“Carol’s Three-Year Wait,” Friend, February 2022
Pioneers in Every Land
Carol’s Three-Year Wait
Carol wished she could be baptized.
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang. Carol and her sister, Jacqui, ran to the door. “Mum!” Carol called. “Dee’s here. We’re going to leave for church!”
“Have fun,” Mum said.
Carol opened the door. “Hi, Dee,” she said. “Let’s go!”
Carol, Jacqui, and Dee walked to the bus stop. They were excited to visit a new church. They had read about it in a magazine. They invited some other friends to come with them too.
The bright red bus pulled up. The girls hopped on. In London, Carol and her friends rode the bus almost everywhere they went.
As the bus stopped along the way, more friends got on. Vanessa, Sheila, and Angela—they were all coming!
The bus stopped in front of a community center. This was where the church’s meetings were held. When Carol walked through the doors, she felt something special.
Carol listened to the songs, the prayers, and the talks. She’d been to other churches before. But this church felt different.
When church was over, the girls rode the bus home. “Want to go again next week?” Dee asked.
Carol smiled. “That’s what I was thinking!”
The girls went to church again and again. The people there were so nice. Someone always asked them to sit by them. And when there were activities during the week, they were always invited. Carol felt like she was part of a big church family.
When Carol met the missionaries, she already wanted to be baptized. Jacqui did too. But Carol’s parents said no. They didn’t think the girls were old enough to decide to be baptized.
Most of Carol’s friends weren’t allowed to be baptized either. But each Sunday, they all took the bus to church. Carol was sad to go without the rest of her family. But she knew it was important to go.
Three years passed. Carol still wished she could be baptized. She wanted to come out of the water, clean and pure. And she knew the gift of the Holy Ghost would help her so much!
“Mum,” Carol said one day, “can I please be baptized?”
Mum was quiet for a minute. “I have seen you change since you’ve been going to church,” she said. “I see how hard you try to make good choices each day. If your dad says yes, then so do I.”
At last Carol and Jacqui were able to get baptized. When the missionaries placed their hands on Carol’s head to confirm her, she felt clean and strong. She was happy she had made promises with God. And now she was an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
Carol gave Jacqui a hug as they waited for the bus to take them home. They were the first members of the Church in their family. They were pioneers! And that was a blessing Carol would never take for granted.
England is a country in western Europe. It’s part of the United Kingdom.
England has two temples.
There are more than 8,500 buses in London, England’s capital city.
Carol was 11 years old when she first went to church.
Dee was later baptized too. Today Carol and Dee are still good friends!
Carol is now serving as a member of the Young Women general advisory council.
Illustrations by Katie Payne