It started off on Monday with K passing her baptismal interview!! Then we went on our 24 hour exchange right after that. I stayed in our area. Sister Kryllborn, a sister training leader, came with me and Sister Sopi went to the other area. I had such a good day working with her and learned SO much. That is my favorite part of exchange, you get to learn new ideas and ways to be a better missionary. We were running around all day getting from appointment to appointment and we had some really good lessons. We taught in unity really well together too. She helped me realize the things which I need to be better at as a missionary and we had a good time getting to know one another. She is such a good missionary!
Wednesday and Thursday went by really fast with nothing too eventful happening. We did watch the Restoration DVD with T on Thursday and it was really cool because T knows that Joseph Smith is a prophet and he knows the Book of Mormon is true. Meeting with T makes my day because he is just so strong!
Friday night we taught S at the church and we had a good lesson with him. The Woolsey's (a senior couple) have been coming to our lessons with S and they have been so helpful. We've been teaching S for almost 4 months now, and he still hasn't come to church because he says he's not ready. This Friday we mixed the lesson plan up a little and scrapped what we had originally planned. We took him around the church, stood in the chapel and talked about what happens there, pointed out the sacrament table, asked him how he felt etc. Then we went up to the family history center and watched the Mormon Message "Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them". We discussed it and how his being baptized on the 22nd and then receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost was depending on him coming to church. We explained fasting to him and we all committed to fast together this Sunday that he would have the courage and strength to come to church.
Saturday we had a first lesson with L, a man Sister Kryllborn and I GQ'ed (If any of you know what this means, I'd appreciate it if you'd enlighten me...) on exchange. We did a quick church tour and taught him the full restoration. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and come to church. He said when I was speaking he could "see beams of light coming of me" (I've never got that one before, but pretty cool :) ) and that he felt something when we were talking about the Book of Mormon. We committed him to be baptized on the 28th of September, in the FIRST lesson!
Then came Sunday, the best day of my life!!! ( for several reasons). K got baptized!!! (More on that later). AND L came to church and LOVED it. He had also read almost all of Alma chapters 1-32 (we assigned him Alma 32) between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Golden Investigator? I think YES. In fast and testimony meeting people were talking about temples, and he asked about it so I was explaining it to him, and about how we can go there after we are members of the church and living all the commandments and he said "I can't wait to go there after I'm baptized" :)
Then, we were sitting in Gospel principles, and a sister came up and said "There is a man named S downstairs asking for you two". My heart seriously stopped! S CAME TO CHURCH! Finally! Fasting, prayer, and diligent effort work!! He just came for sacrament meeting (which is last) but he came! And what is more, he really enjoyed fast and testimony meeting! He said he found it "very satisfying"' We talked to him on the phone last night and he committed to coming to church next week too (and the week after that, and that and that). Now that he has come to church hopefully he will have the strength and determination to overcome his addiction to smoking. S can make it! That man has taught me so much about being a missionary. About Heavenly Father's love for his children (no matter what walk of life they are in) and about teaching by the Spirit to the specific needs of people. I will not rest until I have done everything I can to help this man enter into the waters of baptism and have the fresh start he so desperately wants/needs.
K was baptized after church!!! It was such a cool experience. I first met the Wrights when I had been in the field for less that a week. And have been working with them for 4 months. I have grown with that family, and especially with K. They let 2 inexperienced, young missionaries into their home, and listened to us. They still loved us and let us come back again even when we made mistakes in lessons. K was SO excited to be baptized and she really knows her stuff. You can ask her about any of the lessons and she knows it really well. I'm not gonna lie, getting everything sorted and handling 4 investigators at church, and getting members out teaching with us after/during church hadn't really given me time to focus on what was happening, but that moment when she was standing in the font was seriously SO cool. I had the time to think about how I felt, and about this incredible thing that was happening at church. We couldn't have done it without the help of Heavenly Father, the other missionaries support, and the ward's support. I AM SO BLESSED! They asked me to give one of the talks at the baptism (touching right?) and I was SO nervous, but when I was standing up there talking, I just felt how proud of K her Heavenly Father was.
I KNOW the church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true with my whole heart and that God loves all of his children SO much. I know that the message which we have is worth sharing and that all the hard times are 100% worth it in those moments like this last Sunday. My heart was so full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father. I kept on thinking why me? Why is he so good to me?! I continue to pray every night that I can become the missionary and person Heavenly Father needs me to be in order to find His children.
Thank you for your continued love and support! I think about you often and want to make you proud. You are in my prayers and I am so glad that you are all doing well!
Now for pictures!
Unfortunately, I don"t have a good picture from the baptism... but I'll send you the best one I have. and I will get one with K for sure before I leave the area.
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| Sister Roscher's new bangs ;) She may kill me for putting this on here later but hey-it was a part of her week :) |
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Sister Roscher
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