Sister Adams Stories: Transfers + PICTURES!!!!!!

Hi everyone! Transfers are tomorrow and guess what?! WE ARE GETTING ROOMMATES! Finally! Sister Earl and I have been in over our heads taking care of two areas. Sister Raines is flush training in Waterloo. We don't know which one of the new sisters she will be training, but she arrives to New York today! So exciting. New Years was awesome. We had a huge sisters sleep over here at the girls camp. I made a legit snowman and we tubed in the snow all day. It was a blast.

This week Sister Earl and I have been just holding our breath until Lea's baptism... So many things went wrong in her life this week. But we know that was just the adversary just trying to stop her. And he almost succeeded but Lea just plowed through like a champ. The baptism was wonderful. Even though Lea's family didn't come, the whole Masino Family was there. They traveled from Buffalo and Rochester to be there for her. I'm sure Elder Masino is so happy too. He had his first baptism the day his dad baptized Lea. We had a good turn out for her to let her know that she has a ward family. So many of the senior couples came from Palmyra too! We took Lea to all the historic sites in Palmyra the day before she was baptized and she met a bunch of them and they all wanted to be there. We had such a sweet experience with her in the Sacred Grove... it was amazing to get to take her around those sacred places to feel the power of the truthfulness of the events that occurred there. It was freezing cold though. We were trekking in the 2 feet of snow at the Smith Farm... it looked like the arctic and the snow drifts from the wind were brutal. But that didn't matter because we still had a special spiritual experience. Lea's baptism was beautiful. She went through so much to be baptized and she was so strong. God has great things in store for her and her posterity.

Good news! Our other investigator Jim, who is afraid to come to church (or any church function really) came to Lea's baptism!!!! I was so glad. Then at the end of the baptism he told us that he wanted to see the other half of the story so he CAME TO CHURCH to see Lea's confirmation. AHHH! yeah.. I can't even tell you how full of eternal joy my heart was. My heart was just pounding and tears running down my cheeks. Elder Breinholt did the confirmation and the blessings that were pronounced upon her head were amazing. I am just so full of gratitude that I get to be a missionary-- to be a part of and witness Heavenly Father's children turn back to Him, repent, and receive ordinances and make covenants with Him. It is just a beautiful thing! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true! I know it.

I finished the Book of Mormon and so now I am reading through the New Testament. Yesterday I was reading in Matthew chapter 8 and of all the miracles Christ performs to heal these people. As I read the story of the leper who is healed at the beginning of the chapter my mind kept drawing the parallel between the story and repentance. Are we not all lepers? Do we not all need cleansing from the Savior? All of the many miracles He performed during His ministry were a type for what He still continues to do for us today through His Atonement. Through Jesus Christ we can be cleansed from our sins. We can have our hearts healed. We can forgive others and forgive ourselves and know that everything will be okay. We can be spiritually "raised from the dead." We can cast our all doubt and fear and have faith in our future. I could go on and on! Just like Christ did for the leper, if we come to Him and show Him our faith in Him, he will say to each and every one of us, "I will; be thou clean." (Matt 8: 2-3)

I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real... everything that we can't make right ourselves will be made right through the atonement. "I do know that Christ shall come (has come) among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall (did) atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Alma 34:8) "And I would not that ye think that I know of myself--not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind but of God." ( Alma 36:4) This is my testimony.

I love you all very much. You are the best family in the world. You lift me up when I am down and you make me laugh right when I need it. Thank you for being perfect for me :) Heavenly Father sent me to the right place :)

Love, Sister Adams

Christmas corner: like my roaring fire I drew?