So this week was super hectic. We tried to start our English class, had a baptism to plan and perform and still had to teach the Gold family like 2.5 lessons before they could be baptized. And....on Thursday we found out that we were getting a mini missionary.
The Mini Missionary
Have to be honest, all I could think of was how awful it was the last time I had a mini for 2 weeks, but, this one turned out to be awesome. The mini was part of a weekend missionary program and was suppose to be with us from Friday to Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately we couldn't meet him on Friday cause of baptism stuff so we sent other missionaries to pick him up. We picked the mini up from the other missionaries on Saturday morning and went to Meredith Gold's softball game. The mini then helped us advertise our English class and we gave the mini an opportunity to live the missionary life by drinking 3 raw eggs. Sunday the poor guy got a taste of 8 hours of church and he didn't stand a chance....got a picture of him and Deets both sleeeping. We got special permission for the mini to stay late on Sunday so he could attend the Gold's baptism, great way to end a mini mission.
The English Class
So, the English class....boy do we have a lot to learn about this stuff! Leading up to the first English class we spent at least 2 hours advertising and inviting people to attend. To prepare to teach, my comp and I visited others who had taught English classes and got ideas from them on things we should do. Then we made more signs, put them up the street leading to the church, and wait for it.... nobody showed up, not even the people who said they'd come help smh.
We're doing the same thing this week, not giving up on this cause Deets and I know these classes are really needed and will also help us get to know the community better. And, it may help me learn how to deal with the world fair I walk into every time I step out of my apartment.
The Gold's Baptism
I mentioned that we needed to teach the Gold's 2.5 lessons this week so they could get baptized on Sunday like they wanted. For the life of us, we could not get ours and the Gold's schedules coordinated this week. Everyday they either had a game, a school event or Facebook thing (Andrew works there). One day we couldn't do it because the mom, Sharon, was helping run the Relief Society fund raiser for the refugees.
Friday we finally got them for 30 minutes and taught part of the first vision and restoration, tithing, Word of Wisdom and the law of chastity. You'll would've been super impressed. They were so excited to get baptized so we had to do what we had to do. And, they still needed their baptismal interview which happened at 4:30 and the baptism was at 5 freaking 30. If they didn't pass the interview it was gonna be super awkward. Oh yeah, and when they showed up, the baptism clothes didn't fit 2 of them, but when it was all said and done, it was the best baptism ever.
The baptisms were held at the Stake Center and the entire chapel was filled with people in the area and from the Ward. There were at least 200 people who watched this amazing family enter the waters of baptism.
So this week was wild, but when I got in the water with Julian, the Gold's son, after watching his parents get baptized right before him, it was all so worth it. There is nothing like the feeling of baptizing someone into the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I hope you all had a great week as well.
Love ya,
Elder Barker
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| Andrew, Sharon, Julien and Meredith Gold |
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| The Golds, Elder Gartside, Elder Deeter and Elder Barker |
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| Elder Barker Elder Deeter and Julien Gold |
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