Elder Gold Goes To DC North: Steven's Baptism and Crazy Transfers! (11/25/2013)

Hey everyone!!

So everything went.... pretty good with the baptism, so to speak. First we lost Steven. After Elder's Quorum, we grabbed a TV to set it up for people to watch a movie after the baptism while Steven would be changing. When we went back to Elders Quorum to get him, Steven was no where to be found. Now keep in mind this past week he had called and told us he wanted to cancel the baptism because there were things going on in his family that he didn't like and that he felt like he needed to leave the state. We convinced him to stay and go through with the baptism. So when we couldn't find him, we thought that he bailed! We searched all over the church trying to find him and we couldn't! We called him on his phone and he told us that he was in the kitchen trying to get a hold of his family.

So everything is going good. We get to the ordinance and my companion had to re-do the baptism like 6 times. Every time he was dunked, part of his body would come out of the water. My companion also had to restart a few times because he was saying the prayer wrong. Like once he started "Dear Father in Heaven..." and then another he just forgot the whole first sentence of the ordinance and started with Steven's name. All in all I think he started over maybe 10+ times.

After that we're watching the movie, (Finding Faith in Christ), and then Steven comes in, sits by me and says "Your companion needs you." So I go into the bathroom and come to find out, my companion forgot to bring an extra white shirt. So I was about to take a member to our apartment and grab him a shirt when he tells me he found one in the closet by the font. It was soooooooo gross!! The collar was completely yellow and brown and it was kinda stained. He said that he prayed and The Lord provided. haha The Lord never said though that it would be a clean shirt ha. So that is how Stevens baptism went. Ha! Great.

So as for transfers, holy cow things were soooooo much more different!! So, we were on our way home after a lesson with Vicotor when the President called. He called to tell us that my companion is going to be a Trainer on these next transfers. I wasn't expecting that at all. So then we were trying to figure out what was going to happen to me. Was I going to stay in Glenn Dale, or was I going to leave because he's training here? Then later, this past Sunday, when we where in our morning meetings with the ward council, the President called again. My companion took the call thinking it was him that president wanted to talk to about his new companion. But then, like 1 minute later, he comes back in and says "President wants you to call him.", and hands me the phone.

My stomach dropped and my mind started racing!!! What in the world could he want with me? Especially so close to transfers! So I call President back and, after a little small talk, he proceeds to tell me that I'm leaving my area and that I will be with Elder Bates. He then told me that he wanted to start training me to be a trainer! I was like, "What the jones, man?" (mission slang, Ha Ha!) Where did that come from?!?! :)

So I knew that Elder Bates is in the Potomac Bethesda area, which is also the SUPER rich area. So I was like, "Oh, ok sweet!" Later that night they sent out the conference call of who is leaving and who their new comp is, which is a new system for us. So, we're listening to who's leaving, who's staying and who's training. It gets to us and they said..."In the Gelnn Dale singles area! Elder Gold, yooooouu arrrrree leaving! (which I knew). Your new companion is Elder Bates! (which I also knew). And you two will be going to Patuxent East! You will be White Washing!!"

Mind...Blown...!!

So just to give some geographical background here, Potomac (where Bates was and where I thought I was going) is in the most northern part of our mission. Patuxent (where we are going to go) is the second to last most southern area in the mission!! (also for those of who who don't know what "white washing" is, it when a companionship opens a new area (which is what we are doing), or there is an area that is doing poorly and they put a new companionship into the area that have no idea about anything and they "rebuild it"). I have never done this before so I'm pretty nervous, but I'm excited at the same time!! Man, just thinking about it, my mind is still blown! Ha! this transfer has been nothing I expected at all!! HOLY COW!!!

Well that has been my week! I love you all!

-Elder Gold