Alex's Mission: Week 20-Rock Springs, WY

Transfer day is tomorrow. I just found out I will be staying another 6 weeks in Rock Springs, which means I will have stayed a total of 6 months in Rock Springs! I am super excited. We have 9 people on date for baptism next transfer and possibly 5 more if things go well with the people we are teaching. The next one is December 9 or something.

Well it has been another amazing week for me. Our weeks are packed with so many events and things that happen that it seems like we've been here a lot longer than we actually have. Weeks feel like months as far as the amount of events that happen. I will be able to send Emma off which is awesome. It will be really fun to be able to spend more time with her and the other people in my district for another transfer. Our district stayed the same for another 6 weeks, except we'll be losing Elder Kirsi. He is going home. I will really miss him. We have gotten really close. I am very excited to continue working in Rock Springs and we should be doing some "reaping" this transfer which will be amazing! Now for some experiences this week:

I spent a lot of time this week in Manilla. I went there again with Elder Vause. The other elders have really been struggling in Green River so they needed a break. I really love Manilla. It is an amazing place to be and many refer to it as God's country. When I left last time, I really didn't feel like we did much in Manilla. Although now, all they really had to work with was what Elder Vause and I did together last time. We had a goal and we prayed really hard about it. Our goal for this exchange was to help someone commit to baptism. We went through all 2 1/2 days in Manilla with no success. We were able to pick up a new investigators and teach a few lessons. We compiled a list of people who could be ready to accept the gospel and visited them. They all weren't home or it wasn't a good time. It was very slow. Anyways, we went back to Green River and we found out that one of my investigators from Rock Springs, who I knew quite well, had abruptly moved to Green River in their area. The night before Elder Hanks and Elder Vause's companion (Elder Scherf from Holland), who were in Rock Springs, had met with them and had found their address. That morning right before we switched back, we went over to meet with them and Jasmine and Patrick Blazedale committed to baptism for Nov 15! It was clearly a miracle and a response to our plea. Just how the timing and everything worked out it was definitely a miracle. God truly answers prayers.

You may remember in one of my first emails us miraculously meeting a guy whose daughter had brain surgery. He has been gone at some sort of substance rehab for 90 days. Other family members have been gone for various occasions and events during the summer. While he and some of the children were gone during the summer, we developed and kept a good relationship with the Mom and the rest of the kids. This past Monday, we knew that he was getting back from rehab. We were very nervous because we thought he might be bitter and come back a different person. We prayed fervently that all would go well if he was back. We got there and all the kids were back as well. He has a job that has crazy hours and he was home! They all were there and that in-and-of-itself was a miracle. We caught up and talked for a while about all that had happened. They really love and appreciate us and what we do. He said that he was grateful for us looking out for his wife while he was gone and considers us like family. The most amazing thing happened later in our conversation. The mom randomly brought up her baptism many years ago. She told what an amazing experience it was for her. She said that the Spirit was there and when she received the Holy Ghost it was unlike anything else she's ever experienced. She said that she remembers it well even though it was many years ago. We invited their family to take the lessons and they accepted. I feel like this week we will see them set a date for baptism. It's amazing what can happen if you just try your best to do nothing but show the Savior's love.

We had another lesson with Edna yesterday from Guinea-Bussua. She is truly amazing. She knows that it is true and she feels really welcome and happy at church. The entire lesson was translated into Portuguese. At the lesson was a recently baptized Guinea-Bussuan (Adriano) and the Wilson parents (who both speak Portuguese). The mom is a native from Brazil. At one point, I said that even though I couldn't understand what they were saying I could still feel the Spirit telling me that what they were saying was true. She said that she felt the Spirit as well. THAT NEVER HAPPENS! That tells you how amazing Edna is. They are an amazing family. I felt prompted at the end of our lesson to ask Adriano to share his testimony with Edna. I felt kind of uncomfortable doing it but I proceeded anyways. He shared his testimony and even though I couldn't understand a word he was saying, we all felt the Spirit touch us and she started to cry. We asked her if she had been reading. She said she had a very stressful week. She opened up and told us that she is recently married (as of a month ago) and before they were married her husband had told her that he had a little addiction. She brushed it off and thought that he was joking or something. Anyways, turns out he wasn't joking and he is actually an alcoholic. He had begun to get abusive and so the police were at their house and she moved places. The Wilsons' told us they told her that all the strength she needs can be found in the Book of Mormon. All in all, it was a great lesson.

Last story whew... Elder Hanks and I gave short talks in sacrament along with one of our Ward Mission Leaders. He is actually my favorite. In his talk, he talked about the pioneers a little bit and he talked about the rescuers who were sent to help the Martin handcart company who were stuck in WY and other places very similar on their trek West. He said that Elder Hanks is a direct descendant of Ephraim Hanks and that I was a direct descendant of Thomas E Ricks, both of whom were rescuers for the Martin Handcart Company. And that we, like our forefathers, were sent to rescue people in a very real way in WY as well. The Spirit filled the room and I came to the realization that I knew one the reasons I was sent here. He also said that the veil was a lot thinner than we realize and the people we come in contact with may very well have been friends from before. He put it into the perspective of that if we hadn't forgotten, we would be pained that they didn't have the gospel in their lives. We taught a lesson later in another ward. It was about prophets. I asked the class what does it mean to sustain church officers. The Elders Quorum President said that it was like Ephraim Hanks and others did in the movie, "17 Miracles". They were asked to go rescue and they went. The Spirit filled the room. I told them about our ancestors and I said at times I felt like he (Thomas E Ricks) was helping me with my work. The Elders Quorum President said that his ancestors come from some those who were rescued. It was a very neat experience. This week, I really have come to realize there are many reasons why I have been called to this mission.

I love you all and appreciate your support. It means the world.

-Elder Bass

Later Notes: That Sunday we taught gospel principles. We had great support from the ward. The ward participated in the discussion. One man in particular (pres. king) talked about how some of his ancestors were rescued.

At this party we ran the apple-bobbing station. At the very end i tried to get an apple. I eventually got one. In the picture my hair was wet because of that.

Ward party: we ran a bobbing for apples station. I got one finally. Also I probably contracted a few illnesses from all the kids regurgitating the water as they tried to get the apple