This photo of this cute couple was sent in by Elder Minetto in Isla. Again, Isla is in a mission district and the mission president presides. Eugenio Reyes Dolores is old and, as it turns out, a little confused. He and is wife were ready to be sealed in the temple. Then, it was determined that Bro. Reyes was baptized in 1997, but he said he was never confirmed. So, we launched an investigation. In the meantime, the elders began to re-teach him as they should have. If it has been many months between a baptism before the confirmation happens, we re-teach and re-baptize. We were talking about 12 years. A records search confirmed that he had not been confirmed. The man needed to be confirmed before a Saturday, 10 days away, because that was the scheduled sealing day. But, what about the one-year waiting period? Bro. Reyes and his wife had been active for five years. He had also been ordained an elder, according to the record. That showed on the same membership where it says that he has not been confirmed. Tricky. Confused yet? Try it in Spanish and over the phone.

The branch president decided to confirm him. The elders, under the direction of the mission president and area president told him to wait. We were doing a deep file check with SLC. He decided not to. Then, he reordained him an elder, no matter what anyone said. Now, Bro Reyes was ready to go to the temple all except for the mandatory one-year waiting period.

We found a different record. He was baptized in the USA, Salt Lake City on 10Nov97 and was confirmed the next day. He got double-confirmed n 2009. One of those counts . . . Actually, the first one counts. The second goes down as a priesthood blessing. When I went to Isla to sign his recommend, he started telling me all about how he was baptized in SLC and was never confirmed. His wife gently took his arm, smiled and dragged him away. They are sealed forever and ever. Whew!