The Shirt Off Your Back

This week was really awesome and we saw so many miracles. We are doing another purification as a companionship (that same thing Frausto and I did a while ago where we don’t do anything that could distract us), and the blessings have been immediate. We were in church yesterday and felt totally depressed as we sat alone in sacrament meeting because not even one investigator had shown up. I thought so hard about what I was doing wrong and what I could be doing better and shed a few tears during the sacrament as I tried to truly humble myself and be clean through the sacrifice of Christ. I had my head in my hands and was listening to the talks when Elder Herrera bumped me with his elbow. A 17-year-old kid we met a week or two ago, Joan, walked in and sat by us. Then another family we had been teaching walked in late and sat by us. Then ANOTHER family came in and sat by us. Then a less active member we had reactivated came in and sat by us. My eyes again filled with tears as each one quietly put their hand on my shoulder and smiled.

Then a kid, Luis, who was baptized about 6 months ago, was the cherry on top. He is from Colombia and had to flee the country with his mom and brother due to the violent killings of his father and two brothers by gang members. They are very poor and I was impressed by the Spirit to give him one of my suits. I took him to the house and opened my closet and was about to give him my cheaper suit that I don’t like very much when he pulled out my nice one and told me how cool it was. At first I wanted to say, “Nice try, here is the suit I was going to give you,” but I couldn’t. I could only point at an empty room for him to go try it on along with one of my shirts and ties. He came out and he lit up when he saw himself in the mirror.

He walked into sacrament meeting and when the ward saw him in his suit instead of his street clothes, their eyes filled with tears. Everyone called him Elder Luis the whole day. I cried like a baby when he prayed during sacrament meeting and talked about how embarrassed he had felt for six months because of his lack of church clothes and when he asked blessings for us missionaries for being the angels that had helped him. I learned how the smallest of actions can have the most profound of effects on people. He whispered in my ear after church that he was already planning with the bishop so he can serve a mission in six months.

All of the investigators that attended church accepted a baptismal date and want an eternal family. I am so happy. I feel like I don’t have enough time during the day to spend on my knees thanking the Lord for his many blessings that he gives to his undeserving and very imperfect missionaries here in the ward of Fitz Roy.

I love you so much.

Elder Rich