On the bus ride back from Taranto they turned on this movie. At first it was just kinda this funny movie about old people picking out coffins...but then it started getting dirty. And I thought about how that same morning I read in the Liahona all of the stories about people standing up for what they believed. I was really tempted to just say that I would ignore the film and just read my scriptures....but I just couldn't get that Liahona article out of my mind. It talked about all of these young adults that could have just let the things go, but instead they stood up for what they believed. I was really scared though because the whole bus would see me walk up and talk to the bus driver and then if he did turn it off they would know that it was me that asked. We said a prayer. Asked for courage. Then walked up to the bus driver.
This is how the conversation went....
me "hi...uh....So I was wondering if we could turn the movie off. It's kinda dirty"
bus driver: "hahaha"
other people around him: "HAHAHAHA"
awkward moment of him looking at me like I'm stupid
bus driver: "what do you want me to do? There is nothing else that I can turn on"
me: "Well....could we just not watch anything?" (with that little puppy dog look in my eyes that sometimes I do)
bus driver: "sorry but no..."
me: "okay"
then I looked at him with this disappointed/puppy dog look.
I sat back down and opened up my scriptures and this is what I "happened" to turn to.
D&C 29:4-6
4 Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.
5 Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom.
6 And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive.
Not joking...I read the verse and then looked up and the tv screens were broken. Like grey and fuzzy broken.
The bus driver fixed the tv... (I was a little bit sad again)...but then a few minutes later took the disk out and turned off all of the tvs. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
For some reason I have no fear walking down the street and stopping people and asking them (in Italian) if they want to hear more about Joseph Smith....but when it comes to turning off a dirty film I get all scared.
We live in a world that thinks bad is good and good is bad.
Elder Holland said last general conference
"Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world"
You may think that standing up for good doesn't do much. But it does. The only way for Satan to win is for us to do nothing. Even if it is something as little as turning off a bad movie, or resisting the temptation to gossip. True righteousness can change the world.
After we got off the bus we walked up to the bus driver and thanked him and invited him to look at mormon.org. And it wasn't even awkward! I could tell that it made an impression on him....why else would he have turned off the movie?
We all have in our mind set that sharing the gospel is inviting friends to meet with the missionaries.... But the best way to share the gospel is to live it! Stand up for what you believe. It might be scary at first, but just like the scripture says, God is in our midst and he will be our advocate for good! We say the words, and he opens the hearts.
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