Well it was an awesome week. It went by so fast getting Donovan prepared for his baptism and just trying to find new people to teach and stuff. Yes Donovan was baptized on Saturday, and I got to perform the Ordination. It was the most spiritual experience that I have had on my mission this far. He was so ready to be baptized, and I feel so honored that he wanted me to do it for him. His knee came up the first time, so we had to do it twice, but it went well. It is awesome to see what the gospel can do for someone, and how it can change people’s lives so much. Not only has it changed his life, but it has started to change the life of his family as well. His mom said that she would like to start coming to church as well as start listening to the lessons from us as well. She wants her other son to start listening to us as well because she wants the same changes that occurred in Donovan's life to happen in her family’s as well. So hopefully we can have a white Christmas and have a few more baptisms here in the last bit of this year. Oh Donovan is also getting the priesthood next Sunday, and it would be so awesome to see him baptize his family before I leave this area, I would feel so accomplished and blessed to be a part of that.
This week we were also able to start the reactivation process with a less active sister in our ward. She has not been to church since 1987, and we have been working with her and trying to get her back to church since before I got here, and I called her up a few days ago, and asked if we could stop by and she said yes. When we got there she was like I totally forgot what I had agreed to do when you called, and she said she thought she had agreed to going to church or something, but she said that she thought about it and decided she wanted to just come to sacrament. Oh and she has two service dogs that she takes everywhere with her. So we found her a ride to church, and after sacrament, she said that she wanted to start coming to all 3 hours next week, so we are so grateful to see her starting to come back to church, and I love to see our hard work, finally coming through and working out.
Dad, thank you so much for sharing all of that with me. I love to hear your testimony, because it strengthens mine, and helps me to try and be the best son and example to everyone I come in contact with. Whenever we meet with people and they say that it is easy for me to believe all the stuff we teach because I have been taught it my whole life, I have the ability to tell them yes I have been raised in the gospel my whole life, but it wasn't always my main focus. I tell them that I learned a lot from my parents, but it wasn't until my senior year, and about the end of it that I really decided that I wanted to serve a mission, and that I prayerfully sought out the gospel to know for myself that it is true. I love having an anchored family in the church. I have seen how it has blessed me so much, and how other families are struggling, but not knowing where to find peace and joy. It breaks my heart, and almost brings me to tears to see families looking so hard, but rejecting what we teach and continue to suffer.
I have learned so much this week, and I have grown up a lot too. President Barry pulled me aside during Zone Meeting this week, and just wanted to talk about how I was doing after the whole Denise situation, and I told him that I had a rough week, and it was hard to go through, and I noticed that it was super unproductive. I know that he is an inspired man, and he sees a lot of potential and hard work in me, and he helped me out so much, and just helped me to be a better missionary. I know that the knowledge will come, and that it is going to come in time, but what I do know is that I have been called of God to serve a mission, and to teach what I do know, and that is the truth and fullness of the gospel.
I love the examples that all of you have set for me, and I have loved how I have always been held to a higher level of accountability by everyone. I guess it used to bother me, and I would just wonder why everyone expected so much from me, but I have finally realized that it is because I can achieve a lot more than I give myself. I thank everyone who has held me to this higher standard. I love the example of Taylor, and just how much he has helped me and how close I have grown to him. We have been so far away for so long, and it is going to be even longer, but I have felt the closest to him then I ever have in my life. Thanks for all you have shown and done for me Taylor, I really do love you and look up to you in so many ways.
I love each and every one of my siblings so so much, and in a different way. I have had so many experience and memories with each one of you that has shaped me into the loving, careful, and honorable missionary that I am today. I hope that yall can forgive me for anything that I have done to hurt or offend you, because I love yall so much, and I hope that we can have lots of more memories over the years. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful family to me.
Love yall lots,
Spencer
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