2 years ago

A Faithful Search Rewarded
By Elder Patricio M. Giuffra

Of the Seventy

I invite us all to continually increase our faith in Christ, who continues to change the lives of all who seek Him.

Beginning in 1846, thousands of pioneer men, women, and children headed westward to Zion. Their great faith stirred their boundless courage. For some, that trip was never finished as they died along the way. Others, facing great adversity, pressed forward in faith.

Because of them, generations later, my family enjoyed the blessings of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Much like another young man, whom I will mention later, I was 14 when I started to question religion and my faith. I attended the church of another denomination close to my house, but I felt the desire to visit many different churches.

One afternoon, I noticed two young men in dark suits and white shirts entering my neighbor’s home. These young men looked—special.

The next day I met my neighbor, Leonor Lopez, and asked her about those two men. Leonor explained that they were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She joyfully told me that her family was baptized into the Church a year earlier. Seeing my interest, Leonor invited me to meet the missionaries and learn about the Church.

Two days later, I joined the Lopez family to meet the missionaries. They introduced themselves as Elder John Messerly from Ogden, Utah, and Elder Christopher Osorio from Walnut Creek, California. I will never forget them.

Family and Missionary Dinner
Since I was only 14, Elder Messerly insisted we go next door to my home so that my mother could know what they were teaching me. There, he kindly explained that they came to share a message about Jesus Christ and asked for her permission to teach me. Mother agreed and even joined us while they taught me.

The missionaries first asked Leonor to offer a prayer. This touched me very deeply because her prayer was not a repetition of memorized words but an expression from her heart. I felt she was really talking to her Heavenly Father.

The missionaries then taught us about Jesus Christ. They showed a picture of Him that impressed me because it was a picture of the resurrected, living Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ
They continued, teaching us how Jesus established His Church in ancient times, with Him at the head joined by twelve Apostles. They taught us about the Apostasy—how truth and Christ’s authority had been taken from the earth after His Apostles died.

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