Hi Family 8-28-16

What a week! This week started out with Craige's Interview for his baptism that he was sooo nervous about.. President Cummings interviewed him, and Craige was seriously so scared. When the two of them came out of the room they were just all smiles, and Craige had tears in his eyes and held President Cummings and said "This is a beautiful Man" hahah it was so wonderful to hear and to see Craige change. He came out smiling, with a bright light around him and said "For the first time in my life, I feel worthy of Baptism" What a thing to hear, I was so proud of him!

Well, I know it's taken me a few months, but I wanted to study it deeply, and I can say I FINALLY FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON from Cover to Cover while being set apart as a full-time missionary! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon, that book has all the answers in it, it truly is the word of God. I prayed after I finished that I would have the opportunity to bare my testimony to someone that day about the truthfulness of it, and that same day this non-member came into the VC, when we got to the Book of Mormon stand, Sister Gurney and I just each bore a testimony of the Book of Mormon, the spirit was SO strong, he then said "When you two said that I could receive my own witness, right then I just knew, the Book of Mormon, IS TRUE" I was eternally grateful for Heavenly Father allowing me that opportunity to bare my testimony and to allow the spirit to be so strong. I can never deny the power that comes from the Book of Mormon! 

Well transfers happened, and I am still here! YAY! I do love this area, but I wouldn't mind a change pretty soon!! So grateful I stayed though, it was Craige's Baptism, and it was seriously the most beautiful thing ever, Sister Gurney and I felt prompted a few weeks ago to sing How Great thou Art and Whaka Ra Mi which is Maori how great thou art, and we did that for Craige. He just sobbed, there wasn't a dry eye in there, it was pretty special to him and all people who are of his culture that we would do that. He told us when he looked up at us singing that he didn't see two sister missionaries, he literally saw to angels. None of his family came to his baptism, so he said when we sang that he felt his family and culture around him and at that exact moment he forgave them for not coming. I was so grateful we did that! Craige after he was baptized just sat in the water with his eyes closed, he didn't move a muscle, he just sat there smiling, later he told us he had a LOTTT of sins and wanted them ALL gone.. hahaha he is so crack up! 

What a beautiful week, I hope you all know how much I love you! I really felt your prayers this week, there was one day specifically I literally felt added strength and I knew someone or maybe all of you had just said a prayer for me. That meant the world to me. We really felt Satan working on us the day of Craige's baptism, we had about 4 people yell at us or tell us to leave or give us false information, but it was a testimony that what Craige was about to do was right!! :) I was so happy :) 

I love you each so much, I am so grateful for the prayers you give on my behalf, I literally pray for each of you by name each day so I hope you draw strength from that as well. I know that I am in the right place, I am grateful to be here.

I forgot to tell you! The Bishop of our ward has only been a member for 7 years and has been bishop for 2, he is like 400+ lbs, and this big friendly giant, well I don't know why but all of a sudden he loves us SO much everytime he see's us he moves our hand shake out of the way and hugs us, and So Sister Thomsen came up to me and asked if we were allowed to hug, we told her no she said we needed to tell bishop, SOO AWKWARD, he walks into church, I put my arm out as straight as it possibly goes he moves my arm, I am like turned side ways in a ball and he hugs me hahahah I then say Bishop I am so sorry we can't actually hug males, then Sister Gurney gets a handshake.. SOOOO AWKWARD 

Arohanui, I LOVE YOU HEAPS

Sister Maddie DeLoach