*dani here: sorry this letter's so late in being posted! I've been traveling! She sent it out July 29th :)
This week seriously felt like Christmas with all of the letters and pictures I got! Thank you sososososo much! I will try my very best to respond to everyone this week, if not I will next week. I love you!
Man this week has been really wild. The events surrounding Amanda's baptism were so intense I don't know if I can even discribe it to you, but I'll try.The morning of Amandas baptism she got really sick and didn't think she would even be able to make it to church and her baptism was Sunday night so we were pretty worried. Then she had a blessing and she was fine. phew. So then we were all at the Fadely's home (they are practically her second family..and mine too while I've been in MT) and an hour before we needed to leave for Amanda's baptism her aunt who is super Anti called (her whole family hates the church). Perfect timing huh? So Amanda went out to the back yard to talk to her and I've never heard someone cry so hard in my entire life. Her aunt was telling her that all Mormons are going to hell and that Amanda is too. She told her that she is turning her back on her entire family and that if she is baptized she will never see them again. It was the saddest thing I'd ever seen. Sister Reyes and I went to the backyard and just knelt and prayed our hearts out that Amanda would feel comforted, know what to say, and still be baptized. As we were praying for her, the wildest storm hit. Lightning hit several trees in the neighborhood and the rain came down so hard we could barely see in front of us. Then Amanda got off the church and she was still shaking and crying as we drove her to the church. When we arrived at the church the parking lot was so full! We couldn't fit everyone in the RS room so everyone moved to the chapel. 99% of the people there didn't even know Amanda, they just felt like they needed to come. Although her own family wasn't there, the ward family was. She recieve a blessing from the Bishop and said,"Lets do this!" The baptism was full of emotions and the Spirit was so strong and Amanda was just glowing and even smiling the whole time. When she came out of the water she said,"Wow that feels good!" I loved it. Since then Amanda has lost everything. She went home and her parents kicked her out. She walked to the Fadely's home with only the clothes she was wearing and no shoes on. Her parents took her car, phone, clothes, everything. Her boss is friends with her Dad, so she got fired. And they signed her student loans so now she can't go to school in the fall because they cancelled them. They even threw away all of the baptism presents including her new scriptures =( She is living at the Fadely's right now and they are trying to help her, but they have 11 kids and just get by, but they are the kind of people that would give the shirt of their back in a heartbeat though. Through all of this, Amanda knows that she is doing what her Heavenly Father wants her to. She has cried a lot of tears but still says,"If satan is working this hard on me, my future family and I must have some pretty great things to do." And its true, she is so amazing. Please keep Amanda and her family in your prayers.
I love you all very much, Maeg
2 comments:
This story was just heartbreaking! I hope you all are calling the Temple and putting her name in the Temple. What a fantastic Latter Day Saint to have given up so much for what she believes in. Hopefully, some day when her family sees the fruits of the gospel in her life they will come back on their knees begging her to forgive them and she will have a relationship with them in the future. My heart goes out to Amanda and I don't even know her but I am so full of admiration for her to have stood up so strong against such a terrible test. My prayer, "God bless her!"
Oh man I can't even imagine. I bet she is the neatest girl. She is so strong and such a good example.
Post a Comment