Trials after Baptism

I faced a lot of challenges after my baptism. The changes I needed to make in my life were significant. On top of that, sometimes I felt that I had no friends in the Church, and it was tempting to go back to my old friends. My parents later divorced, which was also difficult for me. But my desire to feel joy—and my understanding that we can be happy regardless of external circumstances—helped me keep coming back to church. I knew I couldn't "lay aside [my] faith" (Alma 32:37).

My experience with conversion—my own and that of others—has taught me that the Spirit can touch anybody, anywhere and that there is no ideal profile for a potential member of the Church. All of us need the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of us are in the process of becoming more like Him.

That realization helped me as a missionary in São Paulo, Brazil; as a mission president in Belem, Brazil; and as a member of the Church. It has helped me as my wife and I have prepared our children for missionary service. Two of our children have already served full-time missions, and before they left, I reminded them not to judge people by their appearance or their way of living. "Don't give up on someone because you find them strange," I told them. "Try to see the inside. There might be another Carlos out there."

I am grateful to recognize that we are all children of God and to know that everyone—not just a few people—is a candidate for receiving the joy that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ.