......

So it was transfers this week,and they didn't make the calls till 11:30... talk about suspense.   but our whole flat is staying, so it does not really feel like transfers. Which is fine because I love London.  Still does not really feel like i am here in england after a year.... sometimes i hear people talk, and it just blows my mind. buttttttt good news, the other day someone said i didn't sound American! except she was about 80 years old and i think pretty deaf, but i will take it :) 

I got the package! i loved it, the lotion was perfect! mmmmm smells so good.  thanks for the bunny and the peeps. i am giving the bunny to william but i forgot it on sunday so it is a bit late, but oh well. better late than never i guess. 

We taught William with President Jordan on Thursday.  It was a short 15 minutes on the Priesthood but the most inspiring ever.  William loved it.  You could tell in his face, it was lit up the whole time.  Especially when President asked him, "how would you feel to be able to baptize your children?" (he doesn't have a family yet.) "or how would you feel to know that you could give your wife and children blessings of health when they are sick?" All of those blessings can be his as he keeps his baptismal covenants.  Man, I just love President Jordan! 

And then on Sunday, William was baptized! Woo hoo!   I promise he was excited, you can't really tell from the picture.  He is not one to show excitement really.... but the Saturday before we had a lesson, and when i asked "well are you excited???" He smiled and replied, "yes i am very excited." so don't let the picture fool you. 

 It was an amazing service.  Except for a minor detail before church even started... So we are sitting in the chapel at 10 am waiting for Sacrament meeting to start and guess what?  William is not there.  We send him a text.  No reply.  I call him and says he is just walking in, so I thought, great! he's here and he'll be walking in at any moment.  Well, the meeting starts and William is not there.  10 minutes pass and still no sign of him.  20 minutes pass and we couldn't see him in the congregation over our shoulders.  Half past 10 and I am starting to freak out thinking he got hit by a car or something!  One last scan of the room before going out to search for his dead body, we see him!  Just a few rows behind us in the middle:) I then get a text from him. 40 minutes later.  I was gonna kill him. haha No worries everything turned out great!  He brought his close friend/flatmate, Dalton, and we had 2 other investigators at church as well. a recent convert, Anthony, baptized him, 3 times.  Third time's a charm, right? ha his forearm was not going under the water...   And Sister H, Sister S, and I sang a trio:) 

 My favourite part of the baptism was his testimony afterward.  He got up and said that he wasn't very good at public speaking, but then proceeded to give a 7 minute speech that was so spiritual and moving, that the room was completely captivated.  He expressed his gratitude to Heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ.  He bore his testimony on the Book of Mormon.  How everyday it is exactly what he needs to hear, and gives him that spiritual strength that he needs for the day.  He was so grateful for the support the ward showed him, he was only expecting about 4 or 5 people and there were about 25. and also he said he is so excited to be a good example to the people around him, and to share this incredible truth and knowledge he has now with his family.  He is going to make such an incredible husband and father, our next assignment we have decided is to find a wife for him ha 

For our exchange this week I was with the visitor center sisters.  Which is brilliant because you pretty much get to be a visitor center sister once month.  While we were there we taught a man on the phone from Pakistan.  It was incredible to see the way that technology can be used to further Heavenly Father's work.  Missionaries are not allowed there yet, but apparently he has about 100 friends and family members that he teaches from what we share with him.  It was such a miracle to hear his faith, and be able to share more of the gospel with him.  

Lunch time at the VC was just proof that even though we are missionaries, we are all still 20ish year old girls.  It was a bright sunny day, and the kitchen we use is right up by the roof, so we went out and all just laid out there eating for our lunch break.  oh the perks of serving in the visitor center.  

Donna's prayers are so sweet and sincere.  I love them.  Prayers of the people we teach are one of my favourite parts.  They are so sincere. and they just talk from the heart.  Such a good example to me and a reminder to me of how i need to better my own prayers. but last time we went in her prayer she asked "Heavenly Father to help her to understand the Book of Mormon, and to understand and take in our messages.  And that she thinks that she will join the church, and by thinks she probably will."   The gospel is for everyone, not our place to judge, we never know who God is preparing, so we have to courageously follow the promptings we get from the spirit to share our testimonies.  That is all we have to share.  We don't need loads of knowledge and a deep understanding of the scriptures.  We just need to be willing and ready to share our testimonies.    

Once again out of time sorry so i will send pics next week.... (because the place with the really nice guy who knows all of us missionaries is closed for a week, so we came to this other place that is really expensive and so we have to run) 

can you believe mother's day is in just 3 weeks?? what the.... i just talked to you! not that i am not excited but just wow. 

LOVE YOU!!! rachel