Los Peterson

Most of you reading know Chris and I are LDS, or as some choose to call us, Mormon. Really though, we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And as most of you know, a lot of us LDS people choose to go on missions. They last for a year and a half to 2 years. You've probably seen the guys (and girls) in suits, on bikes, with little name tags, riding around and knocking on doors. . . that's us.

Chris served a mission in Uruguay when he was 19 (Please don't kill me for posting this picture of you, babe). That's how he learned Spanish and got a taste for selfless service and the carne asada. I hope to serve a mission someday with Chris when our kids are grown.



Today, however, we are sending out the very first missionary from our congregation here in Harlem. He's going to Atlanta and his name is Alex Bermudez. Alex is originally from Honduras. His family moved to Harlem when he was a small boy and they've lived there ever since.

Alex is one of the most amazing kids I've ever known. Things don't come as easily to him as they do to most people. He has some learning disabilities. He sometimes needs help with simple things and people often discount him because of it. Chris, being the amazing guy he is, did everything (that Alex could not do for himself) to get him ready for this mission.



Alex works harder than his weaknesses do though. Over the past year, he's just blossomed into a confident and competent young man. It hasn't been easy. Alex has been through a lot. All of the awful things you think of when you think about Harlem: broken families, kids having sex, drugs, gangs, violence, friends dying - those are the things around him that he's had to overcome.



The miracle isn't that he's survived, although that, in itself, is pretty miraculous. It's that he's some how managed to come out unscathed by his environment. I don't know how it happened or how he did it, but Alex doesn't have a single ounce of guile within him. Not any. No rage. No bitterness or anger. Nothing snide, not even the normal teenage sarcasm. He's just humble and grateful and wants to serve others. It's remarkable.



Chris took Alex to the missionary training center in Utah today to drop him off and say goodbye. We won't see him again for another 2 years! It's funny. I've known a lot of missionaries over the years. My friends, my brothers, my grandparents - and it isn't until now that I've realized how weird it is for 19 a year old kid give up 2 years of his life to serve and share what he believes in with others. Weird and pretty amazing. We love you Alex!