"The Journey Has Just Begun"

Yes this is your son, who has finally found a moment to take a breath and get a letter off to you all. I hope your week is going great and it was really nice to hear from you all. It sounds as if you are busy enjoying some missionary experiences as well. I pray for each of the seeds you are planting and I hope that everything turns out well.

The long awaited tenth of October arrived and just as Fernando had committed, he entered the waters of baptism and was able to find himself again. It has been a very long a bumpy road but Fernando showed a lot of courage and achieved his goal. Last weekend before his baptism, he decided to travel North to Trujillo to visit his two kids who are going to be living in the United States at the end of the year. He wanted to make a surprise visit because he might not have another chance. He arrived to Trujillo but have a hand full of challenges and ended up being robbed and left for not. His cell phone was robbed but before it was robbed we received a message that he was having some trouble and wasn’t sure when he was going to be able to return back to Lima. He ended up riding on a trailer of a Semi-Truck all the way from Trujillo to Lima. (About twelve hours). He called us up when he got back to Lima and told us everything that happened. I was worried that he was going to get discouraged and start blaming his experiences on the new path that he is beginning to travel. He only said “I’m thankful that I a alive, healthy, and that the Lord is with me”.

Saturday was his baptism and it was one of the most special baptismal services that I have been able to be a part of. Elder Puente and I were in the Church early to get things ready and we put on some music. It was a disc by the Tabernacle Choir “Peace Like a River” and to our surprise Fernando showed up about thirty minutes early. He didn’t say much just sat down and began to ponder and meditate. The baptism went great and after he came up out of the water, he gave me a big hug and said “The journey has just began”. I’ve never seen him so happy and at peace. The next day in testimony meeting Fernando went to the pulpit and shared his feelings to the entire Branch. He talked about how before his baptism what he thought was “happiness” was actually a disillusion. He now feels as though he knows what true happiness is and even though he might not have family or many good friends, he hasn’t felt happier or more at peace. He doesn’t feel alone anymore, which in itself is a huge sign of progress.

Over the last three months working with Fernando we have had so many life marking experiences. A lot of tears have been shed and a lot of smiles have been shown but in the end it was worth every second. Another one of the Lords children has made his way back home but just as Fernando said “The Journey has just began”.