Reggie Espinoza Beltran Junior

We sit in my room, on plastic chairs. 

His hair is tousled, my MacBook open, ready to write.

My recorder- on.

"It was Mother's Day. I drove with my biological brother to my biological mom's house." Reggie Beltran, a student at BYU-I told me this evening in our apartment. I was very excited to show her my new car, and it was funny, because my brother said, 'Lets take 101,' but I said, 'No we should take 98, its a short cut, we can take horseshoe bend road and we will save thirty to thirty-five minutes. He said, 'No, no it's to dangerous, it's lippery and too curvy.'

 'No we will be fine.'

It was Southern California, and the road they were driving soon turned to dirt.

As I was driving, we were talking about our older brother, because he had some problems back then, and we wanted to help him.  On the side of the road there was a piece of metal." The piece of metal caught onto his tire. "It started to make weird noises, and then- it exploded. My left front tire exploded, and in a matter of seconds I could have turned to my left and there was a concrete bridge and I could have gone into the bridge wall and river. I saw my brother, and I steered all the way to my right, as fast I could." He makes turning motions with his hands. "And I took the impact on the left, on my side." The impact hit hard on his side, breaking the window and windshield.  "My little brother called 911 and took me out of the car.

I was taken to the hospital, and from the hospital to anoter hospital. The doctor said I would never recover my memory because I would kick every one out of my room, because I didnt recognize anyone- even my mom. I told her -Lady i dont know you. It was the first time I saw my mom after my baptism.

Reggie was born in Southern California, both of his parents being immigrants from Mexico. He was raised by an Argentinean family, however, for most of his life, as his father struggled with serious drug and alcohol problems, and his mother was a full time nurse, and was always on call, "always busy." For the most part of his life he had cared for his two younger sisters, and his younger brother. His parents separated when he was 13, and so he moved out and started living on his own when he turned 15. He first met the missionaries at his Aunts house. He had stopped by looking for directions after a long absence from the home. He received directions. As he entered through the door he saw the two men on the couch, in shirts and ties- the first thing he noticed was the name-tags. Four weeks later he was baptized. "I always believed in god," he indicated, "and I paid attention because I was having a hard time." 

He found himself in the hospital, suffering from internal bleeding, a severe concussion, and just recovering from a 3 day a coma, only a few months after his baptism. His mother blamed the accident greatly on his new found religion. One week later his elderly uncle was hit by a car and killed. The following week his mother received a call from LA notifying her that her cousin was killed.  His great grandma passed away three weeks later. Everybody blamed the church.

Amidst the great tribulations Reggie continued to recover at extraordinary speeds. Regardless of the doctors predictions that he would never recover even fifty percent of his memory, he had returned to sixty-percent within six short months. His Bishop had given him a priesthood blessing on the night of his accident, and the missionaries continued to minister to him, offering him blessings every other day.  At the seven month point, the doctor explained to him that only time would help him now he was released from intensive care. He left the hospital in much better condition than he had entered, but his trials had by no means seen an end. 

His mission papers had been submitted before the accident, and now he had to go through numerous evaluations before he was found to be in acceptable condition to serve. 

On the night of his setting apart he sat and waited with his small family.

Reggie what time is it? asked his sister.

It's about 5.

Its not 8 yet?

No.

Then you still have a few hours to regret your decision, your decision to be an elder. If you are leaving us because you are spending too much money on me I can eat the cafeteria food. 

Reggie Espinoza Beltran Junior was set apart as an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that evening. He did not leave his small family out of selfishness, but rather out of charity- he knew that because of his service as a missionary the Lord would surely bless them more than he would be able to alone.

"I grabbed all my meds, all of them, and emptied them out in the toilet- and flushed them. No depression pills, no concussion pills, no anxiety attack pills. And I prayed and said, 'Father, Reggie died today, and Elder Beltran was born.' "

Reggie went on to serve an honorable full-time mission. He is now enrolled at BYU Idaho. When asked why he chose BYU-I over his other schools he responded- I really wanted to come to a church school. I wanted to have good people around, people who read the scriptures, who went to church, who believed as I do. I love Idaho.

-Here i am. I made it. I made it. He finished.

- I didn't come to get married, I never, had a problem with girls. 

The Lord always blessed me with lots of girls in my life. 

He smiles and gives a characteristic wink. 

I close the MacBook.

I turn the recorder off.