Subject: Baptism in England
Dear friends and family,
I am reminded that before really powerful spiritual experiences or something important happens, we usually have some opposition and Satan puts up a fight to hinder the work as much as he can. But the good news, is that the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent until it has covered the whole earth. This week, I was sick and my body took a few days to get its act together. On Saturday, I didn't feel like I could be on the main floor of the Visitor's Center all day, but Sister Mills and I went up into the Referral Center and were on Mormon.org chat. We had a few funny experiences and then a young lady named Jenny from the United Kingdom came on. The beginning of the conversation was Jenny telling us that her parents were never religious, but she wants to believe in something-that she NEEDS to believe in something. She expressed how she needs motivation and a better vision of her future. I felt really strongly that we needed to teach her about prayer. She had not prayed before and we were able to very simply teach her how to speak to her Father in Heaven. She prayed outloud and then expressed that she has never felt so overcome with emotion. She then said, "I didn't know that I could come to believe so quickly." The Spirit was strong . We went on to teach her about some basic gospel doctrines. She said that she feels this strong desire to do charity work or to do something good. We talked about how the Spirit prompts us to do good things and that through the Spirit, God helps us know what we should do. Then that strong impression came over me to invite her to be baptized. A flood of previous experiences came pouring into my mind and I remembered sitting in the chapel in California with Steve when we invited him to be baptized, etc. We invited her to be baptized on June 8th and she accepted. We got the elders in her area in contact with her that day and got her the address to her local church building. She attended church yesterday and is on her way to baptism. It is absolutely INCREDIBLE that technology is helping the work of the Lord move forward in the ways that it does.
The very next day, we were serving in Carthage Jail. We were busy taking tours all day and it is interesting how timing works out. I was with Sister Garner and we ended up talking with a sweet couple that has traveled around the world in the military. They have lived in Japan, Europe, all over the United States, etc. They "somehow" just ended up with a road trip that led them to Carthage Jail and they had never even heard of Nauvoo. They walked in, we smiled and greeted them, and asked if they had come from Nauvoo. They gave us these cute little smiles and a funny face and asked, "What is Na-voo?" That gave away their position pretty quickly...haha We took them to the large picture on the wall of the First Vision and taught the whole Restoration lesson right there. The Spirit was there and the feeling was very strong. These people were very pure and very prepared for the truth. As we took them on the tour of the jail, we didn't even take the regular tour with the historical information. We taught the Gospel and they asked question after question, with deep interest and sincerity. It was soooooo cool!!!!!! In the Martyrdom room, the Spirit was especially strong. After we went through the jail, we went outside and stood under the trees for quite a while. We read from the Book of Mormon together and they loved it. We were able to get their contact information and they said that they really wanted to read more from the Book of Mormon. As they were getting ready to leave, the man looked me straight in the eyes with this look of .....desperation to stay longer or something. I could tell that he did not want to leave. He looked at me and said, "You make sure you contact us, ok?" I felt something special with that couple. I don't even know how to describe it. I have no doubt in my mind that they will accept the gospel very soon and be faithful members, but they were really special. I don't know what the Lord has in store for them, but they still stand out in my mind very strongly.
I am also so very grateful for people that the Lord puts into our lives to help us along. One of my dear friends and missionaries here is Sister Dransfield. I feel like she knows my heart like my mother does. Since arriving in Nauvoo, it has been full speed ahead all the time. I haven't had much time to think about how I feel about anything other than the missionary responsibilities that I have here at this time. Sister Dransfield stayed at the house with me one night when I was sick so that my companion could go to the music practice with the rest of the sisters because she is playing the piano for one of the numbers, as well as singing a song that she needed to practice. My being sick and staying at the house with Sister Dransfield was one of the most needed and precious experiences.
I absolutely LOVE being a missionary. I treasure these experiences so much. One of my favorite things in the whole world is when someone prays for the first time to Heavenly Father and they feel the Spirit. Oh, what a precious experience. I want to help as many people as I possibly can make it back to Heavenly Father by helping them come closer to their Savior. I LOVE the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please, please, please attend the temple as often as possible. I went this morning and had a special experience with a woman that hasn't been in a long time. Heavenly Father doesn't mind if you don't know what you are doing or if you haven't been in a long time. He just WANTS YOU TO COME and to start coming regularly. If it is uncomfortable right now, go again and again and again. The temple is soooo important. Serving in Nauvoo has really helped me gain a deep love and testimony of the temple. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. And I love to see it! =)
Love,
Sister Heather Ripplinger
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