Missionary, Kid, Wedding Planning

¡Hola mis queridos friends!

This week was hectic!  I've spent so much time trying to plan a wedding or a baptism that I've had several converts ask if I've forgotten about them! 

I've spent the entire week filling out paperwork, printing out copies of passports and IDs, coordinating with the judge, answering questions about wedding rings or times or location, making and printing and delivering invitations, redoing the paperwork but better this time, getting a wedding cake and soda and cups and plates to serve them, getting permission to use the church, cleaning and decorating the church,  finding 4 witnesses for the wedding, getting a ride for the 4 witnesses to get to the wedding, finding a dress, and a suit, a tie, a pair of shoes, pants, and a shirt for the couple, preparing an agenda for some songs and talks to be given, and then finally actually participating in the wedding on Friday (during which the lights went out and we lost power for the better part of the night)!  It was incredible because it all came together perfectly at the very last minute!

That was, of course, immediately followed by clean-up, and setting up for the baptism, getting a new cake, replenishing our plates and forks and soda and cups, draining the baptismal font (there was old, dirty water in there, and due to the lack of time and a poorly functioning drain, we did it by hand!  One bucket at a time.  It was terrible),  and taking hours to fill it back up again, doing the baptismal interviews, getting baptismal clothing from other Elders, more paperwork (Well okay, it was digital this time, but we had to get permission to baptize the minors), and finally participating in the baptism.  

Luckily the power didn't go out this time... instead we had to hold a baptism outside in 5 degree (°C) weather.  The water was so cold we almost canceled.  We brought pots to boil water to be put in the font right before the baptisms.  We brought extra towels and blankets and had the heater going on full blast inside so that there would be a warm place to go after.  And after all that preparation... the time came for the baptism and the family wasn't there.  Thankfully, there was only a few minutes of worry before the family miraculously showed up 10 min late.  And in the end they all got baptized!!  Whew!!!!

Now I can breathe again.

*By the way, everytime we visit this family, it includes an almost 2 hour walk home.  That did not make the planning any easier.*

The amount of joy and relief was so great that when we got home after the baptism on Sunday, I ate a quick something, and went straight to bed.  I was out for the better part of the day.  

My comp and I spent a lot of money helping to get everything set, in the end we were left with a grand total of about $6.  If there was anything else, we wouldn't have been able to pay for it!

In short, God is a God of miracles.  He is listening, He loves us, He cares for us, He provides for us.

I've really been thinking a lot recently about idea that was sparked while reading Jesus the Christ.  Jesus commanded us to be perfect, but James E Talmage says that this perfection is relative.  Imagine that you are in second grade and are given a test.  You get them all right and score a 100%.  Congratulations!  You got a perfect score.  You did everything right.  But even if you did your test perfectly, are you as great as our Father in Heaven who graduated from Harvard with perfect marks?

This really put it in perspective for me.  I'm here to learn and grow and to turn to Jesus (the perfect teacher) to help me correct my mistakes and continue progressing ever so slowly.  I'm not here to just get baptized and then try to stay sinless the rest of my life.  There's a long long journey to become perfect even as our Father in Heaven, but as long as we keep ourselves on a steady route upward, that's enough.  If we just turn to Christ and stay with Him, He'll help us with all things.

Love y'all!

eldÉr Blacker

In addition to the wedding and baptism, we also had a funeral.  Two of the elders in our district "died" and went to their houses.







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