July 11, 2011

This week was a really good week. We are struggling to get more people to teach. That limits the baptisms we are able to have but this week we have a ton more time to go tract and find people. We are going to try to look for Mr Moseley and hopefully we will be able to find him. We as a zone for missionaries, are doing a fast. One missionary gets a day to fast and that has helped out a whole bunch in finding people to teach. One companionship has gotten 5 baptism dates within the last couple days. It is crazy. Pray that we will find elect people to teach this week. :)
We met our new Mission President. His name is President Woodbury. He is a great guy. He has the voice of President Greer and it is kind of strange. He is a great guy and he will be able to do marvelous things. I love his wife. She is so...spunky? so excited I guess to be there. She is very musical and has sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 9 years. That is pretty cool. :)
Thursday night we were able to do something that was quite awkward. There is a member who lives at an apartment complex and on thursday nights there is a church devotional thing. This member is Brother Mink. He really wanted us to go tract by his apartments and we were able to meet sherri so it was a good thing. well brother mink also wanted us to come to this devotional thing and we were kind of dragging our feet because we did not want to step on anyones toes. Well, we ended up going this thursday making it completely clear that we would not be teaching anything and that we would just listen. So we went and it was pretty fun but really different then The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. We first went in and it was a little awekward at first but people were very nice to us. I want to teach some people that were there but I don't know if they would be open to that. Well, we ate dinner first and that was good. Then they started to sing songs and brother mink was playing the electric guitar and he soooooo good. He is one of the better guitarists I have ever heard. It was amazing because if you look at him he does not look like he would be that good but he certainly was. Then there was a guest speaker and he spoke about why we worship. It was good. I felt the spirit sometimes. He said some things that were not correct doctrine but over all it was good. I found out a couple interesting things that don't seem to invite the spirit all that well. They were always saying Amen in the middle of the speech and some hallelujahs. it was certainly strange. I think that the strangest thing ever was when all of a sudden the preacher would break out into prayer. Then i would kind of bow my head and think it was strange and then the preacher would go on with his speech. I do not think that we will go back as missionaries. :)
We left after that and there was a sign that had Sister Nelson's nick name on it and so we pulled over into the gas station and took a picture of it really quick. We were out of the car for only 30 secs. I should not have taken the keys out of the ignition. When I went back into the car, the car would not start at all. When I put in the key, it would do some strange clicking sounds and the car would not start at all. I was very confused. I was thinking that the car was thinking we were trying to steal it. But we were not trying to I promise. Haha. We ended up having to call a member to come and jump us. We figured out that it might have been the battery. The car did start after 3 min of charging. I now know how to jump a car. not all that difficult really. :) We got home safely and on time. The next day, in the morning, we tried the car again. It would not start. Then later that day, a tow truck came to take our car to a dealership to figure out what exactly was wrong with it. We have been without a car for a couple days now and it is not all that fun. It has been the longest I have been without a car ever. I don't much like it. We have been relying on the ward which is a good thing but it is more burdensome. We have good members though. We found out that the alternator is bad and the battery is dead. They had to order a part and it will be fixed by tomorrow morning. I am going to be happy to have a car back especially because it is soooo hot outside. It was feeling really good for a long time. Today is the hotest it has been all year.
Okay. The Baptism. It was oh so funny. the interview was on friday and Elder Tuescher came all the way from Mckee to interview him but he forgot one essential thing...the interview paper. We didn't have any with us at that time and had no car to get home to get one. It was pretty funny. Elder Tuescher talks ALOT and the interview went longer than we thought. We ended up having to go but we knew that willard would pass. The elders came by the house to get the interview paper and Elder Tuescher signed what he needed to sign. Then they left. We were able to talk to the member who was going to baptize Willard. His name is Brother Williams. He is a great guy. Brother williams and willard have a lot it common. They are best friends now. Brother williams has not done a baptism before. This would be his first time. He was a little nervous buy confident that he would be able to do it. Willard had a stroke and so immersing him would be a little different. I was praying that Bro. williams would be able to do it. I knew it was going to be a weird one. so we got willard all prepped for his batism. We got him in his jumpsuit and then the talk on baptism was said and done and then it was time to get him baptized. We were waiting at the baptismal font. The doors were closed to the font so we could not see anything for a while. They got willard into the water and bishop came around and was opening the doors. (oh a side note. We had another member, steven rodriguez at the edge of the steps just in case bor williams needed help in getting willard back up). As bishop was opening the doors, bro. williams hand was already up and he was saying the ordinance and I thought that he was just practicing but all of a sudden there goes willard. He he in the water and then bro williams is struggling to get willard back up. Steven is in the back ground and he is starting to get into the water and he slips into the water. Not fully thankgoodness. He just got his shorts wet. it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo funny. I was laughing so hard. It was a struggle to get composer again. There were no witnesses for the baptism so they had to do it again. This time it was a little bit better. I was laughing still and willards face was so funny. We found out later that he got water in his eyes and in his nose because he had a hard time getting back up. But it was done. It was a close one but it got done. :) I was pretty much laughing the whole entire time and instead of going back to the piano to play some interlude music while willard got changed, I had to go to the bathroom to gain composer. I was crying. Literally tears were falling down my face as I was laughing about what happened. I couldn't help it. It will be by far the best most memorable baptisms in my life. :) The next day, willard almost did not get confirmed. The person he gets a ride with was there and willard was not there. There was ten min til the start of the meeting and willard had to be there. The person said that the door was open to the house but willard was not there. We pretty much told him that he needed to go back and get willard. It took a long time. There was supposed to be ward business and there was none because willard was not there. I got done playing the sacrament hymn and walks in willard. Phew. he made it. I was so so so so so happy that we was there. Then there was ward business and he got confirmed and it was amazing. Before willard sat down he was welcomed into the ward and then bishop got up and said that willard had been interviewed and found worthy to hold the priesthood. Willard is now a priest and that is pretty much amazing. He loves being baptized. :) He has a new light in his eyes and it is great.

Okay. I love you all. I hope this week is a great week for yuns. I love you very very much.
Amanda