Reminder of Miracles

After being asked to help prepare a Sunday School lesson this week I called my brother Scott for more information on a set of miraculous events that took place while he was serving a mission for our church in South America.  Scott called me back on the phone and recounted the story answering a few questions as he went along.  I can count at least 13 miracles (big and small) that guided my brother and 5 other missionaries to safety in a dangerous situation.  It is hard imagine what could have happened to my brother if even one of these miracles hadn't taken place.  Anything....from death to imprisonment to an International Criminal Record to not being able to finish his 2 year mission commitment. 
This is the most complete version of the story I have ever heard!  The bold is directly from Scott's account today, the plain text is information I took out of mission emails.  I can't understand how some people don't believe that God still preforms miracles for his servants today, especially after hearing this story again!

Scott was serving his mission in the Santa Cruz, Bolivia mission.  Bolivia was in a civil war and the President had given the Military permission to exterminate all Americans if they didn’t evacuate in 72 hours. Scott was living in Riberalta in September 2008 when 1 his mission president called them at about 5 in the morning and told them to pack 1 change of clothes, not proselyting attire, and get together with all the white missionaries in that area and rent a taxi to take them to Guayaramerin as precautionary measure.  According to his emails, the previous day had been pretty normal in Riberalta.  This included seeing policemen getting beat up by civilians and other horrible activities.  The stayed locked in a house in Guayarmerin for 3 days.

At 2:30 am the next morning they got a call from their Mission President and were told that they had to leave the country “at all costs” and to do "whatever it took" then he said “I love you elders and God bless you” and hung up the phone.  Several members took the six gringos on motorcycles to the edge of the river where they bribed a water taxi to take them across.  2The driver said he would, but as soon as they got to Brazil they would be arrested b/c they didn’t have documents. (Their documents had been burned in a bombing of the Santa Cruz post office where they were kept in a safe).  When the missionaries got to Brazil they were nervous b/c they didn’t know what would happen.  3They walked past customs and all 3-4 guards were asleep at the desk.  They just walked through not knowing what do to.  Outside of the pier a taxi pulled up curious why a bunch of white guys were hanging around. The missionaries told them about what had happened and found out that the 4 taxi driver was a bishopric member of a local branch who had been inspired to go to the pier, not knowing why but thinking he might be blessed with a lot of money.  He drove took them through another checkpoint where the member told them he would do all the talking and the missionaries should be quite.   5 Again the guards were sleeping.  They drove 400 miles to a town called Porto Velho where they met up with a church Public Relations Representative for South America who 6 miraculously obtained airline tickets for them to fly to San Paulo.  7 The airport security didn’t even ask for any identification before allowing the missionaries (still dressed in their old dirty clothes) to board the plane.  After getting off the plane they were taken to a hotel where they were told that the prophet was praying for them by name in the temple daily and were being called heroes when news spread among the church.  (Scott was allowed to call home to let us know he was okay and they were safe).

Somehow the Brazilian police found out they were there illegally and they were called to the US embassy for an investigation and interviewing.  Scott was interviewed by the CIA & FBI in a closed glass room with a camera in his face.  The agents asked questions about why and how they got there.  The Brazilian government was upset that the 8embassy was trying to take care of them since the embassies sit US soil and were protecting the boys.  The Brazilian officials said they were going to throw the missionaries in jail for 3 nights before deporting them.  9The church paid $800 per missionary per night to keep them out of jail.  However, they still only had 72 hours before being deported. 

10Somehow emergency passports came in 2 days, a process which usually takes 2 months.  Scott guesses the church worked connections and paid big money to get them to him that fast.

Next the missionaries flew to the MTC in Lima Peru where they were given new white shirts, suits, and other essentials since they hadn’t packed any thinking it was just a 4 day outing.  They were all now International Criminals in 2 countries.  And as such had an International Criminal Record. They were told that the 11 church would take "care of it.”   Most of the missionaries were farmed out to various Peruvian missions to serve until Bolivia was safe again.  Scott stayed in Lima for 10 months before Bolivia was opened back up by the church, but twice a week he had to go to the police station for photos, fingerprints, and a meeting with a parole officer to guarantee he wasn't going to flee the country.  Since they didn’t have the correct documents to stay long term (only 6 months) he was also in Peru illegally for a few months, but with mandatory check-ins and 12 church influence he was not deported.  Members in Bolivia tried to pick up the evacuated missionaries clothes, suitcases, boxes, etc. from their Riberalta apartment, but they couldn't find anything worth sending to my brother. 

The mission president in Bolivia also ended up clearing out all the Latino missionaries b/c he was worried that if people found out they represented an 'American church' they would be in trouble too.  It took the longest for the American mission president to be evacuated b/c he was in the middle of a big city that was basically under siege. 13 I think the church eventually got him out via helicopter weeks after the extermination order took effect.  

It just amazes me at the abundant miracles that helped that group of missionaries in such horrible circumstances!  The story has been related to one in the Book of Mormon where a group of righteous prisoners escape captivity when their guards are in a drunken sleep. Hopefully this story can strengthen your understanding of the love of our Savior and the truthfulness of modern-day miracles, as it has mine!