Thursday, February 17, 2005
Well these have been an exhausting last few days and I’ve been too dead tired to write. Here’s a few highlights. On Tuesday night we had Elder Miller and Campbell come out to do the interview for all of the three Andales children that wanted to get baptized! Prenan, Jerik, and Junible. They passed and so we were all really happy. We continued to have the plan to have the four of them baptized on Saturday.
Well yesterday night all the plans and hopes came crashing back down. After being able to stay away from alcohol for 4 weeks, passing his interview, and having all ready to go, he succumbed to the master of deceit, the devil, again and drank. When we went by their house yesterday night he was sprawled out on the bed unable to speak or get up, obviously very drunk. To verify even more, Jerik, the 11-year-old, told us that he was “lasing na lasing” or very very drunk. I don’t understand it, he was so strong. It really hurt last night to see it.
The situation was only made worse this morning when we visited him in his bukid. We asked him right out if he drank last night and he said that he hadn’t. He flat out denied it and said that he hoped to still be baptized on Saturday. That hurt even more and obviously didn’t make it any better for him. We visited the family tonight and “reproved. . . with sharpness.” He felt bad and really discouraged. He wouldn’t even give the family prayer to close.
His three children still want to be baptized on Saturday and so we’ll continue with that. I really hope that Bro Andales will find the courage to still attend the baptism. It will be hard for him but he has to do it to help his faith and also his self-confidence. I’m also beginning to lose hope that I will see him baptized while I am here. His goal date as of now is the 19th of March. I really hope he makes it.