1 YEAR & Gisela's Baptism!!!

 Okay first off Hermana Buhrley and I hit our year mark on Wednesday!!!!! Woohoooo!!!! This past year as a missionary has been lifechanging and I can't even express my gratitude for it.

Our friend Rosendo accepted a baptismal invitation this week! He's so excited!! The only sad news is he's moving to Paso Robles in a few weeks But we'll get him started with the missionaries there! He's amazing!

On Thursday I had exchanges with Sister Evans! We had an exchange together last transfer so it was fun to be with her again! Being in an English area always makes me a little nervous to go tracting, but actually finding people ended up being one of the best parts of the day!!! It was so fun! We went and knocked some doors in a neighborhood and the people were actually really kind. There was one door that we knocked where a man named Anthony answered. Sister Evans asked some very specific questions about believing in God that made me a little nervous because I didn't know how he'd react to such a forward approach. But the Spirit really guided that conversation. Anthony ended up opening up about his beliefs and sharing with us that he'd met kind members of our church before, and he'd be interested in learning more. It was really cool to see the way he was touched and how Sister Evans helped him open up! Sister Evans is the bessst!

Also sad news.. that day a new member invited us to have a lesson at Chili's and she recommended that we get a specific dish there. It was pretty good, but I guess I didn't realize I'd be paying for myself haha and my bank account hurt after that lesson.

On Friday I had exchanges with Hermana Lasa! I love her SO MUCH!! She's from Mexico City but moved to Utah as a teenager, so her first language is spanish but she speaks perfect engish too. It was nice to get so many spanish tips from a native! We had a chaotic day because the Assistants called us in the middle of the day and told us they needed our car again.. so we're on bikes again. But thanks to the help of the other Hermanas, we got rides to our other scheduled lessons that day and everything worked out!

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for!!!! Gisela was baptized!!!!! She is INCREDIBLE!! We were a little worried about the baptism happening this week because she's a truck driver and is really busy, so we needed to make sure she was taught everything before her baptism. But she was able to get a bunch of work off so we could help prepare her for her baptism! Her story is super cool, because she was taught like a year ago by missoonaries, but her time was limited and she wasn't baptized. Last transfer, Hermana Buhrley and Hermana Cox knocked her door and she said she had been wanting to get in contact with missionaries again. She was so prepared and excited, and I'm so thankful that I got to witness her take this step!

Also, at Gisela's baptism, Hermana Buhrley and I each wore the dresses we came into our mission wearing a year ago. It was such a full-circle moment! To be companions, a year into our mission, at a baptism, wearing the same dresses! Definitely a core memory.

We celebrated Marlon's birthday on Sunday. He's one of the most amazing members ever, and he shared a powerful testimony that I will never forget about the love of Jesus Christ as we sat around a table eating cake. Another core memory.

Also I got a haircut. Just had to throw that fun fact somewhere in this email.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

So my mission was recently challenged to read the Book of Mormon twice before Christmas, highlighting it one time through with anything referencing Jesus Christ, and the second time through with anything relating to His gospel.

Since we're on a time crunch, we have to read quite a bit of the Book of Mormon every day. I've found that it kind of replaces a lot of time I had before to study other talks and things. I still have time to study those things if I make time, but my focus is a lot more directed on the Book of Mormon.

At first, I was a little bummed that I didn't have quite as much time to focus on other study topics. But reading so much of the Book of Mormon each day has strengthened me in ways that I didn't even realize I needed!

I just want to share my testimony that there is true POWER that comes from reading the Book of Mormon daily! It makes a true difference. My invitation for you all is to set aside time to read EVERY day! If it feels like you have to give up time you would have spent doing something else, I can promise that the sacrifice is worth it!

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt