Also on the "high high" side is seeing more fruit from our labors. A new family was baptized into the church the weekend of November 24. Yes, it did take a whole weekend to get the job done. Virgil was baptized on Saturday, and Willie Mae and Catherine were baptized on Sunday afternoon. Unbeknown to us, and maybe to them also, Willie Mae and Catherine were terrified of the water. Neither of them had ever been in anything bigger than a bathtub! We learned afterwards that fear of the water in the black community is very common. There are really bad things in the Florida waters, such as water moccasins and alligators. Also, slaves were often deliberately drowned adding to a cultural predisposition to avoid water if at all possible. Willie Mae's cousin drowned which heightened their fear of drowning.
After a long attempt to coax them into the COLD water (which we promised would be WARM) we discontinued our efforts. The next day, after a nice lunch at our trailer, we took the family to the mission home where President Summerhays used his snorkeling mask to get them used to getting their faces and then their heads under the water. On the way to Tallahassee we all sang primary songs selected by Catherine from her new CD. Belinda, age 7 has a beautiful voice and proudly sang the newly learned songs for us. Catherine's favorite was ironically, "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission!" It was her 11th birthday.
When we arrived at the mission home, President and Sister Summerhays came outside to greet us. The house was toasty warm to make everyone feel very comfortable. President and Sister Summerhays gave the family a beautiful statute of "The First Vision" symbolic of Willie Mae's vision for her family.
What President Summerhays did was the most masterful example of charity, patience, long suffering, and meekness that we have ever witnessed. We wish we had a video of it, but even then one could not feel the power of what transpired that Sunday afternoon. It was the most beautiful example of honoring one's agency as a PREREQUISITE to influence, motivation, and trust. At every step of the process, his love and respect for their comfort level was paramount. He was like a brain surgeon, meticulously excising their fear one little centimeter at a time. He promised them that if they could not breathe out of the snorkeling breathing device he would give them $1000. Virgil shouted, "Don't breathe, Willie Mae! Don't breathe!"
Afterwards, we went over to the chapel next to the mission home to try again. The font was filled with about two feet of VERY WARM water. President Summerhays sat in the water where Willie Mae joined him. He gradually coaxed her on to her side and then to her stomach. He let her feel the water on her face, then slowly going a bit deeper with each try, until she was completely covered. Oh, what a joy to see the two of them sitting side by side in the water, quietly rejoicing in the glorious experience of baptism. We were all so moved that it was difficult to keep our cries of joy inside.
Then Catherine followed her mother's example without any fear whatsoever. She said, "I'm swimming, I'm swimming!" Afterwards, we shared testimonies with Virgil expounding some doctrine that was a bit mixed up with his former beliefs. President S said, "Well, Elder and Sister Z, you will continue to teach the Smith family for some time."
We all loaded up in the truck and sang more primary Christmas songs until both girls fell asleep on their parents laps, a celestial day complete.
More fruit of our labors involves the baptism on Saturday, December 15 of Elizabeth Groves, a single mom of three children under the age of three and a half. We are getting very attached to this family. Blue, the two-year old boy hangs on to Elder Z's leg crying uncontrollably every time we leave. The three and a half year old girl, Diamond, is perfectly matched to her name. She is a beautiful child. The baby, a six-month old baby girl named Ga'Daisha looks serene and smiles all the time. The angels are watching over her for sure.
Other good news about Virgil Smith and family: We found an attorney in Tallahassee who is filing a class action suit on behalf of Virgil and all of the other poor victims of a water softener scam in Gadsden County. The company sold $7,000 water softeners to poor people under the guise of testing their water, then sold the contracts to a predatory lending company at an exorbitant interest rate. Virgil had no clue what he had signed. Virgil also got all of his abscessed teeth pulled and is getting a new set of dentures next Monday, courtesy of a fabulous dentist and a good bishop.
We are teaching a few other people with very promising results. More on this later. Big day tomorrow.
We miss you all during this most beautiful of seasons as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ . We send our love and best wishes for a glorious holiday.
Elder and Sister Z
