Here's a couple of shots of almost all who participated in the baptisms:
Here are a few shots of Elder Booth and his companion
with the three children who were baptized:
with the three children who were baptized:
I'm not exactly sure who this picture is with. I'm assuming that they are
either a family from the ward, or people who are investigating the church...
This letter was one of the only hand-written letters Elder Booth sent to us. E-mail was taken away from the missionaries for a few weeks and this was the letter Elder Booth sent home to everyone:
Dear Fam,
Hey Michele, here is the family letter. Sorry it won’t be the longest one. It is kind of late. I did not have much time today to write. It was a busy day. I didn’t get to write mom’s and Tosha’s letters either. Please tell them I am very sorry and they will be my first priority next week.
I am still doing very well. The very good news of the week is the baptism went very well. It did get a late start because people took a while to show up, but it was a very strong program. We even had this guy names Bro. Tommy sing for us. He is very, very good at singing. I guess his brother lives in Utah and is singing from some big event in Utah. I really don’t know much about it. All I know is that he is really good at singing. He worked with us to and even sang to us while we were walking. That was a very spiritual environment. It was a very good day for us.
The next day (Sunday) was kind of a crazy day at church. At first, not a single investigator showed up for church. I would have to say we were pretty sad, to say the least. Especially when the kids we had just baptized didn’t come either. My comp said he thought I was going to cry I looked so depressed. Oh, and I forgot to say the investigators we were supposed to baptize next Saturday also did not show up. So we won’t be able to keep going with that baptism. It will be another month of church before they can be baptized. So yea, I was not happy. I did cheer up after Sacrament though when the kids we baptized came. Not only did they come, but so did Sis. Amy. She is the lady that I was really excited because she came about 4 weeks ago. Well, she finally came again. This time, though, she brought all of her kids. It was awesome. Her grandma is a member and she met her for the first time at church. So all the kids got to see their great grandma. It was a special experience. Sis. Plaza (the grandma) was really excited. She is one of my first oym’ s in the mission. I think I would stay here for another transfer if it meant I would see her get baptized. I hope I will at least hear that good news from the person who replaces me, if I end up moving. The thing that was still kind of a bummer was our investigators still did not get confirmed because they were kind of late so they did not do it. That is the second time that has happened to me. It’s all right though, as long as they are confirmed next week. I will let you know how that works out.
We did have one call teaching. I think I told you about this one guy we taught that considers himself called of god. Well, we went back there last week on Thursday. It turned out to be the longest lesson I have ever had on my mission. I don’t know if that is really a good thing, but it was a goods experience. We had to listen to him a lot because he had a lot to say. He says he is on a mission to teach and has talked to God. He actually said he believes Joseph Smith. He just thinks that happens to a lot of people. He has been to many places to learn any teaching. Well, I sat there and listened to him talk for a while and then decided it was time to finally say something. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I remember how I felt. I felt the spirit truly speaking through me. It did not matter that I was speaking in another language. I was not struggling for words or having to think of what this or that means. I just came. I though for sure he could not deny the words. To my surprise, it did not make a difference. All he did was say I am not looking for authority because everyone can say they have authority. He said he is looking for authenticity. That is when it was hard not to get discouraged. I guess things have not changed. It does not matter if the Son of God is teaching. Some will still not believe. I feel I did my part. If my message did not help him, it helped me in many ways. I now know I can truly speak with power. Not only that, I can do it in Ilango as well. That was a very special experience to me.
For my kind of funny experience, it involves a flood. This actually happened to me a while ago. I am pretty sure that I forgot to tell you this, so I will say it now. If I didn’t forget and have already told you, I am sorry. It all started at night. At night around 10:30 the water to the apartment ceases to come out of the tap. So I was going to the bathroom around 11:00 and tried to use the faucet in the bathroom. When no water came out I just forgot about it and left it on. Then about five in the morning I wake up to use the restroom again. I sleepily walked to the bathroom and was confused when I looked on the ground and saw about two inches of water. What was worse was I could hear the water flooding the people living under us. It was like a small waterfall. I then found myself running everywhere in just my garments. It was a mess. What happened was I left it on and happened to put the bucket right over the drain. So the water was strong and could not drain. I think I will always be remembered to those people as the Elder who flooded their house. It kind of ruined my morning, but I guess it is a good story, though.
Well, that is about all the stories I can think of right now. I am still alive and doing well. Sorry again I cannot email you. It does make things a little more difficult for me. I don’t know if this is a lot less than what I usually write or about the same. You can tell me if you feel you are getting gypped. Well, I love you all and really appreciate everything. I hope this letter finds everyone well. I am excited to hear from everyone.
Elder Booth
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