Quick update: transfer calls came in last night after we were all in bed. Sis Chatterton and I are staying in Webster, and Sis Wall is staying in Irondequoit and training :) it's going to be an awesome transfer. LOTS of finding... we need a teaching pool in Webster!
Our two remaining Irondequoit investigators came to sacrament meeting yesterday, which was awesome. The coolest thing was that they happened to make it on the week when we had two confirmations! The baptism on Saturday went great :) I am so excited for Sister Jean and for Cedric; the gospel will really help them find happiness in their lives and they are already involving themselves in the ward.
It's funny... you hear returned missionaries talk about baptisms as the best part of going on a mission, and I always assumed that to be the way it is. It seems like in some ways, it should be a measure of success or of how enjoyable the mission has been. But... it's totally not. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the baptism. You can't really watch someone make covenants with God without feeling the Spirit and being happy. But I guess I expected something, and learned something else instead. Helping other people to come unto Christ is awesome, and baptism is an important (necessary!) step in helping them to fully access the atonement of Jesus Christ. But it's not the only way to access the joy that comes from bringing people closer to Christ. The baptism was special and really great, but looking back on my week, I was the happiest on Friday afternoon. I was at the BOMPS (Grandin bldg), just finishing my first tour I've given without a companion (in the winter we try to teach in companionships, but when the sites get too busy we have to split up). It had gone fairly well, and we were just wrapping up. The tour of the site ends in a gallery of paintings that outline big events in the BoM. I had the chance to teach and testify to this couple for the last 40 minutes, and this room is kind of the ultimate place to be able to testify of the Book of Mormon, of Jesus Christ, and of getting answers to prayers. I remember testifying and just feeling so... joyful. I couldn't stop smiling and I honestly felt like I was shining. I could feel the light of Christ as I testified of Him. It was the sweetest experience... even cooler than the baptism, probably. I was a little stunned when I first thought about this, but I really think that nothing makes me happier as a missionary than bearing testimony. Some of the hardest days aren't the days when I get rejected while tracting, they are the ones when no one answers their doors because we don't get a chance to testify. We actually sometimes will testify to planters, pets, or front doors just to keep our spirits up on a long door contacting day. I assume this isn't just true for missionaries... next time you are having a bad day, you should try it. Find someone to bear a short, simple testimony to. It works. (I hope it's clear that I really did enjoy the baptism. I never realized before my mission how big a deal baptism is. We CANNOT have full access to the atonement or the Spirit without it.)
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| Sister Wall, Cedric, Jean, me, Sister Chatterton |
Well I need to run and write my weekly update for President. Have a great week <3
Love,
Sister Schank
