Independence : HAPPY DAY !!

ANOTHER 'RED LETTER DAY'

Ashley asked me to baptize her today. It was such a sweet experience to baptize this cute little new member of the church. We have been visiting with the Gamez family for a few months to help prepare Ashley for this important step in her life. A few weeks ago, Luke and Josh came with us and shared their testimony and their experience of having been baptized recently and encouraged Ashley to do the same. They wanted to come to her baptism to support her. She was so excited to see them as were her mom and brothers and sister.

There was only one small tiny little problem with the baptism. I was ready to enter the font as they opened up the curtains and suddenly realized that it was empty. No agua. The drain had not been properly closed and so all the water had emptied out without anyone noticing it during the first part of the program. We all quickly went back into the primary room and listened to the talk on the Holy Ghost which was supposed to be given after the baptism and sang a few songs. It all worked out in the end, but the poor brand new ward mission leader was stressing out because this was his first time to fill the font and no one had told him how to close the drain.

Sister Gamez had previously asked Robyn to offer the closing prayer in the baptismal service. So she practiced all week and gave a beautiful prayer, all in Spanish. Many of the members of the ward came up and hugged and congratulated her on how fluent she is becoming. She has been trying so hard to be able to communicate with everyone.

We have come to love the Gamez family and all the other families here in the Great Kaw River ward. I told Sister Gamez that now we have 8 grandchildren in Kansas. ;-)

TEMPLE BAPTISMS

Jessica Andrade, Judith Henriquez, Robyn, Claudia and Pedro Porras

We are trying to go to the temple with as many new and returning members as often as we can. This past Friday evening, we accompanied 3 sisters to do baptisms. It was the first time for Claudia and Jessica. Judith had done temple baptisms in Honduras. They all loved it. We know that when new members go to the temple soon after being baptized, the chances of them staying active increases ten fold.
After we arrived at the temple and they got dressed in white, Judith suddenly remembered a pot of beans she had left cooking on the stove back home. Leaving everyone in the temple, I quickly drove back and found all was well. Her room mate was stirring the pot and the beans were just fine. By the time I returned to the temple they were all finished and we headed for home happy that her house did not burn down or smell like burnt beans.

Claudia and Pedro Porras

Judith Henriquez

Jessica Andrade

Elder Call, Edwin Lopez and Elder Mayo

We brought Edwin to the temple Saturday morning with the elders in our ward that taught and baptized him two weeks ago. Normally missionaries in this mission can only attend the temple once a quarter. The mission president makes an exception and allows elders or sisters to accompany a new convert to the temple if the convert brings family file names. Robyn and I were able to help Edwin find the name of his grandfather and so his 'missionaries' were able to come with us. Elder Call was able to baptize Edwin for his grandfather and then the two elders were able to take turns baptizing each other as proxies for individuals that needed the work done. It was a beautiful morning inside the temple and outside.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

From what I have been able to gather, we are near the end of a 17 year cicada cycle. Every 17 years, the cicadas emerge from their burrows and make an enormous racket before mating and laying their eggs. And then all is quiet for another 17 years. The noise around here in Independence can be deafening at times. I found a couple of great recipes for 'chocolate covered cicadas' or 'cicada pizza' and sent them to Luke and Josh along with a few of the tasty critters we had gathered. Kaui and James sent the following picture and text shortly thereafter.

I received this note from Josh the next week

As you can tell from his expression, Orrin was also not very excited
about the cicada ice creme gift certificate that I sent him

ZONE CONFERENCE

A TREE GROWS IN MISSOURI

Sister Vest, our mission president's wife, asked one of the sister missionaries to paint this picture that she had been 'dreaming' about for a while. The sister missionary is an accomplished artist and painted this beautiful tree to represent all the missionaries that had served with the Vests during their time here in the Missouri, Independence mission. Each leaf represents an elder or sister or senior couple. Additional details were added to the painting - the temple, visitors center and Liberty Jail. She even added two tiny insects in the grass that all of us will never forget and have grown to despise - a tick and a chigger. :)

Kansas City, Missouri temple

Liberty Jail

END OF SUMMER YM ACTIVITY

HILLSDALE LAKE, KANSAS

Derrick Dube, scoutmaster

Brian Beck, the stake clerk, was kind enough to take all the YM in our ward to Hillsdale Lake for some aquatic fun. Most of these kids had never been in a boat, much less water skied or even been pulled on a tube. They had a fantastic time and once again their youth leaders and generous members in the stake have come through for them.