Temple Times!

Hello family and friends!!!

Elder Wilson is another missionary in my District.  I did find out last week that he was friends with Cache- that is sooo sick!!!!!!!!!!! He's a really funny guy and I love him.  Maybe he, Cache and I can all hang out after our missions hahaha!!!!!!!! I'm psyched for Austi, Ty and Hannah.  So many cool things are happening!!!!!!!!   Best of luck to them!  

What a beautiful time it was this past week, especially at the DC Temple.  Let me tell you all about  it!  We got to travel down to the temple with a member (his name was Brother P) and he is a really cool guy, real down to earth guy.  The temple was sooo pretty and man is that temple huge!!!!!!!!!! It was so great to go into the visitors center and be able to see the layout of the Washington DC temple.  The mission president there explained to us where all the different parts of the DC temple were so it was nice to have that kind of personal instruction.  While there, we saw someone who looked familiar and she asked us what mission we were a part of which is kinda weird 'cause no one really asks you that.  I was because she was the wife of the Mission President of the Baltimore, Maryland mission (that's the mission that Elder Mink is in now)!!!!!!  We were able to talk to her for a bit.  She was a really nice lady but I think Sister Johnson is still my favorite! Hahaha!!!!!!! She was a lot of fun though.  We eventually got to the temple and went inside.  Well I forgot my bag back at the Visitor's Center so we had to go back outside, back to the Visitor's Center and retrieve my bag.  I could tell my companion was irritated, justifiably so.  I was mad at myself too.  I'm pretty forgetful so I'm working on being better at remembering and maybe I will be able to turn that weakness into a strength.  The reason we were at the temple was  because there were some members getting their own endowments and then another family was getting sealed together for all of time and eternity.  That was my first time ever seeing a sealing and what a really special experience to be a part off!  It was very joyful seeing the entire family sealed together forever.  While in the sealing room, I began thinking about what you told me mom about kissing my wife over the alter.  I am gonna take your advise.  When I get sealed in the temple, when they tell us to kiss, I'm going to give my wife the biggest SMOOCH!  I'm talking a big, long kiss.  I want our kiss to be memorable because the day will be so special.  I'm making that happen.  

After the sealing, they needed some men to do proxy sealings so we decided to stay.  I'm so glad I was able to participate in those ordinances for those I knew and didn't know. Temple sealings are now my new favorite!  I could do them for days!!!!!!!!!!!! 

After the temple, we had planned to go to Cafe Rio because there isn't one in our mission.  It was soooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!  It smelled great right as we walked and it tasted like heaven! So as you can see we got to have celestial blessings and go to the temple (in that order) hahaha!!!  The ride home with Brother P was great.  We talked about, the mission, questions, doubts and things- sad moments, happy moments, funny moments, great moments.  We were talking to him about his mission and he served in New York and he told us how he soap boxed the Madison Square Garden in New York City during a hockey game!!!!!!!😱😱😱 Remember being there?  He and his mission buddies were talking about how you had to soap box the garden or else you weren't a real missionary.  They were talking about how the other missionaries did it. So Brother P takes the challenge and stood up on one of the pillars and began talking in a loud voice about the Book of Mormon. He said that people immediately began to yell at him and curse at him and even throw food but he continued to talk.  He finished and went back to the other missionaries.  Those other missionaries stood there in astonishment, with their jaws to the floor.  When he asked them what was wrong, they said they couldn't believe he did it.  They then confessed that they were joking and had NEVER known another missionary to soapbox Madison Square Garden.  Brother P was a total boss!!!!!!!  I want to be more bold like that!  He then shared an analogy about a razor and Christ.  He said if you don't commit to the stroke, the razor is gonna hurt.  It is gonna pull your hair and cut your skin.  He said that if you don't live a Christlike lifestyle and commit 100%.  If you are not all in, it is gonna hurt.  I want to continue to strive to be more committed.  I want to be committed 100%.  Our purpose for coming to this earth is to learn to follow Christ by making commitments to follow Him.  No one's perfect (I sometimes barely press the razor to my face) but I am continually learning what I need to do to be more fully committed to my Savior!  That's what discipleship is all about. 

We tried contacting a lot of people this week by biking to more areas to meet some new faces! We've been biking a ton and man has it been humid!!!!!!! I mean you can feel the water in the air when you step outside- it's super nasty!!!!!!  It's even worse in a shirt and tie Short sleeves is the only way to go in this weather but when it gets cold, it gets really cold!  We were able to see our good friend, S.  He has yet to come to church but desires to be baptized.  We boldly invited him to church and he committed to come, but didn't.  If things don't change, then we will have to have the members work with him and move on.  That would be sad because we love S.  We also got the chance to stop by and see S.  This is the guys we watched "How rare a possession" with.  He has had lots of doubts lately.  We talked with him and really tried to uplift his spirits.  He feels better after we visit (thank you Holy Ghost)!!!!!!!!  

We had a zone training this week in Altoona which was about a 2 hr. Drive.  It was a great training.  I love you guys.  Have great weak and commit to the shave! Take care bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Elder Cahoon the Baboon