Saturday's Warrior
Noting my unease, he laughed in a friendly manner. "Don't worry," he said. "It's nothing bad. In fact, it's exactly the opposite -- it's something very, very good."
He started driving up into the canyon. It was already dark out.
"You see," he said, "I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying and struggling with my conscience in order to prepare for my mission. I want to do what the Lord wants me to do, and I'm sure that this mission is it."
"Of course it is," I said.
"Now I know I should have gone to the bishop to confess," he said. "But as you know I didn't want to risk having him tell me to postpone my mission. Hanging around here I'm not going to get any more righteous than I am now," he laughed, "so I might as well go. That's what the spirit told me."
I believed he was right, although I felt that there would have been no danger in going to the bishop since the spirit would surely have told the bishop the same thing. Still, Walter had already been ordained an Elder, so I didn't want to contradict him on spiritual matters.
"Now the place I'm taking you is the most spiritual place I've ever been outside the holy temple. It's as good as confessing to the bishop. No, better, really."
I was proud of him that he so earnestly wanted to make himself worthy for his mission, and I felt touched that he wanted to share his spiritual growth with me and make amends to Heavenly Father.
"Here it is," he said, pulling the car off to the side of the road. Not too far from where we pulled over, but not visible from the road, there was a large, flat stone as big as a table or altar.
"Isn't it amazing?" he asked. "See, it's just like the rock where Jesus prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane. I found it by chance, and I come here sometimes when I want a special, spiritual place to pray. I've never taken anyone here before."
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