Hello Parleys
First Ward Members,
Thank you
so much for the money you donated for me to use for the Lord's work here in
Atlanta! I've been really careful and prayerful about what I use the money for
because I wanted it to be special. I was finally able to use it for one of our
investigators named Kenny. Let me tell you Kenny's story:
Kenny is a 22-year old who lives with
some members of our ward here in Hickory Flat, Georgia. At the age of 16 Kenny lost
both of his parents for different reasons and he began to head down a life of
temptation and misery. By the time he was 17, Kenny was already in jail for drugs
and crimes. He spent the next three years of his life in and out of jail and
wandering from place to place. By the time he was 21, he and his sister, Amanda,
were completely homeless with nowhere to go.
Despite
his lifestyle, the thing that must be understood about Kenny is that he has
always been a softhearted, yet passionate boy who loves to help people any way
he can. He's also one of the smartest and wisest kids I've ever met. When
he was 19-years old and in jail, he had a powerful conversion to
Christ and was filled with the love of the Savior so much that he couldn't
speak for quite some time. Listening to his conversion reminded me a lot of Alma
the Younger. Following his conversion, whenever Kenny wandered the
streets or traveled in a freight train from state to state, he would preach to
people about the Bible and tell them about the impact it had on his life. He
has told me countless stories about nights where he was freezing because he had
given all his clothes to another homeless man who needed them more than he did.
This
October, Kenny got out of jail after being there for 6 months. Through the help
of some amazing people, he and his sister were miraculously connected with the
Wymans, an elderly couple in our ward who just returned home from serving a
mission in Oregon. The Wymans let Kenny and Amanda into their home and took
them in like their own son and daughter. After a lot of convincing, Kenny and
Amanda agreed to take the discussions from the missionaries in the YSA branch.
Amanda didn't stay interested for very long, but Kenny always stayed interested
and wanted to learn more. However, Kenny didn't want to meet with the YSA
missionaries anymore, so Sister Wyman brought us over to meet him. Kenny
instantly became like a brother to us! We taught him all the lessons and read
with him the story of Alma the Younger's conversion. He got the chills and told
us in tears that he knew the Book of Mormon was true! However he still had a
lot of doubts about the church. We challenged him to pray about it. We kept
meeting with Kenny and Amanda. Then, a couple weeks later he called and asked us
to come over because he had some news for us. He explained that he prayed
about the doubts he had, and God told him that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints was indeed His church and this is where he belongs! His
conversion was so powerful and real. We set up a baptism date, but then learned
that he couldn't be baptized until he is off probation, which sadly, isn't
for a couple more years.
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| Elder Roderick and Kenny in Hickory Flat, Georgia |
Although he can't be baptized yet,
Kenny has been coming to church every week and has even received a calling in
the ward. He's one of the most spiritually gifted kids I've ever met. With the
money that YOU gave us, we took Kenny shopping and bought him some dress
clothes so he doesn't have to continue coming to church in his torn shoes and
ripped sweatshirt. THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving this young man what
he needed to continue to progress in the church and become a righteous Priesthood
holder one day! You are the best!
Love you! Elder Roderick
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