okay. I'm good now. I just had to get that out.
BUT SERIOUSLY YALL. AHHHH.
Just to make sure my brain is functioning right and I don't forget anything here is a little overview
Tuesday: Zone Conference + wedding!
Friday: baptism + Mardi Gras parade
Saturday: Mission Conference with all the missionaries in the whole mission + shaking RONALD A RASBAND hand + having a conference by him directed specifically to the missionaries of LABR mission + making mission friends + i love louisiana
Sunday: ward conference with the best Stake president + Joseph Smith movie with Emily & Browns
So I gotta start from the beginning.
Dawn and Terry are a couple who have been coming to church for about 2 years. The Elders have been working with them the whole time. Terry is a member and was reactivated and started coming to church with his extremely long time girlfriend Dawn. (pretty much married but just not official yet situation) Dawn fell in love with the church. She has such a strong testimony and is an amazing commentator in Sunday school and Relief Society. She really wants to be baptized!
On Tuesday Dawn became Dawn&Terry Ducote so she could be baptized and they could live righteously together!
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| Happiness in a couple. look at that smile |
They got married at the church and they are the happiest couple ever. They are so sweet and had a beautiful ceremony by the Bishop.
And then on Friday Dawn was baptized! Terry baptized Dawn and it was so tender. The service was small and simple but the Spirit was there so strong.
I love baptisms because
1. Its so genuine and raw. This person has made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ's teachings for the rest of their life! and they know it. And they have a testimony of it. And everyone can feel it. everyone.
2. Its a great teaching and fear-subsiding tool! Emily+Julian and Nancy all came to the baptism and they had a great experience all individually. Nancy was able to see what a LDS baptism is like and feel the spirit. Watching Dawn's baptism made Emily get pumped for hers! and Julian get pumped if he is the one to baptize her!
3. the symbolism. This was Terry's first time ever baptizing anyone so it took several tries to get it. But it was beautiful. When we always try and try and keep trying we are blessed. And when we get it right, it is sweet above all that is sweet!!
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| Wedding time!!! |
Gahhhhhh. Baptisms are just so spirit filled and joyful!
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| Post baptism but pre mardi gras!! |
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| we're pumped |
After the baptism, we got to go to MARDI GRAAAASSS BABYY
Oh man it was so fun.
Our President allows the missionaries one family Mardi Gras parade as long as we are with members, its in our area, it is family appropriate, and we had to call in with our STL's when we started and when it ended to keep us accountable and time efficient. Then we have to take that time out of our P-day. Pretty good deal huh!!
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| Pre mardi gras loot |
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What mardi gras looks like!
The lady float
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Here is where you get the load!
A tractor pulling a 2 decker float with ladies in it throwing stuff out! people run up to the sides and be louder than the person next to them to get something thrown to them! Its so crazy and fun!
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But we went with Julian and Emily to Julian's aunt&uncles house who are also in our ward. We stood next to them on the road while we screamed and cheered for the high school bands that marched by and we caught beads and stuffed animals and cups and crowns and literally everything!! It was so fun.
One funny story.
Right when we first got to the parade, we had literally been there for less than 5 minutes yall. But it was the very first thing we saw in the parade! It was this hilarious 80's dance group of men probably 40 or more with the 80's getup on, nasty mustaches, choreograph dancing to some 80's song that I can't remember. Hilarious. Sister Hunter and I take out our cameras to take pictures and one of the 80's guys comes over and reaches for Sis Hunter's camera and says "Go get in there! I'll take a picture of you!" So that is how we got a picture with these 80's guys in a Mardi Gras parade. #fabulous
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| The crazy 80's men hahahahahhaa Dustin take notes. Expect you to be here next year |
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| Post Mardi Gras!!!! |
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| Obvi Sister Hunter got the great loot :) |
SATURDAY
We had an entire mission conference! All the missionaries in the LABR mission came to the Stake Center at the Baton Rouge temple to have a special mission conference with Elder Rasband, a new member of the Quorum of the Twelve! ONE OF THE BRETHREN YALL.
Wow it was so good. So much learning and divine inspiration.
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| Zone Conference! Goodbye Sister Groesbeck :( |
Elder Rasband wanted to shake all of the missionaries hands before the meeting so we all got to tell him our name and where we were from! Here's a cool excerpt from Pres. Hansen's letter to us this week about it:
Both Elder Rasband and Elder Zwick were so pleased with the mission. Elder Rasband told me that he gets a feeling about each missionary as he shakes their hands. He said that overall he felt like our mission was wonderful. He commented also that there was such a great spirit in the whole meeting. "This is one of the best missions I have ever seen."
It made me feel so good to know that he loved you as much as I do. Elder Zwick was just as pleased
It made me feel so good to know that he loved you as much as I do. Elder Zwick was just as pleased
So thats rad.
But Elder Rasband is amazing. He is inspired. This weekend was a free weekend - as in President Nelson sent him to Baton Rouge with no schedule or purpose and he is supposed to follow the Spirit!
So guess what the first thing he did was.
Have a conference specifically for the missionaries!!! YAY! We are so blessed and really felt the importance and spirit of our work which is the Lords.
Elder Rasband talked about the importance of a name and remembering people's names that we meet. He also talked about the divinity of our calling. He gave a talk in General Conference in 2010 about how missionaries get their mission call and it is so interesting! We are calling to our specific mission, to a specific mission president, to a specific area, to a specific companion, to a specific time and God knows it! It was so cool.
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| Silly President |
Also I got to see my favoritest person ever, Sister Ostergar! She is so good. I miss her alot. Also since it was all the missionaries everywhere, I got to meet a ton of missionaries and made mission friends! Its really fun to hear about other areas and what the work is like. YAY.
SUNDAY
We just had ward conference and our stake president is amazing. President Stock is an inspired man who is so missionary minded and really gets the members pumped about member missionary work! Its so good.
That night we had a lesson at the Browns home with Emily and we watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration (the hour long movie about Joseph Smith's life)
MAN. Joseph Smith is the man. He is so inspiring and I'm a little bit jealous of Emily learning all of this for the first time! But wow. That movie is just inspiring and a roller coaster of emotions but always gives you the chills.
Anyways. As you can tell.. #bestweekofmylife
God is so good to all of us but especially His missionaries (sorry yall ;)
I lava yall so much!
Happy Mardi Gras!
Sister Sadies
xoxoxoxoxox
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| Literally what we look like. |
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