Dear Grandchildren,
Some weeks take on their own personality. This past week was a bus personality, topped by sweet ordinations. After arriving back from Gaziantep about noon on Monday, it seemed that I was either getting on a bus or climbing off one. During a Skype session with a sister in Bodrum, the two YVs teaching her learned that her young daughters had been very ill, ill enough to go to the emergency room in the local hospital. She asked if someone could come to give blessings to her daughters. Of course, we agreed, either Thursday or Friday, if the MP approved the travel of one or more YVs. Then Grandma said to me, "You are free tomorrow [Wednesday]." It made sense to go as soon as possible rather than making her children wait. Because we had a YV threesome for a couple of days (one YV was still taking care of matters where he was living before coming to our city), I took one with me and left the other two as a companionship. Wednesday morning, off we went to Bodrum, the birth place of the important, fifth-century Greek historian, Herodotus. It is a cool three hours and fifteen minutes from the bus station here to the city limits there. But the ride is gorgeous and pleasant.
At the first check point, a soldier climbed on the bus and, after strolling through an almost empty bus, asked the YV to step off with him. Because YV’s papers were in order, the officer in charge asked the soldier why he had taken this guy off the bus. So the YV climbed back on. At the second check point, a policeman walked straight through the bus and stopped at our seats, asking, "Where are you from?" We evidently stood out. Not surprising, given the color of our skin. At the bus station, the sister’s husband met us and drove us to their home where we enjoyed a nice lunch. One of the girls was feeling pretty good and was very playful. The other was not. She didn’t touch any of her lunch. When the time came to give blessings, we gave four, one to each family member. I don’t know how many blessings the YV has participated in, but he did a good job. A report a day later from the sister told us that her daughters, especially the one who was really sick when we arrived, were doing much better, as was her husband who has not been at the top of his game for several weeks.
Saturday saw another long bus trip. Instead of heading south, we headed east to Denizli, a city not far from one of the seven churches addressed by the Lord in the letters that he dictated to John the Revelator — Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22). This time Grandma and I went, accompanied by two YVs, one of whom had just arrived the prior Wednesday evening and speaks Farsi, the language of the couple whom I was to baptize. One of the YVs had arranged for a hotel pool where we had baptized another brother some ten months before. After changing clothes, we held a short service, virtually pool side. Then I stepped into the pool. It was not warm and inviting, as I thought from looking at it. Instead, it was cool, though not cold. I baptized the sister first, then the husband. Both from Iran. They have been with us faithfully for almost five months on Skype each Sunday, even though they are not able to understand more than half of what happens. (At Grandma’s suggestion, I have invited our Farsi-speaking YV to summarize for five minutes, at the end of the sacrament meetings, what has been talked about during the meeting so that the Farsi speakers know what the speakers have said.) We went to their apartment where the sister had prepared a lunch. We then confirmed them members of the Church (I performed the ordinances with the Farsi-speaking YV translating my blessing by sitting in front of them.) After confirming the brother, I had him remain sitting and ordained him a priest. I judge that if a man is worthy to be baptized, he is worthy to receive the Aaronic priesthood.
Even though our numbers were down in our Sacrament Meeting today — eighteen total between those in the hotel room (13) and on Skype (5) — it was a wonderful energizing experience. We sustained six brethren to receive the priesthood; three to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in other branches and three to receive the Aaronic Priesthood in our branch (actually, we ratified the action of ordaining the brother as a Priest in Denizli on Saturday). Then one of our new converts, a fellow who is about forty, spoke about recognizing and overcoming sin in our Sacrament Meeting. At the end of our Sunday School, we ordained the two new male members from last week who were in our hotel room today, one as a Priest and one as a Deacon. As soon as we finished ordaining the two of them, I told each of them where I wanted them next week, one sitting behind the sacrament table and one sitting so that he can pass the sacrament. Perhaps significantly, the entirety of our two meetings today was conducted in Turkish, except for my conducting, with English translation only during our Sacrament Meeting. We are getting there.
As an added note to what was above, it was not that the bus trips were so bad. They were enjoyable for me. It was the time. In each case, I/we were away from the apartment for some thirteen plus hours. Returning was a pleasant experience, to say the least. The first time, when the YV and I went to Bodrum, we got back in town, took a shuttle bus to a metro station through streets clogged with traffic, and then traveled to the airport to meet his new companion, a YV arriving from Ankara. The thing that saved the day was giving the four blessings. Those were sweet experiences for me. I dearly love the non-member husband who welcomed us to his home. He is a gentle, loving husband and father. He has earned my respect as a wonderful human being and brother. And he is a Muslim man. Of course, with an LDS wife, he will continue to run into the Church and its teachings throughout his life. I shall be most interested to see what happens to him during the next few years. It will be good, I know.
I love you and pray for you each day.
Grandpa Brown
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