"See you on Friday!"

My companion thinks I’m weird for wanting to actually email, he says I should just say "I'm alive, see you Friday."

But some decent things happened last week that I guess I’ll tell you about, because when we talk on Friday I don't think the most recent events and status of investigators will be the top of conversation!

No baptisms yesterday. 

On Saturday I had the awful responsibility of telling a nice young Chinese man that he couldn't get baptised the next day (yesterday, Sunday) because he drank coffee on Wednesday. 

Apparently the rule of abstaining 100% from the five prohibited things got lost in translation when he was taught. Kinda sad. But he's on for next week.

Shaz decided she wanted to get baptised on Sunday, and we were making the preparations and stuff. 

She and Nicky got married on Friday night and it was great! 

Saturday was supposed to be her interview...but a bunch of things happened that prevented her from making it to that. 

I was on temporary exchange with one of the zone leaders, cause he was gonna give the interview and his companion and mine went to an appointment they had to go to. 

When she texted that she couldn't make it, we knelt and prayed, and both felt it would be best to just call her and give her the options. 

I explained to her that to get baptised the next day (this was Saturday still) we'd have to squeeze in the interview AND one more lesson either before or after Church, and it may be a bit stressful. 

She was a bit unsure...then SHE said she would pray to ask what to do! 

By the end of the night, she still didn't know. 

I told her that my experience has told me that if I'm unsure after praying, then the answer is sometimes "wait." or "not now." 

I had the feeling that it would be better for her long-term to wait a week or two. 

In the morning she still was unsure, so she said she'd leave it for another week so it wouldn't be a stressful experience. I honestly think that's for the best. 

Sure, I didn't get to actually baptise her which was a bit of a bummer, but I will be so happy when she posts her baptism pictures on facebook after I get home! :)

The Mormon Missionary Christmas Choir Concert was on Friday. It was great. 

They did it last year too--basically the musically talented of the mission travel around all of Scotland and perform in the stake centers. Mostly singing, but a few instrumental things like piano and violin. There was a great Christmas spirit there.

We also went to Sam's church again, a born-again type, for a Christmas carol service. It was quite nice as well. 

Welllll that's all I can think of now. See you on Friday!

Love,

Elder Spencer Ashcraft Burt

Photo: The Richards family