Come Follow Me

What's up guys!!                                                                                       

Atlanta Temple visit

This week was so awesome!! We're staying busy and it finalllllyyyyy got warm later in the week which has been so nice because I'm really getting sick of the cold. On Saturday we took Cleevens, Nina, and Hugues to the temple for the first time. Cleevens was baptized for his grandpa and it was such an incredible experience. That kid is so solid. They loved it so much! I wish you guys could see the change in each of them the way that I have. The same night after the temple we had a lesson with Nina and Cleevens and Elder Gosar and I both recognized the new light that Nina had about her that wasn't there before. It's just amazing what the gospel does to people. 

Elder Gosar, Cleevens and Elder Roderick

We also found another Haitian investigator this week and Cleevens's mom promised us that she would be at church this Sunday, so hopefully the #haitiannation continues to grow. Ha Ha. When we went to follow up with the new Haitian lady, Annette, we took Cleevens with us so that he could speak Creole to her. It was a good thing we did too because she ended up speaking hardly any English, and Cleevens practically taught her the entire first lesson. Ha Ha! It was insane! Elder Gosar and I just sat back and watched it all happen and I was literally in awe. Cleevens just took the opportunity and ran with it. Such cool stuff!
             We had an incredible miracle happen to us this week with a new family. Last Sunday the ward council asked us to visit a family that hadn't been to church in a long time. So, last Monday night we visited them and met their son, Brian Banchon (there's a little line above the o but I don't know how to do that) and his non-member wife, Stacey. We also met his sister, Crystal, and his mom, Maria Vasquez, and her husband, Jose (the Brian's step-dad). We instantly hit it off with them and established a really good relationship. It turns out that for the last couple weeks the Lord has really been working with Maria in multiple ways and the Spirit was telling her to go to church, so the day before we met her she actually went back for the first time in forever. So, the timing of our visit couldn't have been any more perfect.

Companion study time by the home teacher's lake

We met with them the next night, taught Stacey, and she accepted to be baptized at the end of the month on the 28th! She said it's something she's been thinking about for a while now. Then, they fed us on Friday (the food was sooooooooooo good) and we had a really good conversation with them about their conversion stories and why they decided to stop going for a while. Maria, Jose, and Stacey all came to church on Sunday! Brian had to stay home with their two little boys who were sick, but he should be coming next week! Church was so good for Stacey too. She said she felt that the lessons and talks were speaking right to her and that she's ready to make this apart of her life! Then to top it all off, their home teacher had us all over for dinner last night at this SWEET house on a lake and made us homemade pizza in his brick oven. After dinner we had a lesson and Stacey started crying telling us how much she was ready to change. We sang "Come Follow Me" in church earlier that day and she said "those words just spoke right to me. That's exactly what I need to do, follow Christ." Ahhh it was so cool. They are having us over for a family home evening tonight and they just texted us and said they are making us ceviche. I have no idea what that is but it sounds good and apparently it's amazing!

Now of course, the entire situation isn't perfect because it NEVER is, right? It turns out Stacey and Brian aren't married. They just refer to each other as husband and wife. However, they're moving into their own apartments this week so that should help. Who knows maybe we'll throw a wedding! Well in order for Stacey to be baptized we have to.  So, “yes” we WILL be throwing a wedding. And of course, the new place they are moving into is LITERALLY ONE STREET outside of our area. But we'll work some magic. Stacey also has had some stuff happen in her life recently that we're resolving but I know the Lord will find a way to make her baptism happen.

The work of salvation is seriously just so cool to be a part of. It's amazing how much I love these people and how fast that love comes. The Lord puts us exactly where we need to be at the perfect time so we can make relationships that will last an eternity. I love being a missionary and my time here in Georgia is going by way too fast! 

I love you guys! Thank you for everything! 

Have a great week! 

Roddy