#BAPTIZINGNATIONS

Hey Fammmm & Friends!!

No, the weather isn't really super cold. There was a crazy hail storm here earlier this year and a couple tornadoes but apparently that's not normal. I should most likely be transferred down south so I should be good! I'll keep y'all posted on that next week!! 

Well... anywho... I'm glad all is well in Farmington. I'm excited for my package. Transfers are next week so hopefully they will just keep it at the mission office!! Thanks for all you guys do!! 

Great things are happening! Crazy that we are having back to back baptisms!! #BaptizingNations. So blessed.. seriously. The longer I'm out here the more I just feel so incredibly blessed! I love my Heavenly Father so much!! 

So we met with Margurate this week! I really really love meeting with her! I just love her! HAH! It's just always so edifying! She feels the spirit and it teaches all of us. She has a bunch of questions about what exactly it means to be "a member" and stuff. So we shared Mosiah 18 with her. It just talks about what we are covenanting and we also shared an awesome quote about why we have the church. The answer is to perfect us as we strive to live Gods laws. But it really resonated with her. We talked about her being baptized and she said that she will get her answer but it's just going to take awhile because she is one to think it through lots and lots of times. Which is good because she understands that it's a huge decision and she needs to be committed to it. I mean these are promises to God we are making here.. She was ready a long time ago though. She will come around, but will y'all just pray for her? Her son Cam is struggling a little in school and she's a single mom and she struggles and she's looking for an answer. Bottom line, she could use the prayers.  she did come to Sacrament Meeting and Nic's baptism! She and Cam bolted before we could talk to them though... 

Oh good ol' Kodi! Hah!! Aw man! She's a riot, let me tell ya! Never a dull moment with this one! But super cool experience during planning. So ya know how we were planning her date to be the 30th. Well, it's hard sometimes to get through a lesson with her so we were kinda wondering if we were going to make it. So we thought about it, talked it out and prayed about it. We came to the conclusion that even 8 year olds get baptized.. they don't need to know the in's and out's of the gospel. They just need to have experiences that tells them this is true. For instance, in the Book Of Mormon the people Alma was teaching by the waters of Mormon, Alma asked them "if this is what you want, to be baptized, what are you waiting for!?!" So they went into the waters of Mormon and were baptized!! They only knew the little bit of what Alma taught them and what they felt in their hearts. This is a powerful and humbling lesson for me.. haha. When someone is ready, by all means! Run with them to the font! 

So. After we talked about this we prayed again and decided to talk to the Zone Leader's to talk about things like the amount of time they need to be living the Word of Wisdom, for example. We found out it is 2 weeks. We were freaking out because Kodi was going to drink some coffee when Sister Trapane got back from Utah because she hates it.. so we called up Kodi and asked her how long it had been since she had coffee or tea! She was like "uhh... a month...". Sister Fitz and I freaked out!! Best news we had heard for a long time!! So we told her about it and that she can't have it if she wants to be baptized on the 30th. We did actually teach it to her too. Haha. It is such a tender mercy that Heavenly Father is letting me be her for both of these baptisms!! So blessed!! Nothing short of a miracle! 

We also had dinner with Kodi, Sister Trapane and Kodi's relatives, Joe and Shannon. It was cool. Joe and Shannon had never heard the Restoration so it was cool to teach them and see them feel the spirit. 

Welp.. I got bit by a STINK'IN dog!! I was so mad.. lemme tell you this story!! So! We were going to visit a less active and they have a fence around their yard and so we opened up the fence and this dumb dog starts growling and being sassy. So I bent down to let him sniff me because usually they are fine after that.. but instead he attacked my STINK'IN leg!!!!! I was so mad... then!!!! I backed up to give him some space and he lunged at me again and I about kicked him but I heard the owner pull up so he just bit my shoe a good one too... it's a dang good thing she pulled up or he would'a been punted across the yard... . 

But.. on a more spiritual note!! I liked this quote! 

The battle for your souls is increasingly fierce. The adversary is strong and cunning. However, you have within your physical body the powerful spirit of a son or daughter of God. Because He loves you and wants you to come home to Him, our Father in Heaven has given you a conscience that tells your spirit when you are keeping the Lord’s commandments and when you are not. If you will pay more attention to your spiritual self, which is eternal, than to your mortal self, which is temporary, you can always resist the temptations of Satan and conquer his efforts to take you into his power” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1993, 5–6; or Ensign, May 1993, 6–7).

We saw Jesus today for lunch and he told us some serious issues are happening with his family situation... so please keep them in your prayers!! 

Nick's baptism was so great!! Aw man! It always hits the feels when someone gets baptized. It was so great. Kodi showed up and she's was having a really hard morning because of a difference in opinion with her family member... but it should all work out... pray for her too.. pretty please.  

Sorry, I don't have a ton for ya this week but I will shoot some pictures over! We do have some pretty funny ideas for Halloween. So stay tuned! Thanks for all the love and support!! Love you guys a lot!! 

Love, 

Sister Hood