...or is it about to be...
Auntie Em, Auntie Em, it's a twister, it's a twister
Man. Long week.
We
were excitedly preparing for Joe's baptism this week, so we saw them a
lot this week. After Elder Cox interviewed him for baptism on Monday
night, Elder Cox said that he was one of the most prepared people he'd
ever interviewed for baptism, and congratulated us for teaching clearly
and helping him get prepared. After all the hard work we do, it was
really nice to hear that. But it's not us, really. Joe had such a
strong desire to search for what he was missing in his life. He knew
that he wanted an eternal family, and through prayer and scripture
study, the spirit testified to him that this was the way to get it.
Wednesday
was rough. But your birthday package came just in time! On Thursday
morning, I got the package, and my week was immediately made. Thank you
so much to all of my family members who included their bit! I love you
guys so much!!
On Friday, we had one of the
most welcoming dinner appointments ever. This Sister in the ward has a
daughter out serving a mission, so she really took care of us. She was
telling us that her daughter experiences some of the same trials that we
do, even when serving on the other side of the country in Mississippi.
One
of those things in common is really trying to encourage the members to
make sure the welcome in the new converts with welcome arms.
So
just a little pep talk for my family and friends back home: Gordon B
Hinkley said in a talk that he received a letter from a recent convert
about her experience with becoming a member of the church. "My journey
into the Church was unique and quite challenging. This past year has
been the hardest year that I have ever lived in my life. It has also
been the most rewarding..." She goes on to say that when she joined the
Church she did not feel support from the leadership in the ward. "Church
members don't know what it is like to be a new member..." President
Hinkley said to his listeners "I challenge you, my brothers and sisters,
that if you do not know what it is like, you try to imagine what it is
like. It can be terribly lonely. It can be disappointing. It can be
frightening. We of this Church are far more different form the world
than we are prone to think we are." The recent convert woman says in her
letter "When we as investigators become members of the Church, we are
surprised to discover that we have entered into a completely foreign
world, a world that has its own traditions,culture, and language...At
first the trip is exciting, our mistakes even amusing, then it becomes
frustrating and eventually, the frustration turns into anger. And it's
at these stages of frustration and anger that we leave. We go back to
the world from which we came, where we knew who we were, where we
contributed, and where we could speak the language."
President
Hinkley eventually goes on in his talk to explain that every new member
of the church needs three things: nourishment by the Word of God, a
calling, and (maybe even most importantly), a friend. Please be that
friend to new converts. Please let them feel the support and welcome
that they so desperately need. There are too many people that get
baptized and fall away from the church shortly there after. It is so
extremely sad to us as missionaries when we see someone feel the spirit,
progress in the gospel, and get baptized, only to feel lost and alone
in this new, foreign world without the love and support from individuals
in the ward, and eventually fall away. Please help us in this effort.
Missionaries will be transferred away, so we can't continue that support
system on our own. But as the members, you will stay in the area, in
that ward. You can be the friend that these investigators and new
converts need.
Okay. That's the end of my soapbox.
What
a wonderful experience Joe's baptism on Saturday was! Thank you, mom,
for sending me the talk and telling me about the ensign article, I used
both of those for my talk on Baptism! I made little cut-outs and
everything, I think it went pretty well! It was wonderful to hear Joe
and Daisy bear testimony of the truth they have come to discover.
Well that's all I can think of for this week! Love you all sooooo much!!!
God Bless!
Sister Moreland
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