Missionary moments: Love, acceptance
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A 25-year-old man with shoulder-length hair and an indifferent attitude toward religion attended stake conference in Caracas, Venezuela, in an effort to please his mother and sister. They believed that the conference's special speaker had an important message for him and were persistent in encouraging him to accompany them.
The conference speaker was Elder William R. Bradford of the Seventy, then-president of the South America North Area. When this young man heard Elder Bradford's testimony of the gospel, he felt strongly for the first time that he could recognize the Spirit of God and was filled with the impression that the testimony was true. As he shook hands with Elder Bradford after the meeting and looked into his eyes he felt such love and acceptance emanating from him that his heart was touched once again.
That young man is Paul Serrano, and he says that the experience changed the course of his life radically. "Never had I listened to someone speak with such precision and confidence."
The young man who resisted attending the meeting recognized a spiritual change in himself. Two months later he entered the waters of baptism, taking the first step on the path to being sealed to his sweetheart in the Peru temple. They are the proud parents of a lovely daughter, Andrea. Each time the couple shares their testimony of the gospel, they tell the story of how Elder Bradford's words bore testimony to him of the truthfulness of the gospel and the gratitude they feel for that experience.
Today, 14 years later, Brother Serrano is a faithful member serving as a Chicago Illinois Temple worker and as first counselor in the Schaumburg Illinois Stake Young Men presidency. He says that being a member of the Church has helped him to understand the meaning of life on earth and to learn the plan that can help him return to his Father in Heaven. He says that because of the gospel he is a better person and serves with unconditional love. — Caroline Hamilton, Schaumburg Illinois Stake public affairs
