About 20 years ago my home teaching companion and I were assigned to visit a part-member family. The father permitted us to visit his wife and children but was very good at evading us.
One Saturday in June we were early for our appointment. The dad was home alone working in his garden and was frustrated because he couldn't get his beautiful zucchini plants to produce. My easy going companion, a seasoned gardener, proceeded to show him how to pollinate the zucchini flowers since the bees weren't doing their job. From there we went on to discuss other gardening ideas.
The next month the father was waiting for us. Did he have zucchini! He was so excited we hardly had a chance to say hello to his wife before he took us out to his garden to show us his plants. The same thing happened for the next two months.
Then, in October, his company transferred him out of state. Years went by. Then one day I heard he had been transferred back to Montana. He was now a member of the Church.
The temple in Billings had been under construction. Now it was 1999, time for the open house. The first evening was for the people involved in the construction, their families and the neighbors. Two days before the open house I received a telephone call. Could my wife and I be greeters and guides for that night? We were asked to be there several hours early so we could see and learn about the temple. Could we!
Have you guessed who was calling me? The man who, years earlier, had been unhappy with his zucchini was now helping to co-ordinate the open house. His wife later told me if it hadn't been for those gardening visits her husband might have never joined the Church. Soon after they moved he had taken the discussions. She thanked me for being her home teacher.
Terrence Goss is a member of the Laurel Ward, Billings Montana West Stake.
Terrence Goss is a member of the Laurel Ward, Billings, Montana West Stake.