What a week!
This week has been full of so many
different emotions. Happiness, sadness, excitement, nervousness...way too many!
I just want to skip the next two weeks, but I have to face it and put on my big
boy pants...It's been tough...
Sarah Dysart will now be getting baptized on Jul
30th...my 2 year mark...WOW! She was willing to be baptized on the 23rd, but we
had to push it back a week to make sure we could teach all the lessons and that
she will be ready. We will be taking her to the family history center on Weds
and the visitors center on Friday!
I got a call this past week from Sister Jones and Clemence in the Oak Hills ward (ward right by Skyline) and they told me that one of their investigators will be getting baptized this coming Saturday and that she asked them if I could baptize her! Her name is Tia Chambers and wow has she come a long way. I met her when we first started youth sports and we hit if off well. I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!!! Brother Tolman said that he can take me this Saturday! Off to Cedar Mill I go!
We have dinner with the Ferguson Family this
coming weds! They are such an awesome family. They LOVED the BBQ last Monday and
really want to get involved with the ward...I wish I had more time to see them
go into the water of baptism. It is going to happen!!!! We have sooo many people
that we are close to setting more dates with!! I am going to have to get a
yearly airline pass to Portland so I can come back to all of the baptisms!!! We
have also been able to begin teaching the Somerville family. Dylan Somerville is
a non-member who is 16, his dad is Michael Somerville who has been inactive as
well as Rebecca Somerville, his grandma. We had an awesome lesson this past week
with Sister Pierce and will be going back this Thursday! I also got in touch
with Nina Gandert, an investigator that I taught here when I was a Greenie. I
had the prompting to call her on Thurs and I was so happy I did. She has been
going through a lot and could really use us visiting her to get her back on her
feet. She had an Aunt that passes away last week, and she went to the coast this
past week to visit a friend who drank too much who gave Nina a black eye and a
broke leg. She was in bad shape. We gave her a blessing and will be stopping by
this week to check in on her.
I had my departing temple trip this past
Friday...it was soooo good! Again here come the water works! We had a chapel
session at 10:00 before our session at 10:30, where the temple president and his
wife, President and Sister Pond addressed us as did President and Sister
Ballard. We, the elders where President and Sister Ballard's 1st group of
missionaries "Cradle to Grave," as president calls it which made the meeting
more tender. Also Bingham Ballard was able to receive his endownment at that
departing missionary temple session which was so cool! When I entered the
Celestial Room President Ballard was waiting there and he gave me a big hug and
told me that he was so proud of me for my efforts and growth and said that he
loved me and was so grateful for all that I have done on my mission. I was doing
my best to hold back tears...I really felt my Heavenly Father accept my efforts
as a full-time missionary as I had laid my sacrifice of my efforts on the alter
of the temple that day. It was a wonderful session and experience. President
Ballard then had us all circle up and he answered any of our questions about the
temple endowment...it was sooo neat. Afterwords we had lunch at the temple,
which was really yummy! I got to see Marilyn Jones there as well as several
members from the Skyline Ward: Jade Thelin and his wife as well as Bishop Wilson
and his wife. I love to go to the temple!! I can't wait to take my family to the
Portland Oregon temple...I guess I can never say goodbye, only see you later!
;)
On Saturday we had a baptism for Jesse Arango! We
had over 70 people show up. We had several non-members show up and we were able
to do a presentation while Jesse was changing about the Restoration of the
Gospel. It went very well. The spirit was so strong! I am so grateful for the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. It really brings families together.
These next 2 weeks are packed! I have several
lunch's set up with members in previous areas. Sister Gibson from Hazeldale, the
Talley's from Canby, and several others that want to see me before I leave. We
also have our Zone Meeting tomorrow where I will be giving a departing testimony
which is crazy. We have exchanges this week and I will have my departing
interview next week...the finish line is in reach...trying to find the time to
do so many things and trying to keep my emotions in check...it is going to be
hard leaving, but I can always come back and visit! ;)
I would like to close with an experience that I had this past Saturday:
We had a lesson up at Job Corp at 7 on Saturday.
It is 26 miles outside of Estacada! You just follow HWY 224 down for 26 miles,
it is a beautiful drive! Right as we were leaving Estacada I looked at how much
gas we had. We had enough for the trip there and back, but I felt the spirit
tell me that I needed to go fill up so not postponing the prompting we turned
around and quickly filled up at a nearby shell station and we were on our way.
There are no gas stations up 224...We had a wonderful 1st discussion with
several new investigators up at Job Corp. We left at 8, but before we left we
stopped for a bathroom break before our long journey back to Estacada. We had
several other things that we had to get done that night so I usually stick to
the speed limit and race home, but the spirit prompted me to take my time
getting back and to enjoy the beauty around me, so instead of going 62 mph I was
going 45-50 mph. We were only 10 miles out of Estacada when we saw a terrible
car accident that was blocking the HWY. Two cars were involved. There was a
family of 4 in one: a father, mother, and 2 sons ages 10 and 7, in the other
were two men. Alcohol was involved. We ran to the scene to see if there was
anything we could do. They were all in bad shape...one of the men, Josh was
stuck inside one of the cars and wasn't doing too good, the other man and the
family where struggling on the side of the road. 911 was called and the police
and ambulance was on their way. The little 7 year old boy, his name was Keegan,
was unconscious. CPR was being performed, but nothing was working. Elder Hansen
and I ran over and started to give him a blessing. Elder Hansen anointed and I
sealed...When I put my hands on his head I felt that he was already gone...I was
lost for words...the only thing I could say was "Let Gods will be done." It was
a traumatic experience to watch someone so young, someone so innocent and pure
die before your eyes. I was choking on my tears...I had to be strong, I couldn't
break down in front of this family. They needed our strength and hopefulness.
What killed me was to see Keegan's 10 year old brother cry out, "Dear God please
let my brother live." We were doing our best to comfort the family telling them
that it will all be ok and that their family will be together again, but all
that we could really do was to wait and pray for a miracle. Finally almost 30
mins later the paramedics arrived. They called for 4 Life Flights. The Father,
Mother, Josh, and the 10 year old boy were Life Flighted out of there. The other
man was taken to the hospital via ambulance. From the tragic accident, 2 died,
Keegan and Josh. That was one of the longest nights in my life. Terrible images
are still in my head. My heart aches for that family. They closed the road until
the next day. They told us that we had to leave the scene. Where would we go?
How will we get back home? It was already 9:45. It was dark we had no idea where
we were. We had no cell phone reception so we couldn't tell anyone where we
were. Our GPS wouldn't work either...Miracles never cease. We traveled up 224
and low and behold we have a family up by Job Corp who are members. The
Wilson's. They moved up here a year ago, another blessing. We finally found
their house and they welcomed us in and we told them what happened. They pulled
out a map and told us that their was only 1 other way home which was to go
around Timothy Lake, up close to Mt. Hood, down HWY 26 to Sandy and then from
Sandy to Estacada. The trip is very dangerous at night, lots of gravel roads and
cliffs, and would take about 2 hrs. We said a family prayer and off we went.
Angles were protecting us and guiding us that night. I could feel them. We got
home around 1 A.M on Sunday morning.
Although this experience was painful to witness,
I learned a lot from it. I am so grateful for the gift of the spirit who
comforts us, guides us, and prompts us. I am grateful that we were worthy and
willing to listen to the promptings of the spirit which ultimately saved our
lives. What if we didn't fill up? What if we went the speed limit coming back
from Job Corp? Things would have turned out differently. We could have been
involved in the accident. We could have been stranded on HWY 224 throughout the
night with no one knowing where we were. Since we listened to the spirit we had
a full tank of gas to make it home that night, we arrived to the scene of the
accident 5 mins later, and we were able to comfort people in their times of
need. Angles were with us that night. I am so grateful for the Plan of
Salvation. I know that family's can be together forever. I know that all of the
things that are unfair and not right that happens in our lives can be made right
through the the atonement of Jesus Christ. We can be healed physically,
emotionally, spiritually, and mentally through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Life is so precious. We never know when it is our time to leave this life. That
could have been anyone involved in the accident. We need to live life everyday
to its fullest. Make sure that we are kind to each other, love each other, serve
each other. Live your life with no regrets.
I love you all and I want you to know what a
blessing you are in my life. Please share your love with others and let's help
each other strive to be more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
With love,
Elder Shaw
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