A BAPTISM I WISH I COULD HAVE ATTENDED!
Today, let me tell you about Elder Mercado, from Durango, Mexico. He is a great elder and his family's conversion story is unique so I thought I might share it with you.
Elder Mercado's father converted to the church at age 15. He later met and married his wife, who was Catholic. They had a very loving marriage. Elder Mercado's Dad was always a faithful member of the church. His Mom, didn't have interest in the church, but was always watched and noted how faithfully his Dad studied his Book of Mormon every day. Occasionally she had dreams about the church.
Elder Mercado was the second in his family to be baptized, at age 8. He has one sister, who is 5 years younger than he is.
Eventually, Bro. Mercado told his wife that a living prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley would be speaking at General Conference and invited her to go to the stake center to listen to him via satellite broadcast. She accepted his invitation and went that morning to listen at their stake center, along with all the other members of their stake. When she heard President Hinckley speak, she knew he was a living prophet and felt in her heart that the church was true. At the end of the morning session of conference, she told her husband "I want to be baptized right now!".
Since the bishop and stake president were also at the conference session, she was interviewed "on the spot" to be baptized!
There was no running water in the building that day (this happens from time to time in Mexico even now), so all the members of the church that lived near the stake center went to their homes and got buckets of water to fill the baptismal font! Bucket after bucket, little by little the font was filled and ready. And all the members of the stake all stayed to see her be baptized!!
Then everyone attended the afternoon session of General Conference.
Later, Elder Mercado's younger sister was baptized as well. When Elder Mercado was 16 years old their family traveled to the Mexico City Temple to be sealed. It was "amazing", he said. Before they attended the temple, the Lord helped prepare Sister Mercado though, because she had dreams about the temple, where she saw all the people dressed in white, and about a movie she would see in the temple and what it was about.
For this reason, Mexico City has always been a special place for their family.
So, when Elder Mercado opened his mission call and found he had been called to serve here in the Mexico City Southeast Mission - he, and his family were all thrilled!
Later he returned to be endowed in the temple here...and now is serving as one of our fabulous full-time missionaries.
Sweet blessings in Mexico City!
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