Humbled

It is difficult to decide where/how to write this post.  Do I begin in 1966 or last Monday night?  I think I'll begin at the beginning. 

I was in missionary in Mexico from 1966 to 1968.  My mission covered a pie-shaped wedge of central Mexico that included Acapulco on the south, the capital at the point and went up as far as Guadalajara.  I have no idea how many missions make up that space now.  Lots, I'm sure.  After 12 weeks waiting for a visa while going through training at the LTM (now known  as the MTC), we flew to Mexico City, stayed overnight at the mission home and then I went with my new companion to a small town about an hour south of Mexico City called Cuernavaca.  There was small branch that met in a chapel in the center of town.  I remember the pump organ and the first Sacrament meeting because the branch president had not paid the power bill so they used candles for light during the meeting.

My companion and I had a few people to teach and we had an appointment with a new family.  After teaching them only a few lessons my companion was transferred so my new companion and I finished teaching this family and got them ready for baptism. I had been in Mexico about a month, so I thought missionary work was going to be easy - find a family, teach them the Gospel, have a baptism, then move on.  That was about the only easy baptism I had during my entire mission!

I have no pictures of the family because in those days we did not carry our cameras around with us except on P Days, which meant I had photos of other missionaries and pictures of scenery, but very few of the people we taught and loved.  However I treasured the ring she gave me that day in 1966 and I still have it.

The father was a jeweller who designed beautiful items, even winning international design contests.  At their baptism his wife took off the Fire Opal ring that her husband had made for her and gave it to me in gratitude for teaching them about the church.  You might not be able to tell from the picture but it looks like a tiny gold space ship with the stone at the top.

 

Fast forward to RentonWashington in 2011.

A family in our ward has a beautiful daughter who married a handsome man from Texas with an interesting first name - Tlahuilt - but most people called him by his middle name - Manuel. At the wedding reception he was pleased that I could pronounce his first name.

I am friends with the wife on Facebook but when she posted the news that their baby would be born this week, I decided to do a friend request for her husband as well.  In doing the friend request I saw he had listed Cuernavaca as his hometown, so I mentioned serving there during my mission.  We exchanged several messages Monday night, learning that Tlahuilt's parents were early church members in that town, then that his father was a jeweller in Cuernavaca, and I told him about the ring I had been given at their baptism, thinking that there was a possibility that it was the same family even though the last name was very common and it could have been another family a few years later.

The next morning their baby boy was born and phone calls were made to tell the family.  He called his mother in Mexico and during the call also told her about me. 

Then he sent me this message:

Sister Roylance, I was talking to my mom this morning and is with tears of joy on my eyes that I can tell you that you are the one who taught the gospel to my parents. My father passed away about 8 years ago, my mother who is 78 years now still active in the church, my mother remembers giving you that opal ring. Thanks to your desire to serve the lord my parents were converted, I was born in the gospel me and my younger sister served missions, three of my nephews served missions as well I have a nephew that is leaving to his mission in two months and a niece that is waiting for her calling.
The lord works in mysterious ways. I can't thank you enough for knocking on my parents door over 40 years ago and bringing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. God bless you sister!

I have always wondered what happened to families we taught but I'm overwhelmed with joy to know that my first family has continued to be faithful to their baptismal covenants.