Ivan is Alive!!!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

This past week has been one of the best of my mission for so many reasons, but I'll just share one.  The first Sunday of every month at my church is what we call "Fast and Testimony Meeting" during our main worship service (aka...sacrament meeting).  The "fast" refers to our practice of fasting (abstaining from food and water) on the first Sunday of each month, and the "testimony" refers to our sacrament meeting becoming an opportunity for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings about the Savior, the gospel, the Restoration, and life from the pulpit. 

So on Sunday I went up to the pulpit and shared my feelings about the Savior.  Earlier in the meeting I had noticed a middle-aged Mexican man walk in and he looked familiar.  When I was up front, I recognized him.  His name was Ivan Cid Martinez.  He was a man who I baptized nearly a year and a half ago when I was in my first area (Rose Park).  Two weeks after his baptism, he went back to Mexico because his mom was sick.  His brother, who still lived in Rose Park, told us he hadn't heard anything for 4 months and they had accepted that he died during the crossing.  So for the past year I have just assumed that Ivan Cid was dead.  Surprise!!

He lives in my new area and for the past few months has been coming to church on each Sunday that he didn't have to work.  We had a happy reunion and he is planning on making a few visits with us in the coming weeks.  A very, very happy day for both of us. 

 

Heavenly Father knows us so perfectly that it truly amazes me.  Ivan is at the perfect moment in his life to progress even further in the Gospel, and no-one except God Himself has more of an interest in his progress than me.  I love this Gospel so much.  I'm so grateful for what I have learned over these past 20 months. 

Love ya'll,

-Elder Colton

ps. If you have any General Conference tickets they would be most appreciated.