Frio Rico Time!

If you look closely in this photo

You will see why all these missionaries are smiling...

IT'S FRIO RICO TIME!

Can you see President Turk at the check out stand

buying each of the Elders in the Porvenir Zone

and ice cream sundae bar?  They are called Frio Rico.

We love them around here.

It takes very little to make us happy.

Remember...  Wong Grocery Store is right below our office.

Missionaries are coming and going constantly in this place.

And just today, as I was at the check out stand earlier

buying the refreshments for interviews with Elder Cook and Elder Fackrell,

one of the cashiers was asking us where our church was.

She would like to attend and find out what makes

the missionaries so special.

You can believe that those Elders stopped getting the groceries

out of the cart and pulled out their agendas.

They had her phone number and address before

I could get to the grocery cart myself.

The bag boy that was helping us is one of our favorites.

He was a less active member and after having all these missionaries

coming through and encouraging him and getting him back to church...

he is now planning on serving a mission.

He also has one of his bag boy friends taking the lessons too.

I am going to talk to my favorite security guard about the gospel too.

He is great.  Wong is our home away from home.

We are grateful for a beautiful grocery store filled with nice people.

 President Turk asked each of these missionaries 

how the Book of Mormon has impacted their lives...

The stories are each precious and unbelievable.  Where do I start.

I can't tell you every story but I can tell you 

that each of these missionaries will never be the same because of the 

witness that they have received about the truthfulness of the

Book of Mormon.

They have each had the burning in the bosom that they cannot deny.

Tears were shed as they talked about these sacred experiences.

It's the most beautiful thing in the world to hear these young men 

and women testify that they know that there

is a higher calling to life than just going through
the motions of this time on the earth.

There is a real purpose that makes us feel fulfilled
and guided and full of joy... 

Some of our missionaries have memories of seeing
their parents reading and studying

the Book of Mormon when they were tiny...
Others remember reading the book 

at night with their mothers.  Some never read it on their own until 

high school and a few not even until the MTC.

(we would not recommend this)

One of these missionaries, at age 16, took the challenge with his Bishop 

to read the whole thing straight through without stopping.

The Bishop said that he would do it with him.

So they read for 22 hours straight.  He said that he didn't 

get tired.  He stopped to eat a couple of times.

He said that within the first few chapters his heart was pounding and 

he had the burning go throughout his body...

and he knew that what he was reading was true

and that it would change his life.

And it did and it has... and now it is changing

those that he is teaching and 

those that are reading with him here in the mission.

Another missionary said that his family was falling apart.

He couldn't believe what was happening.

Not one of them was active in the church and not one of them

was doing what they should be doing.

They were miserable and living in chaos.

He went home one day... when he was about 17

and found himself alone in the house.

He felt an overwhelming sadness come over him

and he could not stop crying.

A very strong impression came to him that said...

"you know what you need to do"

He stopped crying.... Looked up at the Shelf

and picked up the Book of Mormon and started to read.

He said that the he had the most incredible witness of his life.

He cannot even explain the burning that started at the top of his head

and flowed down through his body.

He knew that what he was reading was true.

He took the Book of Mormon 

and ran down to his Bishop's home.

He asked him what he needed to do to get his life

back on track.

The Bishop told him that he needed to prepare

himself to serve a mission.

From that point on he started to change his life...

he has been a light and example to all those in his family

and his friends and now all those he is affecting here on the mission.

I love these stories...  I could tell you a thousand more just like these.

Sweet.... Everyone... read the Book of Mormon!
Receive your own witness and story.

Porvenir Zone Includes:  Zone Leaders Elder Brian and Elder Hurley
Elders: Nelson, Quispe, Gómez, Russell, Fullmer, Alva, Chatwin, Patiño,
Coronado, Palma, Beazer, Camarena, Nystrom and Salazar