Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Hi Family and Friends,

 

So I always loved it when mom or dad would tuck me in and say "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" Cute little bedtime rhyme right? mmmm, not so much when the bed bugs actually do bite. Elder Rabe woke up Sunday and Monday with these small little bites on his arms and legs; some formed small triangles, some form straight lines. And he recognized them as bed bug bites. And so the nightmare begins!  So we take allllll the blankets in the apt, all the bedding, our clothes, everything to the laundromat and wash it. Just as you would for a lice treatment. They get in the seams and small cracks of fabric, so you have to wash and dry it all to kill them. Then we used permethrin and a special Raid to spray all the bedding and furniture in the apartment. It ate up most of our day. I luckily didn't get bitten, but I feel bad Elder Rabe was the one to get bitten.

 

We visited with Jackie in the afternoon  yesterday and found that an exterminator was there spraying for bed bugs....Alas, we found the source! So we talked to Bill and Jackie as we waited for the man to leave. I looked down at the seat cushions of the kitchen table chairs and found a little something crawling. These cushions had over a dozen full-sized bugs on them. They're hard to squish and kill cause they're so flat, but we got most of them and then helped her put the cushions in the dryer. So that's that. We're still looking out for them.

 

Jackie came to Stake Conference on Sunday in Dover. They talked about the temple and keeping covenants there and missionary work. Soo it was a great meeting for members, but I had to do a lot of explaining to her. She is still working on getting an answer as to whether or not she feels this is true, so we are being patient with her and giving her time to read and pray about it all.

 

Last Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Spackman (Zone Leader) in Dover. We walked up to this college-aged young man and started a conversation with him. We asked if he knew anything about the church to which he responded, "Yeah, you worship Lucifer, right?" I did my famous eye roll and laughed, thinking he was joking. His facial expression did not change though...Really? Where in the world did you hear that? He had talked to some friends and consulted the always trusty and reliable internet. Gotta love google. But he was touched by our testimonies and the Book of Mormon and the Zone Leaders have since said that he seems willing to get baptized. It felt awesome to be an instrument in the Lord's hands in not only clearing up misconceptions, but testifying of the truth we do have. 

 

For dinner that night, I got to go "on base" at Dover AFB to a member's home. Cute little family. We have also been visiting a bunch of less actives who literally live in Timbuktu. The boonies of Delaware, I know, I didn't think DE was big enough to have boonies either. Yesterday I saw a Menenite family in Walmart dressed up in their dresses and bonnets and aprons. It's cool to be in a part of the country where so many different cultures live so close together. It helps to recognize the fact that we are ALL children of the same God. No matter our beliefs or our backgrounds. No matter the mistakes we've made in the past. No matter the color of our skin. We are all  children of a loving Heavenly Father. It's taken me effort to recognize that and see people as such, but my perspective is changing as I help others come closer to that God who gave them life.

 

CHAPTER 2-sure does seem like it

 

We met a John and Rebecca, sweet little family and John had gone to temple square a few weeks ago, church found out that he was baptized when he was 12, has since gone inactive and so we got a referral for us to visit him. So we did and they are just the nicest people. He told us he was moving to Seattle, but before i got a chance to ask he said, "yeah we're looking at a house in Renton." I jumped out of my seat and told him I have an aunt and uncle in Renton!! They'd be more than willing to have you (and the missionaries haa) over for dinner when you get there. Hope you're ok with that Brian and Pattie! Ha, but that would be awesome if you guys got to meet them.

 

We set several people with Baptismal dates, the most solid so far is Steven, the son of a ward member. He is 14 and knows more about the church and the gospel than a lot of 14 year old members. He is gung ho about getting baptized and reads the Book of Mormon faster than I do, So we are excited for him.

 

In my interview with President Anderson on Saturday, he asked me what I do about stress and the burdens of missionary work. I told him I try to do exactly as the Savior asks us, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." We talked about how exhausting it is when people choose not to accept the truth or when things just don't go as planned. We put our hearts into this and I have felt like the Sons of Mosiah " That salvation should be declared to every creature...could not bear that any human soul should perish." (Mos. 28:3) And that's really all we can do. Be obedient, act in faith, and rely upon the Lord to do the rest. I hope all is well with everyone. Remember to Smile, the world needs it=)

 

Love,

Elder Jake Robins