For Elders Daryl Larsen and Rusty Jones of the Michigan Lansing Mission, there was only an hour left in the day to tract in July 1996 when they came to Twin Lakes, a city so small it wasn't listed on their map.
They began tracting, and at the third door they met Ida Robinson. She listened to their message with the door slightly ajar, then invited them to return the next evening."There was a good feeling the next evening as we discussed the teachings of Jesus Christ and the experiences of Joseph Smith," said Elder Jones.
As the elders related the events of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, Ida sat forward in her chair and seemed to listen with deeper interest. Her voice trembled with emotion when she read Moroni 10:3-5. "The Spirit rushed in and tears filled all our eyes," Elder Jones said.
After reading the passage, she closed the book and related how three days earlier she had prayed for "Heavenly Father to lead me to the truth." She had faith her prayer would be answered, but wasn't confident at first whether the two missionaries were her answer.
"I know because of the feelings I have [tonight]," she said, "that you were sent here by Jesus Christ."
She was invited to be baptized but declined because of her close association with her church. Instead, she wanted to continue reading the Book of Mormon and live its teachings on her own. The missionaries left that night disappointed that she would not attend Church.
To their surprise, they watched her enter sacrament meeting the next Sunday a little late. Following the meeting, she explained how she went to her minister and asked what he knew about the Book of Mormon.
"With some contention in his voice," she said, "he told me that it was completely untrue, and not of God.
"I asked him if he had read the book. He replied that he had not. With that, I stood up and told him that I had read it, and prayed about it, and I knew that it was true. I also told him that he needed to read the book for himself. After that, I dropped the Book of Mormon on his desk, and came to today's meetings."
Sister Robinson was baptized three weeks later, with many in her family following her example. She went through the Chicago Illinois Temple in August 1997 and attends the North Muskegon Ward with her six children.
