Week 24-Rock Springs, WY

It has been a pretty good week! I have definitely experienced the ups and downs of missionary life this past week!

The first half of the week I was on exchanges with Elder Vause. He is fairly reserved and its kind cool that we both are planning to be mechanical engineers and to study at BYU. We always see miracles on exchanges which is one of the reasons I love going on exchanges. It is a good way to see someone else's teaching style and different things that they do that make them good missionaries. Even what you would call the bad missionaries have good qualities that can be learned from. We are teaching some one who is called Melissa Watson. She has had an extremely rough life. She currently has 3 x-husbands and I'm pretty sure had kids with each of them. She is also married to another guy now who a week ago kicked her out of the house. She is living with some neighbors right now and who knows what will happen from there. She has bone cancer and going through chemo. She also has to work so she can be supported. She was baptized when she was young and her immediate family has been inactive ever since. We are now just teaching her the basic of the gospel. Anyways, she said the we could come and teach her at her friends house this past week. So we went and towards the end of the lesson her friend walked in and sat in on some of it. At the conclusion, she asked for a Book of Mormon. We will be teaching her the discussions this week. It was definitely a miracle of God putting someone in our path!

Another cool experience happened after district meeting when we went to Cafe Rio for lunch as a district. Before we walked in a lady stopped us and said that she had been inactive for a long time and she wanted us to come over. We stopped by and the husband and the daughter haven't been baptized yet. Another instance where God has given us people to teach. She is married to someone and living with another guy. They would have gotten divorced but they are fighting over custody of the children. They are an amazing family and I am excited to be able to meet them and teach them.

There were some rough patches this week. When Lisa and her family didn't come to church after we called and left a message, texted them three times, and dropped by their house before church, it was kinda disappointing. Also another one of our investigators moved the date for her baptism way back because of family logistics. I may not be able see her be baptized now.

The highlight of my week was probably the baptism of Rick and Sharon Youngblood! They were married and baptized the same day! So it was pretty eventful for them. It was pretty stressful getting it all organized but it was well worth it. Their confirmations were yesterday and I had the privilege of confirming Rick a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They had been waiting for this for a long time. Working through divorce papers and so forth. They had been taking discussions with missionaries for years! I have worked with them the past six months so it was amazing to see them progress towards baptism! At one point during the meeting yesterday, I looked over to see them in tears. Sharon kept saying" isnt this such a wonderful service!" I knew without a doubt that God had made all the effort they gave to coming closer to Christ worth it for them. My whole being was filled with so much joy.

I am so very grateful for my family and friends and all their support. I am grateful for the people that I've been able to meet and develop relationships with here. Most importantly I'm grateful for my Father in Heaven's love for me and the many ways he expresses it!

-Elder Bass

Later Notes: We met a family called the  Millers. The first lesson we invited them to be baptized and they accepted a date. They lived in trailers that were way out in our area. 

Rosy was their 17 year old daughter. One particular lesson that we had with them was good. We taught them the Law of Chastity. She followed as out to the car when we were leaving. Throughout the whole lesson she kept saying,"I like one of you more than the other." I thought she was talking about me the whole lesson. When she walked us out, she said. I have something to ask you. With the law of chastity are you allowed to date? I said yeah how are you going to get married if you dont date. She laughed and said you you guys allowed to date? I said oh no no we cant. She said she could wait. I immediately shut her down because i thought she was talking to me. She then said oh well i was going to ask him (pointing to Elder Hanks) to be my boyfriend. I just about bursted out laughing. I waited til the car and i just started laughing uncontrollably for like 5 min. While we were driving back her got super scared and said that he was going to get ETed. We called the zone leaders and they said not to worry about it.

Rosy had problems with cutting herself. She told us a few times. 

Elder Hanks was always uncomfortable around the millers and didnt want to go to their house ever. They were a little weird in his defense. He yelled at us over the phone and said that the church was inconsiderate and not helping him. We prayed and asked God what to do. I felt like we should go to his house. Elder Hanks thought that was absurd. After many personal prayers, he decided to go. He didnt understand why the bishop wasnt helping him. He was afraid to pay tithing because of his bills. I promised him that God would take care of him if he payed his tithing first. It turned out to be a spiritual experience when we decided to go there.

For thanksgiving dinner we went to a mans house who was later baptized when i was a zone leader in Wyoming. Then he died a little bit later. At the dinner i was super upset because I didnt get to sit at the same table as sister tennyson. That was childish thing to get upset about. One thing that even in the smallest insignificant ways hurts me is when someone i feel close to chooses someone else over me. Elders Wilson and Martineau sat with them and we sat alone.

I remember that we got chastised for texting the Sisters. I was upset about it at the time but looking back it was a rule and i was dumb.