September 21st, 2015 -- Weekly Update

Hellos everyone!

I want to take a minute to tell you all about a super awesome investigator we found last week. His name is Braz and he has quite the story that he told us through our last two visits. Braz got into some early trouble and was sent to Juvi as a kid, maybe 8 years old or so. He later escaped and got a job as a truck driver at the age of 16 and finished after 59 years! After just a few years working, he decided to go back home and see his family again, only to find out both of his parents had passed away. On top of that, some other neighbors were upset that he didn't serve his whole sentence for what he had been sent to Juvi. They taunted him to the point where Braz bought a firearm, put it in a bag and offered it to the same people who were taunting him. He said, 'if you want to go through what I had to, the guilt and shame of what I did, go ahead and do it'. That boldness made them stop the taunting and they all went along their own ways. Braz continued to live in a forgiving manner, but developed up a bad smoking habit that he started when he was 8. At the worst time, he smoked three packs a day. When we visited him yesterday to address the Word of Wisdom, he said he was down to a pack a week. We set a plan for him to only smoke 3/4 of a pack this week and continue quitting. Braz is a super funny guy and recognizes that this is important. He also explained to us that he really enjoyes when we come to visit him because he feels good both during and after the visit. Braz lives pretty much alone on the pension of his truck driving job and after four heart attacks, he might not have too much longer to live. This is another reason to be a missionary.

I want to invite you to read Alma 30 (in the Book of Mormon) about the curse of Korihor and compare it with the miracle in Matthew 8 when Jesus healed the Lepor. It shows how we should always humble ourselves to the will of the Lord, something Elder Berryhill and I talked about when he was reading it in Jesus the Christ. Humble yourselves and trust in the Lord and miracles will come! Love you all!

-Elder Allgaier