May came and went, and with that passing, went their first baptismal date. They just couldn’t `quit smoking. But their determination, the determination of others, and the Lord’s enabling power finally led them to the waters of baptism. After hearing that they couldn’t afford to buy the supplies for the stop smoking workshop, a members volunteered to sponsor them. He bought all the supplies they’d need, and then gave them something else – support. He helped Josiah. He held him accountable, and he cheered him on.
Two Sundays before their baptism, I sat and listened to him bear testimony of the Lord’s guiding help. He shared how hard it had been to stop smoking, but that the Lord had helped him. It was all I could do not to laugh aloud as he explained that on a particular day he had wanted so badly to smoke. Finally he decided that he needed to do something to keep his mind off smoking. Burning the old pile of stuff in the back looked like the perfect project. What started out as a back yard burn, end up being a near forest fire. Okay, it wasn’t quite that bad, but one back door and quite a bit of property later, he stood grateful that the fire was finally out. Josiah finished his testimony with, “When I asked the Lord to help me, I didn’t think it would be by lighting my back yard and back door on fire, but I guarantee I wasn’t thinking about smoking.”
For someone who isn't a member of the church, they ight think that as they stepped into the waters of baptism their journey was over but really it was really just beginning. And, oh how wonderful to know that as they walk through their journey they won’t be alone. They will have each other, the Lord, and a whole lot of ward members!