Melinda was baptized!!

 

  

Melinda was baptized last week! AH!! We went over there on Monday night and she said, "Did I tell you why I decided to be baptized?" Ah.. nope... "While  I was in the hospital I had a dream and Christ came to me and said, Follow your people. Be baptized." She said it wasn't urgent, like "im not going to die or anything" but he told me to do it as soon as posible. She had been praying about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon for a while and she finally recieved her answer. The spirit was so strong as she told us that. I have never seen her so happy. She is on cloud 9. All of her worries just seem to be so small. She is so incredibly happy and thanks me all the time for never giving up on her. Beleive me. There were times I wanted to. There were times I thought I was wasting my time, but there was always something deep down inside of me that felt bad for her. A 64 year old lady that has absolutely NO FAMILY, has no contact with her 4 kids, has had abusive relationships, has fibromyalgia, COPD, and smokes while on oxygen. I couldn't handle having her be alone. I would have sister training leaders come and we would have an appointment with her so we would go and we would leave with them saying, Don't go back. She is not ready. She doesn't understand prophets. The elect will listen more than they talk. BlaBlaBla. I eventually learned to not take leaders there after that happened 2 times. (once with me and once with sister durfee)  I learned that the Lord knew I wouldn't give up on her and I have no doubt why I have been here this long. It was for her. As soon as she was confirmed, I kinda felt a feeling of ... You have done your job here.  I also learned to have patience and rely on the lord's timing of things. I can't force anyone to be baptized. They have to have the desire for themselves, and once they have that, the Lord's timing is perfect. Yeah, melinda was not ready 6 months ago, but the lord knows us all individually and knew she needed some company. In fact, we were the only ones that visited her in the hospital. We were the ones that gave her food while she overdosed one day. We were the ones that NEVER, EVER GAVE UP. It wasn't me though. I wasn't my companion. It was the Lord allowing us to be instruments in his hands!   She does have an aid that comes and takes care of her for 3 hours in the morning. The morning of her baptism, Melinda was getting ready for her interview and her aid goes, "Why are you getting baptized? Just be catholic." Melinda said, "I tried that and obviously it didn't work." She didn't let her aid stop her one bit. The next morning after she was baptized her aid was kind of mad that she was baptized... (is what melinda said) and so Meinda let her leave early. Other than that, everyone has been so supportive of her (ward members and people she tells!!) She completely feels like she has an extended family. That's what this gospel is all about! I love it!     My other recent convert Diana came to church last week and we went out and talked during sacrament meeting becuase she has been having suicidal thoughts. I talked with the branch president to see if we could maybe get people over there daily visiting her becuase she is on house arrest, (she runs away from her parents) and is just in her house all day every day without a phone. (they took that away. AND... presidente said "she only listens to you, so I don't know what we can do." AH!!! What are they going to do when I leave? Well, Tuesday morning she was taken by ambulance to the little rock primary hospital becuase she tried killing herself. She drank bleach and took extra pills. She is out of the hospital now and is in a clinic for 1 to 2 weeks and then will go to a long term clinic!! Her dad said he will put me and Sister goudie on the list so we can go and visit her. Poor girl.   Other news, you know you have been in an area long when 2 different people get up to bear their testimonies and they say they are moving and I'm sitting in the back holding back tears and thinking to myself, "They are leaving me." I feel like I am apart of this ward!! (and branch!!)   Other than that.. things are great!! the 4th of July was awesome! The fireworks were nothing compared to stadium of fire.. I didn't realize how much music adds to fireworks. However, they were still good.   The work is still great. We go on exchanges tomorrow. We are both staying in our area, and so both of the sister training leaders are coming to our area.   xoxo Ash