Tacuarembó Uruguay - Feb 25th 2013

Our biggest miracle this week was a process of multiple days. After the team visit that we went on with the hermanas (last week), we didn't really have much of anything til Friday rolled around. Our new Zone Leader, Elder Geschwandtner (say that one 10 times fast ;D) came out to do the interview and the hermanas came to our church as well. The night before I called an hermana who is super awesome to come and help us out with the interview to help Araci feel more comfortable with the situation and not be too overwhelmed by  missionaries. So we started the interview lesson and the Hermana Da Rosa showed up in the middle of the first hymn, said nothing and sat down to sing with us. We then asked Araci who she wanted to say the first prayer and she looked directly at Hma. Da Rosa and said I want Mabel to say the prayer. Turns out they were old class mates like 30 years ago and had maintained contact and decent friendship up until 2 years ago and Friday was the first time that they had seen each other since that day. Small miracle, right? It gets better.

The interview took a long time but she passed and we were able to have a great endure to the end lesson and filled out the baptismal record. It's always a lot of fun to be able to get together with other missionaries and talk. Plus I love being able to laugh and joke in Spanish as well as in English. Anyways, the interview took up most of the day on Friday and then that night when we got home I was on the phone non-stop until 1030, getting everything set up for the baptism on Saturday. We'd had a lot of people cancel on us last minute and we needed to get back ups into place so that we could do the baptism, in spite of minor hold ups.

Saturday started calm enough, and then we started to fill the font at 2. Everything was great and we hung around for an hour filling out paperwork to make sure that nothing went wrong then we left to go to another charla (lesson). When we got back, the water in the font was brown and it was 5 and the baptism started at 730. Not cool man. We turned the pump on to take the water out and then grabbed buckets and started bailing the water to exterior drains to get the water out faster, cleaning as we went. We got the font drained and cleaned by 530 (sweating like pigs  by the end of it) and turned the water back on, full blast.

It filled for about 10 minutes and then the water stopped....so we went out to check the tanks and see if there was a problem. No problem really. Just empty. At that point, we went back to the font and the water would fitfully squirt out in a pathetic dribble as the smallest amounts of water filled the tank, giving enough pressure to reach the font. We had 4 inches of water and a baptism in an hour and a half. So, we got down our knees and pleaded with God that we could pull it off. We ran home, changed, ( I got my suit on and elder lamb prepped his white madness) and we ran back to the church. 6 inches of water and a baptism in 40 minutes. The hermanas showed up right about then, after not having believed me about our situation. They believed me when they saw the font.
Elder Lamb and I grabbed buckets and headed to the nearest members house. We explained the situation and they said sure elders, help yourselves to water. So, we did. We made three trips, with three buckets each time. We now had probably a foot of water. Boss. We gonna do a baptism. And we did. Elder Lamb knelt in the font and araci sat with her legs straight out. Right then, I knew we'd done our part. I knew it. When they were all in the bathroom changing, I had a moment to myself in the hall and I was just....full. So very very full. I knew in my heart and soul that I'm doing my part. I cannot possibly explain what I felt in that moment, nor the celestial communication that reached my being. But I know that God has my back. I know that He will always, always prepare the way for His servants.

18 ¶And the children of Israel arose, and went up to athe house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And theLORD said, Judah shall go up first.
 19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, andaencamped against Gibeah.
 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
 21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
 22 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
 23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORDuntil even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)
 24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
-Judges 20:18-24

Some times, the hardest thing to do in this life is go out on the second day. The second day isn't always the day that makes it worth either. Israel didn't prevail until the third day. But it takes a man of courage to fall on his face weeping before the Face of God and plead with the Creator, asking only His will and then follow that will without doubting until the sunrise of the third day.

I've reached the third day and the time in the field stays with me but a short while longer. Time to slake the blades.


Elder Simpson