Week 7 First Baptism and Several Blessings

August 24, 2015

Well it was another eventful week in Crescent City, Orego- I mean California. It seriously feels like Oregon up here, especially with being so close to the border it might as well be. Anyways it was a great week this week, and a lot happened. First of all, on Tuesday, we were going to have district meeting from 10:00-12:00, but right after companionship study (which ends at 10) we got a call that there were people in the hospital that we needed to go see and give blessings to. So we go to the hospital and we see this couple, which was on their way to see their family members who were, weirdly enough, in a different hospital. While we were there, we saw one of our potential investigators that had seemed super excited to have our lesson. He had had his appendix burst. We found that out on the Sunday before, but luckily we saw them at the hospital and I was able to give him a blessing. It was super awesome, and I can't wait to have an actual lesson with him, he is super enthusiastic about learning the gospel and has been coming to church before his appendix burst. Anyways while we were at the hospital we gave blessings to the couple that had been in the accident. He only had a broken finger but she was in a neck brace. We had to leave before she got her results so we aren't sure exactly what all happened to her. I was able to do the anointing for both of them, and it was a really awesome/crazy all around experience at the hospital that morning. So we went on with our day, went to Hiouchi, which is about 10 miles away from Gasquet, right next to where all the fires are, and had some lessons. Later that night, we get a call from the bishop and he said that there is another guy in the hospital that we need to go over and give a blessing to. So we went over to the hospital and I was able to give this guy a blessing, and he had had something happen with his diabetes, I can’t remember. Anyways we were at the hospital twice in one day, and gave four blessings total. On Wednesday, we had dinner with a family that has like 20 people living there, they are all related somehow but only like 4 of them are members and 2 active, one of them being the grandma of the house. While we were over there, they wanted us to give a blessing to a baby whose parents are inactive. We didn’t have consecrated oil. So we took some of their oil, consecrated it there on the spot, and gave the baby a blessing. It was kind of nuts, especially since we didn’t have our own oil. On Thursday, we had the baptism. What made it crazy, was that my district leader who is one of the 4 of us in Crescent City, wanted to do exchanges that day as well. So Elder Waites and I went to Smith River. Right before the baptism, a lady in the other ward wanted us to come give her a blessing, so Elder Waites and I went over and she proceeded to tell us her whole life story, which was quite crazy/shocking. So we did that then went to the baptism, which was amazing. Ervin is such a cool guy, and it was an amazing experience to see him be baptized. Words can’t describe how weird but awesome it was. Never in a million years did I think I would see a baptism this early in my mission. On Sunday, Ervin was confirmed a member, and I had the super super cool opportunity of doing that. It was so awesome to be able to do that and to help Ervin on his way to the Celestial Kingdom. What is cool, is that at his baptism, a member of the bishopric challenged him and his family to do nightly scripture study and prayer, and we saw Ervin the night after his baptism by chance and he told us that they were already doing that. He also told us that his son wanted to know what he had to do to be baptized, because he wanted to. This was SO out of the blue, because the son is always so quiet and seems angry all of the time, so it truly is a miracle that he now has that desire. The Lord truly will provide miracles and blessings to willing hearts. So all in all it was a crazy week, but a great one. It’s so awesome being out here. I already feel like it is going by too fast. The weeks are like one big day. Anyways I love you all so much, and thanks for everything. Love,