Pamphlets and Baptisms

Hey!

How are you all? Congrats to Jenessa on making Senior Vice President!!! That should be a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy every min of it.

Sounds like the storytelling conference was a lot of fun too. :) That is really neat to be able to rub shoulders with some of those incredibly gifted people. And sounds like the Choir was great. :) On of the things I really really really want to do when I get home is see the lights at temple square, watch the Joseph Smith movie and listen to a performance of the Choir. That would just be so neat.

And thanks for the advice Dad. We've actually really been trying to do just that. *Sigh* Unfortunately, we have a HUGE area and everyone is super spaced out, so it is really difficult. Also, people don't answer their phones... which is frustrating. But!! I will certainly try. Maybe I'll bring cookies to everyone's door... then they'll have to open up.

This week has been an absolutely incredible week. Wow. Very full, very crazy, and very good.

On Monday President Hanks sent us a 6 page email with a bajillion new techniques he wanted us to work on and then on Tuesday we had zone training where we were trained on them. 

When I read the email I felt this sudden excitement and energy about missionary work. On Tuesday while the sister missionaries were role playing with the Restoration pamphlet, I had a very neat experience. The Spirit was super strong and she was testifying throughout the entire discussion, but when she opened up to the picture of Joseph Smith's first vision, it was like a wall of the Spirit hit me. It had been growing throughout the lesson, but it was this sudden "BAM!!" like when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir hits the climax of "Joseph Smith's First Vision." Powerful, beautiful and spiritual. It was incredible.

Our first meeting that afternoon was with a Less-Active sister and we had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation. We handed her a pamphlet, and began teaching. When we got to the second page, I asked her if she's feels life has taught her anything, and she suddenly opened up. She started talking about how she's been making bad choices lately, and because of that she knows she will have to suffer the consequences of her actions, but that the Lord still loves her and wants her to make correct choices, and she is a daughter of God who doesn't need to be doing that stuff, instead she needs to be keeping herself in the right things. For 10 min, she taught herself and applied to her situation each of the principles of the first half of the Plan of Salvation (agency, the Atonement, learning and growing from our mistakes, ect). It was incredible. The Spirit was super strong, and I know she left that lesson knowing what she needed to do to become the person God wanted her to be. So :) since then I've been having fun with the pamphlets.

A girl was baptized!!! :D Yay!!!  It was one of the sweetest baptisms I have ever witnessed. Her father baptized her, and it was his first baptism. I will never forget the excitement in his eyes as he practiced on us before the baptism, or the tenderness expressed as four priesthood brethren eagerly leaned forward, quietly feeding him each of the words as he performed that sacred ordinance. It was beautiful. Truly humble, and remarkably beautiful. 

She also had a non member friend at the baptism. He had been around when our district leader interviewed her, and we watched the Restoration movie while we waited. During the baptism, I looked over and saw him crying. We invited him to church the next day, and he didn't come, but I know a pretty huge seed has been planted... hopefully it will bear fruit very soon. It was incredibly powerful. There were points when I was sure there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

Also... because we had so many crazy things happen this week, I had Sister Williams write down one of our experiences and email it to me so that I could share with you:

I don't know what it is about being here on my mission, but I have had more run-ins with the cops here than I ever have back home. Somebody called the cops on Sister Pratt and I while we were out tracting. We don't know who called them on us, or why...I mean it was two o'clock on a sunny day. We were just minding our own business, praying with people and talking about our Savior. It was quite an awkward exchange. Sister Pratt and I had knocked on this door and a woman came up and asked, "Who is it?" (southerners favorite thing to say). We said that we were missionaries. She turned around and walked away (southerners favorite thing to do when they hear we are missionaries). So we were like oh, ok, well obviously she isn't interested. As we turn and start walking down the steps Sister Pratt says that there is a cop. I thought she just meant that the cop was driving by again, he had already passed us twice as we were walking and talking with people. But then I hear the cop say "Can you please come here a minute?" So we start crossing this huge front lawn. I hate walking on peoples lawns, but it would have taken twice as long to walk around to him. We get up there and he asks what we are doing. I told him that we were just out talking with people about Jesus Christ and praying with them. He listened and then pulled out his phone, and while he is doing that he tells us that the woman came to the door. So Sister Pratt tries to cross back over the lawn a little bit so that she doesn't have to yell quite as far, and so that she can still hear what the cop and I are saying. The cop is asks me again what we are doing and so I tell him again, and he repeats what I say to whoever he is talking to. Then asks us if we are asking for donations. I assure him that we are not, it is one of our rules that we aren't allowed to accept donations. He tells me that if we were to, we would have to go to the city and get a permit first. I again assure him that we aren't, we are simply praying with people and talking about our Savior. He tells us to have a nice day, and gets in his car and drives off. As we walk up to our car, another police officer drives by. We get in the car and laugh to ourselves thinking they are probably coming looking for us. Oh what an adventure.

Whew!! That is probably only about half of what actually went on this week- but that is about all I have time to write. We had a SUPER full week, and the Spirit has been very present throughout it all (except maybe when the cops came out... then the only spirit there was that of awkwardness). But, I hope you all have a great week! I love you all!

Love always,

~Sister Pratt