Week 63

October 20, 2009

Well it has been an incredible week! I can't even express how much I have felt the love of my Heavenly Father this week. We had 3 baptisms on Saturday. It was so beautiful! Kenady, Sydney and Sara were all baptized by their uncle. I have never felt the spirit quite like I did at this baptism. You could just feel that Heavenly Father had been waiting for this day for a long time. I couldn't look at Brandi the whole day because I had to play the piano. I would have been crying the entire time if I looked at her. I needed to be able to read the music. It was a beautiful day. The confirmations were equally as beautiful. Each one was so personal and exactly what they needed. I can't wait to see the future begin to unfold for this family. This is only the beginning. There was a lot of hard work to get us to the weekend though. It was a long week. I was on my knees many times and there was a constant prayer in my heart. There was a lot of opposition but it made them stronger. Their family from Utah came into town on Friday. It was a joy to meet all of them. I felt like I was waiting for my own cousins to come into town. We were all so grateful that this event was happening. When they left on Sunday morning there were a lot of tears shed. It was one of the best weekends of all our lives. There were several non members there who made comments and were touched by the spirit. 2 of them live in our ward boundaries and we hope to teach them and bring them into the fold. We got another referral from them as well. God is working miracles. Friday night we gave them a little house for Family Home Evening so that they could plan and have FHE. We came over Sunday for dinner and they had it all planned out. Kenady had prepared a lesson about the responsibilities of family members and even left a commitment at the end. I was completely overwhelmed. Sara prepared an activity that would help them draw closer together and bring the love of Christ more abundantly in their home. Ronni picked out a hymn. The parents prayed and Syd made a treat. It was incredible. It truly was a glimpse of heaven. It was a beautiful sight to see 3 newly baptized members teaching by example. The entire family was in the scriptures and participating. I was completely in awe at the sight. Life just doesn't get much better. To top it all off we went to the LA temple this morning. It was so beautiful. I can't believe that my first trip there was 1 year ago. Where has the time gone? This truly has been one of the best weeks of my life. It is so rewarding to see people struggle and stay strong and become stronger. I do not know why I was allowed to be part of this great experience but I am so grateful. Heavenly Father truly loves each and every one of us. He knows us personally and what we need. It is my prayer that I can continue to help this family become an eternal family. These girls that were baptized have the biggest smiles I have ever seen. They always told Sister Lauchner and I that they wanted to glow like us. I told them on Sunday that they all were glowing and that they could continue if they did what was right. We are truly blessed. There is nothing more important in this world than discovering our Savior Jesus Christ and embracing his Atonement. He truly lives and we can change and become like Him. This gospel is true. I am more sure of it than ever before. Sunday there was a missionary who reported his mission. He served in Guatemala. He gave an amazing talk. It was a little touchy for me to think that would be me soon. One thing that I loved was that he said he left thinking that he would pay his Heavenly Father back. But he didn't realize how much more he would be blessed in his mission. I feel the same. Leaving on my mission I didn't realize how much I would be blessed. There is no way we could ever repay for all that we have been blessed with. The only thing we can do is to continue living our lives in harmony with the gospel. I pray that each of you know how much your Heavenly Father loves you. Trust him and follow him and you find greater happiness and peace. I know that is true because I have experienced it for myself. I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you all and pray for you always! Until next week!
Love Sister Mickelsen