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Monday, March 31, 2014
This
week was really good, we had our investigator get baptized!!!! And we
got to attend another baptism as well, one of the noisiest ones that I
have been to yet. So a mission update: we had set a goal to have 50
baptisms in the month of March. We got *drum roll please* 47 out of 50!!!
Yaaaaaaaaahhhhoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a perfect end to
a great month. President Wilson said that even though we didn't get 50
(and we would have if there hadn't been some last-minute things come up)
we have gotten a record number since this mission has started. We now
have a new goal: for this quarter (from April to June) every area gets
at least one baptism. Doing the math, that is 125 new members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the California
Bakersfield Mission.
We also went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week. I wanted to focus on teaching simply, but mostly I just wanted to stay awake while Elder Evans taught in Spanish. Lo and behold, I was able to do both. I understand a little Spanish (not nearly enough to get by but I do know some words) so I tried to listen in and keep up with the conversation. What I found astounding was that when I listened, I still was able to feel the Holy Ghost testify of truth. Even though I didn't understand all the words, I still knew the key parts and got the gist of the conversation. I learned that there are certain "buzzwords" that the Spirit is able use to "spiritually charge" the discussion. So in reality we don't need a whole lot of filler words, but just those keywords that have such deep meaning that the Holy Ghost is able to fill in the rest. So really, I was able to accomplish both goals on exchanges and have a greater appreciation for teaching simply.
Sorry this email is so short but we got here late. Love you all and hope you have an excellent weekend.
Elder Cox
P.S. I should probably share a scripture too. Here's a funny one from Job 30:27 "My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me."
We also went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week. I wanted to focus on teaching simply, but mostly I just wanted to stay awake while Elder Evans taught in Spanish. Lo and behold, I was able to do both. I understand a little Spanish (not nearly enough to get by but I do know some words) so I tried to listen in and keep up with the conversation. What I found astounding was that when I listened, I still was able to feel the Holy Ghost testify of truth. Even though I didn't understand all the words, I still knew the key parts and got the gist of the conversation. I learned that there are certain "buzzwords" that the Spirit is able use to "spiritually charge" the discussion. So in reality we don't need a whole lot of filler words, but just those keywords that have such deep meaning that the Holy Ghost is able to fill in the rest. So really, I was able to accomplish both goals on exchanges and have a greater appreciation for teaching simply.
Sorry this email is so short but we got here late. Love you all and hope you have an excellent weekend.
Elder Cox
P.S. I should probably share a scripture too. Here's a funny one from Job 30:27 "My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me."
Addendum from mom: I asked Ethan in my weekly email to him if he had felt the L.A. earthquake. Here's his response (silly boy!):
And yeah, I did feel the
earthquake. I was actually sitting on the ground and started swaying for
like 5 seconds. I know that I'm supposed stand in the doorway, right?
Or is it lay in the bathtub? Or is it: Hand's o'er your head, keep low to the ground. Learn to duck and cover, yeah...duck and cover.
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