The Whatcott Family Stories: Chelsea Baptism

Such a fun day for our family!! Chelsea is such an amazing gal I don't really even know where to start. Chelsea is in the same program with Travis and Provo College. She has become a close friend and a new member of our family. Travis is always great at sharing the gospel in simple ways any where. I will share my part in this awesome experience. Chelsea had been talking with Travis and other friends at school about the church for a few months. We were getting closer to asking her if she would meet with the missionaries, it was a few days before General Conference in October and I felt prompted to invite her over to watch it with us. For many this is an easy thing to do but for me I was terrified. We had become good friends working out together in the morning and having her over to hang out with us and the kiddos. I didn't want to ruin that, I know now it is worth taking the risk to ask someone or share something with someone and its okay if they don't accept. I finally got up the guts to ask her to watch conference with us and she agreed. It was such an awesome experience and the spirit was so strong in our home that day. A few weeks later we started meeting with the missionaries and Travis and I were able to be at a lot of those lessons. It was a fun and spiritual experience for our whole family and I feel so blessed that we got to be a part of it. I remember after coming home from the first lesson and sharing with the kids what they taught. They taught about Joseph Smith and the first vision and challenged her to pray and ask if it was true. I did the same thing for my kids. A few days later Chelsea came to pick me up to go to a friends for the next meeting and I was on the phone and Hudson became a little missionary. He asked her if she knew the story of Joseph Smith was true, she told he she was praying about it. He then told her to be prepared for the sad part then walked away and left her hanging. I later explained what he meant, it was pretty funny. I am so thankful we were able to meet Chelsea and be her friend, we love her and consider her family. She is such an amazing women!!

Travis' part: Chelsea and I were assigned to be in a group together on the first day of orientation. We had a good time and laughed a lot about just silly stuff. As we began school I also sat next to her in the front row of the class. She put up with all my smart-alack comments during class, and we soon became pretty good friends. As classes became more difficult, everyone in our class started spending lots of time together studying and visiting. Chels and I had several conversations about God and church stuff. She shared some of her positive and negative experiences with the church. During the whole time though, I'm thinking to myself, "This is the kind of woman that I would want to have be in my ward." Chelsea has such a good heart, and a great love for people in her life. I knew from the beginning that no matter the outcome of the discussions we would have a friend for life. Our kids love her, and Rosie liked her too! Sitting in discussions with Chels and watching her grow and learn spiritually has been one of the best experiences I have ever had in the church. When you genuinely love another person as fellow child of our Heavenly Father, you just feel like sharing the gospel with them is a natural progression of your friendship. I have shared the gospel many times as a missionary, however sharing this blessing with someone who means as much to me and my family as Chelsea has been the most meaningful to me. I am grateful everyday for the chance to know her, and it was a sacred privilege to be the one to baptize her. I know she will find success and I pray she will always know that the Lord loves her. She literally has become family to me and I would do anything to help her. She is one of the bravest women I have ever met with a heart of gold. Leroy is a very lucky man to be marrying her, and I pray they will always remember the Lord and the blessings he has given them as they move forward with this new chapter of their lives together.