March flew by... wouldn't you say? It's crazy now it is already over. It feels like the other day was Valentine's Day but it's almost General Conference instead...

So this week I don't even know what happened. It has been really difficult to find people to progress. We are teaching a lot of people each week, and we get return appointments, but they either aren't there or they just say that they don't have time and they don't schedule a return appointment with us. And then sometimes they tell us they will be coming to church and never do. We are finding people and then we are dropping them really fast because if they don't progress from the beginning they aren't ready and will never progress until they are ready.

But otherwise it is going well... It's just sad because we put it so simple... how this is the truth and there is no other church that has the authority and the fullness of the gospel and they just throw it out the window. We had no investigators at church yesterday but we had a real interesting/humbling experience. It really opened my eyes of how crazy it is out there and then how great it is.

As we were sitting in sacrament meeting, and I was up front translating for all the English speakers, my companion was sitting in the congregation and about 5 minutes into it a random guy that wasn't dressed up walked in and sat in the back. Usually when someone walks in late all the missionaries turn to see if it is an investigator just in case, but this time nobody knew him. My companion went back after the sacrament to talk to him and then they both left to the foyer to talk. They didn't come back into the Sacrament Meeting, which was kind of wierd.

After the meeting he came back in and looked shocked (my companion) and said that he'd just heard the craziest stuff ever. He kind of explained it to me even though he didn't understand everything. So, I started talking to this guy to try to understand more and boy did I understand more.

His name was Alex. And he had been in the United States for 2 days, as of yesterday. He had nothing, but the clothes on his back and a change of clothes that someone bought him, and that someone told him where the Mormon church was because he asked for it. He is from Honduras, and apparantly has been going to church there but was never baptized because the missionaries were never able to teach him. He left Honduras 2 1/2 months ago and just barely got here.

Well, it turns out that he was in Mexico and was driving a car with other people in it and a gang started to shoot at them. They killed everyone but him and took him with them. This gang is named "Los Zetas." I'm not sure how it is spelled but it is about the worst gang in Mexico right now. So they took Alex and demanded 5,000 dollars from him or they would kill him. He didn't have it obviously but they didn't kill him and just held him hostage.

He was telling us that they held him in a house with little rooms where they would keep each person with other people from their country. So there was a room for people from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, etc. And there were a lot of people that they had kidnapped and were demanding 5,000 dollars each from. He told us the only way he got away, because he didn't have the money, was that they decided to punish him for the rest of his life by taking his hand.

He told us that they cut his hand off with a machete, and as they did that he took off running and got away. He found a doctor and the doctor sewed his arm closed. And so he doesn't have a hand, which makes it real hard to find a job with one hand. We were talking to him and just amazed and trying to figure out what to do. He had nothing. He hadn't talked to his family for 2 1/2 months, had no money, nowhere to stay, hadn't eaten for 2 or 3 days, etc.

We had him talk to the bishop and the bishop let him call home and gave him 30 dollars for food. And then we had him with us from then on. We took him like he was a little kid and we were his guardians because he had no idea what to do, and was still in shock. We gave him some food and he downed it like it was nobody's business. We showed him the drinking fountain and he thought it was a kitchen sink. He tried to wash his hands in it until we told him how to do it and then he was all amazed because he had never seen a drinking fountain before.

Church ended and we changed all of our plans and we had to figure out what to do with him and how to help him. A member in our ward told us about a house that is here in Austin that takes immigrants in and helps them get on their feet and what not. That was the only option we had. So we started to walk, and were headed towards that house. We got a ride from a member and finally arrived at this house.

We stayed there with him for about an hour just to make sure that it was legit and we weren't dropping him off at a place where they will deport him or something. This place was amazing! It was called Casa Marianella. It was just an old house that they turned into a shelter. They provide all food, a place to stay, medical help, clothes, help to find work, etc... As we were with him I saw a guy that I felt a lot of love for change from the worst of worst circumstances to the best that he has ever had. Towards the end of it he was super excited, aka STOKED, and ready to go. And then, we went our separate ways and walked home.

As I pondered the day and what had just happened I was very grateful for what I have. I was very grateful for the kindness of people and that I was able to see the love that others have for those in need, like in this shelter, where they don't care who you are, what your story is, and they will help you. There are people out there that care and a lot of people that want to help. It was a great experience to have yesterday! An experience I will remember for the rest of my life... An experience that has changed me and made me want to help people that have so little...

I love you all.

Elder Harvey