DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE

“DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE”

— Walking Dead

One morning this week I awoke to a small horror. In my sheets I found a translucent mite that had taken a blood sample from me. Upon further inspection of my mattress it became quite clear the bedding was infested with two stages of bedbugs. This experience has brought me closer to becoming a Kansan.

Left: Casing - these insects will shed their exoskeletons as they grow and mature.

Right: A happy, possibly female, bedbug that had fed the night before.

All of the protocol was followed and thus the worst of the situation is the difficulty of being comfortable through the night sleeping on a hide-a-bed in the living room. Not even that bad! The door to the infested room is on lockdown until the apartment can be treated.

The quarantine procedures felt like an apocalyptic adventure. Leave me my fun.

Unfortunately for Elder Bischoff and I, the discovery of these pests was made the morning of what was meant to be a wonderful opportunity of listening to the semi-annual general conference Saturday session. BOOOOO!! The good news is we are blessed with the means necessary to catch up by watching general conference on lds.org.

Bless the Conrady’s because they invited us to watch the Priesthood session in their home on a giant projector after dinner! I so much enjoyed President Uchtdorf’s address of which he spoke of spiritual healing by means of heavenly light. He teaches, “as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are a bearer of light. Keep doing the things that will nurture His divine light.” Each of us have a responsibility to keep spirits healthy and to lift the spirits of others around us.

I had an interesting conversation with a young man claiming he was a ’satanist’ as I was on exchanges with a rather new missionary. Because the self-proclaimed satanist interestingly had a friend with him genuinely interested in the Book of Mormon, we did not pass quickly. Instead we taught the inquisitive friend as we dodged the many violent threats and dark words spoken by our sadistic company. This brave missionary and I taught with power and authority undaunted by the menace. Peace filled my soul instead as I made the decision to trust in the Lord as the hell-bent man brandished a weapon. We continued to deliver the message and left in peace. The Lord protects His servants.

I love to be a missionary. I am so grateful for the privilege to serve.