Amber's News 6/20/2011

This week: we started out this Monday not being able to visit her because her blood pressure dropped so she went to the hospital. We couldn't visit her till Wednesday. Then she said she wasn't going to get baptized. She said she needed to be in better health and that the weather needed to be better because it is freezing cold out side. I said that we just need to have enough faith and we would could have a miracle. So we read in ether where it talks about miracles. When I was teaching I felt so strongly that it could happen. I remembered something too that in one of my blessings when I was set apart it said that according to my faith miracles would happen. I knew as we were reading that God would bless us and help us. I asked Vitalia if she believed that God could help her and that the weather would be ok she said yes that she believed. So we prayed that the weather would be good for her baptism and that she would be better in her health. Then we came back Friday and it was just as cold so she said it looks like Father in Heaven doesn't want to help us so she could be baptized. I said no he does but we just need to have more faith. So we read in The Book of Mormon and we prayed that it would be ok. She told us that earlier in the day she had to go to the doctors to get her eyes checked. She doesn't see very much and she always tries to wave down a taxi but she can see and so see is trying to wave down every car. She said that before she left her house that she prayed that she could get a taxi. She went outside and the first car was a taxi. So she went to the doctors and on the way she prayed and thank Heavenly Father. When she said that she thanked him I was in shock because before when we taught her about prayer she said that she didn't have anything to thank God for. She is so old that it is hard and painful for her to live. I was so grateful to see this change in her. So I told her look you already have a testimony of prayer, that God answers. He answered your prayer today and he will answer your prayer for your baptism. Vitalia said at her doctors appointment he said that she was completely blind in one eye and the other eye she sees less than a finger. So she can't read in The Book of Mormon. We have been reading to her. She said that he told her to get an operation and she wants to do it so she can read The Book of Mormon. But she is nervous because sometimes people go completely blind from these operations. But she said she believed that God would help her. So we ended with a prayer and Vitalia prayed that she would be baptized and that her health would be better.

The next day was Saturday and it was just as cold and it was....raining. We went to Vitalias with our umbrellas and I was in my rain boots. We had to take her to the church for her baptismal interview. We got to her apartment building and we were outside the fence and we called her and she answered. I said hey Vitalia we are here how are u. She said bad it is raining and that she wasn't going to go with us. She wouldn't even open the gate because it was raining. Then she hung up on me. So I called her back she said she had opened the gate but it wasn't really opened. Other people that live in those apartments let us in. So we went up to her room and she let us in. She said she couldn't go out because she would get wet. So we showed her our umbrellas and told her that we would help her. She was worried about her slippers getting wet. As we waited for a taxi she said it looks like Heavenly Father doesn't want me to be baptized but I said no someone else doesn't want u to be baptized but God sent us to help u get baptized. We waved down a taxi and made it to the church and she past her interview. We took her back to her house in the taxi.

The next day it was warmer outside and it wasn't raining. A member picked Vitalia up in his car so she made it to church. In Sunday school Vitalia told me that she was really nervous and that she wanted to go home. So I talked to her for a little bit and then she felt better and was ok to stay and be baptized. Then I gave the relief society lesson because the teacher didn't show up. I read the chapter in like 7 mins and then gave a 40 minute lesson. I think it went pretty well. Then after we had Vitalia change and then we had her baptized. It was really great and nice. Elder Forbush told her to plug her nose and then she went down and came back up. Then Sister Andrea helped her change and then we all helped her to blow dry her hair and we finish the baptism. Later in the night Vitalia was so happy. haha She told us that Elder Forbush dunked her. Later Elder Forbush told us that she floats so he had to get her in there haha. But Vitialia said she took in a little bit of water in her mouth and she was worried but I told her it was church water so she would be ok and she was fine with that. We asked her how she was and she said she was good and said it is weird because I"m always angry. I'm not angry or rude. She said that when people would call and ask how she was she would said. How am I supposed to be. (I can testify sometimes I would call her and ask her how she was and she would say bad, terrible) It was amazing she was so happy and was laughing a ton. But she said that felt really really good and that she was really glad that she got baptized. She told us that before she met us she was really bad off that she was really lonely and angry and that now she was happy and peaceful. I told her that now she had a testimony of the changes that the gospel gives us. It was really neat. She prayed at the end. She thanked God that she met us, that she was baptized. She asked that one day she would be able to see so she could read The Book of Mormon. It was so beautifull to see these changes in Vitailia and to see her desires to be baptized and to know that these things are true. I love Vitalia so much and am so happy for her.

I love u all have a great week

Amber