Sestra Baxter & the New Bohemians: June 27, 2016 -- "I know it works."

There have been many valuable things I have been learning in the service of the Lord. The one that stands out to me the most is probably "change." I have never been a perfect person as anyone that knows me knows. But I am for sure of one thing, that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, literally anyone that with be humble like unto a child can have the help of a divine being to be changed. Each person that has lived on earth is a Son or Daughter of our Father in Heaven which mean we have the potential to become like He is. We are heirs to his kingdom. In Romans 8 it explains that we are now in a carnal state, subject to the law of sin and death, unless we receive the Spirit of adoption by whereby we call out to our Heavenly Father. Each one of our spirits awaits the manifestations of God, or the adoption, or the change.

There have been multiple times where I have wanted to change myself, when I have realized I wasn't perfect. I think the big difference before mission when I wanted to change is I wasn't being humble. I wasn't asking if a divine being, my Heavenly Father--creator of the planets and of myself--to help me. I was trying to rely on my own capabilities as a mortal human being. It's like I am on the biggest climb (I really like to rock climb) of my lifetime. There are things I never thought I could overcome. But slowly and surely I have overcome some (note: only "some") of my shortcomings. They are seriously gone. Like some times I still wonder where they went? But now I am like 10 pitches up and might as well keep going.

I have learned for myself that Heavenly Father's plan is perfect and can literally help you move the seas and mountains in my life. It works for others and I am a witness of that. During my first transfer in the mission field of Elma, Washington, I was able to work with the one of the nicest boys ever, though I don't know if people would have explained him that way before. If there was a list of sins, he may have done all of them. But he became humble. He did what we asked. He prayed, read scriptures, came to church, and he was baptized. And when he got out of the water, he was 100 percent clean, head to toe. He had changed his heart. He had experienced the process of adoption.
Being here is working with a different kind and range of people. There is our investigator F__, who has been slowly progressing, from literally only be willing to meet with us and come to church, who said he would probably need years to ever be able to pray. F___ said his first prayer of his whole life on Monday. I was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. We walked away like Alma and his brethren in Alma 26, and he walked away smiling, as well, which is a pretty big deal for a Czech. He was experiencing the process of the adoption.

Yesterday during a long contacting block, we ran into this man named Z_____. He had a backpack on and seemed pretty down for anything--almost like his life didn't matter. We sat down, introduced the Book of Mormon, and through the process of showing the pictures in the front, we really felt inspirited to talk about when the Nephites were baptized. We explained together about the convents of baptism--when we are baptized we can become 100 percent clean thanks to the Atonement of Christ. He said that sounds wonderful and said he would do anything for that at this point. We committed him to baptism for August 13 and have plans to meet with him this week. He was experiencing the "adoption process."

I know it works. We don't have to die being someone or something we don't want to be. When we decide to be humble, Heavenly Father puts the world at our feet, and through the Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we can be changed.

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Save the Trees and Pray Always

Sestra Baxter