I see that my Mom sent me photos of my family getting into my slides AFTER I put them away. What's up with that?
This last week was very interesting. Starting back at last pday- as soon as we got back home around 2 o'clock, we were notified to get on an emergency video call with our zone. We did and elder Cannon (our mission doctor) advised us to stay in our houses for a week. We were told not to go outside, with no exceptions besides going to the chapel and sitting out in our cars to get wifi. It turns out, the previous week before we got the call, there were some missionaries in our zone that went to a member's house. About a week later, they found out that he had the virus. So those missionaries we exposed to the virus. My companion and I did not go to that but we live with two other elders who did. So we also had to stay locked up as well. Also, there is this thing going around about how we are encouraged to share any miracles, big or small, in our group texts with our zones during this lock-in. And I almost lost it after elder Merrill (one of the elders in our house) made the comment of how we should share the miracle of the Lord finding a way to humble us yet again. Elder Merrill is one of the most innocent/reserved people I know. The really sad thing is, that member who had the virus ended up passing away because of it. We've been hearing a lot about that lately. There have been a few members in our branch who have caught the virus without serious harm. Regardless, we continue to pray!
I'm still feeling great! I have not been sick yet and neither of the other elders in the house got sick this last week. There have been a couple missionaries in our mission who have gotten the virus. We also found out last night that one of the APs (Assistant to the President....a missionary in charge of all the other missionaries who assists day to day assignments for the Mission President) got the virus, but the other tested negative which was odd.
Nothing too exciting happened this last week but we are brainstorming new ideas for videos to make on Facebook! So stay tuned! Anna is progressing well and we are still holding off on putting a baptism date down for her. We don't feel it's time yet. But she picks up on all the lessons well and she has been able to attend some video meetings with the branch! Elder Enz and I have also begun doing Tuesday night calls with the branch to do a bit out of the Come, Follow Me. We also do that separately each day with the families that feed us. It has been very wonderful! The Silver Lakes branch is incredible! Another thing we have been doing to contact is singing! We go through the area book and make calls accordingly, but instead of introducing ourselves we just start singing a hymn. It has been going well and one of the potential investigators actually attended the branch call yesterday! We had two other investigators attend too which was awesome! We're making great progress!!!
I haven't spoken much about food... I'm sorry for that! To make it up, I'll talk a bit about what we've been cooking lately! One of my favorites was the bass we made! First, it took like six hours to thaw, then I soaked it in milk to get that swampy taste out, then I rubbed butter on it, then I fried it in garlic and creole seasoning, then I topped it off with pure sea salt, basil, and Carolina BBQ sauce. It was absolutely terrific!! I did that same process with chicken breast, minus soaking it in milk. My Dad would be so proud of me. I've also cooked some great spaghetti! Apparently lemon pepper goes well with it! I've even been able to turn ramen into something more exciting! Along with its flavor, I throw in some butter, basil, and creole! My companion really likes to make veggie stir fry which is also incredible! So that's some of the things we've been able to do with food.
Last night we had a devotional as a mission and it was very impactful. President and sister Pingree shared a recording of some of the training they received from president Nelson a couple weeks ago. He shared the importance of the restoration and the position that Joseph Smith held, beginning as a young boy! President Nelson spoke for over 20 min about different experiences that Joseph had to help him become the prophet of the restoration. He talked about how Joseph was tutored by about 60 different angles over the course of his life. All being Adam down to our own time. President Nelson wanted to emphasize the importance of this year and the first vision. The adversary is doing a lot to distract others from the significance of this year. But as we search for ways to make it more meaningful, I know that we will receive blessing upon blessing from the Lord and our testimonies can be strengthened! There is always a strong spirit felt when listening to a prophet testify of another prophet. You can feel the connection that runs from Joseph Smith to president Nelson. This is my testimony, that we have prophets today that lead and guide us in the direction that the Lord would have us follow. I love being a missionary! It is an experience that I will forever look back on. Every minute of every day will be a moment I appreciate as I move on throughout my life. I love our Father in Heaven, and I love our Savior. That would be the most prominent thing I would want others to understand about me, that I love and appreciate them more than anything. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Take care!
-Elder Markham
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