HOLA AMIGOS!
This week was so awesome because
one, we got to go up to the temple,
& two, we got to go up to the temple again with O__!!
The first time we got to go up because we had interviews with President Haynie and those are always suuuuper great. And while we were up there we were able to help the office submit O__'s paperwork so she could get a temple recommend! We got her a temple recommend on Friday and then went up to the temple with her Saturday morning! She was super excited to go before she went back to Nigeria.
And coolest thing ever. She is already doing missionary work! She told her sister-in-law that she was going up to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead and invited her to come check out the visitor center. So while we were inside the temple O__'s sister-in-law had a visitor center tour LOVED IT! She also brought her little 18 month old daughter so they enjoyed the area in the visitor center for all the kiddos. They made some new friends and had wayyy too much fun with stickers. Fun stuff.
But before we went up to the temple we called ahead to make sure they could fit us in and they said they had an entire stake of 100 youth coming to do Baptisms in an hour. So they said to get there quick or it was going to be packed like a can of sardines. And we are about an hour drive from the Temple with LA traffic so we were like eek. So we rushed up there and by some miracle we were just barely able to sneek in before the rush. pfew.
Being in the Temple was just so amazing. This was my first time going to the baptistry in the LA temple and the spirit was so strong. O__ was so excited to give others the opportunity to accept the ordinance of Baptism. She enjoyed it so much she said it was even cooler than her own baptism. I can't even describe how strong the spirit was.
While we were in the temple we met lots of other people who had recently joined the church as well. One guy told us he was scrolling through Instagram and saw a post of a girl he followed. He looked at her profile and it turned out she was LDS. While he was looking at her photos he found out about the Los Angeles Temple visitor center, went and did a tour, met with missionaries, and was baptized 3 weeks later. How cool is that?!
After we got out of the temple I had a pretty fun "small world" moment. We were walking back to the the visitor center and all of the sudden I heard someone shout "Elder Burgon." I looked back and saw the Blackburn family running down the temple stairs! It was so cool! They were there for their sons wedding and we just bumped into each other. Twas lots of fun! Their other son and I knew each other before da mish and went into the MTC together about a year ago so it was cool to see his fam again.
But man this week was a great one!
Hope this next one is a great one for you too!
Alma 26: 14-16
Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell. Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
Have a great week!
-Elder Burgon
P.s. Elder Windous really likes climbing trees
