Hello, Friends of Family!!!! As you can tell by the email caption it has been an absolutely crazy week, with the thrill of adventure at every turn, but also so spiritually strengthening and motivating. This week I would like to talk all about putting faith in the Lord and trusting that He knows what's best for us. My companions and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore to capture its fall beauty and hopefully begin creating a content library that can be used by all missionaries to assist in content creation and advertisement development. We all ordered cameras for this weeklong trip and had express shipping to be sure that we would have them in time. As the days went by Elder Post Nikon arrived, Elder Murray's Sony was delivered, yet Elder McMullin's Canon was nowhere to be seen. After calling the UPS store around 15 times I found out that they had lost the package and were currently looking for it in one of the warehouses. If that wasn't bad enough I also lost my wallet somewhere in the process of moving three apartments simultaneously. To top it all off I also got pulled over and now have a lovely fluorescent orange speeding ticket decorating my study table. This is probably one of the worst days I think I have ever had, but as I mentioned when we put faith in the lord and trust in Him we begin to see that all things happen for a reason. I was luckily able to find my wallet in the garbage disposal (don't ask how it got there) and because we took so long to find my wallet it gave time for there to be a Police rotation, so that I was able to be pulled over by a member of the Church who reduced my ticket by 50%. I was also able to be an actor for a Come unto Christ Ad which is now receiving a lot of attention by church headquarters and might be aired on the Church website, in my eyes way more exciting than a camera. So, all in all the Lord does not give us bad days, but rather gives us an opportunity to recognize His hand in each of our lives.
In other news about our travels, Mt Rushmore and Rapid City were absolutely AMAZING!!! However, according to 2 Nephi 2:11 "it must needs be, that there is opposition in all things". Recently Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the Dakotas and currently North Dakota is now the nation's number one Hotspot. In a report shared by President Howell from the New York times "hospitals beds are already full, yet thousands of people daily test positive in the Great Plains and are being turned away". As we were driving to Mt. Rushmore we learned that we might have been exposed to the virus and would need to cancel nearly all of our plans with other missionaries and members and self-isolate in a hastily renovated apartment. Luckily we were still able to take photos in Custer National park as long as we stayed 20 feet away from all people, while wearing gloves and masks. Needless to say, the trip didn't turn out quite the way we wanted but luckily we were blessed to have no symptoms and on the last day were able to travel to Rushmore and film an awesome Native American Hoop Dance Video. Currently with the current rising conditions of Covid-19 our mission is being moved back to phase one meaning we are only allowed to go outside for two hours of the day and must order all of our groceries and supplies online and live stream into Sacrament Meetings and other various missionary meetings. I am so grateful to be a missionary at this unique time not only because there's never a dull moment, but also because I have the wonderful opportunity of trailblazing and experimenting with new ways to further the wonderful work of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Friend update! The people we are teaching are progressing wonderfully!!! Imaboo was put on date for baptism on October 31st and will be one of the first ever Instagram Baptisms! Allison is also progressing and has been keeping the word of wisdom and law of Chastity for two weeks now and is loving the happiness she feels when she obeys the commandments. However, we got a serious call this week that both of her kidneys are failing and might require an organ transplant in the next couple of weeks or she may pass away. She is also extremely high-risk to Covid-19 meaning that she won't be able to leave the hospital, receive any visitors, go to church, or be baptized until early December if Covid-19 calms down. Please pray for Allison that she can become healthy again and hopefully be able to attend Church and be baptized as soon as possible.
So sorry this is such a sad and depressing email, but I want to let you know that I'm having the time of my life, and that if we put our trust in the Lord and seek out His hand in our lives, an amazing blessing will be found!!! Love and miss you all so much! Stay safe and stay warm as winter and flu season approach!!!
Sent with love from,
Elder McMullin :-)
Photo Gallery (btw, sorry I completely spaced it on photos last week)
1) Companions at Rushmore!
2) Mt. Rushmore is breath-taking
3) Missionary friends in Rapid City
4 & 5) Beautiful Wildlife in SoDak
6) Native American Friends that Perform Spectacular Hoop Dance! Click here to view: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=360352025400011
7) Working on a new repentance video (the one that might be posted on the Church Website)
8) Not to be biased or anything, but we have some of the coolest sunsets.
