The Everyday Club

6/25/10 Ullysses, 29
On my bike I stopped to talk to a man (Ullysses) as he got out of his car. He was open to a random question so I asked "What do you think happens after this life?" He told me he really never thinks about it, and after we had talked a while, I believe him. Ulysses' parents died in Mexico while he was a teenager and the first of his three children was born when he was 16. He has been supporting his wife and three children ever since, working for low wages as a chef at a buffet restaurant. He said he worries about what would happen to his kids if he dies early since he is overweight and his parents died young, but hasn't thought about his own fate. I could really see that he is busy with the struggle to earn a decent living for his family so I spent some time talking about how easy it is to get caught up in our day to day cares and concerns and explaining the importance of the eternal future of his soul. I explained the gospel but felt like this conversation was just an initial introduction about eternal things. On a side note I am grateful at this point in my witnessing experiences that while I am listening to people in a conversation, instead of my own thoughts about what I will say next or where I want the conversation to go, I am learning to really listen to the person and pray for them as we talk. Today toward the end of our conversation I looked Ullysses in the eyes, a man I had never met before, and told him with sincerity "I'm telling you this today because I really want to see you in heaven one day". I pray that I will.