Hello Everyone,
Shout out to all the great moms I know! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!
I got to talk to my family today! That was the best!! And I'm so happy to have such a great mom!
This week was great! We had such a special baptism. Her name
is Juliet, and she's 11. I usually hesitate to baptize minors if their parents
aren't members, but Juliet is different. Her uncle is in the stake presidency
and they all live in the same household. She has been coming to church for a
long time before we started teaching her. Her baptism might have been one of my
most favorite baptisms ever. A lot of our investigators came, and her mom came!
That was the best part. As sister Juliet was getting baptized, her mother was
in tears. The spirit was so strong. After the baptism, we asked her how she
felt, and she said, "I'm so grateful that you care about my daughter so
much. You give her special treatment! She's only 11, but she's the only one
getting baptized today. I'm just so grateful that you show her so much love. No
one else really treats her nicely, not her school teacher, or anything. But,
your church gives her special treatment." The best part is before her
baptism, her Gegie (her mom) didn't want to listen to our message, but now she
wants to come to church! We’re so excited for her!
I'm so grateful for that miracle that happened. I prayed so hard that sister Gegie would come to the baptism. And Heavenly Father answered my prayer. It amazes me every time that happens. Here I am, so incredibly blessed. I have the greatest family on the planet, someone wonderful who wants to marry me when I get home, I get to share the gospel every day of my life, I always have food to eat, clothes are covering my body, and I feel the spirit always. And despite all of the things I already have, Heavenly Father helped sister Gegie witness her daughter's baptism. Even though there are many many many people all around the world who need a bigger miracle than that, it still happened. I'm just blown away at the love our Father in Heaven has for all of us. I'm so happy every day to be a part of Heavenly Father's family.
A couple weeks ago, me and my companion, Sister Campbell, had kind of an off day. A really great investigator dropped us, and some other things happened. And then, we went to a barangay that is really really poor. I saw a couple of things that disgusted my spirit. The first one was, we walked past a funeral thing where all the adults were drinking, and a little around the corner, there were a group of little boys huddled around a very large bottle of brandy. We were on a motor, so I couldn't take it away from them, but I said, "uy! Don't drink that! It's bad for you! Stop!" and then one of the drunk 7 or 9 year olds stood up and said, "You aren't my mom, Americana!" The second incident happened just a few minutes after. We saw maybe an 8 or 10 year old girl smoking a cigarette. Again, I tried to stop her, but she ran away laughing.
I was so sad for these little spirits who had no idea what they were doing to their bodies. My appreciation grew enormously for my mother. I have recently been studying in the book of Omni. I know, you're all saying, "What? Where is Omni??" It's in the Book of Mormon. Haha But in the first 10 verses of Omni (there is only 1 chapter) the record switches hands 4 times. The first, Omni, tells us how he protected his family, but didn't keep the commandments of God. Then, it goes to his son, who also didn't keep the commandments, and it goes that way until it reaches Chemise, who says, "Now I Chemise, write what few things I write, in the same book with my brother; for behold, I saw the last which he wrote, that he wrote it with his own hand; and he wrote it in the day that he delivered them unto me. And after this manner we keep the records, for it is according to the commandments of our fathers. And I make an end."
As to say, Chemise thought that he was doing the right thing. When obviously, he was being somewhat lazy in his writing. The same is true for all of us. How will our children know the commandments of God, and how to live a happy and fulfilling life, if we don't teach them? I'm reading now in Mosiah, and King Benjamin is talking about how we should be grateful for the scriptures, because we are not "perishing in ignorance," Like our brethren the Lamanites.
I guess the common theme of my studies this week is just how important parents are. I'm sure that if it weren't for my parents, particularly my mother, I wouldn't be on a mission right now--because no one would have made me go to church when I just wanted to watch cartoons. Because no one would have sat me down and told me I was beautiful and the only thing that mattered was what is on the inside of my heart, not my outward appearance. And because no one would have showed me what a happy eternal marriage looks like.
I know that we all know people who are perishing in ignorance, because of their parents. I'm so happy that I'm not one of them. I love that my parents have taught me so many things in my life. I think the most important has been to love God above anything else. I'm thankful for my mom, and for her keeping the commandments when no one else was. I'm thankful and proud that I'm a Bingham. And I'm so thankful for the heritage of good women and mothers that I am a product of.
I know that this church is true, and I know that the impact of women is great. I know that all of us are somebody's kid. And we are all children of God. I know that kindness and love can change lives, and help those who are perishing in ignorance.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Love,
Sister Bingham
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