A White August

You don't see very much white in Tucson. Everywhere you turn there is brown-brown dirt, brown shrubs, brown rock, brown dust. This August we have seen a beautiful amount of white. This Saturday will be the 9th baptism that I have witnessed this month. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18) This is what happens each time someone enters the waters of baptism. They become as white inside as their white jumpsuit they wear on the outside. It's wonderful!

It also amazes me that each person being baptized has an individual conversion story. We don't tell people to trust us and to just believe what we say. We tell them to ask God if what they are learning and reading from the Book of Mormon is true. The Holy Ghost is the one who whispers to their hearts that it is true. Each person gets that witness in a different way. Some describe it as an inexplicable joy that they feel as they learn and go to church. Others explain it as a calm peaceful feeling. Some feel a burning in their heart while others just feel a desire to do good and a desire to be baptized. I call it a miracle of Heavenly Father's love for each of his children that he communicates with them in such a way that they can recognize it individually.

On Tuesday, I attended the baptism for three members of the Oesterling family. Heather dated our bishop's son before he left on his mission. She started coming to church before he left over a year ago. Several months ago, her mother, Sheree, and her sister, Hailey, started coming to church with her. They came almost every week. They felt the Spirit. They started studying with the missionaries. They gained their own testimonies. At a beautiful baptism service, our bishop was able to baptize all three amazing ladies. Heather's brother is now coming to church and studying with the missionaries as well. We'll be excited to attend his baptism as well a little down the road.

I love this quote by Joseph Smith. “Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and in Germany, Palestine, New Holland [Australia], the East Indies, and other places, the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." This was prophetically published on March 1, 1842 in what latter became known as the Wentworth letter. Look at where we are today! Here are the statistics from December 31st, 2007

Church Units

Stakes	2,790
Missions	348
Districts	618
Wards and Branches	27,827

Church Membership

Total Church Membership	13,193,999
Increase in Children of Record for 2007	93,698
Converts Baptized for 2007	279,218

Missionaries

Full-Time Missionaries	52,686

Temples

Temples Rededicated (Nuku‘alofa Tonga)	1
Number of Temples Currently in Operation	124

And then there are wards like ours that look like stake conference. We have 128 children ages 3-11 attending primary. By the end of the year, we will have 70 in nursery. We are starting our 4th nursery in two weeks.

Isn't it exciting? And why? Because It's True!