Shortly after I returned home from serving a full-time mission, I found myself communicating to several individuals on social media sites about their concerns towards Mormonism. I found myself attempting to resolve these concerns, similarly as I did when I was set apart as a full-time missionary.

There was one particular individual who was very antagonistic towards the church in general because, for most of his life, he had been taught by others that Mormonism wasn’t in the least bit related to Christianity. My experience with him was as though he were trying to convince me to neglect my testimony.

I asked if he had even ever picked up a copy of The Book of Mormon and thumbed through the pages. He responded, “No, I’m not going to touch anything that isn’t of God.”

I strongly urged him to pick it up or simply read the whole cover, in hopes that he would discover in the subtitle, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” that we do in fact claim to be Christians.

He continued to bash everything I stood for.

I thought I would never get through to him, so I bid him farewell indefinitely. I didn’t want to personally put myself in a situation of my own choice that would constantly chip away at the pillars of my testimony.

Nearly two years later, I received a message from this same individual stating he was deeply sorry for the coarse words he issued. He said that since we last spoke, he had received a nagging sensation to pick up the Book of Mormon.

As he related to me, he started thumbing through the pages and instantly finds mentions of Christ on almost every page.

He told me he was then interested, and he began reading the book and visiting church websites.

My purpose in telling you this is that I believe, truly, no effort is wasted. I have seen and experienced that in my life for as long as I can recall.

I encourage each of you to share your beliefs in small ways so that others may benefit from your words. You may not see impact immediately, but it will come.

-Mark H. Indianapolis, Indiana