Snow Shmow.

Dear Family!

Well, first item on the agenda! SAMANTHA GOT BAPTIZED!!  It was SO wonderful to see Samantha baptized. It was just about one of the greatest things, ever. I don't think that I can even begin to describe the feeling of seeing her go down in the water and come up--pure joy. It was wonderful. I was helping her out with her towel and all of that so I was talking to her as she was getting changed out of the baptismal jump-suit. I asked her how she was feeling and she said that she felt happy, peaceful, and that her cheeks hurt from smiling too much. :) On Sunday she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She made a few comments to us that she felt so happy and just good inside. We wanted to make sure that she kept up with her reading so we asked her where she was at. She responded and told us that she was just finishing the Book of Mosiah and about to start Alma! It is so rewarding to see a person enter into the waters of baptism and take that first step!! We are working with her now to teach her the new member lessons. The ward has been great at helping out as well. Her home teacher came up to me on Sunday and we coordinated a few times that we could get together and start to teach her the new member lessons. I am very excited and I feel like this ward is doing a wonderful job of pulling together to make sure that Samantha stays active.

Samantha's Baptism

Shirley Moore is going to be baptized this Saturday at 4pm!! We are VERY excited to see her baptized. She has a huge fear of public speaking, but on Sunday, during relief society, she got up and bore her testimony. In her testimony, it was so sweet, she said the exact day that we knocked on her door (November 25th) and called us her little angels. It was sweet. Yep, Sister Moore is fantastic!! She has been reading the Book of Mormon and is very accepting of everything we teach! The Lord is truly blessing us in this area! I feel so blessed!! She asked me to speak at her baptism. I'm a little bit nervous, but I am also very excited!!

This past week we had a very humbling experience. It had snowed about 2-3 inches (apparently a lot for TN). My companions and I didn't think much of it. After all, we're all from either Colorado or Utah so we can do this whole 2-3 inches of snow NO problem. Well, we get in our car ready to go, start driving and get to this semi- big hill to get out of our neighborhood area. At the bottom of the hill is this minivan just parked. I made a comment to my companions, saying: "Now, there is no way that that minivan can use the excuse that he is stuck... there is only 2-3 inches of snow out!" We laugh a little bit and then turn to drive up the hill. When we are about half way up, the car just stops. We all just paused for a minute. Sister Liebing turns to Sister Wynn and says "you can put on the gas you know." *moment pause*. The gas is all the way down and we are now starting to slide backward. After a brief moment of panic, we successfully get the car back down to the bottom of the hill to where the minivan had previously been at. Yep, we were in the same position as the minivan. Well we get together and re-group and then figure out another successful way to get out and do missionary work. Unfortunately for us, the story does not end there. For the most part of the day, we were just fine going around on the roads. At the end of the day, we stopped at this member's home. They live down at the bottom of this super steep hill, so we thought we would be smart and park at the top of the hill. We only parked about 10 feet from the top of the hill. After visiting teaching them a lesson and having dinner, we walk back up to our car, get in and prepare to drive off. Same dilemma as before, car slides backwards... only this time, there is no other way out except to go up the hill. My companions and I got out of the car, said a prayer that we would be able to get up the hill and get back home safely. Well, not 30 seconds after we finished the prayer, one of the members in our ward runs out of his house to help us. Then, 30 seconds a later, a car comes by and stops asking if we need help. Then, about a minute later, this person that we knew from our ward drives by and tells us that he can get our car out no problem. The whole situation was very humbling especially since at the beginning of the day we were all like "We can do this whole 2-3 inches of snow no problem." That experience taught me though that the Lord is truly mindful of us in all the situations that we are in. I know that as we get down on our knees and pray and ask the Lord for help that he truly will help us.

Our heater broke in our apartment this past week and it turned out to be a blazing 50 degrees in our apartment.... Sister Wynn and I turned to the dryer for warmth!  No worries, it is all fixed now!

Things are going very well with Bobby. This past week we were out and about visiting a less-active member of the ward and guess who pulls up to that house right after we get out of our car!! BOBBY!! I go up and say hi to him (Yes, he does know who I am now!!). He's a great guy. Anyways, I invited him to Samantha's baptism and to church. He didn't come to either, but I'm not about to give up to him. :)

One thing that I have been studying quite a bit this week is humility and pride. One interesting thing that I learned was that pride is characterized by what do I want out of my life rather than by "what would God have me do with my life?" It is self-will as opposed to God's will. Fear of man over fear of God. Humility responds to God's will--to the fear of His judgments and the needs of those around us. I know that God does love us very much, and as we slowly turn our will to become more aligned with His will, he can pour out his blessings on us even more.

*I think that I will be getting transferred this next week so if anyone sends any letters, be sure to send them to the mission home!*

I love you all Very much!! Thank you for all that you do for me!! 

Sister Beth Spencer