First Day of Filming

We pulled up to our first filmed appointment. The mic was heavy on my skirt and the tape for it was kind of itchy. I was very nervous and not sure where to put my hands. Sister Zaldivar and I said a prayer, I took a deep breath, tried to paste a normal smile on my face, and stepped out of the car.

The Robles felt like family, like I had known them forever. I recognized that having our first filmed session with them was such a tender mercy. As we walked up to the door, I wondered if I would ever act normally and be able to ignore the cameras. I remembered the blessing that I had received that I would be able to forget the cameras and focus on the work. Silently, fervently, I prayed for that.

We walked up to the door and greeted the Robles. I kept trying not to look at the camera and feeling the mic against my skin. I couldn’t stop giggling- I felt so awkward. “Oh great. I am not going to be able to do this,” I thought, a little breathless. We hugged the Robles and sat down, surrounded by cameramen. As we prayed, I said another silent prayer that this would be okay and everything would work out. We started teaching and I could feel myself getting a little flustered, trying to be perfect.

Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, I grew more and more comfortable. I was able to speak clearly, focus on the Robles, and teach. Sitting beside Sister Zaldivar, looking at the Robles, I felt so much love in my heart for this little family who just wanted to learn the Gospel. We listened and taught and laughed, and as we drew to a close, I realized almost with a jolt, that we were being filmed. As we wrapped up and walked up, I realized that my prayers had been answered. I had been able to forget the cameras and focus on the people. For the rest of the filming, that remained key for me. Focusing on the why and the who made the awkwardness of being filmed just fade away. This was one of the first really big answers to my prayers that I saw during the filming.

We left that day, and I felt almost shaky. I had received my first concrete answer, that yes, with the Lord’s help, I could do this. I had actually felt the power of the Spirit quietly calm me down and slowly ease me into being able to do what I had been asked to do.