For one young missionary, Elder Bodine, the invitation to a drug lord to come watch general conference became a miracle story that would change the man’s life forever. The story was shared in a YouTube video in November 2013.
While teaching a group of people on a street in Mexico, Elder Bodine and his companion were approached by a drug lord named Christian. The man, who usually heckled the elders, came to listen and actually seemed interested in what they were saying.
“I kinda thought it was a dare for him to come over, … but he stayed,” Bodine says. “We got to the point where we talked about the life after this life, or the spirit world. We told everyone that we knew where we were going.”
Christian said, according to Bodine, “You mean to tell me that you know where we are going after this life?”
Summoning as much confidence as he could muster, Bodine answered yes and testified of the truth he knew. The elders then invited Christian to see for himself by watching general conference the next Sunday.
“I’ll never forget … when I looked outside the gate of the church and here comes Christian,” Bodine said, explaining what happened the day of general conference. At one point during the conference sessions, Bodine went to check on Christian. “I went and peeked into the chapel and it was pretty much empty by this time and he was still sitting there. He had his head down, and I remember turning to my companion and saying,‘Oh my goodness, he slept through the whole thing.’”
But Elder Bodine learned the truth later that day. Once the conference session was over, Christian came out as one of the last people, walked up to the missionaries and, filled with emotion, said, according to Bodine, “What was that that I just saw? Who are those men that spoke with such an energy—a power that I’ve never felt in my entire life? What was that music that I was hearing? I felt as if angels were singing. … Why are these people so happy?”
Bodine could tell that Christian was touched by what he had witnessed; his eyes looked puffy from crying. The missionaries testified of the truths they just heard, gave him a Book of Mormon, and set up an appointment to meet the next day. Christian read all the way to Alma before the appointment and was filled with conviction of the truth of the book.
“The best part of that was that he testified to us in that lesson that it was true,” Bodine said. From that day, Christian showed he wanted to become more like Christ and was soon baptized a member of the Church.
“I’ve read enough that I know this book is true, and I’m willing to do anything to change,” Christian said.
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