6:30- we wake up sunday morning. Knowing we have three baptisms to prepare, i hop into the shower(literally hop, our hot water has been out for a week), throw down some food and we´re out the door.
8:00 we arrive at our first two baptisms house(Vitória and Marcos) to find everyone sleeping. quickly wake them up to get them there one time.
8:15 we realize my comp forgot his camera. we run back to the house.
8:30 bishop calls and lets us know that my comp will be giving a talk that day(a very common event for a missionary here in Rio).
9:00 our third bapisms house(Thaís) is all dark. we hope she´s already on the way and grab a bus to get to church on time.
9:30 we turn on the font and barely make it for the sacrament. looking around, we notice that none of the baptisms are here yet.
9:45 my comp starts his talk, and Thaís arrives with her family. her mother pulls me aside to tell me that she has to leave early for work and that the baptism wont do. i scramble to see if we can do the baptism during the interval(long story short, i almost had to call some members to repentance just to reserve the baptism room... the stake president got involved and we ended convincing Thaís's mom to put her work a bit for the sake of her daughter's salvation.
10:00 Marcos and Vitória show up... with out their mom! their dad looks to cancel the baptism, but putting off their baptism for another week just wont do. i send him off home to grab his wife.
10:30 The baptismal font FLOODS. me and my comp have to grab towells and buckets to lower the water level/clean up the mess
11:00 i grab a very charitable member and we drive off to pick up Marcão and Rose (marcos and Vitória's parents). my comp stays to mark visits with all of the visitors for the following week.
11:15 we show up at their house only to find Marcão, looks like she went off to buy lunch, so we let him in and start the search.
11:30 first market- no sucess. we´re off to the next.
11:45 second market- no rose. we´re now down to little time and little chance of encountering her.
11:50 whalie driving back to she if she had returned home(using an abnormal route), Marcão just by chance sees her walking by. we stop and tell her to get in there's baptisms to be had!! strangely she reacts in a very negative manner, explaining how shes super busy and doesnt have time to work and "live a the church" as she put it(to her defense she´s and independant sower and has to compete against large companies). i felt inspired to tell her that if she supports her children for this baptism, she´ll have time to complete all of her man daily tasks. she accepts and we zip off.
12:00 we arrive at her house so she may get dressed apropiately(the baptism is to happen at 12:30 so you can imagine how hard i was praying)
12:30 we arrive on the buzzer. my angel of a companion has everything set and we´re ready to snap some pictures... only to find my camera inexplicabley broken (good thing we passed by the house to grab my comp's earlier in the day)
12:45 the Baptism happens! the room was filled to the brim with room to sit. one of the most spiritual baptismal reunions!!
The Lord wants us to FIGHT for his church. the blessings will flow! i hope you all have the chance to fight for him this week!"
-Elder Kelland Hansen
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