He Was Arrested and Beaten for Being Mormon

He was arrested and beaten for being a Mormon. In 1948 in Barcelona, Spain, Jordi Bentura was searching for truth. He and his friends visited different Protestant churches asking questions about their beliefs. One minister surprisingly suggested they look into the Mormons. So, Jordy mailed a letter simply addressed, "President, Mormon Church, Salt Lake City, Utah." The church sent him a Book of Mormon and other materials.

Jordy asked if other church members could write to him and his family, and one of them was Betty Gibbs, a secretary in the church's translation department. In 1950, Betty traveled to Spain and met Je's older brother, Juan. Juan and Betty began writing to each other. Meanwhile, Jordy wanted to be baptized, but Spain was ruled by dictator Francisco Franco, and non-atholic religious ceremonies were illegal.

So, Jordy traveled to France to be baptized. 2 years later, Juan did the same. Then in July 1953, 40 American sailors in white uniforms showed up at Juan's apartment to worship. They sang hymns and parttook of the sacrament together. But under Franco's regime, more than five people couldn't meet without government permission unless they were family. 2 days later, the police came for Juan and he was arrested.

When his mother came looking for him, police claimed that Juan wasn't there. Then she heard someone whistling, "Come, come, ye saints." It was a tune their family used as a signal. She knew immediately her son was inside. Juan spent four days in prison. He was beaten with a rubber hose while police repeatedly asked if he was a Mormon. He was forced under a freezing shower, fully clothed, and then beaten on the bottoms of his feet so severely that he could barely walk.

Eventually, a policeman who had known Juan in school vouched for him, and he was released. Betty learned what had happened and returned to Spain. In 1954, they traveled to Paris and were married. They eventually moved to the United States, but in 1972, President Spencer W. Kimell encouraged Juan to return to Spain to help establish the church. Juan returned to Barcelona. He became the first local Spanish member to serve as president of the Barcelona branch.

He later served as district president and as a counselor to three mission presidents. Then in 1979, President Kimell set him apart as a temple sealer in the Swiss temple. And many of the future stake presidents and general authorities from Spain were sealed by Juan. It's easy to get caught up in the misrepresentations and discomforts that can sometimes come with being a member of the church.

But then I hear a story like Wu's and I remember what a blessing it is to simply be able to worship freely. Those freedoms can become so normal that we forget how extraordinary they really are.