T5W1 New Transfer and Ramon's Baptism

Dear Family,

How is everyone? I hope everyone is well. I'm jealous Mom is best friends forever with Denise Austin. Ha ha. Keep me posted with all the summer weddings that are going on! Hah.

We had transfers on Wednesday. My new companion is Hermana Jenny Thomas from Centerville. She went to Viewmont but doesn't know if she knows any of the Ences. We get along great. We have several things in common. She ran a marathon right before the mission so we are excited to do a lot of running this transfer. We did the first couple days.

I got sick and lost my voice completely this week. Sister Hansen (President's wife) told us to stay in and rest Friday and Saturday because it just kept getting worse. I might have just been working myself too hard or something. My voice is still recovering and sounds pretty raspy but my companion says it sounds pretty cool. Because we were confined to the apartment together without being able to go to our appointments we've been able to get to know each other pretty well.

We taught Ramon Thursday, getting him ready for his baptism. He is 58 and just very sweet. We left, had walked around the corner to our car, and as I was backing the car, I saw him hustling around the corner to catch up with us. He was bringing me some cough syrup that he highly recommended. It is called Broncolin and is kind of like medicinal honey. It was precious. Hermana Gurney and I made a stop by the distribution center at the temple before transfers to buy him a baptism gift and got a triple.

Yesterday was Ramon's baptism. It was almost exactly 6 weeks from when we found him while knocking at the very beginning of last transfer. The baptism went great and the Spirit was strong. He had to be baptized a few times. Hermana Thomas and I made cookies and brownies for the refreshments and for the musical number she sang This Is The Christ in Spanish and I played the piano. I'm not very good at the piano but it's more than anyone else in the ward- it makes me miss Hermana Gurney, Draney, and Dewey, who all played the piano. I bore my testimony at the end of the privilege it has been to me to see someone so prepared and ready to receive the gospel. He was truly an answer to my prayers coming into this ward.

We have several other very prospective investigators that are progressing towards baptism. Yesterday one of our investigators, Elvin, attended church for the first time and absolutely loved it. Hermana Thomas is excited to be working in this area where the work is going well. We have to recuperate from our last couple days of being sick but I think soon enough we will be back on track with the many appointments.

I know this is the Lord's work. I know this church is true with all my heart. As I study the scriptures in the morning the amount of knowledge I take away is incredible. Just today even I was study to try and help a certain investigator and the exact thing he needed was made known to me. This transfer I am focusing on the Christlike attribute of knowledge. If anyone has any deep doctrine questions, write or email me, and I would love to study them for you. Remember though, Joseph Fielding McConkie said that we must ask the right questions. A single ward member's question/problem was brought to the Bishop, then to the Stake President, then to the Area Authority, then to the First Presidency who eventually responded- "I have no idea what the answer is, but that is THEIR problem." The Lord gives us questions to allow us to learn as individuals.

Anyways, keep cool!

Love,

Camille