The power of reading the Book of Mormon as directed by President Gordon B. Hinckley is a reminder of blessings past and present. I have a missionary son, Elder Blake Isaacson, in the New York New York South Mission, specifically assigned to Spanish speaking areas. The following is an excerpt from the letter I sent him on Dec. 4, 2005:

"As I was reading in the Book of Mormon this week the remembrance of Brother Barbre (taught while on my own mission) and other strong spiritual experiences while serving a mission came to me as I was reading the story of Ammon and his brothers recounting their missionary experiences with the Lamanites, which states, 'Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success' (Alma 26: 27). When my companion and I were tired and ready to go to lunch, as in the case of Brother Barbre, or tired and wanted to go back to our apartment in other cases, or depressed because of lack of success in several other cases, the Spirit strongly prompted us to keep going.

"One day we came across Lloyd Barbre, 78 years old, on the last street on a block in Oklahoma City, Okla. He let us in and advised us that he had been given a Book of Mormon 20 years earlier by some missionaries and was taught the discussions.

"He advised us he wanted to hear more and was baptized three weeks later. One of my most prized possessions is the Book of Mormon Brother Barbre was given by the elders in the 1950s (we gave Brother Barbre a new copy)."

Further, I rehearsed to my son the entry in my missionary journal, dated Dec. 4, 1976, twenty-nine years earlier. "We had a great baptism this evening. I had the privilege of baptizing Brother Barbre and Elder Clark confirmed him. What a great experience. I feel he needed to be baptized before he died. What a spiritual experience. I feel so strong about that."

The elders who presented the Book of Mormon to Brother Barbre 20 years earlier probably do not know the end of the story. The Book of Mormon will eventually convert all to the truth even through decades of collecting dust on a shelf. — Scott Isaacson, Phoenix, Ariz.