From Depression and Despair to Divine Purpose: Juan Panchano's Story - Latter-Day Lights

Can God turn our darkest moments into the beginning of something greater?

In this week’s episode of Latter-Day Lights, Scott and Darla sit down with author and father Juan Panchano. Growing up in Colombia amid cartel violence, political unrest, and family instability, Juan carried deep wounds from abandonment, rejection, and loneliness.

After moving to the United States as a child, those struggles only intensified, eventually leading him down a path of alcoholism, depression, and a suicide attempt that left him physically broken. But in his darkest moment, a simple plea to God sparked an experience that would change the course of his life forever.

In this powerful discussion, Juan shares the remarkable spiritual experiences that followed his recovery, including a miraculous healing, personal revelations, and the unexpected journey that led him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Juan also discusses his book, “Latino by Birth, American by Choice,” and shares why he believes true freedom begins with a personal relationship with God. His story is a moving reminder that no matter how broken life may feel, God is aware of us, loves us, and can transform even our deepest pain into purpose.

*** Please SHARE Juan's story and help us spread hope and light to others. ***

To WATCH this episode on YouTube, visit: https://youtu.be/qo-pxu_Tc3k

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To READ Juan’s book, “Latino by Birth American by Choice,” visit: https://a.co/d/03OGFs7D

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To READ Scott’s new book “Faith to Stay” for free, visit: https://www.faithtostay.com/

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Also, if you have a faith-promoting or inspiring story, or know someone who does, please let us know by going to https://www.latterdaylights.com and reaching out to us.

Transcript

“Faith to Stay” by Scott Brandley

Scott Brandley 0:00

Hey there, as a Latter Day Lights listener, I want to give you a very special gift today. My brand new book, Faith to Stay. This book is filled with inspiring stories, powerful discoveries, and even fresh insights to help strengthen your faith during the storms of life. So if you're looking to be inspired, uplifted, and spiritually recharged, just visit faith2stay.com. Now, let's get back to the show. Hey everyone, I'm Scott

Intro

Scott Brandley 0:30

Brandley.

Darla Brandley 0:31

And I'm Darla Brandley. Every member of the church has a story to share, one that can instill faith, invite hope, and inspire others.

Scott Brandley 0:38

On today's episode, we're going to hear how one man went from a suicidal attempt in a deeply personal search for meaning to experience spiritual moments that led him to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a growing testimony of Jesus Christ, and a renewed appreciation for life, family, country, and a love for liberty and freedom. Welcome to Latter Day Lights.

Welcoming Juan Panchano to the show

Juan Panchano 1:25

Great to be here. Thanks for the opportunity.

Scott Brandley 1:27

Yeah, we're we're glad you're here. Um we were just talking a little bit about the show a little bit before the show, and you you mentioned you're from Scottsdale or living in Scottsdale, Arizona. So how long have you been there for?

Juan Panchano 1:43

I've been here in Arizona since 05. Yeah. But originally I'm from South America. I'm from Colombia. Okay. So uh at the age of 12, that's when I moved to New Jersey, New York area, where you know I I grew up and did some school there, but then ended up over here through the person I married.

Scott Brandley 2:04

So uh how do you like those summers? It's pretty intense over there.

Juan Panchano 2:09

You know what? Yeah, but I don't I don't mind it really. I I I really like the dry heat versus the humidity of the East Coast, you know, no matter what, you you're always gonna be hot and sweaty. Here, like you can go under a tree, you know, even when it's 200 degrees outside and still, you know, be a little bit cool off, you know. But my case, forget it, it doesn't matter where you go.

Scott Brandley 2:35

It feels like 200 degrees sometimes there, that's for sure. Oh yeah.

Juan Panchano 2:38

Oh no, it is intense. Yeah. If you're like just exposed to it directly, forget it, yeah. Yeah, my so when I first moved here, I didn't I didn't realize how hot it was. And uh I was I was just visiting and I ended up staying with a friend, and you know, she went to work and uh I decided to go to the pool in her community, and I fell asleep.

Darla Brandley 3:04

Oh no.

Juan Panchano 3:04

Then yeah, and I didn't have any protection or anything in my I I got so burned. Like this was my it's probably like a third-degree burn. I mean, it was so bad. Yeah, I was in so much pain. Oh my gosh, and they're like, oh man, yeah, you don't play with that heat.

Darla Brandley 3:23

No, no, you do not.

Juan Panchano 3:24

Yeah, that's when I'm like, oh, okay, I understand. Yeah. Because where I'm from, you know, Cali, Colombia, it's pretty hot there, you know, but uh yeah, it wasn't as intense as it is here for sure.

Scott Brandley 3:40

Yeah, yeah. So in addition to living in Scottsdale, um tell

Juan in a nutshell

Scott Brandley 3:45

us a little bit about your family, what you do, any any fun hobbies? Okay.

Juan Panchano 3:50

Uh yeah, okay. Well, um, so I work as an archaeologist. That's, you know, um, but I I got my education in film production, which I did for a while. Um I I met my, you know, I'm currently divorced, you know, but I met my kid's mother in in Utah, and I ended up over here where we got sealed and all, and had two kids, uh, Ruby, June, and Ezra. My daughter is 11, my son is 16. You know, they're really miracle-based miracle kids, because we had some complications, you know, and we were glad and and blessed that we we had the opportunity to have at least the two children. They're perfectly fine, very healthy kids. And so yeah, I mean, it's wonderful.

Darla Brandley 4:39

That's awesome. And do they do they live close?

Juan Panchano 4:43

Yes. Oh, yeah, we're pretty close. Yeah.

Darla Brandley 4:45

Oh, good.

Juan Panchano 4:46

Yeah, yeah, really close. So we we we see each other almost every day.

Darla Brandley 4:50

Yeah, so that's good. That's good.

Scott Brandley 4:53

Well, so we all we also um are told that you wrote a book. So um what's the what's

About Juan’s book, “Latino by Birth American by Choice”

Scott Brandley 5:00

the name of your book and and tell us just a little tidbit about it.

Juan Panchano 5:04

Yeah, okay, so so yeah, the book is called Latino by Birth, American by Choice. And I talk about not necessarily, I mean, I obviously I do speak about the United States, but my focus is more about awakening the American spirit, which is the spirit that brought about the new world, right? The new experience. Um, I mentioned about I mentioned something, you know, I mentioned that the blessings of freedom and liberty were meant for the whole continent of the Americas, but only the colonies were willing to let go of everything, you know, versus the rest of the Americas. Like in Latin America, they still wanted to be attached to the kings and their old ways, you know. But in the colonies, we we saw that these people were willing to completely detach from everything. Their slogan was, you know, no king but God, you know, and they didn't want anything to do with anything old, you know, just like what the savior said, right? We can put new wine into old wineskins, you know, because wine expands and it will, you know, burst up the bag. And so God couldn't expand in people's lives until they were willing to completely let go the old, which was what the col the colonies did. And that's what became the United States of America, you know. And so that's what I talk about, awakening that spirit that you know we have seen for for a while now that's dimming, you know. That's uh it's being replaced by the idea. It's being replaced by a false image of what America really intended to be in God's eyes and purpose, you know. So yeah, that's kind of what I talk about.

Scott Brandley 6:54

Awesome. Well, we're excited to hear hear more about it and hear your hear your story. So why don't we turn the time to you and let and you tell us where your story begins, my friend.

Juan Panchano 7:04

Thank you.

Juan on growing up in the midst of war and the drug trade

Juan Panchano 7:05

Yes. Uh okay, so like I said, I I was born in in Colombia. Or yeah, I did mention that. I was born in uh in the city of Cali, Colombia. Um and I I grew up in a very conflicting time in the country. In fact, I mentioned this in my book. I don't know if you guys ever heard of Pablo Escobar. You know, he was one of the biggest drug dealers in the world, one of the richest men during his time. But not only uh did I grow up during his time and in the chaos that he was causing in our country, but I also grew up in the middle of the cartel wars. Me being from Cali had one of the biggest cartels. Medellin, where was Pablo Escobar was from, he had the other cartel. Anyway, there was this war. And then we have the guerrilla, you know, the the uh the communist socialists that wanted, you know, uh the communism movement. They were like, you know, taking over people's land, fighting this war for peace, you know, but they just wanted everything for themselves. And then uh also the just the regular bandidos, you know, that killed and and steal and everything. Anyways, I grew up doing all of that combined. You know, I was seeing like bombs blasting, you know, shootings. I mean, there were deaths every day, hundreds of deaths, you know. And I was watching this stuff like, you know, in front of my eyes, and and you know, it it was just there was always this fear, you know, that you were not gonna make it, you know, it was a gamble. You you didn't know if you were gonna wake up the next day. I lost a lot of my friends, not only to the drug trade, but you know, uh, that were killed and and families that have been there. Anyways, it was very chaotic. And uh my dad left us, you know, uh when I was really young, and so my mom had to, you know, deal with that situation. Anyway, so I grew up in a very fearful state, you know, and then my mom leaves Colombia, try to find her way in life. She ended up going to Germany with some friends for a while, that didn't work out, and then she had the opportunity to come to the United States. But I didn't see her again as again until like seven years later. So I was basically raised by my grandmother.

Juan moves to the United States of America and feels isolated from family

Juan Panchano 9:35

And um anyway, so you know, when I finally came to the US at age 12, my mom had already started a new family. She had a new husband and you know, other children. And those seven years made a big difference because I was five when she left. You know, and as a child, you know, as a five-year-old, you don't think, oh yeah, my mom's left, so you know, looking for a better life. No. You you think abandonment, you think you're not loved, you're not really wanted, you know. And so I grew up with that mentality. And so when I finally come to the US and I see her new beautiful family, I didn't feel part of it, you know. And she, and unfortunately, those seven years made a big difference in our relationship. You know, she wasn't my mother really, uh, as he's supposed to be, you know. Um, she was my best friend, I remember, as a five-year-old. I remember that she was always there and everything, but that changed, you know, because of this separation. And she felt the same way, you know. Uh it was really hard for her to even hug me and and express her love for me as she did to her other children that she had with her the whole time, you know. And you know, in her own understanding, like she didn't she was she understood that she had made that mistake, um, but she wasn't going to do that with her new family. And so, you know, she was very attentive and all. But little by little, you know, I I just started just becoming so just depressed, you know, and just not worthy of anything and not valued. And you know, I just didn't I just didn't feel that I belong at all. And so I remember at uh age 13, that's when I started like drinking, you know, and and I remember going out with my friends at that time and just starting to, you know, um just get lost in in alcohol, just trying to cope because I wasn't getting the attention, I wasn't getting the uh the love that I needed as a as a child. And then um, you know, my my my mom's husband, he couldn't, you know, he just couldn't handle me, you know, because I I was in the state of rebellion, which rebellion comes from a child, when a child is trying to express himself, not knowing how to, not knowing how to do it through words, is it's just reacting to the emotional, you know, chaos within within him or her, you know. And you know, my mom and her husband didn't understand that. So they and they eventually they ended up turning me to the state, you know, because they just they just thought they couldn't they couldn't handle me or whatever. And um I remember going

Juan starts seeing psychiatrists

Juan Panchano 12:30

through three different um psychiatrists, you know, because the the way what they said to the system was that I was I was crazy, I was I was off. You know, that was kind of like their excuse to not, you know, to not be able to deal with me, right? And so, you know, I I remember like uh, you know, the psychiatrist, they would ask me, like, what are you here for? And I'm like, because I'm crazy. You know, like I I bought a story about myself, you know? And I went to these different psychiatrists and they're just they just you know, they're just writing and you know, listening to me or whatever, but they never said anything really. And then finally I came to this third psychiatrist, and she asked me the same question, what was I here for? And and I said, uh, because I'm crazy. And she paused and she looks at me and she says, and she grabs my hand and she says, You're not crazy. You don't belong here. You don't belong here. You need is what you need is love. Your your parents need to learn how to love you. And then, you know, I told I told her my story, and she's like, Yeah, they haven't had a chance to connect with you. They don't know. You know, relationships take time and it they take effort, and they haven't done that with you. But this is not a place for you, and they have to come back and get you, they have to come back and bring you home because you have a home. This is not for you. And I mean, that built me up, you know, and uh, you know, they had to come back and get me. It's funny because uh when they dropped me off, a lot of people from my family came, like my aunts, my grandmother that were there, and they were all crying, you know, one's going away, we're never gonna see them again. But then they had to come back and get me, you know. Anyways, but I come back and things didn't change much really because they they didn't know how to cope. You know, they just didn't, I mean, they also grew up in very difficult circumstances as I had. And so we were just a mess. Everybody was a mess, you know. We all got stuck in this, you know, distorted mentality. And yeah, you know, my mom, her husband became adults, but they still didn't know how to deal as adults, you know. They were still, you know, they were stuck in their childhood, you know, whenever they they had their own traumas and and situations, you know, and so it was a big mess. And so, yeah, I kept

Juan moves out at 15 years old and gets suicidal thoughts

Juan Panchano 15:15

feeling disconnected and and broken. And, you know, I I I became an alcoholic. I kept drinking and and everything. But then, you know, my mom's husband, he still didn't want me. I mean, he's like, this is not my kid. We already have a family. This kid is causing all these issues in our in our in our family. And so my mom decided that I needed to move out. At this time, I was 15. And I'm like, where am I gonna go? 15. Yeah, this was like three years in the US, you know, and and uh anyways, it was really difficult. And so I ended up just you know, wandering the streets and staying at friends' houses and or whatever, like nobody wanted me, not even my my my extended family, you know. They they just they had this idea about me that was so wrong, you know. And anyway, so so and and then so my my mom's husband, um, he will go to work like at five in the morning. So I would stay up all night and then walk back home knowing you know, after he had left, so I can go to sleep and eat, you know. So those were the the the hard, you know, difficult situations that I I grew up in. But little by little I started losing my drive about life, you know, and I mean I kept drinking and I just kept I mean I never got into the drug thing, but the drinking was was heavy. And then, you know, one day when I'm when I'm like 16, that's when I started contemplating suicide. And I was scared. I mean I I didn't know how to how to face that, you know. Uh, but I started contemplating the idea. Then when I'm about like 17, 18, I had already accepted the fact that I was going to take my life. I I I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was at peace with it. I wasn't I was no longer like overcome by the pain that I was experiencing because I knew I was gonna it was gonna end soon. I just didn't know exactly when it was gonna happen. And that's something that happens, you know, when it when it comes to suicide, you know, when people are saying, oh, I'm gonna kill my life my myself, um they're not at that stage where they're actually gonna do it. It actually comes in a place where you feel at peace with ending your life. Like you're in this place of what's the word, like contentment, really. It's kind of weird, but it's it's like, you know what, this is gonna end soon. And you don't really plan how you're gonna take your life. You just it just happens in the moment that you think it is the moment. So what happened with me, you know,

Juan’s suicide attempt + healing

Juan Panchano 18:20

I was up in a in a building, a story, uh about 40 feet, 50 feet up in uh in the sky, in uh in a building. And that's it. That's when I'm like, this is it. And I remember stepping on the edge of the of the building, and I was up there with some friends, and one of my friends is like, hey, you're gonna fall, and I'm like, no, I'm not gonna fall. And I jumped. You know, I just threw myself. And uh, you know, obviously, you know, I hit ground. I I just felt that impact, and that was it. I was gone. Uh obviously I didn't die, but when I came back, I had broken bones. Uh, they need they were gonna open me up and you know, put like pins and everything in my body, you know, because it was pretty bad. At that time, you know, I I was living with a friend, so my mom didn't know about me. Uh, but somebody contacted her. And so she had, she convinced her husband to bring me home so she can take care of me. I I couldn't take care of myself anymore. And um, you know, they wanted to do all these procedures on me, and I and I said, I said, no, I don't, I don't want anybody touching my body, you know, and and so I lay in bed for uh years, for a whole year for my body to heal. But before that, this is when all everything just just started happening in my life, where where things started changing. And so now I didn't just had a broken soul, a broken heart, but now I had a broken body, you know? And I remember being in such a pain and and just again feeling so disconnected, not feeling love or anything. And I remember just laying there on my bed and um just contemplating how I was going to end it, you know, how I was going to get out of this horrible situation now. And then at one moment I I just simply said, you know, if there is a God, if you really exist, if you are that being that people say is up there somewhere full of love and power, would you please help me? And I mean, I was in this place where I had nothing more to lose. You know, there was just nothing more. I have given everything I I could. And I've and at that very moment my bedroom lits up, you know, and and as I'm contemplating this light, I feel this force just coming through me, and it knocks me out. I completely disconnected, and um and then I heard a voice that said to me, You have been born of God, and you will grow up in me. And and when I come back, I'm just crying, like I had, you know, I was like, my tears were just like thick, and I just crying and crying, and I'm like, Why am I crying? But the the crying was no longer about pain, it was about this renewal that had taken place in my heart, and I was healed from that internal wound, you know, from those internal pains, and then as I'm having all Experiences, the Lord tells me, I will heal your body. You know, and that's when I ended up projecting all this help. And I said, God will heal me. And He did. You know, so I experienced complete healing, not just internal but external, you know, not just spiritual but but physical.

The 6 things Juan learned about God

Juan Panchano 22:20

And so that began the journey. That began that journey, that spiritual journey with me. You know, God came through. And um, and then, you know, he started teaching me a lot of stuff. And so my question to him was, what was I going to do with the information that what I was receiving? Now I did not have a concept of what God was at all before this experience. I was not taught, you know, about anything about God. So I was completely lost. But but from that experience alone, I learned six powerful things. Like just coming out of that, you know, because I like I told you, I kind of I kind of uh fainted from that experience. And and I came out, and I came out with six powerful things. Number one, there is a God. Number two, he hears us, like he's very conscious of us. Number three, he is very powerful being. Number four, a very loving being. I mean, the the the the the energy, the power that came over me, that was God's love that knocked me out. So if somebody says, love doesn't kill you. No, God's love will kill you if you feel it a hundred percent. That's why I think like when he he endows people before they get to see him, he's he's protecting them from his love, from the power of his love, you know, because our hearts will not be able to handle that love, you know. Um, the sixth thing that I learned was that he was my father. It was a very, very personal experience. Like, like I knew this God, and I have known him all the time. You know, there was no sense of being a stranger, it was just like uh so familiar. Like I embraced that that father right away. And then the sixth thing that I learned is that I never ever wanted to live without his influence in my life ever again. You know, I learned that his power is what everybody's seeking for. And all these things that we get distracted with is because our souls are seeking that power. We just don't know how to find it, you know, for the most part. You know, so I came out of that experience knowing those things, experiencing those things for myself, you know, and it was me in my bedroom all by myself. There was no human intervention. This was a very direct and personal thing. You know, there is no way to deny any of that stuff. You know what I mean? Anyway, so so then the time went on, and I'm still, I mean, I'm I'm hearing the voice of God, I'm feeling his presence and everything, but I still I was still in this process of learning. He was still teaching me, you know, like the scriptures say, Laden up and light, precept upon precept, you know, as I receive, he gives. You know, he will never force anything in our lives. As we receive, he gives. So, you know, I'm I'm enjoying this experience. And then all of a sudden,

Juan receives a Bible and gets a message

Juan Panchano 25:45

one of my aunts, um, my mom's sister, comes to visit and she brings a Bible with her. And it's interesting because this particular aunt, she's like, she was considered like the the black sheep of the family. I mean, you know, she was like, yeah, I mean, there was no nothing good. You know, she was just a very horrible person, unfortunately, you know. She was like the youngest and very spoiled. I mean, there was a lot of stuff that happened in her life that you know had her turn out that way. But she was the one that brought the Bible, she was the one that brought the word of God to my life. So that's why we can't judge. We we can't we can't limit God to the goodness that He can bring into our lives through anybody. It doesn't matter. I don't, I don't disregard anybody in my life because God is in everybody, God can use anybody. So she brings this Bible, you know, and I'm like, what is this? You know, and she's like, Well, I saw it, you know, like in my garage or like in this random place, like hidden, getting all dusty. And she got in there and took it out. I mean, that's how God worked in her life, right? And she brought it to me, and as I opened it, I realized it was the Bible. I had no idea what it what it was about because I wasn't taught about that. But there was a connection, there was a power that came out of that, and I'm like, I'm excited about this. So, anyway, so so I'm able to move a little better, you know, as my body's getting healed. So I opened, I sit on my bed and I open the Bible for the very first time in my life with the intent of finding out what it's all about, right? So I open it and it went over my head. I didn't understand anything that I would read. Even it was in Spanish, even, but I had no idea what what it was. And so I already knew the heavens were open. So I knew that I can go to the source to find out what he wanted me to do with this thing. So I said, God or Father, would you please give me instruction? I want to know you, I want to serve you. I mean, I was so in I was so filled with his power that all I wanted to do was to know him and to serve him and to and to do whatever he wanted me to do. That much I knew. And so as I'm you know, making the best I could to understand, all of a sudden my mind opens up. The veil is removed from my limit mind, you know, my my human uh just fragile, weak mind, and and all of a sudden, I'm reading this book as if I had written it myself. I mean, and I'm just like going through it and just eating it up, the spirit of God over me, and I'm like boom, boom, boom, reading it up. And then when I finally ended up reading whatever that spirit wanted me to read, because you know, he kind of deems and he goes away, and that's when you know that hey, that's enough. The message came, you will bring many unto me. And I'm like, okay, what did that what does that mean? You know? So the first thing that came to mind was, oh, I gotta start my own church. But that that's interesting though, because a lot of people that start churches, they do it with good intentions because they want they want to do good, but they sometimes just completely disregard what God wants them to do. And so, yeah, I wanted to do, I wanted to start a church, and I could have, but I wasn't in the in the position to do it. Like physically, I couldn't do it, and I didn't understand any anything on how to do that. But it gave me enough time for the Lord to respond and say, that's not what I want you to do. I don't want you to start another church. Just wait, but you will bring many onto me. And so I kept asking, I'm like, okay, how am I going to do this? And then, I mean, this is this is happening in the lapse of like a year. Okay. Just a lot of things. And there's a lot of details that I a lot of things I

Juan receives a vision

Juan Panchano 30:30

don't remember. You know, maybe I'll I'll some can't will come up right now. But but anyways, as I keep asking God how I was going to bring people or how we're going to bring many unto him, I'm sitting on my bed and all of a sudden, I have this vision, right? Or dream, whatever you want to call it. Lehi calls it a dream. Nephi calls it visions, or both. And all of a sudden, I'm in the middle of this desert. And it was hot. Maybe that was God, you know, telling me you're gonna end up in Arizona at one point in your life.

Darla Brandley 31:12

I'm sure it was actually.

Juan Panchano 31:15

But anyway, so I'm I'm feeling that heat. Like I'm in the literally like in the desert. Like I see the ground is cracked. I think I was by this tiny little tree, like winky little tree right next to me. No shade. I was it was just weird tree there. I I I vaguely remember that. But, anyways, I'm standing there watching this vast, you know, desert and dry. All of a sudden, I start feeling this breeze, and I'm like, where is this coming from? And I look up and I see the sky opening up, books start pouring down, books everywhere just falling. So all these books start pouring down. And I'm like scared to my life because they're coming fast, and so many of them, and I'm like, oh my gosh. All of a sudden, all of a sudden, like the books had like covered the whole ground. There was no piece of ground that I could see. Everything was just covered by books. And all of a sudden, it gets bright, and I see all these angels just coming down. White, what we call white, it's not white. You know, like when we refer, and it's interesting because Joseph Smith, when he refers to God, he says that he his his um, what does he say? He's um his brightness defines all description, his whiteness. Because the what we call white or what we consider white is nothing to the white that you know represents God. It's just uh this brightness that we cannot describe. There's no there's no description, defines all description, right? Anyway, so so all these angels start coming down, and as they're coming down, I see that some of them start to remove the ropes, and they had suits and name tags, suit and name tags, and then they grab the they grab a book and then they go through a portal. Anyway, so I got curious, so I followed one of the angels. I describe them as angels, that's good because that's what we're familiar with, and I ended up being in the middle of this city with like huge buildings, and and these angels holding this book, and he's like talking to people, and he's surrounded by people standing like on a box holding this book, and that's that was it. That was my my dream. And you know, I didn't think any of it, just a regular dream, you know. I knew it was something special because it was just because it happened when I was awake, you know, so I knew something was was up, so I started questioning about it. And it's interesting because the that definition or the yeah, the the translation of of that that that dream

Missionaries arrive at Juan’s door

Juan Panchano 34:15

didn't come after a year later. But, anyways, so you know, weeks go by, I think. I I would say weeks or a few months go by, and then there's a knock on my door, and I see two missionaries with suits and name tags. Didn't think any of it. My mind, so my heart was ready for the Lord's message, but my mind still hadn't come around. You know, I I was taught that anybody that showed up at your door or anybody with a Bible, anything religious, they just wanted money. So my mind, when when I saw the missionaries, I'm like, hey guys, I don't have any money. Well, I didn't even say that. I said, you know what, I don't have time right now. I'm actually cooking for my mother who's gonna be getting back. And then my mom shows up behind me. She's like, who's at the door? And then they look at me and they're like, Oh, you're lying to us. And so I felt so bad. I said, Why don't you come back tomorrow? Another lie, because I wasn't gonna be there. But they showed up at a time when I had not yet left the house.

Scott Brandley 35:23

So I'm like, oh, dang it.

Juan Panchano 35:26

You know? So they're like, You remember, you remember us? You remember our appointment? I'm like, Yeah, but you were supposed to be here later. He's like, Well, we we were in the neighborhood, you know.

Darla Brandley 35:39

That part for sure.

Juan Panchano 35:42

Anyway, so they come in, you know. I after all that, like they come in, they sit. Uh, of course, my my mom's husband was uh furious because he had to move out of the living room to where the missionaries came because he was always sitting there watching his novelas or whatever. And he was furious. Like I was, you know, intruding in his space with some religious freaks. Anyway, so they sat, and then the very first thing that they asked me was, Do you have any questions for us? Man, I had questions, you know. So the very first thing that I said, and at this point, I didn't know what the Holy Ghost was. I didn't know any of that, I didn't know any terminology about anything really. And so I asked them, What is that feeling? And I and I told them my experience, you know, and I told them that's a feeling that came over me in this and that. And they one of the missionaries said, Oh, and this is what he said he said, that's the Spirit of God calling you to his purpose, something like that. And I'm like, Oh, interesting. I didn't know what my purpose was. I just knew that, well, I didn't know that I was gonna bring many to him, I just didn't know how that was gonna take place, besides thinking that I had to start a church. But then they started teaching me, and then the very first thing was, you know, Joseph Smith's vision. And I'm amazed by this experience. I'm like, wow, you know, and then the missionary goes on to say, Do you believe that this happens to Joseph Smith? And I'm like, Yes, I do.

Darla Brandley 37:27

Yeah, because you had something similar.

Juan Panchano 37:29

So there's that stuff. There is no doubt about that, that that the heavens are open. Anyway, so we went into this powerful conversation, and then they show me the Book of Mormon, right? And they they hand it out at the end of the discussion, and I'm like, I don't have any money. I'm sorry, because this was the moment that I was waiting. Like, they're gonna ask me for money at one point, you know. Anyway, so yeah, so they they and then they gave me the Book of Mormon, and then I said, I don't have any money. And then the missionary said, We don't want your money. This is a gift for you, and it was this beautiful blue golden book in Spanish. And in fact, one of the missionaries was Colombian from my from where I was from, you know. Anyway, that's very awesome. So I get this book, and it was it smells so good, it was so clean and just beautiful, and I just got stuck in contemplating this book, and that's when everything clicked, because that was the book that I saw pouring down from the sky all over the place in this dream, and then I look at that now. I can see the suit and the name tag, and that's when everything clicked. And I said to the missionary, God wants me to do what you guys are doing. That's how I'm going to bring many into him. How do I do that? And then they said, You just gotta come to church, you know, at least once, and then you know, uh you need to be baptized. And I'm like, baptize me tomorrow. I'm ready. Don't, don't, you know, don't waste your time. Let's not waste time on all the little details, let's just do it. I mean, I I I received a call right there and then, like it was confirmed, like this is how you're going to bring about you know, bringing people onto me. And so, so yeah, a week

Juan visits his Church

Juan Panchano 39:45

later, and and so I lived about three miles away from the church. I didn't know anybody that could give me a ride, and it was winter time. I walked. They just one of the missionaries, and in fact, for the last discussion, uh they had a they had a they had a transfer. So the missionary that came in didn't know me, and he hadn't been with me from the beginning, and he didn't he thought I was just crazy. So he and he was the senior companion. So he gave me this card and he said, Well, if you're interested in coming to church, here's the address. Just like that, like very cold. And uh, man, so yeah, it was winter time. It was we had a huge uh snowstorm, I remember, and I walked the three miles in the very cold. And the very first person I encountered as when I walked into the church building was that missionary. And he looked at me surprised because I had long hair past my waist. I mean, I was hippie, you know. So I walked through the church door and he sees me, and I said, You didn't think I was serious, huh? And then I see a brother, one of the church members, standing there, and I approached him and I'm like, you know, because I'm thinking, this is the Lord's church. I've been out of it for so long, you know. I've you know, so people that have been born within it, that have been raised in it, that have been there for a long time, they must be in this. If I'm feeling the way that I'm feeling, if I'm experiencing everything that I experience, and these people must be like way beyond what I'm experiencing. There's this there's this member standing there, and I approached them and I'm in awe. You know, I'm like coming to to Los church, you know, and and I approached him, I said, How long have you been in the church? He's like, Oh, I've been in the church all my life, and I'm in awe. I'm like, how do you feel? How many, how much have you seen? And he's like, uh, it's okay. You know, and I'm like, wait, what? It just didn't it didn't click. I'm like, wait, what's going on? And then you know, little by little, I you know, as I experienced life and everything in the church, I realized that I had experienced something very unique, you know, and very, very, very uh powerful in a way. Anyway, so so that was it.

Scott Brandley 42:19

Had you healed, like healed from your from your fall and stuff like that.

Juan Panchano 42:23

Yeah, 100%. God heals. I mean, the Lord said, if you say to this mountain, move, it will move if you doubt not in your heart, whatever it may be, the price of faith, you know, is up to us. That's why God said, God, God blesses us to the degree of our faith. If I that's why when people refer to having faith, and this is something that the Lord taught me during that that time, you know, how people say, Oh, you need all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. No, the Lord never taught that. That's little faith. God, Christ never taught little faith. Christ taught big faith. That's why He got He got a little bit um a little bit uh disturbed with the with the disciples, and he would say, Oh, ye of little faith. You know, because his his his faith was not telestial faith or terrestrial faith. He was teaching us celestial faith. You know, in in in uh Moses, uh the book of Moses, chapter 7, verse 13, he it talks about because of Enoch's great faith, he was able to say to the mountains, move, and they moved. You know? So when when Christ thought about the master seed, he was talking about big faith because it's uh it's a seed that submits that is willing to go into the dark, you know, and be broken to become what it needs to become. That's not a little faith. So I see it has big faith, you know. Um, and so that's kind of what the Lord was talking about then. But but yeah, and so so yeah, so God blesses us according to the degree of our faith. So because of the experience that I had, I I went from a telestial level faith to straight to a celestial level faith. I didn't experience that terrestrial. You know, I went, and so because I was in such a high, I I was able to maintain a great, a great degree of faith that healed everything. It doesn't mean that I didn't come down to a terrestrial level faith, you know, because I have, especially when, you know, I come into the church and I'm thinking everybody's like up here, and all of a sudden I get kind of dropped, you know, and I'm like, uh, you know, any and it takes efforts, and and you know, I still got to be connected. And and in fact, I'm uh uh I'm about to finish a second book called The Indispensable Gift, Unwrapping the Present. And that's where I talk about the difference between living the moment and living the present, you know, and I talk about that relationship, intimate relationship with God, that great celestial building faith that Christ taught, you know. Anyways, so so yeah, no, I I experienced full healing, complete healing. I mean, it was God's testimony to my life because I was going to take over a responsibility, you know, going as a missionary. I got ready and went. I remember going into the NTC. A lot of people, that was another experience. I remember people telling me, oh, you're gonna go to the NTC, it's gonna be like heaven, you're gonna be an amazing day. When I get there and I see all these kids my age, you know, like jumping around, jumping over the fences, going home, you know, doing all this stuff, breaking into our dorms with water guns. And, you know, it was like a preschool kind of thing. I'm like, wait, what? Because I I yeah, I was in a different, not because of my own making, not because of being anything special. It was just my experience. And and so I I was in a very mature spiritual state that that at my age, not I not very many people were, you know. Um, and so you know, I was able to experience that, you know, perform at that level, you know, and then I go into my mission. So when I go through the portal in that dream, and I'm surrounded by all these buildings, that was Brazil, Sao Paulo. That's where I went on my mission. Because when I finally get to my mission, I see all those buildings. So I saw myself. I I I actually followed myself into that port through that portal into my mission where I was going to you know be able to do what God wanted me to do, you know.

Scott Brandley 46:59

Yeah, wow.

Juan Panchano 47:01

That's amazing. Yeah, it's great, you know. I mean this life is so brief, you know, and and we get so caught up on making it our home, you know. We waste so much time and so much we get so distracted by what this world wants to force us into believing is what we need, that we really detach from our true purpose of really growing in love and kindness. And and however that may look, you know, it's not limited to the church alone. I mean, well, that's one of the things that I think one of the things that why why God manifested himself in my life independently of any religion, independent of any other human

God taught Juan independence

Juan Panchano 48:00

being, was to let me know that he was the source, the only source, and I had to depend on him. You know what I mean? Independent. He taught me independence. Like I, you know what I mean? Like I I participate in in many things, but God is my main source of uh reliance, you know, like it's like the ten virgins, right? We you know, the ten virgins, the story of the ten virgins, obviously, is you know, we talk a lot about, you know, they they relate it to food storage or you know, the second coming, which is true. We can relate it to those things, but there's a deeper message in that. And I think that the foolish, because you know, the savior uses the word virgin to to emphasize these were very special people, these were not just random people, these were the they represented the best of us, virtuous, obedient, whatever you want to call it, that were invited to a very private event. You know, you don't you don't invite just random people to a wedding or or or meetings, you invite people that are closest to you. So these were very special people that were invited to this event, but yet five of them were foolish. But why were they foolish? And so people think, oh, they're foolish because they run out of oil. No. One at one point in our lives, we're gonna feel low. We're gonna be running out of oil. That happens to everybody. Yeah, experience is way high thing, but I have gone back to the low. I mean, I don't get super low because I know better, but you know, we're not always at a at 100%. So they weren't foolish because of that. They were foolish because when they ran out of the oil, they went to the wrong source to get it. They went to other people, and the wives were wise because they knew that they were not the source. They said, We're not the source, you need to go. Where you who has the oil? And that was reaffirmed by the savior when he when he talks to the woman at the well. She had been married five times, she was going from one source to the next to the next, trying to find fulfillment. And the savior said, as long as you keep doing that, you will keep thirsting. But if you come to the right source, you'll thirst no more. You know what I mean? And so, so that's that's what taught me. That that that that that first experience taught me who

God is the ultimate source

Juan Panchano 50:45

the source is. You know what I mean? I mean, we can we can embrace good things. There's a lot of goodness in the church, in in our leaders, and everything, but the ultimate source is God. It's in our intimacy with Him. You know, we can contradict each other, we can defend our opinions, but God is not a being of opinions, He's a being of truth, solid truth, the ultimate truth. And that's what Christ was trying to lead us to, you know, to that kingdom of God, seek the kingdom of God first. Like seek God first, you know, make him your source, your ultimate source. And I think that's why in my experience, I'm grateful that I was able to experience God independent from anything, from any church, from anybody, you know, because I mean it's what has kept me going through through life, you know, and and and all the challenges that you know we we are coming to experience, not not so much because of what we do, but sometimes because of what other people in their ignorant ignorance do that alter our life experience, you know. But without knowing what the source is, and you know, it's horrible. Seriously, like having gone through all that I gone through as a as a child, you know, as a teenager and the uh suicide attempt and all that stuff, you know, people that have been without God in their lives, I'm like, man, I I'm sorry, you know, you know, because what are they gonna do? All they gotta do is just turn to other stuff that is it is gonna make it even worse at one point. And so when we have come to that understanding that we we become instruments of love, you know, in kindness towards people that need to know their way, you know, and sometimes they might not come full circle to to the source, but we can at least give some ease, you know, and and some comfort through this process of mortality, you know. Because not everybody's going to come to the source, you know. Maybe it's not they're not supposed to at this point in their lives. I don't know. We don't know all the answers, but uh, those of us that have come to it, we need to be willing to be love, you know, express love.

Darla Brandley 53:26

Yeah, well, we all have that that agency that that God gives us. It's like the greatest gift he gives us is that agency, and we get to actually choose to follow him or not, even you know, yeah, which I love. I think that that's what he wants us to choose. He wants us to use that agency to choose him.

Scott Brandley 53:42

Yes. So, how how was

About Juan’s mission

Scott Brandley 53:45

your mission?

Juan Panchano 53:46

Amazing. I remember my very first experience. I mean, I I remember going to my first area and my my mission companion, and it's pretty interesting because a lot of a lot of people would complain about their companions, but I was blessed with really, really good companions. And and they were good in the sense that they were open to teaching. Even if they were my seniors, there were things that were coming out of my mouth that they were able to hear and say lead or whatever, you know, and I and I wasn't like doing being self-rushing. I was just being, I was just being driven by the Spirit of God the whole time. You know, and my first area were amazing. I remember, you know, they the missionaries that was there previously before I got there, they started this new area. And um they they had knocked in every single door in the neighborhood. And um my companion, my trainer, is like, man, we got to pick a different area. And so, you know, I said, why don't we go to a hill and pray or whatever? You know, I was like, you know, I was like leaving the scriptures, you know, I wanted to do it the right way. So we go to this little hill, he's like, and we start praying. And I and then after that, I'm like, there's one person here that is ready to hear the message. He's like, but we knocked in every door. I'm like, I don't know who it is, but we're gonna find it. So we go down this hill, we're walking, and then there's this little house like on the side here. And I said, Let's go knock on the door. Oh, we knocked on the door, nobody's over there. Like, but but we gotta see who's there. Anyway, so there's a rule in the mission, right? That when there's a single woman or a woman by herself, you cannot enter. And so we knocked on the door, and there was a single woman. Not single, she's married, but she was by herself.

Darla Brandley 55:58

She was there by herself, yeah.

Juan Panchano 56:00

But immediately she's like, I saw you guys in my dream, you know, and then my mission companion looks at me, you know, and I'm like, it's happening. Anyways, and then she's like, I've been waiting for your message, and then she's like, Come in, come in, elders. And my companion's like, Elder, we can't. We need to schedule for tomorrow. I'm like, Elder, forget about this rule. Let's just go in, let's teach. He's like, You're gonna get us in trouble. I'm like, it's okay, the Lord, we are servants of the Lord, and we're gonna do this the Lord's way. I remember exactly what I said, but I was stopping, we went in. Anyways, the next day, uh, one of the members that was her neighbor came to our apartment and said, Elders, her husband is furious because you went in there when she was by herself. So you better not show your face over there because we had reschedule. And so my my companion is like, You see, you see what what you made me do, or whatever. And I'm like, it's okay, let's keep our appointment. And we had left the book of Mormon with her and everything. So we went to our appointment, and her husband opens the door, and us, and he comes out holding the Book of Mormon. He's like, Elders, I I'm almost done reading the Book of Mormon. This is amazing. But this is the best part of it. He had he knew we were coming because we had schedule. The wife, you know, had told him he had made food for us, and he had all his eight children with him. So this was a family of ten. We were able to teach them the discussions. They had this little Volkswagen, you know, that they traded off to go places where only the husband or the wife will drive it, little tiny car. They got rid of it, and they got a big like van, so they can all go to church together. So, like a week or so later, they were all baptized. You know what I mean? So that was my first experience. That was my first very experience, you know what I mean? And that happened the whole time, you know, a lot of time. And so my mission, my companion, you know, I still I still in touch with my companions and my especially my training. And you know, we constantly talk about all the stuff and just uh amazing things that happened, you know. And and yeah, I I I was blessed to to have the opportunity to, and I think it it was just God's mercy because I was such a broken child. I didn't know what love was, I didn't know I didn't have any value. I mean, I grew up in in a very chaotic country, still till today. And I talk a little bit about that in my book, but you see what I mean? So I don't know. I I think you know, I was just open. And I mean, obviously, it took a lot of suffering, you know, and I think

Give me liberty or give me death

Juan Panchano 59:15

when I attempted suicide and I didn't die, I think God was like, this kid is serious. This kid is serious, you know what? He he has nothing else to lose. He reached out to me because he really means it. And he responded, and he responded to the level that I approached him. Again, he he he works in our lives according to the degree of faith. If our faith is like that, that's how much he's going to respond. But if our faith is like that, that's how much agency. He can't force us into anything greater than we are willing to give, then we are willing to manifest. He can't do it. He can't. The moment that he does it, he's no longer God. And so, for instance, in in the my third chapter in my book is called, and you guys know this, is called uh give me liberty or give me death. You know, so in another podcast, I was a lady, the lady was telling me about asking me, like, why do you name it that title? Well, it's not my title, but you know, it's a common phrase, give me liberty or give me death, because there's nothing else beyond liberty is agency. Freedom is the is the result of a well-used liberty, you know, and so give me liberty or give me death, because without liberty, without agency, without being able to choose for ourselves in anything, even to doubt, to feel fear, whatever it is, there's no point of life. I mean, there was a war over that, and God is going to honor that, he will not force us into anything greater than we are willing to let him be involved with. Peter walked on water up to the point that he said, This is as far as I want to go. He manifested it through doubt and fear, but that was his choice, and God said, Okay, he will always honor. And so the moment that we want to adventure in a greater degree of faith, we're going to walk and water, we're going to see mountains move. Jesus Christ gave us the authority for us to be able to speak to the mountains and move, to speak to our bodies and heal if we doubt not in our hearts. You know what I mean? Because agency, God, God cannot manifest, He cannot back, He can only back us up to the degree that we allow Him to. He can't do anything beyond that. And and so it's our choice to live in a celestial, terrestrial, or celestial level of faith is up to us. And so I had the opportunity, I had the blessing to go from here to here. And so I know where I could be. I'm not always there because sometimes I'm just a slacker, you know. Sometimes I'm just, yeah, you know, I I I'm a Gemini and I honor my agency too. You know, sometimes I say, God, you know what? It's my agency. And he's like, okay. And he loves that because he wants to let us do our thing. And sometimes I'm like, okay, that wasn't a good thing to do, so I'm back. Right. And I love that interaction, you know, because I get to experience that that love or whatever that connection with him. And he's always there, you know?

Darla Brandley 1:02:52

Always.

Scott Brandley 1:02:54

Wow. So I mean, we this is amazing. Uh this has been an amazing podcast. I've

The inspiration behind Juan’s book

Scott Brandley 1:03:00

loved your story. How did you how did the book come to be? Where does that come into your story?

Juan Panchano 1:03:06

Oh, I mean, so when I experienced the the Spirit of God, you know, and then I I came into the church and I connected with the Book of Mormon and the promises made to a new land, you know, all that stuff, and where I came from and and the experiences I had of, you know, chaos and coming to that United States and seeing to a great degree a different perspective, you know, and and order and cleanliness and and all these things, you know, that I grew up hearing about, I realized, you know, that there is a there is a foundation to to anything good, you know, and I and I see that in the United States. I the United States, you know, or what became the United States was just based on people in the early days that chose God, that chose to be guided by His Spirit, you know, that chose to play it all. You know, they they they were willing to give everything up, any comfort. I mean, they were supported by one of the greatest uh you know nation country or in the world, you know, the the British, you know, they they had it all, but they still said we we want it we don't want that, we want to be free, we want to be able to do our our thing, you know, and and they and that's what God wanted for them, and they were the ones that responded to that, versus everybody else in the rest of the Americas. And um, you know, just seeing the just seeing God move in my life and seeing He seeing Him do the same thing throughout history, you know, I wanted to talk about that stuff. Yeah. In this other podcast I was in, the lady she uh she titled my my my episode uh the Holy Ghost of America or something like that. You know, but uh I think it was kind of funny, but that's that's what she chose to call it, like the holy the Holy Spirit of America or something. But anyways, but you know, whether we call it the the Holy Ghost of or the American spirit is the same. It's God's intervention, it's God's influence in our lives, whether in our individual lives, in the nation, in our communities, it is us allowing God to be part of our existence. And that's kind of what I talk about in my book is is that you know, it's it's it's everything is up to us. Like the book, I ended I ended something by it all becoming. Begins with you. You know, no, no private choice is really private, right? My choice as an individual is going to transfer to my children, to their children's children, to our communities. And again, it's it's about agency and it's about using it wisely. Liberty. You know, and and and the bottom line, that's what it is. And that's what I talk about in my book is we don't need an independence, we don't need another declaration of independence. We need a declaration of dependence back to God, you know, and not just in the United States. My message is for the Americas. You know, and if people in Europe are humble enough to want to listen to it, they're welcome, you know. Um but my message is for the Americas because it is a promised land. It's not limited to the United States. I think the blessings are for all the Americas. It has been extended to Colombians, to Ecuadorians, Venezuelans, and uh anybody throughout the Americas. But only the people from the colonies were able to manifest that, and it's what we have the United States of America. And that's what we need to support the United States to come back to its greatness, because it's the example of what the Americas once was meant to be. This is what we want to be. Obviously, we're not there, you know. We have you know drifted from the course for many decades. You know, it's not that shining the the shining city on the hill, you know, uh as much anymore, but but we need to we need to try to do everything that we can to bring it back, you know, and because it's not for us. I mean, we got to work for the next generation. That's you know, we need to pass it on. You know, I definitely want it for my kids, you know, and for their kids and for my neighbors and everybody else that you know within my local community, you know, and and sometimes you know, we get so distracted with that white house that we forget about our own house, you know, and we want to paint it blue or red, when in reality, white allows us, you know, it's like a clean canvas, right? Let's paint it with the color of love and kindness instead of blue and red, which is dividing us, right? Right. The whole fighting over red and blue, you know.

Darla Brandley 1:08:32

So ridiculous.

Juan Panchano 1:08:34

That's just destruction.

Darla Brandley 1:08:35

Well, I was thinking about what you were saying about white, and I was like, well, actually, like white light is a combination of all the colors together. I thought that's kind of interesting because everything, everybody together for God. I don't know. And maybe that's just my that's cool.

Scott Brandley 1:08:56

Yeah, that's a cool analogy.

Juan Panchano 1:08:59

But yeah, let's paint, let's pain, let's paint it with the color of love, you know, and kindness. Yeah, and so, anyways, uh, so yeah, that the book was fronted because everything boils down to our relationship, our intimate relationship with God. Yeah, I'm talking about a land, I'm talking about a nation and all, but in reality, what my book, you know, the last chapter is called The Atter of our Freedom. And I left it for last, you know, because that's what I want the message to be. It's all about our relationship with God. If we have no relationship with God, if there's no intimacy with God, we have nothing. Freedom, liberty, freedom, whatever you want to call it, it doesn't mean anything. It would just continue to divide us. I mean, even when people hold their flags and you know, they they're just representing an image. We have drifted so far away from the essence of what the American spirit really is and what America is supposed to represent. That's that's that's what happened because we drifted so far away from God and our intimacy with Him that we lost our course. And we worked so hard for everything that we want to possess and keeping our in keeping God from possessing our hearts, and therefore we're paying big time for that stuff.

Darla Brandley 1:10:25

And desensitize us, yeah.

Scott Brandley 1:10:27

I think we're paying for it with our spirituality.

Juan Panchano 1:10:30

Exactly. And we know that everything we got is spiritual, everything is spiritual. And if we're not building that spiritual, we got nothing. There's really nothing. But we're we're on this, we're we're here, and uh the best we can do, those of us, we gotta do our best, but it has to be done in our local communities. We can't afford getting involved in this whole division and chaotic things going on in the White House that is so far away from any any influence we can have. You know, everything happens here in our local communities with our neighbor. How are we being to our neighbors? How are we being to our children? Are you know what I mean? Are we saying hi to people? Just a hi, just to smile to anybody that walks by makes a difference with that person at that moment in that day. I've seen it. You know, when people, when I'm in the elevator or anything, and and some and it's feeling awkward because somebody they're not used to saying, I say hi, I say, I say, hey, I I I love your shirt. Man, those shoes are awesome. What do you get? You know what I mean? Like I and we become best friends right away. Hey, you know, you're a stranger. Let's not be strangers anymore. Yeah.

Darla Brandley 1:11:44

Sometimes all people need is a handout to like be my friend, and they they'll that's all they need.

Scott Brandley 1:11:51

Yes.

Darla Brandley 1:11:52

To reach back. Yeah, exactly.

Scott Brandley 1:11:54

I love I love that what you've been talking about because one person can make a

Inspiring others + awakening the spirit of God within us

Scott Brandley 1:12:00

difference. I mean, you were like you said, I love your story because you had nothing, you grew up in a in a really bad environment. I mean, you were at the lowest point in your life, and then from just that that experience you had, you were able to completely change your life and and affect the lot the lives of who knows how many people.

Juan Panchano 1:12:24

Yeah, right.

Scott Brandley 1:12:25

Yeah, one person.

Darla Brandley 1:12:27

Bring many unto God, right?

Juan Panchano 1:12:29

Exactly. And you never know how. I a few years ago, I got this um message on Facebook, just a random message. Hey, Juan Panchano, you don't you don't know me, but I just want you to know that what you have shared on social media uh has made a different a great difference in my life. And I I'm now I have now turned to God and I was baptized in the church. Oh yeah, I remember you know a few years ago. You never know.

Darla Brandley 1:13:01

I love that. You never know, we never know so and sometimes you don't even hear about those things. They they actually happen, but you don't actually get to hear about them. So even being able to hear about it is no, you know.

Juan Panchano 1:13:13

So the best thing that we can do is make the choice here and now to be kind and to be loving to anybody that we encounter, you know, because we never know what a person's been going through. We never know that we're going to be that person that's going to change that person's perspective. You know, that's what Christ came here to show us. He came to show us the way to the kingdom of God, you know, and and not and that just that's just not the place. It's it's it's a state of the heart. It's a state of love, you know, it's a state of I mean that the subtitle of my book is awakening the American Spirit Within. You know, that's the subtitle. I'm I'm I'm I'm saying the I'm making it American just because it's what we experiencing nowadays, and it's language that other people can relate to. But you and I know that we're talking about awakening the spirit of God within us, awakening that spirit, that relationship with God, because that's what transforms. Nothing else will. Everything else is just quick fixes, distractions. We you and I know that only the the the more intimate we come to God, the more freedom we will experience. You know, that's what Christ said, and you'll know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Only through Him. We cannot, I mean, in my personal experience, you know, just being a broken person, I had no love for myself and I could not have love for anybody else. The only moment that I came to experience love or or understand love was because I felt God's love for me. And the only way I can feel God's love for me is if I approach Him. So the more I approach Him, the more I'm going to be filled with His influence, which is the spirit of love. So don't talk to me about love if you do not have a relationship with God, it's not gonna work because God is the source of love. Our responsibility is to reach out with love, and the only way we can do that is by staying connected to that source of love. The moment that we disconnect from the source of love, we can't love. We're just gonna be in this place of confusion and and um you know contention and you know distance, distance, whatever, you know, is it's not gonna be conducive to the spirit. It's just gonna, we're gonna be working from our from our from the flesh. And um we we cannot accomplish anything like that. You know, we can accomplish the main purpose of our creation, especially, you know, understanding that we're not here to stay. This is not our home. You know, we're not here to get rich so that we can buy the big house and all the bunch of cars. And no, we're here. If you experience the blessing of becoming wealthy, give it, give it away, you know, obviously wisely with guidance, you know, but but it's not for you to accumulate it in your bank account. You know, yeah, get get a house or anything that you know suits your needs in your family, you know. But the rest of it is to, you know, uh enjoy it in the in the spirit of giving, you know. Yeah.

Scott Brandley 1:17:10

Anyways, you can't take it with you.

Juan Panchano 1:17:13

Exactly. Yeah.

God comes to us in the ways we need + 6 blessings as told by Nephi

Scott Brandley 1:17:16

Well, Juan, this has been amazing. Um, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story with us. And and thank you. What a story. Wow, very inspirational.

Juan Panchano 1:17:27

Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. Loved it.

Scott Brandley 1:17:30

As we kind of wrap things up here, we asked people to share any final thoughts that they might have. Um, do you have anything you'd like to share with us?

Juan Panchano 1:17:40

I mean, I think I pretty much mentioned everything, but uh yeah, I mean that the most important thing, you know, and is what my bay my life has been and and what has brought purpose to my life and is you know being intimate with God. However, that may be with you, I think God manifests this in different ways. We can limit God to one thing or another. God becomes very personal in very different ways, with each one of us to that degree that we seek him, you know. Like he became my father, and I think because I grew up without a father, you know, and uh he manifested in my life as a as a I mean I remember that experience and he coming to me, not just as a God, but as an intimate father. You know, I needed that father figure in my life, you know, and he's my source, he's my father, you know, he he's everything to me. I'm not always the most obedient, most obedient child, you know, but I do not doubt his love for me. And I do not know, I do not doubt that he welcomes me every single time, you know, and he's always going to guide me. Um there's a scriptures, uh, first Nephi chapter 17, verses 13 and 14. There's six blessings there, and this is these are the six blessings that God talks about in all the scriptures, but it they're found in those two verses in the Book of Mormon, chapter uh first Nephi chapter 17, verse 13 and 14. And these are those six things. The sixth one is the most important one, more powerful one. But the first one is he promises to be our light to give us a clear mind understanding where confusion dissipates. So he promised to be the light. Number two, he promises to prepare the way before us. He's saying, Don't worry about your future, leave that alone, I'll take care of it. All you gotta do is trust. Number three, he promises to direct us, to lead us. Sometimes we might be conscious of that, but if we trust, he's gonna do it. He promises. Number four, he promises to protect us along the way. He's going to remove the people that are not supposed to be in our lives, he's going to bring other people, he's going to protect us. Number five, he will deliver us. So he's gonna be the one bringing those presents to us, he's going to deliver us spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, in any way possible, he's the deliverer, he will deliver us. That's that's the blessing number five. And the sixth one is the most powerful one, and I tell you why, because it's this you will know that it is I, that it is by me that you have been delivered. Knowing that God is the source, knowing that God is the author. There's nothing more powerful than that. Because we know that that being loves us, and we know that he's the source that of everything. So that's the that's the message for me is become intimate with God. Forget about all these details and stuff, like just pay the price to be intimate with that God, the divine being that's there, you know, constant, waiting. Sometimes the timing of things is not it's not up to God, it's up to us. We're the ones that put timing to things. He's he's ready. Are we ready? You know, so yeah, he's ready. And he just wants us to come to him and be, you know, pay the price for that. So it's like uh the virgins. That um that oil, you know, when the wise virgins tell the the foolish to go get the oil from the merchant. That oil has a price, it's not free. There is a price for intimacy, and that price is time intimate time with God. We need to pay the price of time. You know, we live in a society that is pushing us to rush to everything to acquire anything. Today it's all about money and power. Very little time we're giving to spend with God, and that's what's killing us. So, yeah, pay the price of time, intimate time with God.

Darla Brandley 1:22:44

I love that.

Juan Panchano 1:22:45

Thanks again.

Scott Brandley 1:22:46

Yeah, I'm writing that down. Yeah. That's great. Yeah, you've got a lot of um a lot of really good insight and uh aha moments for me. I don't know about you, Darla, but well, yeah, there's a lot of really good, really good thought-provoking things that you've that you've talked about, and really appreciate your you coming on and sharing some of your experiences and your thoughts with us today.

Juan Panchano 1:23:17

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Darla Brandley 1:23:18

Yeah, it was really good. I enjoyed it very much.

Juan Panchano 1:23:20

I enjoyed it myself. I can feel the the presence of the Lord for sure in our conversation.

Darla Brandley 1:23:27

Yeah.

Scott Brandley 1:23:28

So they're so

Where to support Juan

Scott Brandley 1:23:30

how do people um find your book, Juan? They want to learn more.

Juan Panchano 1:23:36

Okay, so uh currently I have it in Amazon. You know, it's it's called Latino by Birth, American by Choice, or you can look it up under my name, Juan Panchano. And it's both in English and Spanish. Uh the Kindle version, if you have Kindle, um if you have a subscription with Kindle, it's free. You can read it for free. Um, I'm working on the audio version, it's gonna be for free on Spotify or YouTube. But right now, yeah, you can get the paperback uh in Amazon in Spanish or English. Yeah, it's it's really small. It's uh you know, I didn't want to write too much. In fact, I wanted to keep writing, but it's like, no, I think this is good. And it's really simple book. It's only it only has seven chapters. Um but I wrote it in a way that it's very concise, very like I'm saying what I really wanted to say, and it took me a long time to write it, you know. Um, but I did it in a way that's very concise, and it's a good read, you know. It's not just and I didn't write it, I was just an instrument, you know what I mean. I think the message is is is came from you know the the spirit and um yeah I mean enjoy and if you end up getting a copy and reading it, I will appreciate a review just because it will allow to get you know out there, the message can get out there.

Scott Brandley 1:25:08

Yeah, definitely.

Darla Brandley 1:25:09

Yeah,

Outro

Darla Brandley 1:25:10

absolutely.

Juan Panchano 1:25:11

Well, thank you so much, guys. Yeah, nice video.

Scott Brandley 1:25:13

Thanks for coming on. And anybody, yeah, go go check out his book. We'll put a link in the footnotes so people can go check it out. And um, yeah, thanks again for for coming on the show. Thanks everyone for for watching and and listening to Juan's story. Be sure to do your five-second missionary work, hit that share button so that we can get Juan's story out there and share his light and his experience with others so that we can keep sharing that light and and hopefully touching other people's lives. So thanks again, Juan, for tuning for being on the show, and thanks everyone for tuning in this week, and we will see you next week with another episode of Latter Day Light. Until then, take care. Bye bye.