Miracles happened this week and it's only through faith and prayer that I know that miracles are possible.
This week we constantly worked with one family in order for them to be baptized this week. Here in Mexico, there are three things we have to ensure during the first meeting: the Word of Wisdom, the Sabbath Day and the Law of Chastity. The hardest one for people here in Mexico is the Law of Chastity. It's really expensive for people here to be legally married--thousands of pesos--and that's a lot to the people here in Mexico. Therefore, this week was totally focused on this family. They had to be married this week.
To be married, the couple must first have a blood test, they must have a meeting with a professional counselor, have papers signed by a doctor and then with all that done, they can go to the Civil Registry to be married. This week we had to get all of this done, and it's not fun at all.
Wednesday we went planned to go to the blood testing center and finish one part of the process. We showed up to their house at 5:30 to take them, after all of our work that day. As we arrived, we were told by the brother that the testing place closed early on Wednesdays. But we had to get the tests done that day, so we all went with faith and said a prayer that we would be able to get the tests done and the results that same day. Each of us said a prayer in our hearts. We headed on the public bus, with the family to Periferico, a big mall, to get their blood tested. We arrived at the place and to our surprise it was still open! We entered and asked the people if we could get the tests done. As we presented all the information that we had for the tests, the brother realized that he didn't have his ID. Again, we each said a prayer in our hearts that we would be able to get the tests done that night. The doctors trusted this brother's word and we were able to proceed with the tests. Afterward, we were told that it would be over an hour to process the tests and to get the results. So, we headed into the mall and hoped that they could get the results before closing in an hour. We took the family out to Pizza Hut and then returned to check right before they closed and the tests were ready and we were able to receive the results before the day was over. But that wasn't the end of the answered prayers.
Thursday pulled around. The day for the meetings. We picked the family up in the morning, with the help of a member, and we went downtown to find this place for the meetings. That morning, my companion and I prayed that everything would work out and specifically that we would be able to get it done the next day. That morning we received word that the Civil Registry would be closed on Saturday. This put a small panic in our mind knowing that we would have to do everything faster. We finally found the place to have the meeting and found out the schedule for them. We found out that the meetings were held twice a day, each for one hour. One meeting in the morning at 9:00 and one in the afternoon at 2:00. Worrying that we missed the times, we glanced over and the clock right as it struck 2:00. A miracle happened. We were able to find the building just in time to arrive inside right when the meeting was about to start.
Friday. Our day of complete rush as we worked hard to get this couple married so they could be baptized. With the help of another brother in the ward, we were able to make it to the Civil Registry in the morning. The building was packed as people registered their children over their names and as people we filing papers to get married. We entered and found the line. It was extremely long and the process to marry two people takes a long time, and each couple needs 4 witnesses. As we waited we shared quick gospel messages with the people around us. An hour later, we finally made it to the desk and we finally able to breathe. Well . . . almost. You see we forgot one part that we thought we had. That was the doctor's note, signed by any doctor, don't ask me, I don't know what it was for.
We frantically rushed out of the building to find the nearest pharmacy to find a pharmacist. We rushed around the block and found a pharmacy close, but their was no doctor. We exited and stood at the corner, looking down every street to see if we could find another pharmacy, and we couldn't so we just started walking, hoping to find another one. At this moment, I said a prayer in my heart that we would be able to find a way to get to the pharmacy and back, and right as that happened we heard someone honking their horn at us. We turned to see someone in their car, across the street yelling at us, but not in a mean way. He beckoned for us to come and see him. We crossed the street and he told us that he was a member of the church from a different ward and stake and had a prompting to stop and ask if we needed help. We told him about our situation and he gave us a ride to the nearest pharmacy. We finished there in 10 minutes or less and rushed to the Civil Registry to get this couple finally married. And, to say the least, they are now civilly married and we are baptizing them on Saturday!!
My testimony and experience with the power of prayer grew an amazing amount this week. Saturday and Sunday, as we walked the streets, my mind would think about the topic of prayer and the great things that happen when we pray. There is something I though of that is really cool about prayer, this is just an idea and thought, not a doctrine:
We experience time as a constant. We can try the best we can but we will never be able to stop, reverse, or fast forward time, that's just life. But our Father in Heaven doesn't, time for Him is a variable, which means He can change it and look at the past, present, and future whenever he would like. When we pray, we are asking our Father in Heaven to help us, we essentially can change the future when we ask the Father and if it be His will. When we understand the great power that prayer holds we will understand that with faith and prayer, we can do anything. Our Father in Heaven just turns back the pages of time and sweaks something very small in the past, which changes the
path of the future and makes it possible for us to do anything because anything is possible when we ask God.
I know these things are true and I know that as we pray, miracles are possible. When we pray we are asking Someone that can do anything, just to do something small for us. And since He loves us more than we can possibly imagine, we are blessed with the power to do anything through our works and out faith. I know it works and I challenge you to pray with a real intent to follow through with whatever happens and I know, for a fact, that you will be blessed. I love this work and I pray for each of you every night because I know how much this gospel and the Atonement can change our lives.
--
Elder Corom Jones
"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." (Prayer, Bible Dictionary)
No comments:
Post a Comment