Near dusk, they knock a door halfway down the street. The woman says nothing but immediately waves them in. She motions to the couch and the young man and his companion sit.
“Do you guys have any more videos you could leave me?”
“Did missionaries give you some of our videos?”
“Yeah, you guys did.”
“How long ago? We haven’t been here before. Or at least I haven’t. Maybe Elder Smith has. I’ve only been here a couple weeks.”
“I don’t know. Maybe last month.”
The man looks at Elder Smith who shakes his head and shrugs.
“What videos did they last leave you?”
She opens a drawer and hands them Together Forever.
“I really like that one. It’s the only thing that takes my mind off it.”
“Were the missionaries teaching you?”
“Not really. I can’t really focus on stuff. Maybe after the trial. I have to testify.”
“The trial?”
She grabs a tissue and dabs her eyes.
“Yeah. They killed my son. They came in my house and killed my son. He was sitting right there where you are. They came in and shot him.”
She points to a picture of a Mexican teenager wearing a white tank top, blue bandana, and baggy shorts.
“The prosecutors say it was over $100. A drug debt. But he was a good kid. He wasn’t into that stuff. If they wanted $100, I would have given it to them.”
“I’m very sorry. That’s terrible.”
She dabs her eyes and nods.
“Thank you.”
“Would you like us to share a message with you?”
“The other guys used to do that, but I can’t remember nothing from it. They gave me your book too, but I can’t read it. I can’t read anything.”
“Anything else we could do for you?”
“Just if you have any videos, I like your church’s videos.”
The man reaches into his bag and pulls out The Lamb of God and Family First.
“How about these?”
She shakes her head.
“Those are new.”
He gives her the videos, they pray together, and soon the elders are back in the car.
The Living and the Dead, by Gordon Laws 