Stories: A Modern Miracle
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| I once had the opportunity to do something special with my life. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re sure I manage to do something special everyday which is true, but when I say special I mean do something that I could have only done once in my entire life. For two years I dedicated myself to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as a missionary in southern Chile. There, I had so many special experiences and witnessed miracle after miracle. I would, however, like to share with you the miracle of Juan Cerón and his family. It is told as I remember it with details that might not be contained in any actual writing besides this one but, nevertheless, what I remember is true.
For some time I served as a missionary in Osorno, Chile. I was companions with a certain Elder Americo Lalinde from Uruguay. For 4 ½ months we were together, working hard and having so much fun. On one certain occasion (November 13, 2003) we were on divisions with other members of the Antillanca Ward to cover more ground. To be honest I really don’t remember why we were on divisions that night but I’m glad we were or what happened may not have occurred.
I had the chance that evening to work with a young man from my ward named Carlos Jahnke. Carlos was an amazing individual with a great love towards anyone. I’m glad he was there to share in the experience. As any missionary from my generation could tell you, we experienced a typical occurrence while out in our divisions. All of our appointments managed to fall through and we were stuck with no real options. Carlos and I began to walk down the road trying to figure out what to do. I remember him saying we could go back to his place and grab some food and share a short message with his family. It was in the evening and to be honest I was hungry so I agreed.
We began to walk down the road on the way to his home when suddenly I stopped. I had this distinct feeling that I needed to turn around and walk the other way. Carlos wondered where we were going but in reality I had no earthly idea. I didn’t know where the end of the journey was, only the path to follow. We continued on a few blocks down the road from which we had previously come. We soon neared the house of one the sisters in the ward and Carlos thought we were going there. I actually thought we were too until I passed it. A few houses down as we were walking I quickly changed directions and walked through a gate to a random house. There I knocked the door and to our amazement there stood a grown man in tears inviting us to come in.
It was in that moment that I first met Juan Cerón. He told us that things were difficult for him in his life, being separated from his wife, only seeing his daughters on the weekends, not having much luck with his job, and so forth. In fact Juan came to the conclusion that he was missing God in his life so he went earlier to try to purchase a Bible. Unfortunately he could not afford one.
The entire day Juan had been pleading with God for help. He had been pleading that God would send him a messenger to deliver him from his sorrows. Little did I know and still to my astonishment, I was one of the messengers sent to Juan.
We shared with him the first discussion and taught him the Plan of Salvation. I taught him about the Atonement and how God calls prophets to teach His children. I shared with him about the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The man’s eyes filled with even more tears as he listened and was even more astounded to know that the message in its entirety was free, even the Book of Mormon.
We continued to teach Juan the Gospel and we saw a massive change in his life. The man read the Book of Mormon constantly. He even asked about being able to borrow a Bible so he could compare the two Books using the references found at the bottom of the pages in the Book of Mormon. Elder Lalinde and I told him he wouldn’t have to borrow any Bible. We would give him one and we did. He was moved by our gift. I’ve never seen anyone so happy in my entire life.
He finished the entire Book of Mormon in less than a month. It was amazing. He was a new person, happier and more complete. Shortly thereafter I baptized him on December 14, 2003. That was a day to be remembered.
Of course I wasn’t the only one to notice the change in his countenance. His daughters, Macarena and Tamara, began to be curious as to why Juan was so different, so much happier. The answer was the Gospel. We also taught them.
It wasn’t too much longer when Juan received the Priesthood. It was a good thing too because he needed it to be able to baptize his daughters, which he did on January 4, 2004. Their change sparked curiosity in their mother, Patricia, who had been separated from Juan for some time. Needless to say her curiosity got the best of her and more than that the Spirit touched her life like it did Juan, Macarena, and Tamara. They all had experienced a great change of heart and the family completely reunited once more February 4, 2004. On February 15, 2004 they experienced another miracle as Juan baptized his wife.
On June 20, 2004 Juan was called as the Elder’s Quorum President which came as no surprise and his wife Patricia as 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. Their happiness in the Gospel continued as the family traveled from Osorno, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina and back between March 12 and 19, 2005. Their visit had only one purpose: to be sealed for all time and eternity as a family in the Buenos Aires Temple. On June 12, 2005 Juan was set apart as the Bishop of their ward. Finally on October 19, 2008 Juan was called to be the Second Counselor in the Osorno, Chile stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today they are a pillar of strength and an example for so many, especially me. Juan, Patricia, Macarena, and Tamara pertain to the Antillanca Ward in Osorno, Chile. |
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