Week 72: Chiskops and exchanges

Hello Friends and Family,

This week has been great. The highlight was definitely the baptism of Jeanett! I've seen so much change happen in her and in her life. After her baptism I asked her how she was feeling and she just said "Amazing!". I've come to realize how amazing and joyful repentant change is.

On Wednesday I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Julander (Panguetch, Utah) in his area. We had a great time and were able to learn a lot from each other. Elder Julander is an amazing missionary! We also got to go around rocking our chiskops (buzz cuts).

Thursday was Elder Truman's birthday. In the morning I was able to smoke some ribs for his birthday while we did our planning. They didn't turn out as great as they have in the past but not too shabby given the conditions and time that I had AND seeing how we don't have much time as a missionary. We also went out for a steak dinner for his birthday. Thanks momma Truman!

Friday night we decided to stop by our Ward Mission Leaders house to see if he was back from Zimbabwe yet. When we pulled up, his sister was outside talking to some guys in a truck. As I approached her I realized she was crying and that something wasn't right. These two men in the truck start speaking to me and told me we needed to stay away from her because she was a thief and very dangerous. They eventually drove off and my companion and I stayed there to talk to and calm her. She explained all that had happened and the accusations these men had made. Long story short we made an appointment to come visit her the next day. We discovered that she wasn't a thief and that it was either a miscommunication or a set up. The next day when we visited her she surprised us by asking "How long would it take for me to be baptized?" I learned a few things from this experience; 1) never take someone else's word about someone else. Find out for yourself. 2) being there for others in times of need and being willing to listen to them opens many doors to share the gospel.

Saturday, I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Dupaix (West Valley, Utah) in his area. We had a great time biking. The challenge was preventing my head from getting burnt. We had some powerful lessons and taught well together. Elder Dupaix is going to do some amazing things on mission.

Sunday was amazing as usual. In Northmead ward, the speakers talked about service. I realized how important service is and how much better I need to get at serving others. That day we were able to help out an older gentleman, Joel(about 50 years old), who was working on his car because it was overheating. He is the boyfriend of a member and she really wants him to be baptized so she can marry him. After helping and talking with him for about an hour we asked if we could come visit him. He was more than willing to meet with us but he said he had a few questions that missionaries in the past haven't been able to answer. His two main questions were about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. His questions were sincere and we could tell he was just a bit confused on their actual role. We will visit him this week. We are super excited.

I love you all. Thank you for all the prayers and emails.

Love, Elder Rash

note from mom: Devon has been in his area for over 6 months (the longest he has ever served in one area). Transfers are next Tuesday, and he feels strongly that he will be leaving. He has mixed feelings about it, but is ready for any challenge. Also, the Christmas package that I PRAYED would make it to him before Christmas and was told that it didn't; ACTUALLY arrived to the mission home BEFORE Christmas, but he didn't receive it until Zone Conference two weeks after Christmas. He still loved everything he got, especially his new Davis Pool Service hat. Hoping his Papa will get some business from his advertising! hahaha