Triple Baptisms

WOW!! Where to start! 

So we had three baptisms on Saturday!! The first was a couple named Robert and Kelly who were previously homeless and hitchhiked their way to St. George from Colorado. Every person who picked them up and drove them was LDS! So they took that as a big sign from God, met the missionaries at the VC, and then wanted to be baptized! They weren't our baptisms but since they live in our area now we are going to teach them the follow up lessons. Sister Liu and I sung "I stand All Amazed" with Sister Hansen playing a beautiful accompaniment of it on the piano that she wrote. The spirit was so strong I had to try my best to hold back tears and keep singing! 

After Robert and Kelly's baptism, we had Jose's. He is so sweet. The night before his baptism he wanted to meet us at the VC and talk about some more about the baptism. He repeatedly told us how much he will miss us (since he's from Mexico and still has a hard time understanding English, he will be transferred to the Spanish ward) and how much we have helped him to change his life. He said he wants a picture with us and a picture frame that says, "The three sisters that changed my life!" So sweet. I will never forget seeing him time after time walk into the VC holding his Book of Mormon and reading it like it was his only possession he ever owned. You can see in his eyes that he knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that it has already brought much comfort, peace, and direction into his life. And guess what?! I got to play a viola for his baptism!!! One of our ward mission leaders mom's plays and she let me borrow it! (it was a really nice viola...) I played "The Lord is My Shepard" with Sister Liu accompanying me. Jose just loved it. It was a really special baptism. 

Anyway, this week has been absolutely wonderful. I LOVE working with Sister Pearson and Morales. We have way too much fun together! Sometimes we just cannot stop laughing! Especially when we are all trying to go to bed...we can just never stop talking and laughing! They are also so sincere and thoughtful in their teaching and they truly care about each one of their investigators. It's inspiring. They've helped me a lot in getting used to teaching with different companions. 

I've made a few goals of things that I want to look back on and say that I did as a missionary when I return home. One of those goals is that I want to be able to honestly say that I loved every single one of my companions. I think when you learn how to love your companion, you learn how to love your investigators. It's kind of like what mom always used to tell us: "If you want friends, you better be friends with your family first." I think that when we realize that companions can be more than just an assigned roommate and that they are indeed friends, then we will have a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father wants us to live, not only as two or three random people stuck together by random circumstance, but as very close friends who can help us progress in this little time we have. The same goes for family. 

I have to leave now, but I know a lot of you are all probably thinking of the words in Alma 60:6... "And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state." I PROMISE I will get letters to you all sooner or later... The work is just blossoming out here and there is so much to do!! 

I love all of you!!! Keep standing for truth and righteousness!! 

Much love, Sister Martin

Our room.. the apartment is really only made for 2 sisters