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Pat Broussard answered a knock at his door in 2002 to find two Mormon missionaries standing there. What happened next surprised his visitors.
âI looked at them and thought: âYou boys look hungry. Come on in. Iâm going to feed you,â â Broussard said. âThere was something about them that said, ‘Let them in; talk to them.’ â
By the time they left, Broussard had begun an unusual faith journey. And missionary Andrew Blackwell missed on winning a convert but gained a lasting friend.
âI promise you, you will never see it with a Mormon and a Catholic the way this has unfolded,â Blackwell said. âPat is my brother. I love Pat as much as any man can love someone heâs not related to. Heâs one of the best human beings Iâve ever met in my entire life.â
When they met 15 years ago, Broussard was a married father of two. His wife, Aminthe, had been a teacher before deciding to enroll in LSUâs Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Broussard was in New Iberia getting the house ready to sell to join her in Baton Rouge when the Mormons came knocking.
Broussard admitted to the missionaries that he was not especially devout. They challenged him to explore a deeper relationship with God. Although they wanted him to do so through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Broussard said he never felt pressured.
âWhat I experienced was they were more interested in my eternal soul and cared about me as a human being, which resonated with me,â Broussard said. âThey taught me a lot about their faith, but they never put it to me as though, âYou have to believe this or youâll never be in heaven.â â
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