We baptized Conversion this week (in Spanish pronounced Conver-see-on) and it was one of the biggest and most satisfying moments of my life! As many, if not all you may know, I am in Matagalpa the very place where I began my life as a missionary. In my first six weeks I walked up and down the same mountains where I am now, and in those journeys I met Hermana Rosa and her family, including her husband Conversion. At that time only Rosa and her son were baptized, and Conversion was very anti-Mormon, for he was a member of another church and a leader of that church at that!
When I returned he had strayed from that church and was traveling throughout the country because he hated his family. But he fell and broke his wrist forcing him to return home. While he was gone my companion and I baptized one of his daughters and activated his wife. Two days after her baptism he came back in a cast and on bed rest.
I would like to add that a year ago he was also in a cast at that time because of a broken leg. That time too I tried with all my might to get him to join the church, but he worked me over with some different belief apostasy.
Fast forward to the same man and same missionary, one year later, I began to teach him again, this time with way more experience, so I did not try to convince him with knowledge of the scriptures and doctrine, but we taught him with a different approach, using the spirit to persuade him to repent. And it worked, from there he was humble enough to ask us with a sincere heart and real intent about the church, and we were able to teach him and explain to him the true doctrine of Christ, Faith, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion for the remission of sins, Laying on of hands for the gift of The Holy Ghost by those who hold the priesthood authority of God.
About two months ago I was going through a tough time because I was failing, I thought, and I was confused as to why God would send me here again, just to have me fail! So I asked him, "Why did you send me here again?" And He did answer.
Hermana Rosa´s family had lost all contact with missionaries and the church in between the time I left and the time I came back, no one visited them, so had God not been so wise and merciful to send me back, Conversion would have been prepared by God in vain. For God prepared him to receive the gospel, just as much as He prepared me to bring it to him.
I have taught Conversion with all 5 companions with whom I have shared this area. Once more I realize that try as we might in the end, God does the work and we are but the instruments in His hands, or as King Benjamin said "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." I am grateful to be the unprofitable servant of the Lord, because it is not my work but His work.
Love you all so much!!
Love Elder Morrison
No comments:
Post a Comment