Claudia Sacramento's Baptism

We were looking forward to Claudia Sacramento's baptism.  We walked to our church, arrived about 6 p.m. and found the sister missionaries and Brother and Sister Day in the hall.

Sister Davidson, Sister Albuja, Claudia
Sister Luque, Reuben

Elder Day, Sister Day, Claudia, Reuben,
Sister Luque, Sister Albuja

Bro. Day said his smile was fake since he had told them two days ago remember to fill the font early and no one had done it.  They had just begun to fill the baptismal font when we arrived.  So there was more than enough time for pictures and we took several. We learned that Claudia hadn’t been able to eat for 3 days and was very weak.  They were wondering if she would be able to have the strength to be baptized. They were going to go to a store to get her something to eat but since I had brought some cookies, she manages to eat three of those.

Hermana Jordan, Reuben and Claudis Sacarmento

Paul and I chatted with 87 year old Reuben Sacramento.  He is a very nice and interesting guy. He said that 50 year old Claudia hadn’t eaten much lately and only weighs 37 kilos (81 pounds) and he is concerned.  We got him talking about himself and he said he was a civil engineer and worked for 40 years for the national petroleum company (PEMEX) until he was 70 when they let him go.  We got the idea that he didn't have a retirement from that job.  After that, he managed to find a job in some company’s shipping department where he worked for another 10 years but when he turned 80, they let him go.  In order to make ends meet, he found a job as a “bagger” in the local Chedraui grocery store for two years.  At age 83 he changed jobs and worked as a “bagger” in the local H.E.B. and stayed there for 3 years. (We now see the “baggers” differently and understand better why they are almost always older people.)  While he was a “bagger” at H.E.B., Sister Call, who served with her husband as Tampico Mission Presidents before the Jordans, met him.  She commented to him that he looked like a man who would be interested in having some young men come to his house and teach him about what they believe.  He accepted her invitation and was baptized.

Elder Day

In many ways, this baptismal service was unique and we could see all of the love and effort the sister missionaries put into making this a special event for Claudia, who is deaf.  The missionaries had taught Claudia by writing on a white board and she had also read all the material they had brought her.  Her baptismal program was all written and projected on the screen so Claudia could read the words as the rest of us heard the talks and sang the songs. Hermano Saldivar gave a talk about baptism.

Some wondered if she would have the strength to be baptized. Brother Day baptized Claudia and he is so big and she is so small, he was able to help her in and down and up and out of the font.

The identical 4 year old Acosta twins 

We all returned to the chapel and the power point presentation continued with the talk about the Holy Ghost by Hermana. Acosta, the welcome into the ward by the Bishop and the Relief Society president—and their talks were projected on the screen as well.  The entire power point baptismal service was printed and presented to Claudia as a gift.

On Sunday morning, Claudia was confirmed a member of the church by her father.  Probably this was the first ordinance that Reuben had ever performed.

Reuben and Paul