This has been one crazy week which all came down to a
bittersweet end for my companion and I. Now where to start... I guess a
good place would be the beginning of the week but I'll have to go back
and forth on the days to get all the stories in. Our P-day was fun even
though we never got to hike Red Rock with the rest of the Zone and
luckily today we'll be getting together to have a Zone BBQ. Tuesday
meetings went well and on Wednesday missionaries began receiving calls
if they'd be training or going into leadership positions and then all
rest of the transfer calls would be made on Saturday. That night the
nativity opened and went to meet with our investigator Mimi and her
daughter and son-in-law. Well we got there half an hour early and it was
already packed in the seating section. Mimi was able to make it in but
her kids were running late and ended up getting stuck outside without
spots and the only other showing that night being in Spanish. Rather
than having them all leave my companion and I were able to go talk to
the Usher and get permission to switch spots with her kids so they could
see the show with her. We were pretty sad we wouldn't be able to watch
but since it was the last night her kids would be in town we knew it was
worth it. She loved the nativity and really appreciated us inviting her
to see it but wished that we could have been there with her.
The next morning we received a text from our
investigator Gina who said that she and Micah could meet us later that
day to do the baptismal interview. So my companion and I jumped on the
opportunity and moved our schedule around to accommodate her and her
son. Well we then went to the church to meet our zone leaders and do the
interview and paper work but right after our zone leader came out from
the interview he informed us that they wanted to get baptized
TOMORROW!!!!! (rather than next week when we thought they'd want to get
baptized) Which is pretty much where the week began to go crazy for us.
We began making phone calls left and right so we could get this baptism
set up with less than 24 hours of notice. Our Ward Mission Leader,
Elders Quorum President, and many of the other leaders were all out of
town and so my companion and I were on our own for this one. We called
and were luckily able to get the building reserved due to another groups
last second cancellation, and then were able to get our bishop to come
and a woman from our ward to play piano. The baptism was small but Gina
and Micah where able to be baptized Saturday December 8th and then
confirmed the next day in church. I was so blessed to be asked to
perform the baptisms and to be able to see this amazing family all the
way through from the second Sunday of my mission when I first met them.
Well I could probably end my letter right there and
be happy but somehow the week continued to get even more
amazing although unfortunately I'll have to skip some of the stories to
save on time. So back to Friday night we went into a lesson with our new
investigator Maggie to teach her the second lesson on the Plan of
Salvation. At the beginning of the mission this was my least favorite
lesson to teach but has since become my favorite by far and is what I
refer back to so much in my teaching. As we taught Maggie the spirit
came into the lesson so strongly and brought tears of joy to all who
were present. She was so touched by our message and the light it shined
on her life giving her a new outlook on past events and looking ahead.
In the spirit of the moment we extend her a baptismal goal of three
weeks to works towards which she excepted! I was so touched that night
and it really helped to reignite the missionary flame of going out and
jumping with joy sharing our message with all those we find.
So I guess we've reached Saturday now when we
receive our phone calls and find out whether or not we'd be leaving the
area.... but before that I'll add one more side story. On Saturday night
we were able to go to the nativity with a part member family in one our
our wards and actually got to stay this time! The show was absolutely
amazing and I felt it was definitely the highlight of Christmas to many
who were in the audience. They really did go all our on the performance
and you could definitely feel the true spirit of Christmas there that
night. I wish you guys could have been there to see the great show and
musical numbers that were put on! Okay Okay Okay, I'll let you know
now...we received our calls just before the baptism that day and I found
out that I'm getting transferred out of the area :( It was hard news to
hear but I am excited about my new area. I'm actually just getting
transferred a couple streets down to the Lakes Zone. I'm going to be
over the Rainbow ward and the Spanish Trails Young Single Adult ward.
It's a little funny since my singles ward covers a huge area and borders
my old area and it's about 10 minutes away so I'll still feel pretty
familiar with the area. My new companion is Elder Ririe who I actually
meet about a month ago and is one of the funniest guys in the mission.
I'm super excited to work with him and I know that we'll get along
great. Also Brother Yamagata (the super rich guy with the Ferrari and
hundreds of millions of dollars) lives in my new Zone and we get to go
over once a transfer for P-Day activities. I spent my Sunday packing
and saying goodbye to all the wonderful people in my ward and I'm ready
to see my new area.
I hope you all enjoyed this small glimpse into my
crazy week and know that I know why I'm out here and how much this
experience has been blessing my life. I love you all and wish the
best!!! I can't wait to call home in two weeks and get to talk to all of
you. My new address is...
7532 Reindeer Ct.
Las Vegas, NV 89147
Oh
and I'm living with members now and without other missionaries so this
will be a new experience for me. Also Brother Warburton wants to know
what dates dad's going to be going to front sight and what classes he'll
be taking in January to see if he could fit it into his schedule and go
shooting as well. He'd like to meet them and he'll step in to gossip
plenty about me I'm sure. So please let me know as soon as possible so
that I can text him that info. Well I'm trying to think if there is
anything I'm forgetting but I think I got most of it. I love you
all!!!!!!!
Elder Keller Reeves
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