Have you ever felt really alone? Maybe the river of life has swept you downstream and you feel like you are drowning in a never ending list of pressures and demands. Feeling alone can result from many of life’s circumstances. For me, I have lived my life largely as an entrepreneur which by definition entails many twists and turns often in a sea of uncertainty. Throughout this journey I have often felt the pressure of competing decisions and choices leaving me with a sense of being overwhelmed. During these moments it can feel like you are the only one facing such pressures and challenges, thus feeling alone and isolated.
One of the best life lines I know of is relying on a loving Heavenly Father who knows us personally. We can do this by drawing closer to Him in prayer to feel His comfort and guidance. Let us not forget that we are His children. As we focus on our divine heritage and recognize He is there to help us, our feelings of being alone can melt away. With this perspective, we can receive important guidance to improve our situation and find peace.
With this theme in mind, Susan and I had a spiritual experience a few weeks ago that highlights the importance of prayer and personal revelation. It taught us how these principles can help us with difficult life decisions. Drawing closer to God can truly help us feel a sense of belonging and direction.
A New Adventure Calls
To give you some background, we are in the midst of a new adventure. We are moving to Gig Harbor, WA from our home in St. George, UT. We have been called to assist with the leadership of 200+ full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Tacoma Washington Mission. We will serve there for about 2 ½ years.
No, we haven’t retired yet! This assignment will allow us to continue to serve clients. Over the last couple of years we have been splitting time between Utah and Southern California each month. This will continue although we will trade a 5-hour drive for a 2 ½ hour flight, of which we are most grateful. We are grateful for technology which allows us to be almost anywhere.
With our move only a couple months away, we’ve needed divine help regarding all the unknowns surrounding our move. Our first challenge was finding a place to live. With the prospects of moving to an unfamiliar place this seemed rather daunting as we needed to secure housing quickly. Our prayerful petition would often be, “Lord, please guide and direct us to know thy will. Help us to know who to talk to and the right questions to ask in our desire to relocate to Tacoma.”
Finding a Place to Live
To prepare, we traveled to Tacoma a few weeks ago to attend two days of mission zone conferences. It was great to see our friends President and Sister Brown, Mission Leaders, and the missionaries we will be serving with. We booked Friday after the conferences to look for lodging. Our flight was set to depart from Tacoma at 6pm that evening. This left us limited time to find a place to live. It all seemed rather impossible!
Susan had done some homework online before we left Utah and selected a few apartments to visit. Throughout the experience we continued to pray seeking clarity for how to solve our lodging problem.
There is a scripture in the Old Testament that says, “…there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Job 32:8
The Comforter Shall Teach You All Things
I have learned through many personal experiences that God can speak to our spirits and provide us enlightenment. He has said, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” D&C 8:2 I have learned that when we listen with faith in Christ and demonstrate diligence and real intent to follow Divine promptings, we can receive answers to prayer.
When Jesus was near the end of His life he told His apostles the following, as recorded in the Book of John:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” John 14:16 Jesus described this as the “Spirit of Truth.” John 14:17
He later said,
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things unto your remembrance.” John 14:26
As Jesus prepared His apostles for His death and resurrection He spoke often of the Comforter. See John 14-17. Following His death, the Holy Ghost rested upon these early church leaders, and they experienced mighty spiritual manifestations with the conversion of many early believers. Read the Book of Acts to learn more.
When I served as a missionary in the Philippines from 1979-81, I had numerous faith promoting spiritual experiences I will never forget. When each of our boys left to serve missions I gave them the charge to learn how the Holy Ghost speaks to them. I promised that if they would do this, the ability to receive personal revelation would bless their entire lives. It would guide them to find the right spouse, choose a career and aid as they led their families.
“Go Back to the Wollochet Building”
So here we were in an unfamiliar state on a Friday morning looking for a place to live. Our departing flight was only a few hours away. We had prayed again that morning at the hotel to be guided by His spirit and to know our Father’s will on the matter.
We visited three apartment complexes. One of them seemed a likely candidate, but it was unfurnished and there were two flights of stairs to hike. Ugh! Meandering in a rental car with no real conclusion where to go, I felt a strong impression to, “Go back to the Wollochet Ward Building.” My immediate reaction was to dismiss the prompting thinking, “Why go there? Two days prior we had visited the Wollochet Ward Building in Gig Harbor. It was located near the mission home where the mission leaders live. We felt impressed earlier to focus our lodging in that area so we would be closer to them to help coordinate the work. This was the broad area that we had looked for apartments.
As we drove, the spiritual impression persisted, “Go to the Wollochet Building.” Learning to pay attention and not rebuff spiritual promptings I told Susan, “I think we need to go back to the Wollochet Building.” “Why?” she asked. “I don’t know, I just feel we should go there.” “Okay,” she replied.
It was just after 2pm. As we pulled in we noticed one car in the parking lot. We went to the building, but it was locked. We noticed a light on so we knocked on the glass doors hoping someone was there. A kind couple, whom we would learn later were Don and Dawn Kappel, came to the door. We introduced ourselves and Susan shared our plans to move to the area to serve a mission. She explained we were looking for lodging and asked if they knew of anyone who had a guest house, vacant home or apartment that we might stay.
“Would You Like to Follow Us There?”
All of a sudden, the conversation got a bit awkward. They paused for a while and began to look at each other in a rather puzzled, but curious way. Susan interrupted and said, “Did I say something wrong?” Then, they finally said, “Well, (looking at each other for reassurance), we have a guest house and have been thinking about renting it.” Both of our eyes widened. I could not believe what we were hearing. That’s when I felt the Holy Ghost wash over me. It’s a familiar feeling I have learned to recognize over the years confirming to me divine truth in a given situation. It was a tender moment. My emotions welled up. We were speechless.
Dawn said that her father had lived in the guest house for years, but had passed 18-months prior. They had thought about renting to the visiting nurses and a family member had even expressed an interest in staying there. But, to date they had not decided what to do or how to proceed.
They then said (again looking at each other) “Well, we only live seven minutes away, would you like to follow us there to take a look?” Remember, we did not know these people. They were complete strangers to us, but the Spirit bore witness in our hearts that they were faithful members of the church. We couldn’t believe what was happening. It all seemed to be moving in slow motion. We followed them a short distance to a beautiful little furnished guest house behind their home. We fell in love with them and the home immediately.
Here is the cute little guest home we will be living in for the next 2 ½ years.
It was crystal clear we had been spiritually guided to meet them. Susan and I walked through the guest house realizing we were supposed to be inspecting the place, but frankly we both had already received spiritual confirmation, so we didn’t pay much attention. Now, for an interior designer wife and an analytical CPA this was not in our natures. We knew we had been guided by the Lord so we felt confident all the details would be right.
Rushing Off to the Airport
Don and Dawn said they wanted to speak privately about it, so we hurried off to the airport. We felt they would call us in a week or so still stunned by what had happen. A couple hours later as we were trying to find our departure gate at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, my phone rang. I noticed it was a local number so I quickly picked-up. It was Don and Dawn. They said they had talked about it and then offered the guest house to us if we felt good about it. “Yes!” we immediately exclaimed as we closely clutched my phone struggling to hear in the busyness of the airport.
A cozy two bedroom, two bath home in Gig Harbor, WA.
We were amazed how quickly all this was coming together. Both of us recognized that the experience was completely Spirit led!
We are Not Alone!
I am reminded how Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, amidst a difficult task said, “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” This is how we felt! We had just experienced the Lord’s hand in our lives. His guidance was palpable in helping us find a place to live. We felt completely connected to Him, His love for us and the work we were to be engaged.
The following Tuesday, we had a follow up phone conversation with Don and Dawn to cover more of the details. It was then that they explained to us the sequencing of their day on that Friday and how they felt guided by the Spirit to be at the Wollochet Building at that time. They equally felt divine guidance to connect with us. In retrospect, five minutes either way and we would have missed each other. Isn’t it interesting how our Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives when it matters most? What a tender mercy!
For me this was consistent with other spiritual experiences I have had in my life. And when these miracles occur it is such a reminder of God’s influence in our lives. We learned so much from this experience. First, we are not alone. Second, prayer works. Third, the Holy Ghost is real. Fourth, there is no doubt our Heavenly Father wants Susan and I in Tacoma to serve with President & Sister Brown and the missionaries in this part of His vineyard.
We joyfully share our testimony that the Holy Ghost is real and can guide us in all our affairs. As we are faithful and seek the Lord’s help, His Spirit can guide us through life’s storms. As President Russell M. Nelson has recently noted, “If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation. But in coming days it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”1 May I add that we must stretch beyond our current spiritual abilities to develop this important talent.
We often say that our Heavenly Father knows each of us individually and is aware of our needs. We bear witness that this is true! God lives! Jesus is the Christ! Again, as President Nelson has declared, “The gathering of Israel is the most important work on the earth today.”2 We know this to be true.
We look forward to more wonderful experiences in the Tacoma Washington Mission. Stay Tuned!
- “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” President Russell M. Nelson, April General Conference 2018
- President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 2022
I am just a guy who loves life, my wife, my family, my God and my country. I want to pay it forward and make a positive contribution inspiring others to make great life decisions. Growing McKell Partners, a full service wealth management and financial planning practice, is also my passion.
I love a great game of golf, tennis or chasing the sunset on my Cannondale. An evening convertible ride and a bowl of Haagen Dazs peanut butter chocolate ice cream are my go-to stress relievers.
I am just a guy who loves life, my wife, my family, my God, and my country. I want to pay it forward and make a positive contribution inspiring others to make great life decisions.