My Mission--Part 4--Death

Fast forward one full year into my mission.

I was serving with Elder Michaels--a regional champion in swimming, built, good personality and a great desire to preach the gospel.

I wasn't feeling the desire to work anymore. I had yet to see anyone of my investigators enter into the waters of baptism, and I felt like a failure for it. However, in this new area with Elder Michaels, we had the perfect family of investigators.

They were Brazilian, of course, and the wife and daughters were soaking every bit of the gospel we could give them. The husband/boyfriend wasn't feeling it. He would leave the room when we entered and he would only go to Church if his wife and daughters went. All in all, they were a happy family and we were hopeful to see them make changes in their lives to become even happier.

However, good things sometimes never last.

The wife began to have serious doubts about what she was learning. They stopped coming to church after she had a strange experience with the paranormal that frightened her--and us. We invited her to do a fast which, strangely enough, she was familiar with from her past religion. We asked to her to fast for some sort of sign or way for her to accept the gospel. The fast happened on a Saturday morning and was to end the following morning--Sunday.

That morning, a hazy rain fell. Me and Elder Michaels headed to their apartment. We rang the buzzer and the bottom entrance and immediately, the door unlocked. We rode the elevator to the 7th floor and walked to their door. Their daughters answered.

"Come in," the older one said.

I was confused. We were here to just pick them up for Church. Why did we need to come inside?

They obviously could see that we were both confused.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

From the corner, a woman I never saw before turned and had tears streaming down her forlorn face.

"You...you don't know?"

I stopped.

"Know...what?" I hesitated to ask.

She motioned for us to go down the hallway. I turned the corner and saw about a dozen people gathered around a bed. I saw feet covered by a blanket hanging over the edge.

As I neared to see who was on the bed, I prayed silently to myself.

~End of Part 4