THESE TWO BOOKS HERE, A FAMILY WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL, BAPTISM ON SATURDAY, THE GOSPEL IS BEAUTIFUL IN ALL IT'S SIMPLICITY, MAKING SIDEWALKS AN ADVENTURE, THE LAKE

JANUARY 18, 2016

THESE TWO BOOKS HERE

My only disappointment in seeing these two books here, was that they weren't checked out to someones home.

A FAMILY WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL

Each week, we plan. However, things don't always go according to plan. In fact, they usually don't. This week was no exception.  On Wednesday, we were visiting Jodie and her family. We had our plan, and we went ahead with that. As we finished up our lesson, everything felt great. I always leave their place with a smile on my face. But this is when plans began to be changed. She told us that she had been dealing with a lot of opposition towards baptism. She wanted it, but there has always been something holding her back. She asked for a blessing, and what came next was an even bigger surprise for us. She asked to be baptized that Saturday. Elder Richardson and I looked at each other, thought about it, and then realized the rest of the week would be much different than expected. We began going over the logistics of it all, and we made some calls. The next few days were spent organizing everything for her baptism. Long story short, she was baptized this Saturday. Her husband and children were there, and it was a wonderful time. We had great support from the ward. But the next day was even better, as we found ourselves with the whole family sitting in church. I couldn't help but smile as I looked down the row. A family with so much potential. It's exciting. 

BAPTISM ON SATURDAY

Alex, Jodie, Elder Richardson and me

THE GOSPEL IS BEAUTIFUL IN ALL IT'S SIMPLICITY

I got another surprise as one of the speakers began his talk with baseball. I've seen two baseball fields my entire time in Sweden, and they had not been used. So it was a pleasant surprise when he acknowledged the simple gospel truths that can be seen in baseball. He talked about how the Pros, each year, always begin training with the fundamentals. Back to the basics. No matter how good they are, they always go back to the basics. It's a simple message, but one of great import. It's exciting to teach people the simple truths of the gospel, because you get to rediscover the simple basics. Over and over again. The gospel is beautiful in all it's simplicity.

MAKING SIDEWALKS AN ADVENTURE

It went from below 0 to rain in one day. The next day it dropped back below 0 again, making the sidewalks an adventure. 

THE LAKE

Ice skating on the lake.