E-mail March 30, 2015 "Baptism? Hey man, I can't swim!"

We've been working with an awesome young man named for a little more than a month and he's turned out to be a 14-karot golden investigator. One day as we were walking to an appointment we got a call from a number we didn't recognize and after greeting this guy that we didn't know he said that a friend had told him about our church and he wanted us to teach him. After picking up our jaws off of the ground we set an appointment with him and the rest has become history. He's been learning really well and he's probably the first investigator I've had that keeps all of his commitments. We love working with him. The best part? His name is Krishna, the Hindu cow god. This week we taught him about baptism and extended the invitation to be baptized, to which he responded that he doesn't swim. After clarifying that he would only be under water for a few seconds he accepted and is doing an exceptional job at preparing himself for it. When we pray and have faith the Lord will put people into our path whom He wants us to help, which for us as missionaries usually comes in the form of an investigator. This experience also taught me about the importance of opening our mouths about the Gospel. Because of one simple sentence, probably less than 10 words, someone opened up the gate that is leading Krishna to salvation. Make a goal to be the kind of person today who has enough courage and faith to lead others to salvation and then see how the Lord will pour out His blessings on you. I dare you. ;)

On the topic of baptism there was another young man this week who we taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ which includes the first principles and ordinances that lead to salvation. First is faith in Jesus Christ, second is repentance, third is baptism, fourth is the gift of the Holy Ghost, and last is Enduring to the end. As we teach this lesson we like to go back and ask our investigators to repeat the steps back to us to make sure they understand, and that's what we did with this young man. He remembered faith and repentance but couldn't remember what came next. We decided to help him out and told him it started with the letter B and started making splashing noises. Immediately his face lit up and he said "Oh I know, bathtub!".

Because the people here have limited English we use very simple words to help them understand the concepts we teach them, but apparently telling them that our church buildings have a giant bathtub where we perform baptisms only confuses things later on. Lesson learned.

Before I close I just want to send a quick note to any young men who are preparing to go on missions or who aren't quite sure yet if they want to go. The most simple yet best advice I can give to any young man about a mission is to listen to the people who sell your favorite shoes and Just Do It.
If you can't decide whether a mission is for you or not I can testify with all the certainty of my soul that it is, now just do it. It is impossible to comprehend or even imagine how a mission will change your life, take it from someone who couldn't see two inches past his nose when he left. A mission will change you in ways that aren't possible in any other setting. it is more important than college, your job, or any girlfriend in the world (sorry ladies). There are two main reasons I can see why the Lord has issued a commandment, not a suggestion, for young men to serve missions. Reason number 1- People need to hear the gospel, and they need you to help them change their lives! Reason number 2, which is just as important, if not more so- is that you need the Lord to change your life in the ways that are only available while you're serving a full time mission. So to all those young men who are preparing right now, keep yourselves worthy at all costs and continue to prepare yourselves. And to all of you who are thinking that a mission isn't for you, please believe my words, man up, and Just Do It. If you do you'll never regret it, and you can take that as a personal promise from Elder Cloward and the Lord. :)

Until next time everyone, rock on. :)

-Elder Clouds