Sunday, September 29, 2013

DAY 100 (+16)

In which Elders Webb and Murray experience adversity, perform service, learn lessons and progress in/with the work. (Ah, blessed* consistency!)

* two syllables, if you’d be so kind

Greetings to mankind!

Honestly not much to report this week. Elder Murray and I both got sick, which is NO fun on a mission. Especially when you promised you would go do service and you can't really cancel. Luckily, we are both at about 96%, and the work continues.

Wood-chopping season has begun, which is something that I've been very excited for. I wonder if there's a mathematical formula for testosterone increase based on amount of wood chopped (divided by temperature, plus protein consumed within the hour, factoring in body hair and the proximity of the nearest bear). Regardless, by the end of October I'm expecting rippling muscles and a license to wear flannel year-round.

Speaking of formulas, there’s a nice one given in Alma 26:22. We are given four steps, and then two excellent results are promised. Since I can't make you pull out your scriptures, I'll include it here. All you need to do is keep reading:

22 Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.

I'd invite all who read that to test this formula and follow those steps. I can testify that it does work, and that it's based on our faith and obedience.

Thank you for your prayers and for reading!

Keep the faith,
Elder Webb

He still declines to share with us the actual coldness of his surroundings . . . Of course we want him to be well and not suffer too much, but if it hits 40° in Utah, shouldn’t it be in the teens up there? COME ON, Alberta weather!

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Sunday, September 15, 2013

SPIDERS BE DANGED

A great report on a great week for Elder Eli:
Hello everyone!

This week has been nuts! We did lots of service, and we had two baptisms on top of that! Stressful/wonderful. Good times.

 
The baptisms were of Godwin and Stephen. Each was wonderful and went off without a hitch. We had to clean up the font in Peace River, which involved the killing of several spiders. We also had to go up into the attic to figure out how to turn the hot water on, so that was fun.

We had a great attendance for Godwin's baptism, and a delicious potluck afterward.

For Stephen's baptism, we got to go up to High Level (which is three hours north). We woke up at 4:30 AM just to be safe. Since I won rock/paper/scissors, I was able to baptize him. We got to the building and went to check out the font. It was teeny! And Stephen is not. He boxed professionally (like he was on TV and stuff). We just told him to make sure to bend his knees. Before the baptism, we had to remove several spiders from the water using a big spoon (and the water was still pretty grodie).

But, regardless of water conditions, a baptism is a baptism, and the Spirit was definitely present. We had sacrament meeting right after the service and Elder Hunsaker was able to confirm him a member of the church, so that was an awesome experience as well. The meeting, like Godwin's baptism, was also followed by a potluck, and a good time was had by all. Easily the best week of my mission.

Aside from all of that fun, we received transfer calls today, and I am to remain in Peace River with my new companion, Elder Murray. I've met him before and he's super cool. So we're going down to Edmonton tomorrow for transfer meeting (Elder Hunsaker was made Zone Leader).

All in all, a fantastic week. Thank you all for reading and writing and praying. Keep it up!

Keep the faith,
Elder Webb
elijah.webb@myldsmail.net
Love that boy’s spirit. We all feel that his having Elder Hunsaker as a first companion was a definite blessing, and we’re eager for great reports of work with Elder Murray. (And we’re obnoxiously curious about the weather . . . When will it get cold? How cold will it get? WHAT WILL HE DO WHEN IT GETS SO RIDICULOUSLY COLD? etc.)


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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

ROCK/PAPER/SCISSORS/ELI

Quick report from Elder Webb in Edmonton:

Hello all!

This last little bit has been wild.  We have to go help a man assemble his roof, so I will provide more detail next week. 
I’m not sure what my last word was on Stephen (in High Level) or Godwin (the Nigerian throat cancer survivor), but here is the status currently: 
We are baptizing both of them this week. Godwin on Friday the 6th, and Stephen on Sunday the 8th. You can imagine how crazy our schedules are. 
A quick funny story: We’ve got to be pretty good friends with Stephen and Isabelle (his wife). We Skype multiple times a week (when possible), and we all like one other. It’s very comfortable and friendly. 
So, when we asked Stephen to think about who he wanted to baptize him, his wife told us that they would like Elder Hunsaker and I to do rock/paper/scissors, and the winner would baptize him.
Now, my family can attest to the fact that when it comes to rock/paper/scissors, few can best me. I felt pretty good going into it. We were doing best two out of three, so we went for it, and I took him 2-0. It was decisive. 
So, I get to baptize Stephen this Sunday! I don't want to boast, because it was honestly luck. I feel very blessed and excited. 
Keep praying, keep writing, and keep reading!

Keep the faith,
Elder Webb