Well! I swear as soon as I start typing my mind goes blank...
Lets start with Monday after emailing. Because we're in the central zones we live right by the mission office so every Monday after emailing we go hang out at the office with President and Sister Blatter and the senior missionaries there. While there last week Sister Blatter asked us if we had set appointment from 7 to 9 on Tuesday night. We said no and she told us to pray and find some because she would be coming out with us. Turns out people from Salt Lake were coming to evaluate the mission and some of the companionships in the Tacoma area were going to be evaluated on our teaching and planning.
Lots of prayer and phone calls, texts, and visits later we have some miracle set appointments including an appointment with a lady who had been impossible to contact the 5 times before. A prompting from the spirit led us to try calling her one more time and she answered telling us she wanted to tour the church.
Tuesday night we are waiting at the church 10 minutes after the set time we text her and she says she's on her way. She ends up getting lost and needing directions. 35 minutes after the set appointment she arrives! Our schedules all thrown off but that's the life of missionaries. I've learned to just roll with it. We're on God's time not ours. 45 minutes later Shaquana is on date for baptism! It was so amazing! Sister Baldwin and I are working on "the Fear of God and not the fear of man." In this we are working to be bold and blunt with out invitations and not letting fear of rejection keep us from extending the vital invitation of baptism. When we said it the look on her face made us expect a no to come out of her mouth. As she spoke our surprise (and I think to her's as well) she said yes! The amazing thing was she didn't just say yes once she repeated it sounding more sure each time she said it. I LOVE THIS WORK! Its so obvious this is the Lord's work. I love the path that our Loving Father has shown me in that I know without a doubt baptism is the only way to return home to Him. I know this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the only church on the Earth that has the authority given from God to perform this sacred ordinance. I know this church was brought back to the earth because of the pure love God has for each and every single one of us.
Speaking of this amazing ordinance, Lee got baptized! It was amazing! Words can never describe baptisms. Each one is so powerful and so unique. Lee asked me to speak on the Holy Spirit.
I want to share something I found as I studied the subject. "The Holy Ghost is manifested to men on the earth both as the power of the Holy Ghost and as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power can come upon one before baptism and is the convincing witness that the gospel is true. By the power of the Holy Ghost a person receives a testimony of Jesus Christ and of His work and the work of His servants upon the earth. The gift can come only after proper and authorized baptism and is conferred by the laying on of hands, as in Acts 8:12–25 and Moro. 2. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. For those who receive this gift, the Holy Ghost acts as a cleansing agent to purify them and sanctify them from all sin." This is an excerpt from the "Holy Ghost" definition found in the Bible dictionary (https://www.lds.org/
Anyway Lee's baptism was amazing! She was so excited before hand the building could barely contain it. She informed everyone she loves the Book of Mormon so much that she's a "Book of Mormon junkie" haha! I love seeing the happiness that comes into peoples lives as they become converted to the truth of the restored gospel! Its amazing. I know from personal experience and also from watching others the knowledge of this truth, the full knowledge that is only found in the true church of Jesus Christ, brings with it the greatest happiness we can experience in our lives.The baptism was beautiful. The spirit was so strong and the happiness of everyone in the room was overwhelming.
Funny moment in preparing for the baptism. The baptism fonts usually take 90 minutes of so to fill. (They're pretty big) So yeah we turn the water on and start setting everything else up. The waters filling steady but wasn't very high so we went to make the programs. 40 or so minutes after starting the font we get this strong feeling we need to go check on it. We go into the overflow where its at and its WAY too full and the water is ICE COLD! (See the picture below...)
Luckily we still have plenty of time to drain and refill the font now that we know it fills way fast. So for about 15 minutes we try fishing the plug out with an untwisted hanger. Just at the point we're on the phone with a member calling for help (since we can't go in) I finally hook the plug and it starts draining so Sister Baldwin tells the member never mind. Two minutes later the plug slips and I have to fish it out again (now picture this I have one foot on the side with the railing and the other foot on the opposite ledge as I go fishing for the plug) I finally manage to pull the plug completely out and the fiasco is adverted! Thank goodness! Definite blessings.
Last thing to share for the week. During our traditional 5 to 7 knocking session we knock into this door and this older gentleman answers. He's very closed off when we begin testifying of the message we share. We don't get any futher than telling him we share a message about Jesus Christ when he cuts us off and tells us we believe in a different Jesus. Then his phone rings so he goes to answer it. Sister Baldwin and I can't help but smile at each other as we know what's about to come out of our mouths next. When he returns we ask him what he means by that. He tells us we believe in a different Jesus. Then came one of my favorite things. We simply tell him "We believe in the Jesus Christ who came to Earth as a humble infant, who grew and lived as an example to all those who lived and will live, who then suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross to pay for our sins. Who then rose three days later to break the bands of death so we could all live again with our loving Father in Heaven." we then kindly posed the question, "What Jesus do you believe in?" It was so amazing such a simple testimony of our Savior broke down the walls and the closed off gentleman became much kinder and told us what we were doing was so important. While he didn't want to learn more he was left with a new perspective. That's what I want to share with you all. You don't have to be wearing the name tag to be a missionary. You don't have to wear the name tag to bear witness of our Savior. So that's my challenge for you. This week look and pray for the opportunity to share a simple witness of our Savior and touch the lives of others. Then tell me what happens :)
Until next week! I love you and leave with you my testimony of our Savior and His works. I know the Book of Mormon is His word as every page testifies of Him and His life. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint is God's Kingdom brought back to the Earth I invite each of you to gain that testimony for yourselves with the promise that it will bring true unfilitered happiness into your lives beyond anything you've experienced. I know my Savior lives and leave that with you in His name. Amen.
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