Forgiveness

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

 

So we've been doing our best to work with Adrian and Katia but it's been rough lately.  This week's letter has a similiar ring to it from last weeks.  We havne't been able to sit down with any of them for nearly a week. 

 

But there is good news coming up.  We've been praying and doing everything we can to help them without actually being able to talk with them.  And we finally thought of something that will help them.  Basically a lot of stuff has happened that requires a lot of forgiveness in their family.  There is a special video about a father who lost his wife, two children, and one un-born child in car crash with a young man who was drunk.  The Father decides to forgive the young man immediately. He not only forgives him, but helps him rebuild his life.

 

It reminds me of a conversation I had a few nights ago.  I was sick and was staying with Hermano Dazza, a member of our ward, for a few hours while my companion went to a few lessons. Hermano Dazza shared with me a story from his childhood. 

 

He grew up in Mexico in a small town.  When he was 12, a driver accidently hit his 7 year old brother and killed him.  The driver stopped and tried to help the little boy but it was too late.  When the police arrived they took the man to jail.  Hermano Dazza's father happened to be best friends with the Chief of the Police in the city nearby where they took the man. 

 

The Police Chief told Hermano Dazza's father that they could keep the man in jail for 10 years because of what he had done.

 

But Hermano Dazza's father left a family get-together a few days later and went to visit the man in the police station.  He told the Police Chief that he wanted the man to go free and that the family would not be pressing charges.  The Police Chief did all he could to change his mind, but to no avail. 

 

When Hermano Dazza's father returned home, he told the family what he had down.  All 7 remaining children grew very angry and yelled at their Dad quite a bit.  They simply couldn't fathom why he would let the man go free who had killed their baby brother.  He simple told them it was his decision, he had made it, and now they would have to deal with and hopefully one day would understand. 

 

As they grew up, their father would see the man in the street often and would wave and greet him without any malice.  Their father had completely forgiven the man. 

 

Hermano Dazza explained to me that now he understands.  People make mistakes.  It's part of being human.  But we need to forgive those mistakes and allow the Atonement of Christ to fix the rest. 

 

Please pray that we can help Adrian and Katia understand that type of forgiveness.

 

-Elder Colton