Let's start with Zone Conference, shall we? Goodness, I love Zone Conference with all of my heart. I love hearing from President and Sister Gardner and the spiritual boost it's always able to give me. I think the biggest lesson that I took from this conference was that we really do have such a responsibility as members of this church to do missionary work. We have been so spoiled to have this knowledge in our lives, so why would we not want to share it with others? Some of time, it doesn't even need to involve the missionaries. If we can even be a Christlike example of love and service and helping others know that they are a child of God, that can be a great first step in helping them want to learn more. All that we have to do is be willing to act and make plans to help those around us in any way that can.
Fast forward to later that night, we met with Eli and Christine at President and Sister Gardner's home and talked with them about the sacrament. We tied in baptism and when we asked them about how they were feeling about being baptized, Eli told us "I have been thinking about it, and I think that January 21 is a good day. That day means a lot to me and I think it would be the perfect day for a fresh start." We all looked at each other and we were shaking our heads. We couldn't understand why he would want to wait that long! As we bore testimony and helped them realize that the reason we keep pounding the topic is because we we love them so much and know how much it will bless their family, you could feel the Spirit so strong. After some thought Eli looked at us and said, "You know what, maybe I have been putting this off for too long. There really is no need to wait. June 18 sounds like a great day." We were all crying. Christine has always been a little bit more hesitant so she couldn't commit to a date.
We talked with her a few days later and she told us that she felt like June 18 was too soon. Eli then began testifying to her and shared his experience of how he chose to be baptized. He told her that he just realized that this is a decision that he should have made a long time ago and that there really is no need to wait for those blessings that are in store for them. Christine nodded her head and we asked her, "Christine, will you prepare yourself to be baptized on June 18?" She smiled and said "Yeah, I think I will." I don't think I have ever been happier in my entire life. They have told us over the past couple of days that they have already been able to see so many blessings and I know that this decision truly is going to bless their little family more than they will ever know. I cannot wait to see what is ahead for them. This is what missionary work is all about: to help families be together forever. It doesn't get much better than that.
This one is for you, Al.
It was Zone Conference and Zone Olympics. So obviously we
had to take a muscle picture.
Field trips are the greatest trips.
We kind of like each other.
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