Colorado

Our Investigator is Getting Baptized!

January 13, 2014

I was looking back in my planner to see what I should write this week and I realized that the beginning of the week had absolutely nothing interesting but I forgot because the past two days have been probably the best two days of my mission.

So we have an investigator. and he is getting baptized.

I want to write this whole email in caps because im so excited about it, but ill refrain. SO on Saturday we had a lesson with him, and a member from our ward came with us and brought his son. the lesson was on the book of Mormon, and it was so powerful! his understanding of it grew a billion times and we were just sitting there in awe. we read the first chapter of it with him and he thought it was the coolest thing that he's ever heard of, and he loved everyone in it instantly. we asked him if the introduction made sense (if you haven't read the intro, do. its good) and he was like yeah its telling me that you are just inviting everyone everywhere to read the book of Mormon and then to pray to know if it is true and I would love to do that! he didn't say it in those words but that's basically what happened. haha so by the end, there was such a power in the room. I felt so much love for everyone there and I knew that we had to ask him to be baptized. when we did, he was like, you know I was already thinking about that. yes I will! we asked him if he'd prepare to be baptized on the 25th of January and he agreed and just asked what he would need to do to prepare! the best part comes next.

After church on Sunday, we were planning on teaching him the Word of Wisdom. For anyone who isn't familiar with what that is, it is a commandment that Heavenly Father has asked us to follow to keep ourselves clean and able to feel His love and Spirit all the time, and to protect us. It asks us to stay away from tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and other harmful/illegal drugs. So we explained that to him and he was like... well I drink coffee but I've always thought I should stop! So ill give that up! what's the next commandment? WHAT?!  Then we went through the other commandments like keeping the Sabbath day holy and the law of chastity and he was so on board with all of them. It literally could not have been done without Heavenly Father. It was the most amazing thing. At the end of the lesson, he started tearing up. He thanked us for everything we had done for him. He said we were like family and that we would never know how much we've helped him. Then he was like shoot my eyes are leaking! hahaha. It was one of the most spiritually uplifting days ever. The rest of the day was the same. That night, EVERYONE we talked to made a return appointment with us. We caught people at exactly the right times, and we made appointments with people we were trying to see forever, and it just didn't end! We didn't understand why we were being so blessed! We talked to as many people as we could because we didn't want the night to end!  We were so excited, but apparently too excited because sister Hilton was skipping around and she slipped on ice and fell on the ground. It was funny though and it just added to the excitement and adrenaline.

I really have learned that there are always problems everywhere around us. Whether it's in relationships, or sickness, really anything, but what I have also realized is that Heavenly Father always pulls through in the end. It's always more worth it to take the step that you don't want to take; the step that seems hard, or that seems scary. I know that my pride gets in the way a lot. I really am learning to turn outside myself and remember that it's NOT about me. It was never about Christ, ever. He was always serving those that were hardest to serve and its those friendships that are often the most worth it. I love you all and I hope you know how much I love this gospel and what it does for people. It changes lives and it couldn't be better. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!