Mar baptism and #ldsconf

 

FAMILY! WHAT A JOYOUS WEEK.

We spent alot of the week preparing Marilyn for her baptism on Friday. 

It was a great great time. 

the cutie pie herself

Just to remind you who's who:

Marilyn Eissler = 9 year old getting baptized

Josette Eissler = Marilyns mom

Hunny and Pop = Gary and Robin Green, Parents to Josette, grandparents to Marilyn, and also the wonderful kind souls who we get the blessing to live with :) <3

the GREENS

Just to share a little bit, Marilyn has had a hard life. She has seen alot alot in her short 9 years and has had to emotionally grow up quick. Marilyn and her sister Cheyenne have alot of behavior and attention struggles so having a good lesson with them, where we feel that they are listening and absorbing what we are teaching, has been pretty difficult to say the least. It was easy to be discouraged and hopeless if they will ever retain the principles we are trying to teach them. 

But its in those moments when Marilyn is in her beautiful white dress and runs up to us and gives the biggest wonderful hug and starts chattering about her CTR necklace her Hunny gave her and how excited she is and gives everyone a program to her baptism, when I think..

We did all that, for this. 

 

And it was hopeless at times as Marilyn's mom was present for all of the lessons to think that she would be motivated to change her habits and turn to Christ. That 

But its in those moments when I look over at her during the baptism and see her glowing, so happy, so completely feeling the Spirit when I think..

We did all that, for this.

 

And it was tense Friday night before the baptism getting everything ready the way everybody wanted it, making sure everybody was happy with the many politics going on in the family and friends, getting all the pictures, all the last minutes whatnots, and managing behaviors of the girls.. 

But it was in that very special and sacred moment when in between pictures, Hunny gathers us in a hug and with tears in her eyes and emotion in her voice whispers, "Thank you. For everything." and  in that moment with just 4 words said but many emotions conveyed, I think.. 

We did all that, for this.

 

And all in all missions are hard! There are moments when its hard to be motivated, hard to be obedient, hard to wake up in the morning, hard to be time efficient, hard to deal with imperfections and inadequacies, hard to watch those people that you've come to love purposefully choose the opposite of what God wants for them, hard to deal with anti, hard to resist temptation, hard to live up to the pressure to be a representative of Jesus Christ.

But its in those moments, like right after Marilyn was baptized and we were in the bathroom with Marilyn, Josette, Hunny and Marilyn's primary friend Amy, talking about colors and how she still had a little bit of hair dye in her hair from over the summer when she got it dyed rainbow streaks, I ask, "Marilyn, what color do you feel right now?" And she answers, "White. I feel white. and maybe a little bit of green." and look up to see Josette grinning and Hunny with tears in her eyes and beaming (bc their last name is green, get it ;)

and I think..

We do all that, for this.

 

And every single time I get the chance to watch a baptism, and think about Christ and his example of baptism, His example of humility, His patience, kindness, faith, unconditional love, acceptance. But ultimately His sacrifice for us, His suffering, death and resurrection, what baptism is a symbol of. 

And its in those sweet moments when Pop and Marilyn all dressed in white enter the font, Pop says the prayer, and Marilyn comes in and out of the water, and you can feel that first fresh breath of cleanliness, purity, and determination, of a life now dedicated to striving to be a stronger disciple of Christ. and I think..

HE did all that, for this. 

Pop and Marilyn

Pop & Hunny & Marilyn

US <3

We finally had an adventure last week! last Pday we went hiking as a district. it was really fun :)

we all had a really great time and became one with nature haha



louisiana is my place <3



the fambam. love these goobers



 

 

#LDSCONF TIME.

 

in between the #ldsconf Saturday sessions we had a district lunch at this hipster restaurant.

 we had bank braking gourmet chicken and waffles. $$$ wow. 

 

Saturday afternoon we went over to one of our fave Pineville families houses to watch #ldsconf Sanders <3

The rest of the #ldsconf sessions this is what we looked like. Us, the elders, and the Hornbecks having the chapel to ourselves :) we tried to get investigators there buuuuut..... no go. 

 

The power of Christ is so real and it is emphasized to me over and over and over yall. 

I love this work.

I adore the Green family.

I am so beyond blessed to see the miracles God has for each of us.

I also LOVE #ldsconf

I'm going to have to do more on that next week and why we had to email on tuesday bc I am so out of time. 

I LOVE YALL SO MUCH THOUGH

AND SO DOES GOD AND JESUS. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

sister sades