Week 71: NICHOLE GOT BAPTIZED🌊 The Importance of the Spirit

Odds and Ends

●I got to go on exchanges with my first great granddaughter in my mission posterity, Sister Ashby! Wow she truly is going to be a massive instrument in the Lord's hand in her days here in SC.

●We knocked on a door and heard some straaaange sound. We looked over at this coop thing covered in skulls and a turkey just popped his head up. Hehe!

●Emily Molano gave me one of her guitar picks and guitar book and signed it for me 😊 I love her!

●We saw a wild cherry tree!

●I slaughtered 3 spiders when we were cleaning the font for Nichole hehe!

●President and Sister Hamblin are here! In the mission! So excited to see the miracles and revelation they bring to this part of the Lord's vineyard! We called to invite them to Nichole's baptism, and they were unable to. But it was so sweet hearing President Hamblin's gentle voice over the phone! He sounded liked a greeny mission president, and WOW it just made me so much more excited to serve with him!

●One contact, we started walking up the driveway and the garage door was cracked open to about knee height and we could see feet so we knew there were people inside. We weren't gonna knock on the garage or anything so we just pretended like we didn't notice. Then after a few knocks this man emerged from his garage and told us now wasn't a good time. Huh. Kinda interesting haha!

●Sister Gibbens had to pee SO BAD when we were about to exchange, so we had to go to the restaurants bathroom we were parked at! Then we found out, it was a bar hehe!

● Sister Carter, Sister Bradshaw, and Sister Gibbens all hit ONE YEAR on their missions! Woohoo to my lovelies!

●Homemade egg Mcmuffins have become the perfect quick breakfast for meeee!

●There was a NEW Preach My Gospel announced! So cool! It's already blessed my teaching as a missionary so much!

●I got asked when I was walking through Ulta Beauty in my dress if I could help find a certain product. I apologized and told her I did not in fact work there haha!

Miracles

★Lumen and Talon... AHHH! Wow the kids are just TOO CUTE! Did the gospel of Jesus christ footprints, and asked them why they want to be baptized. Lumen said its because she wants the Holy Ghost, Talon wants to do it because he said its an honor. Such tender and pure answers!

★We had a fire lesson with Kay and Steve! We prayed and prayed and couldn't not figure out what to plan for them! But then Kay opened up to us and burst into tears, saying that when she went to pray about if the Book of Mormon was true, she cried and said that she couldn't keep praying because she already knew it was true! We invited her to pray and take her questions to God, and spend time listening instead of talking in her prayer. She thought that was so profound! WE KNOW SHE'LL GET AN ANSWER!

★When we visited Quint and Kathy, Sister Ashby and I sang I love to see the temple. Wow, I'm sad I haven't sung in lessons for so long bc the SPIRIT was STRONG.

★The Douglas family has our whole hearts! We went in and they totally opened up about the gospel. Ian is headed to FSY on Monday, and he said we could come back and ask how it went! The breakthrough was so huge. We heard some conversion stories and beautiful miracles! A cat definitely went up her skirt, but its okay, no rips! And Sophia made me another picture!

★Chloe Bonte is about to turn 8. We got to go over and help her get excited about her BAPTISM! We gave Chloe a Kit Kat to be her "baptismal covenant kit:"

Keep His commandments

Always remember Him

Take His name upon you

She was nervous that she wouldn't answer questions right for her interview. But I was able to assure her, that if she has a DESIRE, that that's all the Savior asks and he'll do the rest! The other cool part is we didn't have a KitKat and we were headed to her lesson. We didn't want to disappoint her so we just prayed that we'd find a gas station. And sure enough a few minutes later, POOF God provided with a gas station! His hand is constantly in our lives, we just had our eyes open wide enough to see it this time 🙃

★Donna is working HARD! She's made it almost a week without beer! But she's still struggling with her vape! She's been retaining so much with her scripture study! Like she was talking about Zoram and Laban and the brass plates like a pro! And this coming from the lady saying she forgets as she reads! God truly has been blessing her! She's such an angel ahhh and she WANTS to be baptized the 15th!

★WOW Victoria is AMAZING! Her mom Terri answered the door and was like "I'm going to let you know I'm a Jehovah's Witness." So then Victoria comes out and Terri said "I told them we are Jehovahs Witness---" and Victoria motioned for her to go inside. Then we talked with Victoria and she said she's looking for a better life! We TESTIFIED of Christ. Then rasband approached her! Good ole Mosiah 24:14. She was so grateful! We met her son Able! She was absolutely glowing by the end. Prayed with them. She said she's a single mom of 3. Then she EVEN called to confirm our number! And now she's reading the Book of Mormon with her sister! AHHHH!

★We were having the hardest time planning for Kristiana's lesson! And then we got there and she told us she was having 2nd thoughts about being baptized. So off of the Spirit we switched lesson plans and it turned into such an encouraging time for Kristiana! So much so she ran and grabbed her planner, and we filled out appointments for the next 2 weeks. Then we asked if she was free Friday. She told us she was shocked she hadn't taken a shift yet on that day, and that she could come to Nichole's baptism!!! Eeeeee!

★We met Quaticka on w bing visit ! She was so nice and said she remembered, making the request to meet with us. She said she's looking for a church for her family to go to, we explained to her that we share messages. She's excited for us to come back!

★NICHOLE GOT BAPTIZED! This beautiful goddess literally had so many people invested in her journey that she FILLED THE CHAPEL with almost ALL ward members, plus a few coworkers, and 11 missionaries! She got baptized in a BEAUTIFUL dress, you wouldn't catch Nichole in a jumpsuit haha! It was incredibly touching, the majority of us were crying. When we walked from the chapel to the font room, it was standing room only! Some people even had to stay in the chapel. But as Paul raised his arm to the square to baptize his wife, he paused. And that pause poured the Spirit over me so much that it touched every pore. Then he began to say the prayer. He started choking up and had to pause again. A moment the Holy Ghost was heard it felt like. And then he said amen and eased her into the water. Ive never seen Nichole smile wider than after she was baptized! And one of the best parts about it is Donna and Kristiana came to see what baptism looks like and feel the Spirit there! Kristiana was running fashionably late as she always does. She said she get there 30 minutes late. We prayed and prayed and PRAYED that the first speaker would keep speaking. And to my dismay, he gave a 20 minute talk. Kristiana still wasn't there. But JUST before Paul started the prayer, Kristiana peeped on in and sat with the kids and saw her be baptized. Then Donna... sweet Donna was sobbing watching Nichole be baptized. She wants to follow her example, but most importantly Christ's example and be baptized! She feels more motivated to reach her goals now! And Sister Bruce came back for the baptism, a pretty amazing day if you ask me! But Nichole.... she was just ready! Missionaries have worked with her, her son joined the church a year and a half ago. But now she wants to prioritize an eternal family and strive for it! All we had to do was fill up the font for her. She is going to lead people with her testimony, I just know it!

★We stopped by Ursula's and her whole family was out of town and she was so happy to talk with us and gave us a tour of her WHOLE HOUSE! Including her girls rooms, and wow they share my obsession with squishmallows eeeeee! We were able to be there for her in a time she felt pretty alone. A miracle if you ask me!

★We've been working hard with Sherry Connor! We visited her this week on a bing, and she gave us a referral! Then after she couldn't have the zoom link anymore, we weren't sure what she'd do! But then she showed up to church! She's regaining her beautiful testimony and it's touching you watch! Now we hope that she will be an example to her sweet husband Ferman!

★I started writing a song called "His Hands." It just started coming to me during gospel principles! Stay tuned👀

★Sister Gibbens and I have a lot of comp inventories. Which is good, because we are working to communicate better! We've had to compromise, because we are so different. When to contact, when to talk about our own conversion, and how to find balance! The Lord has been helping us find new strategies. Because we both desire to do His work, I know everything can be solved through Christ!

Spiritual Thought x2

★One of our friends said something that really stood out to me this week. She was using weed as an example. She said "Well if I spend more time with weed and being high then with God, then weed becomes my god. I may try go deny it, but what proves that? Certainly not my actions." And wow her comment made me THINK! If we spend more time with other things than GOD, then we have created our own "gods" in a sense. So I've begun to reflect. Are the things I'm doing prioritizing God and showing him that I put him first? I know that just like in Matthew 6:33 that if we "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." God promises more order and direction in our lives as we put Him first. Ponder this same question and ask God what he would have you change!

★One more important truth I've leaned was because I was asked to lead the discussion in DCM on the importance of the Holy Ghost. When I was preparing I pondered how much the Spirit effects my life. And then, ironically, the Spirit testified of itself and taught me just how important and integrated he is in my life. So I went our meeting, and I asked the missionaries to take a few minutes and ponder what they wouldn't have if we didn't have the Spirit. Here are some of the things we came up with:

Without the Spirit...

-we wouldn't be able to feel God's love

-no promptings, warnings, or direction

-no conversion

-prayer wouldn't work

-we can't know the truth

-no revelation, which means no revelation from prophets past or present, which consequently means no scriptures

-no real relationships

-no comfort from the Spirit

-temples and going to church to take the sacrament would become pointless

-no ordinances could be performed, including sealing families together forever

-baptism wouldn't be complete

-repentance would not be possible

-missionaries would not be able to teach

...and so many more things!

The Spirit means EVERYTHING. He is a member of the God head after all! We NEED the Spirit. You can not have a spiritual experience without the Spirit! It's as simple as that. As I learned from my preparation of this discussion, I realized I'm not always as grateful as I should be for the Holy Ghost. Treasure it, because just as President Nelson said, that's how we are going to survive these last days.

Birthdays

None:)

Pictures