Elder Brayden Evans

This week was kind of interesting… not a ton of work but very productive.

I got to see a family that I taught in my first area get baptized after a 3 week wait. Crazy baptismal service it was really fun to see that.

This whole weekend I was at a baptismal service or doing Interviews for baptisms which was a good break. I had one interview in Particular that has really been stuck on my mind that last couple of days so I thought I might share it with you guys.

 I interviewed a middle aged woman who had struggled most of her life with drug addiction and had really lived through some horrible things. The interview ended up being about an hour and a half long which in all reality is about an hour and fifteen minutes longer than most baptismal interviews. She unloaded everything. From the time she was 15 years old until now.  I don’t want to go into too much detail.  I watched a nervous, broken woman sit down and after our hour and a half meeting I saw the light of Christ fill her eyes. I saw that load that she had been carrying for years lifted off of her back. I can’t even begin to describe my feeling about repentance but the only way I can explain it is that our Heavenly Father loves us so much. He wants to forgive us. He only requires one thing. Humility. Humility is doing the will of the Lord. We learn in Kind Benjamin’s Discourse that it is the only way to receive a remission of our sins. I can’t imagine how many hours that woman has spent on her knees asking the Lord to forgive her. From what she told me it had been years of living with guilt and worry. Watching her get baptized and confirmed was an experience I will never forget, watching the spirit of the Lord come into that woman’s life. It made me reflect on the changes made in myself in my time as a full time missionary. I had the opportunity to renew my temple recommend to come home Friday with my Mission President, and I am so happy for the opportunity that I was given to be a priesthood holder in these last days. Being forgiven is the best feeling ever. I remember my own personal time on my knees begging the Lord to help me change. I am so happy for the mountains that have been put up in front of me in these last 21 years. If I never would of climbed them I wouldn’t know how satisfying the view from the top really is.

I love you guys

I pray for you every day

Elder Evans