What I Learned Today in Church

First things first, I would like to give a shout out to my Pops:

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Secondly, as if I were sitting at the dinner table with my family - the typical Sunday afternoon interrogation ensuing - here is what I learned today in Church:

In a small town, some 40 kilometers south of Riga, behind a dilapidated row of storage units, sits the immigrant detention center where Michael and Robert have been held for the past 10 months (See Michael & Robert, May 25). In this detention center there is a room with a table, a few chairs, and a picture of the Virgin on one of the walls - it is the "religious room." It was here where I and one of the elders who taught and baptized the two of them held Sacrament meeting this morning.

We chatted and visited for a while, asking how they were, if there was any news on their release, what they had been reading in the scriptures, and so on. They seemed to be doing well enough and expressed continued gratitude for the peace and comfort they feel since receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. They also mentioned how two Cubans had just barely been picked up and were now interred there with them. I told them I spoke Spanish, upon which Michael immediately ran out and brought Felipe and Rolando into the room.

Felipe and Rolando are in exactly the same position as Michael and Robert - they got on a ship and mysteriously found themselves in Latvia (only instead of trying to get to England like Michael and Robert, they were headed for what they thought was Spain). When they walked in and I greeted them in Spanish, their faces lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. It felt very warming to brighten up their day. The poor guys are completely in the dark when it comes to communicating with anybody here - they don't even speak English.

After chatting with the Cubans for a while, they left and we proceeded with our little service. We knelt together and Robert said the opening prayer. We then read the 6th chapter of Moroni and discussed the importance behind meeting together as a church. Special attention was given to the Sacrament, after which, the four of us knelt again as Elder Hobbs and I blessed the bread and water. As we partook of the emblems together, there was a deep feeling of humility and reverence.

Sometimes, it takes moments like these to be reminded of the sanctity and power of the simple, often times overlooked ordinance that is the Sacrament. With an enormous amount of respect and reverence, Michael and Robert partook of the emblems in remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ. With equal respect, I watched them. In that moment, I witnessed what it means to truly have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It was a very, and I mean very, humbling experience.

On my right is Robert, on the left, Michael.