All About Mormons

The Church’s missionary program is one of its most recognized characteristics.

My companion and I had a referral contact in a place very far from the church (more than 3 kilometers), three rides from our apartment. We were skeptical at first but still we tried to check and see the contact in our card. Sadly, the referral has moved already so we went back our way when we met Renato, a 9 year-old boy who invited us to come to his house.

We taught his family (all 6 of them with Renato being the eldest). After the first discussion, Renato jumped out of the house and amazingly brought another woman, apparently their neighbor, and excitedly told her, there! The sisters, let them teach you about a prophet named Joseph Smith who saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!!!!

It took Renato months to be baptized because of the word of wisdom problem of his father. It was a mission policy not to baptize young ones without their family. But finally, when our mission president finally met Renato, he announced to us that Renato can be baptized…. Why? Maybe because he learned from the bishop that Renato had been the earliest to come to church every Sunday despite his house which happened to be the farthest from the church, and without any money to pay for his fare – he claimed and we discovered that he ran to church an hour before the services. He did this for three months although not a member yet.. He shared his testimony that he knew the church is true and how grateful he was for the first vision and for the prophet Joseph Smith…. No eye was dry everytime Renato would bear his testimony. My companion and I knelt in prayer every night for Renato’s baptism..

Then the time came. His family was there but it was just him who went to the waters of baptism. Again, he shared his strong testimony of the gospel.

10 years later, I was at the airport when I met our stake missionary before!!! We hugged each other so tight for such a blessed reunion but what brought me to continuous tears when she informed me that Renato is serving on a fulltime mission at that time and has never stopped running.. As she described..

While in the plane, I kept on remembering that special journal entry I had of a boy named Renato before who ran to church and repeatedly shares his testimony.. Yes, he never stopped.. He brought his whole family to church and allowed nothing and no one to stop the work of the Lord from progressing.

I know that the church is true. I have asked the Lord about it and he made it known to me. I know Renato did the same thing and I will always be proud of him, my little brother, who never ceases to be in God’s errand.