This email was sent by Sister Welker on June 12th.  We received it on June 11th.

Week 44: Exchanges, Baptism, and Transfers

It wasn't a super exciting week.  We had exchanges with the Mountford sisters.  The last one of the transfer.  The theme was "Have Courage and Be Kind" from the latest Cinderella movie.  Each sister looked up one scripture with the word courage and another scripture with the word kind and then we were suppose to think about that scripture throughout the exchange.

Our area had been struggling lately so honestly it was a blessing to be in another area for 24 hours.  We are really low on investigators and in general the area isn't progressing.  Mountford area on the other hand is doing great!! By the end of the exchange we had visited with about 5 different families and had shared everything from the plan of salvation to a simple prayer.  It was just what I needed to regain my motivation to do the work.  Now that I'm back in my own area, we plan to find by day, and do member missionary work by night.  Hopefully through our efforts, we'll find something or someone that's willing to progress.

We had a baptism on Saturday for a girl that I'll call Millie for now.  Millie had been baptized as a member when she was 8 years old, but when she was a young women she went less-active.  Years later she had missionaries visiting her trying to help her regain a desire to come back to church.  It was then that she was informed that her records went missing.  Meaning that the prove that she had gotten baptized as a child was lost.  At first Millie was disappointed and frustrated, since she knows that she was baptized before, but as she thought about it, she realized that having her records go missing was a blessing.  She had been praying for a way to have a second chance, a new chapter in her life.  Millie would have never thought that baptism would have been the answer to her prayers.  With the help from friends in the YSA, and a desire to change her life, Millie got baptized again this last Saturday.

Minuets before the baptism began, while the prelude music was playing, Millie whispered to me how she was getting emotional and started to cry.  Before I even had the chance to react, one of her best friends came to the front row and gave her a hug.  I was happy for her knowing she could feel the spirit and that she had her best friend by her side. Having a best friend by your side definitely makes all the difference in the world.  I'm so grateful for my best friend and I want to let her know that I miss her so much and can't wait to see her again soon!!!

Out of all the baptisms I've had since I've been in this area, this one was definitely the most well done.  We had heaps of members come to show their support, including our stake president.  The speakers were great and Millie had the chance to share her testimony about her reactivity.  She had told us how there was a number of less-active friends that came to her baptism to show her support, and she was hoping that her story may have touched one of her friends that attended the service.

That had to be the highlight of my week.  Transfers are this week and it could go either way.  I don't know if I'll stay or go.  I'm hoping to stay one more, but you never know what the Lord has planned.  I'll be sure to keep you up to date next time I email.

Thanks for all the love and support.  I hope you all have another great week!!

Sister Mandy Welker