Elder Christiansen, Elder Watson and Elder Carter
Dear President Winn,
Well this week was quite interesting. We had been planning on having a baptism with a very solid investigator. But it didn't work out. So we were left to our own devices and dependant upon the Lord. We made plans to have our baptism at 7:00pm on Saturday night. We made plans for the next few days and we went around to former investigators and prayerfully studied and enacted chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel. Saturday rolls around and we still didn't have anyone to baptize. So we planned very carefully as to use our time wisely. We scoped out all the people that would be able to go into a baptism interview and meet the requirements for baptism, including former investigators, ward unbaptized lists, and we even tried asking some of our investigators who had a baptism date in February if they would like to move their baptism sooner, and change their date to that day. All that availeth us nothing.
So we followed through with all of our plans for that day. After dinner we went to the Stake Center and filled the baptismal font with water for the baptism. We still didn't know who it was that would be baptized. We had our district leader, Elder Bosley, come to the church so that he could interview the person who would be baptized. We still didn't know who that would be. We waited a while and sang some hymns and did some silent, personal and companion prayer. Then one of our former investigators, Catherine, came to mind. She had never accepted a baptismal invitation before, and she had asked us not to come over because she wasn't feeling well. Well, something that Elder Green had said came to mind. "The Lord sends prepared people to his prepared servants." If we were to be totally prepared servants then we needed to do everything in our power to make this baptism happen. So I gave Catherine a call. She answered groggily and I asked how she was.
"I am in bed," she replied. I thought that it was as good a time as any to ask the question. "Catherine, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God?"
"When?" she asked.
"Tonight," I replied.
We did a little bit of talking about her being ready to make this commitment, and she said, "Yes, but only if President Rupp will baptize me."
"Done," I said.
I called our Stake President, President Rupp, and got him on his way down to the building, after which we let the bishop know what was going on and made a few phone calls to get a small group of ward members there for the baptism. We picked Catherine up about five minutes later. So it all fell into place around 8:50 and we started the baptismal service. Elder Watson gave a great talk on baptism. Catherine walked into the font and President Rupp baptized her at 9:00 on Saturday, January 29, 2011. That was as intense an 8:50 experience as there ever will be! The rush was a little more than going head to head with a 330-pound Defensive-End from Georgia for four quarters! The Lord definitely made that happen and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Standard of Excellence is no longer just a set of numbers, but the Lord has consecrated what you have said, President Winn, and I will never forget it.
Elder Carter
Well this week was quite interesting. We had been planning on having a baptism with a very solid investigator. But it didn't work out. So we were left to our own devices and dependant upon the Lord. We made plans to have our baptism at 7:00pm on Saturday night. We made plans for the next few days and we went around to former investigators and prayerfully studied and enacted chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel. Saturday rolls around and we still didn't have anyone to baptize. So we planned very carefully as to use our time wisely. We scoped out all the people that would be able to go into a baptism interview and meet the requirements for baptism, including former investigators, ward unbaptized lists, and we even tried asking some of our investigators who had a baptism date in February if they would like to move their baptism sooner, and change their date to that day. All that availeth us nothing.
So we followed through with all of our plans for that day. After dinner we went to the Stake Center and filled the baptismal font with water for the baptism. We still didn't know who it was that would be baptized. We had our district leader, Elder Bosley, come to the church so that he could interview the person who would be baptized. We still didn't know who that would be. We waited a while and sang some hymns and did some silent, personal and companion prayer. Then one of our former investigators, Catherine, came to mind. She had never accepted a baptismal invitation before, and she had asked us not to come over because she wasn't feeling well. Well, something that Elder Green had said came to mind. "The Lord sends prepared people to his prepared servants." If we were to be totally prepared servants then we needed to do everything in our power to make this baptism happen. So I gave Catherine a call. She answered groggily and I asked how she was.
"I am in bed," she replied. I thought that it was as good a time as any to ask the question. "Catherine, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God?"
"When?" she asked.
"Tonight," I replied.
We did a little bit of talking about her being ready to make this commitment, and she said, "Yes, but only if President Rupp will baptize me."
"Done," I said.
I called our Stake President, President Rupp, and got him on his way down to the building, after which we let the bishop know what was going on and made a few phone calls to get a small group of ward members there for the baptism. We picked Catherine up about five minutes later. So it all fell into place around 8:50 and we started the baptismal service. Elder Watson gave a great talk on baptism. Catherine walked into the font and President Rupp baptized her at 9:00 on Saturday, January 29, 2011. That was as intense an 8:50 experience as there ever will be! The rush was a little more than going head to head with a 330-pound Defensive-End from Georgia for four quarters! The Lord definitely made that happen and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Standard of Excellence is no longer just a set of numbers, but the Lord has consecrated what you have said, President Winn, and I will never forget it.
Elder Carter
What an amazing experience! You guys have some wonderful missionaries. And it's pretty cool to know that the Lord really is consecrating your mission. How does it feel to have so much backing to your words, Dad?
ReplyDeleteI love you guys. Missionaries rock! :)