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Emerson Publications
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Walk Across the Border D&C 64: 29 – Wherefore, as ye are agents, ye are on the Lord’s errand; and whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business. Years ago a young man crossed the border from Mexico, carrying nothing but a pocket of powdered beans to sustain him. Drinking water to wash down the beans caused them to expand in his stomach and reduce the hunger. He found his way to our area and embraced the gospel when it was presented to him. Not long after, he was called to the State of Washington to serve in a Spanish-speaking mission. Once he arrived, the mission president transferred him to a mission where he’d be required to speak English. He explained that he only spoke Spanish, but the president told him to read the Book of Mormon in English and he would learn. He served the rest of his mission teaching the people in English and was a wonderful example to all who knew him. When Felipe’s mission ended, our ward gathered at the church to welcome him home. One of the members picked him up at the airport and brought him directly to the church building. He had nowhere to go and very little money in his pocket. No arrangements had been made for anyone to take him home, but that night, a couple who’d never met him before offered him a place to stay. They quickly grew to love him and gave him a job for a short time, even though they didn’t really need the help. My husband became aware of the situation and offered him a job. Felipe came to live with us for a couple of weeks, riding back and forth to work with my husband. He was a good worker, so we offered him an apartment on our business property. We told him he could live there as long as he worked for us. He was happy there and we were delighted to have him as an employee. We have a lot of missionaries who do service for us and he loved being with the elders. The elders were strengthened by his experience and his example. In fact, anyone who knew Felipe was strengthened by him. He lived modestly and sent most of his money to his parents. He never owned a car and either hitched a ride or walked wherever he needed to go. He attended the singles ward and all the activities. He attended the temple and searched for an eternal companion, but it wasn’t to be. Felipe became a part of our family and shared every birthday and holiday with us for the next two years. We were surprised when he told us he had decided to go home to Mexico. His sister was getting married and his family was putting the pressure on him to come home. It had been ten years since they’d seen him and he was anxious to be with them again. We had doubts about it and encouraged him to get his citizenship first, but at that point there wasn’t time. I made his flight arrangements and he prepared to go. On the morning of his departure, I asked if he was sure about his decision. With tears in his eyes, he said he didn’t really want to go, but felt like he should. My husband didn’t feel good about this trip at all. He tried to talk him out of going, feeling he could do more for his family from the states than he could in Mexico, but there was nothing we could do. He had made up his mind, and the desire to see his family was greater than any logic we offered. We said our tearful goodbyes and he left with a friend to go to the airport. On the way there, the car broke down. They called my husband to pick him up, and when he got there, Felipe said, “Do you think the Lord is trying to keep me from getting on that plane?” My husband said he didn’t think this meant the plane was going to crash, but he still felt he shouldn’t go. He drove him to the airport, wished him well, and returned home with a heavy heart. A couple of weeks later my husband received a call from some elders in Mexico. Apparently they had found a business card with his belongings and called to see if he knew Felipe. When he said yes, they told him Felipe was in the hospital in a coma. They wanted to know if he used any illegal drugs. He assured them that he didn’t. They found a bottle of diet pills containing ephedra and wanted to know if we were aware of his taking them. It didn’t make sense, because Felipe was already thin. We could find no explanation for the pills or the coma. We wondered if he was taking them to curb his hunger much like he’d carried the powdered beans years before. A few days later we got another call and learned that a sister in his ward made arrangements for him to be moved to a better hospital. He recovered from the coma and went home. My husband talked to him and told him to start taking better care of himself. The next thing we knew, the elders were calling us again. Felipe had been weakened from being in the coma and his parents encouraged him to see a doctor. The doctor cut him open and removed something from his stomach. The next morning, he was dead. The life of this incredible young man had been cut short without any reason we could comprehend. It was a shock to all who knew him. He was buried the next day without an autopsy so we don’t know what actually happened. We don’t know the names of those elders who kept us informed, but we are eternally grateful for them. Without them we would never have known what happened to Felipe, or why we hadn’t heard from him. Word of Felipe’s death spread quickly through our ward. We had a memorial service for him so that we could have some closure. A room full of people stood up and talked about the greatness of this young man. My husband recalled the time the bishop held up a pair of pants during sacrament meeting. They had a huge hole in the seat and he asked if anyone could repair them. I talked of how worldly things had never mattered to him and now he lived on rice and beans so that he could send money home to his family. This was truly a young man who left his homeland, “without purse or script” in search of something better. He not only found a better life, but he found the truth. He embraced it with everything he had and was eager to spread the message of the gospel. In all of the mystery surrounding his death, there is one thing of which we feel certain. This young man of faith continues to be on the Lord’s errand, reaching out to those who didn’t have the opportunity to hear the gospel here on earth. Joyce is the owner of Emerson Publications and editor of the Family First Newsletter. Visit www.emersonpublications.com to learn more about preparing your family for all stages of life. Visit www.prepareandsucceed.com if there’s just not enough paycheck at the end of the month. |
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