Love, Sister Fredrick
p.s. transfer calls come this week eeeeeek
President,
Some unexpected things happened this week. We were blessed with a baptism of a college student, Tobey. There were about 40 college students at the baptism. It was perfect! He has so much support and love from the ward. He is planning on serving a mission too. BYUI makes a huge change in it's students lives. Tobey never saw any of this happening!
David Nelson was supposed to be baptized on Friday, but after his interview with President Nelson, it's been decided that postponing his baptism would be best. David was pretty bummed, but he did say something to us that really made me realized what a changed person he has become. He has had drug and violence problems in the past, and as we talked with him he wept and said he never wants to go back to where he was. He said he doesn't even desire the same things he used to just a few weeks ago and that his priorities are totally changed. Just since we've been meeting with him, he has been awakened to his horrible past and his need for a brighter future. He was scared to be baptized before, now he's scared he can't be baptized.....We assured him that nothing can stop him from being baptized, maybe the timing will be different, but the atonement heals all.
On Tuesday we went and had a lesson in the church building with Sarah. We took her back to the same spot where she first realized that she wanted to be baptized. We read 3 Nephi 11 in front of the font, as you have requested. The spirit was so thick in that room! We got on our knees and she prayed to know when she should be baptized, and if May 4th specifically would be good. She started to cry and said that she hadn't felt this way since she was confirmed into the Lutheran church. We set the date then and there. Then we planned her whole baptism program, took her into the font, showed her the jumpsuits, all the little details.
Saturday Sarah came to our baptism for Tobey. She loved it! Then she stayed with us to watch Elder Cope and Hudson's baptism. She was so excited for her's but nervous to tell her mom. She called her mom that night. Sunday we went to church with her and she told us how her call with her mom went. A three hour conversation changed everything. Her mom talked her out of it and told her she was to young to make a decision like that. She made her feel bad for turning against what she had learned since she was two. She said that if Sarah decided to go through with the baptism that she would drive up the next day and drag her home. Agency? I think not.
So as Sarah is telling us these things, I am shocked. I thought of how she was glowing with excitement after our lesson in the church building and after the other baptisms. We comforted Sarah and ran through the options. She told us that she felt so confused and she just wanted to wait a little longer. Sister Jorgensen and I have come to realize that patience is truly a virtue! Yeah it's easy for us to see why baptism now is the right thing, but we're on the other end. We have put trust in Sarah and her promptings of the spirit. She said she has prayed and knows that fasting this Sunday will bring her an answer to when it is right.
Last night we had a lesson with her and she told us that she had been praying and reading more and she feels really blessed that all these things are happening. She has seen her parents changing and listening more to her over time. She said that when she was home these past few months, she had her family get together and do a scripture study. She said she was doing a family home evening and they didn't even realize it. She taught the plan of salvation to her family and they agreed with everything she taught. They didn't realize what she was teaching but it made so much sense to them. She even read from the Book of Mormon and they didn't realize it! So needless to say, Sarah wants us to send the missionaries to her families house in California. She wants them to share the Plan of Salvation and get them hooked. We're so excited to see what comes of this!
Tanya is getting baptized on Friday! I have to conduct music...not excited about that but I will do whatever she wants me to do. She is an amazing woman who has been remarried to a member. She has come to church for about two years now and has been learning from us for eight months. She has a strong testimony and a heart of gold!
Well President, I'm just so amazed at how this month has panned out. At the beginning of the month we had no dates for this month. Now we had a baptism last weekend, one next weekend, and hopefully 3 more dates for May. I am forever grateful for the goal you gave us to baptize this month, and every month. It's made me work harder and with my purpose always at the forefront of my mind.
Thank you!
Sister Fredrick
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