I am sorry that I did not email yesterday. P-day is not changed, and I'm still alive and doing well, so don't worry about any of those things, but since yesterday was labor day, the libraries were closed, and we were told that we could email home today instead. Unfortunately they didn't tell us that until yesterday morning, so I didn't have the opportunity to give any advance warning!
Well, there is so much to write about this week. It feels like it's been absolutely ages since I wrote home, but I feel like that is mostly because so much has been happening this last week. Norfolk is on fire. Between the Elders and the Sisters in the first ward, I think there are more than ten people set for baptism! The most recent one is someone that the sisters have been teaching. His name is Jake we've taught him twice and he has been to church three times. He is friends with one of the sisters in the ward, and we've really been able to see how much faster people can progress if they have good fellowship in the ward, or even just member friends that they can talk to about the gospel. Rose and Jake have gospel conversations all the time, and so both times we go over we've been impressed what he already knows or has heard. They even read in the Liahona together! Talk about a good member missionary! I'm so grateful for the examples of people in this ward! Jake should be baptized at the beginning of October! Unfortunately I won't be around for that one.
But! BROTHER CLEMENS WAS BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!!! It was an incredible service, despite things not exactly going as planned. We had to have the baptism at the stake center because the font at out chapel is being redone. There were some baptisms saturday morning for other wards, and the day before at mission conference we had told the elders in those wards NOT to let the water out of the font. Well, they did. I guess every missionary has to have a baptism where things don't go exactly as planned. We got there half an hour before the baptism, and discovered a very dry font... Brother Clemens would have liked that as he is terrified of water, but we panicked! Fortunately we had some people there who could help us, and we used all the faucets, drink coolers, and clean trash cans in the church to get the font completely filled in half an hour! It was incredible, and quite a miracle! On top of that little mishap, about half of the people who had planned to attend the service went to the wrong chapel, including the ward mission leader who was coming with the programs and the opening prayer, so we had to wait for him to get there before we could start. Despite all these challenges, Brother Clemens was able to get baptized! The first thing he said when he came out of the water was "I didn't die!" It was a beautiful service and the Spirit was so strong there! The sacrament meeting where he was confirmed was beautiful also. It was such a weekend of miraculous events! Faith has not ceased because miracles abound! I'm so grateful to be a part of this gospel and to have the sure knowledge that God has not ceased to be among us and to help us in our hours of need. Seeing the Clemens family finally on the path to being a forever family was the most touching thing in the world. Brandi Clemens, Ed's granddaughter came up to me after the service and told me that she and Ed would be able to go through the temple at the same time because she is planning to put her mission papers in about this time next year. What a wonderful experience that would be! I wish that I could be there for that, but I'm content in knowing that he has started his journey and that the ward is strong, and that he will not fail. He will make it, and i know that his wife is watching, and so proud of him for finally making this decision to be baptized in to the true church of God. He should be getting the priesthood in a few weeks, and I can't think of anyone more deserving! I think that Brother Clemens is the epitome of a good man!
Well, as you all may have guessed already, transfer calls came this weekend! I wasnt' really expecting to go anywhere this transfer because we thought for sure that Sister Case was going to be leaving... .thats what president perry had told her anyway... But well, I guess that the Spirit trumps all, and told President that Sister Case is staying, and I'm leaving. I head out on Thursday, so no more mail to Dell st. Please :) I'm going to the other side of the mission (other side of Richmond) and reopening an area in the Chesterfield stake to sisters. The ward is Belmont, and the coolest part of it is that it is the ward that Brother Clemen's Son and Daughter in law live in!! Brother Clemens is going on Vacation, and will actually be up there for the next two Sundays, and so I'm going to show up and surprise them all on Saturday! I'm really excited. It should be a good change for me. My companion will be Sister Ibey. She is the last sister that came out with Sister Case and Sister Jacob. Weird. I don't know whats going to happen when they all go home, and I don't have any options left for companions! I guess they'll have to start me on a different group of missionaries or something. I'll let you all know my address next monday... but if someone were to want to send me something in the mean time, there is always the mission office address. Of course, it's been long enough since I got a letter in the mail that I'm not really worried about it. I think I'm probably safe!
I've been studying in the Book Of Helaman lately. I love the Book of Mormon! I've been amazed lately at how every time in the Book of Mormon that a person, or people are converted, as soon as they are converted, they dedicate themselves to preaching the gospel. The equation I've seen is this. Conversion=missionary. Interesting isn't it? It doesn't mean that to be converted we all have to come out and serve full time missions, or spend 14 years as missionaries like Ammon and the other Sons of Mosiah, but I do think that it means that we need to look at how dedicated we actually are to serving the Lord! We can be missionaries in the smallest ways... by being an example, bringing the gospel into everyday conversions, and in 2010 it's easier than ever to be a missionary because of the internet, and the new Mormon.org :) We can do so many things to show our dedication to the Lord and to help others to come to know what we know. To have that happiness that we have through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!
I love you all, thank you so much for your support! The Sannar family is in my prayers, and I hope that the people are really coming together in a Christ-like spirit to help and support them in this time of need. We definitely can't make it through this life alone. we all need the help of everyone around us to find our way back!
Sister Boston
PS Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, we didn't get hit by the hurricane. They made us get all prepared, but we hardly even got rain from it. It was a little disappointing after all the work we did to prepare, but it did mean that Brother Clemens baptism was able to happen before I left which made it well worth it. Maybe I'll be back in tidewater for hurricane season next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment