What a busy and exciting day in the baptistry! This week another large group of faithful Saints took the 13 hour taxi ride from Mozambique to join us at the Durban temple. The church provides a VW bus taxi with a trailer for luggage. We have patron housing on the temple grounds for them to allow for two full days of service since the journey is so far and they are not able to come that often. Usually this requires a four day trip to the temple, and an interpreter since they all speak Portuguese and not much, if any, English— no easy feat! Some even are illiterate which presents challenges. President Baldwin shared that there will be more of the Saints from Mozambique coming to our temple since we have Portuguese interpreters which makes for a better experience for the patrons. He challenged us all to brush up on our Portuguese!
This week the faithful Portuguese members arrived on Monday from their long ride. Tuesday was a full and beautiful day doing their own initiatories, endowments and sealings to their spouse and then, for those able to bring their family, sealings to their children.
Photo: On- site patron housing.
Wednesday the patrons had the opportunity to do work for their ancestors. Some had 2 or 3 names they had prepared, some more. The more senior brother of the group, Brother Pondja (right side of pictures with Doug, and Brother Chambal on left) had prepared 12 family names. The temple staff was concerned for him to be baptized so many times at once, especially after the long trip to the temple and a full day the day before. He told the interpreter in Portuguese that he wanted to try to do all 12 names for his ancestors. After doing about 8 baptisms, he was getting tired and his knee floated up and so he needed to re-do that ordinance which now would require 13 immersions. The staff was getting concerned and asked him if he was ready to stop, He asked how many more names. Four more names! He said, “More!” And would not stop til all his names were done. He was determined to accomplish his goal! He reminded us of Nephi when given the difficult task of getting the plates from Laban in our scripture study this week.
1 Nephi 3: 13-15
13 And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.
14 But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.
15 But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.
Let us all be more like Nephi and Brother Pondja, courageously going about our day, accomplishing those things which the Lord doth require.