ASK and Ye SHALL Receive

April 20, 2015

HELLO one and ALL! 

Conclusions from this week...ASK and ye SHALL receive, and The Church is TRUE!  But we will get to that in just a moment.  After all, everyone needs a little suspense in their lives. ;) 

Why did the chicken cross the road? 

There are many answers to this question, and DAILY here in Buena Fe I see at least one chicken cross the road.  HAHA, but really.  So the other day as I observed one crossing the road, I asked my companion..."Why did the chicken cross the road?"  She DIED laughing...she thinks I’m funny.  Well, just then a good old car came rushing down the road, and EVERYONE on the street started yelling at the chicken to move out of the way or it would die.  I think there was a genuine concern for the chicken amongst the people.  Well, it turns out this chicken understood our concern and started flying, but in the same direction the car was going so it was just a race to see who was faster.  I am no physics major but I think the car would win.  In the end, the chicken´s tail was severed by the front of the car and it was ALMOST just sucked right into the grill.  But don’t worry, no chickens were actually harmed that day.  

MABEL came back home!!!  It was just for one day, but we were beyond excited to see her.  She and her boyfriend want to get married NOW, but his company laid him off for 2 weeks, so they are hoping to find a new job here in Buena Fe.  Mabel started reading the Book of Mormon with him and she has basically become his personal missionary.  She has taught him and also her “in-laws” all about the gospel and who the MORMONS truly are.  So we are hoping and praying that all will end well with his new job and that they will be married soon!! 

Speaking of marriage...Cha CHUN CHUN CHUN (imagine the sound of wedding bells playing the tune, “Here comes the Bride”) FAMILIA ROMERO were finally married last Friday (and they sealed it with a kiss)!!!  Friday morning my companion and I were the wedding crew.  We did everything from makeup, to hair (straightening hair does not seem like a difficult task, but with this humidity IT IS), drying tears, matching shoes, baking a cake...the whole shabang!  Of course we loved every second of it. :D   

The happy couple and their witnesses
Hna Bartholomew, Jairon, Andreina, Hna Blacutt

You may now kiss the bride!

Familia Romero - the most adorable family!

The wedding ceremony itself was perfectly short and sweet and they were SO happy.  Afterwards they were immediately buzzing about their upcoming baptism the next day!  

Saturday evening came and we were setting everything up with the Elders (they also had a couple getting baptized so we combined their baptismal service with ours).  While we were filling out the agenda, Andreina and Jairon walked in with their faces GLOWING, all dressed up – Jairon even had on a white dress shirt and tie!  Then, just as we handed them their white baptism clothing so they could go change...BOOM!!!!!! The lights went out.  Yes.  The power went out in ALL of Buena Fe. 

Jairon and Andreina looked so bummed, thinking that they would have to wait another week if the power didn’t come back on.  I immediately felt the impression that we needed to say a prayer.  The entire week we had sent text messages to the members (I actually felt like we were in Newsies sending news to all the world...BAPTISM! BAPTISM! Come and join us!), and they had come out in force to support Jairon and Andreina for their baptism.  Using just the light from the shining screen of our tiny cell phone, we gathered AT LEAST a hundred people into the parking lot so we could offer a prayer. 

Elder Fernandez, from Chile, was chosen to say the prayer and it went something like this (from what I can remember because while he was praying I was also saying my own personal prayer pleading with our Heavenly Father)...

Our Dear Heavenly Father,

We need thy help.

4 of thy children are here today, ready to enter into the waters of baptism.

They are worthy and prepared to do so. 

You know that we do not have any light, but we want them to enter into YOUR light.  

We plead with thee that with thy power, that the power will come back on. 

All these things we pray for, asking humbly if that it is thy will,

In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN. 

The crowd repeated, “AMEN” and timidly opened their eyes to see if the prayer had truly worked.  Everyone could not help but open their mouths and GASP in unison because after we had all said “AMEN”, the power IMMEDIATLEY came back on.  However, we noticed something peculiar - the lights on the streets were not the first to flicker on, but rather the lights inside of the CHURCH were illuminated first. 

We all stood there in silence, not knowing what to say, when my favorite little primary-aged girl from the ward innocently said, “IT WORKED! IT WORKED! HE HEARD OUR PRAYER!”  

My favorite little friend stuck with me while we were without light

Yes, HE did hear our prayer!  My eyes filled with tears as I recognized that I had just witnessed a true miracle from our Heavenly Father.  Peace filled my heart, and I KNEW that God absolutely knows us, and answers our prayers.  I will never forget that moment, EVER EVER EVER!  

I wish to exclaim this to ALL the world, that God hears our prayers.  

Once Jairon and Andreina were baptized, they both couldn’t help but shed a few tears as they knew that GOD knows them.  He had stepped in with a miracle for them.  They expressed their joy that evening in knowing that they were now CLEAN.  They had entered the water of baptism - willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, and obey the commandments.  They knew that GOD had also completed his part – and that they were CLEAN.  

After the baptism - celebrating with some of their many new friends

As new converts they needed to wait until Sunday during Sacrament Meeting to be confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  But Jairon and Andreina came a little late yesterday to church because they had stopped on their way to share this happiness with one of their best friends.  And, as luck would have it, the talks went really long in Sacrament Meeting, so there wasn’t enough time for their confirmation.  They will have to wait until this coming Sunday, but they are SO excited!  They are also already counting down the days until they can be sealed in the temple!  HAHA they are the cutest! 

AHH, I can’t get over that miracle that I witnessed.  ASK and ye SHALL receive!! And then REJOICE EVERMORE. 

LOVE YOU ALL! 

Hermana Bartholomew 

Just in case you have forgotten how much rice we eat! ;)