Happy Mother's Day, all you moms!

Josh got baptized on Sunday. I've had some good days, but that has topped them all thus far. I'm very grateful for how well everything came together and how many people showed up, despite it being a Fast Sunday. Three Somoan guys volunteered to do the musical number so we didn't have to. They were really good. I'm also thankful President Morby didn't drop him. He's not a little guy. We saw him yesterday and he said he feels like a different person. He doesn't have a desire to do the things he used to, because it's just not who he is anymore. I saw that when he came out of the water—big splash, big change. Personally, I've had that new-life feeling on my mission. There's a temple trip May 13th, so hopefully Josh will receive the Aaronic Priesthood in time to go. We taught a lesson about temples yesterday and he already knew all the answers to 'commonly asked questions' on the kiosk at the visitor center. So he's pretty much good to go. We had everyone sign the copy of Preach My Gospel that we gave him and quads really aren't expensive if you buy them through church distribution. Shipping's free. A regular quad like the one I have is only 35 dollars.

So we're short a branch mission leader, he just got married and there's not anyone available to take his place at the moment. So we were kidding Josh that he might get called to do it. But he really might. :-)

Also, we picked up a former investigator this week. We had a couple really spiritual lessons and so he was interested in learning again. He still hadn't prayed or read last time we taught him. So we read with him and invited him to pray about it. He said he didn't have any doubt aboutJoseph Smith being a prophet or the Book of Mormon being true, because he saw the movie, so what was there to pray about? And why did it really matter? I was pretty straight with him and told him if he's a prophet then he was the only one on the earth given the authority to baptize in the name of Christ and this is Christ's church on the earth today, even though so many others make that same claim. So if he prays with real intent like Moroni says, and this is the restored church, the original, he'll get baptized into it. He prayed. I could tell he didn't want an answer. He's tied socially to the church he's at. I told him so. He agreed that he wouldn't know how to leave the church he's at. He needs LDS friends basically. So hopefully we can get him to some activities and get him meeting some more members.

What Elder Bednar said last conference was so true about missionaries being full time teachers. President Hinckley said all investigators and new members need the word, a friend and a calling.

I'm almost more excited togo home, knowing how to do missionary work and do it there, because my hands are tied in many respects. I can't give them a ride. I can't counsel, beyond religion. I can't hang out with them. I can't have them over for dinner. We teach our investigator. We teach our members and then try to play matchmaker so they can have friends.

Other exciting news is that I heard my first tornado siren last week. I grabbed my water supply and my coat and booked it down into the laundry room. All the other sisters and our neighbors met us down there. It was funny to see what everyone brought. There were some sensible things like a flashlight, a cell phone and blankets. But some grabbed SweeTarts, scriptures, journals, digital cameras (we took a group photo). Our neighbors took the time to put their cat in a kennel and were the last to arrive. The alarm went off pretty fast, but it went off again at like 2 a.m., but no one heard it, and an Arbys was demolished a couple miles away. One of the sisters got food poisoning there, so that's probably why itwas smitten. (Kidding.)

Asking around, Independence isn't a common area for bad tornadoes, it's fairly hilly and a good distance from Kansas. Lawrence, on the other hand, got hit this week. That's another area that could probably use a good smiting. College towns.

I'll be calling on Mother's Day around 5 your time, so preparense! Love you lots. The church is true, even in Missouri. I'm gonna tell someone that, so I don't get smitten. I recommend you do the same.

With Love,
Hermana Deb