Elder Braden Baker: The answer is YES!

This week was sooo busy I don't even know where to start!! Elder Datla and I are on fire in Kakinada. We are just teaching as many people that will listen to us and this week we were literally teaching non stop. We didn't even have time to go out finding because we had so many appointments. We had a total of 29 appointments this week which totally wore us out but we loved it. We just straight up would travel from house to house and sit down and teach them and then go to the next appointment. Most of the time, we just hoped that the people would feed us dinner. Oh, this member is way nice and good friends with us. One day, he made us lunch and dinner! We went to his house for lunch, then that same night he brought us dinner to our apartment. It's common here that everyone eats dinner around like 9 PM-11 PM.

First, a quick update on Madhu Shalini, the girl that was baptized two weeks ago. She is doing awesome and is really really loving learning and growing in the church. She said she also wants to serve a mission like me. We taught her and her family last week about the "Come, Follow Me" program and invited them to start doing it. When we went back to visit them this week, I asked Madhu Shalini if she did Come, Follow Me with her family because she has to lead it because she is the only one who knows how to read in her family. She told me that she did it with her whole family. They sat together and she read the scriptures and Come, Follow Me booklet and they discussed it. She said she felt really really good and so happy. She started going to seminary this week. AH, it just makes me so happy to see she is doing good but also her whole family and especially her mom. When I came to Kakinada, Madhu Shalinu wasn't a member and Rayjam, her mom, was full inactive. Now, I can see the difference in their home and the happiness and joy in their life. The restored gospel is amazing and can and will change your life if you allow it too.

We had so many amazing spiritual lessons this week but I'll share a little bit about a few of them. First of all, Thanesha!! So, he has been taught by missionaries a while back and he has the Book of Mormon but never really read it. We started watching the new Book of Mormon videos with him and he started reading also. After we taught him a few lessons, we invited him to really really pray from his heart and ask God if it's true. That night, we texted him goodnight and simply said "Don't forget to pray!" The next morning he texted us and said we needed to come to his home that night. So, we went and he was just so happy to see us We sat down and he could barely put sentences together. He told us the story of how he was out playing cricket with his friends and he remembered he needed to pray. So, he came home at night and remembered to pray. He prayed and asked God from his heart if the Book of Mormon is true and if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. He said that it was the first time that he prayed from his heart and his own thoughts and real questions. Then, he watched a video I sent him about our church and he went to sleep. Then he said, "Elder when I woke up, my answer came!! *he did a big thumbs up* it's a yes!!! The answer is yes!!" Oh I can't explain how happy I was to hear that. What a beautiful example of what can happen when we really sincerely speak with our Father in Heaven through prayer asking in faith.

Next was with Priyanka. We recently started teaching her because she moved here to Kakinada to look for a job and she is staying with some of her relatives who are members. She has come to church for the last 3 weeks and is now feeling comfortable. She said she really has loved actually learning more deep about the scriptures and the doctrine in our church. She really loves everything so far. We taught her a really powerful lesson about the Plan of Salvation and she was just blown away with how much knowledge we have about it. She kept saying that her pastor never told her any of this hahah. Even when we shared scriptures from the bible, she was like my pastor doesn't know that!! So, it was really cool to see her learn for the first time where we came from before earth, what our purpose on earth is and where we will go after death! After the lesson, she told us how she felt. She said that her mom recently called her and asked her to come back home to her village. Priyanka told her that she thought she was supposed to come to Kakinada for find a job but she found the true church instead. She said she doesn't want to go back home because she will be sad she's missing this church. She also said that she wants to stay and be baptized in this church because of how she feels and what she is learning. It was awesome!!

I listened to a children's song this week and I really love the lyrics and it just makes me so happy that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The song says, "I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow him in faith." We really are lucky to know exactly who we are and where we came from. More than that, we know where God wants us to go and how to get there. I'm so grateful I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I know who I am, and I know God's plan for me.

Love, Elder Baker