Week 21

This email might be a little long so stay with me here. But I hope that it will be well worth the read:

First, on a spiritual note, my companion and I started reading just a few verses every night from the Book of Mormon together. We are reading it backwards and it has been a really cool, fun and enlightening experience! Right before we go to bed, we read and we both talk about what we appreciated from these verses and I always feel so much more relaxed when I am trying to sleep now. It's really nice since I tend to struggle with sleeping problems! Moroni just says some REALLY awesome things at the end of the Book of Mormon, constantly reminding us to "come unto Christ" in all we do. It's words to live by and never forget. It is our invitation, as missionaries, to all people.

Second, on Friday we baptized Andrew! Andrew was already set for baptism when I got to Baton Rouge. He is part of the YSA ward and he is SO solid. It's an interesting experience teaching your peers because you already have quite a lot in common. Seeing Andrew take these steps to accepting the gospel and being baptized was so amazing. The room was a thousand degrees and we didn't have to right size jumpsuits, but it is easy to overlook such things when the focus is seeing someone enter the waters of baptism. It should be a sacred experience for everyone involved and it certainly was. :)

Today for p-day, our district went to this trampoline park called area 51 and we went on a sweet mall scavenger hunt, so it's been a solid day.

Ope, I almost forgot to share a really cool thing we got to do on Saturday! We got permission to see Phil Robertson (of Duck Dynasty fame) preach at a local Christian church with our district and it was a pretty interesting experience. I honestly felt a little like I was at a concert because of the live music and stuff. But Phil Robertson said some interesting things and it was just a very unique experience to have. There were probably thousands of people in attendance.

Alright, so last night I get this phone call from some elders in our zone and they are like "Sister Frederickson, we know a buddy of yours! He knows your sister Sarah!" And I am just sitting there thinking "What and who on earth are they talking about?" Come to find out, they were with Joey Freebairn (any old friends from Kansas City will recognize the name). He lives in Opelousas, Louisiana and is in the bishopric in the ward there. He found out I was a missionary here and contacted me via the elders in his ward. It was so weird and cool! I hadn't heard his name or seen him in years!!! He and his wife might come up to Baton Rouge and take me and my companion out to lunch this week, too. I am pretty pumped!

Alright, this email is already pretty long, but I am loving serving here in Baton Rouge. Covering two wards can be crazy busy sometimes and if I don't get back to some of your individual emails, I am REALLY sorry. I am always better at responding to letters though!

5131 Nicholson Drive

Baton Rouge, LA 70820

I love y'all! Have a great week!

-Sister Ellen Frederickson