I vividly recall a young man in my ward growing up, who was never going to go on a
mission. During his high school years, he and his friends were “riotous,” to use a scriptural term lightly (Luke 15:13). Most of these friends were not of our faith, and their actions further distanced him and them from the faith. I am certain that his family wanted him to go on a mission, but this young man was just not interested in serving the Lord or being a missionary. He really wasn’t too interested in being a member of the church. He was having too much worldly fun in his life, and the things of God just weren’t important to him. He seemed to be doing exactly the opposite of what Paul said of the faithful: “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).
He was enjoying his season of sin. He loved his rock music, his hair was long, he loved to party, he participated in the vices of the teenage crowd, and his standards were that of a typical, worldly teenager. I am certain that even many of his church leaders had written him off as a troubled teen who was too difficult to have in the ward. He was enjoying the great and spacious building, and his path and course were set--or so he thought. In his mind, nothing was going to stop him from doing what he was doing, and nothing was going to change him. There was, however, one huge obstacle in his path to “the great and spacious building:” his mother (Nephi 8:26). This young man didn’t realize how powerful the faith of his mother was. He wasn’t aware of the work she was doing behind the scenes to assist him in his life and to redirect his spiritual path.
When his nineteenth birthday rolled around and the reality that her son was not planning to serve a mission hit her, her efforts only increased. She began to fast for her son weekly on Mondays. Her son, already a part of her daily prayers, became the central focus of her daily prayers. I don’t know all the details, but I am certain on numerous occasions she desperately pleaded with the Lord just as Alma did for his wayward son. After fasting weekly and increasing the intensity of her prayers for two months, nothing changed. Nothing happened to this young man’s actions, disposition, or behavior. This faithful mother never stopped. She continued to fast and fervently pray that her son’s heart would change. Over the next few months, her hopes increased as she saw some change of heart, change of countenance, and change of desires. The petitions of her weekly fasts were beginning to bear fruit.
After more than six months of fasting and some spiritual progress, she didn’t stop her weekly fasts. She continued with “unshaken faith” and her heartfelt pleas to the Lord (2 Nephi 31:19). A few short weeks later this young man, now approaching twenty, came home one day and said to his mom, “I want to serve a mission.” Her faith, her prayers, her devoted fasting, and the faith of others had helped bring about a miracle in this young man’s life. He met with a good bishop, confessed, repented, changed, and humbled himself and took all the necessary steps to serve a mission. This repentance process was certainly difficult, but he did everything the bishop asked of him so he could be forgiven and serve a mission with clean hands and a pure heart.
A mother’s earnest prayers were answered tenfold as this young man not only served a mission but was a powerful missionary. He was devoted, loving, hard-working, showed great leadership and had a life-changing experience as a missionary. It was easy for me, as a member of his ward, to see the dramatic change in him, his countenance, and his desires when he returned from full-time service.