baptism and family.

It's official! I am now a member of the church and I feel so honored/blessed to have such a great support system!! Thank you guys for coming out. Here are some favs from the weekend!! Send me your photos, too, please!! mrs.opfel@gmail.com!! PS: you can ignore my testimony at the end but I wanted to give Katy the opportunity to hear it!



















Happy Holidays!!!!!!!! And thanks Again!!!


My Testimony for Katy!!
Growing up in the Catholic Church, religion was not foreign to me. I attended mass weekly and participated in church events. I remember it like it was yesterday and as such I remember how much I wondered about the church. So many questions filled my tiny little head but when asked, no answers could be found. It was a funny thing, I knew I belonged to a certain religion but I had so little faith. I honestly believe now it is because I knew that the Catholic Church was not right for me in my life. I longed to know God and understand him but because of my bitterness towards the Catholic Church my heart was hardened and my faith grew weaker. It was at this point in time that I found myself making careless and thoughtless decisions. I felt no consequence(s) for my actions. I was numb. And I really feel like I emotionally suffered as a result of my behaviors. I was unhappy, angry, and ultimately, I felt really alone all of the time. And that truly is one of the worst feelings in the world. Life continued to spiral out of control until I met Daniel. And even then I probably wasn’t a very good example. (I’m sorry, Daniel). A through Daniel and his loving family I was introduced to the church… but because my heart was so hard and my faith so meek I was not very interested in the idea of religion in my life. However, I found myself going through the motions to please those around me. This continued on for many months after countless visits from missionaries, attending sacrament, and participating in prayer. Nothing clicked but something had definitely changed. Although my heart stayed hard, I found a desire deep within me to know more about this church. I didn’t care if it was right or wrong, I just wanted to hear and know more about it. I would go to fast and testimony meetings and long to know what you all have known for so long. When no clear answers came, I once again felt let down. It was at this time we asked the missionaries to please stop visiting us at home. However, instead of feeling relief from the lack of bombardment, I felt like I had maybe made a mistake. You all have heard my glass story so I won’t tell it again but this night was a turning point for me and my relationship with Heavenly Father. And in the days to come I felt the spirit in my life so strongly. Soon after the glass event I was feeling pretty vulnerable and low. I just remember praying- begging and maybe even venting at Heavenly Father asking if I was alone and if he knew how I was feeling. And as soon as my prayer ended my phone rang and it was the missionaries wanting to reschedule visits. It was like he was telling me I wasn’t alone and showing me the way to him. The spirit filled my heart. I remember having days where I just felt the urge to pray or read scriptures- and feeling deep within my bones that someone was there beside me guiding me to the church. I feel so blessed to have the church in my life. And I am eternally grateful for Daniel, his family, the countless elders, the scriptures, and modern day prophets in my life. Through your testimonies, through sacrament, through self-revelation, and through Heavenly Father’s love for me I know this church is true. Someone once told me that it was okay if I didn’t believe in God because he believes in me. And I feel like that is so true. Heavenly Father knew what I needed to experience in my life to know (without a doubt) that this church is true. And I will forever be grateful for his faith in me. I will forever be grateful for this church. I love all of you unconditionally and I am so thankful for you in my life. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.