April 2005 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

or me to go to church. He greeted
me warmly now and announced that
he had come back to our area to
baptize Ian. I was skeptical and
laughed, but during the following
week Ian at last came home.
As he had promised, he came to
church the next Sunday. Elder
Paskett approached him on that
first visit and made arrangements
to come with his companion,
Elder Brown, and teach Ian the discussions.
Within two weeks Ian had
accepted the invitation to be baptized.
The whole process took less
than a month, and shortly afterwards
the missionaries were moved
from our branch to another area.
During those weeks the outpouring
of love through the Holy Spirit
and from the members of our branch
was overwhelming. We made a commitment
then that if we were going
to live the gospel at all, we would live
it fully. Shortly after his baptism Ian
was called as president of the Young
Men, and I was called to serve in
Primary. Our Church life became full
and exciting. Over the years our family
blossomed from two to five beautiful
children. We were sealed in the
London England Temple in 1982,
with Tony and Rosie in attendance.
The gospel has touched every part
of our lives since that time. We have
had our ups and downs but have
never regretted our decision to
serve the Lord. We have truly found
a home in His Church. ■
Judith A. Deeney is a member of the
Lerwick Branch, Scotland Edinburgh
Mission.
I Didn’t Listen
By Thierry Hotz
When I was about 17 years
old, one day I met my
cousin to see a movie at
the other end of the city. Afterward
my cousin suggested that I sleep over
at his house, but I declined because I
wanted to return home.
There were no streetlights, so
I started home in the dark. At this
time in my life I was not very confident.
So to give myself a sense of
security, I began to sing softly as I
walked. The farther I went, the more
afraid I became.
While I was passing a soccer stadium,
I heard a small voice tell me,
“Thierry, change sidewalks!” I didn’t
want to believe it was anything other
than fear, so I ignored the voice. After
I had gone several meters, the voice
became more distinct: “Thierry,
change sidewalks!” I told myself again
that I was only afraid. I continued on
the same side of the street, now
almost at a run. Suddenly I heard the
voice the third time: “Thierry, change
sidewalks now!” I didn’t listen.
I then noticed at the next corner
several individuals. I ran to the
other side of the street, but it was
too late. The group saw me, and they
attacked, wanting whatever I had in
my pockets. I tried to defend myself,
but I couldn’t do much. Finally I fell
to the ground and pretended to be
unconscious. When they all left, I
got to my feet with difficulty and ran
home as quickly as possible.
Twenty years after this adventure
I now work for the security of others.
I have found myself in more serious
situations than this and have again
heard the voice that tells me what to
do. Needless to say, I don’t need to
be warned three times now.
I know that the experience I
had as a young man, while painful,
allowed me to discover the voice of
the Holy Ghost. Today this voice is
very familiar to me. ■
Thierry Hotz is a member of the Vitrolles
Ward, Nice France Stake.
ENSIGN APRIL 2005 69