The old man’s nerves were ready to crack. Someone was on the other side of that door! He knew it! The wound in his leg pulsed painfully. He tightened the handkerchief around it, suffocating a groan as he crouched down behind the sofa. Slowly, he reached for the Iron poker near the fireplace, but his gaze remained fixed on that doorknob. Then—without a sound, the brass doorknob began to turn. The old man’s mouth went dry. It was too much for the old man. He toppled over, and the iron poker clattered to the floor.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a pleasant looking elderly lady walked in. Her smile melted from her face as she saw the old man, passed out on the carpet, his pantleg red with blood, with an iron poker lying beside him. She hurried over to him and put a cushion under his head as she examined his leg. It was a snake bite. She could see the fang holes. She glanced around quickly, scanning the room. Then she saw it, slithering slowly away into a hole in the wall. It was a black mamba. Within a few minutes the old man’s head lay limp in the lady’s arms.
The old lady sat there, with a pain that was overwhelming. Her head bent forward, and tears dropped onto his face, which was quickly growing cold. The old lady sat that way for a long time, trying to grasp what had just passed.
Somehow, she managed the funeral, and numbly continued on with her life. She had always trusted God, though her trials had been many. But that was the last straw, and she believed God had abandoned her.
A few years went by, and one day, as she was tidying her house, she heard a firm knock at the door. She peeked out the curtain of her window, and saw two young women, dressed neatly in dresses, with black name tags. Curious, she opened the door.
The taller one greeted her with a warm smile. “Hi, I am Sister June, and this is Sister Lewis,” she said, motioning to the quiet, but happy looking young women beside her. “Could we share a message with you about Jesus Christ?” The old lady’s first impulse would have been to say no thank you and close the door, but surprising herself, she invited them in. The two sister missionaries shared their message, and talked a little bit about how their church was started. They told of a fourteen – year – old boy, who saw God the Father and his son in a grove of trees. After they shared their message, they asked if they could come back again, and share another message with her. Surprising herself again, she heard herself say she would love that.
Over the next few days, she found herself looking forward to the missionary’s next visit. At the next visit, the quieter missionary, Sister Lewis, began talking.
“This is one of my very favorite lessons,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “When I was a young girl, my sister died, and it was very tragic for our family. I wondered what had happened to her, and if I’d ever see her again. When we started meeting the missionaries, we were unsure about what they were teaching us. When they told us about the plan of salvation, it brought hope into our lives. God loves us very much, and created a plan for us to come down here and experience life, and sin, but still be able to come home again. With his plan, we will be able to see our families again after death, and we can be sealed for eternity in his holy temple.”
At that, the old lady could not hold back the tears. Tears streamed down her face as the sister missionaries continued talking. All the pain, anger, and grief from the last few years was gone. In it’s place, peace, and a feeling of love so great from God it was almost overwhelming. God had not abandoned her; He had been there all along, and He knew how she felt.
After the Sister missionaries finished their lesson, they asked her if she would like to read the Book of Mormon, and have another appointment with them soon. She said she would.