to be part of this…

wayne’s baptism. february 25, 2006.

i feel priviliged, honored, and blessed to know a man such as this. how could we have known that our first aquantaince would allow us to be part of this…a true change of heart.

we first met wayne a little less than a year ago. karin, a friend in our ward, brought him along to bring us dinner when ella had pneumonia. he seemed like a great guy. funny. happy. a lot like jeff. oddly enough, after they left, jeff realized that wayne worked at one of his doctor’s offices. small world. and so it began.

we loved getting to know him better this past year. he is a man of faith. he always has been. he was a devout member of his church–even recorded gospel music and invited us to attend one of his congregation’s live recordings. we’re talking hallelujah, amen bruthah, raise-the-roof worship here. and you know those people can sing. honestly, i didn’t think wayne could come to our church, sing our hymns, and listen to our glorious ward choir without wondering  where the "real" music was. (side note: i’m a member of our ward choir. yo, baby!)

he did come. he did wonder where the "real" music was. but he kept coming back. 🙂

thanks to karin, wonderful missionaries, an amazing love from ward members, and an incredibly powerful fireside and testimony of gladys knight, wayne felt the spirit. strongly. he knew how to recognize that spirit teaching him truth. he chose to follow those promptings and be baptized.
i’ve never been to a more powerful baptism. ever!  the chapel was full. so much support. so much love. so much happiness.

he shared his testimony today in our sacrament meeting. moved me to tears. made me smile. made me grateful for my opportunity to feel the joy of missionary work here and now. who would have thought it could get even better than my experiences serving in spain? it can! it does! and it will!

truly i can say, "how great shall be your joy!"