The Friend of Reason

Written by Sister Chalet Severson                   Nov. 25, 2010

When we were asked to tell our companions about a person who has shaped our life, I didn’t even need to think.  I knew exactly who that person was for me.   Her name is Candy Rendon.

She’s about ten years older than I am and has been an older-sister figure in my life since I was about 12.  We first met at church.  She was the camp director in my ward.  I had just moved into the ward and was a little on the quiet side.  Well…on the outside. Inside I was wild and rambunctious.  When I first met Candy, there was something different about her.  Not your normal leader.  She was way young, but was very grown up at the same time.  I don’t know what or why it was, but I instantly had a bond with her and knew we would be good friends.

Once camp came we went on a hike.  At the tail end of all the hikers was me, my friend Sam and Candy.  Candy, being the one trying to hurry us up, kept teasing us on how we were so slow and that we were young.  We should be faster than her.  Well, that’s all it took to bring the prankster out in me.  Once we sat down for a rest, I slipped a rock into her backpack.  This continued for about 10 more times as we continued our hike.  Once we were getting closer to the top, she was getting further and further behind.  The teasing now was aimed towards her and how she was so slow.  Once at the top, we all sat to eat our lunch.  She opened her back pack and found the rocks!  It then turned into dodge the rocks!  I was running, she was throwing.  We have been inseparable ever since.

Every big decision in my life, she was who I turned to.  She has been the voice in my head, the friend of reason.  I have always had her back and she’s had mine.  She continued on to become Young Women’s President and an even bigger influence in my Gospel life.  She was the person I wanted to be like as a young girl and now as I’m grown, I still look to her for guidance and a sister to spend time with.  I’ve lived with her right before my mission and was able to spend lots of time with her and her kids.  She’s an example to me.  She’s the definition of love and friendship.  She’s not just my best friend.  She’s my family, my sister.

Chalet Severson is third from left on front row.
Back row includes Elder Sorenson, Elder Stachowski, Elder Voss, and Elder Amussen
Front row, Sister Mimaki, Sister Shibata, and on right, Sister Harada

It Was A Sweet Experience

Elder Mckenzie (left) with unidentified sister and Elder Heaton

Written by Elder Mckenzie

Thanks for all your love and support in the Nagoya Mission.  I really appreciate your sacrifice to be here.

I wanted to tell you about Yamazaki Yuya.  He is 11 years old.  He is like a comedian, so funny.  I first met him on an exchange with Elder Heaton.  We talked to him on the street. Later on the sister missionaries met his dad, who is less active, housing.  Because of that, they both came to church.

From then on, we started teaching Yuya and we set a baptismal date.  Eventually it was time for him to get baptized, and we scheduled an interview on Saturday.  Because of circumstances we had to get Elder Tolman and Elder Tsutamori to come from Ueda.  But when the time for the interview came around, Yuya didn’t show up.  So we searched everywhere for him.  We went to his house, to the park where he plays soccer, the park where we taught him and the sisters even went to his school.  He was nowhere to be found.  This was on the Saturday before his baptismal date.

On Sunday morning, he came to church and he still wanted to be baptized.  So we got Elder Beal and Elder Sorenson to come from Suwa.  They did the interview.  Sister Wada and Sister Nakatsuka helped make the program, and we cleaned and filled the font.  With a lot of help from everyone, we got it all together.  

The best part was his dad got the Priesthood and got to baptize his son that very day.  It was a sweet experience.