Elder Kevin Jones: From the Mailbox to Baptism -- week 61, 59th week in AZ Phoenix mission, 11th week in Glendale

From the Mailbox to Baptism -- week 61, 59th week in AZ Phoenix mission, 11th week in Glendale

Dear friends and family,

What a week. After about two months of teaching him, David was
baptized on Saturday! It was a wonderful event. I'll talk more about
it later in my email, though. We taught a lot of lessons, found some
new people to teach, and had a great time. We have also been putting a
renewed effort on talking to everyone on the street. We've been seeing
a lot of success from doing that. Even if we don't see the effects
right away, the Lord will bless us for our efforts to invite EVERYONE
to come unto Christ. Here was my week!

Monday: It was a great pday! For me, at least. Elder Thaut was super
sick all day so we just hung out at home. Elder Clough told me he was
a champion at ERS (card game) so we played each other. I beat him 2
out of 3 times. So after pday we did exchanges with our roommates so
Elder Rodriguez could interview David for his baptism. He passed! I
went with Elder Clough in the Spanish area. It's so hard to stay awake
during lessons when you can't understand a word that's being said. It
was good though. I got to drive!
Temp: 83°F

Tuesday: I didn't write in my journal....I was sick but it's okay. We
had a couple lessons and did some finding. Not too much happened.
There was a crazy flood! Our street was under water!! I'll send a
photo.

Wednesday: It was another pretty normal day. There was a short span
where I was sick again during the middle of the day, but luckily it
passed. We did some visits in the afternoon and then went out with
Brother Barton in the evening. He is probably my favorite member in
this area. Top 3 in my mission, for sure. The weather was wonderful!!
Temp: 83°F

Thursday: Weekly planning. Went to visit Cesar, a member in our ward.
He lives in a rehab facility and there was a new resident there who
sat down and said he had some questions. He proceeded to bash us very
politely. He would bring up a point and we would show him where it's
wrong and that happened a few times. When he found out we could
explain all of his misconceptions he left. People who try to bash
always make me laugh. It's getting hotter again nooooo...
Temp: 91°F

Friday: We got back late and planned late so we had to rush to get to
bed so I didn't write again...I went to Peoria for a doctors
appointment so that was fun! We then had a great zone meeting. We
focused a lot on talking to everyone and the importance of it. I led a
discussion on "working hard" with an emphasis on talking to everyone.
It was wonderful! It got me pretty psyched to recommit myself to
talking with more people. It's something I've been working on and it's
worked out!

Saturday: BAPTISM!! David was baptized! It was such a special service.
Brother Barton, his main fellowshipper, performed the ordinance. I
gave a talk on baptism. David's story on how he met us is a testimony
to me on why talking with everyone is so important. David had just
moved here to Arizona to help take care of his brother who was sick.
He said something kept telling him that he needs to go to Arizona. So
he did, and a month or so later, he went to check his mail. We went to
check the mail at the same time. We talked to him and he invited us
back. The rest is history. He is a loving, funny guy who just wants to
do the right thing. I'm so glad I got to see him progress through the
conversion process. I'm excited to see his continued progression!
After the baptism it was a pretty normal day. We knocked on a
potential investigator's door and a guy answered. The person we were
trying to see wasn't home, but we were able to set up a lesson with
the guy who answered. Again, talking with everyone works!
Temp: 96°F

Sunday: David's confirmation. It was a pretty stressful morning! We
tried to call and text David to tell him who was picking him up for
church but he didn't respond. I went with a brother from the ward to
pick him up and he didn't answer. His neighbor told me that he had
already left for the day. GREAT, he's gonna skip his
confirmation....so we rushed back to the church and there he was,
sitting by Elder Thaut. Phew!! He had lost his phone on the bus the
night before and decided to walk to church. I'm just glad everything
worked out. He was welcomed into the ward very warmly. After church we
did some visits, not much luck.
Temp: 95°F

So that was my week! It was wonderful. The mission is changing my
life! I love watching other people take steps to be closer to God and
Jesus Christ. It strengthens my own testimony about how much They
truly love me. The Lord blesses us as we show our faithfulness to Him.
Let's all do a little better! :) Have a wonderful week, everybody!

Much love,

Elder Jones
Black Canyon Ward
Arizona Phoenix Mission