Today is a day that I will never forget and neither will Heavenly Father!

I am doing awesome! We get the Ensign every week so that's good! This
week has been tuff, we have been sick everyday this last week and I am
still sick! There is a fire in the Kenai and missionaries have been
evacuated, because the fire is burning peoples houses now, we wake up
every morning to ashes on our car and the air is really bad so that is
probably why I am sick! Canada is helping us with the fire, how sweet
of them Haha! so mom this is my week!

Monday- We met with our new investigator  Terence and we taught him
the Restoration and boy does he know a lot! He has a lot of questions
because all he does to study religion is he googles it! Yeah no good,
but we warned him about it and he is now reading the scriptures
instead of going to the Internet for things!

Tuesday- Honestly nothing really happened except District meeting we
had a barbecue and almost burnt down the church. Me and Elder Loy have
been super sick.

Wednesday- So we did some service and what we did was put in Fiber
glass isolation stuff! OUCH especially because I was In a short
sleeve shirt and had some shorts on. Yeah it hurt really bad! But
guess who was there!? Janessa a Fellowshiper back when I was serving
in Wasilla and when she saw me she was like NOOOOO WAAAYYYY!!!! And
she was crying and I asked why she was crying, she was like you will
understand later! I need your number. So I gave her my number and then
she left!

Thursday- I finally feel better but now Elder Loy is sick and so He
slept for 15 hours! With President permission of course! He was sicker
than I was when I was sick! So I just had an awesome time studying but
during my studying I got a text and this is what it said!
(Janessa = +) (Me *)

+Hi Elder Russell, this is Janessa!

* Janessa! Wow how are you!?

+Doing Amazing and so excited! I want to officially ask you, would you
be the one to baptize me on Saturday?? :)

*Sorry that it took me so long to reply I was dancing and while I was
dancing I realized that I have to reply back. Haha I am speechless!
YES I would love to baptize you! Thank you so much! Oh my goodness you
are awesome!

+YAY!!:) I'm so happy!! you were dancing?? haha

* Yeah don't try to picture me dancing it's not a pretty picture! ;)

Etc.

Friday- We Helped Brother Chavez do some Landscaping!

Saturday- So today was Janessa's baptism and boy was I nervous! I
cannot explain the feeling that I felt when she went into the water!
Not only did she change but I changed as well! I pulled her off to the
side before the baptism to explain to her how this goes and how she
was doing/feeling. She told me that she thought that it was just going
to be me and her and the witnesses and her family! but her friends
came as well and she told me that she is now super nervous! I calmed
her down kind of haha. I don't think it helped when I told her that
she is my first actual baptism! haha! Woops! When it was time for the
actual baptism I walked into my door and she walked into hers and we
looked at each other across from the font waiting to go in and she was
telling me that she was so nervous but she was happy that this is
actually happening! And I was on the other side sticking my thumbs up
in the air saying WOOOOOOOO! But softly and I said this is it Janessa,
this is what you have been waiting for!  The curtains open and we both
walked down into the water and we kind of danced around a little bit
trying to get into the right spot, and I grabbed her hand and put it
on my wrist and then I grabbed her right wrist with my left hand and I
said are you Ready? She took a deep breath and almost in tears said
yes! I said "Janessa Estella Ruf, having been commissioned of Jesus
Christ I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost, Amen! I then waited for her to plug her nose and then
I DUNKED HER!!!! Hahaha It was so awesome! When she came out of the
water she smiled so big and so did I! I then came to realize that when
she came out of the water, she was perfect! And then I realized that I
was holding a perfect human being for that split second! Boy did the
spirit fill my soul! I will never forget this day! And she told me,
neither will she! She is getting an Interview tomorrow after church
for a temple recommend! And for a calling! Hehehe! I told her that I
cannot make it to the conformation tomorrow and she was pretty bummed
about that and so I called president tonight and he told me to Go! I
have not told her yet, but she will see me tomorrow! I will hold
strong to that feeling that I felt today and today is a day that I
will never forget and neither will Heavenly Father!

Sunday- Well I went to the confirmation and she liked jumped up in the
air when she saw me! haha it was awesome!

Well that was my crazy week!
Love you Guys!

Elder Russell