Another story from mi barrio

I meant to share this story before but I forgot. Anyway, it was a story from the high councilman who came to talk in our ward. I can actually tell it to you because he didn't speak Spanish, he had a translator. But I understood everything he said! :)

He started out by saying that he joined the church because of a 16 yr. old girl whom he had never met. And then explained that when he was 9 or 10 his mom took him and all his siblings to a different church each Sunday trying to decide what church they wanted to go to (this was back in the 1950's). Anyway, they finally had been to almost all of them in the town they lived in and were running out of ideas when his father, who never went to any of them, suggested they go to the Mormon church. His mom didn't want to but finally decided to try it just to humor her husband (the dad, like always didn't go) and they liked it. And eventually the whole family, including the father, joined the church. The reason why his father had suggested the Mormon church was because when he had been a teenager he had gone a date with this 16 yr old girl and tried to kiss her. But she wouldn't kiss him and told him it was because she was Mormon. His father had always remembered that and eventually decided he wanted his kids to be like that, so he had suggested to his wife the LDS church.

I thought that story was awesome. Maybe it was just because I finally understood more than a couple words like "Nefi" or "Jesucristo." Maybe.

Leo went to go visit a young man in our barrio this last Tuesday. He said it was a tiny apartment where the Dad, Mom, and son lived. They are from Guatemala. Apparently the son and mom have work visas but the dad isn't here legal and they are really stressed right now because the two visas are up to be renewed and they're not sure if they will be or not. Plus, now this is the heartbreaker to me, they also have a 13 yr old daughter and 7 yr old daughter who are still in Guatemala whom the neighbors kind of keep an eye on. Ouch. The mom said that even if her visa is renewed she's going back by the end of the year. So what would you do? Starve in your own country with your children, or leave them there to be able to send them money to live on? Anyone?

The dad was so excited that Leo was a pilot. (Leo came home deflated--he said he felt awful about complaining about his job so much.) He kept telling his son, "Look he's an immigrant, who came here when he was older than you, and look what he's managed to do!!!" I understand the father's sentiment, but at the same time, it kind of breaks my heart again because the realist in me thinks about all the advantages Leo had that this kid doesn't--really good private schools his whole life in Colombia, English tutoring as a kid, and he was already attending one of the best universities in Colombia before he came here. Not exactly a poor kid. This kid's family had been plantain farmers. Leo's parents owned a factory that made parts for Bristish Petroleum. Yeah. That kid definitely has a steeper mountain to climb. Not saying it can't be done. It just makes me sad. That's all.