Dear Family-
This week, I am sorry to say, has had nothing interesting for me to tell you all. We once again spent the whole week tracting to find people to teach. I did give 2 blessings this week though, I guess that is significant-2 more steps towards becoming proficient at using the priesthood. The days flew by this week though.
This last Saturday was our stake’s temple trip. Our ward left early in the morning and was expecting to meet up with the other wards in our stake but it turned out they were the only group that decided to go. We have this family in our ward that, in an understatement, could be classified under “easily offended.” This is the brother that postponed the baptism of his child. His child’s baptism was on Thursday…happy right? Well, neither brother nor sister attended. They were gonna have people at their house after the baptism because it was their daughter’s 20th birthday so they decided to stay home and cook. Elder Quimsing ended up baptizing Jonathon which shouldn’t have happened-his father (Jonathon’s) is the young men president. Well, Saturday we went to their house to ask if they knew any less actives in the area and sister opened the door agitated. We told her that we were looking for less actives in the area but she was really really agitated. While we were talking to her, the jeepney with the people that went to the temple trip pulled up next to us and brother got out. I greeted him and told him why we were there and asked him if he knew any less actives in the area that we could visit and he was like “US. SOON ENOUGH WE WILL BE LESS ACTIVE” and stormed into his house. I looked at elder Quimsing and I was like “uh…well sister we…we’ll see you guys tomorrow…maybe now isn’t the best time…” she nodded and shut the door. The next day we asked bishop what happened and he said that they couldn’t go inside the temple because they didn’t get interviewed. I felt bad, but kind of chuckled at the same time because this family is, to be completely honest, extremely disorganized. Brother, although he has 100% pure intent, has been released from numerous callings because of carelessness. He paid the money to go to the temple and couldn’t even enter because he forgot to be interviewed. But, his daughter did get to do baptisms along with his son so it wasn’t a complete loss. Just a little side story.
Sunday proved to be an interesting day. The confirmation of Jonathon was about to take place when bishop called to Elder and I to stand in the circle. We graciously accepted (his father was in the back of the chapel and wasn’t in the circle) and stood up. Bishop then looked at me and was like “elder Muller, you are going to confirm.” I was like “uh…I’m sorry, there must have been a bug in my ear, what did you say? I thought you just said I was going to confirm brother Pableo’s son” He was like “yes elder.” I had no problem confirming the child but I handed the mantle to bishop so the child will grow up with someone there to look up to. It is the same reason that, if possible, missionaries shouldn’t baptize their investigators-members should. The missionaries are going to leave the area soon and won’t return for a LONG time, but if a member baptizes the investigator, they have a friend in the ward with a special link to them. Elder Quimsing, Bishop, his councilor, and myself confirmed Jonathon. Interesting experience giving another the gift of the holy ghostJ
Our sacrament meeting is last so people are anxious to get out and eat. Our ward is really weak in the Aaronic priesthood department so sometimes the standards that our sacrament meeting should be held at are…bent. People pass with no tie and with shirts unbuttoned 3 or 4 buttons from the top. Sometimes it is just a t-shirt and jeans. I could understand if we were in Kenya where no one has acceptable clothing to wear, but here people are blessed with clothing that is appropriate to wear on Sunday, they just choose not to wear it. Well, elder and I blessed the sacrament last Sunday and we had 2 Aaronic priesthood holders pass. The bread went fine and no problems arose, but after elder Quimsing blessed the water he stood up, we picked up our water and handed it to the deacon across from us. Elder Quimsing’s deacon took his and was about to leave, but mine wouldn’t. His head was down on the table and he was hunched over. At first I was like are you serious, what are you doing so I tapped the young man on his shoulder with the water tray…he didn’t move. I tapped him again like 5 seconds later, but he still didn’t do anything. He slowly got up and jerked suddenly spilling the extra cup of water (a normal sized cup to refill little cups if necessary) and started grabbing things violently and shaking. I was like what in the world but then his father came running out of the back of the chapel and grabbed his son and was like “why…” his voice had a shake in it so I had no clue what was going on. The kid started shaking and contorting in all directions so his father grabbed him and set him down on a chair and was like “elder, give it to me, I’ll pass” and took the water out of my hand. Turns out the kid had a seizure while Elder Quimsing was blessing the sacrament. He is alright now though.
Other than that, life is pretty much the same. I don’t have any interesting stories because we are still looking for people to teach. The Lord keeps teaching us and we keep listening. Yesterday we watched this video called “to this end was I born” and it was really really good. Ha not too many can say that their boss created the earth:/ It was one of those moments that revived that fire inside and makes you want to be your best self. It also really made me miss the temple and the experiences that I had before my mission in the temple and at the provo temple.
Earlier we put up a tent for this sister that is moving from her home…into the tent that we put up. Poor sister-her husband had no clue how to put it up and neither did elder Quimsing so I was like ok, well what are we working with and it turns out it was one of the tents that the scouts use so we were able to put it up in like 3 minutes. Ha it reminded me of back in the day when I was a strapping young…akela (I hope you laughed at that mom).
That unfortunately is pretty much it for this week. I am not going to lie, I never realized how blessed we are in the states-especially in Utah. I can reach 13 temples within 3 hours. People here sometimes save for years to afford the boat ride to the visayas (the middle section of islands) so they can go to the temple…and we have people who live right next to the temple in Utah that aren’t worthy to go inside. I will never again take the temple for granted.
Well, that is all from Majayjay. Hopefully this coming up week will be more interesting. Hope you all are well. Till next week-
Love,
Elder Muller
No comments:
Post a Comment