Master the Tempest is Raging

Family,

You will never guess what I did this weekend!!!

I went swimming in the ocean, ha ha! Well maybe not swimming, but I did get to go into the water, and don't worry there was a good reason!

Well this week was one of the most amazing/stressful/fulfilling/longest/shortest weeks of my mission! Things here are amazing! We are working with loads of students and I just love them all. My two favourites at the moment are Dominique and Tania. Domi and Tania got baptized! It was so amazing. They are the greatest. But the best part about it was that they both wanted to get baptized in the ocean, ha ha! Since we don't have a baptismal font here in Aberystwyth we got permission to do it in the sea. It was So-o-o-o sick. But it gets better. The day arrived and we went down to the place that we had previously designed to go having looked around us and finding that everyone was there we decided to go ahead and get in the ocean. So if you don't know anything about the North Atlantic Ocean in the winter you should at least know that people don't actually go in it on purpose!! Man oh man it was cold! On top of that there were crazy winds! They were so strong that it was picking up rocks and throwing them at us. Any normal person would have cancelled, but we aren't normal we are missionaries! But oh no it gets better again. As soon as we got into the water the waves decided to go all huge on us, so yeah they were like six feet high. I don't think Satan wanted us to baptize them that day, but we went ahead and did it anyway. After stumbling around from awhile and getting knocked over by a few waves we did get them both baptized and it was an experience none of us are soon to forget. To give you an idea of how hard it was at one point the water would be at my ankles and the next it would be over my head! I had to say the prayer close to shore and then walk out a ways to get deep enough. We stood there sideways and when a wave came I dunked her down and it rolled over her. It was awesome! It was So-o-o-o cold, I couldn't feel my feet for like 20 minutes after we were back in the car! But I wouldn't have done it any other way. But maybe next time we will drive to the nearest baptismal font about an hour away!

Me, Elder Ruttan, Tania, Dominique and her Father

Baptisms on the beach

Ocean, Cold, Cold, Ocean

Besides the baptism we had a fairly uneventful week. Now that are two most solid investigators are baptized, we have to start the process over again with new people! There is a constant cycle and a constant flow to missionary work that is really amazing! Getting to know and teach so many different people has been so fun!

I will remember Kate in my prayers and hope all continues to go well with her recovery. Also it's weird that you guys keep having Birthday parties without me! Not cool guys, not cool. I thought when you went on a mission it was supposed to be like in the Chronicles of Narnia. How time stops when you leave and continues on when you get back! But, alas time goes on and you guys just keep getting older! As for me I am still 17, ha ha!

Love and miss you all,

Elder Kmetzsch