An old American Indian saying reminds us of the sacred nature of each individual path—“Praise the bridge that carries you over.” In the case of one young woman the bridge that carried her to the present was unique and tempestuous. Her path led through addictions, dark shadows and gnawing questions before it once again emerged in the light.
Like many of her generation, Carly had questions. She desired to know, does God exist to love and know her personally? What is her purpose in life? And most importantly, what was the significance of the church she had been baptized into and received as her heritage?
Following her graduation from university armed with a linguistics degree, she left for Brazil as part of a study abroad. Opting to remain and travel to Argentina in search of service opportunities when her school group returned home, Carly received a dramatic confirmation that God is, in fact, near and keenly mindful. One night she met a young man on the street and ended up accompanying him to a bar. Shortly thereafter she started to feel unusually hot and strange. Her skin became bright red and fear took over as she saw the look in this man’s eyes. Immediately following her frantic and instinctual prayer, a young recently-made friend from the hostel where she was staying appeared. With no thought at all of where Carly even was or why he was there, Randall had been sent clear across the city to her aid. That prayer changed everything.
Her now profound knowledge that God knew her compelled her to continue to seek answers. Once again back home she was optimistic about moving forward. She took a job on the east coast as a nanny. Then she heard on the news about the earthquake in Nepal. She found a non-profit organization through which she could help rebuild houses. For two months she worked in Nepal with Hindus under the difficult circumstances of the aftermath of that catastrophe. As amazing as those people were, she felt that something was missing for them—something that could bring them more.
At the end of her maximum time in Nepal, her incredible humanitarian spirit took her to a village in India where she was to help demolish and rebuild a broken school. Because of an embargo the Indian borders were closed. All of her supplies were stuck in a gas station unable to enter the country. She had no clothes or supplies or medicine for her Lyme’s disease and was forced to sleep on a kitchen table. All of this combined with severe smoke inhalation made her sick.
At this point Carly “snapped” and started walking down the mountain! She made her way through and out of India to Greece. She and a cousin she joined with were offered fare sharing on a ferry from Athens with two Brits performing as clowns for refugee Syrian, Afghanistan, Iraqi and Moroccan children in Camp Maria several hours from Athens.
When Carly and her cousin arrived at the camp, they asked, “Where can we help?” They were told, “Right here!” They made and served hot tea for refugees waiting in line to receive clothes. The girls worked eight hours straight. This experience was a stark and sobering exposure to death and hopelessness for thousands. Carly found herself overcome with exhaustion and crying in a corner. A kind English Moslem woman comforted her, and Carly began to appreciate first-hand the incredible Christ-like service of doctors, cooks, construction workers all extending selflessly in behalf of their destitute fellow humans—a chain reaction of kindness.
From this experience Carly began to wonder if all that really mattered was engaging in Christ-like service regardless of any particular religion. At this point, while she was staying for a time in Casablanca, Morocco, she was again invited to go out to a bar. As she was preparing to leave, her copy of the Book of Mormon caught her eye. She read a chapter, and at the conclusion the desire to go and drink left completely. This experience was to repeat itself many more times as her quest for truth continued.
Returning home, she desired to rid herself of addictive substances. She put her nose in the Book of Mormon during an entire Christmas holiday and received the greatest happiness she had yet to experience. She found power from God that led to repentance, strength and knowledge as well. All of the pieces began to come together. After her days of reading she desired to go to church, talk to her bishop, and become active. She remembered a long-forgotten promise to serve a mission that she’d made at age ten, but decided it was too late in life to fulfill that.
She applied for and accepted an internship in Guinea-Bessau in western Africa to teach. Through repeated whisperings of the Spirit she realized that all of her travels and experiences were for the purpose of helping others. So, at 26 years old, Carly Harris knew it was time to serve a mission! She remained sober for three months, read the scriptures and feasted on uplifting music when her former addictions threatened to prevail. She helped start a branch in Guinea-Bassau.
Back home again her bishop sadly informed her that the missionary committee had found her unworthy to serve because of the past eleven years of drinking and drugs. She was advised to complete the Addiction Recovery program which changed her whole life. After twelve more weeks she re-applied and was called to the Belgium/Netherlands mission.
Prior to leaving, in refreshing honesty and candor, Carly Harris posted the sentiments of her heart on Facebook for all of her acquaintances all over the world to read—a sort of testament of her faith—her theses, so to speak, on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. Her journey to that point had led her into the lives of hundreds of people all over the world and through circumstances most unusual and striking for a young women of her age.
She had learned Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Mandarin. She had resided in mansions and shacks. Her conversations had included philosophies from all over the world, and her cultural boundaries had been stretched beyond her imagination. She had taken as her motto, “To know, for sure”, and had attacked life with a zeal seldom seen to find answers to her burning questions through first-hand experience with Buddhists, Moslems, Taoists, Sikks, Hindus, Jews, agnostics and atheists.
“I tried to deny and run from this church for so many years and have searched for happiness everywhere else I could think of, only to be lead by all the places I was looking, all the experiences, the different environments and all the people right back. They have all been a part of showing me the truths contained in this gospel are real. I didn’t understand it before I felt it, and it still amazes me every day.”
Carly’s bridge required time and patience. It twisted and rose and dipped and veered dramatically into intricate cultures and countries. Her bridge was unique to her and has shaped the rest of her life. It has indeed, “carried her over.”
LexaGraemeDecember 9, 2020
Bravo