Keep Moving Forward! All About Connie's Baptism

Dear my loving friends and family, This week I know will be one of the most memorable weeks of my mission, if not the most. Our investigator Connie Painter got baptized this past week. It was an amazing experience for us, but more importantly for her. Elder Victory and I with a member, Brother Robison first met Connie August 4th. She told us that she had completely lost her faith and that everything that had been happening to her had basically just been a mess. That day we taught her the Restoration lesson, which began to change her life and the way she thought about life. We continued to teach her the Book of Mormon lesson afterwards and she took it with an open heart. Elder Victory got to see Connie come to church for the first time the day before he got transferred out of our zone and I got my new companion. After she was welcomed in to the ward and became her new family, she said "I found my new home." After Elder Clapp got in the area, we continued to teach Connie about the Word of Wisdom which she had a hard time with because she had been smoking ever since she was little. After one week of continuing to smoke she decided it's time for her life to change and she smoked her last cigarette. Though it was very hard for her, she's been 2 weeks clean and a happy person from it and she has changed. On September 20th and 21st, 2014, Sister Painter was baptized and confirmed, respectively, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Elder Clapp and I were very happy for her and she went into tears as it all happened. After she got confirmed with the Holy Ghost, she told us later on that night that a warm feeling had came over her during the confirmation that was so peaceful and joyful. Never had I ever had such a firm testimony of the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. I know it's now present in her life.

Elder Cline, Connie, Elder Victory

Elder Cline, Connie, Elder Clapp

Connie seeing the baptismal font for the first time

Connie is someone that we will stay in contact with and will remember for the rest of both our lives because of her commitment to change and to become a better person; someone to take the name of Christ upon herself. For someone who had no faith before, she gained greater faith than we ever could have hoped for her and she is striving to be the best person she can. Going to the temple in one year is her goal. She also told us that she wants to be there when Elder Clapp and I get married. Hoorah. As we go about our lives, we need to remember how important Jesus Christ our Savior is. He suffered and died for us so that we can return to live back with our Heavenly Father again. He gave his all so that we could learn to move forward and become perfect in him and follow his Gospel. As we follow it, and keep the commandments, we can learn to love and become eternally happy. I hope everyone has a blessed week this week! As "Meet the Robinsons" reminds us: "Keep moving forward!" - Elder Cline