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Blessed are the poor in spirit. . .

Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (3 Ne. 12:3.)

On a cold winter day in November 1996, Miler Stoica walked out of his one-room apartment, extremely angry after an argument with his wife. He decided to take a walk, and his thoughts were jumping from divorce, to what will happen to the children, to what life is all about.

Many things were going through his mind, when two missionaries stopped him on the street and began talking. They talked about everything from the economy to the Church, and after a half-hour discussion with the missionaries, he had made an appointment for a first discussion a couple of days later.

The first time the missionaries visited the home, they were accepted very well by the parents, but the children were very skeptical. Lenufa, 18, and Cristina, 14, went into the kitchen, and Ciprian, 16, left the apartment completely.

Brother and Sister Stoica were baptized Jan. 5, 1997, but the three children remained undecided. The two girls were ready for baptism but were waiting for their brother. He was going to a religious school and had an excellent knowledge of the Bible, but was having a hard time believing the Book of Mormon could be the word of God without being mentioned in the Bible.

By this time, the two missionaries who had originally taught the Stoica family had left, but the family developed strong relationships of trust with their successors. The children began to read the Book of Mormon, and the young man prayed to know if it was true.

The next day the elders visited with a plan to read and talk with the family about all of the Book of Mormon prophecies in the Bible. The young man and the rest of the family were touched by the Spirit that night. He offered a closing prayer that the missionaries said was one of the most spiritual, beautiful prayers they had heard in their lives.

From that moment on, the three children read the Book of Mormon every spare moment they had. The Romanian translation of the Book of Mormon has no footnotes, nor is it a complete translation, yet their copies are filled with notations they have made in red. They are also reading the untranslated chapters in English with a dictionary, doing the best they can.

Through study of the Book of Mormon, they realized the eternal importance of coming unto Christ and His gospel in its fullness. They were baptized on May 18, 1997, by their father.

The life of this family has completely changed - 180 degrees - with a loving and peaceful feeling that always exists between them. They have become close and are waiting eagerly to be sealed together in the temple as a family.

"I can hardly wait for the day when my 2-year-old daughter can be baptized and we can all be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," Brother Stoica said. "The Church truly saved my family, and I am eternally grateful to God for touching my heart and filling my soul with love."

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