Elder Calvin B Smith Email 10/11/2010

Dear Family,
This past week we were privileged to aid in the baptism of Marcus White! He is twelve years old and his sister is a member but neither of his parents are. The young men played a key role in his conversion and fellow-shipping, they were involved in the entire teaching process. This last Saturday was his baptism. We got to the church at 6pm to fill the font for the 8:30pm baptism. The hot water at the church doesn't work so well, so it takes about 2 hours to fill up the font. At 6pm there was also a high priest social. We started filling the font at 6pm and at 6:20pm there was a spill on the floor in the gym from the high priest social, so the high priest group leader went to fill a bucket of water to mop it up. He came back and said that the church had no water. None of the drinking fountains, bathrooms or fixtures worked in the church, but the font kept filling up. By 8:00pm someone checked the waterline outside and realized that the waterline to the church had broken, none of the water worked in the church, except the font, which kept on filling up. When the font was full we shut it off and had a wonderful baptismal service. All of the young men in the ward sang "We'll Bring the World His Truth" and recited the Aaronic Priesthood purpose before the baptism. Both of the talks were given by young men in the ward that Marcus was friends with. His parents loved the baptism. While Marcus and the Young Men's President who baptized him changed out of their wet clothes we watched several of the "Mormon Messages". It was a great baptism. Afterwards, while we were cleaning up, I checked to see if the water was still not working the the rest of the building. It was not. I checked to see if the water for the baptismal font still worked, it would not. We all had witnessed nothing less than a miracle. He who is the source of "living water" had provided water so that one of His precious children might be baptized and begin a major segment of his journey back to the Father of us all.

I know that this is where I need to be at this time in my life, and there is no other place I would rather be right now. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. I know that His Father is God, Eloheim, the Father of us all. The worth of of every soul is great in the eyes of God, that is why it is His work and glory to bring us back into His presence as resurrected beings filled with light and glory, to live with Him for all eternity. I am thankful for the privilege I have now to invite others to come unto Christ through baptism. I know that God has revealed himself to Joseph Smith in these latter days and has restored precious truths that are necessary for us to receive all the blessings that God has in store for us.

I pray for you all.

Love,
Elder Calvin Smith