Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Morning Breaks
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net>  May 2 at 11:48 AM
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HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT A WEEK!!!!  Two things that I have learned this week. 1. Satan is real. 2. God is at all times providing ways to bring forth is purposes in bringing his ransom children home. So lets begin with the week!

This week we got to see Grandpa Bill twice. One time he took us to a really good Sea food place with fried crab, fried oyster, fried catfish, fried shrimp. It was so good.

We also had FHE with sister Garza and bro Eric. It was really good. We did a lot of tracting and one of the last houses in the neighborhood was friends with our branch mission leader and his wife. We also saw Brain, Jose, and Mario. It was really good.

WELL...... To the story. On Tuesday we visted Aurora and the girls and scheduled their interview on Saturday at 3. They were telling us how Aurora makes them read the BOM every morning and read James 1:5. they said that testing has become so much more easier because of James 1:5. Aurora is an amazing for helping them! We got a phone call saturday morning from Aurora that Alex would be home so we could do the Baptism. Saturday morning we had a service project 20 miles south of New Iberia in a small town called Baldwin in our area with our branch mission leader to pick up trash for the city of Baldwin. After we finished we had lunch and then it started raining. Mama Fran our branch leaders wife told us we should leave before it gets too bad. Driving home was crazy!!!! It was raining in every direction the wind was blowing really bad. IT was probably the worst rain I had ever been in and I was driving in it HAHA. We came to an area where it was a farm land and fields and lighting was striking everywhere. It was really cool! We got to New Iberia safely but town was flooded! We could not get home. We went up on the railroad tracks on Jefferson Terrace and when we got to the top the road was flooded. Cars had there emergency lights on that must have been flooded. So we took another way. We got to E Dale where our apartment is and it was flooded. We were able to pull up on an area to be safe from the floods. We decided to walk to our complex which was also flooded. The water was to our knees!!! We were able to find a place we could get to and park and wait until the waters reseeded. Well we finally got a text we were on lockdown so the District leader couldn't come down from Lafayette. Finally around 5 the waters begin to drain so we could go get our car. Finally we get the clear around 6 that we can do the interview. The girls get interview first. We were still unsure if Aurora was going to get baptized. When I finished the girls records I asked her and she said she was going to ask Alex. When she went and asked he said he wanted to be baptized also!!!!!! WE COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!!! He was already qualified since he had been to church way more than three times and had been taught all of the lessons! Well we thought nothing could bring us down from there..... WE were wrong. It proved from then on to be the Refiners fire. We ran into a hurdle during Auroras interview. We understood why she was afraid to be baptized that made it so that President needed to interview her. He said he would come down on sunday so it could not be delayed. We finished all of the interviews at 9. Aurora came up to me and said Quiero usted a bautizar me porque usted mi hijo. That made me feel really good. So the next day came and it was raining hard again!!!! We made it to the church and planed the baptism and quickly as we could. We were unable to do programs. We went to go fill up the font and when we got to the font it was filled with sewage water coming from the drain. It was raining so much that water was coming up from the font. We said a prayer that the rain would stop or slow down so everyone could get to church and water would stop coming into the font. We plugged it and went to sacrament. Everyone was able to make it including President from Baton Rouge without any problems. During testimony meeting Alex went up and bore his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! He talked about the example  of his daughters and the happiness the church has brought them. After President did his interview with Aurora and we went to go fix the font. Water stopped coming from the drain but the font was a mess. We started taking buckets to take the water out. IT WAS NASTY!!!! By this time I was getting really really stressed but I had faith that the Lord would bring about his purpose. The branch president came in and said that even if we were to clean it how would it drain after we filled it. So he had it changed to the Lafayette building. After Auroras interview we ended up having interviews. It was really good. President kept talking about the 5 baptisms. We also had a temple recommend interview because my recommend expires this month. So we ended up to the Baptism with the Davis family just before we left a member without a car asked for a ride so we went to go pick him up. We got there 5 minutes before it was suppose to start. We ran into the bathrooms to change and trying to find a jumpsuit for Horrocks. We hurried and wrote down the program for our branch mission leader. Sister Hansen ran right in front to take a picture of us. We were able to take a picture in white with them just before the ordinace but I still have to get it from them.

The baptismal service was awesome. I got to Baptize Aurora and little Aurora and confirm Kayla, Mishelle, and Alex. It was so amazing! I felt like it was my parents and sisters also. I am so grateful for the inspiration that assigned me to New Iberia to meet this wonderful family. I love the Lomas family so much! I could not explain the joy that came to my heart. Coming back from the baptism there was a break in the clouds with some sun coming through the words of the hymn The Morning Breaks came to my mind.
1. The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day,
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.
2. The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory bursting from afar,
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o'er the nations soon will shine.
3. The Gentile fulness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand.
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.
4. Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live.
His mighty arm is making bare,
His mighty arm is making bare
His cov'nant people to receive.
5. --Angels from heav'n and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record borne;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth,
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth
To bring her ransomed children home

 
While the storms of life may surround us and it seems that all hope is lost. The Lord always brings about his purposes. There must be oppostistion in all things. I wouldn't have learned a lot of stuff I did had the baptism gone smoothly. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the peace and happiness it brings to families. I love my mission so much. Each day I understand more and more why I was called to the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission spanish speaking. The Church is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God. Thomas S. Monson is his successor today. The Book of mormon is true. May yall have an amazing week and may God keep yall safe!!!

Elder Richardson
 
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Brighten your day.