Monday, 5 August 2013

SCV--Living it up in the Trailer Park

This week has been all over the place. I've been sick with a dumb cold. I still can't seem to shake this thing although I've become very familiar with the bed in the janitorial closet of the HLJ... too much time in supply closets this past month. The guests at the jail get to hear man-voiced Sister Call try to give some semblence of a presentation even though I feel like I have a beach ball in my sinuses. Somehow they still think I do an ok job.
 
BUT this week has also been a week of miracles!!!! For real. We started the week with no one really progressing and ended with two people planning to be baptized at the end of August! Both of them live in the trailer park in our area... so we are there prettymuch everyday. This place is the best. I love it. There are always kids playing outside and everyone is super friendly. Tracy has 4 kids that are members. She was planning on being baptized in the last area they lived in but it didn't happen. She moved here and we have been trying to work with her ever since. She bailed on the church tour we had scheduled but we decided to go over anyway and had a great talk. Luckily my companion is super bold and she invited her to be baptized that night. We have been a borderline obnoxious and stop by everyday, but the her and the kids are warming up more and more. I can't wait to see where this family goes. 
 
The other woman is named Melba. She is friends with Tracy and is so awesome. She is so sincere in here desire to follow Jesus Christ and get her life back in line. They are having a lot of family problems right now, but she realizes that the gospel can help. We took her on a church tour, which is the BEST because our chapel is right next to the Kansas City Temple. We showed her the baptismal font and before we could even say anything she was like "wow, I could see myself being baptized in there." We invited her to be baptized and she accepted. She was so excited to begin going back to church because she knows it will help her family. The whole time I was thinking 'is this real life?' mostly because it was unreal, but also because I was borderline having a fever... somehow I've gotten through this week.
 
I feel so blessed to be in this area. It is the best. Sister White is the best. We have people to teach. I get to serve at the Liberty Jail. Man. I love my life.
 
Here are my Liberty Jail ponderings for the week.
 
I love Caleb Baldwin. There were 5 men in the Liberty Jail with Joseph Smith... he was the oldest of those men and was involved in the Far West militia. So here is a man that has 7 daughters, 2 sons, and a wife that he has left at home. His family is left destitute and he is about to be imprisoned for who knows how long. He arranges a private hearing with the judge and explains his situation. The judge tells him that he will arrange safe passage back to his family and will let him go, on one condition. He must renounce his membership in the church and deny that Joseph Smith is a prophet. He didn't do it! I love him for that. He wouldn't deny his testimony and spent 4 months in prison with Joseph Smith. These are the type of men I get to teach about everyday. I love them!
 
I always feel stupid complaining about a cold when I'm testifying of men that spent 4 months in a freezing cold prison, with little food, and sick the whole time.  So other than this cold, keeping me humble, I couldn't ask for anything more.

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