NO YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

In the classic 1900 L. Frank Baum fairytale novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her new friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all set off together down the Yellow Brick Road to search for the Wizard who supposedly can help her return home.

Less than two miles from our missionary apartment here in Baltimore, there is a street that really is named the Yellow Brick Road. It connects with Rossville Boulevard just east of Philadelphia Road. Because of the unusual name, I decided to photograph the Yellow Brick Road sign while I was returning from running an errand to a store.

Baltimore's Yellow Brick Road

Adjacent to the Yellow Brick Road, I pulled off onto the gravel of a connecting service road where I parked the car. Immediately in front of me were two local taxicabs, and the drivers were talking with each other. I said hello to them as I walked by with my camera to snap the picture. A few moments later as I returned to my automobile, one of the cabs had pulled away, and the remaining driver called out to me and asked, "What did you find so interesting that you took a picture?"

I explained that I had just photographed the Yellow Brick Road street sign and then added the thought that there is no Yellow Brick Road to the Kingdom of God . . . there's only the Straight and Narrow Way. Interested in what I had just said and noticing the missionary name tag on my white shirt, the driver motioned me to come to the window of the cab.

"What Church do you belong to," he asked? "My wife and I have been looking for a church to attend." I responded that I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The man then explained that his son had died this past year, and his daughter became so distraught about the loss of her brother that she took her own life. The cab driver told me that when that happened he and his wife had made the decision that they needed to go to Church.

"And then, just six months ago," he said, "my father died; and when we asked the pastor to help us with the funeral service, we were shocked when he told us that he and other church members were too busy to assist my wife and me." I told him that this isn't the way things are done in The Lord's Church and asked if we might come to visit with him and his wife to tell them more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He provided me with his name and telephone number and said that he gets home about 7:00 in the evening. I promised to call him within a day or two to set a time for our appointment. I bear witness that there is no such thing as a chance meeting between people in this life. Bringing souls to Christ is far too important for God to leave such things to chance.

For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39)