Miracles in the Driest Place on Earth: Baptisms--the Best Kind of Stress!

Hola,

A great week with big miracles and changes! I don't remember much of the beginning or middle days, something about stuffing cake in my mouth due to my very popular companion's birthday.

Then Saturday came, the baptism of our investigating family. We went to the church early in the morning to start the water running to fill the baptismal font. Hot water started flowing, always a good sign, until 30 minutes later, nothing. But at this time we had to go pick up our lunch. *Ring ring* "Hello? WHAT? Black water is spilling out of the faucet!!!" The other missionaries luckily had passed by and noticed the black lagoon slowly growing in the font. By the time we arrived they had drained the water and cleaned it all up.

So we started filling it up with the fire hose, which turned out to be full of leaks. Another hour filling, and cleaning up the slip and slide on the chapel floor.

Despite it all, the baptism went without a glitch...although I did fall in the water trying to baptize the dad. I’m glad these things aren't recorded. Well, I've always wanted to get baptized again!!

On Sunday, our other recent convert said the prayer, both men received the priesthood and next week they will bless the sacrament. For most people this doesn't mean a lot, but for a missionary--its what we live for.

In other news, Elder M. is being transferred to a new area, and I'm GOING TO TRAIN a brand new Elder. So here comes the excitement!!!

Elder Holland's talk was great at the last LDS Church General Conference in April. Today as I was going somewhere and I saw a billboard sponsored by the government that said: “We live how we live” with two guys making out. Even in my missionary bubble, the world still creeps in.

I am glad to know that if we want to understand God, we must know that he sent Adam and Eve to an actual Garden of Eden, that his rules don't change, and that he really exists.

“What a plight! The entire human race in free fall—every man, woman, and child in it physically tumbling toward permanent death, spiritually plunging toward eternal anguish. Is that what life was meant to be? Is this the grand finale of the human experience? Are we all just hanging in a cold canyon somewhere in an indifferent universe, each of us searching for a toehold, each of us seeking for something to grip—with nothing but the feeling of sand sliding under our fingers, nothing to save us, nothing to hold on to, much less anything to hold on to us? Is our only purpose in life an empty existential exercise—simply to leap as high as we can, hang on for our prescribed three score years and ten, then fail and fall, and keep falling forever?

The answer to those questions is an unequivocal and eternal no!”
(Elder Holland)

I wouldn't be doing all of this for some make believe creation of my imagination and no one would change their entire lives because a mumbling 19-year-old gringo told them to--if it weren't true.

Everything is awesome,

Elder Phillips

Pictures: the filling of the font disaster, baptism happiness, a rare treat--eating a fast food hamburger