A Full Week and More Blessings

It was a full week with three Zone Conferences that the Senior Couples were heavily involved with. Sister Black was not feeling well all week. For the three days, Elder Black was involved in car inspections, meetings, a trip to the store each day for hamburgers and all the trimmings, set up, barbeque, cleanup, etc. and then about 3 1/2 hours of directing activities. On the third day at the grocery store, I told Elder and Sister Holdstock that it felt like Groundhog Day (the movie). The activity I was in charge of turned out to be the most challenging. Two 4' x 4' platforms about 8 inches off the ground were set 7' apart. Eight or nine missionaries all started on one platform and by using three boards 6', 5' and 3' long, they needed to go from one platform to the other without them or the boards touching the ground. If they did touch the ground, they had to start over. Once they and the boards got over to the other platform, then the platforms were separated to 9' apart and they tried again to go from one to the other. It took a lot of planning, team work and inginuity. Unfortunately, there was a few scraps and bruises, but everyone had a good time. The theme of the conference was on unity within the mission and companionships. We also had a birthday cake and ice cream for the 50th anniversary of our mission. On Friday, Sister Joseph and her newborn baby attended the conference and she bore her testimony in Creole and Elder Olsen interpreted. Her husband is the Mission President in Haiti.

About the middle of the week Elder Black got a call from the Sister missionaries who told him that their investigator, Peter Ramon, who had attended the Snapper Creek branch last week was ready to be baptized on Saturday and that he had asked if Elder Black would baptize him. It was really an amazing experience and after his baptism we wrapped our arms around each other as tears streamed down his face. Elder Black also got to stand in the circle on Sunday when he was confirmed a member and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. We also had a new investigator attend and Peter and Veniese and the new investigator attended the Gospel Principles class taught by Elder Black.