Hi Everyone!
Before I start, transfers is coming up next week and we're not sure who's going or staying, so it would be good if everyone just sent mail to the mission office address : 999 E. Tufts Ave., Cherry Hills Village, CO, 80113. It'll save a lot of forwarding hassle if I do get transferred. Thanks!
This has been one of the craziest weeks of my mission, I've had to do things I never would have imagined! We're teaching a man by the name of Trino, who was found by the missionaries about a year ago and has been coming to church ever since, his 14 year old daughter even got baptized.
He hasn't been able to get baptized because he technically wasn't married to his partner, even though they'd been together for 19 years and had 4 children. For one reason or another they didn't want to get married, so he became sort of a "dry member", and life continued. We had been focusing on him recently, visiting the family more and seeing what we could do to encourage and help him, reading the Book of Mormon etc.
This Monday we went on companionship exchanges with some English missionaries, and while there my companion found someone that could quickly marry the couple, which was exciting news. Unfortunately, me and the other Elder were eating dinner at the bishop's house when he got a phone call that Sandra (Trino's wife) had passed away unexpectedly during dialysis, just from too much stress on her sick and weakened body. It was a shock to everyone, she left behind 4 kids from ages 18 to 7, and suddenly the family had to support the huge burden of the funeral costs and emotional shock.
When we visited Trino the next day, he was beside himself thinking about the cost of the funeral ($2500) which he couldn't pay for because he's jobless and doesn't have enough saved up, and that added to the emotional suffering from his wife's passing. Elder Acevedo had actually lived in a funeral home for a few months in his last area, and had become somewhat familiar with all the processes and costs associated.
After praying he had called his friend who owns the funeral home in his last area, and had gotten a contact for someone here in Denver who could do everything for only a few hundred dollars, so we told Trino we'd go over and talk to the funeral home that currently had the body. We found the place and started talking to the mortitionist, and discovered he was a total salesman, complete with gold chains and rings and stuff! We started asking about the costs involved and how we could help out Trino, and he wasn't being very helpful till we pulled out our leverage and said we were considering switching funeral homes.
He got a little defensive and told us that it would be about $700 we'd owe them if we switched right now because of work they'd already done, and when that didn't phase us he started to scramble and lowered the cost to $2000, then to $1500. He also "remembered" a government program that helps out people in Trino's situation in Denver County, and they pledged $800 for him.
The Bishop came too and said that he'd help with the rest, about $700 so Trino wouldn't have to worry about it! It was really a miracle, somehow we were able to beat a salesman at his own game and negotiate a funeral from $2500 to $677, and won Trino's thanks. He was overwhelmed when we came back to his house and reported what we'd been able to do for him, through his tears he looked up and thanked the Lord vocally!
Now that he's free to be baptized, we're hoping that Trino can set a date soon and prepare himself, he expressed his desire to us that he wants to once things settle down a little bit, we're excited to see him progress. I'm so grateful to be a missionary, and for the wonderful opportunities I've been given! I love the mission and I love all of you! Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Elder Damon Janis
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