I would like to share a story with you.  It is a true story that happened to me a few years ago.

I am continually reminded of the importance of listening to the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and his promptings.

Listening to the Spirit of the Holy Ghost

(A True Story in the life of Roma Christensen)

I slipped on my coat and headed for the door to go to work.  It was a very cold morning and snow was falling fast and furious.  It was still dark outside at 5:00 AM.  I shivered as I thought of the long drive to Idaho Falls through twenty five miles of blizzard.  Suddenly, I had an urge to go back and get a blanket to put in my car before I left.  I followed the urge, thinking; yeah this is a good idea on a morning like this.  Then I felt another urge to grab another blanket… I thought to myself, one is enough and I slipped out the door and scurried along the sidewalk to my car.

 My hands were icy cold as they gripped the steering wheel.  But, I was grateful that I was in an automobile where I could warm up when the car heater kicked in.  The car bumped along as I pushed it through drifts of snow blowing across the road.  I hoped that I would be able to make it to the bus stop before the bus left.  I really did not want to drive seventy five miles to work, with these hazardous driving conditions.

All of a sudden, I saw a woman standing near the road, there was a young boy with her.  They were shouting and waving; trying to get someone to stop and help them.  I slowed down and pulled over and let them in to my car.  The mother was not dressed for winter.  She had on a thin jacket and canvas tennis shoes.  I quickly grabbed the blanket I had tossed on the back seat and handed it to the mother.  She was crying and shaking.  The boy was also shaking and cold but he was wearing a winter coat.  I apologized to him for not having another blanket.  He was a brave young man and said that he was OK.  He wanted to make sure that his mother got warm.  I asked him how old he was and he said; thirteen. 

If I had listened to the spirit that was prompting me to grab a second blanket, I would have had one for the boy too.  My car was not quite warmed up.  But it was better than the freezing cold outside.

When the mother got her breath and was able to talk… she told me that she and her son were delivering newspapers on a back road when they hit a drift and the car stalled.  They had to get out and try to get help or they would freeze to death in the car.  She thought that she was going to be ok in light clothing because it would not take them long to deliver the papers… and they would be able to go back home and be warm again.   I offered to drive them home but, she insisted that because I was on my way to work that I needed to let her call her husband to come get them.  I handed her my cell phone so that she could call her husband.  Then she wanted to get out of the car and wait for him to come!  She was extremely disoriented.  (This is a sign of a person in hypothermia).  I would not let her get out of the car.  Suddenly, getting to the bus stop on time didn’t matter any more.  I knew that she needed help and I waited with her until her husband came.

In the meantime she told me how they had walked about a mile to the highway, through this blizzard, to try to flag someone down for help.  They had prayed for a miracle as they walked.  "Please Heavenly Father, send help for us so that we might be able to get back home safely." 

As they were praying, I was preparing to leave for work, and I heard a still small voice within me, prompting me to go back and get a blanket… two blankets!  I had only grabbed one.  If I had been listening closer, I would have had a blanket for both of them.  The Lord works in mysterious ways. 

I was late for work on that icy cold blustery morning and I had to drive the distance of seventy five miles to get there; but, it just didn’t matter; my heart was warm and I was filled with joy because I realized that the still small voice within does come from above and that God does listen and answer prayers.  Listen to the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.  It will prompt you in many ways.   

Roma Christensen

(The events of this story happened in the late 1900’s.  I don’t remember the year exactly.  But, I can never forget what happened.)