Nyob Zoo,
This week is transfers and BOTH me and Elder Vang are being transferred which is crazy! But Elder Vang from Madison is coming here so we know that the people in the ward and the investigators will be taken care of because Elder Vang from Madison is awesome. Transfers are very hard - leaving all the investigators, the members, and the area behind. It’s hard with the change, but it’s also a good thing to meet new people. I am going to Wausau with Elder Tarone. He was in my MTC district and he is super awesome. I like him a lot so I’m excited to serve with him!
This week we set Ariel on baptism date for the 23rd of June. We also had a lesson with Melanie and her family. It was really cool because a guy in our stake just got back from his mission to Germany so he is fluent in German and she grew up in Germany. We brought him with us and they pretty much just talked in German the whole time. We found out a lot of different ways we can help her and learned a lot about her and her culture.
And on Saturday, we had the Madison baptisms. In the morning we drove there and the baptisms started at 10:00. Kelly, Shaun, and Mai were all baptized. I had the opportunity to baptize Kelly and... it was sooooooo awesome. Those three are so awesome and it was so neat to watch them all to take the next step. To be honest I was super scared for the baptism. I was really, really, really nervous. Kelly, Shaun, and Mai didn't seem too nervous. They seemed really happy and excited. I think that is the best way to explain baptisms - it is a very happy and exciting time. The baptisms were very special. I was so happy, scared, excited, all at the same time, but the overall feeling was a feeling of peace and comfort. Their baptisms were great. I had the opportunity to baptize Kelly and Elder Vang baptized Mai and Shaun. It was such a great experience and the spirit was so very strong. In the changing room after the baptisms, Elder Vang and I gave each other a hug because we were so happy haha. The baptisms give you that sense of accomplishment and make you feel like you made a difference. Now the next step is for them is to go to the temple.
What I thought was so awesome about the baptism was to see all the support from their friends and family and also a lot of members too. There were probably about 80 people there and more than half of them were non-member Hmong people. That is what I love about the Hmong culture - family is the most important thing and that totally showed with all their support. After the baptisms, we changed back into our church clothes and Elder Vang and I took longer than the 3 girls to change which is really funny. We played the Restoration video while we were changing which was good for all the non-members that came. I didn't see this, but I heard from Elder Blackburn that when they came out from changing, they came at the perfect time in the video right when the Tabernacle Choir started singing. Funny and really cool. It was like a HALLELUJAH moment!
After that, the Madison ward had an Easter party so we stayed for a couple of hours and spent some time with some members. The Easter egg hunt was super fun. I played with Mai’s kids which was fun. I love her little girls so much. They are so cute. Mai was telling me how much they've missed me. I missed them a lot too. Right when I walked in the door of the church, Iris ran and gave me a hug and it was so cute. During the Easter party. I was able to spend a lot of time with them which was really fun. We drew some pictures and I helped them with the Easter egg hunt. When we were looking for Easter eggs outside Iris just grabbed my hand and held my hand. I am not gonna reject a cute 9-year-old girl, so some rules were broken haha. It was a lot of fun and I was so sad when I had to leave :(
It was a great week. I am very blessed and grateful to be a part of such a special work. It is the best!
Tub Txib Tshwj Xeeb
