Greetings From San Jose

Hello Everyone,

What a crazy week it has been. Rather unorthodox. I believe on Tuesday night we were actually about to start eating dinner with a family when my companion got a call from our Bishop telling us that there was less active family that just moved into the ward with a 16 year old son that wanted to be baptized. The next night we set up an appointment and met them. The son has a very rare disease called Battens disease which, since the time he was 7, is eating away at his motor and speech skills. He was very hard to understand, his father basically translated for us. And he is basically still at the emotional and mental state of a 7 year old, or at least that is how he seems. Perhaps on the inside he is much more developed but incapable of expressing himself. Anyway it was unique situation. The father is a less active member and his wife is catholic. They are great parents and have really done well to take care of such a situation so well. The boys desire to be baptized stemmed from his uncle who is fully active and lives in Utah. He gave the boy his first Book of Mormon and because he is blind he told him to ask his father to read to him every night, which his father did our of love for his son. And he has grown to love the Book of Mormon. He calls it his "Mormon handbook" and doesn't want to go anywhere without it. He has been taught the missionary discussions a number of different times when he lived in Nevada and has always wanted to be baptized but I think his mother stood in the way until now. I believe he is not expected to live past the age of 20 so as his 17 birthday approaches and a family reunion was planned to take place this past weekend anyway they decided it was time to grant the boy his desire. So we were the lucky missionaries to be a part of this wonderful event. He truly is a very special person. The things he says are very simple and he is always talking but he really touches you and makes you happy to be around him. It's hard to imagine being in the situation he is in and it's even harder to imagine being as happy and unconcerned about it as he is. Right after our stake conference we set up for his baptism and welcomed his extended family and got to witness his very caring uncle baptize him. I think it's understood that the boy was innocent and a place in the celestial kingdom is reserved for him whether he be baptized or not because he is as a child. But baptism was something he desired very badly and we realized that it wouldn't do any harm, but rather increase his faith as well as hopefully bring the church back into the life of his father and perhaps introduce his mother to the church as well. We are excited to continue to work with him and his family and see the changes that may arrive in their lives due to this wonderful faithfilled step that their son made. So the week was a fast one. We had to meet him and teach him all the lessons before Saturday. Many exceptions were made on his behalf and it was worth it. His parents said that he has a website that they seemed eager to let everyone know about so I don't think they'd mind if I told you all. I think it was connorsbattle.com. I guess his parents fundraise for research on his disease because not many research has been done cause it's so rare.

I hope you all have a good week.

Sincerely, Elder Miller