Blake-April 30, 2008

WE HAVE HAD ANOTHER CRAZY AND BUSY WEEK HERE IN THE ANACOSTIA WARD...I REALLY NEED TO START ORGANIZING MY THOUGHTS BEFORE I COME HERE BECAUSE THERE IS JUST SO MUCH TO SAY AND TELL ABOUT, BUT WHEN I SIT DOWN AT THE COMPUTER I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. I GUESS I COULD START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF...I MENTIONED LAST WEEK THAT TROY WAS BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY, APRIL 20...THIS PAST SUNDAY, APRIL 27, HE WAS CONFIRMED BY ELDER ROBINETTE (ONE OF THE SENIOR MISSIONARIES WE HAVE IN THE WARD), ALONG WITH BEULAH LEE. BEULAH'S BAPTISM WENT DOWN ON SATURDAY AT 9:30 AND SHE WAS BAPTIZED BY ELDER TREBAS. HER FRIEND, SHEILA, FLEW OUT FROM TACOMA, WA AND WAS ABLE TO BE HERE TO SUPPORT HER...SHEILA WAS THE ONE WHO INITIALLY INTRODUCED BEULAH TO THE CHURCH AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT EXAMPLE AND FRIEND TO HER. BEULAH ALSO HAD HER DAUGHTER, TIFFANY, THERE...TIFFANY BROUGHT HER 2 DAUGHTERS, TIERSA (16) AND TAYLOR (6?)...IT WAS SO GREAT TO HAVE THEM THERE AND THEY ENJOYED THE SERVICE LOTS. WE HAVE SINCE TALKED TO BEULAH ABOUT TEACHING TIFFANY AND TIERSA, AND BEULAH THINKS IT WOULD WORK OUT GREAT...BEULAH IS SUPER EXCITED TO BE A MEMBER AND SHE REALLY WANTS TO BE A MISSIONARY. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE BEULAH...SHE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE COOLEST CONVERTS I HAVE HAD ON MY MISSION. WE HAD TO WORK HARD TO PULL HER IN, AND NOW SHE IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST AND MOST EXCITED CONVERTS I HAVE HAD. SHE ASKED ME TO CONFIRM HER, WHICH I DID ON SUNDAY...I HAVE NEVER DONE A CONFIRMATION BEFORE, SO I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS...BUT AS I PRAYED AND ASKED THE LORD TO GUIDE ME, I FELT HIS LOVE AND IT JUST WORKED OUT. THE WORDS WERE ABLE TO JUST COME AND WHEN I WAS DONE, I FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN ABLE TO CONVEY TO BEULAH WHAT THE LORD HAD WANTED HER TO HEAR. IT WAS NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR HER. SHE IS GREAT THOUGH!! I AM TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH HER...SHE IS ALREADY EXCITED ABOUT THE TEMPLE NEXT YEAR AND SHE WILL MAKE A GREAT LIFETIME MEMBER. WE ARE STILL WORKING WITH THE SMITH FAMILY AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE ABLE TO GET SOME NEW INVESTIGATORS HERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE ARE STILL INSANELY BUSY WITH OUR AREA AND THE OTHER MISSIONARIES IN OUR ZONE, SO THAT IS REALLY MAKING THE TIME FLY SUPER FAST. I LOVE BEING OUT HERE SO MUCH, EVEN IF IT IS A LITTLE GHETTO. I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T TELL THIS STORY RIGHT NOW, BUT I’M OK, SO I THINK I WILL. SO THE OTHER DAY I WAS IN MY KITCHEN MAKING SOME DINNER AND I HEAR 4 GUNSHOTS…I WAS LIKE, DANG, THAT’S CRAZY. WE LIVE LITERALLY RIGHT BEHIND A POLICE STATION, SO I WAS THINKING IT’S COOL. THEN ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER THERE ARE A TON OF SIRENS AND THEY ARE CLOSE…SO I JUST KEEP DOING MY THING, AND THEN ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER I HEAR A HELICOPTER UP IN THE AIR, AND ALL THIS IS GOING ON THROUGH MY WHOLE DINNER. THEN WE GO OUT TO LEAVE, AND EVERYTHING IS CAUTIONED OFF AND THERE ARE POLICE AND NEWS CREWS EVERYWHERE, LITERALLY A STONE’S THROW AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE. SO WE ASK SOME NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY TELL US THAT SOMEBODY JUST GOT SHOT…WE WERE LIKE, WHOA, THAT’S CRAZY…THEN THE BEST PART…ONE OF THEM SAYS, “YA, IT’S KINDA GHETTO AROUND HERE.” HAHAHA…WE WERE DYING!! ANYWAYS, I’M OK AND LIFE IS GOOD…THE LORD IS LOOKING OUT FOR HIS SERVANTS. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEK!! WE’LL ALSO BE AT THE NATIONAL’S BASEBALL GAME ON SATURDAY, SO IF IT’S TELEVISED THEN LOOK FOR A BIG CROWD OF MISSIONARIES…HAHA. LOVE YOU ALL LOTS!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
LOVE,
ELDER BLAKE HARBER