July is over, but I feel like sharing more missionary moments, after the ones I shared here, here, and here. These are stories of people learning of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Today’s story involves a Jewish woman who was living in Philadelphia, working at the Independence National Historic Park. Her friend introduced her to a young man, her co-worker, who didn’t drink or smoke. The friend said that he was a courteous date who always dropped his date off at the doorstep with a goodbye kiss, nothing more.

Harriet Rosser Kirkland, the woman, says, “I attended Northeastern University in Boston, where I completed a B.A. and M.A. in History. For me, these years, from 1969 to 1976, were filled with rebellion and searching. As I look back I can characterize this time as one of spiritual darkness. I felt something lacking in my life but did not know where to turn.”

Harriet didn’t realize what she was in for when she met this man. One day at work, they were talking about history. she says, “He then asked me what I knew about the American Indians. I responded that I had very little knowledge. Paul told me he had just the book for me and it was an all-time best-seller. The following day he gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon. It was quite different from any book I had read.”

Go here to read the whole story, from which I took the above quotes from. It was published in the July 1986 Ensign magazine, and is titled, “A Book Different From Any Other.”

You can listen to Harriet/Sister Kirkland, tell her story here. It’s fabulous!

Want more missionary stories? Go here to get my free Family Devotionals Ebook, then go to the July section.