4/20/09

Ok so we had the BEST week EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Well it was the best and the worst week ever) but we got a baptismal date!! I am sooo excited. Her name is Colleen and she has investigated the church before but stopped for one reason or another. When we got here the Clifford's (the family we live with) told us about her and that we should stop by. So we did and she was always too busy with work and was never home. Well, she lost her job and so now she has lots of time, so we kept being our persistent little missionary self's, and kept stopping by and one day she was actually home. She was on her way out but we finally got her to make an appointment with us. Well, we went over there and she is kind of all over the place. But we taught her and she has been really receptive. We also gave her "Life is a football game" by Troy Dunn and she loved that! She said that helped a lot. Anyways so we were over there teaching her and she said at the end of the lesson... "I want to be baptized" awesome!!! We obviously didn't have anything to do with it and it was just the right timing but we are so excited. Last year the Cedar Crest Ward had 1 baptism total!! And this year we already have one date and almost 2 more!

So yesterday at church we had 3 investigators! (record high for our ward) Colleen was there and she stayed for all 3 blocks (which she has only done once last year). Lisa has been saying that she will come for about 2 months now and she stayed for 2 blocks, and then... CJ (about 19-20 yrs old) came to church with his friend. His friend took him up to Temple Square this week and he watched the Joseph Smith movie and got a Book of Mormon. He is really excited about learning. In Sunday school he told Jaycee Manning that he wishes some of the kids would shut up because he wanted to learn what the teacher was trying to teach! He is really really smart. Jaycee told us that in 8th grade he got a 31 on his ACTs, He just got messed up in some bad things (he was in a gang, probably drugs etc.) But he quit smoking 2 weeks ago and is moving to Utah soon. Soooooo we don't have much time to teach him but we are REALLY excited!!

Our fireside is coming along. The guy that was supposed to sing "I believe in Christ" at the end of our fireside called last night and said he didn't want to do it anymore. I am not sure if it's because we weren't super organized at our practice last night or what but I am super bummed about that because he is amazing! He had a #1 hit song in Australia, it would have been the perfect ending but I guess we will have to find someone else. Frustrating but that's life! Another person's mom died so she and her daughter won't be going either. Firesides are soooooo hard to plan!!! Never again! lol

So we taught Victor and Jessica this week and they are doing well. They said they like to hear about real people's conversion stories so I was thinking maybe Gma and Gpa B could maybe e-mail me their stories and Victor and Jessica could read them. I think they just like to hear about how people feel the Spirit and that it's not just a big lightning bolt. I don't know, they are a tough case. I think they will be baptized it will just take them a while. He is there it's just her that we are waiting for.

The Relief Society President's husband isn't a member (he is kind of hardcore Catholic actually) and we went over for dinner and we taught this lesson called "cups" (awesome lesson about how our church is organized exactly like Jesus Christ set up his church). We were super nervous that we were going to offend him or something, BUT sister Everett said that it went really well and he asked her questions after we left!!! Every little bit helps.

Man, yesterday I was just so excited about people coming to church, and seeing the results of all our hard work! This is what missionary work is all about! Most days are hard but the awesome days totally make it all worth it!

I love this work and I am so grateful that I am out here doing exactly what the Lord wants me to do! I love you all and thank you for keeping me in your prayers! xoxox

Sister Lizzie Marchant