Don't Forget to Pray

Hello family and friends, this week has been one for the record books! It started off great! Sister McGhie and I finished our companionship in our area. It was weird though because after I found out that I was going to be transferred, my mind switched gears and I started to think about the new area and how I could help it become stronger. I had been thinking for the past few days that I had completed the task I was supposed to in that area and it was time to move on. It was hard to stay concentrated on the work at hand. I was excited on Wednesday to go to my new area with Sister Dilworth. I am so glad to be working with her, she is such an awesome missionary and we are getting along wonderfully! She is a hard worker! She only has this transfer and one more left so we hope that I will be the one that "kills" her or sends her home (in nicer words). She has served here and left and then got sent back. She must have unfinished business here or something. This area is struggling big time! We have a few investigators but no one real solid. I feel like I am serving in Utah or something because we drive through some of the neighborhoods here and she points to each house and says, "member, member, member, nonmember/not interested, member..." You get the point??? haha! So its hard to find anyone to teach because mostly every door has been knocked on and Sister Dilworth was the one that knocked on it, lol! So our goal for this transfer and hopefully next transfer is to see miracles and to build the area stronger than it has ever been before! This week is already looking more promising than last week!

Also something super exciting that happened this week is...drum roll please....... ROBBY GOT BAPTIZED! And I was able to go to it and give the talk on baptism! It was so exciting! I used to be scared to talk in front of people but I had absolutely no fear when I was up there! I talked about what I know to be true! I talked about these 6 questions: Who gets baptized? What is baptism? When are we baptized? Where are we baptized? Why are we baptized? and How are we baptized? I love the answers to these questions because it sums up everything that we teach to everyone! The answers are: Everyone even Jesus needs to be baptized! Baptism is a covenant or a two way promise that we make with our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. We promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ and always remember him and keep his commandments. In return we are promised to be cleansed from sin, be spiritually reborn and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us at all times if we will only do our part to keep him with us. We are baptized when we reach the age to know right from wrong which has been revealed to be 8 years old. Or we are baptized when we have received a witness from the Holy Ghost that what we have been taught is true and we have repented of what we have done wrong. We are baptized into the restored church of Jesus Christ because of the Priesthood authority found therein. Jesus himself knew the importance of the priesthood and that is why He himself went to John the Baptist to be baptized of him. John holds that authority to act in God's name here on the Earth. The power of the Priesthood is so real and vital to the covenants we make here on Earth. We are baptized because it is a commandment and it is necessary in order to be numbered among the Lords people and to be welcomed into life eternal to live forever in the presence of our God, clean and pure. Baptism is done by immersion to symbolize the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ. As well as the death of our old lives and our rebirth into a life centered on our Savior. I loved having the opportunity to talk at Robby's baptism. Even though it was just a small gathering the Spirit was so strong and we felt the presence of God our loving Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.

 I am so happy to be on a mission and sharing the Gospel. Yesterday in Relief Society we had a lesson on member missionaries and why everyone who knows the truth has the responsibility to share it! It was awesome to hear the reasons why everyone has the desire to share it. We made 2 lists on the chalk board, one was of why the world needs the gospel and the other was what we treasure most about the gospel. Surprisingly the lists were different. We discussed why they were different and why the should be almost the same. We need to share what we hold the most precious to us because it is what will connect others to the gospel as well. I loved this lesson because it made me as well as many others come to realize something important. For example for me on the second list someone had mentioned Eternal Families was what was most precious to them and I had been thinking that the entire time. But I realized that the reason I am sharing the gospel, the reason I am on a mission, is because I want everyone to have the same happiness in their families that I have in mine! I want everyone to be with their families forever! I have a lot of work to do but it helps me to work harder when I remember my family back home and the support and encouragement that y'all give me. So thank you! I love you and this is such a special time for ALL of us! I hope you can see the blessings in your lives because I can definitely see them in mine!

I have to go now, so that I can attach some pictures and write President Greer! Please keep Elder and Sister Garrett in your prayers, they were in a very terrible car accident last week and both have multiple injuries. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement! I love you and I pray for you all daily! Keep up the good work! The church is true and Christ LIVES!