feeling I got afterwards. I love that I did what I was supposed to. And I love that I'm able to share this experience with all of you. So if you feel scared or anxious sharing the gospel...don't! It'll be worth it, trust me. And If you don't trust me, trust the Lord...he ALWAYS follows through.