AUGUST 22ND!!! I can’t believe I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 2 years! Here are some pictures of BEFORE I got baptized! And I am pasting a letter I had to write to the Mission President after I got baptized of how it came to be. It was wrote in September 2009, just 2 or 3 weeks after being a member! Also, a bunch of people are asking. Yes, I do Firesides. Just email me to set a date. Mail2al_fox@yahoo.com
Heres my letter:
A L E X A N D R A F O X 29_S T R A T H A L L A N P A R K A P T_5 R O C H E S T E R _ N Y _ 1 4 6 1 6
S E P T E M B E R _ 2 0 0 9
President Hemingway,
How I became a convert really has quite an easy answer. It was the spirit. It was the spirit that the missionaries had with them every time we met. It was the spirit that I could see in their eyes and hearts when they would teach me, and it was the spirit that had prompted me to keep going, keep learning, keep praying and to keep being excited about it all.
I could tell the message the missionaries had was true before I even knew what their message was because of their obvious dedication and diligence.
My testimony is built around the fact that I was already really happy previous to meeting the missionaries. I didn’t want to change anything because finally things were going my way. I was trying to look for a sign that this is what I needed, that this was a good time to learn and continue what I was doing with the elders. When I realized that the missionaries finding me and coming to me was my sign-that right then was my chance-my time. It was my time to listen. It was my time to learn. It was my time to return to God.
I had some bad habits I knew I had to quit before I could progress. _is became the first time I learned to put trust into the gospel, and where I really got to try out what it is like to have faith.
Within losing those bad habits I thought I would be losing what made me, me; that I would be losing myself. It was the spirit that kept me motivated and to continue. It was the spirit that my missionaries had when they would call me-when they knew things would be tempting for me that kept me on the right track and reminded me that this will all be worth it. It was the spirit that made the transition easier.
I had tried to quit before but it was unbearable and could not succeed. But this time was different. This time I was getting something in return. This time I had faith. This time I was starting to work on my salvation. This time I was starting my eternal journey. This time I knew I was going to become who was meant to be all along. And this time, I knew, I could continue to put my trust in the spirit and in the Lord.
It was the spirit that had come to me so overwhelmingly one morning that prompted me to get baptized. It was so strong in my heart and in my mind that there was no room for second guessing or procrastination. I was so excited that first thing in the morning I called my missionaries and told them the rewarding news every missionary wants to hear-that I wanted to set a date.
That morning I was incredibly happy, a happiness I have never been before and didn’t even know existed. That happiness I had that morning has not gone away yet. Since then, and through my baptism, and through receiving the Holy Ghost, that happiness has only gotten stronger. Every day with all my energy I will testify that the Lord’s path is open to all those that are willing, and is the only eternal path to a never ending, overwhelming, indescribable happiness that continues to grow, (Elder Cox and Elder Despain-note the jump!)
As soon as I stepped out of the baptismal waters, I felt anxious more than anything else. Anxious to tell my story, anxious to talk about everything I learned, anxious to teach what I know from my experiences, anxious to motivate and inspire and get a calling.
And as I’m sitting here writing this, trying to filter all my emotions and excitement in a way that makes sense, I realize I have already received a calling. A calling I received the moment I rose out of the water on my baptism, the most important one, the calling to serve God. The calling to keep the covenants and commandments I make, and enduring to the end. The calling of being dedicated and diligent, just like my missionaries
Still, I am anxious. Anxious to fulfill my calling; anxious to tell every soul that it is a soul that belongs to our Heavenly Father, and to tell every person the truth. Anxious to say that this is only the beginning and it will keep getting better, and that it will all be worth it. I am anxious for what is to come and will embrace it with a confidence that can never weaken. And I pray that I will have better patience.
Sincerely blessed, with never ending thanks to my missionaries,
A L E X A N D R A F O X 5 8 5 _ 4 8 9 _ 9 9 8 0 A F O X _ P H O T O G R A P H Y @ Y A H O O . C O M T h e C h u r c h o f J e s u s C h r i s t o f L a t t e r – D a y S a i n t s