Hello everyone!
This week was WONDERFUL!! :) PATRICK GOT BAPTIZED!!!! It was SO exciting. I was a little nervous last week because he decided last Sunday that he wasn't sure he really wanted to be baptized after all, but then I called and talked to him on Tuesday and some of the other YSA called him and the elders worked with him a lot and by Friday he was SO excited about his baptism. It was wonderful. So the baptism was scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 am (he had to work in the evening, so that was the best time) and we were there with the elders at 9 waiting for him because he was supposed to be there at 9:15 so we'd have time to take pictures and get everything organized and all that. At 9:40, he still wasn't there so the elders called and he said he didn't know what the address was, but he'd be there in about 5 minutes after we gave it to him (he only lives about a 5 minute drive away from the church). At 10:00, he STILL wasn't there and I was a nervous wreck...so I called him and before I can even ask him anything he asks "Did you make me cheesecake for me?" Sister Cottrell had promised him a cheesecake (the only dessert he likes) when he got baptized. I had made one, but unfortunately I'd left it at home so I promised to give it to him on Sunday, and then I asked where he was and he said they were picking up his girlfriend and they'd be there in about 5 minutes. At 10:15 they finally showed up, we had our little prayer meeting, and then we went to get started and his mom and step-dad walked in right as we were about to say the opening prayer. So we were a little late getting started, but other than that it went so well! The Spirit was really strong throughout the whole thing and his mom and step-dad really felt it, and I think his girlfriend did as well but I didn't have a chance to talk to her afterwards. Sister Belanger did a wonderful job with the talk on baptism and then he had asked me to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and I made it through, so that was a plus. It was a little nerve-wracking, but everyone said they couldn't understand me and his mom was crying through the whole thing, so I think it was fine...Then afterwards we invited his mom and step dad to come to church the next day to be there as he received the gift of the Holy Ghost and they said they'd try to make it, but they weren't sure if they could. They ended up coming and staying for the whole 3 hours and it was SO wonderful! His step dad had a lot of questions and really appreciated all the lessons and even asked if he could have a copy of the Gospel Principles book so that he could take it home and look through it and they said they'd be comin back next week. Then in Relief Society, one of the sisters bore her testimony on the importance of families and Patrick's mom started crying in the middle and said that it really touched her. It was so great. And his mom came up an dthanked me at least 4 times for helping her son change his life and bringing such a happiness to him...it really was wonderful to see. I think the elders are going to try to start teaching them before too long as well. It's just so exciting to first see Patrick with these blessings and then see what an example he's been to his family! :) I love it!
Other than that this week I don't think I have any really great stories. We did A LOT of finding, like always, and talked to a lot of people without too much success. We got invited in to a couple of people's houses to teach first lessons, but then they never really went anywhere after that. They either told us they weren't really interested or to maybe try an dcome back in about 3 weeks. It was a bit frustrating. But then last night we decided to pass by a guy who had smurfed us last Monday (we had met him last Saturday, set up the appointment, he wasn't there) and he invited us in, we taught a REALLY quick first lesson, and he said that he was interested and he was busy this week, but next Sunday to pass by again around 7 and he'd love to meet with us! It was so exciting. Hopefully something comes of that, but if not, we'll keep working and trying and we'll find somebody soon :)
We also taught a girl named Lucy again this week for the second time and it was just so sad. She moved here from France back in January and she's been having a really hard time ever since she got here. In France she was meeting with the missionaries and had a baptism date and everything, but then she moved here and met with the missionaries once, decided it was too cold to go to the Institute to meet them, and stopped talking to them. Then she called us a couple of weeks ago, we met with her, she came to church, and then told us to call in a bit. So we met with her this past week and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, and she said that right now she thinks she's on the repentance step. She said she knows that everything we say is true and it's good, but it's not for her and she doesn't really want it. It was really sad. That's probably on eof the hardest things: knowing how much the Gospel can bless the lives of the people we teach and how much happiness and direction it can bring, but then they don't want it and so there's nothing that we can do. For her, I KNOW that the Gospel could help. Having the Holy Ghost with you to give you that peace and comfort and direction every day is such an incredible gift...we have the opportunity to have a member of the Godhead with us AT ALL TIMES! But she didn't want it. Oh well..hopefully someday she'll realize how much it can help and will decided that she does want those blessings. That was one thing that was so exciting at Patrick's baptism as well....he came up to me afterwards and I asked him how he felt and he said "I'm in paradise. It's amazing" and then he thanked me for it and said that without me and Sister Pearson finding him, he wouldn't be able to have this joy. And at the beginning, he wasn't sure if he wanted it. But then he saw how much it meant to me and realized that if God would give ME that happiness, He'd give it to Patrick as well if Patrick just listened to what I said and did what God asked, and he was SO excited to have that same happiness that I had. It was really neat :) I love being here. I love seeing the change that comes into people's lives and the happiness that the Gospel can bring. It's wonderful to be able to share something that is so important to me with all those that are around me and just watch as even one of them comes to know the truth and feel that same happiness. I just love it :)
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
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