Right before the previously mentioned Xalapa bautizona, it was my privilege to interview two people for baptism--a husband and wife. The elders had told me that the woman had an abortion. Her interview was very smooth and she was authorized to be baptized. The man had told the missionaries that he had killed someone. That is a tougher interview and these folks have to receive First Presidency approval to be baptized.

The man told me that he lived in Galveston, Texas a little over a year ago for 9 months. While there, he was taught the gospel by sister missionaries. He bore his testimony to me and expressed disappointment that he was not able to have been baptized there because he was not married. He returned to Mexico and told his wife about the Church. He told her that they needed to find the Church, find the missionaries, get married, and get baptized. They went to church in Acayucan, 4 hours away, and Catemaco, 3 hours away. Finally, they found a chapel in Xalapa where they live. The missionaries taught them for a long time. The wife was slow to decide because of family pressure. The children were baptized a couple of weeks before. When she made the decision, the missionaries helped them get married which they did on Thursday. It was Saturday evening. Now all that was lacking was this pesky homicide problem.

Bro Maín had told the zone leader in his baptismal interview that he had killed someone about six years ago. Normally, the zone leader doesn't ask a lot of extra questions, and in this case they asked none. I had interviewed the wife afew minutes earlier. Her abortion was six years ago. As I interviewed the Bro. Maín, I simply asked him if he had helped his wife get an abortion six years ago. He hesitatingly and very emotionally said that he had. I asked if that is what he meant when he told the elders that he had committed murder. He said that was it. That was it! He considered the abortion a murder. ¡Wow! I have never had an experience like that.

He committed to never be involved in an abortion again. What a joy it was for me to tell him, "I have good news for you. I authorize your baptism today with your wife. It will take place as soon as you can change your clothes." We embraced and off he went to prepare himself for the waters of baptism.

The missionaries are Elders Castro and Zárate.