Week 44

We had a very remarkable experience with our friend Melissa this last weekend. At the beginning of my time in this area, Elder Jarrett and I felt prompted to look through our expiring records (people who there has been no contact with for at least two years, who are automatically deleted by the system in order to conserve memory). We saw Melissa's record and decided to text her, not really sure why or if anything would come from it. 

She ended up responding and we set up a visit. We came to learn that her husband Julius is a member (though he hadn't been to church consistently in a long time) and that she'd been learning with the missionaries on and off for over seven years. She was ready to get baptized three years ago but couldn't be because she wasn't following some of the commandments. She felt offended at being denied and had stopped learning, and missionaries hadn't really been able to get in contact with them until we came along.

It turns out that the issue that had been holding her back was resolved literally the day before we had texted her, and some trials that she and Julius had been facing caused her to reevaluate her priorities and decide she was ready to Let God Prevail in her life. 

When we first started meeting with her again we spent a lot of time on some specific questions/objections she had about Church doctrine, but Julius was actually a big help and talked about how there are different stories that we hear in life, and if we believe in the story then we either have to believe in all of it, or reject the whole thing as untrue. The story or narrative in this case being the Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Once she got behind that Melissa started to learn very quickly, getting into the scriptures each day and asking a lot of very insightful questions in our lessons. She started coming to church, at first with Julius and their daughter Kadence but then even when they couldn't make it she came alone. 

I have never seen anyone more determined to be baptized, she kept saying "most people haven't waited as long as I have." She got baptized this last Saturday, and her nonmember family and best friend came out from Chandler for the service. Julius, who's been coming back to church as well, performed the baptism and I got to confirm her the next day in church. She radiated a pure joy that was infectious. She told us that the day of her baptism "was one of the greatest days of [her] life." 

There was a really special feeling at the baptism, and I'm really glad that I was able to be there. Ultimately I recognize that Elder Jarrett, Elder Moyes and I have only played a very small part in her journey, and that there have been a whole lot of people over the years who have impacted her far more deeply and helped her along the path much more than we did right at the end. 

We didn't do anything special in order to be a part of her baptism other than following a prompting. I'm not the best missionary in the world or anything, honestly I didn't do much. But I was able to add my Widow's Mite to the missionary work being done in this area, and the Lord magnified our efforts. 

The things I've been able to experience in this area have been a great blessing in my life. It feels like Heavenly Father is apologizing a little bit for all of the hard things that I went through in my last area with there being so little success, or is at least giving me a little reward for sticking with it despite the hardships. I'm glad for the friendships I've been able to form here, the good people I've been able to meet, and the way my faith in Jesus Christ has grown since I started my mission. I still have so many things that I'm terrible at and need to be better about, but I feel somewhat more prepared to tackle those things. 

- - -

Also, the weather has been really nice lately. Last summer, when I was wondering (out loud, to anyone who would listen) why anyone would ever want to live in this forsaken desert land, people would tell me that the winters were beautiful and wonderful and made the summer worth it. Having lived through a Phoenix winter, I can confirm that those stories are all false. It got below freezing several times and it was chilly and uncomfortable most of the time, except for the late afternoon which was tolerable. My weakened body was chilled to the bone by the frigid 60-degree weather, forcing me to wear a sweater. 

Now though it is actually really nice. It's starting to warm up but it's not yet terrible, so there's usually a nice cool breeze going but the sun is warm and bright. The sky is always blue and nearly cloudless, and you see lots of people out and about trying to enjoy it while they can. It's actually been pretty close to paradisaical, I feel like I'm on vacation. This must be what it's like to be a Hawaii missionary, only for just a month or two instead of year-round. 

Don't have much time today, but I remain as always

Faithfully Yours, 
Elder C. Calder

- - -

Prepping for Melissa's baptism

Found this gem at DI. Makes me so proud to be a Christian. 🥲

Dinner date with Elder Moyes

 Sister Ohlin doodled a picture of our district during District Council. I wonder which one is supposed to be me
(She did me so dirty, I'm actually flabbergasted)

DC doodle recreated in real life.
 
Melissa and Julius with us at the baptism

Melissa's baptismal interview. She passed with flying colors!💪
















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