Ch. 76 Reinforcements Have Arrived

Chapter 76: Reinforcements Have Arrived

After the gruesome battle scene that we saw last week, we decided to go into this week much better prepared—ready for the battle. Not to mention, we had a Talent Show to plan! Yes, it was our turn to plan the ward activity, and we were so excited to put on an awesome talent show, but I´ll get back to that in a minute. We went to Nicole´s house last Monday night to figure out why she had left for Barcelona to party instead of coming to her own baptism. When we walked into her house, there was a very different spirit there, but don´t worry. It was a good change. It ended up being a miracle that she made those decisions so she could feel the consequences of choosing the wrong before baptism. She even asked us for a copy of Preach My Gospel so she could prepare for a mission. . She seemed like a completely different person: more mature, more spiritually-in tuned, etc. She told us that she experienced some pretty tough things while she was gone and that she wanted to be baptized immediately. Hermana Vaziri and I just looked at each other with a little bit of worry in our eyes. The last time she wanted to be baptized immediately.... we asked her when she wanted to be baptized and she looked us right in the eyes and said, “Tomorrow.” Uh.... “Or... Saturday.” Ok, Saturday we could do. We could put together a baptism in four days, but over night is a little hard. So, we decided we were going to go to her house every day so that she would have a little bit of spiritual nourishment every day. So, Hermana Vaziri taught us how to make fudge all together before our Family Home Evening (which is when she announced to all the young adults that she really was getting baptized), and we did her hair for a date... however. We did have a scare after the date. She went to Barcelona again and didn´t come home for 3 days!! We felt a little bit better because she had permission from her mom, but she was cutting it really close, and we didn´t want her to be with all her friends and all the temptations right before her baptism. So we prayed a lot, and then had to focus on our talent show. We spent a couple days putting up stars and moons in the church because it was the Noche de Talentos (night of talents...uh talent night? Is that better?) and then we were helping the young adults put together their talents. They wanted to do a skit, so we were trying to be original. We weren´t coming up with something funny for a skit, and then it came to us: synchronized swimming. It was hilarious. We got blue sheets and we held them up in front of the stage while they did a “synchronized swimming routine.” Hermana Vaziri and I ended up dancing a country dance, and they made me sing as well, but the young adults really stole the show. It was really a fun night, and we had a great turn out. However, we were exhausted when it came time for baptism planning.... but we were determined to be more prepared this time. We were not going to let Satan have any room to come squeezing in and chilling her feet! No more cold feet baptisms! So, we called in reinforcements. Yes, it was time to call in our miracle worker... Marta! Our last recent convert has turned into our best assistant here. (She just got called as a Relief Society teacher and Young Women Camp Director—she´s an angel. Oh and just a bragging moment. She got called as the camp director 5 days before girls camp. (What a champ.) Anyway, we called her in, and bless her heart; she pretty much babysat Nicole all day for her baptism. Nicole thought we had planned a secret girls day out with her to honor her baptism....but really we just wanted to make sure she was accompanied by someone responsible who had the spirit all day. While we went crazy looking for ingredients to make the desired chocolate cupcakes, Marta took her out to lunch, then to buy cupcake decorations, and then to her house to pick out clothes for her baptism. We were so grateful for her by the end of the day. However, the cupcakes have a long miraculous story. Ok, not that long and not that miraculous, but you know. Vilafranca is in the middle of their biggest celebration for the entire year, and so all the stores are closed. So, when Nicole asked us to make chocolate cupcakes, it slipped our minds that we didn´t have chocolate powder or eggs. So the hunt began to find these items. We were about ready to call our elders that live a half hour away to pick us some of the ingredients when we thought of Jose Luis´ parents (our UNO family). They live right next to us, so we decided we would try it out. Exhausted, and about ready to die, we were soon given not only our eggs and cocoa powder, but a few recipes to try, powdered sugar to make frosting, and a huge plate of food for lunch. They were our little angels. Oh! And don´t forget the ice cream. Even though they aren´t members, I think they got some major bonus points with Heavenly Father for giving His servants a scoop of ice cream on a hot, crazy day.  Anyway, we made the cupcakes and flew together everything we needed, and met Marta and Nicole at the church so they could start decorating the cupcakes while we filled up the font and got the program done. Besides the fact that the printer wouldn´t work to print out the programs, everything was going really smoothly. As soon as the program started, the spirit just filled the room. Marta shared her testimony, and it honestly just brought tears to my eyes to see how much she has flourished in the gospel in just a short amount of time. After Hermana and I sang, we went to the font, and as Nicole and Bishop stepped in, he put up his arm to say the baptismal prayer, but then she put up her hand indicating that she needed a moment. We all just sat there and felt the spirit fill the room, and we watched her brush two big crocodile tears from her cheeks. She had finally felt the love that God had for her. As she went under the water, it was almost like you could feel her leaving her rough past behind her, and starting over new. One of my favorite parts of baptisms is asking them how they feel in the bathroom before they change. She explained that right before she went in the water, she could feel all the bad feelings she had ever had just leave her, and she just felt clean. It was really sweet when she bore her testimony too. It was one of the most spiritual baptisms that I´ve had. However, nothing can go perfect.... after the baptism we were panicked for time to drain the font, and the thing to drain it stopped working. So, we all joined together and grabbed bucket after bucket of water and carried them to the sink. I´m just grateful that no one slipped and fell... it was kind of fun though.  Also, to add to the craziness of the week we taught Quianbin the rest of the lessons he needed to know for his baptism. It was....so easy. Satan doesn´t touch our Chinese man.  We had to get creative in our teaching, so we pretty much straight up read the lessons with him while he followed along in Chinese. It was so funny though. When we taught the Word of Wisdom he was like, “This. This is easy. I no smoke. I no drink. Next.” hahaha Then when we asked him if he was ready to keep the law of chastity, he looked at me as though I were Potifer´s wife provoking him in the flesh. He was horrified that I would even question him. He´s just the best. He reads and studies more about his baptism than anyone I have ever seen. Should have expected as such from the Chinese....He´s great! So, even though Satan thought he had us beat last week, he should have thought twice before he crossed the Hermanas de Vilafranca!! Les quiero a todos!!

Hermana Hopkins