In order to support my wife and three sons, I have been a taxi driver in Saltillo, Mexico since dropping General Church support as an appointee seventy in 1984.

I has been customary to assign each taxi a number according to the seniority of its application in the taxi union. Those with the lowest numbers and greater seniority always received greater benefits than those with less seniority. With the change in political parties in Saltillo a number of years ago, the new union leaders decided to change the order of seniority of the taxi drivers by a type of raffle or by drawing numbers. My number had been 156 as I had been one of the last applications to join the union. When my name was called to come and receive a new number by raffle, I went to the front of the group and a number of men in the room yelled out "Hope you get number 156." By that time, everyone in the union knew that I was a minister and called me "hermano" (that is to say "brother"). Ten numbers had already been raffled off. The numbers left were 11 through 156. I turned to the crowd and said (in jest) that I was going to draw number 12. When I unfolded the paper with my number on it, I was surprised and announced that I had made a mistake. My new number was 11 ! The room was filled with applause. That was the very next number in seniority that was to be raffled off !

Several years later, as some taxi drivers had left the business and other changes had taken place, my seniority number had advanced to number 3 in all Saltillo. The leadership of the union had again changed and the head of the union started a small conspiracy to take my seniority concession away from me. My friends wanted to know from the union leaders why this was happening, but it seemed that I would lose my position.

When this happened, I remembered that in 1971 Brother Neil Simmons had risen in a worship service and had deleivered a message from the Lord. The Lord said: " I have known you since you were a child when you knelt under the trees to pray to me, yes even before that time." I recalled that I had done this many years before as a youth, and that my prayer at that time had been miraculously answered. The Lord continued in this service and told me that I would be charged with defending the cause of justice before magistrates, presidents and governers.

I did address many people, including magistrates, presidents and governors for the cause of justice regarding this matter. The struggle lasted for quite some time. During this time I received a letter from the apostle in charge of Latin America in which I was invited back into church activity, but as an "elder" and not as a seventy. I chose to ignore the letter and presented the matter to the Lord in prayer, knowing that He had called me to be a seventy. I told the Lord that I wanted to serve Him as a seventy and asked Him to confirm that to me.

The struggle for justice continued, and I appealed to many political leaders in the city government of Saltillo and other organizations. Finally, the day came that one of the important officials in the department of transporation for the city came to me and said: "Juan, you have won the battle and I am bringing you the new license plates for your taxi." Of course, these plates can only be used on a taxi. As I removed the license plates from their package, to my surprise I saw the number that they carried was the number "70"!

So it is that I have learned that even when we feel alone and isolated and struggling for our very existence, the Lord continues to manifest Himself and reminds us that "I am with you." May we continue to raise up the scepter of justice and righteousness even in the midst of a world of conflict and strife.

(Transcribed and translated from a taped interview with Juan in his home in Saltillo on November 24, 1996 by Frank Frye.)

Juan Reyes made covenant with the Lord in baptism in 1963. He was ordained into the Seventy in 1974 and served as a full time appointee in various parts of Mexico and the Dominican Republic for 10 years. He has earned the respect of his community and his fellow workers in Saltillo in the years following his decision to drop full time appointment. He currently lives in Saltillo, Mexico with his wife, Tina and the oldest son Saul. His next son, Juan, is finishing a university degree in Mexico City and has just married (Diana). Eli, his youngest son, is studying at the University of Monterrey, Mexico. In October 1996 and March 1997, Juan participated in week-long priesthood training programs in Oaxaca, Mexico and La Buena Fe, Honduras with his brethren from the U.S., Belize and Honduras. He has made it clear that he identifies with the Restoration Movement and that his allegiance is with the brethren of the Restoration Seventy.