Week9: Finals are killing us!!!

Hey everyone! I actually have time to write this week :)

First off, finals are about to start and everyone is finishing up other tests for classes and projects and studying. Everyone is so burnt out and tired. We feel bad for them, but everyone is so busy and doesn't want to meet, so it's making lesson planning really hard. But we still have had great progress!

We got to go to the temple this week for our zone trip. It was absolutely amazing! I love the temple. Everything about it is just so beautiful. And the person I was proxy for for the ordinances had such an excitement I could feel. She was so excited to be able to make these covenants with God to follow Him. It helped me realize how much of a blessing covenants are. Because we want to yearn to stand before God and testify that we followed Him and did what He asked of us, but in order to be able to do that we must first make those promises to follow Him. And so making covenants with God through baptism, and especially in the temple, are so exciting and blessings to us to be able to follow Christ though we are imperfect.

We continue to meet with Matt, and he is seriously amazing. His faith is such a huge motivation for him, and within the last 2-3 weeks that we've been meeting with him we can see his joy and light grow so much. He really has turned his life around, and with his heart open to the Savior this gospel is helping him build and grow so much! We asked him to be baptized and he was so excited. He wanted to get baptized that weekend. We had to tell him that we needed to help teach him more so he knew what he was promising to God and committing to do. He totally understood and agreed, but is just so excited to be able to take this first step and continue learning, growing, and becoming. 

We also met with Stephen this week. He doesn't believe in God, but he finds religion fascinating and even wants to raise his kids in the church when he gets older and has a family. We've been trying to help him understand the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and how this can help bless his life. But he isn't even sure if he wants to try and believe in a God. But he committed to reading the Book of Mormon and seeing if his desire to believe in God grows. I really hope he comes to understand it's importance. Because he knows that having a belief helps people through the struggles of life, but he isn't sure if he wants that in his life. I really believe and have faith that eventually he will come to believe in Christ and how it will be a blessing in his life and give him hope and strength. I just hope he comes to this sooner rather than going through more of life without it. But he is a great and smart kid. 

We also got to go to the temple a second time this week. We were able to take Josh down who was baptized last week. He got to perform the ordinances of baptism and confirmation for his dad who died in 2009. It was such a beautiful experience. And Josh loved the temple. He said he felt like his father had been waiting for a while to be able to accept these ordinances and covenants. And Josh can't wait to go back. He'd been to the grounds many times before and thought they were nice but he said that he now understands why everyone loves going to the temple. And he loved feeling the power of it and the peace it has. 

That night we had Emily's baptism. It went so well! Her hair stayed dry which was a huge blessing from God. And she felt so good. None of her family was able to make it, but she expressed to everyone in the branch who came to support her that she felt that they were her family. She shared the sweetest testimony and everyone was so excited for her. They all loved her and said she was a part of the branch for a while and now she had made the steps and covenants with God. We were so happy for her and with her. And then on Sunday she was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. She was so excited to get it because she understood the peace, help and strength it would bring into her life. 

Tomorrow is transfers, but Sister Bronson and I are staying in UGA which is perfect. But Sister Guillory is going home. We will be so sad to see her go, but know that she will continue to grow and that she is excited to see her family and show them the people and land she loves when the pick her up. 

I hope y'all stay awesome and find the miracles of God's hand in your life each and every day!

Love ya!

Sister Nielson :D