truly converted‏

 WOOHOOOO!!! 

BRANDON GOT BAPTIZED!

happiest. weekend. ever.

This week was crazy awesome and rewarding for everyone.

This week was the final countdown until Brandon's baptism on Saturday. And when I say Satan doesn't want Brandon to get baptized, he did NOT want Brandon to be baptized. 

 

This week we worked really hard with Brandon to help him stay focused on his baptism. It was so worth it and so rewarding!!!

 

Every night this past week we had a lesson with Brandon at a members home. It was a challenge bc

1. Members schedules. (our schedule revolved around these lessons and Brandon has no schedule yet.)

2. Brandon doesn't have a car so they would have to pick him up and take him home. 

But truly if you want something righteous to happen... GOD WILL HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN.

 

Sunday: church! great day at church! We didn't get to see him bc all the rain came down and the floods came up but we got to call him.

 

Monday: Brandon has been racked with these awful Satan dreams. Monday morning he woke up from one and he was just so exhausted from them, he also woke up with a crazy strong craving to smoke. 

Luckily, Brandon is who he is and the first thing he does is pray and then text us to call him because he is struggling. Super grateful that he has learned that the first reaction isn't to react but to pray and get help. 

Brandon came to p-day at the church and played sports with the missionaries all day long, had the best time in the world and then an amazing family in the ward had offered to do dinner and FHE in their home Monday. So even though it was literally downpouring we got to go have a wonderful lesson with them.

Brandon told us all day about how much fun he was having. He said he had the best day ever! He loves being around missionaries and members. He really feels the Spirit. And when he feels the Spirit he gets really happy, excited, and just laughs. all. the. time. He never stops giggling. 

So a rough start turned into a super fun, wholesome day!

Brandon modeling for his baptism program picture

 

Tuesday: We had a lesson with the Greens! We watched the Joseph Smith movie and the Spirit was SO strong after. The Greens really connected with Brandon with them being converts and knowing what he's going through and how it has changed them. Beyond grateful for them. 

 

Wendesday: We had a lesson at the church with our 2nd counselor Brother Rougeau. It was wonderful. Then we had another lesson to get to but Brandon has a huge interest in learning his heritage and family history! The family history library was open so we let him go search out his family. He was SO pumped. Then the men in the church play basketball at the church at 8 so he had the best time hanging out and being crazy with all the guys :)

 

Thursday: We had a lesson with a less active in our ward and Brandon. We went over the baptismal interview questions and told Brandon he didn't need to answer the questions to us but he just needed to think about his own testimony and what it means to him. But Brandon being Brandon, always wanting to share his testimony, not even knowing that the member was less active, tells us that he wants to answer the questions for us. Brandon told us his testimony of all the things that he knows to be true. What an awesome experience. 

 

Friday: Devon Jones in our ward is just stellar. He is a convert of about 4 years or so from California. His wife was less active in her teen years and they were living together in California. They came out to live in Louisiana where their family was and got activated and baptized. THEY ARE INCREDIBLE. 

Our district leader interviewed Brandon and so everything was set for the baptism the next day! After the interview we had a lesson with Devon and Brandon about the Priesthood. WOW. just wow. Brandon had connected with Devon his very first Sunday because Devon teaches Gospel Principles class. It was incredible. Brandon is so ready.

A picture I got from this week. lesson going through the baptismal interview questions!

 

Saturday: We did normal missionary stuff and then headed to the church real early to clean out the font of all the gross in it and cockroaches and whatever else crawls up the drains. 

Up until today we had been in constant communication with Brandon every day. Constant. As in he loves to talk. So we would talk several times a day and text and things. But of course this was our bad. 

When we were cleaning the church it was the late afternoon and we hadn't talked to Brandon yet. We texted him to remind him of something and he texts us back that he is really upset and angry and to call him. 

What? Brandon is one of the happiest people I know. He is never upset. Except when we told him that 29 was too old to go on a mission and he would have to get special permission to go.

But we called him and pretty much what happened was that he was talking to his mom about his baptism and she just anti-ed him. Really questioned his decision and told him how terrible it was and (his mom is raising his son) that she would never let his son learn about his church and just a bunch of fighting words. 

Brandon was distraught. He was so upset that he didn't want to go through with his baptism because he wouldn't be in the right mindset if he did. But we listened and listened and then it was our turn. We told him how far he has come, how Satan has affected him from the beginning and how this is exactly what Satan wanted. Because really. Brandon has come SO FAR. Then we sang I Need Thee Every Hour for him with my uke and he just cried and said he was ready to go through with it. 

What. A. Champ. 

Its not easy being anti-ed ever even when its someone you don't even know. I can't imagine some one you really care about. But his ride picked him up 10 minutes later and he was all good and feeling the Spirit again! 

We took alot of really fun pictures and Brandon got Sister Fristoe and I some hilarious t-shirts from wal-mart. It was so funny! :) 

But the baptism service was incredible. So perfect for Brandon. Everything that was said was perfect for him and meant for him to hear without the people even knowing thats what he needed. Devon Jones baptized him and everyone that we had a lesson with him came to the baptism, plus others in the ward that just came to support. 

 

 

 

 

 

And guess what else. 

THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE THERE!! 

Every single seat in that room was full. Every. Seat. Wow. If there was any more people it would be standing room. 

This ward is incredible! So supportive and loving. Brandon is also incredible because he just loves the attention and makes everybody feel like his best friend. He is so good to just talking to people and hugging everyone he sees!

Everyone felt the love and it was so so so good :)

 

Sunday: Brandon got confirmed!! It was so special. It felt very complete and he was welcomed into the ward and I don't think there was one person in our tiny congregation who wasn't smiling :) 

Brandon just wants to be a missionary so bad we just have to laugh. After church we go talk to people and Brandon just follows right behind us introducing himself and making everyone his best friend and hugging everyone. Its so funny. I love it. 

After church he went out with the elders all day long! He has been waiting for this day forever! He went and watched as they gave the sacrament to a member in the hospital, then he went out for the rest of the day with the Pineville elders with a car and they had an amazing lesson with one of Brandon's best friends! wow. wow wow wow. 

 

All in all... Brandon was so ready for his baptism and he was truly converted and has a huge desire to continue becoming converted. We didn't do anything. He was so prepared. :) 

It was a real special occasion and I feel very very blessed and humbled to be apart of it. and I got to gain a new best friend from it! (sista p-fleg and I had convinced Brandon to move to Idaho next summer to be around more mormons and find a good sister to marry.... and he's taking it seriously and its going to happen!! so watch out world!!)

 

Talking to Brandon this morning I told him that my letter was going to be all about him and asked him if he had anything to say to my wonderful family.

This is what happened and this was pretty accurately word for word minus all the laughing in between. I felt like this was a pretty accurate attempt to describe exactly what he is like as well. :)

 

Brandon says "I want you to tell them that you're so awesome. And yall did a great job teaching me. Tell them that I say heyyyyyy and I cant wait to meet them. And yall did a great job raising up you and that it shows by the way you're teaching me the lessons and I really learned. and you had a lot of help with your companions. And I cant wait to come down there and see all the great things your city has to offer. and one of my favorite things that I want to do when I get down there is go on a hike. Oh and tell them, this is funny like a little humor, and I'm going to teach Belnap to ice skate. and tell them I can't wait to give them the biggest hug ever. Cuz I'm going to give your dad and your mom a big hug so they need to get ready for it. Tell them I cannot wait to go to the temple down there and how I'm going to feel and how its going to make me feel."

I know right. Crying as well :')

Anyways. 

That pretty much sums up this week here in Alexandria. just so blessed to be here. :)

Life is so good and God blesses us and knows us beyond comprehension, even the littlest stuff that we don't even realize. 

The gospel is so true and it changes lives.

I love and am humbled to be a small part of it. 

Just living that wonderful life and seeing those good days

I love yall so much!

God is so good and so is our Savior and his Atonement

LOVES LOVE LOVE

sister sades

 ps. An update to my knowledge on the flood and Baton Rouge situation, all the missionaries are safe. I think 2 missionary apartments got water in them but all is well. The devastation is real in Baton Rouge and Denham Springs area (my old zone) so all the missionaries in those areas have turned into service missionaries. We are the out-in-the-boonies zone about 2.5 hours away from Baton Rouge so we don't get to go help or anything. All of the surrounding stakes (texas, arkansas, tennessee, mississippi, northern and southern la) are being pulled in to help and some are asked to spend the next 3 weekends down there. They are saying that this flood devastation is worse than Katrina. yikes. prayers always for those families.

 

  

we caught alot of things this week!

 

this dude was chilling in our bathroom