Well I'll start with the good news, Jo got endowed on Saturday!! That was an amazing experience. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of that. She was just beaming and was just so happy. It was great to see someone so happy. She is awesome.
We rode to the Nauvoo temple with the the Anthon's, a senior couple serving in Havana. We had to wake up at 4 and be at their house at 5, which was 32:18 minutes away according to the GPS. That was a struggle! But we made sure to visit the gas station the night before
and grab a few Mountain Dew's for the road. We left the Anthon's at 5 and got to Nauvoo about 7.
Jo's session didn't start until 1 pm so we got to hang out in the temple all day!!! We were able to participate in several different ordinances throughout the day while we were waiting for Jo's session. We were just doing whatever the temple workers needed us to do. We were really busy! All the temple workers were telling us what a blessing we were to them that day in helping them get so much done. I didn't feel like I was doing much, but I was doing what I could.
At one point we got to go down to the baptistery and I was able to perform about 60 baptisms for the dead for a couple of young women that came in. That was the weirdest thing ever! I haven't touched a girl for 16 months and now I had to hold her wrist and touch her back! That was just unnerving almost. Such a strange feeling.... But it was still an awesome experience. I have never performed a baptism before then, whether for the dead or living so that was neat.
Then Jo's session came and that was just super awesome. I can't even tell you how much joy I felt seeing her there and feeling the sweet spirit that is there.
Well besides the temple this was a pretty uneventful week. So elder Williford and I are whitewashing this area. I hate whitewashing. This is the third time I've done it. If you don't know what that is, it's when two new missionaries go into an area that they have never been in before. Usually there is one that stays so he can show the new guy what's going on. So whitewashing, plus being a district leader, have been the experience this week.
There's not much to being a district leader other than we just call all the companionships and ask how they're doing and ask what we can do to help. That part is fun, giving some advice to other missionaries. I also liked teaching district meeting. I love to discourse and unfold the scriptures so it was fun for me to get up and instruct. I'm trying to tread lightly on this because of what it says in Doctrine and Covenants 121:39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
Well as for the new area, I am not a fan. As terrible as that is to say. I've never served in a branch before. Yesterday at church there was only like 25 people, max. The members here are all super nice, but man it's weird. There's two families that feed us every week. Everyone is super poor here, too, which is completely different from my last area. I probably won't see another Mercedes Benz, let alone another Lamborghini, for quite some time :'(
I felt sick this whole week. Not flu sick or cold sick. It was like sea sick. I feel as if I'm on an island. There's this one little city of 14,000 and then just miles and miles of fields. Plus this transfer is 7 weeks long instead of 6 because of the change in the MTC schedule. That throws off all my plans for the week I get back home and going to the temple on my birthday.
Well on a more positive note we taught Rita and Crystal Filker (mother and daughter) this week. That was a great lesson. It was mostly just getting to know them and what the previous missionaries taught them. They are preparing for baptism. We discussed a date of April 16 and
they were a little unsure about it at first, but after we talked more we were able to discover some of their concerns. Crystal's boyfriend was there, too. I asked him if he wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he was Pentecostal. I was like is that what I asked bro? Haha
We had a lesson with a returning member yesterday, the Goldsmith's. They are trying to get to the temple. I have no authority to make this call, but he is far from the temple. His understanding is all mixed up. We shared with him Alma 12:24 and we're talking about how this life is the time to prepare to meet God. Well he stepped on both of my pet-peeves; he interrupted me and he would not shut up while I was trying to teach. At one point he said that the Holy Ghost was a creator. By this point I was livid after my pet-peeves having been violated, I was about to light him up with the scriptures, but I was striving for humility so I simply said, "Brother Goldsmith, that is not true doctrine and the church does not teach that." Then I excused myself and my companion. He also doesn't believe in Adam and Eve. Yeah, the temple's not gonna be a great experience for him. Haha
Anyways, sorry for this long email. I have nothing else to do here. We are all so far apart from each other in this zone that we can't get together on preparation day. So no ball, or anything really. There's nothing in canton.
I'll send some pictures of the temple. Oh and I got some Nauvoo fudge, that was good. Still not as good as Mother Ressa's tho.
Elder Scherer
:Long Live the 3 er's:
🏼
