Fwd: Letter to Family Feb 24, 2014

[Tim Stay]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zachary Stay <zachar...@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 9:37 AM
Subject: Letter to Family Feb 24, 2014
To: Tim Stay <tim...@gmail.com>, Dalita Stay <lita...@gmail.com>

Hello Friends and Family!

So I got changed! I´m now a Zone Leader in Hunter, (which is in Arequipa, but it´s more rural than my last area). My companion is going to go home next change. He´s an excellent missionary (I´ve been with him before), and I´m excited to be with him

The past week in District Meetring, we talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon, and not only for our investigadors, but ourselves. We need to have a living growing testimony of the Book of Mormon- who do you want to teach you to drive- someone that hasn´t driven in months, or someone who drives all the time? And it´s the same with the Book of Mormon. If we want to be able to better help our investigadors gain their testimonies, than we need to be constantly be growing our own. We listened to "Safety for the Soul" from Elder Holland- it´s one of my very favorite talks, because it is so powerful, so firm, so sure of what he really knows. 

We also had a miraculous experience with 2 of our investigadors. They are parents of an incredible young man that goes on his mission tomorrow. They had their interview Tuesday, and the person that intreviewed them told us that the Mother was ready- she knew it was true, and that she desired to have her son baptize her. But the Father knew that it was true and necessary,  but said " I want to wait a little longer". The mother said that she was going to work on him and try to help him to do it so that they could do it together. At the farewell of the son on Thursday, the father invited everyone to the baptism, but said that he was going to take a little longer. The next day, we went to their house and talked with him. He told us that he wanted a sign that now was the time to do it.

We told him flat out- "God has done his part. He has answered your prayers, and you know that this church is true and that you need to be baptized. And of course now is the time- does God want to wait to give you blessings? And what better time to commit than with your wife, and being able to have your son batpize you? But really, truly, it is your decision. We are going to bring an extra pair of white clothing for you, so that if you decide, even at the last moment, you can join your wife in making this sacred covenant." 

And we left it at that. We didn´t challenge him, or ask him- we just left the option open. 

Saturday is the baptism. He and his wife come with their son, and when they came, the son realized that he had forgotten his white shirt to baptize. As he was leaving out the door, I went close to him and told him "bring a shirt for your Dad too." We had brought clothes for the three of them, but we were missing a shirt for the Dad. 

So they come back, the mother and son change, and we start to take pictures of them in white, alone, and with the family, and with us, and with the 40 members that were there too. We come to the room, and we start the meeting- and as we start, the father stands up and says " Do you have another pair of pants?" 

The Spirit was strongly there in that moment. He changed quickly, and came back. He told us that as he watched his wife and his son take the pictures, he said that she looked so alone, and he said that he felt like he needed to take this important step with her. It was incredible. 

So then, we have a few talks, and we move to the baptism itself. They go to open the door- and it´s locked. We struggle for the keys, but we don´t have them and the bishop isn´t there. We start calling people like crazy looking for keys, while another member went to go look for some, but another member looked at the baptismal door, looked above, and saw that there was a glass planes that opened and shut and could be removed. He removed them, then took one of the lankier young men, and had him stretch through the window to open the door. Ha! Take that adversary! It was really funny and fitting one way or another.

So they both got baptized, and got confirmed the next day. I am so incredibly grateful for the Spirit that can work in the lives of people, and for the opportunity to work in this work so full of miracles.

I love you all!

Elder Stay