I was only 13 when I made one of the most important decisions in life: making a covenant with the Lord through baptism. My father was so happy. He hugged me and said: “Daughter, this is the biggest and most wonderful step you can ever take.” I studied our Principles of Faith with him, and a year later I had the privilege of being baptized by my father himself. He was truly happy. As for me, I was a little nervous because so many people were there—but equally excited and grateful that God had put that beautiful desire in my heart. Today, almost twenty years have passed since I made that decision, and until now the Lord has always guided my way. I can say with certainty: it is worth giving your life to the Lord at an early age.
Twelve years after being baptized, I made another of the most important decisions in life: to get married. God put a wonderful man in my path. We are already parents; from the moment I learned of my pregnancy, I asked God over and over again: How can I be a good mother? How will I guide my daughter on the right path? How will I instruct her so that she never wanders the wrong way? On a one very starry night, when my daughter was only 8 months old, I held her in my arms trying to make her sleep— but, strangely, she was not sleepy. So I took her out to the garden, and started to show her the stars. I explained that the whole universe had been created by a wonderful Being, God Himself. Incredibly, it seemed that she understood everything and that, like me, she was amazed at that Being.
Time has gone by, and my daughter is already 5 years old. It is wonderful how she has so many questions about the stories I read to her from the Bible. At the same time, her questions inspire s me to investigate more thoroughly, because she is not satisfied with simple answers.
At the first conference that we attended she was amazed by the baptism. She had so many questions that I could hardly answer them all. She also wanted to be baptized. As a mother I felt incredibly emotional knowing that my daughter had the same desire I once had in childhood.
After that event, we had the opportunity to attend the second Latin American Conference of Sacred Music in Peru, attended by over 2000 people. Pastor Vicente Giner, who preached one of the sermons, made a call at the end. My five year old daughter whispered in my ear that she wanted to go to the front because she wanted to be baptized. Because I was playing the piano, I could not go with her, so I told her to go by herself. In the blink of an eye she was up there, with her little eyes closed during the prayer that was being said for all the beautiful souls who, moved by the Holy Ghost, had gone to the front. It was absolutely wonderful. Our Saviour said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.”
It is indeed touching to see how these little ones can feel God’s call even at such a young age. We do not have to be anxious about raising our children. We must cling to our God, walk with joy the in the right path, feel his Holy Ghost in our daily lives, and ask for wisdom, which He will give. Let us not tire of praying for our little ones. May they never hear complaints and murmurings about our beloved church coming from our lips. May they never see their parents arguing. We occupy very important places in their little hearts, and the most important thing is the example that they see every day.
May God bless us and help us to trust more in His love every day, that we may be able to transmit His heavenly love to our children's little hearts. Keep going. You and I are not alone!
By Ruth Prado
