ROANOKE, Va. — Since January 2005, Vearl McBride has handed out 880 free copies of the Book of Mormon to random strangers in airports, grocery stores, dry cleaners, hospitals, nursing homes and just about anywhere he goes. Even a hitchhiker received this unexpected gift from the hand of McBride, 89, who is patriarch of the Roanoke Virginia Stake.
What drives a person of faith to undertake such a curious and phenomenal distribution?
It always has been about education. McBride received his Ph.D. in education from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and has been an educator his entire adult life. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, McBride has made serving people in need center stage. He served as bishop in Quincy, Ill., and an adult mission with his wife, Betty, in the Texas Houston Mission. The McBrides have seven children, 34 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. As patriarch in Roanoke since 1992, he has given blessings to more than 800 people.
Over the years, McBride had noted a relationship between physiological factors and one's ability to read and comprehend. He developed a specialty in teaching people with learning disabilities to read, and those with average reading skills to read at tremendous speed with excellent retention. Some of his students and their families had largely given up hope before McBride worked his magic and changed their lives. He has seen the positive effects of reading on the lives of hundreds of people. So he decided to hand out copies of the Book of Mormon to as many people as possible.
Near the end of the Book of Mormon is Moroni's promise:
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4).
McBride says he wants everyone to have the opportunity to put Moroni's promise to the test.
At the Atlanta airport in January 2005 on his way home from Arizona, McBride gave a Book of Mormon to an international traveler. He says he began to pray for opportunities to distribute the book, and the opportunities came. By that February he had given out 80 copies, and any apprehension about people's negative reactions had vanished.
Around town and while traveling, he soon found that most people were gracious and grateful to receive a free copy. He has encountered many positive responses, including: "My grandmother was a member"; "Thank you very much, we have Mormon neighbors"; and "I have heard of this book and I want to read it."
Once he gave a copy to someone in a grocery store. Another person saw him give away the book, asked if it was the Book of Mormon and inquired to see if he had another copy. Now he always tries to take two copies into the store, and if he doesn't, he soon wishes he had. He tempers the importance of his mission with a strong sense of humor. When he handed out his 700th copy, he smiled and proudly proclaimed, I'm a member of the "700 club!" Since then, he has surpassed 800 — and is nearing 900 copies distributed.
Not everyone is gracious, however. A few recipients have responded with anger. When one woman was presented with a copy, she shouted, "I don't want that book! It's a book of the devil! Don't you believe in the Bible?"
McBride answered by saying, "Of course I believe in the Bible. This book helps me to understand it, and it verifies the Bible's veracity. This is the greatest book on the whole Earth. Someday, you will remember this day and regret exceedingly your refusal to accept it."
Sometimes he jokes with the apprehensive and says with a grin, "Be careful, it will change your life. It did mine."
When asked what influenced his decision to begin his "great giveaway," a number of events both personal and historic came to his mind.
1. Church President David O. McKay's mantra was "Every member a missionary."
2. Church President Ezra Taft Benson said that if you flood the earth with the Book of Mormon, it will gather out Heavenly Father's elect people.
3. In Mormon history, Samuel Smith left a copy of the Book of Mormon with Phineas Green, which was later found by his cousin, Brigham Young, thereby resulting in his conversion to the church. He later became the second president of the church and led the pioneers west.
4. McBride's son-in-law served a mission in Finland. Eight years before, missionaries had left a Book of Mormon with a family. A small boy found and read the book, called the mission office at age 16 and asked to be baptized.
5. McBride had a strong feeling that by not offering the book to others, he would be failing them and depriving them of a life-changing opportunity.
All in all, he says it has been a wonderful, satisfying and faith-building experience. When asked why he would give a book to a person who is not interested in receiving it, McBride said, "Even if the person does not read the Book of Mormon right away, they might just put it on their bookshelf to be found later by a descendant, or even by themselves. It is a life-changing book that brings one closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing is that they have it, and the opportunity to read it is there."
Paul Rucker is director of public affairs for the Roanoke Virginia Stake.