Week #97 - Call Me Irresponsible

Hi. Everyone.

So exactly one month from this very moment, I will be sitting on an airplane for the first time in quite a while. 

Anyway- this week was awesome! Yesterday at church Steven bore his testimony- probably one of the most amazing ones I've ever heard. He's so sincere and has such a solid witness of the gospel. He talked all about how he knows that God blesses us for keeping His commandments and that we're changed through Christ. He talked about how he loved Nephi's example in the Book of Mormon and that he knew that the Book of Mormon was exactly what the introduction claimed it to be- then he bore witness that he knew that "man could get closer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book." Needless to say, his testimony really impacted a lot of people and the entire meeting was one of the best I'd ever been to. It really took on a missionary theme after Steven. At the very end the bishop went up (he wasn't the one conducting the meeting) and basically said as the bishop he had the responsibility to make sure everyone knew when the spirit was present and when we were being ministered to by angels- and then went on to say that both had happened in that meeting. It was powerful. Our bishop's awesome.

Steven's baptism was awesome. Steven was glowing. He greeted everyone (there were a LOT of people) and knew everyone's name by the end. He was confirmed there too- and his mom was blown away by the whole meeting. She's not a member and hasn't looked into the church- but she kept telling him how she felt God there and that she knew he was following Christ. His brothers and a few of his friends came too. It was amazing. Steven wanted to say a prayer with Elder McBride and I alone before everything started- so we went to the chapel and each of us took a turn praying. The spirit was so strong in that room especially as Steven started praying last. The whole night was so good!!

In addition to baptizing Steven, I baptized our cellphone. The irony of it all is that I put it in my shirt pocket because I figured if I put it in my pant pocket I'd forget it was there and go into the font with it. But, as I went to do my final check of the water's temperature, out fell the cellphone. It's currently in a tub of rice, so hopefully that fixes it. I tested it a few minutes ago and it mostly works but the sound is really quiet. 

Things continue to blossom in good ol' Petaluma. Life is good and the gospel's true!!

Elder B