Alma 26:36
"Wanderers in a strange Land" That Is exactly who I am and the Lord has been very mindful of me, and the other missionaries here in Liberia. It's been a great week.
So I'll start with the big story, we had a baptism! And Oh man this baptism was a memorable one, firstly because of this awkward statement; Peter was not baptized this week like I said he would be.. Peter is married, but his marriage is a traditional one, and not yet registered by the Government, just the families. So in order for him to be baptized he needs to have the certificate by the Government. It was a little hard for him, and really hard to tell him. But his faith is great and he is working to have that certificate within the next couple weeks, he is solid, so we're are excited for him.
We had a baptism of 4. And it started out with it's fair share of Wahala's (pigeon= problems) First, there was not enough water in the font so we waited over an hour for the water to pump into 1st) the well, then 2nd) the building and 3rd) the font. Well we checked after an hour and a half and there was nothing coming, we waited for nothing. Great, we're only and hour and half late. Okay we will just do a kneeling baptism with the water that we have, it'll work. So we go to get the baptismal clothes ready and SURPRISE THEY WERE ALL GONE SAVE 4 TIGHT AND/OR RIPPED JUMPSUITS. *insert loonnnggg sigh* "They told us everything would be ready! We gave them more than a weeks notice!"....."TIA" (This is Africa= The code word used by missionaries and Liberians alike to explain the frustrating, confusing, or just plain weird)
In the end it worked out and the was a wonderful sense of the Spirit there during the baptism. I don't know how to accurately describe how happy the 4 men were to be baptized. But you could just feel it radiating off of them. They didn't care about the problems or tight clothes, they were getting baptized. Thats all that matters. It was a great experience for me and for them.
In other news, Elder Treadway is going home TOMORROW! haha man he is outta here! He is spending the night with us and will leave tomorrow sometime to the airport. I can't believe he is going home, when he got to Liberia he had six months left! It doesnt feel that it went that fast, but it did. And it is for me and its a little intimidating considering that I don't feel I've learned all I can, nor changed as much as I need to. But I am working my hardest to Become the Man the Lord needs me to be so I can help those He has prepared.
One thing I've learned and cherish (and I'm sorry If I don't word this right or it sounds jumbled, I really don't know how to put it into words) is that this Gospel is REAL. It is not just something we say and talk about to make ourselves feel happy inside and blind ourselves from the world. It's not just fluff, or air, or words. It's real. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one key to total happiness, to confidence and hope. To peace. It is accompanied by a real power. A power that can be felt, physically and spiritually. And it is used and brought forth by a real being, someone who cares, who loves, and who knows us. who knows me. They are there, Our Father, and His Son our Savior, and we can know that and feel their love through The Holy Spirit. I want you to feel that too. The love and the peace that comes from their guidance, Their Gospel. Seeing peoples lives change, their happiness increase and being touched by the Spirit because they live this gospel has changed my own life. I Want it to change yours. Even if you live it now, you can live it better you can find even more happiness I promise. Haha cause I am far from perfect (HAHAHA) and there's a lot I need to do better on, but the love of God is there, and just want to make sure that everyone who reads this knows that they can feel that. Anywhere, all the time.
I love you,
Elder Verdoni
In the end it worked out and the was a wonderful sense of the Spirit there during the baptism. I don't know how to accurately describe how happy the 4 men were to be baptized. But you could just feel it radiating off of them. They didn't care about the problems or tight clothes, they were getting baptized. Thats all that matters. It was a great experience for me and for them.
In other news, Elder Treadway is going home TOMORROW! haha man he is outta here! He is spending the night with us and will leave tomorrow sometime to the airport. I can't believe he is going home, when he got to Liberia he had six months left! It doesnt feel that it went that fast, but it did. And it is for me and its a little intimidating considering that I don't feel I've learned all I can, nor changed as much as I need to. But I am working my hardest to Become the Man the Lord needs me to be so I can help those He has prepared.
One thing I've learned and cherish (and I'm sorry If I don't word this right or it sounds jumbled, I really don't know how to put it into words) is that this Gospel is REAL. It is not just something we say and talk about to make ourselves feel happy inside and blind ourselves from the world. It's not just fluff, or air, or words. It's real. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one key to total happiness, to confidence and hope. To peace. It is accompanied by a real power. A power that can be felt, physically and spiritually. And it is used and brought forth by a real being, someone who cares, who loves, and who knows us. who knows me. They are there, Our Father, and His Son our Savior, and we can know that and feel their love through The Holy Spirit. I want you to feel that too. The love and the peace that comes from their guidance, Their Gospel. Seeing peoples lives change, their happiness increase and being touched by the Spirit because they live this gospel has changed my own life. I Want it to change yours. Even if you live it now, you can live it better you can find even more happiness I promise. Haha cause I am far from perfect (HAHAHA) and there's a lot I need to do better on, but the love of God is there, and just want to make sure that everyone who reads this knows that they can feel that. Anywhere, all the time.
I love you,
Elder Verdoni
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