Vigor in Vancouver

 

Elder King and Elder Sanders-Smith at Longview, WA.

WHAT A WEEK.  What a grand week indeed.  This week a few thousand miracles came up in our zone mainly concerning baptisms.  We chewed and spit a few bacon flavored sunflower seeds while driving.  Elder Sander-Smith & I actually ran in the mornings to reduce the effects of our muffin tops which was also great.  But really here is a grand miracle to share... A couple Elders in our zone have been working their buns off to find someone to baptize and they came into an area with little to no work... BUT THE LORD PROVIDED!  The missionaries in that specific area have been teaching a man who has medical issues that inhibit him from moving or coming to church and they worked with the ward to create a "virtual church tour" where they filmed the church walked around to show the various rooms. The members of the ward edited the video to make a real swell production to show him and apparently he felt the spirit so strongly he committed to baptism on the spot!  BUT IT GETS COOLER.. we are working on lining up a PROXY baptism where someone else will be baptized for him because he will not be able to do it himself due to medical issues.  It is still in the process of being approved but this will be the first time I have ever seen it.  Elder Sander-Smith & I received a text message from an investigator named Scott, wanting to have a lesson with us at the library in La Center.  We drove up to meet him knowing he has been investigating the church for a while now and not really ready to commit to anything.  He apparently didn't like the last elder that I replaced.  Luckily they upgraded to ME!!!!!!!!!! My stunning good looks & charming personality apparently persuaded him to baptism, because he committed to baptism on the 9th of April! He also barely speaks English and is from Cambodia.  We
sometimes feel the need to use Google translate.  But the amount of genuine love I feel for this guy is crazy. The first lesson when he agreed to be baptized and said the closing prayer, we both just wanted to wookie cry as loud as we could.  NEXT COOL thing was traveling to Longview because one of the investigators I was teaching in the Castle Rock ward decided to be baptized.  Jeff Langston entered into the waters of baptism.  Unfortunately I didn't really get the pictures we took together ,so I cannot send one home, but it did HAPPEN I SWEAR.  Longview still smells,  but I missed it most definitely.  The baptism was a treat.  It had to be done 6 different times before they got it right.  And 4 little kids were running wildly about.  Jeff is now a member of the church, regardless of the foolery at his baptism.  We are now celebrating pie day by purchasing pie at Shari’s cafe to eat as a zone.  Too many of our zone members think they are all healthy eaters though,  but a few of us will engulf ourselves in coconut cream pie paradise.  My mustache is going to be really thick when I get home just FYI for everyone.