God is moving in the hearts of the Mormon people--people I love for their kindness, generosity and family values. Many of them are leaving the LDS Church (some after 50 years) and coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ--the Jesus of the Bible. It is a wonderful thing to see and I thank God for it. Their stories are often painful; many are shunned by their children and grandchildren. They risked everything dear to them to follow Jesus--story after story of modern-day persecution and pain--all for the sake of the gospel.My father heard these stories, too--many, many times over the course of his ministry, and he would walk around elated for days after talking with ex-Mormons or ex-Jehovah's Witnesses or countless others whose hearts had been touched by the power of God.Kevin Bywater is one of these special people:Dear Jill,
Greetings from Oxford, England . . . . I lecture on cults and the occult here in Oxford during the school year and back in the States during the summer months.I met Walter once, in Salt Lake City. It must have been in the late-80s. I had become a Christian in '87, as a fifth-generation Mormon. After he spoke, I approached to greet him. A lot of people were speaking with him. I didn't have a chance to say anything other than "thank you." That was enough for me. I very much appreciated his leading-edge work, his clarity and charity and confidence, as well as his teachability. Yes, teachability is perhaps something people would not normally attribute to Walter. I saw it firsthand. He listened attentively to others, sometimes seeing enough to warrant modifying his own opinions. I know he encouraged many in their faith, as well as spurring them on in their evangelistic and apologetic endeavors. I'm very thankful to have known of him so early in my Christian life.Kevin James Bywater, Director
SUMMIT MINISTRIES OXFORD STUDY CENTRE
www.summitoxford.org • www.summit.org
Thank you, Kevin, for taking the time to share this with me; it means a lot.Take heart, my friends--good things are happening . . . .