Stake Conference Was Great

So this week was great, turns out we were not being pranked with Karim. So let me tell ya about him. Last Saturday about 9 days ago we met him because we received a text saying that he wanted to have us come over. We come and meet him for the first time and he tells us everything about him. He is super cool. To highlight some of the points: he used to be a Jehovah Witness but stopped practicing about 6 years ago, recently he decided he wanted to grow closer to God so when we met him we heard him out on everything and then left him with the Restoration pamphlet to read. We showed him how to pray and then left. On Sunday we get a call during church, and then a second, and then a third. So we finally answered and he was wanting us to come over earlier. We come and he says well I did what you asked and I did what is says at the end and around 1am last night I prayed... and I had an experience. He then described to us the overwhelming feeling he had received upon asking if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and if this was His church. He said that he had uncontrollable tears that he felt something he couldn't describe but that he knew was good. And he said when I went to church today I felt like everything was being said to me that the message was to repent and be obedient. He said he knew that God had answered his prayers and he wanted to be obedient now. We extended an invitation from his Heavenly Father to be baptized and he said yes. We helped him prepare this week and every time we came to teach something he already knew it because he had the app on his phone - he would stumble across every lesson we wanted to share before we even got to it, it was incredible! He had been reading the Book of Mormon and D&C side by side. He had being reading the teachings of the prophets, the Family a Proclamation to the World, the pamphlets, Preach My Gospel, all sorts of stuff! Before we found him he had decided that common law marriage wasn't enough and moved out from living with his girlfriend. He had decided to quit drinking and drinking coffee on his own and started going to the church for three weeks all of this even before he talked to us. He is literally the most prepared person I have ever met! He is amazing, and his baptism was amazing. The way he understands things and desires to serve the Lord is truly incredible! 

Sammy, Tony, and Chloe likewise were baptized on Sunday, with the rest of the family soon to follow. It was amazing, their father was able to get into the fount with them and baptize his children after all these years, and their mother spoke at the baptism. They brought with them all of Sam's family who his siblings had been members of the church at one point as well. So this service was great! This Sunday they will be receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and that should be great!

We also had stake conference and that was great! A seventy came and I got to chat with him and be part of his dealio at the Saturday night session that was fun. Everything in both days were perfect for all our peeps that came it was great! I've been in the stake here for like 8 months now and served in 4 of the wards so that was super fun to see everyone again haha:) Um might I say again this is the dopest ward of all time. 

Sand volleyball and a trip to Sonic.

Two of our favorite taco stands.