HELLLLOOOOO AMMMAAAZZZINNNNG FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!! Shoot the fruit. It has been a week for the records! However, to stick to tradition, let's get this email started off right with a spiritual thought from none other than Elder McMullin!!! One of the great highlights of this week was being able to attend the baptism as well as the confirmation of my now best friend Blake Peterson. Blake comes from a less-active-part-member family and the changes that the gospel has brought into his home were amazing. Our lessons with him and his less active father started out mildly tense and forced, but through kindness and love a relationship was built creating a gateway letting Blake now become one of the newest members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Recently in my personal studies I have searched and studied the topic of baptism for the deep meanings and promises that are connected with this amazing ceremony. Mosiah 18:8-10 in the Book of Mormon lists the requirements and promises you make for the rest of your life sealed with the action of baptism. Some of the promises made include to "mourn with those that mourn '', "comfort those that stand in need of comfort", and "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places' '. This creates a question that we all can and should ask ourselves. "Am I doing the very best I can to be true to the promises I made at my baptism"? Regardless of the answer, know that as you magnify these promises you make at baptism and renew on Sunday the Lord will abundantly bless in ways and areas you can only imagine and hope for. Brothers and Sisters let us follow the example of our savior as well as our newest member Blake in taking upon us the name of Christ as standing as a witness to Him in everything we do.
BLAKES BAPTISM!!! So Blake's baptism was absolutely amazing and featured more than twenty supportive non-member relatives as well as close to twenty active member families. Upon request I had baked two Blueberry Cheesecakes with chocolate art of the Savior and Blake for decoration and let me just say everyone was deeply impressed and now have four requests for the recipe and techniques I used to make a "stunning cake that would make Paul Hollywood Jealous" (Sister Peterson). Unfortunately the water heater in the Church went out while we were filling up the font making it so that the top was boiling hot, middle lukewarm, and bottom frostbite inducing. I swear every baptism I have had on the mission so far has had water temperature or alligator issues! Following the baptism the Petersons invited us over to a fish fry with the family which was actually a ton of fun and featured a hour long nerf gun hide and go shoot battle that lasted for nearly an hour and a half with all of Blakes cousins and siblings. Needless to say I look forward to continuing nurturing this sweet family and inviting even more members of their family to begin walking the path of Jesus Christ!
Don't be too alarmed by the caption! This week I had the truly amazing opportunity to travel up to Devils Lake, ND and film a video for Elder Bevell, a new missionary that I ironically drove to Devils Lake in the first place. Both Elder Stilwell and Elder Bevell are spiritual giants and have miraculous conversion stories that need to be shared to everyone in the world. Just to give you a brief idea, right out of Highschool Elder Bevell started working for a sales and credit boosting company, of which he excelled and ended up becoming one of the top sellers in the entire Arizona area. Consequently the company invited him to stay in a 8,975 square feet Penthouse in Tempe,AZ with three other top sellers for the company. Unfortunately as time went on, his lifestyle changed and in his own words he acknowledges that he "did every sin possible, except murder, five different ways", however he was able to change through the Atonement of Christ and now proudly testifies of Christ as a missionary at twenty-two. At the end of this exchange we all agreed that we are all now best friends and have to be companions before Elder Bevell leaves for the Netherlands (luckily Elder Stilwell and I are permanently assigned here). Seriously grew so close to these guys over such a short time and have now promised to be roommates with them at BYU and start a company together. Also as a huge bonus, they are both major bodybuilders and have made an oath that they are going to make me jacked before I go home on my mission. Love these Elders!
TRANSFER CALLS!!!! I can hardly believe that it has been six weeks since we last waited for transfer calls, but sweet mercy here we are again. Drum roll please.... Elder McMullin is..... staying in Jamestown with Elder Austin while Elder Brown leaves for South Africa. I guess the Lord has more planned for me in Jamestown so hopefully in future emails I will be able to tell you even more miracles from Jamestown. Speaking of miracles... PATTI CAME TO CHURCH and really seemed to like it, except for the fact that we don't have very many crosses in our buildings. I love Patti (I now call her Grandma Patti) so much and hope that maybe with this transfer we will be able to baptize her into the true Church of Christ.
Well amazing friends and family, I don't really know what else to say except for I love and miss you all every passing transfer!!! Your sweet and thoughtful notes really do go such a long way and I hope that I can partially portray the extreme love I have for each one of you!!! Love ya!
Your favorite McM in the NDBM
Elder McMullin :-)
Pictures!!!!
1-5) Devils Lake Pictures (A taste of what the video will hopefully look like)
The rest: Blakes Baptism!!!
