Archie

Let me introduce you to Archie.

He is a little Filipino man, about 4-foot-negative-five, who has almost nothing in this world but a faith that seems to course through his every word and action. He's 76, he lives in Barcelona, and I have heard about him my whole life.

Well, I finally met him.

As a little girl I remember my parents talking about Archie in Spain, the man who would send letters in English and Spanish that looked like Chinese characters with little treats inside. We heard about how he lived in Spain with no family and how he had absolutely no money; Archie was part of normal conversation. I don't believe I ever saw any picture of him besides the one where my dad is standing by him in baptismal clothing. He was part of our family because he was such a part of my dad's experience. Here's how it all started:

Elder Millward, serving in Barcelona as a missionary called of God for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his companion were out for a normal day of contacting people. There they were in the Plaza Cataluña, observing the people around them. They noticed a small man reading a newspaper across the plaza, and decided to approach him. As the conversation began, he was immediately interested in what they had to say about the gospel, and he asked to meet them again. Elder Millward began to realize that this man was incredibly humble and ready to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ into his life. They taught, he learned, and his faith grew. He was so kind and loved everyone around him. After he was baptized, he stayed active in the church... and the rest is history. Archie knows almost every, if not every, missionary who serves in the Barcelona mission. He keeps in touch with my Dad and knows every child in our family. I loved that he always talked about Zachary while we were with him. He truly loves every one of us, and he has never met any of us but my parents and me!

When I arrived at the temple at 4:00 on Friday afternoon, I was burdened with a heavy backpack and an absurd amount of excitement and nervous energy because I was going to meet my DADDY! After 90 days I finally got to see him again! And in Spain, to add to that. Anyways, needless to say, the hour long metro and bus ride was longer than normal for me! So, in other words... I wasn't really burdened with much haha. But as I sat out front and waited for him to come out (he was supposed to be inside doing a session with Archie) I tried to calm myself down. I noticed there was a small man sitting on the ledge but I was too nervous to approach him so I walked around the temple grounds, read my patriarchal blessing, and tried really hard not to pee my pants (luckily I wore my heavy duty diaper that day so we were good!). I saw the little man looking at me, then he walked into the temple. Next thing I knew, my dad was walking out of the temple laughing and talking with the little man, and I was running towards them! Needless to say, the little man was the one and only Archie.

The funny thing was, I felt like I had always known him. His face and presence seemed familiar to me, and the way he looked at me with immediate love in his eyes was so comforting. He was so excited to give us gifts that he had bought for the family- gifts of chocolate, booklets of the Philippines (he kept saying, "I hope you serve in the Philippines! Most beautiful country, most beautiful. You love it there."), and more goodies that are still wrapped up. We hugged and he was so kind, and then we proceeded to lug his baggage back onto the metro and into Alcalá so my dad could meet my host family. Before we got to the metro, though, a man stopped us on the street as he called out, "Archie! Hombre!!!" A missionary from Barcelona recognized Archie as we walked past! The missionary was so excited to him- and he knew the story about my dad too. I started to realize how amazing it was that I knew this man.

I had a nice long time to talk to Archie. He talked about Beyónce, Amy Winehouse, American politics, every single one of my siblings, how the Lord blesses him in every moment, every little thing, the Philippines, and as he made jokes while my dad slept on the ride. He would start talking in this high, squeaky voice and dangle his fingers in front of my dad's face while he slept. I was laughing so hard. I loved watching how humble he is- I have never seen anything like it. Everything he has is from God. Every moment he is saying a prayer. But he is not preachy or boastful; he is balanced. He knows about the news of the world, and he knows how to joke around and enjoy life. He loved me right away; he hugged me right when he met me, with emotion in his voice, and said (into my naval, basically, that's how short he is haha) "Oh, que guapa!" And hugged me so tight. We talked and laughed and joked. And he couldn't stop talking about where I would serve a mission, maybe I would go to Barcelona and be in his ward! Or to the Philippines and know his home!

I love Archie. I can't stop thinking about how incredible he is. There was a point when we were walking home when he was very tired and had his head bowed. A drunk man came up to him and began to harass him, not realizing he was with us. Archie kept his head bowed, not defending himself or saying an angry word. The world may see this as weak, and I admit, I believe in defending oneself, but it was so childlike. That was what I observed. Archie was childlike. He loved right away, he found joy in little things, he had a faith in the Savior that was unshakable and connected to his life in every moment, and he taught me about giving when you have nothing. It might seem like a social mistake to be like Archie; not defending oneself, not putting up a guard when meeting others, or whatever you might see when you meet him. However, my dad and I talked, and I realized why I love Archie so much, and why I felt I loved him right away.

He is pure; he is childlike; he is how the Savior teaches us to be. As a child, generous even if we have nothing.

I count myself as incredibly blessed to know Archie. I will be writing him while I serve a mission and I am excited to see him go back to Philippines for a visit or possibly for the rest of his life. He is an incredible man, and I feel strongly that he knows the Savior very well, better than most. There will be such joy when he meet Him; no guilt or worldly stains will besmirch the meeting- only a warm embrace and the same smile and love he shows every other person he meets. Archie is like the Savior, and I am lucky enough to have met him once in my life.

As we got him back on the train to Barcelona, (he was almost late, and he prayed the entire metro ride with head bowed and mouth moving), he hugged me tightly, and, almost crying, said, "Thank you so much for everything. I love you. Thank you so so much."

And then he got on the bus and left.

I will never forget him; I will always be grateful to have met him.

What an incredible man- a man I never knew but somehow feel that I always did know. That is how I want people to feel about me. I want to love others as Archie does; I want to love others as the Savior does. I want to become as a little child. I am grateful for Archie.