"Behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." (1Nephi 1:20)
Why? Well, their father , (who, until the date was very positive and wanted his daughters to be baptized...and even had signed the baptismal records) had called them to say that he didn't think that they were ready to make such an important decision. That if they were REALLY going to do it they had to think it over better.
He sat down sternly and looked us in the eyes and expressed his concerns...and we listened and told him what we thought.
More and more I am seeing the way that the Lord makes his hand manifest in our daily lives. His Plan of Salvation is a very real, that it is not only the skeleton of our human existense, but that it is also woven into the details of our everyday life. It is a tapestry whose threads seem ordinary and bland but in a greater perspective one can observe that the design is much more detailed than we had thought.
This week was very much a manifestation of that principle. I was able to see how the Lord is truly mindful of all of us and that he truly wants the best for all of his children.
I went on divisions twice this week with Elder Prestwich and Elder Perry and had two very full days. They both gave me the motivation to keep improving, but the true miracles came on saturday as we were preparing for the baptism of Jasmine and Vanessa.
In the afternoon we went to go and fill up the baptismal font when we got a call from Jasmine. My companion answered and I could see the smile dissappear from his face. "What? I don't understand...why?" he said as I caught bits and peices of the conversation...when he hung up he told me, "Our two baptisms just fell through."
Why? Well, their father , (who, until the date was very positive and wanted his daughters to be baptized...and even had signed the baptismal records) had called them to say that he didn't think that they were ready to make such an important decision. That if they were REALLY going to do it they had to think it over better.
So, we went straight to their house, with Cristian, one of the recent converts in the ward.
When we got there we talked to Jasmine and Vanessa that we didn't want them to disobey their father, but we motivated them to call him and tell him that they wanted to do this....that their step-mother was not obligating them and neither were we.
We said a prayer in the lesson to see what the will of God was. And during the transcourse of the prayer everyone broke into tears. After we finished there was a long pause....and then they both said that they felt like they needed to be baptised...today.
A minute later, their father walked in the door.
He sat down sternly and looked us in the eyes and expressed his concerns...and we listened and told him what we thought.
I saw the spirit of the Lord touch this man's heart after his daughters told him that they desired to make this covenant. He stopped...and said, "okay...than what are we waiting for?"
We were already an hour late to the baptism...but everyone was already there! And so, at 8 o'clock at night we held the service...and it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life...there was not a dry eye in the room.
It was the perfect way to finish up my time in Panorama.
Because, last night they just told me that I am going to be leaving. It's been a true adventure here with Elder Chunga and I am so happy for all of the tender mercies that I have seen these past 3 changes.
So now, I'm probably going to my last area.
Love you all and I'll tell you how things go next week!
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