Monday December 14, 2015

Niamh's (Neve) baptism
December 12, 2015

Hello Again! This week has been jam packed and flew by quicker than I can possibly try to comprehend!  We had so much going on!  From teaching and finding, to playing a Farkle Tournament and getting our moves call! It has been a wonderful and miraculous week!

MONDAY- was P-Day, as we all are aware. (I'm pretty sure I say that every week, so I'm gonna roll with it) And it was a very good day.  We did our usual email and snooker, in which Elder Allred and myself tied.  So it's a tie breaker this week!  But we did our usual P-Day things and then headed over to the church to have 'N' try on a jumpsuit so we could take it to a member and have it washed for her baptism.  After that, we took her over to the Jackson's house to teach her another lesson.  We taught her on Enduring to the End and making sure her conversion was permanent.  And lemme tell you, 'N' has a very, very, very strong conversion.  It was truly a fantastic day.

TUESDAY- We went finding! Woohoo!  We haven't had a day to find in a very long time and it was pretty awesome to go out and knock on doors and talk to people in the rain!  We also read the Book of Mormon with Sister Walsh, and that is always a fun time.  We listen to her stories and talk to her for about 30 minutes and then we read a good chapter out of the good ole blue book, and leave her with a prayer.  They have been some good lessons.  

After Sister Walsh, we headed to the church to give 'N' a mock interview right before her real interview.  She aced our interview, and then after her real interview, Elder White (Our new district leader) told us that she was the most prepared person he had ever interviewed for baptism and that she was super solid.  That made Elder Allred and myself very happy!  It was awesome! We also had a District sleepover at our flat because we were taking the train to Dublin early the next morning.  We have been to Dublin twice this transfer, and it is really a great time!  After having a gospel discussion, we headed to bed for our early start the next morning.

WEDNESDAY- All Ireland Conference! They are so much fun!  We all get to meet together and see our friends and also hear from some pretty good speakers.  This time we heard from Elder Patrick Kearon of the Seventy, and he is also the Europe Area President.  It was awesome!  He had such good things to share with us and made us all super pumped to be missionaries! I have heard a good deal from Elder Kearon this past transfer, and I can testify that he is called of God!  After the conference, we made it back home and headed to bed.  Traveling like that really takes it out of you!

THURSDAY- We had our weekly planning and we also taught 'N' her LAST LESSON!!!! We weren't totally sure what to go over, but we covered what she can expect as a new member in the church and how she can best serve in the Ward.  It was a pretty good lesson.  We also had a dinner appointment that day with Daniel Hamilton, and it was a good dinner.  They had a chicken and leek bake that was more like soup, but it was delicious.  We also had coordination.  But Thursday was a great and marvelous day and a day well spent.

FRIDAY- was Awesome!! We got up and got to wear normal street clothes because we were going to the church to clean the font for our baptism!  Woot woot!  And after we had done so, we helped the Bishop clean up the kitchen since it was just barely renovated.  So that was pretty fun.  We also had a big old slot of time to go finding and we spent it GQ-ing in the park.  It was good!  We didn't get many people interested, but it doesn't really deter us.  We know we have the truth and nobody will stop it from coming forward.  After our big day of finding, we headed home around 8pm for dinner.  It was a spectacular day.

Happy Baptism Day!!

SATURDAY- is what you all have been waiting for!!! 'N's baptism!! It was fantastic!  But first we went up to 'T's house and taught him the Tree of Life.  We have these Book of Mormon animated stories and we showed him the tree.  It was a great lesson.  He is starting to come around and our work is beginning to pay off.  After that, we had lunch and then we headed to the church to get things set up.  We cleaned the chapel, set up chairs, turned the heating on, and of course, filled the font.  It was an amazing experience to finally see that font fill with water!  Then we finally had the baptism!  It was a fantastic service.  We had two speakers, Elder Allred and Nathan Reid.  Then we had the baptism, performed by Elder Allred.  During the time they were changing, we had a short testimony meeting and quite a few people bore their testimonies.  When 'N' finally did come back in, one of the members of the Bishopric asked her to bear her testimony and she got up and the first thing she said was, "This church is true.  I knew it from the moment I met the missionaries."  It was so powerful!  The best part though, was that she didn't now that you had to close in the name of Jesus Christ, and so she just finished talking and then she hit the podium and walked off.  We were stoked.  It was so awesome!!!  After the baptism, we cleaned up and headed home.

Elder Allred baptized Niamh on Saturday
Elder Mickelsen confirmed on Sunday

SUNDAY- was also a pretty good day.  We went to church and I had the opportunity to confirm 'N'.  It was a very spiritual experience.  I was excited and she was, too!  As I told her to receive the Holy Ghost, I felt it come to her and she knew she had it.  It was super awesome!  We also got a referral to teach one of our mission president's counselor's cousins!  They came to our Ward and said that they wanted and needed us to baptize them.  So we are committed to baptize more people now!  

And the moment we've all been waiting for… Elder Allred and myself are staying one more transfer in Lisburn!  Christmas in Lisburn is gonna be awesome!

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a fantastic time no matter where you are.  At this time of year, the most important thing we can do is think of the Savior and the great gift he was to not only us, but to mankind.  I encourage all of you to watch the Church's new Christmas initiative video on LDS.org and take Elder Ballard's Christmas invitation to bing a friend.  Tis the season!  Till the work is done!

Enos 1:7-8

And I said: Lord, how is it done?

And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen.  And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, they faith hath made thee whole!

-Elder Mickelsen