- April 2, 1996 – Tuesday – Quito Ecuador…”We next went to Marcelo Mosquera’s house. Let me tell you about him. He got his right arm blown off to the elbow and 3 fingers and half of his left hand. He did it working in the Jungle. His wife left him. He never gets hired because of his physical impairment, so it’s very hard to get a job. The government pays him 150 mil sucres each month (about 60 bucks a month) as a retirement pay. This month he has no money at all because after getting it, he was robbed on the way home. He’s had to go 2 days without food, and today he finally was invited to eat by Elder Howard and another friend. With all these trials and problems (by the way, he lives in a one room house and basically all of his possessions (gas stove, bed, TV) were all given to him) he still works soooo hard in the church work. He sold almost all his possessions last November to go to the Lima, Peru Temple. He’s the Turubamba Ward Mission Leader and magnifies his calling sooo much. He reads his scriptures and is active. He serves others. He’s an example for me. The thing was, after telling us his situation, he testified of his love for Christ, cried while doing it, and then went looking for things to give things away to us. He gave my comp stickers. Just seeing his situation, he has all the reason to complain and be selfish. But rather he serves others. He is so awesome. I’ll be like him. I left 5 mil sucres on his table. I hope he can make good use of it. I left from there repenting of my selfishness, and of the times that I’d whined for material things. How lost I was. I’ll pray for him.” – Clinton Brown Missionary Journal