Dear Family and Friends :)
It has been another great week here in the Mendoza mission! We have had some great experiences so far and the miracles just keep on coming. We live with two other ELders named ELder Evans and Elder Fausett and this week something really cool happened. Elder Evans asked to borrow the ´´Restoration´´ DVD from me and so I let him have it. Later that day he left his scripture case in the bus and was very upset about it! It was the first time in his mission that he had forgotten it. He would have to buy a new DVD, scriptures, and ask for more pictures from his family. Two days later he received a call from some other ELders in the zone. They then went on to tell him what had happened. The night before, these ELders had planned for some reason, to go to a neighborhood they had never gone to before. That day while they were in the neighborhood a man called them over. They talked to the man and he said he had something for them. He went in his house and grabbed the scripture case and asked if they knew who the Elder was in his photos. They said yes and then the man said that he had opened the case, watched the movie and had begun reading the Book of Mormon. He was so excited he planned an appointment with them the next day! What a miracle huh? Everything was in tact and the man had a strong conviction of the things he had read and seen were true. The Lord works in miraculous ways doesn´t he??
On the home front here in our area we are still teaching Danilo and have seen a huge change in him. He didn´t drink or take drugs for a whole week! That was a huge step in the right direction for him. The next day after we saw him he texted us and told us to go over to his house again. When we went over to his house he looked really happy. He went on to tell us that the day before after we had left an old friend came over and he took some drugs with him. He said he felt terrible and in the morning just felt like he was going to die. He said he just had the worst pain he has ever experienced in his life. He remebered what we had been teaching him about prayer so he began to pray to God. He said he talked with him as if he was there with him and as a ´´man talketh to his friend.´´ He told God he wanted more than anything to change and follow him and that he would decide then and there if only God would heal him. He trusted that God was listening and acted on faith. Within 30 seconds his pain went away and didn´t return. He described how shocked and grateful he was for a Loving Heavenly Father who has mercy on us. The change in him was so apparent. You could see it in his eyes. He went to church and loved it again and said he know God wants him to be baptized because the Spirit has confirmed to his soul that it is true. I am grateful that the God does the work and all we have to do is present the message. God always answers our prayers and will always confirm the truthfulness of the Restoration of the Gospel to our soul. With this confirmation we need not doubt. All someone has to do to know the truth of the message is read, ponder, pray and go to church with the sincereness of heart that will produce spirtitual experiences. I know the work is ture.
I also had the opportunity to meet an incredible man who was baptized only about 4 months ago. He is a brilliant man who has been studying religion and ancient cultures for the last 35 years. He has been in Catholic colleges and studied among the great of the Evangelicals. He received lessons from the Jehovahs witness for 3 years. He is an expert on ancient religions and philosopy. All he wanted was the truth and for all those years of diligent study and meditation he was never satisfied with a sure answer. When the missionaries came to his house he gave them five min to speak and they simply bore their testimony of what the SPirit had witnessed to them. He was intrigued. After all the years of searching, and studying he read the Book of Momon and prayed to the source of all truth to know. He received an answer. He read the standard works three times in three months and is just full of energy and hope now that he finally received the truth. He now is writing a Book on how ´´Mormonism´´ incorporates all the ancient truths that have been believed and embraced by the ancient prophets and philosophers throughout all the ages. With all this knowledge and learning the greatest part about it is his testimony. He asked God after having received the truth, and God confirmed. The simpliest but most profound formula that the world has ever known. God is our Father and we are his children. He wants all of us to ask him the question, ´´Oh where is truth?´´ It is in testimony that he answers. I love and miss you all!!!
Sincerely,
Elder Passantino
