This scripture really describes our week. This truly is the latter days talked about. We attended four baptisms on Saturday. We got caught up in the whirlwind of lessons and many meetings this week. We had a Zone Meeting on Tuesday, a temple session on Thursday along with a sealing of the 3rd Ward Mission Leader to his wife, and a multi-zone conference all day Friday. We also taught 25 quality lessons. (Missionaries are asked to try for at least 20 a week. Senior couples less than that.) So we were in that "continuing whirlwind" spoken of. It didn't "fall with great pain" upon our heads, but there was pain involved. We are in as good of shape as the young missionaries. Sister Sheffer isn't sure about that.
Like we said, we had a baptism on Saturday. It was nothing like we have ever experienced before. This sweet lady had been excommunicated many years ago. A few months ago the bishop of her ward asked us to drop by and visit with her. He said that he felt she was ready for baptism if only she would attend church. She was a night nurse at one of the senior centers. She went to work at about ten each night and got back home at eight the next morning. It was hard work. But, she agreed to meet with us in the mornings before she went to bed.
On our first visit we challenged her to go to church. She started telling us all the reasons she couldn't do that. After she had given us so many reasons that we were almost convinced it would never work out for her she stopped and said, "All those reasons are just excuses. There is no reason why I can't go to church." So she started going to church and we started teaching her the lessons each week in the mornings. We would ask her guiding questions and she would teach the lesson. She would get every point we needed to cover. We would bear testimony of what she taught and go to the next concept. We were able to set a baptismal date for the end of June. That was the first weekend she would have off from work. She had to have it on the weekend so that her family could come. That was very important to her. Some of her children and siblings had been excommunicated as well and she knew they would come to her baptism if they could do it on a weekend. This date seemed too far away for our liking. We were praying for her. At her work there was a mistake made on meds. She may have been the one to make it. It did not put any patient in danger; it was a mistake that had been made by others who only received a reprimand. But they fired her. Thus, though it really hurt her, she saw it as a chance to move up her baptismal date to May 28th.
She asked to be baptized by an old home teacher who she felt loved her family. We found him in Orem, Utah. He said he would be glad to come down. He said this when the date was June. He would have had to fly in from Nauvoo, where he would be working on the pageant. When she moved it up he just drove from Orem. This baptism is bringing multiple people back to Christ so you can imagine it wasn't easy. We had scheduling conflicts several times. On the day of the baptism there was a tri stake dance scheduled in the gym. She wanted her daughter to sing at the baptism. Since she had been excommunicated she couldn't. That almost canceled everything. But when all was said and done we had a beautiful baptism, many hearts were touched. After the baptism we had the daughter sing I Know That My Redeemer Lives . Then we confirmed her a member while her family was still there to watch.
Jeremiah 30:22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God:
We love you all and wish you the best!
Sister and Elder Sheffer
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