June 8, 2010

Hello Again,
Well, it looks like summer has taken off for you all in Utah, over here it has been rainy the last week or so but should warm/dry up this week. I think I brought the rain over with me from Vancouver 'cause no one has seen rain like that....

So the amazing lady we are teaching is getting baptized this Saturday. We were able to pull some strings and schedule it in a brand new building and she will be the first one baptized in that building. This lady is by far the funnest person I've ever taught. To show you her devotion I'll tell you the stuff she has done in the last six weeks. First, she learned of the Word of Wisdom and shortly thereafter quit drinking coffee and alcohol and tea (and smoking pot, but we learned that later). The crazy part of it is she works at Starbucks! She wasn't married and so they went to Vegas and got married. She has come to church the last four Sundays in a row and this last Sunday she got up and bore her testimony on the divinity of the church including the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. She noticed the clothing she wore was a slight bit different than that of the other sisters in the ward so she traded in her wardrobe for some more appropriate clothes. She reads the scriptures and prays every day, which she hasn't done since she was a kid and today is her first day of quitting smoking. She is my ultimate example...never have I seen one person change so much in such little time. What an awesome example of Faith in Christ...I say that 'cause she is not sure of everything, and she doesn't know the gospel as much as others, yet she is still entering that gate of Baptism. One of our last lessons she said something and it hit me that she is as sure as I was that the church is true, if not even more so. That was the most humbling feeling ever. She is one of the greatest people I know. I step back and look at her progress and can't help but think...how can it not be true, what else would drive a person as lost as she was to change soooo much. It's to date one of my greatest experiences ever! I can't think of a trial she hasn't yet overcome. I'm so glad for having the privilege of teaching her. It just feels great...indescribable happiness....

Well, I'm out of time and gotta go play b-ball soon and we are having a bbq carne asada and brats...mmm, yeah, baby!

Love Y'all,
Elder Schroeder
Reported by Mom