I am sure you agree, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and then have the courage and faith to follow Him by obeying His commandments, we receive blessings from God. In fact, as our worthiness improves, Our Father in Heaven entrusts us with even more opportunities and blessings. The scriptures teach that many of our blessings are a direct result of particular commandments we are faithfully observing. Sometimes our Father blesses us in times of need because of our faith and prayers. And then on certain occasions, our loving Heavenly Father blesses us when we may least expect it, in ways that may first seem small or coincidental but with spiritual sensitivity, they prove to be significant ways that serve to prove that He loves us and is aware of our every need.
Over thirty years ago, I was sent as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Philadelphia Spanish Speaking Mission. About half way through my two years of service, I was sent with a companion to open Atlantic City, New Jersey for the preaching of the gospel to the Hispanics that lived in the ghetto called the "inlet". The Lord blessed us with success and we soon found a beautiful family led by a strong single mother named Maira Concepcion. We had some wonderful opportunities to teach her and her five children and the Lord blessed us with His Holy Spirit which led to the family’s conversion. Like many who find the truth and the joy that it brings, they soon introduced us to their neighbors and family, hoping these loved ones would also recognize and want the same blessings.
One who accepted this invitation was Maira’s sister Nelia. She was married with two sons and had lived a very difficult and trying life. She recognized the truth quickly, and loved the hope she discovered in learning God’s plan of happiness for us all. She began to understand that she was a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father who loved her just the way she was. She progressed quickly but so did the opposition from her husband, children and especially the local minister. She was told lies and exaggerations about us and the Church we represented. Amidst all this, she continued in faith because she was experiencing a peace she had never felt before. The Holy Spirit testified to her mind and in her heart that she had worth and value before God, and that she could change her station in life by accepting Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and Redeemer. Although her family was not on board themselves, they finally realized that her quest for truth and happiness was too strong and so they finally came to accept if not approve of her joining the church.
The day for her baptism finally arrived which made my companion and I both excited and nervous. You see, our congregation did not have a meeting house of our own so we did not have the baptismal font that is available in most Mormon chapels. So, many of the baptisms took place miles away with some substantial travel required. But most of these wonderful brothers and sisters that lived in the ghettos and barrios did not own cars, which made traveling to the nearest chapel difficult and a burden. Thankfully, a family in the congregation offered their above ground swimming pool for her baptism to more easily accommodate the family and church members that wanted to attend. The problem was that it was late February or early March and the weather was still cold and wet. We held the baptismal service in the family’s warm living room but when it came for the actual baptism, I escorted Nelia out into the bitter cold. It was then that I started feeling worried and embarrassed. I thought to myself, "What does she think she’s getting herself into? I promised her so many blessings for joining Christ's church, and here we are, standing in the cold walking out to a run-down above ground swimming pool while her family and friends were in the house far away pressed against the windows to watch. Certainly not the wonderful experience I had pictured nor hoped for her."
Then, it got worse. As I climbed up the ladder and lowered myself into the pool, the water was so cold that it took my breath way. Literally, I could not speak. I tried smiling at Nelia and put my hand out to help her get into the pool but all along, I was fighting to catch my breath. I felt embarrassed and frankly irresponsible for leading her down into the frigid water. Well, in hopes of lessening the cold shock for poor Nelia, as soon as she entered the water, I somehow was able to muster these words (in Spanish) while my teeth chattered, “Nelia Munoz, having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen." Again I cringed and my heart sank as I pushed her down to completely immerse her in the cold water. Afraid for her health, I practically yanked her back up and lifted her out of the pool in one fluid motion. She came to rest in the waiting arms of my companion who held a dry towel to wrap her in at the edge of the pool.
While dressing back in the house, I kept thinking to myself, “What a disaster, Nadia must think this was a joke. What were we thinking trying to perform a baptism under such circumstances.” My embarrassment over the situation grew minute by minute. When dressed, I met her in the hall and I asked if she was all right. Before she could answer I started apologizing for the cold water and for the weather and for my insensitivity in planning her baptism outside at this time of year. She had heard enough and I remember her saying in a calm and hushed voice, “Elder Rockwood, stop! I felt no cold. Everything is fine, I am happy, I felt no cold. God made the water warm for me!”
What happened to Nadia in the pool that day was a small miracle, what the scriptures refer to as "Tender Mercies of the Lord." Even though I did not have the faith to notice or be blessed by it, Sister Nadia was shown there and then, that her Father in Heaven loved her and knew how important this baptism was for her, and physically blessed her to withstand the natural elements. It left me to realize that the only thing I should have been embarrassed about that day was my own lack of faith.
Elder Bednar of the quorum of the twelve related a sweet story about tender mercies of the Lord that I love. In only his second general conference address, just six months after he was called and ordained a modern day apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, he said he was incredibly nervous about speaking as an apostle for the very first time. And right before he was to speak, President Gordon B Hinkley invited everyone to stand and sing the hymn, 'Redeemer of Israel' . Elder Bednar could not believe his ears. Although he had nothing to do with the choice of the hymn and new that it had been chosen weeks before without his knowledge, it was his favorite hymn. If he had been invited to suggest a hymn, he would have selected it in hopes it would bring him comfort and strength.
He said, “Tears filled my eyes as I stood with you to sing that stirring hymn of the Restoration. Near the conclusion of the singing, to my mind came this verse from the Book of Mormon: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Ne. 1:20).
He continued, "My mind was drawn immediately to Nephi’s phrase “the tender mercies of the Lord,” and I knew in that very moment I was experiencing just such a tender mercy. A loving Savior was sending me a most personal and timely message of comfort and reassurance through a hymn selected weeks previously. Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them."
I will always remember the manifestation of God's tender mercies at the above ground pool. It testified that God is in the Heaven. That He is a loving Heavenly Father who knows us individually and is able and willing to share His tender mercies if we have the courage to look for and recognize them. I can't help but remain Standing All Amazed.
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