by Sister Sorenson
Codie Branch referred himself to the missionaries over media in October of 2023. He saw an ad online and asked for missionaries to visit him. We tried multiple times to reach out to him and never got a response. On our last effort, he answered the phone and told us he was indeed interested in growing closer to Jesus Christ. He explained that he drives a truck commercially, so technology was the best way to stay in contact.
A couple of days later, we called him and taught him the Message of the Restoration of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shared the First Vision experience and invited him to pray about our message and whether or not it is true. Then, we planned a time to meet with him in person a couple of days later.
When we arrived for the appointment, Codie shared his experience with the invitation. He said he prayed and all he could tell was his gut was telling him to trust us and believe what we say! We were so excited to hear about this special experience. That lesson, we also introduced Damon Seal to Codie. Damon quickly clicked with Codie and became one of his main friends at church.
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On November 17th, we invited Codie to be baptized on December 17th. He accepted and committed to living the commandments.
We continued to have zoom lessons with Codie through the months, with in person lessons during the random weekends he was at home. One such lesson he shared with us that he had never felt so connected to the Savior before. He finally felt like somebody understood him and his life experiences. He also shared with us that his family gave a lot of opposition to meeting with us and being baptized. Another lesson was a church tour with the Fredlines, a wonderful couple in the Lakeway Ward. We walked through the building and showed him the baptismal font. He was excited to join us for church.
As the months went on, we had to push Codie’s baptism back two different times. The first time we had to push it back was because Codie’s job had prevented him from being in town and attending church a second time. The second time we pushed it back was because of Christmas Eve. Both times were discouraging for him, but he continued to prepare for his baptism.
Codie was finally baptized on January 14th, 2024. He had a small baptismal program. The Fredlines provided the music. Jeremy Seal baptized and confirmed Codie. Jeremy’s wife, Mary Seal, spoke. So did another member named Damon Seal, who is not related to Jeremy and Mary. He was welcomed to the ward by the Elders Quorum President, President Mike Moffat.
Codie has continued to grow in his conversion and discipleship. He is currently working on reading through the Book of Mormon and keeping commandments. He has learned how the Atoning sacrifice of the Savior brings grace that gives him strength and power. He shared that since he has received the gift of the Holy Ghost, he has had more strength and peace in his life.
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