Love Breaks Down Barriers

Yesterday, we had an amazing experience that testifies to me of the power of love and the Spirit. We were out talking to some people at an apartment complex, and teaching them more about the Book of Mormon. After talking with them, we asked them if they knew of anyone who might be going through a loss and would need some uplift. They immediately referred us to a friend who had lost a child recently. We went to knock on her door and told her that her friend from across the street told us she might be in need of some help. She was very stand-offish and skeptical of us, unsure of why these two random young women would just show up at her door offering to help her. She even asked, "There's gotta be a catch -- what is it?" We simply responded that there wasn't one, but that we knew she was in need of help and that we wanted to do all that we could to provide some. She reluctantly let us in and we talked to her about how much we knew that God was aware of her and loved her. We shared a scripture from the Book of Mormon: "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me" (Moroni 7:33 on page 523). We told her about how faith in Jesus Christ will give us the power to overcome any challenges we face, whether it be loss, addiction, loneliness -- anything. We asked if we could come back sometime to tell her how and to talk with her. She agreed! As we departed, we asked if we could pray for her. She told us that she normally doesn't just let people pray for her, but that she would let us. After a simple yet concerned and loving prayer, we looked up to see that she was crying and had been touched by the Spirit of God. This woman, who has been holding on to the loss of her child for two years and feeling as though God had abandoned her, was able to feel His presence again through a simple act of love. She gave us the biggest hugs and told us she loved us. I know that love truly does have the power to break down any barriers. I saw it yesterday as a situation went from an awkward "Who are you??" to a powerful and hopeful "I love you". Charity is the pure love of Christ, and as we show that love to others in our day to day lives, their hearts and their lives will be changed.