"If I Choose God, I Die"

Kairos/Audience: When people find out I served on the Mexican-American border, they often ask if I had any dangerous encounters. I would most likely tell this version of this story in a spiritual setting, like a sacrament meeting talk or a discussion with a close friend.

During my mission in South Texas, I always felt safe. Always, that is, except for one instance. My first area of my mission was Laredo, Texas, a city that has appeared on the TV show "Drug Wars". I had only been out for about 4 months and had a new missionary I was training. One day we felt inspired to go to a part of our area that I had never visited and start knocking doors. It was getting dark out, but we felt determined we were there for a reason. After not having any luck at about a dozen doors, we saw a few guys standing outside by their car smoking. We went over and struck up a conversation with them, and after a few minutes we asked if we could come in. One of them said yes.

The one who let us in obviously was the most interested, so we began to speak to him that our purpose as missionaries was to invite all men and women to come unto Christ. The further we went into the conversation, the more we could see the countenance of this tattooed smoke-smelling man soften and change. After prayer and reading a few verses about the Savior's power to change, this rough young man broke down into tears. He confessed to us that he was a member of a deadly drug cartel in Mexico, whose name he would not even speak, and he wished he could change. He wished he could relive his life to choose another path, but he couldn't.
"If I change and choose God," he said, "I die."

My companion and I were unsure what to do. We taught him to pray, discussed repentance and change, then asked if he would be willing to throw away his cigarettes. He said yes. In the end we left, threw away his drug paraphernalia, and rode away on our bikes. I felt a strange mixture of fear and sadness as we left. Fear that the cartel might find us and punish us for visiting one of their members. I wish I could have done more for this young man, but I know God hasn't forgotten him.
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Second Version: "I Thought We Might Get Kidnapped"
Kairos/Audience: My fiancee, Maya.

I know this might worry you, but on my mission I met and taught many Mexican mafia members [alliteration]. One experience in particular left my companion and I feeling very terrified after meeting with a guy we met in this shady part of our area.

I first was sent to Laredo, a very dangerous city on the border of Mexico [definition]. Literally thousands of tons of drugs are seized every year by border patrol agents. My greenie and I were in a scary neighborhood one night and we saw some guys outside their house smoking cigarettes. We went to talk to them, and one of them let us in. We had a cool spiritual experience with him, and he really wanted to change, it seemed [anastrophe]. Then he told us that he was a member of a Mexican drug cartel, and if he decided to follow God and leave the cartel he would be killed. It was really startling and scary to hear.

Since I was the senior companion, it was my job to figure out what to say to this man. He was in tears, pleading for help to change, but I knew we couldn't give it to him. We talked about some small changes he could make, like getting rid of his cigarettes. He gave them to us so we could throw them away. For a while I thought about how we could involve the local members to help get him to church, but I knew we couldn't endanger them. Then I realized that we could be in danger [cause and effect]. I wanted to try to help, but I didn't know if the cartel would kidnap or kill us for trying to convert one of their members. In the end we rode away as quick as cheetahs [simile]. What could we have done? [Rhetorical Question] I also kept looking over my shoulder every few seconds to see if we were being followed. I wish I could have done more for this man. That day taught me that some things are only possible for God and impossible for man [possible/impossible].
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