week 49- Samantha's Baptism!

March 22, 2010

Hola Famalia!!!
How is everyone doing? It was such a good week and a great day today too. Samantha was baptized last night! Yay!!! Oh my goodness, she is just the best person ever! So spiritual and she has such a great testimony! She's such a cute girl too, I'll send you some pictures next week. But all the boys are flocking over her, haha. And I don't know if it was just because the baptism was on a sunday night or something, but this was the biggest turn out for a baptism I've ever seen! Practically the whole ward was there, plus President and Sister Summerhays and their son and daughter-in-law. Samantha was a little overwhelmed with everyone there, but what can you say. She's kind of a big deal :) But there really was a sweet spirit in the room that I have never felt at a baptism. Samantha is going to be an amazing member of the church! She already knows that she wants to get married in the temple and have her children raised with the gospel. Amazing!!!!
We had two investigators come to the baptism too, and they loved it. Erin and Pritish. Erin is the one who's mom is HIGHLY against the church. This past weekend, she went to a YSA conference in West Virginia and had such a great experience. When people found out she wasn't baptized yet and the reason she wasn't, so many converts came up to her and told her of experiences they have had with their family too, so it gave her a little bit of hope. Plus President Summerhays gave her a copy of "The Living Christ" to share with her mom. I really hope all goes well and she'll be able to have the faith and courage to talk to her mom. And Pritish is set with a baptism date on April 10th and he really, really liked the baptism! At our appointment with him this past week, he told us that he is really excited for his baptism and he even talked to his mom about it. She is encouraging him to move forward with it and she is excited that he is doing this. I love supportive family members!
Just one thing though.....even though we have amazing investigators right now, we have not been able to find any new investigators this whole transfer! I don't know why, we do go out finding a lot! I just don't want this area to be dead and no one to teach once our investigators become recent converts.
I have just one favor to ask of you. Our ward is doing a ward temple trip this next Saturday at the Columbus, OH temple. It's a smaller temple and they require that you bring your own family names to do baptisms. I think we have a lot of people who want to go, so I was wondering if there was any way you could send some names that the ward members could do? If it's too much then that's ok, they can do their own work to get some names.....which may be encouraging them to do family history work! haha. But it is this Saturday, so I dont' know if you could send it out here by then. If not, that's ok. But if so, thats great too. Thank you!!!!!
I hope everyone has a great week! I love you all lots! Keep sharing the gospel with those around you :)
Love, Holly