If you're Mormon, hopefully you've read or at least heard about Al Fox. But if you haven't, she is an incredible powerhouse lady and here's why.
In 2009, Al Fox was living a happy life, when she was approached by missionaries. She had no intention of listening to them or acting on their challenges, but she told them if they would bring her a steak dinner, she'd listen.
They brought her a steak dinner, and a few months later, she was baptized.
She's endured much because of her conversion. Some friends and family weren't accepting of her membership, and she decided to move to Provo, UT. On her first day there, she was waiting in line at Cafe Rio, and she was holding some sort of religious book - about a prophet or something.
And while I was waiting in line I felt very tense. I could feel stares in every direction; it felt like lasers. I stood there stiff trying to ignore it but I couldn't. I could physically feel the stares from everyone. Finally, the guy next to me tapped my on the arm and said, "You know...it's pretty ironic you look the way you do holding that book."
My heart broke. Stomach knotted. Eyes teary.
It took a bit for me to react. So many emotions ran through me, and I had to decide which one I was going to express to him. What I so badly wanted to do was to turn to him, and yell. Yell & cry to him, "Do you know what I just went through?! Do you know how hard this is! Do you know who-and what- I had to give up to be here, and I don't even know why!"How many of us would have yelled at him, told him to shut up, or be rude in some other way? I probably would have. But Al had the strength and courage to respond with kindness and grace.
How badly I wanted to walk around everywhere with my scriptures so that the 'lasers' would stop. And they didn't. I so badly wanted people to see me for who I've become. I literally craved more than anything for people to just know that I was trying. That's it. That I was trying. And they couldn't, and it hurt me so badly that it became physically exhausting.
How easy it would have been to yell at him. How easy it would have been to get mad. To get offended. How easy it would have been to not just take it out on him, or the people of the city as a whole. But furthermore, how easy it would have been to be upset & confused towards Heavenly Father for leading me to such a place with so many lack of answers, answers that would have been very comforting during those experiences that so frequently occurred. How hard it was at this time to have just been baptized, still with such a small sliver of knowledge of the gospel & feel that. To not have any boys talk to me because they are looking for temple worthy girls. Because they are looking for someone I do not exactly portray, that they didn't even talk to me.
Yeah- how easy it would have been to feel & react that way.
But I fought it. I decided otherwise.
I turned to this man in Café Rio. Introduced myself. Shook his hand. I smiled so big and simply said, “I just got baptized, this is my first day here!” I said it with happiness. I said it with pride. With confidence.
Now, she spends a lot of her time making videos on youtube, testifying of her faith and encouraging others to use the internet for good. She wants others to know of her happiness and of God's love for them.
I seriously love this girl. She is bold and fearless, she is compassionate and understanding. She wants us all to know that we are each of individual worth, and encourages us to be the best, most loving person of ourself. She is such an incredible role model.
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