One Friday night in August at around 8:45pm, with 15 minutes before it was time to head home, Elder Safsten and Elder Sommer went to the Walmart parking lot to talk to a few more people to find people to teach. As they were walking down a row of cars, Elder Safsten spotted José and started to talk with him. They made an instant connection with him.
José was really surprised that these two white young men dressed in ties were speaking such good Spanish. This really intrigued him and was what first got him interested in what they had to say. By the end of their conversation, even though they had just met him, José was teaching them the pronunciation of Spanish words and joking around with them.
The missionaries invited José to church and English class. He came to both. English class was a big part of his desire come into church at first. But as time went on and their friendship grew, his focused shifted from English class to the desire to be baptized.
Teaching the commandments went smoother than normal because José had already personally decided to obey them before the missionaries met him and taught them to him. This was evidence of the preparation Heavenly Father had given José before ever meeting the missionaries.
As his baptism day approached the members made a huge difference in helping Josè understand the baptismal convent. José learned that converts who get baptized into the church are invited to work and serve. Elder Hardy baptized José on October 13, 2024 as a member of the Lebanon 2nd Ward. He was confirmed by Hermano Luna after his baptism. The missionaries have since had many follow up lessons with José and gone to the temple with him.
Barlows in TKM 