Members + Service = Happy Elder

I can't believe how quickly time has flown! It feels like yesterday I was barely getting on the plane to come here, and now I've been in California for a month! My mind always wants to tell me that it is still June, not the middle of July!

Anyways...this last week had some excitement. Mostly in the form of a baptism!!! Last Saturday we had a double baptism for a mother and daughter here in the ward, and it was awesome! Their names are Gina and Zoe, Gina is the mother and Zoe is the daughter, and they are such wonderful people! I was so excited to be at their baptisms! On a side note, on the first day here in Murrieta, the first lesson I was part of was a lesson for Gina and Zoe, who had both already committed to baptism, so I was really excited to finally see that happen for them! Elder Davis got to baptize Gina, and one of the ward members baptized Zoe. In attendance at the baptism were some of Gina and Zoe's family, who are non-members (for now) and it was clear that they could feel the Spirit of this wondrous event. It was such a blessing to be at Gina and Zoe's baptism, and I'm so grateful that I got to be here for it.

One thing I am really excited about is the big push for member missionary work. I know how critical member work is, because all the baptisms I have been a part of in my short time here have been directly related to members inviting their friends to Church activities.

Got to meet my new Mission President. And President and Sister Kendrick are both awesome people! They are both really excited to be here and to work with the missionaries. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with them!

Something I studied this last week was the start of King Benjamin's speech to the Nephite people, found in Mosiah Chapter 2, and one thing in there that really stuck out to me was all the times that he talked about serving others. In verse 18 he says, "Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?" I really like that he says that even though he was the most powerful person there, he still served others. I know how great service is, and I always feel grateful when the people here give us missionaries a chance to serve them. There is just something about helping others that always makes me smile and feel better inside.

Well, that's all from this week.

Love,

-Elder Wixom