march 16, 2015 letter

So this week, i just basically just wanted to focus on one day in particular which was Sunday. So I'll tell you the events leading up to this day. 

I have worked with this family for the longest time, ever since I got here.  They are members that were baptized a year or so ago.  It was super hard for the father because he didn't feel worthy to receive the priesthood because he is illiterate and felt that it wasn't his time to get the priesthood. But through Pres. Pister following the Spirit, and basically telling him it was time, and he needed to accept the Priesthood.  He got the Priesthood and has changed in amazing ways ever since. But probably one of the most amazing things that happened this week was his opportunity to baptize his son. But on to my story leading up to it.... I was cleaning the chapel on Sat. morning and Sister McCrite came up to me and said, "you're playing the piano at the baptism because I have to sing along with all the other sisters...."  Haha  So I offered to do it and in a half hour i had to learn all of the song "when i am baptized". It's a good thing I practiced so many times back at home on youtube, or i never would have gotten it down!  But that is just a side story, the really crazy part was that the day of the little boys baptism we were all super nervous, because we weren't sure if it was really going to go through or not, but we kept that Brother in our prayers.  During the Sacrament meeting he had gotten up and looked at Jorge and me and said "ya me voy" which means that he was leaving. We didn't take much thought of it as he always had to leave with his kids to take them to the bathroom or something. Then, in the middle of one of the talks, Pres. Pister signaled to me and told me to come to him, so i got up and went over to him. he told me "go find that Brother and make sure that he is okay and that he remembers the baptismal prayer and how to do the baptism." So off I went with one of the members to go and find him. We literally went around the church three times and checked every room and couldn't find him. I finally just came back and sat down in Sacrament meeting and just looked at Pres. Pister and just shrugged my shoulders with disappointment. All the hard work that we had gone through to get him to do the baptism was just gone and it was heart wrenching for the both of us. Jorge told me that he wanted to go and look for him one more time, so we got up and left again.  After the first circle around the building, we saw him coming back in through the doors! Ahh I was so happy! So we quickly went over the baptismal prayer with him. It was super tough for him, because he is completely illiterate so he had nothing to go off of but just his own memory. He was struggling a little bit, but it sounded like he would make it through after a try or two in the font. I went and told Pres. Pister that he had come back and that the baptism was still on. I was given the assignment to be the guy behind everything running around making sure he had clothes and making sure the font was filled and the chairs were set and everything was set so that it would be a smooth transition from Sacrament meeting to the baptism.  Everything was great and he said the prayer amazingly and did everything perfect the first time!! I was sad that I didn't actually get to see the baptism because I was still in the back doing some things, but it doesn't really matter, I'm just happy that he got to baptize his son!  Then after they had all gotten changed I had to play the piano while all the sisters sang. I struggled a little bit the first verse because I didn't have much time to prepare, but thankfully I nailed the second verse so we ended on a high note (:   This week was super cool and i loved seeing someone that I've worked so long with progress so much to the point that he was baptizing his son! 

After the baptism Pres. Pister came up to me and told me that it would be best to move the baptism for that couple I mentioned last week either up a week or back a week, (because it had been planned for Easter Sunday, which is also General Conference weekend), and we decided it best to move it up and not try to push the date back later. I walked up to him and asked him, "So how would you feel about changing your baptism date to the 29th instead?", and he said that he would love to, so we are super super excited for him! Now we just have to get him completely ready, so please keep Elder Carbajal and me in your prayers and also them so that everything will go smoothly and that we will help them be ready for baptism in two weeks (: 

This work is hastening and we don't have time to mess around. Just like the scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.". We don't have time to be a child anymore, because the Lord didn't save the weak to come for the last days. Something that pres. Samulien has told us repeatedly is that the stippling warriors would have chosen to fight their battles against those incredibly awful and vicious men over and over again before they would want to fight against what we have to in these last days. The Lords work is hastening and if we aren't ready for it, he will come like a thief in the night and we'll wish we had prepared, just as the virgins with the olive oil. We honestly don't have time.

I love you all!

Love Elder Romney(:

Elder Ashcraft and his family.  He trained Elder Perryman, Elder Joly and me, and I'm training Elder Carbajal.

the family at the baptism (: