Blake-April 23, 2008

THIS WEEK'S E-MAIL IS COMING FROM THE UNITED STATES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HERE ON CAPITOL HILL...WE WANTED TO COME INTO THE CITY TODAY AND THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD TRY IT OUT. WOW, IT HAS BEEN AN INSANE WEEK...MY NEW COMPANION IS THE COOLEST. ELDER COATS AND I HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON AND HE IS JUST A FUN GUY TO BE AROUND...WE HAVE WORKED SOOO HARD THIS WEEK I PRETTY MUCH CAN'T EVEN SEE STRAIGHT...IT'S LITERALLY BEEN NON-STOP. IT FEELS REALLY GOOD TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I AM SUPER TIRED...PLUS I'M NOW 1 WEEK BEHIND IN MY JOURNAL, SO CATCHING UP ON THAT IS A DAUNTING THOUGHT. THAT'S OK THOUGH, IT WILL LEVEL OFF AND BE NORMAL AGAIN, WE JUST HAD THING AFTER THING COME UP...I THINK MOST OF IT WAS DUE TO TRANSFERS. ANYWAYS, WE WERE ABLE TO GET OUT AND DO SOME FUN SERVICE IN THE MIX OF IT ALL...WE MOWED A LAWN AND WASHED A CAR FOR A LESS-ACTIVE MEMBER IN THE WARD, AND IT FELT SO GOOD TO DO THAT AGAIN.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY IT, BUT YA DAD, IT FELT GOOD...HAHA. WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO MUCH FINDING THIS WEEK BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD SO MANY APPOINTMENTS JAMMED IN BETWEEN ALL THE OTHER THINGS WE NEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF...THAT'S OK THOUGH, IT'S NOT EXACTLY A BAD THING...HAHA. EVERYTHING WENT SMOOTH FOR THE BAPTISM THIS PAST SUNDAY...TROY WAS BAPTIZED ON THE 20th BY OUR WARD'S BISHOP, BISHOP RUSSELL...IT WAS A GOOD PROGRAM WITH SOME GOOD SPEAKERS AND THE MISSIONARIES DID A MUSICAL NUMBER OF "ARMY OF HELAMAN". TROY HAS SOME GREAT POTENTIAL TO BE A GOOD MEMBER, LEADER, AND MISSIONARY SOME DAY. IT WAS SO COOL!! ON SUNDAY NIGHT WE GOT TO GO TO A FIRESIDE FOR THE Y.S.A. WARDS AROUND THE AREA UP AT THE STAKE CENTER BY THE TEMPLE. WE TOOK A 27 YEAR OLD LESS-ACTIVE, AND GUESS WHO OUR SPEAKERS WERE...ELDER ARCHIBALD OF THE 70 (FORMER DC STAKE PRESIDENT), ELDER TINGEY OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE 70, AND THEN ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK OF THE QUORUM OF THE 12...IT WAS THE COOLEST FIRESIDE EVER!! THEY TALKED ABOUT PREPARING OURSELVES FOR MARRIAGE AND FOR OUR FUTURE FAMILIES, AND THEN AFTERWARDS I GOT TO GO UP AND SHAKE ELDER COOK'S HAND. WE WERE ON THE FRONT ROW ON THE LEFT SIDE, SO WHEN HE WALKED INTO THE BUILDING DOWN THE ISLE, EVERYONE STOOD AND I TURNED TO SEE WHERE HE WAS AND BAM, HE WAS LITERALLY LESS THAN A FOOT AWAY FROM ME LOOKING ME RIGHT IN THE EYE...IT WAS CRAZY!! HE LOOKED AT US AND SAID, "YOU ELDERS LOOK GREAT TONIGHT"...IT WAS A SWEET EXPERIENCE AND THEY GAVE GREAT TALKS. THEN ON MONDAY I HAD TO GO TO CHEVY CHASE TO GET MY NOSE CAUTERIZED AGAIN, SO WHILE WE WERE UP THERE I TREATED ELDER COATS TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY FOR HIS BIRTHDAY...HE TURNED 22 AND IT WAS A REALLY GOOD TIME. WE HAD A SWEET LESSON WITH GEMILLA, WILLIAM, AND GENEA THAT NIGHT AND SET A NEW BAPTISM DATE FOR MAY 11 WITH THE THREE OF THEM...SORRY I'M JUST JETTING THROUGH THIS ALL, BUT WE GOTTA GET HEADING OUTTA HERE SOON...THEN YESTERDAY WE TOOK BEULAH UP TO THE VISITOR'S CENTER TO SEE THE TESTAMENTS AND WE WENT OVER THE BAPTISM INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH HER. AS WE DID SO, WE HANDED HER A SET OF SCRIPTURES TO READ D&C 20:37 AND WHEN SHE WAS DONE WE TOLD HER TO LOOK ON THE FRONT. WE HAD GOTTEN HER A QUAD AT THE BOOKSTORE LAST FRIDAY AND PUT HER NAME ON IT (THERE'S A COOL STORY BEHIND THAT TOO, BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME...SORRY)...SHE WAS IN TEARS DURING THE MOVIE AND THEN, SO IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE. SHE PASSED HER BAPTISM INTERVIEW LAST NIGHT, SO SHE IS GOOD TO GO FOR THIS SATURDAY AT 9:00...WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR HER. LIFE IS GREAT FOR ME RIGHT NOW...ALL THESE PEOPLE TO TEACH, SO MANY NEAT EXPERIENCES, AND A GREAT COMPANION...I LOVE THIS WORK SO MUCH AND I LOVE THE LORD SO MUCH!! HE IS SO GOOD TO US, AND IT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER WHEN WE JUST TAKE A MINUTE AND COUNT THOSE BLESSINGS...I LOVE YOU ALL TONS AND HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEK!!
LOVE,
ELDER BLAKE HARBER