The time has finally come.....That I tell the story about Colin Carraway.. I can tell that you are all so excited! And you should be. This story has been one of the highlights of my mission. And rightfully so! Just wait till you hear it :) Thanks for being so patient with me, I know I've been mentioning it here and there, but I really wanted to do his story justice so I've been working on remembering all the fine details and am now just getting it all into something presentable. (It is super detailed and super long because I want this for my future records, so just bare with me. It is worth the read!)
So, I'm going to start all the way at the beginning...
Once upon a time a baby was born. His name was Colin!...Okay, just kidding. We'll start from here:
On February 8, 2015, two sister missionaries, Sister Morrill and Sister Merchant, were knocking on doors in a nearby apartment complex that was especially for university students. They met an unusual guy named Les. After he found out what church they were from, he told them that his roommate was Mormon. His name was Colin Carraway. Neither of the sisters knew him and didn't think too much about it. Les told them to come back and try to meet him. The sisters tucked the info away for safe keepings and went on their merry way.
Over the next few weeks, they tried knocking on his door every time they were in the area but no one ever answered.
Transfers came and went and I came into the area. Sister Morrill told me the story about Les and Colin and we decided we would continue to try a little bit longer to find him.
Two days after I came into the area, we knocked on his door and again were greeted by Les. Colin wasn't home. We kind of thought that maybe he didn't actually exist, but then we ran into one of his former roommates in the parking lot who added another witness that Colin was, indeed, real and that he was, indeed, a member. So we decided we would continue to try.
Over the next several weeks, we tried and we tried and we tried some more. Nothing. Every. Single. Time.
Like really? Is this some kind of joke? Had me fooled.
But then, on April 4th we finally met the infamous Colin Carraway. It was towards the end of the night. We had just finished watching General Conference and there was a not a lot of time left that night. We decided to go to Cabana Beach to try to see a member of the Branch we had been trying to see. The thought entered Sister Morrill's mind to try to see Colin Carraway. Sister Morrill suggested it and I didn't hesitate to agree. We were both beyond ready to finally meet this mystery person! Before we prayed, we discussed the fact that this would probably be the last time that we tried to find Colin.
We hiked all the way to the top of the third floor, (<
A week went by and a departing activity came up for some of the missionaries that were serving in the branch, Sister Morrill included. We sent a mass text out to some people and Colin just happened to be one of them. We didn't think much of it, but we were so surprised when he showed up at the Institute. He just did his thing, got to know a ton of people and by the end the night, he said he was coming to church here the following Sunday. We were so happy to be helping him come back to the church!
Later that night we realized that we had a teaching appointment with someone who lived really close to Colin so we invited him to come with us. Turns out, it worked out perfectly with his schedule and he agreed to come. Wahoo! Things could not have been going better with his reactivation. Like seriously.
The next day rolls around and the girl we had scheduled with decided she wasn't interested anymore and texted us and cancelled. We started to call Colin and then Sister Morrill was like, "WHY DON'T WE HAVE A LESSON WITH COLIN?" and I'm just like, "WELL YEAH! Let's do it!" So we talk to him and he is all about it. He even wanted to meet at the Institute building! Like, seriously, things just kept getting better. We decided to bring him his own copy of Preach My Gospel so he could start learning the missionary lessons.
We start talking with him about Preach My Gospel and we are going and going and then he beings to tell us his story...I'll do my best to recap his life story, without putting in too many personal details.
When Colin was 10, he remembers two missionaries knocking on his door. His dad shut the door on them and said, "We're Catholic". Just a few weeks later, his family was on vacation. In the dresser drawer of a Marriott Hotel, Colin found a Book of Mormon and took it home with him. For two years, he read it, faithfully, and then when he was 12, he went online and found the closest church building. On the next Sunday, he rode his bike and from there on out, he went to church and began learning. The people he met there changed his life and showed him what it is like to live your religion. He liked what he saw and what he felt. He knew someday he wanted to be baptized. Sadly, his parents never supported him so he knew he would have to wait until he was 18. But when he was 16, his father left and Colin felt that he needed to have his last name changed when he reached the proper age. When Colin turned 18, he began the legal process to have his named changed. It took a lot longer to do than he thought it would. Colin didn't want to be baptized before this was done, so he patiently waited. Just a few weeks before we came knocking on his door, the name change went through and he was now officially and legally known as Colin Carraway. Colin has waited for a very long time for the opportunity to be baptized to come about.
(There are a lot more details to his story, but for his own privacy and out of respect for him, that is all I will share. But the more I learn about him and his life, the more I can see how Heavenly Father has been preparing him for this for the past 10 years)
As he was telling us all this, we felt very strongly that Colin wasn't actually a member. We felt so confused! Everything, except for that still, small voice inside our heads, told us that Colin was a member. He was familiar with the church, he was familiar with the doctrine, he was familiar with it all. It was literally as if he had been a member his whole life. But after the lesson, we got all his info sent in to the clerk so he could search for Colin's membership records. (<
Welp, that was like the longest day of my life.
The next day roles around. It is p-day. Sister Morrill was leaving Gainesville the next day to spend a few days in Jacksonville before she returned him on Friday. We get a text from the clerk late that night and he says, "I looked and I can't find them, but I didn't look super hard, I'll try again when I get the chance." We are starting to think that that still, small voice inside our heads wasn't just our own thoughts. There was something bigger going on here.
So the next day we drive up to Jacksonville and I tell Sister Morrill goodbye and the last thing she tells me is to update her on Colin next week in my email. Yes, we were that consumed with getting to the bottom of this! I get my new companion and we get into the car to leave. I remember that our GPS busted like two days prior to this and I'm just like, yeah I dunno how to get back. We will need to get directions on our iPads. But before we head back into the church to do that, I look at the phone. We had received a text message from our Branch Presidents wife and she says, "Hey, good news sisters! Colin just came to the institute to practice hymns on the piano and he began to tell me more of his story. He told me that he actually isn't baptized and that he wants to meet with you so he can get baptized!" You. Are. Kidding. Me. I about died. And then I told my companion. And she was really confused. So then I explained. And then she about died. Colin Carraway was going to be baptized. Oh, my heart!
We did our best to play it cool with Colin until we could get another appointment with him. We briefly mentioned that Sister Martin had talked to us and we could discuss it next time we met. So we set up an appointment for Friday. Two days after Sister Montgomery officially got here.
When that day came, we were preparing for his lesson in our studies and we were both individually praying about what day we should invite him to be baptized on. While I was praying the day of May 12th came into mind. I finished praying and looked at a calendar and the 12th was a Tuesday. A Tuesday? Seriously. We hardly ever have Tuesday baptisms. I immediately went to the nearest weekend and settled for the 16th of May. Haha, silly me. Later before we went to the appointment, I told Sister Montgomery about the 12th of May and we both kind of just laughed it off and reconfirmed that we would invite him for the 16th. We went to the lesson and when we put a calendar in front of him, he said, "Well, my birthday is the 12th of May and I would like to do it that day." Sister Montgomery did the short stop grab the arm thing that moms do to their kids when they slam on their breaks and we just just looked at each other. Clearly, we worked it out so he could be baptized on May 12th.
Later that day we make a baptism calendar for him to make sure we would be able to teach him everything before the baptism. That gave us about 3 full weeks. The next day, we presented the baptism calendar to him and ask he looked at it, he put his face into his hands and started to cry. The Spirit filled the room so strongly and through his broken breath and words, he said, "thank you". My companion, the two members that were there, and I all just sat there in quiet reflection as Colin thanked us for something that was not at all our doing, but our Heavenly Father's doing.
The next few weeks an array of amazingly spiritual experiences followed as we taught Colin more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He even taught some of the lessons to us and helped us to see the Gospel in new light. Since the beginning he has been talking about the mission that he will someday serve and the eternal family that he will someday have. Two days before his baptism, he gave a Book of Mormon to a friend that lives in his apartment complex and bore testimony to him of the power that it brings into our lives.
When I first got transferred into this area, President Craig told me there was a very specific reason that I needed to be here. He told me that he had very different plans for me and the last two transfers of my mission, but that when he prayed about it, that same still, small voice that helped us know Colin wasn't actually a member, very strongly told him that I needed to be elsewhere. Just a few weeks later, he expanded a little bit more and told me there was someone specific that I needed to find. I know that by the grace of God, just 8 days later, my companion and I found that person. And that Colin Carraway was that person. I don't know how or why Heavenly Father places such people and experiences in our lives, but I know that He does it out of His perfect love for us. My outlook on life has been changed because of Colin Carraway's example of perseverance, humility and pure desire to follow His Savior, Jesus Christ. The sacred and spiritually grounding experiences I have been able to have while helping him along this path have brought greater hope, compassion and understanding into my heart. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows what we need, who we need and exactly when we need those things. I know that God loves all of his children. From every walk of life, from every corner of the earth, from every age, color, sex, or status. He loves all of His children with an infinite and perfect love. I will be forever grateful that I have been able to be a part of Colin Carraway's path to someday return home to live with his Heavenly Father again. I know thatGod has a plan for each of us and that His greatest plan of all is to helps us return to Him again.
Thank you for all the support and love that you have each offered me over the last 18 months and for the prayers you have said on my behalf and those that I have been able to work with. That have been felt every single day. I love you all, and look forward to seeing you all shortly!
Until Next Time, Sister Crawford
Colin's Baptism/Birthday Celebration! We got him some personalized scriptures for his birthday!
