People say that you'll die faster than without water

April 25, 2011

So, apparently everyone has iPhones back home now, huh? I swear, every email I receive is "sent from my iPhone". Goodness sakes.

This week was nuts. I went to my last zone conference ever on Tuesday, where I bore my final testimony. It was surreal, in part because I never thought I would actually bear my final testimony, and partly because I still have two transfers out here! But the mission is only going to have zone conference once every three months now, so I had to do it this time. What an insane experience! I remember when I got to the mission that the guys bearing their final testimonies seemed so old and spiritually mature. I don't really feel like I made it to the same level as them, but maybe I have and I just don't know it. Your perspective changes a lot as time goes by on the mission.

This week was a week of baptisms. As district leader, I interviewed two investigators that the other pair of missionaries in my district were teaching. Oddly enough, they both wanted me to baptize them. It's kind of a paint to have to go to another city and back on a bus multiple times in a week, but that's what it takes sometimes! So after doing a division to interview those investigators, we did another division so I could baptize them! I only slept in my house in Américo twice this week. Nuts.

On another day, I also did an interview for the zone leaders, and their investigator passed. It was actually pretty embarrassing because I forgot to ask the lady the fourth baptismal interview question, which is usually the most awkward one. So as we were leaving her house, I realized that I had messed up, and we went aside from everyone and finished the interview really quick. Awwwwwwkward.

Elder Nobre and I baptized a sweet little 9-year-old girl this week. She's actually a member's daughter, but for one reason or another wasn't baptized when she was eight, so she counted as a convert baptism. And remember that baptism that I messed up with a few weeks back? I baptized a member's eight-year-old kid, but a tiny part of his forehead didn't go under the water, so he had to be baptized again. Anyway, he was all nervous and scared on that day, so he wouldn't do it again then. And everyone made a big scene and I looked like a bobo standing in that little above ground pool. So, I baptized him again yesterday. He's a shy kid, so he was nervous this time, too, but everything worked out. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do the baptism a second time if he didn't go under, so I practically touched his back on the bottom of the baptismal font.

Trunky report of the day: I call home in just under two weeks! We're having transfers at the end of this week, so I don't know if I'll be here or not for Mother's Day. If I don't get transferred, though, I'll probably call the day after Mother's Day so that I can use Skype from the LAN house. Everything kind of depends on whether or not I get transferred. Like always, I'll call the day before to set things up, though.

I finished the Book of Mormon in Portuguese this week, which was wonderful. The last chapters of the Book of Mormon are so powerful! At zone conference, President Prieto challenged the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover next transfer, so it looks like I'll be starting all over again soon. I think I'm going to read it in English, though.

Araraquara is actually really close to São Carlos, so after we finish up here at the LAN house, Elder Gillespie and I are going to take a bus to São Carlos and visit members from our old area. It's going to be a blast, especially because that area has been closed to missionaries for the last two months or so. Should be fun!

I love you guys! The Church is true! I love being a missionary!

luv

elder wiggins