Hello everyone!
Lets's start at the beginning...... WHAT IN THE HECK!!!!!
Okay, now that we have that out of the way...... Hello everyone hope you're doing well! I have had one memorable/insane week here in the promised land of Idabel, Oklahoma! Why is that you may ask..... One word, RAIN, and more of it than I have EVER seen in my life!!! I'm serious, it was INSANE!!! (Forgive the all caps, but you need to understand how much rain we've had........)
It started Monday, and would not let up until Sunday...... It just kept coming until the entire city of Idabel was flooded, plus some. On top of this, there was a panic all week because wherever we went, we kept hearing about severe tornado warnings. Yikes! Either the Lord is trying to re-enact the flooding of the Earth, or this is the Second Coming. I'm not sure which, but I'm sure the answer will come if I survive. It was crazy, the streets turned into rivers, and after the power went out everything just shut down. On Saturday we were forced to hide out in the church building for several hours (With a good supply of junk food mind you.......) because the weather was so bad! In Utah it can rain hard, but then it let's up after a short while. Here, it rains like there's no tomorrow, and simply doesn't stop. You honestly have to see it to believe it! (That's why I've included pictures for you.......)
Okay now onto things besides rain and getting flooded into oblivion! (If it's possible......)
I BAPTIZED SOMEONE THIS WEEK!!! (In the rain.......) (Sorry that rain part just kind of slipped in.....) It was incredible! It was three people actually, a Marshallese couple named the Kedibars (Tiem and Erine), and I got to baptize their awesome nephew named Nono! It was seriously so cool! It was crazy getting the baptism all planned and put together (We even had to get special permission from President Dalton to do their interviews the day before the baptism!), but it all worked out and it was an INCREDIBLE experience! It was also pretty cool because we had a bunch of our investigators show up to the baptism! (Note: The Kedibar family hardly speak any English, so teaching them was an interesting process....... The talks given at the baptism were all in Marshallese! You don't find that in Utah everyday!) (It was awesome because Tiem and Erine got b
Another cool thing! On Wednesday we made the long four hour car ride down to Dallas with one of our newer converts to visit the Dallas Temple! (In the rain....... as always.) This was one interesting visit to the temple....... The man we went with was named Gene Lott. Let's put it this way...... Gene Lott yells, and I mean YELLS when he feels spirit. He gets all riled up and starts praising the Lord, waving his arms in the air, and casting out devils. You get the picture. Super hick, hill billy, man. Anyways the Temple combined with Gene Lott made for an interesting combination. Let's leave it at that.....
Another note on the city of Dallas..... The drivers there are INSANE! In just my short amount of time spent driving through the city I've been horrified to witness countless acts of driving I would have hoped to have only witnessed in an R rated action movie......... It's not a surprise that out of the 250(ish) missions in the world the Texas Dallas Mission is ranked 245th for most accidents......
Once again I would like to point out that the weather was INSANE this week! (Sorry, just want to get that point across........)
People here seem to be really warming up to Elder Frampton and I! We continue to work our butts off (Forgive my language......), and it's been awesome because with the help of the spirit nearly 3/4 of people we've talked to have become new investigators! (It's been a serious blessing for us......) On Sunday we had a TON of investigators come to church, and we already have more baptisms lined up for March! Seriously the field is white, flooded, and ready for harvest!
Let's finish the email off this week with a funny story!
A couple nights ago Elder Frampton and I were finishing up a very long, wet day (Because of the rain mind you......), and we were just starting to drive home when all of a sudden I saw two bright, evil, glowing, orbs of light in the darkness at the foot of large tree. Immediately in a very dignified manner I freaked out, threw the folder I was holding and told Elder Frampton that I had seen something! We didn't know for sure, but we guessed it was a possum! THE HUNT WAS ON! What happened next is best described from the view point of someone watching....... Just imagine two wild looking young men in suits and ties barreling into a dark swamp after rodent, all while trying to keep their shoes clean and hooting and hollering like crazy people! Eventually we chased this HUGE possum up a tree and tried to get some pictures! I'm guessing it was a pretty funny looking spectacle! Eventually we made our way back to the car, wet, and covered in mud. Good times in Idabel!
Everyone this church is true. There's something I'm starting to notice with everyone we teach...... Those who accept the gospel, and begin to align their lives with it's teachings experience an almost instantaneous change in their natures and demeanor. (Both mentally, spiritually, and even physically!) They become happier, friendlier and all around just people you want to be with. They go from, at times, disgusting, smoking, and gruff people to some of my best friends. If you don't believe this gospel works or is real, come out on a mission and see for yourself. It's honestly shocking the difference it makes in peoples lives!
Well folks, I haven't been swept away by a tornado or flood yet, so hopefully I'll be here next week!
Stay dry and have a blessed day! (As they say down here.......)
~Elder Fox
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