What a Great Ward and Mission

We’ve been in the Huehuecalco ward for almost two months and we’ve received and incredible about of help from the members. They have wanted to take us around to know other members and bring investigators to the chapel. Today, for example, we were introduced to two ladies, both of whom were very anxious to hear the gospel. One, the sister of one of the counselors in the bishopric, said she wanted to be baptized. When there is someone new a ward member will often grab us and introduce them to us.

More than that, they treat my wife and I like family. They seem so happy to see us. Today in sacrament meeting I was supposed to be the last speaker, but the first two used up all of the time…just like my family did to me a couple of times. I feel very at home and comfortable with these people. They are so aware of us and trying to help us. What a great example they are.

For Thanksgiving our mission president and his wife invited us over to their beautiful home.  It was such blessing to share Thanksgiving with people we care about. It was the first Thanksgiving that Crhise have been away from family and it could have been pretty lonely. The mission has been very much like the Huehuecalco ward, embracing us and loving us. We love being around all of these very special people.

Battling the Adversary

Many years ago when I was a young married man in Rosemont, California, I decided one evening to drive out into the country to pray. I drove along the freeway until I found an exit well away from the city lights. In my car I began to pray. Immediately a very strong and dark force began to press down upon me, frightening me. I tried to continue praying but the power became stronger and stronger and more frightening. I started the car and gave up my plans to pray in the place. It was not my first experience with the Dark One but a very memorable one.

For the past few weeks we have been teaching a young man, whom I will call Raul. He is one of the most golden investigators we’ve had the opportunity to know. The Adversary has been at work with this young man ever since we started teaching him. First, his girlfriend, who is a member and his main contact with the Church, jilted him. He was very much in love with her. To my amazement he showed up for that week’s discussion, though we spent the whole time telling him that things would get better. During that discussion he talked about the second thing that had happened to him, a nightmare. In this nightmare he was warned against continuing to take the discussions. He woke up twice having heard a very distinct and angry voice forbidding him from listening to us. Yet he continued.

Finally, just a week before his planned baptism, I got a call from him telling me for the first time that he couldn’t make to our discussion. He was on the way to the hospital. It seems in a fluke accident scalding hot water had been spilled on him. Giving him several severe burns. Despite the pain, he came to Church today.

As missionaries, Chrise and I and the many thousands of other missionaries across the world are on the front lines of a very real spiritual battle. All of us have witnessed things like those that have happened to Raul occur as Satan tries to stop our very important work.

The Lord's Protection

From my previous experience as a missionary and from warnings we received from our current mission president, I know their can be danger here in Mexico. Forty years ago when I drove the roads as an assistant, we were told to never stop in the country. In proof of that point, as young missionaries we helped an elderly couple who had done just that and the had ended up in the hospital in our town, having been attacked and robbed of everything when they stopped along side a country road. Now as more elderly missionaries we’ve been told to be careful because many suppose that we have a lot of money.

As a young missionary forty years ago, I always felt the Lord’s protection where ever I went. In two years, even though I had walked many dark streets and alleys, I never had any problems.

Friday after a very spiritual discussion with Roberto at the chapel near his home, we started back along a very dark country road. Suddenly two bicyclists riding without lights appeared along the side of the road, as I swerved to miss them I hit a very deep pot hole in the middle of the road. Immediately, my left front tire went flat and we were forced to stop. There  we were on a dark country road in a strange new car… with a jack that I had never learned how to use. Of course there was only one thing to do, there not being a AAA down here or if there is I don’t know where it would be, I had to get out change tire. It was no easy task, but Chrise stood by my side helping me to figure out the equipment, loosen the bolts and change the tire. A number of cars passed us, but I will have to say that I never felt fear or concern. Though thoughts did cross my mind, they didn’t linger long. I knew with the Lord’s protection everything would be all right, and it was.

Two Experiences

This week I won’t use all those adjectives and adverbs to describe our incredible week…whoops. I want to share a couple of experiences that made it the “I” word.

For the more than a couple of months we have been trying to help a young missionary get a permanent visa here in Mexico. It is the only way that he can finish his mission. The problem is that no one has experience with this kind of visa, not even the main office in Mexico. This has led to a lot of miscues and mistakes that have dragged the whole process out. This week was a make or break week. He has no more time left. The week before I had made the long trip to immigration only to have the agent at the counter point even more mistakes that had been made in the papers, forcing me to come home empty handed. This week I was at the same counter with a different person. She started to point out mistakes and I thought, “Oh no, here we go again.” She said that she had to go get her supervisor because there was a problem. While she was away I said a prayer asking to Heavenly Father to please help us get this visa. The woman came back with her supervisor and I could tell by the body language that things were bad. Then the supervisor saw me and his countenance changed. He paused and then said, “No, that’s all right let it go. Go ahead and process the papers.”

Experience two happened today. We are teaching a really wonderful investigator named Roberto (has to be wonderful with a name like that J). Although he has attended our ward three times, he isn’t from our ward. So today we took him in our car to visit the ward that he should be attending. The two sister missionaries from that ward were waiting for us when we got there. I told them that he had a provisional baptism date of December 5^th, but when they asked him about it, he said he wanted more time. After a tour of the chapel, stopping at each painting to describe its meaning, we ended up in front of the baptismal font. The sisters asked us to share our own memories of baptism, and when we were done, they asked Roberto to say the closing prayer and to specifically ask Heavenly Father if he wanted him to be baptized on December 5^th. Roberto said a prayer that touched us all. Then he asked Heavenly Father if he wanted him to be baptized on December 5^th. A strong and unmistakable feeling touched my heart. When the prayer ended I looked at Roberto and asked him, “Did you feel that?” He nodded and said, “I want to be baptized on the December 5^th.”

These are only two of the experiences we had this week. We had many others. 

The Good with the Bad

I’m not going to lie to you. This has been a very tough week, but it didn’t end our string of great weeks.

On Tuesday, Chrise and I went to immigration in Mexico City. On the way there we stalled in traffic on an off ramp. As is typical here in Mexico, drivers are not content with just one lane even if was built that way. So a big bus decided to pass us on the left. He might have been all right, but he cut the corner too sharply, brushing the front of our car. He scraped the paint on our front fender and side mirror badly but did little other damage. He didn’t stop.

Tuesday night I had a discussion with a very sincere and honest young man, who has been coming to Church for six months. I have been trying to help him recognize the Spirit. Chrise, who was teaching a piano class a few miles away came to pick me up. In the darkness we both failed to see a man driving with no lights. Chrise plowed into him hard, doing considerable damage to both cars. He didn’t stop either.

When we got home, Chrise found a post on Facebook by my brother Mike. My Dad had fallen and hurt himself badly. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Isn’t it amazing how bad things sometimes come in clusters like that?

The next couple of days we spent time calling home, filling out accident reports, and praying. I had another discussion with Raul, the young man I mentioned above, on Thursday. It was a spiritual feast, but he still had problems recognizing the Spirit. I suggested that we fast together today, fast Sunday.

There are fasts and there are fasts. I felt the Spirit so strongly in this fast, an overwhelming feeling of comfort and gratitude. I bore my testimony and the feeling still filled me. After Church I met with Raul and his girlfriend, a member of the Church, to end our fast together. I asked Raul if he had felt the Spirit in fast and testimony meeting. He said he had for the first time.

The blessing of today didn’t end there. I also met a man named Roberto. He had come to church twice on his own. He is searching for happiness and jumped at the opportunity to talk with us. When we said goodbye, he reminded me several times that our discussion will be tomorrow at 5.

My ninety-one year old dad is in rehabilitation and recovering well from a broken femur and a hip replacement.