When Sister Sawyer and Sister Hutchings asked Cherry who she wanted to baptize her, her face lit up and she said, "You mean I get to choose who baptizes me?" "I want the tall Elder."
And so, Christmas day, we received a text from the Sisters asking Elder Sommerfeldt if he would baptize Cherry. He was so very honored.
Sister Hutchings, Myann, Cherry, Sister Sawyer
These are the missionaries who were blessed to find and teach Cherry and Myann.
Elder Sommerfeldt, Myann, Cherry, Elder Case
Elder Sommerfeldt baptized Cherry and Elder Case baptized Myann.
Cherry Villafuerte Valaejo - baptized 27 December 2013
confirmed 29 December 2013
Elder Sommerfeldt stood in the circle for Cherry's confirmation.
She was confirmed by her Branch President in Cebuano.
Sister Sawyer, Renante, Myann, Cherry, Sister Hutchings, Elder Sommerfeldt
Cherry and Renante's boys
After the baptism, Cherry and Myann were invited to bear their testimonies. Cherry expressed her love for her family and her desire that all of them be baptized. She is looking toward the temple. Renante, her husband, also believes the things that he has heard and wants to be baptized. When they met the missionaries, he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. He is down to one cigarette a day, but is struggling to completely give it up. The other problem is that he works on Sunday. He is trying to be ready sometime in January to be baptized. We pray for him daily.
On December 27th, we also attended our Zone Conference. Here is a picture of us that day. We were spiritually fed as we listened to those proceedings. President Schmutz opened our understandings to more fully consider the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
We testify that the Prophet Joseph was chosen and foreordained to be the consecrated instrument to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ in these last days. We do not worship him. We worship Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and Redeemer. We do revere Joseph Smith as the prophet of the restoration, as the translator of the Book of Mormon - another testament of Jesus Christ, and as a prophet, seer, and revelator. For him we are eternally grateful.
Dear Brother and Sister Sommerfeldt,
ReplyDeleteI was just looking for Sister Sawyer and I found it on your sight. It says 'Elder Sawyer' because I have a blog for my son who served in the Lima West misison. But really this is Sister Sawyer's mother. Sister Sawyer's picture reader has been broken and so we haven't seen too many pictures of her. She has been telling us about May Ann and Cherry! What a blessing to see photos of their baptism! We too are praying for Ronante. Thank you for sharing the pictures! We add our testimony to yours! What a blessing it must be to be able to serve a mission!
With much gratitude,
Sister Sawyer's mother,
Mary Ann