Gennady's dunkin π
Listen up y'all, things got wet this week... ππ¦
We got my boy Gennady dunked! Yeah, that's right, my dude got baptized! For all y'all that may not remember who Gennady is, he is the grandpa we put on date, right at the beginning of the winter months, while I was serving in Poltava. He didn't want to get baptized while it was cold, so he asked if we could wait till after winter... SOOOOO "after winter" comes around (and I'm already gone now), but then he gets sick! And he wants to wait till he's feeling better to get baptized. So the missionaries have been waiting for him to recover for a bit now... AND THEN all the British missionaries have to go to Moldova to get their visas renewed, so that means I got to go spend a few days in Poltava with a different companion!
So naturally, we go visit Gennady. Omg, he was so adorable. I love him! We are walking up to him and he sees me and says, all excited with the biggest grin on his face, "What!? What are you doing here?!" and "I was just looking at the picture of us two days ago, and now you're here! And I have your badge on my book (the one I left him) and your tie!" IT WAS SO CUTE HAHA.
We also bought him a new, more sturdy cane as a gift (cuz I had left right before his birthday) and he was ecstatic about that haha.
I asked him about baptism and he told me he still hasn't done it yet. I suggested we do it Friday before I left for Sumy, saying this would probably be the last chance I could be there for it, and how much of an honor it would be. He replied he was still a little sick and didn't know if he would be able to make Friday. So, we let it go for a minute, shared a spiritual thought, and then I pushed for it again, just telling him how much I love him and assuring him it would go well and how bad I would love to see him baptized. He said, "Okay, I will let you know how I feel Friday morning because I have been feeling better and it's possible." We asked if we could give him a blessing of health, which he accepted and we then gave, and then we were on our way. This all happened Wednesday.
THE NEXT DAY, he calls us up and says," Boys, let's do it." LEZ GOOOO! So we spent a majority of Thursday evening and Friday morning getting everything planned and set up for the baptism which was kind of stressful haha. He shows up, gets all ready.
He is a more fragile man, so it was humbling to see him walk down numerous stairs and struggle into the font, but do so with commitment and eagerness. He was submerged in the water, and as he came back up, he had the biggest, unforgettable smile on his face. That single smile stands as a testimony to me of the goodness of baptism. It was SUCH a great, tender, warm moment.
Also, it was hilarious though, right before getting submerged, a lot of the leaders were nervous for him going under just because he's a little older, and they say, "Are you not scared!?" and he replied back all boldly, "What's there to be scared of!?" Everybody started cracking up haha.
So there you have it! Gennady baptism! It was legit! So sad to say goodbye to him upon leaving!
Other than that, we also cooked ΡΠ°ΡΠ»ΡΠΊ (BBQ) in the forest on Thursday with some of my favorite youth from Poltava, and oh my gosh it was soooo good. Everybody was sooo impressed with my Eagle Scout abilities to start the fire, too (sarcasm intended). Although I made it very clear in the kindling process that I indeed did earn the merit, repeating, "Let the Eagle handle this, step back" π. I had to take matters into my own hands is all!!
We ate tons of food there.
They have this amazing pizza restaurant that I think we ordered from 3 or 4 times within my 4 period day stay haha. And we had some other great lessons/meeting throughout. Needless to say, this week has been legit!
Much love,
Elder Wilde
