Adding the Spirit

Julian Vallejo's example is making a difference, right in his own home. His mother, Marylou V. Navarrete, and his little brother, Sebastian, who are LDS, and his stepfather, Antonio Navarrete, who is not a member of the Church, all say they are proud to watch Julian growing up in the Church and grateful for the example he sets for the family.

"I like having the Spirit of the Savior in our home," Julian says, "and at church we learn about the Savior. We take the sacrament and promise always to remember Him. Then we try to live as He would live, and that includes how we live at home." Setting an example by following the Savior yourself is also part of inviting people to come unto Christ, Julian says.

The Christlike spirit Antonio feels his wife, his son, and his stepson bringing into the family may be part of why he attends the Immokalee Branch. "I come with them all the time to support them," he says, "and to learn a little bit." He also helps the branch leaders, offering opinions and suggestions when asked.

That's a good reason, Julian says, for him to be proud of his stepfather.

Milsont Pierre (front) and Junior Reyes (back) diagram how a simple invitation, then another and another, caused their Aaronic Priesthood quorums and their branch to grow and keep growing.

Palm trees (previous page), pine trees, and orange groves prosper in southwestern Florida, and so does missionary work as young men share the desirable fruit of the gospel with family and friends and strengthen each other in quorums.

Wild grass stalks near Immokalee remind young men of the growth of their branch, of their own growth in the gospel, and of the scripture that says, "the field is white already to harvest" (D&C 33:7).

Photographs by Richard M. Romney

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