The Happenings Of Elder Toph Tribe: We had a baptism!

We had a baptism here in the La Pradera Park Ward! Will was baptized
this past Saturday. It went really well! It took 4 times, but he
finally was submerged in the water and washed clean. There were
individuals who attended the baptism who were not members of the
church. It was a great opportunity to talk about the importance of
following Jesus Christ exactly. It helped drive home the principle of
complete submersion and the opportunity to more fully explain that. I
love the beauty of the fact that as we go under the water, it
represents the laying down of our old sinful life. Then as we come out
of the water, it represents the rebirth in to our new life as a
disciple of Jesus Christ.

Doris made us home made, southern style fried chicken this week! Hands
down the best fried chicken I've ever had. She unfortunately smoked
this past week. Her baptism is now back to its original day of August
20th. I think that this was a good experience for Doris though. She
had the opportunity to make a mistake and fully repent of her actions.
She testified of the power of the Atonement she was able to feel and
her renewed conviction to follow Jesus Christ.

We had zone meeting this past week. This takes place the first Friday
of every month. This one was one of the most spiritual zone meetings
that I have had the pleasure of attending. As I've reflected on what
made it so spiritual, I realized that it was the preparation of
everyone attending. Those who lead discussions prepared like always,
but we made an added push for everyone to come prepared studying a
Christlike attribute. Everyone was ready to learn and discuss. It was
amazing the difference a little preparation and pondering can do.

I also had the opportunity to go to the temple this week. I love going
to the Phoenix Temple because I get to see lots of members from
previous areas that I've served in. It's always a great privilege to
be in the House of the Lord. I've made it a personal goal to go to the
temple as much as I possibly can. As a missionary, I don't have that
availability as much as I'd like, so that is something that is going
to be a major focus in my life when I go home.

Alright so here is a fun word to ponder for the week. The word is
equanimity. Sister Griffin, the wife of my mission president,
introduced this word to me. It's means to be calm and evenly tempered
in all situations. Jesus Christ was the master of being equanimous.
Sister Griffin further described it as an attribute that can only be
developed through faith, prayer, and meaningful meditation. We must be
willing to place all trust on God and His timing. When we can do this,
we can achieve a state of equanimity. This is why people can be at
peace even during the difficult times in life. This is something that
I want and am continually working on. A great scripture to think of
while thinking of this word is in the Book of Mormon. It is found in
the Book of Mosiah chapter 24. This is a story of a people who are
temporarily put in to bondage, or slavery, and how through equanimous
living they are freed by the hand of the Lord. The whole chapter is
great and explains the story well. Verses 9-16 highlight exactly what
they did to achieve equanimity in their trial.

I love you all! Have a great week!!

-Elder Toph Tribe

An elder went home early from our zone. He was one of the brand new
missionaries. We sent him off in Glendale style by having a photo
shoot in front of a tagged wall. It was fun!
Then pictures from zone meeting. It went really well