July 23, 2010

Baptize!!! Awesome!!! Baptize!!! WHOOOO!!!!!

Okay...I just witnessed my first baptism of the mission this weekend and it was awesome and I am so very happy. I love being a missionary!!!!! Leean Emerson got baptized at 6:00 on Saturday night and what a day it was. I loved it. I took over most of the program it seems like. I took care of the prelude music, I played the hymns, I did a musical number with Mary Burst, and I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Mary and I played a flute duet and played I know that my redeemer lives. We were good. We even did it for sunday yesterday. :) So, I am playing lots of piano and more flute than I expected. It is amazing to see someone get baptized and see the glow on their face when they are clean and pure and when the recieve the Holy Ghost. I love it. Leean was a smoker and she quit almost cold turkey and has been without smoking for four weeks now. She is an amazing person and she is going to be a great member throughout her life. She is stable. For only knowing for four weeks, I could tell that she cahnged alot in that time. For the better. She is getting her singing voice back and she is just amazing. Her husband Keith is working toward baptism. As soon as he stops chewing tobacco he will be baptized. He so wants to quit but lacks something to make him quit. He is getting so close though and he is very very excited to enter the waters of baptism and to be sealed to his wife. Their daughter Amanda is going to get bapitzed next weekend. She would have been baptized with Leean but her parents did not think she was quite ready for this commitment yet. Sis. Graham and I are working with her individually and getting her ready and the next step is to get her excited for this step and to get her to read the book of mormon. This family is amazing and it is going to be sad when I have to leave.

You want to know something else exciting? We got two more baptisms this week! Well, set dates. We met Mary and Larry james and they are excited to get bapized. They were going to get baptized six or seven months ago but some complications happened and they took care of the complications. Now they are ready to get baptized and we are excited for them. They are the sweetest people in the world and I love to visit them. Their baptism dates are set for August 7th and we can't wait. So many people it is awesome.

We have Sheila who know that the church is true and is ready to be bapized but she needs the confirmation from the Lord. We asked her if she would be baptized but she said that was waiting for that confirmation. So we issued her a challenge. For her to make the date and take it to the Lord. The Lord will tell her that the date she picked is a good one. She needs to stop smoking and drinking coffee but the Lord is preparing her already. She said that her coffee is tasting bitter now and that she does not like it as much. So, when she gets the confirmation I believe that we will have another baptism soon. The Gospel IS TRUE!!!!

There are so many people in this are that have so many health issues it is crazy. Pinched nerves, cancer, MS, Pnemonia...and so on. Everyone is getting sick with the flu and colds as well and I pray that I will not get sick. It is true about the whole teeth thing. You are not a true southern without missing a tooth or teeth or if you just have nasty teeth as it is. I have now made sure that I floss at least everyother night and that I brush my teeth nice and long.

Okay. There is an Elder here that lives in Gilbert and he went to highland and we were talking about how is going to go home in a couple weeks. Then he asked if I knew Sheila Toolson and I said that I did. Sheila Toolson pushed him to go on a mission and I told him that she was in our ward. Is she? I know I know the name but I can't see the face.

Time is about up and I do not want to stop writing because this week has been so good. But I must stop. I pray that everything is going well for everyone and that they are enjoying the rest of the summer and NOT BEING BORED!! :) JUst kidding. But seriously. Find something to do. It will make you happy. :)

I love you all. Love your favorite missionary in the world,

Sister Amanda Ralph