The following story was related by my brother, Michael Smith, with is currently serving in the Warsaw Poland mission.

Meeting Jonas, Letter of 10-3-2011

We had about 20 minutes until a session of General Conference so we decided to contact right around the chapel while we waited. We met this super super cool guy named Jonas. He’s irish/swedish and just got to the city of Lodz where he’ll stay for about three months for work. He was very open and we didn’t have an english Book of Mormon on us so we asked if we could come by his place the next day and give it to him. He accepted gladly. We got his address and headed to the General Conference broadcast.

We had our meeting with Jonas the next day and it went amazingly. He really is searching for the truth. After we taught a first discussion and bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and God’s love, he said, “I want to have that feeling.” He said, “I feel an emptiness inside and heard of other people tell of this feeling of God’s love and that he exists and I want to have that assurety for myself.” We assured him he could feel that if he reads from the Book of Mormon and prays earnestly wanting to know if its true. His eyes swelled up and he smiled accepting it and thanking us. We then invited him to watch General Conference that night at the senior missionaries apartment.  He said he would definitely be there.

He did indeed come to the Sunday morning session which was at 6 pm for us. He loved it, watched intently and told us after that he really liked the talk about the Book of Mormon (with the circle and lines through it). It it was very clear and bold that the Book of Mormon is either of God or of the Devil. There is no middle ground. Jonas even said it was his favorite talk. He’s already read up to Nephi 10 in less than a day and said “it’s exciting. Unknown. I know the Bible but these stories are something new.” Jonas truly is a miracle of God here in Lodz, Poland.

A Burning in the Bosom, Letter of 10-11-2011

This past week was probably one of the best weeks of my entire mission and it’s all because of Jonas. He is the most prepared of the Lord I’ve ever met and he is already strongly converted to the Gospel and just after one week! Every time we meet with him my testimony grows that those who are truly open and searching and read the Book of Mormon and pray to know WILL get an answer.

Jonas has been living in Sweden. He is an engineer and his company kept trying to get somebody to come to Poland, but NOBODY wanted to. They kept throwing more and more benefits to get someone to go and once they included a company car, Jonas was all in. His second day here in Poland he ran into the Mormon missionaries (us). He said in Sweden he never would have stopped and talked to us at all, but being in Poland he knew absolutely no one and had no friends so he willingly accepted the only two english speakers he had met.

When we taught him a first discussion, we challenged him to baptism on the 29th of October and to prepare himself for that day. He accepted saying however that he wants to be sure he’s ready, he doesn’t want to feel like he was tricked or something and go back to his old life style and habits.  He said he’s going to read the whole Book of Mormon, and we promised that if he sincerely read it and prayed to earnestly know if it’s true, he will receive an answer well before the end of the book.

A few days later we had a meeting with Jonas and taught a second discussion. He said that the strangest thing happened to him the previous night. He went home and he sat down and started reading. He was towards the end of 1st Nephi, and he thought to himself, “what did the missionaries say? Oh yeah, pray. Dear Lord, help me know it this is true or not. Help me find the truth and know of that feeling.” He said his chest just felt like it was on fire. He said then he just started to cry and he NEVER cries. Now he said he knows, and nobody can make him think otherwise. He said no scientific proof or anything. He knows how he felt and will never be able to reject or doubt that. We then asked him if he wanted to wait till Oct. 29th to be baptized or as soon as possible, this Saturday the 15th. He said as soon as posible.

This amazing spiritual experience has been the foundation of everything else: his testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, sacrament meeting, and President Thomas S. Monson. Everything in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ he has fully, openly, and sincerely accepted because he has such an amazing spiritual experience. He always tells us that he couldn’t believe this could happen to someone like him. He was a strong agnostic.  He never thought he could have had that feeling that religious people have and be a religious person. And then he said he’s especially amazed at how quickly it happened. He thought it would take a month or two, if ever, to know. But 8 days. Wow! We told him when someone is ready, God doesn’t wait, and he was ready.

From this spiritual experience he had, he truly has changed his life. He used to drink beer all the time. After all he’s Irish! He said the past week was the first week since he was 16 that he’s gone without any alcohol. He’s only 21, but he had 5 more beers in the fridge when we taught him the Word of Wisdom. He said he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to go cold turkey so he’ll drink these last 5 and then start. He really wanted to do it HIS way. But he said that after we left he poured all 5 beers down the sink and threw out his cigarettes and coffee.

I have never met someone like Jonas on my mission. I can tell his conversion is true and real. I love Jonas for being so willing and for recognizing the Lord in his life and I love the mission for giving me the opportunity to play a role, as tiny as it is, and bringing this joy to these people.

Jonas’ Baptism, Letter of 10-17-2011

In the beginning of the week we looked everywhere for a pool and could not find one. We did however find a very nice small lake close by. It was really really cold but Jonas said that he still wanted to do it. Jacek, a young single adult in the who was baptizing him, was all for it as well. They were excited and scared and nervous but so willing to do it. All the members said that it was crazy and we should just postpone it to next week when we could find a pool, but we told them everything would be fine. We woke up on Saturday morning and it was freezing cold and raining on top of that. We stopped by Jonas’ place just to make sure he was okay with it and he said it was.

At the service before we went to the Lake, Jonas had the oppurtunity to bare his testimony. He told his conversion story with much more power than I ever could.  He claimed to be agnostic, and this was his chance to find out if God really did exist or not. If he didn’t find out now he would have remained atheist his whole life. He told about his prayer and how he felt the Spirit so strong. He told the whole branch that he knew without a doubt that this was from God. He said he will always have his proof that this Church is true.

We went to the lake and everything went perfectly. Without hesitation they walked into the lake and had a very calm, spiritual, baptismal ordinance.  When they came out, we had blankets and sheets for them to change. I asked Jonas how he felt and he said “it’s truly indescribable. I feel relieved and amazed at where I am and what I’m doing. It’s just simply put, wonderful.” It was an experience none of us will ever forget.

I love this work so much and am so glad to have been able to see the gospel really bless someone. Jonas has changed so much in the last weeks that it is undeniably the power of God. He felt it and knows it. We can all feel that love and power of God again and again in our lives. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the happiness is brings us.

Conversion of Jonas in Poland is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

In April of 1997, I was serving in a city called Concordia, Argentina. This was a small city on the border of Uruguay, that I believe had three LDS Church branches. I was serving in the Universidad Branch. My companion there was Elder Sanchez, a native Argentine who spoke no English. This was in the second half of my mission, so my Spanish was pretty good by then, but it got even better speaking all Spanish, all the time with Elder Sanchez.

One day, my companion and I were street contacting (one of my preferred ways to open your mouth), when we saw a young man standing at a street corner waiting for a bus. We approached the man, introduced ourselves, and struck up a good conversation about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Soon the bus came, so we asked the man if we could come by his house some time to finish the discussion. He quickly gave us his address, then he got on his bus.

The next day, we went looking for the man’s address but we couldn’t find it. We found the street, but we couldn’t find the house number he had given us. At this point we noticed a man out working in his yard, so we went over and asked him about the address the man had given us the day before. The man out in his yard was named Jorge Lescano, and he confirmed that address we had was invalid. We told Jorge that we were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we asked if we could share a message with him.

Jorge gave us a drink and we talked for a few minutes. It was a nice conversation, and we asked if we could come back to teach his whole family a discussion. Jorge invited us back, and a few days later we returned and met his wife, Beatriz, and their four kids.

The Lescanos were very receptive to the gospel message. Within a week or two of meeting them, they came to Church where they enjoyed the speakers and getting to know the other members. When we taught the Lescanos the second discussion, we invited them to be baptized and they accepted. After we taught them the third discussion, my companion and I got word that I would be transferred to another city.

When we told Jorge and Beatriz, that I would be leaving, Jorge was visibly emotional. It touched me that in those few weeks Jorge had forged a bond with my companion and I that brought him to tears at this moment. The Lescanos were a great family and I was sad that I wasn’t able to stay to witness their baptism. But I stayed in touch with Elder Sanchez, and a couple of weeks later, he sent me a photo of their baptism.

The circumstances that led us to finding and converting the Lescano family remind me of a scripture in which Joseph, who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers, is speaking to those brothers many years later:

“Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Gen 50:20

The man we met at the bus stop meant to deceive us with a false address, but God meant it unto good. Because of that experience, we met Jorge and Beatriz Lescano, their family was brought into the fold of Jesus Christ, and we were all greatly blessed.

Conversion of the Lescano Family is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

The conversion of Augustín Zapata is a story about the power of the Book of Mormon and the way faith can be strengthened by associations with other members.

I met Augustín Zapata after he had had his first discussion with the missionaries. I had just been transferred to the area, a city called Fray Luis Beltran. The previous Elders had found Augustine and given him a Book of Mormon. When my companion and I returned to check up on Augustín a few days after the first discussion, we found that he had read the entire Book of Mormon. He loved the Book of Mormon and couldn’t help but read it in its entirety and then start reading it again.

When I heard that, I thought Augustín was “golden” and that he would be baptized in short order. Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

We continued teaching Augustín the discussions. He greatly enjoyed our visits, he felt the Spirit while we were there, and he believed everything that we taught him. But when we invited him to get baptized, he said he wasn’t sure about that. His deceased father was a devout Catholic, and Augustín was afraid that he would offend his father if he joined another faith. I had no idea how to address his concern, so we encouraged him to continue praying and to come to Church with us to see how he liked the Church meetings and the people there.

Augustín agreed to come to Church but week after week, he never showed up. Eventually, we offered to give him a ride to Church, by stopping by his house, walking with him to the bus, and paying his fare.  Still, week after week, when we showed up at his house, he would come up with excuses not to come to Church.

Finally, one Saturday night he promised us that he would come to Church the next morning. When we got to his house, though, once again Augustín said he couldn’t come to Church with us. Well that did it for me; I got mad and did something I have always regretted. I was visibly upset, I called Augustín a liar, and I walked away, vowing to myself to never go visit him again.

A few weeks went by and we hadn’t seen or heard from Augustín. Then one day, Augustín saw us in the street and stopped us. He said he had had a dream, and his father came to him in this dream and told him to find the truth. Augustín said he thought the truth his father was referring to might be the Mormon Church. I was a little skeptical, but I challenged Augustín to come to Church on Sunday. I didn’t offer to give Augustín a ride, thinking this would be a good test to see how sincere he was.

To my overwhelming joy, Augustín did come to Church, and he loved it. We sat in sacrament meeting together, and Augustine picked up a hymn book and began signing along with the rest of the congregation. In Sunday School class, Augustín actively participated. During and after the meetings, he thoroughly enjoyed socializing with the other members. He felt the same spirit at our Church meetings as he had felt during our missionary discussions and he knew the way to keep that feeling was to get baptized and join the Church.

Augustín was baptized a few weeks later on the 24th of November, 1996. It was a beautiful occasion, and I know that it was the converting power of the Book of Mormon, as well as the Spirit he felt during the Church meetings that helped Augustín Zapata make that decision to follow the Savior and join His true Church through baptism.

The Conversion of Augustín Zapata: Loving the Book of Mormon and Following the Spirit is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

I met the Laurino family, Luis, Susana, and their three kids, when I was serving in the heart of downtown Rosario, Argentina (check out this map of where the Laurino family lived). It was summertime (December) of 1996, when my companion, Elder Wasden, and I almost literally ran into Luis on the sidewalk outside his home. Luis invited us to come back on another day to teach his family the full first discussion.

Humbled and Guided to the Book of Mormon

When we met Luis and his family, they were down on their luck. Just a few months prior, the Laurino’s had been doing very well, they lived in a mansion, as they put it, and Luis had job that paid very well. Then Luis lost his job, they lost everything, and wound up renting a tiny, run down house where we found them. While he was out of work, Luis had found an old copy of The Book of Mormon and began reading it. Luis felt the book was true, a got a new job, and was just getting on his feet again when we met him.

How About a Cold Drink?

When we sat down for the first discussion, Luis immediately sent one of his kids to the corner store. When he returned, he had a cold two liter of Cola.  This was a poor family, they didn’t even have a refrigerator, so making a purchase like that was a big sacrifice for them. I felt bad turning it down, but I grew up in a family where we didn’t drink Coke. Plus, our mission president had always urged us missionaries not to drink Cola. I wouldn’t have thought poorly of companion if he had taken the drink, but he too turned it down. It wasn’t until we got to the fourth discussion, on the Word of Wisdom, that they understand why we turned down that drink.

The Laurino’s Were Prepared and Golden

Despite our embarrassment with having to turn down their generous cold drink, the first discussion and it went very well. They seemed enthusiastic about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and living prophets, and the Book of Mormon. In fact, Luis began testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon to the rest of his family. Susana, the mother of the family, said that she has always wanted to attend the Mormon Church, but just never has had the opportunity.

Maybe They’re Not So Interested

We set an appointment to come back and teach the second discussion. But when we returned for the appointment, they weren’t home. For the next couple of weeks, we tried repeatedly to visit the family, but they were never home. Finally, my companion and I decided to stop trying to visit with them because we thought they were not interested.

Then one day, we were walking down the street, across from the Laurino’s house, and we happened to glance over and see the that the parents were home.  We went and knocked on their door, but they pretended that they weren’t home. Finally one of the kids came to the door and told us that their parents were not home (a clear lie).

Luis Suddenly Shows Up at Church

Well, a few more weeks passed, then one day, out of the blue, we are sitting in sacrament meeting and Luis shows up at Church. This was a major shock, due to the past experiences, but also due to the fact that we had never told him where the Church was or what time we had meetings. After sacrament meeting, Luis told us that he has attended many Churches in his life, but this is one where he finally he feels comfortable, and he was glad to finally have found it.

The Laurino’s Are Baptized

We began teaching the Laurino’s again. The following week the whole family came to Church. And a couple of weeks later the entire family was baptized, including Mariana, their eight-year-old daughter. Once again, I was amazed and blessed to see the hand of the Lord in bringing another family into the fold of the Church and to the knowledge of the restored gospel Jesus Christ.

Conversion of the Laurino Family is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

I met the Godoy family, when I was serving in the Godoy ward in the city of Rosario Argentina.  Carlos and his wife, Beatriz, were at a photo shop, with their two children, Carlos Jr. and Angelica, getting a family photo made when my companion and I walked into the store.  We commented on what a cute family they were, and we chit chatted for a minute, but we really didn’t talk about the gospel before they had to leave.

The next day, we were visiting a new member at his work and we just happened to run into Carlos Godoy again. This time we did talk to him about the gospel, and he seemed eager to learn more. We asked if we could come to his home to teach a discussion to his entire family, and we set the appointment for a few days later.

When we arrived at the Godoy’s home for the first discussion, we found their extremely modest home in pristine condition. We could tell they really made an effort to clean the place up in preparation for our visit. We sat down with the whole family around the table and talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon.  The Godoy’s were eager learners, and they seemed from the beginning to be a ‘golden’ family.

We scheduled the second discussion, and that lesson went very well. We invited them to be baptized, and they said they wanted to. Unfortunately, though, we found out that they were not legally married, which meant they couldn’t get baptized until that happened. Carlos and Beatriz had been together since high school, but due to the expense and other factors, they had never been legally married.  When 8-year-old Angelica heard that they couldn’t get baptized until her parent got married, she exclaimed, “Casense Ya!” (Get married already!).

So the Godoy’s immediately planned their wedding. They got married at city hall, and the mission president let my companion and I go, even though it was out of our area.  That night they had a big wedding reception, but, unfortunately, we couldn’t attend that party.  Then the following Sunday, July 13, 1997, the entire Godoy family got baptized. It was a wonderful occasion to see this beautiful family get baptized and start down the path to eternal life together.

Carlos, the father, was so happy to be baptized and have a new, clean start on life.  In his earlier years, Carlos drank and made other mistakes, but he has thoroughly repented and very happy with his life now.  Beatriz was so happy to see her entire family get baptized together; she loves her family a great deal. Beatriz did have some doubts about getting baptized because she talked to an inactive member who urged her not to get baptized. She expressed those doubts in her baptismal interview, so Elder Bray, who was conducting the interview, gave her a priesthood blessing of comfort. She felt the Spirit very strongly, and the Lord removed all her doubts, and gave her the courage to go forward and do the right thing of getting baptized. Little Carlos also said he got a little nervous prior to his baptism, but when he saw his dad and mom do it, he was very excited to get baptized himself. And as for little Angelica, what else can I say except she truly was a little angel.

Meeting and baptizing this family was another case of the Lord doing all the work and my companion and I being in the right place at the right time. We were so blessed to meet this family and see them become members of God’s kingdom on earth. And I can’t wait to see them again, whether it be in this life or the next.

Conversion Stories: The Godoy Family is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

I met German (pronounced Herman) Arrieta on one of my first days in the Godoy neighborhood of Rosario. The previous missionaries had found German and taught him and his wife, Sara, the first discussion.  Then I was transferred to the area and arrived prior to the second discussion.  When we went to German’s house and taught the second discussion, Sara asked lots of questions, and seemed genuinely interested throughout the discussion, while German remained quite and pensive.

At the conclusion of the second discussion, I decided to invite German and Sara to be baptized. Based on how they had reacted to the first two discussions, I thought for sure Sara would accept the invitation, while German, I assumed, would turn down the invitation to be baptized.  I was wrong on both counts.  When I invited them both to be baptized, German spoke right up and said he would like to be baptized.  Sara, however, was hesitant and said she would have to think about it longer.

Two weeks before German’s scheduled baptism, he lost his job.  I expected this to be a stumbling block to German’s progression toward baptism, but once again, German surprised me with his great faith.  He told me, with extreme confidence, that he would find another job and begin working by the day after his baptism.

We continued to teach German and Sara the discussions, but Sara continued to have her doubts about the restored gospel and about getting baptized.  In one of the final discussions, we taught German the principle of the fast: going without food and drink for 24 hours to strengthen us spiritually, and to receive special blessings from our Heavenly Father. It was about 9 o’clock at night when we taught the lesson, and German said he was going to start fasting at that very moment.  He invited us to come back for dinner the next night at 9pm to break the fast with him.

German’s fast was a success, and his break the fast dinner was delicious. German had many tests prior to his baptism: the loss of his job, and his daughter became sick (we gave her a priesthood blessing and she immediately began to get better).  Throughout it all, German showed that he was a man of great faith. He came to the required two Sundays of church meetings, and was baptized on May 18, 1997.  His wife, Sara, and their two daughters, attended the baptism, but only German was baptized.  The baptism was a great event for all who attended, and true to his word, and as a demonstration of his faith in the Lord, German got a job the Monday after his baptism.

A few months later I got word that I was going to be transferred from the Godoy ward. German, and many other ward members, several of whom I baptized, arranged a surprise going away party for me.  The first and only such event in my mission.  I sure made me feel good that the people in this area loved me and would miss me when I was gone. You’ll notice German in the picture, he’s in blue on the far right. He has a gloomy look on his face because, though he was a big, tough guy, he was sad to see me go.  I, of course, was saddened too, and will always have fond memories and remember German and his great faith in Christ and His restored gospel.

Man of Faith: The Conversion of German Arrieta is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

The conversion story of Aldo is perhaps the easiest conversion process and baptism of my whole mission. It was September 1996, and I met Aldo at Church my first Sunday serving in the city of Fray Luis Beltran, a little town north of Rosario. We were in Sunday School and there was a young man who was answering all the questions from the teacher. I leaned over and asked my companion, Elder Gertge, who this person was who was so engaged in the lesson. Elder Gertge told me his name was Aldo and he was not a member of the Church. Aldo lived in the city of Rosario, but his girl friend lived with her family in Beltran. I asked Elder Gertge if he and his previous companion had been teaching Aldo the discussions, and he said no.

After Church I went up to Aldo and introduced myself and asked him if he wanted to hear the missionary discussions. Without hesitation, Aldo agreed to hearing the discussions and we began teaching him that week at his girl friend’s home. Gabriela had told Aldo she would not marry outside the temple of the Lord, and therefore Aldo had been attending Church for the three months before I met him. I don’t know why the previous missionaries never pursued teaching Aldo the discussions, but I was very happy to do it. It is always a great joy to teach someone who is hungry to learn and take the next step in his eternal progression by getting baptized.

Aldo cruised through the six discussions and got baptized within a couple of weeks of our first meeting. While Elder Gertge and I taught Aldo and guided him into the waters of baptism, we really did very little other than being in the right place at the right time. It was his girl friend Gabriela, her family, the ward members in Beltran, and the Lord who prepared Aldo to become a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ. We missionaries just opened our mouths and invited him to come unto Christ.

About a year after Aldo’s baptism, I was serving in the city of the Rosario. My companion and I were doing some street contacting along a major avenue, when a car pulled up beside us and Aldo jumped out. Aldo gave me a big hug and told me how he and Gabriela would soon be married in the Buenos Aires temple. I was so very happy to know that Aldo had stayed true to his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that he and Gabriela were going to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. And I was thankful that I had had a small part in the conversion story of Aldo.

Conversion Story of Aldo is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

The following video is more lengthy than most of the ones I produce, but I think it’s inspiring and I hope you will spend the time to watch it or read the story below of the conversion of Juan Carlos Lopez.

Juan Carlos Lopez was a man my companion, Elder Wasden, and I met in the city of Rosario in late December of 1996.  We met Juan Carlos on my first day serving in the city, and actually, it was probably within an hour of me arriving in the city.  I had been serving in a city to the north of Rosario when I got the transfer call.  When I arrived in Rosario it was mid-morning and without even unpacking my suitcases, my new companion and I headed out to do missionary work.

Heeding the Spirit to Open Our Mouths

Within a few minutes of leaving our apartment, Elder Wasden saw Juan Carlos on the other side of the street, he insisted that we cross immediately and go talk to him.  It was a busy street and we were not at a cross walk, but knowing the charge to open your mouth at all times, we went and spoke to him. 

Little did we know at the time, but that same morning Juan Carlos Lopez had been talking with his mother about the Mormon Church.  When we missionaries saw him in the street and stopped him to tell him about our message, he sincerely wanted to learn about the Church.  I’ll always be grateful to Elder Wasden for hearing and obeying the prompting he got from the Spirit to go talk to Juan Carlos. 

We had a nice little chat with Juan Carlos.  He gave us his address and invited us to come to his home the next morning to teach him the first discussion.

Planner Disaster

Missionary planners, at that time in the Rosario Mission, were simply a simple piece of blue card stock with a grid pattern for each day of the week and each hour of the day.  The back was blank and we usually used it for taking notes, like people’s names and addresses.  We would fold it up and keep it in our pockets.  When we met Juan Carlos that morning, I pulled out my planner, scheduled the appointment and wrote down his name and address.

When we got home for lunch that day, I realized I had still been using my planner from my old area.  So I threw out my old planner, and started a new one. It didn’t even occur to me that Juan Carlos’ information was on the old planner.

The next morning we went out street contacting but we entirely forgot about our appointment with Juan Carlos.  When we were sitting in the apartment a lunch, we got a call from the mission office.  Juan Carlos was very upset about us missing the appointment, so he had found the mission office number in the phone book and had called them and asked them to send us to his house.  We rushed straight over to his home (map to Juan Carlos’ home), apologized and made another appointment.  This time, we were extra careful to make it to the appointment. 

First Four Discussions

The first discussion went well, so we schedule a second discussion.  At the end of the second discussion, we asked Juan Carlos to to follow the example of the Savior and to be baptized.  He accepted the invitation whole heartedly, and we made plans for him to attend Church, which he did.  We scheduled the third discussion and left him a little pamphlet about the principles of the third discussion. 

All of our discussions with Juan Carlos took place around his dining room table shown in the picture to the right.  His mother, who you also see in the picture, listened to all the discussions but never wanted to be baptized.  I’m guessing we took this picture during the third or fourth discussion because the pamphlet for the fourth discussion, on the plan of salvation, is seen on the table.

Doubts Creep In Over Tithing

Prior to the fifth discussion, which talks about tithing, we left Juan Carlos the pamphlet as usual.  When we arrived at the appointment, I noticed there was a calculator on the table.  For the first time in all our meetings, Juan Carlos began to show doubts and concerns about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  He asked how many members there were in the world, and then began to make some calculations regarding average income and how much money the Church was bringing in through tithing.  He had a ton of questions about how tithing funds were spent, he stopped coming to Church, and we had to postpone his baptism. 

For the next couple of weeks, we visited Juan Carlos as much as possible, and each time we did, that calculator remained sitting there on his dining room table.  We brought members with us to these meetings, we testified, and we encouraged Juan Carlos to continue reading the Book of Mormon and praying about the truthfulness of the Church and our message.  Finally, we set one last appointment with Juan Carlos where we planned to tell him that we would be visiting him less often, but he was more than welcome to come to Church if he ever wanted to continue the lessons. 

Prayer and The Spirit Changed His Heart

When we arrived at Juan Carlos’s home and sat down for this good bye meeting, to our surprise and joy, there was no calculator on the table.  This calculator, which had been a symbol of a stumbling block stopping his progression in the gospel, was gone and I knew that Juan Carlos would begin progressing again.  Juan Carlos told us that he wanted to finish the rest of the discussions and get baptized as soon as possible.

I asked Juan Carlos what caused his change of heart, and he explained that the previous night he couldn’t sleep because of the hot, humid weather.  So he took his mattress up onto his roof, where it was cooler, and attempted to sleep there.  He said he was gazing at the stars and he felt like he should pray, so he knelt and prayed about life, about the restored gospel, and about the principle of tithing.  He said the Spirit of the Lord came upon him very strongly and gave him a slight rebuke and told him not to worry about the principle of tithing any longer.  The Spirit testified of the truthfulness of the gospel, and from that moment on, Juan Carlos knew he needed to be baptized. 

Juan Carlos got baptized just a couple of weeks later and it was a great event.  His conversion story is a testament to the importance of missionaries following the promptings of the Spirit to open their mouths and proclaim the gospel at all times, and a testament to the power of prayer and the Spirit of the Lord to penetrate hearts and convert people to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Conversion of Juan Carlos Lopez is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep

The story of the first family that I taught and baptized in Argentina, the Almada family, is a great example of the power of prayer. 

Meeting the Almada Family

Within a week of my companion and I arriving in the city of Parana, Argentina, the Almada family moved into the home right behind our apartment.  With Fabian, the husband, Silvina, the wife, and their four kids living right behind us, our paths crossed often.  I can remember my companion, Elder Loesener, often kicking the soccer ball with their oldest son as we came and went from our apartment. 

Within a week or two of first meeting the Almada family, we got home one evening and were contemplating what to cook ourselves for dinner. Elder Loesener wanted to cook something that required sugar, but we didn’t have any.  He thought we should ask the Almada’s if we could borrow some sugar.  He also thought this was the perfect time to more formally meet the family and tell them about our message as missionaries for the Lord Jesus Christ.  We borrowed the sugar and ended up having a nice conversation with them, and they agreed to have us come back and teach the first discussion. 

Baptismal Commitment

The first discussion went very well and we scheduled the second discussion.  Fabian was very interested in our message, read The Book of Mormon and everything else we gave him to read.  He was eager to learn, asked many questions, and demonstrated great faith, dedication and determination to begin a new life with his family.  At the end of the second discussion, when my companion asked them if they would be baptized, both Fabian and Silvina said yes without hesitation. 

Bread and Pastries

Fabian worked at nights at a local panadería (bakery).  One morning, after we had begun teaching the family, we awoke to find a bag of warm bread and pastries by our front door.  It was so delicious, hot and fresh, we couldn’t help but gobble up all the pastries within the morning.  And the bread was great for sandwiches that afternoon and evening and even for French toast the following morning.  We began to find the bread and pastries on our door step several times a week, and we were very grateful to Fabian for thinking of us. 

Trial of Faith

The Almada’s were doing great. They were coming to church and progressing in the gospel.  They had been searching for the true gospel of Jesus Christ and recognized it when they found it. When we taught them the word of wisdom, Fabian had his son go to the kitchen, get all the wine, and dump it down the drain immediately.  They were every missionary’s dream of a golden family.

Then, about a week before their baptism, Fabian lost his job at the bakery.  The economic situation was tough in Argentina at that time. Many people were without work.  We knew this would be a great trial to the Almada’s growing faith in the gospel, and we were amazed at how they responded.  Silvina, the mom, told us that the morning after Fabian lost his job he knelt and prayed fervently for 30 minutes.  Afterwards he rose and headed out the door with a determination to find work to provide for his family.

Prayers Answered

Not only did Fabian offer a prayer, but his wife and children and us missionaries were all praying that he would find a job.  We thought it would take days or weeks for Fabian to find something, but the Lord answered our prayers very rapidly.  Fabian came home that very night with not just one job, but two jobs, which was a tremendous blessing.  He was going to be able to work more hours and get more pay than he had before.  It was a true miracle.

The Family is Baptized

On Thursday night, February 8, 1996, we held the baptismal service for the Almada family.  Our little branch didn’t have a real LDS chapel or a baptismal font, so we had to go to a different ward building in the city.  I baptized Fabian and their 10 year old son Cristian.  Elder Loesener baptized Silvina and Anai, their 8 year old daughter.  It was a wonderful experience for all. 

Following the baptisms, as traditional in LDS baptismal services, there were additional talks once the family had dried off and gotten dressed.  My companion was conducting and, to my surprise, he asked Fabian to come to the front and bare his testimony.  I thought it was a bold move, but Elder Loesener must have been prompted by the Spirit.  Fabian stood up without hesitation and bore a powerful testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Power of Prayer

The power of prayer is real.  As the Savior says in Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”  And as James adds in James 1:6, “ask in faith, nothing wavering.” 

When Fabian lost his job, his convictions in his new found faith were not shaken.  He, along with his family and friends, prayed in faith and with great power the Lord answered and poured out blessings, both temporal and spiritual, upon the Almada family.  And so will God bless you, your family, the missionaries, and all who faithfully seek His help through the power of prayer.

Power of Prayer: Conversion of the Almada Family is a post from: Mormon Mission Prep