Baptism!

Sisters Patten, Fatkin and Sanders
Mission President's house
July 2009

Buenos dias familia!

We had a great start to a new transfer this last week! We have some new people to teach and we’re pretty excited! The family ward has finally made contact with some of the people that ward council has been talking about having us teach them.. Sometimes it takes a while to get the process going. We didn’t teach any of the people yet, but it’s great that the work is moving forward, and we have some appointments set for this week. Mom, that’s crazy that Minnesota was one of the last states to learn about this process and get it going. I suppose we didn’t start it until around the new year, but I remember learning what it was all about, this time last year. It really is an inspired idea, and really helps missionaries have more people to teach. I hope that your missionaries find more opportunities to teach. If you’re not teaching as a missionary, it’s easy to feel like you’re not really making a difference or doing what you were called to do. But they’ll be okay, as long as they’re obedient and working.

MTC District

We knocked quite a bit last week: early in the day, in the afternoon, at dinnertime, and later on at night. Nobody let us in to teach. But we met a couple of people that said we could come back. So we’re going back! The first week of last transfer we knocked into this woman who was very nice, and had just had a baby like 2 days before, so it wasn’t a good time. And we kept thinking we needed to check on her again. So last week we did, and ended up meeting her brother-in-law (all the family live together). She told us we could come back the next day at the same time, but when we came back she wasn’t there, and he was. We didn’t think he was going to be available at that time, so we hadn’t planned ahead to have another girl with us. But the next day we came back with someone and taught him the Restoration. It went really well. He was a little hesitant to accept all of these things that seemed new and different, but he accepted a baptismal date. His name is Jose, and he’d be in the singles branch. Unfortunately he didn’t make it to church-because it’s football season. We’ll keep working with him.

Hermanas Chriswell, Sanders and Brown

We also have another potential young single adult investigator. The other sisters in our district are teaching this girl who was introduced to the church by a coworker. And because this girl is the young single adult age, the sisters are going to pass her to us, and she has a baptismal date too. Wow!

The best news though is about the Lopez family;. I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned them. They moved into this ward in the spring and were sort of inactive then. The Mom is member, the Dad is a recent convert, and together they have 5 kids, 4 age eight and up. And only one has been baptized. So they are a family that is part of this process where they were invited by the ward to be taught by the missionaries. It’s been really frustrating to even have appointments with them. They want the kids baptized, and they’re really really good kids and they’re excited to be baptized. But the mom just hasn’t seemed to be putting it as a priority. But finally on Friday we had an appointment with the whole family together and we set a date! So on November 7 (as long as the dad’s work schedule will let him have the day off) the three kids-Michael (8), Kiara (9), and Cathey (10) will all be baptized! We’re really excited for them! And hey, if I can’t be there to see Ashleigh baptized, I can see some other kids get baptized! Hopefully that won’t be all.

There are still some other part member families that we’re trying to work with and we’re still looking for new investigators. So who knows what else will happen!

It’s getting a little cooler here in California, and it’s very nice, especially to be walking outside! Yesterday we ate with our ward mission leader and I thought of you Erin.because his wife put out lots of fancy cheeses that she had gotten from work. Stinky cheeses not so good, but also brie and gouda. You’d like that, right? Thought so.

Good to hear that everyone is doing well! That the Sanders are reunited in Philadelphia, and everyone is enjoying their fall (winter?) weather! Life here in Anaheim, California is wonderful! S. Cooprider and I continue to get along really well and are improving our teaching together. Life is happy! As always, thank you for your love and prayers and support! I love you all!

Love,
Emily