Except a wildfire be extinguished by water and the Spirit...

This was one of the most rewarding weeks of my mission thus far.

TL;DR:

• Exotic Meats with J.
• Slovak String Musicians on Dirt Bikes
• Throwing Stars
• Moving hay with A.
• J. got freaked out by his Alexa
• Elba is on Fire
• Fletcher is getting baptized
• J. GOT BAPTIZED
• When in Rome, go to Utah
• 1 Year left!?!??!?!!?!?

Ok, now to elaborate on these points for those interested.

Exotic Meats with J:

After the Polish Sausages we had with J last time, he decided he needed to step up the exotic meats game. This time we were able to supply some lamb sausage from the Declo Barnyard people. Jim also had some Moose in his freezer. So we each had some Moose Burgers and Lamb Burgers.

They honestly weren't too bad.

Slovak String Musicians on Dirt Bikes:

We were driving to an appointment when we saw a young man on a dirt bike, trying to start it while wearing flip flops. This didn't seem to out of the ordinary to us, so we continued down the road. We were then flagged down by a lady who had a Slovakian Flag hanging outside her house. We also noticed she had a "Magic Valley Folk Festival" shirt on. She introduced us to the Slovak Musicians she was hosting. We found out that the Flip Flop Dirt Bike guy was also Slovakian, and hadn't ridden a dirt bike before. We told them where he was and they took off down the street to rescue him, shouting in Slovak (sounds like Russian) as they went. 

Things you don't expect to see in Idaho.

Throwing Stars:

We visited with a family, their son showed us what he made at the machine shop where his dad works. They were really cool. We keep them with us at all times just in case now.

JK JK (JUST KIDDING X 2)

Service with A:

We got to do service with A. He needed some help moving hay for his daughter's 4H projects. I sneezed a lot. We also got to look at their goats and cows. It was fun spending time with A, he has a lot of stories to tell us. 

J. got freaked out by his Alexa:

We've recently noticed that a lot of people have Amazon Alexa. J. has one and was asking it questions as we visited with him. He was telling us about how he woke up in the middle of the night and it was talking to his TV in Russian. It freaked him out so he unplugged it for a week or so. 

Elder Blashill used this information to say, "Alexa! How do you say, "Let's take over the government" in Russian?" 

J. got a very panicked expression and said "NOOO! You'll have the FBI all over this place"

After Snow Cone Sunday, I went up to their Alexa and said "Alexa, play the USSR national anthem"

Essentially, we are starting a new Red Scare up here in Idaho.

Elba is on Fire:

We were having dinner with one of our Bishops when we got a text from the Malta Elders saying that Elba and Yost were both on fire. It had been very smoky for the past few days, but it got a lot smokier that day. Elder Snow made a meme. We drove past the fire a few days later (it was still burning) and you could see the lines of retardant that had been dropped earlier. As far as we know, nobody has been hurt, but the smoke is definitely annoying.

F. is getting baptized:

Baptism season here in Declo doesn't end with J! We have another person on baptismal date for THIS SATURDAY! He has progressed very quickly. He told his parents and they are supportive. A lot of people around here know him. So, he is basically in the best position a new member of the church could be in. We are excited.

J GOT BAPTIZED:

J's baptism was incredible. He had all but one of the missionaries who had taught him in attendance (Elder Gutierrez lives in Mexico). He even had one fly up from Arizona to be here for it. J's brother and mom were also there. J was so happy the entire time. His family also all enjoyed it very much. We feel like this could be the beginning of a lot of new members in the Albion ward.

There are more pictures out there somewhere, as I collect them I will add them to my Google Drive.

When in Rome, go to Utah:

After J's baptism we went to the Malta Elder's baptism in Almo. Afterwards, we decided that we were close enough to Utah to just go down there. We asked our district leader and he said, "When in Rome, go to Utah." So that is what we did. 

It looked a lot like Idaho, but we have proof now! All that's left is to find a way into either Jarbidge or Jackpot to say I've been to all of the states in our mission!

1 year from today, I will be completing my mission...

That is ABSOLUTELY the craziest thing that happened this week.

Love you all!!

Remember, Only YOU can prevent forest fires!

-Elder Hazeslip

BONUS:

I  have made fun of people with derpy looking AC Window units. 

Ours may be the derpiest one of all.

Q & A  

1. Do you need anything? 

Nothing right now! Thank you!

2. Best day this week?

J's Baptism day. We were so busy that day, we pretty much passed out when we got home though.

3. What did you learn this week?

From Facebook: "Why we should have more confidence that we will make it to the Celestial Kingdom…The Plan of Salvation was designed to work". These stuck out to me.

4. Uplifting quote or scripture?

The previous quote was pretty uplifting. 

5. Questions for me?

What is goat meat called? Where is uranium found?

6. Best meal this week?

Probably the chicken at J's baptism. Although we also ate at the Almo Baptism. They had Cafe Rio. That someone picked up in Ogden and brought to the Baptism. WE ARE TOO CLOSE TO UTAH.

7. Best lesson/discussion/teaching opportunity this week? 

We had a lesson with F. (Grad 2017) we gave him a blessing before he told his parents that he wanted to get baptized. His mom cried (tears of joy) and his dad was excited. So that was cool! His parents are members but do not currently attend.

8. What are you studying? 

I read the epistles of Peter and James. IDK how people could think the Plan of Salvation doesn't fit in the New Testament. IT COMPLETELY DOES.

9. What challenged you this week? 

Hay is heavy. Also, I'm almost certainly allergic to it. I took a shower afterwards but it stayed with me all day.