Well,
this week has just been a highlight week of the mission, and therefore
of life. We just got off exchanges with Elder Epperson, who President
Tilleman (randomly) decided to make one of his assistants mid-transfer.
It's been good to work with him again. He's going home in December
already! That is totally crazy. Steven got baptized yesterday! He was so
ready. It was also Stake Conference this week, and we've just seen a
lot of miracles over the past week.
First
off though, it snowed in Cache Valley?? It hasn't even snowed in Vernon
yet. We were on exchanges in Merritt, and it was snowing there and the
roads were just terrible on the way back, but we are still snow-free.
And we're in Canada. I love Vernon. It's like a less dry version of
Cache Valley with scenic lakes and lots of tasty produce. Just with
fewer Mormons and no temple. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it
too.
So!
At the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference, because President
Tilleman couldn't attend, Elder Baker and I were asked to pick one of us
to speak in his place. We "cast lots" as they say, and Elder Baker was
the speaker. Elder Blotter was just cruising along, thinking he was in
the clear, when the following day at Stake Conference, when President
Tilleman was speaking, in front of the entire Stake, he says "I
understand that yesterday Elder Baker had the opportunity to speak for
me. I just keep on think that that is just not fair for only one person
in that companionship to have the opportunity to speak."
Oh. No.
Yeah.
My stomach dropped somewhere in between the only surviving pair of Hush
Puppies that I came out with. Fortunately, in the end, I was only
called upon to recite the 1st Vision (no pressure, you just have to be
on-the-spot perfect, because what missionary doesn't have the 1st Vision
memorized, right?) and to bear brief testimony about it. But still. My
mind was totally blank as I was walking up to the podium and I don't
remember what I did say, so hopefully I got it all right.
Anyways,
after that, it was Steven's baptismal service. What a beautiful
service! The spirit was so strong. I'm sure our investigators that were
there felt that. Elder Baker hadn't had the chance to perform the
ordinance of baptism before, but he did great. Or at least, I'm
confident that he did great. Steven brought Tim, who... wasn't sober.
And so Elder Epperson and I missed the ordinance because we were
separating Tim from this poor girl from the YSA ward he was harassing.
Bishop escorted him home during the service. What a nightmare. But, he
brought another 19 year old friend, Chris, and after the service, we
gave him a church tour and set a baptismal date with him for November
30th. Miracles have not ceased! When Steven was bearing his testimony,
he talked about how he was asked recently about what his hobbies are,
and he had no idea what to say because he's had to completely redefine
his life since committing to live the Saviour's commandments. He's
literally a new person, because he can not and does not want to do the
things that he used to do to waste his life away. What an exciting time
for Steven! For him, baptism is completely an opportunity to "walk in
the newness of life" (Romans 6:4). He's literally had so much faith, and
it's been a blessing to have the chance to work with him. He is the
kind of person that you are on your mission to find.
Other than
that, life's been good! It was Halloween this week, and that makes it
the 2nd to last time on my mission that I'll have to stay inside for an
evening. We didn't get any trick or treaters this year, but the JW's
found us (thanks to Bishop Whibley, who told them that he has a basement
suite as a joke) and have been sticking pamphlets in our door. We had a
planning session, but finished, and in the end, we played real life
fruit ninja with a knife and all the apples that this Sikh couple across
the street gave us that we couldn't eat fast enough before they started
to go bad.
Well, it's been a good week! It was good to hear
from all of you. The work in the Vernon zone is going well. We're
finding, teaching, baptizing. The church is true. We don't even
appreciate what we have! We have a prophet on the earth, giving us
direction and guidance from God. How awesome is that?
Elder Blotter
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