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| Cristina's Baptism Day Elder Wheadon - Cristina - Kaitlyn - Elder Ipson |
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 9:20 AM
Kentucky, wow....
So, guess what happens my first week here in Kentucky!? I get a baptism! Yeah, I kind-of robbed the cradle on this one, but this doesn't mean I didn't have my stress getting this baptism set up! Everything was crunched up to the last minute to get set up. We were making the program 3 hours away from the baptism, and filling the font 2 hours away! To top things off the hot water heater needs to rest every five minutes to build up more hot water. With these variables going on the stars were aligning for a "memorable" baptism. So with those two hours of filling the font we were trying to do everything else to get ready for the baptism. Hoping that the font would be filled on time. We were running hysterically turning water on, setting up chairs, turning off the water, copying programs, turning on the water, throwing refreshments together, turning of the water, realizing there was twenty minutes left, turning the water back on, and hurrying up and waiting. When 1 P.M. the time of the baptism came around the fount could hold a baptism. Comfortable by any means, no, but it could be done!
Fortunately for us Hispanic members run on "Hispanic Mormon Standard Time". Thus giving us 20 more minutes until the baptism actually started. With this luck we kept the font filling with water. After twenty minutes the font room was full of people ready to see the baptism of Cristina. However there was a problem... Cristina wasn't there.... She had spent the night up in Fairfield with her Sister Angela and was coming down for the baptism when they got lost in the freeway system of Cincinnati. (If there's anything I have a hatred for it's any road in Cincinnati. Next to that it's the $10 dollar parking you get swindled into.) So we were another 40 minutes till the start of the Baptism. A detail I forgot is that Hermano Wilson, an old Army Colonel was there to baptize Cristina. (He was my last ward Mission Leader) I had a hard time telling him that she was going to be late, especially when he needed to be to work by three.
You thought the stars were aligned for disaster, but to top it off, the level of the water in the font started to go down! So here's this full room of people waiting for a baptism, a half full font, a stern Army man, and two hay-wire missionaries trying to coordinate this all! Insanity!
Finally Cristina came, and quickly got dressed, and took her seat. The font finished filling and was Luke-warm. And the baptism played out perfectly! There truly was no flaw to the actual baptism. There was a great Spirit, and I hope Cristina's husband Luiz felt it. We have been working hard to get him on-date. He keeps all of the Commandments, pays his tithing, but he wants to know for a surety he is ready. He just doesn't know that he is... If you could, could you please put Luiz Servin's name in the temple. That would be glorious!
Life here in this branch is crazy. We are a small branch, we are barely big enough to fill the Relief Society Room. (That's where we meet for Sacrament) To top it all off 3 solid families are picking up and heading out to Texas! We going to try and brace ourselves for this by hitting up the Prospective Elders and try and fill the Priesthood spots that will be left vacant. It'll be crazy, but the Lord is on our side!
Love you all, and hope you have recovered from the Marathon!
Para Siempre,Elder A. Ipson
The Great Ohio Columbus Mission
