March 9, 2015
I’m glad to hear that everyone still thinks of me in good ol Slippery Rock. Sounds like Cole is still the same as he was when I left haha. I laughed as I read about the snow camp out that they have these days haha. I’ll always remember when Dustin Goetman and I dragged the other leader’s “house” to our camp a mile away on little toy sleds... in the middle of a blizzard haha... and when I woke up I had to heat my boots on the fire because they were frozen solid haha. Those were the days, but I’m sure it’s nice to have a cabin with 7 bedrooms with heaters and with Bed and Breakfast as well haha.
So this week there were 3 people baptized. We had planned K and T’s marriage and then their baptism after, however when our investigator, who had been reading the Book of Mormon everyday since we last saw her, found out there would be a baptism this week, she asked to be baptized sooner.. so that’s not something you hear everyday on the mission... but we worked it out, and she was so excited. I’ll send some pictures afterwards of the marriage and baptism. It was lots of work to get all the documents right and everything, but it all worked out :)
Some of the members gave them church clothes, and they were so happy on Sunday to be confirmed as members and to have church clothes as well. One of their neighbors went to watch their baptism and loved it, and now we’re working with him so he can be baptized soon as well. The happiness we feel as missionaries is really incomparable when we help a family enter into the covenant of baptism and set goals to enter into the temple to be sealed.
This week as well I learned an important lesson while we were preparing the sacrament on Sunday. Usually we don’t prepare the sacrament on Sunday, but we got there early and one of the 18 year olds form our ward was preparing it alone, so we went to help him. He’s a recent convert of 11 months. 11 months ago him, his 2 brothers, and his parents were baptized. So we were setting up all the trays and putting the little plastic cups in the water tray, and when we finished the young man we were helping went over to the kitchen door, closed it and locked it. Elder McDaniel and I kind of wondered why he closed the door like that, but we didn’t think much of it. Then he kneeled down and just kind of waited for us to kneel down as well. Humbly we kneeled down to join him, and he offered a prayer of gratitude for the privilege we have to prepare the holy sacrament and asked that the Lord would bless our hands and the bread and water. I immediately remembered so many times that Dad had told us that we should arrive at 9:30 at the church to have the sacrament all ready by 9:50. I think we often forget, or maybe it’s not even possible to fully comprehend, the sacredness of the Lord’s doings in His church. I learned a lesson that what happens in the Lord’s church Sunday morning, especially the preparing, blessing, and partaking of the sacrament, is holy and we should always remember to treat these things with the highest respect.
So I’ll send some pictures right now so I don’t forget.. because that seems to happen a lot. Have a good week. Amo vocês!
Élder Udy
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