sorry everyone, i found a lost letter i forgot to post over a month ago. better late than never!
doing things when He wants them done
so i received a little reminder lesson this past week on how the work i'm doing here is'nt being done on my time or schedule, but instead that of the Lord. so about a week ago we began teaching two of the grandsons of the couple that was baptized a few weeks ago. and anyways because of complications with the schedule of things these next upcoming weekends, we put a baptismal date with them for the 13th of october, plenty of time for them. but then this past weekend, we decided that as a zone we were going to have a zone baptism, because it was stake conference weekend and we had a total of 16 investigators throughout the zone who were to be getting baptized that weekend. so we all got in agreement and decided to have this zone baptism.
and well elder nielson and i did'nt have anyone planned to get baptized that weekend, but anyways we thought about who we could baptize, so that we could participate in the zone baptism, and we came to the agreement that we'd work a lot with alberto and cesar so that we could baptize them. so everyday this past week we had passed by and taught them and helped them get animated for their baptisms. however we ran into a few roadblocks along the way. first of all we had to get them to uruapan, and that means money haha and well things are a little tight around here at times in mexico, so we offered to help them and told them that we'd pay for the bus tickets so they could go. however then we realized that its not right for us to just take the two of them with us and then leave all the family members back here in apatzingan, because we don't really have money to pay for the bus tickets of 10 plus people haha. but we were still determined to get them to uruapan to get baptized, because they had all the lessons,they were progressing very well, and in all truth very they easily could have been baptized. but then that is where the title comes in. because we had arranged for the two kids to come with us, and then a few of the family members too, so we were set and ready to go.
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| los misioneros de uruapan (sorry its crooked, someone bumped my camera) |
however saturday night while we were at their house talking with them it just felt a little off talking to them about their baptisms, not how it'd been during the previous lessons that week, when we had talked to them about their baptisms. so i was thinking while we were sitting there whats going on and what we should do, and then a little feeling just came to me and said to me that its not their time, they're not supposed to get baptized this weekend. i pushed aside the feeling because they had all the lessons, they were reading and doing their prayers daily, they were excited to get baptized, why not do it this weekend? it made perfect sense to do it this weekend anyways. and then again the feeling came to me that "no its not their time". i again kind of pushed it off stupidly haha because i still didn't understand why i'd feel that way. they were perfectly ready to get baptized after all and we wanted to so badly to be able to baptize in the zone baptism. so anyways while this whole little thing is going on in my head we were still talking to them and making sure that everything is set and ready to go and that the plans are good for the next day, and that is when it came to me, like a literal voice and said, ITS NOT THEIR TIME, its funny because it actually made me feel a little sheepish, almost awkward, because it was like asking something from someone and they kept saying no but you keep asking until they finally have to get a little agro with you and tell you no haha.
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| our roommates the swallows and their little nest, our house is like a zoo i swear haha ill tell some stories about it sometime |
but so anyways all of the sudden that impression came to me stronger than the other times and i knew i couldn't fight it anymore. so i then asked them how they felt if we postponed the baptism for a few more weeks until their families can attend and they can feel a little more prepared. they agreed and said sure sounds good, and we left it at that. the whole night i kept thinking about it and was almost kind of irritated and mad because i just didn't understand why they needed to wait. but then the next day on the ride to the stake conference in uruapan i had plenty of time to think about it, just about 3 hrs to be exact haha. take a moment actually real quick and just imagine that, a 3 hour bus ride in a little janky ol' bus just to go to stake conference, count your blessings folks, cuz even that is not that bad, i'm sure there's worse haha.
but anyways while thinking about it i came to realize why it was so. while yes they could have been baptized according to what the books say, and whats required for someone to get baptized, the Lord has different plans for them. one of the biggest things that i feel will come out of this is that well be able to continue with them and their family members, and were making plans so that we'll be able to baptize them with 3 other family members. also one day these kids are going to be legit missionaries, so the Lord needs them to be good converts that have that strong desire and testimony so that they can use their conversion stories to help others come unto Christ. and also i think it was because i had to learn that really these 2 yrs and all the things i do are done on the Lords watch, not mine. i realized one thing that we had failed to do was ask in a prayer if they should be baptized or not. because we had only been praying that they would get baptized that weekend, we never asked if it was the right thing to do. we kind of slipped up there as misionaries, because, well hey were not perfect either haha.
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| the back of the punisher angel, our ride to stake conference in uruapan |
but anyways i realized that maybe if i had asked before if it was their time i could have avoided that whole embarrassment haha. it was a really humbling experience to be honest, because its true, these 2 yrs i'm doing everything how and when the Lord wants it, not how and when Elder Maccarthy wants it. cool little experience i thought id share with you though, i hope we can all take something to learn out of it. because i know i learned a ton from it. however to changes notes real quick i want to tell you another funny little story. so the bus we took to the stake conference, wow hahah. the buses here in apatzingan are very "pimped out" you could say haha. anyways tho so the bus we took to the stake conference had this big sticker on the front windshield with flames and the words Punisher Angel hahah, and then on the hood and back of the bus it had these airbrushed flames and skull business going on haha. and the whole bus ride the bus driver was blasting this like techno electro funky polka music. it was quite a bus ride haha.
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| finally getting ice cream for breakfast :) also checj the mountain of maruchan in the background, thats what you live off of when youre a poor missionary haha |
but anyways it was super funny because we showed up to the conference a few minutes late and we pulled into the stake center parking lot and all the doors and windows were open so that everyone in the stake could see the "Punisher Angel" rolling in blasting its music and i'm sure they all were thinking "op, here comes apatzingan" hahah it was pretty funny. because it was during a special musical number apparently and everyone turned their attention to the other special musical number that had just rolled into the stake center. its a sight and scene i wish you all could have seen and witnessed, it was great haha. but anyways thats my funny other little story that i wanted to share with you. i hope you all are doing well and stoked for the upcoming general conference. i know i personally am, because well be able to sit in the nice air conditioned church building hahah and to listen to the prophet and apostles of course too. i'll be keeping you all posted on how things are going with alberto and cesar and their other family members are doing. alright well have a great week folks and hope that all is well! love you and take care till next monday!!!
much love from mexico,
Elder Maccarthy
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