Speechless Missionaries

Cynthia, Lolita, Eva and Rachel

Derick and Beth Roach

Elder and Sister Medsker

Today it was our Stake Mormon Helping Hands Day in Chula Vista.  The pictures are just of a few of our Otay Mesa Ward members who showed up to help.  We worked at Castle Park Middle School and surrounding areas.  Projects included removing graffiti and trash in the neighborhood, painting the library and some of the outer walls and working in the school library (senior citizen project).  

Elder Medsker chose cleaning up the neighborhood and I chose the senior project...cutting out things for the school bulletin boards...seemed like a perfect fit for a retired Kindergarten teacher!!

Monday, the Elders invited us to go teach Betty Parmokizola, late 70's, they wanted to challenge her to be baptized.  She has been investigating the church for over a year...start and stop.  Her best friend, Joan Kashner is a member and has been encouraging her for years. A little background here:  The Elders invited her and Joan to come to Paul's baptism last week and they came.  I was sitting by Betty and she watched carefully as they baptized Paul because she requires a walker.  I leaned over to her and said "July".  She said "July what?"  I said, "that is when you should get baptized because we are going home in August and I want to come to your  baptism."  She just smiled, but afterward ask a lot of questions.  I told the Elders what I had said and they immediately wanted to know what she said, I told them she just smiled.  Anyway that exchange brought us an invitation to go with them to her house.  She always starts out their visit with questions...this time she ask about donations (they told her again about tithing) and how many times you would have to go to church in a month to be active.  Then the missionaries started reading about Christ'a baptism...she was listening but opened her small calendar and was looking at that intently.  When a break came, she looked at me and said "You want me to get baptized in July"  I said, "Yes, but June will work".  She said "What about May" and I said "May will work".  Finally Elder Bittner said, "You want to get baptized in May" and she said "Yes, if that is okay".  The moment was wonderful!  I wish you could have seen the missionaries faces...shock, stunned and totally speechless. She has been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon with her friend and with the missionaries...there comes a point when one has to ask if it is true...and if it everything is and you have to make a decision...and she did!!!  When we got outside Elder Medsker said "that was something you didn't expect", Elder Howard said "I was stunned" and Elder Bittner said "I feel like skipping".  What a missionary moment...so glad we got to share in it!!

 Otay Mesa YM and YW had an etiquette dinner Tuesday night, they had 19 come.  A good turn out.  They had a program in the chapel then the boys escorted the girls to the cultural hall where the Bishopric and leaders served them dinner.  He said they had a great evening.

We finally got to go on a walk Wednesday morning.  We visited with a grandma from Park City down here with two grandson...nine and six.  They were throwing a frisbee back and forth, it didn't take long for Elder Medsker to get in the game.  I think he enjoyed that as much I did digging in the garden last week!!  Strange missionaries we are.  She ask what we were doing down here and we told her we were on a mission, she said she was Episcopalian but she might have to change if you got perks like that!!

We did some visiting in the afternoon and then went with the missionaries to teach BJ, Aurora and her son, Isaiah who is ten and wants to get baptized.  They taught him the Word of Wisdom (more for his mother's benefit than his), but he said he would live it (he used to have a cup of coffee on Saturday mornings) and told his mother to give the coffee pot to the missionaries...both mom and grandma disagreed with that....but Mom said she would work on it, I think Isaiah will help her!!

I went to the Imperial Beach RS meeting Wednesday night.  The theme was "Sprinkles in April".  The incredible RS President explained that when a woman has her first baby, it is a tradition to give them a "baby shower" but with additional babies you get "Sprinkles".  And because the ward had a unusual amount of expectant mothers, the RS held a "sprinkle".  In four month's time, the ward will get eleven babies...3 girls and 8 boys!!  Dessert was a sundae bar with lots of sprinkles!!

Thursday, Elder Medsker went with the Imperial Beach Ward to the temple with the leaders and the youth to do baptisms for the dead, they needed brothers to help them.  He enjoyed it, he doesn't get to associate with that ward much because of his Bishopric responsibilities in the Otay Mesa Ward.

Tonight we have a Ward Baptism for two of our primary boys and we both have to put the finishing touches on our lessons for tomorrow.  It has been a busy, fun week!!