“I KNOW I’ve Heard That Name ‘Snakes’ Before...”

Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! And a happy new year!

I will be hard-pressed to adequately describe with my weak vocabulary how amazing this Christmas experience is! There is nothing quite like serving the Lord full-time in the season we celebrate Him, our Savior and Redeemer. There is ALSO nothing like seeing the positive chain of events resulting in hard work in the Lord’s vineyard.

Allow me to begin from the start...

Mom, you will be so happy to know the top of the Christmas tree we helped decorate is equipped with an angel. Dad, I tried to tell them how wonderful the tree would look with a star instead. Regardless, I am proud the Baker’s family Christmas tree looks so wonderful!

It is Lynnde Baker’s birthday at the Baker’s home. My exchange companion, Elder Bonnemort (who quickly received the nickname ‘Voldemort’), draw Lynnde birthday pictures. This is my contribution:

One of Lynnde’s favorite animals is the elephant

Later the same night, we discover Grace has atrociously procrastinated an art project of decorating 30 Christmas party favor bags.

Another of my contributions

She wouldn’t turn around for the picture

One of the greatest highlights of my week is the baptism of Vaida! Elder Miller and I are invited to attend. To my great surprise Vaida requested Ian Englebright to baptize her! At the baptismal service Ian gives a talk on baptism and the Holy Ghost prior to the baptism as though he has been a member of they church his entire life. There are so many people at Vaida’s baptism! A ton of Vaida’s family and the wonderfully supportive members of the Bel Aire ward are packed into the rooms like sardines!

Ian and Vaida step into the waters. There I am, sitting near the glass like the children surrounding me, watching. A young man I taught the gospel holds and immerses a young girl I also was once blessed to teach. Elder Bischoff and I are blessed with the wonderful occasion to teach the congregated members and nonmembers why Vaida and Ian are dressed in white, why Vaida is fully immersed in the water, what the priesthood is, and why it is necessary the gospel to revealed to and restored through a young prophet by the name of Josephy Smith. A wonderful opportunity!

The bishop, Bishop Labrum, welcomes Vaida to the ward. He says to Vaida, “You have such a cute smile! Do you think Jesus is smiling as big as you are right now?” Vaida doesn’t miss a beat and responds with the happiest look on her face, “No. He is smiling much bigger!” My heart melts!

The Three Amigos!

Elders Saari, Bischoff, LaMont, Ian Englebright, Elders Folwell, and “Fluke” Fluckiger, little Miss Vaida at the bottom

Tacos for lunch with the squad

Thank You note from Grace for the art project help

I absolutely LOVE talking to my family on Christmas! It is the best Christmas present ever! Mom, Dad, Claire, Vivian, I enjoyed talking with you SO much! My family is such a beautiful light in my life! Thank you for being my Ohana!

Love each and every one of you as well! Thank you for your support and prayers!

Christmas Lights and Fallen Camrades - The Jovial Season

The beginning of this week has marked a first in the mission. Zone conference was on a Monday, the typical preparation day. We have been given opportunity to have our p-day on Tuesday the following day.

The mission president’s wife, Sister McCuistion, is decorating the cultural hall when Elder Miller, Elder Horton, and I arrive at the church. She is disappointed there is no star on the small Christmas tree surrounded by many wrapped presents addressed to missionaries in the Wichita and Hutchinson zones. Curious! Eager to learn more about the circumstance, Elder Miller and I offer to procure a star for the Christmas tree. After a quick hunt throught the church we find popsicle sticks, scotch tape, and tin foil. As we are creating our star, we hear the meeting begin. Elder Miller and I quickly throw the star together and place it on top of the Christmas tree before bustling into the chapel wherein a spiritual meeting was had.

Like elementary schoolchildren, the missionaries hustle to the gym at the announcement of lunch. I am blessed to see much of the Grant family from the Rolling Hills ward who so graciously helped prepare the zone conference meal. It’s so great to see them!

After lunch is organized a small 12 Days of Christmas activity. Missionaries are organized into groups. Each group enacts one assigned day of Christmas while all of us sing the song. My group is assigned ‘5 Golden Rings’ so we dance like Justin Timberlake in Beyonce Single Ladies SNL every time our turn comes to present as the song is sung. When the activity is over, President McCusition laughs and says “Elder LaMont I never want to see your hips move like that again.” I guess he didn’t like the sister missionaries reaction to my dancing. Good thing it’s my last zone conference!

I am given opportunity to bear departing testimony. I say it is difficult to leave Kansas. I reference a story called The Prophet written by Kahlil Gibran - the change to leave Kansas and to end my ministry as a full time representative of the Savior is “not a garment I cast off... but a skin that I tear with my own hands.” It is not a simple and easy thing to do. Kansas is to me as the waters of Mormon are to the people of Alma, the renegade priest of King Noah. “How beautiful are [the waters] to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (Mosiah 18:30).

The time finally came to open the gifts addressed to us encompassing the Christmas tree, mine and Miller’s redneck star glistening at the top. The gift is a Kansas Wichita Mission shirt with ornaments upon which are written single words our families use to describe us. Mine are ‘Magnanimous’ and ‘Diligent’. Thank you family!

Later in the week the three of us respond to a small plea for a blessing at the local hospital. As I write, I remember a latter-day saint woman asking me if it is wrong to request many blessings in times of trial. This woman was once victim to a man’s impatience to an additional request of hers to receive another priesthood blessing. Though as imperfect as the impatient man in this memory, I always remember my answer to the woman’s inquiry: no worthy priesthood man should ever hesitate to exercise the power of God to the benefit of another soul. It is an honor and a privelege to serve.

My dear friend Elder Horton chose to go home to Pueblo, Colorado. There he will await his visa so he may have more time in his assigned mission. It has left a great void in our former trio, now companionship. The news left each of us in a very dejected mood so we decide to lift our spirits by service. We go to the Baker family home to hang Christmas lights on the house and the Christmas tree. It was a great time!

On Saturday Elder Miller and I are trying to get along in the area without Elder Horton. We become lost and find ourselves in an old area of mine. Very close to the home of Billy and Amie! I can’t resist directing him to the house to say hello. Vaida insisted Elder Miller and I take her wagon for a spin. Her baptism is scheduled Saturday the 23rd at 11:00 am! Vaida has asked none other than Ian Englebright to perform the baptismal ordinance. I am looking forward to being there.

The same evening is the ward Christmas party. It was a great opportunity for Elder Miller and I to acquaint ourselves with more members of the ward seeing as how we are in a near white-wash situation. Santa was there! Perhaps I’m a little too old to sit on Santa’s lap and didn’t want to take any opportunity away from the little ones. Had to get a picture at the least!

Sunday is a great day. Before sacrament in Priesthood Executive Council our Ward Mission Leader Brother Farthing, who I love dearly, throws me under the bus to fill in for an assigned speaker who had fallen ill. “How about we get our soon-to-depart-for-home-missionary to speak?” He says loudly, eyebrows raised, as he dramatically leans forward to look me in the eye. The decision is made. I know when I am ‘voluntold’. It was such an awesome occasion to both bless the sacrament and give a short talk with ten minutes of preparation. Hogging the blessings!

It’s a wonderful time to be alive! Love you all! Thank you for your support and prayers!

Light the World!

Three is a Party

As a missionary coming to the end of his mission does, I'm doing a little thinking about the nature of time. I hear from the wise the importance of cherishing the small moments. I am told by so many, 'Time moves so fast.'

We are taught in the scriptures time according to our Heavenly Father. 1,000 years on Earth is equivalent to a single day in the Lord's time. The average human life is a mere forty-five minutes to our prior home. Many of us are blessed with the knowledge of the life before Earth. Perhaps we have existed there for thousands of millenia according to our mortal time. There would be little wonder then why it seems time in this earthly experience seems so short.

I celebrated my birthday this past week. Turning twenty-one is not as exciting when you can't have any alcohol! You know you're a Mormon when you say, "Hold my Coke and watch this', or perhaps when the punch at the party is spiked with Mountain Dew. Instead of drinking legally for the first time I decided to serve at a soup kitchen. I remember being thanked by a member of the volunteer crew that night. I said, "There isn't anything else I'd rather be doing right now." It struck me how truthful I felt my response was. The Spirit washed over me in that instant and I felt a particularly powerful happiness from an experience that occured in half a moment.

Posing in front of amazing Christmas lights in Pratt

Because it's tradition

Playing with the photoshoot gift

Around the middle of the week I have occasion to be on an exchange with Elder Herbine, one of our zone leaders. Elder Herbine and I have some interesting proselyting experiences in our time together. First, we knock the door of a woman that tells us she is not the least bit interested until she discovers we are not Jehovah's Witnesses. This woman is running a daycare inside her home. From inside we hear a young girl speaking strings of profanities. Elder Herbine and I get a real laugh from the woman's story about this toddler-age girl in her care who learns these terrible words from her parents but does not understood why they are bad. This young child inadvertently teaches her peers resulting in a daycare full of chaotic vocabulary. *In the sweetest little girl voice* "Can I sit in the d--n chair?" and a response to the barking hounds, "Shut the h--- up!" Oh the innocence of children. Second, we contact a potential investigator that happens to be working on their dragster engine. I've never experienced something so loud. The candid video does no justice to the crippling din.

In preparation for the baptism of Kim Brown, the three of us are configuring a baptismal program at the Valley Center Library. Something special about this library is they have a live mascot named Pages. Pages is a jet black tabby cat. This feline is packing more of a belly than my pet Yorkie.

Kim's baptism follows Saturday. We have a great turn out, the talks are wonderful, the Spirit is there. Poor Kim has to be baptized not once, not twice, but FIVE times! Elder Miller just couldn't quite get her all the way under the water. The crowd applauded when Kim came out of the water after being fully immersed. This deters Kim not at all. Though I've not known her long, I've never seen Kim so happy. She graced me with the privilage of confirming her the following day in sacrament meeting.

Monday night my companions and I are knocking some doors and we hear loud music and lots of lights. Like moths to a flame we flock to the commotion and stumble upon this scene.

We are the only white people there and nobody seems to speak any English. Watching the dance is real fun though!

Twilight Town

I am so sad to leave Wamego! Goodbye Oz.. My companion and I are sure to go through Wamego's Oz Museum before we leave.

The transfer day is crazy. The situation is complicated. Elder Miller is training Elder Horton and I'm in the companionship, making three of us. So my companions are in training meetings as mandated in every case of training on transfer day. I have the pleasure of hanging out with Elder West who is leaving for home, and Elder Fluckiger the new assistant vehicle coordinator. We help the housing coordinators and make sure we snag another bed for Elder Miller.

Valley Center is a neat place. I've affectionately termed this land 'Twilight Town' because I have entered the twilight of my mission. The usual spot (where I live) is very different and quite small. It looks even smaller with three men sharing the place. It is a duplex we share with a middle-aged less active woman that comes to church every onve in a while. Unfortunately I have not met her yet. My wonderful family sends a package to the incorrect address I provide them. A hilarious wild chase ensues. In the end the package is obtained.

The three of us have a great blessing of teaching Kim Brown. Kim has been looking forward to her baptism for several weeks. A date and time is set for the ordinance. It will be this Saturday, the ninth. Mille, Horton and I are so very excited for Kim.

Friday and Saturday the Wichita stake sets up a massive event called The Pageant. In the church gym there are rows and rows of tables packed with nativity scenes. There is a room with many pictures depicting the life of Christ. Live music is softly playing in the chapel where the music is heard from the gym. The atmosphere is wonderful. We have the occasion of bringing our less active friend Victor. The companions and I did not find anyone there to teach right off the bat. I know this community event has touched many hearts and planted many seeds.

Sunday is a great day. I relish every moment of my final fast and testimony meeting. Kim enjoys the meeting. Elder Miller and I sit with her while Elder Horton sits with Donovan. Donovan is fourteen years and he has consistently come to mutual with the bishop's children and he loves it. We invite him to sacrament several days prior and play some basketball with him. The kid is a great ball player. Donovan loves church and we hope to be teaching him the first lesson this week, at least.

The highlight of this week is the Christmas Devotional. Elder Kevin R. Duncan's experiences he spoke of really touch my heart as I listen intently to how his faith and determination builds his life from tragedy enjoying many blessings. How great is our Father on Heaven! He loves all of us so much.

Thank you to all those who have wished me a happy birthday! It is wonderful to have so many emails in my inbox so close to my return. I love you squad. Thanks for your support and love.