Hello my friends! So I am starting with this email this week, so hopefully its good.
This week has been amazing. I am so so so eternally grateful to serve here at this time. We were really busy this week, we saw Pierre everyday except Saturday. We finished teaching the lessons and he had his interview... and Thursday night he was baptised! (along with our friend Marina, who the Zone Leaders have been teaching) It was an amazing experience. We definitely had our challenges getting him there, but it turned out to be a beautiful experience. He went down once, and on the way up the witnesses said, "No, that wasn't enough!" So before he came up for air, the brother baptised him pushed him BACK under! Oh dear, we thought the poor thing was going to be drowned. But it was great, he was so happy!
Marina is a fragile person, due to a car accident when she was a teen, so we had to support her most of the night (because we're sisters, not elders), but it was a beautiful experience to support her as well. She was so cute, after coming out, Sister Stewart asked how she felt and she said, "Awesome!!" Haha, she was shaking like a leaf beforehand, but afterwards she was happy and wanted to stand to the side and watch Pierre after her.
It was a spiritual confirmation to me to witness that the Lord is mindful of his children, and He is so so happy when they decide to make the decision to follow Him, into the waters of baptism. If only more people could have this same experience, to really come unto Christ and be sanctified by Him!
Besides our Baptismal/Confirmation excitement we had many opportunities to teach, and 3 of our friends, Anthony, Avril, and Melanie have made commitments to be baptised in October!
Anthony is a former who keeps coming back--he feels the Spirit, he knows the Book of Mormon is true, but has fear of commitment. We had an incredible lesson with him where we and our joint teach all felt the Spirit push us to be persistent with him. We invited him approx. 5 times to be baptised. He finally accepted, because he recognizes the Spirit, and that he has been running away out of fear. But he's great.
Avril is slowly progressing. She has many challenges and issues that she faces, but she knows she feels better when she's with us. So we're going to have to support her slowly and help her to feel the positive Spirit, so she can be drawn unto understanding.
Melanie is a GOLDEN former who dropped before because her boyfriend disapproved... but now they've broken up :) She texted us, and we've met with her a couple times, and she accepts everything. She loves it. She's so ready.
We went on exchanges this week, so I went to Dublin with Sis. Wagner. It was good... except the mishap of swapping cars due to a flat tire, then getting to Dublin and realizing that we left the keys to the flat on the other car key...... hahahahaha, so we had a last-minute dinner with a member, and stayed with other sisters in Dublin. It was an adventure.
I am so grateful to be a missionary, and so grateful to serve in Limerick. I have come to understand more and more deeply what Elder Holland said, Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.
I know that when we invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we will fulfill our purpose. Inviting is just the beginning. We aren't missionaries just to teach, but to help people be converted unto their Heavenly Father and accept His will and follow His ways. Don't forget that. Missionary work is so much more than teaching. Its helping people get home to our Heavenly Father's Home.
I love you all! I hope you are all well, and know how eternally grateful I am for your prayers!
Yours Faithfully,
Sister Kirkpatrick
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