The tender mercies of the lord come to us in different ways . . today I experienced one of those tender mercies as we did an interview. . . . We have been a little slower in getting interviews during the week this week but we are looking forward to this weekend when we will visit Ponce Stake for interviews.
Today we did an interview with a man who is a church employee here in Puerto Rico. Just as we were talking before we turned the tape on, we learned that he had been a Mission President. Wade usually uses different questions for an interview with a mission president and they usually go for a couple of hours . . . we were planning on one hour. His wife came in for the interview as well. We didn't ask many questions, we let them tell their experiences. It was wonderful!
This was one of the most spiritual interviews we have done together. Both the husband and his wife were baptized at age 8 into the church, so basically they were raised in the church.
Her grandmother had taken her to church when she was 6 along with her 3 siblings while her mother was away. Her mother had taken them to another church before this time. She remembers how nice everyone was to them and how she loved the song "I Am a Child of God". That began her testimony of our Savior at the age of 9. Her mother joined the church, as did her siblings and they were baptized. At age 16 she was called to work in the nursery. She has had callings over the years in primary and young women. She felt that this was in preparation for her calling to be the wife of a mission president. She told of many experiences in that calling and told of many miracles that had happened. One of those was when a missionary had fallen off of a 40 foot cliff. When they talked with him later, he told of the angels who helped him to a rock so he wouldn't be washed out to sea. Later it was discovered that those angels were family members who had passed on to the other side. Also, in the past 10 years or so, anyone falling from that cliff has died. Another miracle.
As this brother told his story of growing up in the church and his work life, just how he had been prepared to serve the Lord. He told us that when his parents and two older siblings were baptized. He was 6 years old and felt bad that he could not be baptized too. He watched from the shore of the ocean and felt so bad he couldn't be baptized too. A man put his arm around him and told him he would be baptized someday too. He was one of the first to be baptized in a building. The baptisms at that time were done in a swimming pool or in the ocean. When he was 16 he was called to be the president of his seminary class. They were studying the Book of Mormon that year and since he had not read it, he decided to read it himself and find out for himself if it was true. He took Moroni's promise to heart and knelt in his room and asked the Lord if this book was true. He said the answer came quickly as a warm feeling coming over him and he knew it was true. He has been a Bishop, Stake President, an Area Seventy, and Mission President. He worked for several companies before being contacted by an area authority to get his resume ready for a position that was coming up in the CES department. Then he served as the mission president. He is now working in Self Reliance for the church as an area representative. He too told us some experiences he had as a mission president. He told us it was so nice to have time to reflect on his experiences.
As we closed the interview both this brother and sister bore testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, and that our Savior, Jesus Christ lives and loves each one of us. He knows us. I was so moved by the spirit that was with us today. Each day we need to look for things, moment and experiences in our lives to increase our testimony.
I like this scripture that this couple referred to during the interview. . . . Ammon is glorifying the Lord:
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12
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| Cari Lu and Jorge Alvarado |
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