Hello all,
It was great to hear from you all on Saturday. Christmas was good! It was great to spend it with members. Saturday afternoon we spent with the Liu's and their family. It was great to spend time sitting around and talking and playing board games. And as always, we had a wonderful dinner. We spent Christmas night with recent converts, Rebecca and Jane, Sue, and Anne and her kids. It is great to see Sue take the lead and fellowship some of those people struggling. After all, that is truly what the gospel is about, to bear one another's burdens. She is a great example of fellowshipping those who need a good friend.
I recently heard of the Provo tabernacle that recently burned down. I heard that it is all ruined, except for one thing, a charred picture of the Savior. It is ironic really. In a world that is so dark and confusing, He is always there to help. He performed the atonement. Through Him, we can be saved. It was a great story to hear about at this time of year when we remember the Savior and His sacrifice for us.
The gospel is one of love. I see that every day! As I teach others about Jesus Christ and His plan for each one of us, my love for the people grows stronger and stronger. It is truly tragic when those that I teach reject the teachings. I am happy for E. That was truly the highlight of her mission, seeing the family go into the baptismal covenant.
Sarah Cate and Libby will be great missionaries! They always have such a great spirit and enthusiasm while sharing the gospel!
The new year looks promising for the work here in Issaquah 5th ward. In 2011, our ward will focus on part-member families. There are nearly 47 people who could be baptized. There is one young girl who comes to church every week and reads the Book of Mormon every night. She has been on date before, but her baptized mother, who claims she is now Buddhist, wants her to REALLY gain a testimony before she is baptized. What more of a testimony is that??!!! Me and my companion must work hard in order to start the year off right.
The Church is True!
Love/Miss You,
Elder Richard Fetzer
December 28, 2010
December 21, 2010
My Great Week!
Hello All,
This week was one of the best weeks of my mission! It all started on Wednesday when Elder Ouassil and I were tracting apartments, where we found the Indian family and Debbie.
First the Indian family. One of the reasons I love my new companion is because it is easy for him to talk to people on the street and ask them if they would like to learn more. So when the Indian family (Yes, from India! Here there are many b/c they work at Microsoft
) answered the door Elder Ouassil started up a conversation. The husband wasn't home, but the wife said that they were Christian and that we could come back later in the day. Well, we went back and the husband still wasn't home, but we were invited to a bible study class that they have at their house 3 times a week where she said we could teach. She said that the group didn't follow any religion, but followed the bible's teachings and that they always sought for "truth."
So that night we invited our zone leaders to come with us to help and we went to the bible study. We were fed spicy Indian curry and heard a rather amazing sermon about Psalms 23, The Lord is My Shepard, by a boy that couldn't have been more than 12 and then heard a rather lengthy song about that Psalm in their Indian language. We then got to teaching about the Restoration and priesthood authority, although Max, the bible study group's spiritual leader, didn't agree with the fact that authority is needed in order to perform a baptism. All in all it was an excellent cultural experience and I was glad we were invited back on Friday night.
Friday night was more difficult. We went back and had Indian tortillas and meat, heard another song and got back to teaching. This time the group was more prepared and asked difficult questions. Let's just say that we didn't go anywhere in our conversation, but gave them all Books of Mormon to read and study. I think we're gonna give them some time to read before going back to any of their study groups.
Second, Debbie. We found Debbie right after the Indian family. She is a single mom with an 18 year old daughter. She was busy but said we could come back Thursday. We did! We taught her the Restoration, getting a little bit into the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was definitely there and she invited us back after Christmas.
We taught a couple of other new people, but not anyone who is looking to progress further. We found a woman walking her dog who said we could teach about Church "history" AKA The Restoration. We did, but she didn't seem that interested.
We had our mission Christmas party on Thursday. We had a great dinner and then got to watch The Grinch cartoon and Mr. Kruger's Christmas, the cheesy church movie. It was great to see my friends from the MTC and meet many other missionaries.
Have I mentioned how great the ward here is? Last night we watched last year's choir concert with Jane and Rebecca. I hadn't seen it and it was really great to watch. I pointed out dad. I hope that this year's concert went well and I can't wait to get the CD next year. I am grateful for all that I have and for this chance I have to serve the Lord. As always, I know the Church is true! I love you!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
This week was one of the best weeks of my mission! It all started on Wednesday when Elder Ouassil and I were tracting apartments, where we found the Indian family and Debbie.
First the Indian family. One of the reasons I love my new companion is because it is easy for him to talk to people on the street and ask them if they would like to learn more. So when the Indian family (Yes, from India! Here there are many b/c they work at Microsoft
So that night we invited our zone leaders to come with us to help and we went to the bible study. We were fed spicy Indian curry and heard a rather amazing sermon about Psalms 23, The Lord is My Shepard, by a boy that couldn't have been more than 12 and then heard a rather lengthy song about that Psalm in their Indian language. We then got to teaching about the Restoration and priesthood authority, although Max, the bible study group's spiritual leader, didn't agree with the fact that authority is needed in order to perform a baptism. All in all it was an excellent cultural experience and I was glad we were invited back on Friday night.
Friday night was more difficult. We went back and had Indian tortillas and meat, heard another song and got back to teaching. This time the group was more prepared and asked difficult questions. Let's just say that we didn't go anywhere in our conversation, but gave them all Books of Mormon to read and study. I think we're gonna give them some time to read before going back to any of their study groups.
Second, Debbie. We found Debbie right after the Indian family. She is a single mom with an 18 year old daughter. She was busy but said we could come back Thursday. We did! We taught her the Restoration, getting a little bit into the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was definitely there and she invited us back after Christmas.
We taught a couple of other new people, but not anyone who is looking to progress further. We found a woman walking her dog who said we could teach about Church "history" AKA The Restoration. We did, but she didn't seem that interested.
We had our mission Christmas party on Thursday. We had a great dinner and then got to watch The Grinch cartoon and Mr. Kruger's Christmas, the cheesy church movie. It was great to see my friends from the MTC and meet many other missionaries.
Have I mentioned how great the ward here is? Last night we watched last year's choir concert with Jane and Rebecca. I hadn't seen it and it was really great to watch. I pointed out dad. I hope that this year's concert went well and I can't wait to get the CD next year. I am grateful for all that I have and for this chance I have to serve the Lord. As always, I know the Church is true! I love you!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
Transfer Week!
Hello all,
Transfers were today. I am now in........Issaquah 5th ward! Wait, that is where I have been since September! Elder Kitchen left. My new companion is named Elder Ouassil (pronounced Wassil). He is cool! This morning we drove down to Kent and I met him there. He is from Lancaster, California. We are both ready to work hard and go out and find new people to teach!
This was an interesting week. I was out of my area for 5 days out of the week, 2 days exchanges and the others I was with other elders in Issaquah. Elder Kitchen was at leadership training so I went with some other companionship's during the day. We did a lot of tracting, but we are beginning to see the results of our hard work. We found some new investigators for the other wards. I know that the Lord prepares people, but it is my job to find them.
I love teaching the gospel! It is amazing to watch people learn about the plan that God has for us. As we teach new members, they understand why it is truly important to live the gospel because they understand it!
Last night we had dinner at the Bishops house again. They showed me the email that you wrote! The Bishops wife was telling me that, as a missionaries mom, she would like to have someone write her about her son.
Last week we went to the mall in Bellevue with an older sister in our ward. She got us lunch! The people hare are so nice and supportive of the missionaries. The woman who took us is Stacey. She is the woman who is going to go through the temple soon. She also gave us Frango mints, which reminded me of our family reunions.
I love you!
From,
Elder Fetzer!
Transfers were today. I am now in........Issaquah 5th ward! Wait, that is where I have been since September! Elder Kitchen left. My new companion is named Elder Ouassil (pronounced Wassil). He is cool! This morning we drove down to Kent and I met him there. He is from Lancaster, California. We are both ready to work hard and go out and find new people to teach!
This was an interesting week. I was out of my area for 5 days out of the week, 2 days exchanges and the others I was with other elders in Issaquah. Elder Kitchen was at leadership training so I went with some other companionship's during the day. We did a lot of tracting, but we are beginning to see the results of our hard work. We found some new investigators for the other wards. I know that the Lord prepares people, but it is my job to find them.
I love teaching the gospel! It is amazing to watch people learn about the plan that God has for us. As we teach new members, they understand why it is truly important to live the gospel because they understand it!
Last night we had dinner at the Bishops house again. They showed me the email that you wrote! The Bishops wife was telling me that, as a missionaries mom, she would like to have someone write her about her son.
Last week we went to the mall in Bellevue with an older sister in our ward. She got us lunch! The people hare are so nice and supportive of the missionaries. The woman who took us is Stacey. She is the woman who is going to go through the temple soon. She also gave us Frango mints, which reminded me of our family reunions.
I love you!
From,
Elder Fetzer!
December 15, 2010
December 5, 2010
December 4, 2010
Thanksgiving
Hello all,
Well, this week was an absolutely crazy but incredible week! Let's start at the good news!
First off, we have a new investigator! Addison is living with a member family; the grandparents of her son. We taught her about the restoration on Tuesday. The lesson was amazing! Thanks for all your prayers! Never have we had a lesson where the spirit was so strong and testified of the truthfulness of our message. There is no doubt that she felt it too! She had no problems with the commitments and she understood the power of the restoration and why it was important. I felt the spirit tell me things to say and testify to her that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet and restored Jesus Christ's true church on the earth once again.
We continue to support and encourage the members of the ward in their missionary efforts. The ward has always been good, and because of the ward's help, 9 new converts have been baptized into the ward, making this ward the highest number in the stake!
One woman we teach, who has 4 small children told us that she began to doubt, but that prayer helped her regain faith. She is one of my favorite people to teach. She takes our advice and applies it to her life. It is a testimony builder to me that the Lord helps and loves all his children and wants the best for every person. This woman tries hard as a mother and her hard work is an example to me.
This week it snowed. Let me say, it was pretty crazy! Schools were shut down, cars were abandoned at the side of the street and the city shut down. People were truly stuck in their houses. It was great for missionary work! People seemed more cheerful and happy and willing to let us teach them. Here they refuse to salt the roads so plowing the roads simply reveals the ice below. Roads are quite scary!
This week was thanksgiving! Let me say, it was an amazing meal! We had multiple appointments during the day, but our main course was at a member's house who was recently re-converted. The woman who cooked is French and is an amazing cook! We had the usual, but she included some french ingredients. One family we visited gave us pumpkin juice, in commemoration of Harry Potter. I am glad there are fellow fans in my ward.
During the next couple of weeks I may be going to the Harry Potter Exhibition in downtown Seattle so if I don't send you a message that week, be expecting a letter instead. Last week we went to the Bellevue mall. It was quite fun! As we walked in I saw it - The Microsoft Store. As we got closer, it seemed eerily familiar, like I had seen it before. Maybe because it looked almost EXACTLY like the Apple store! Same kinds of people working there with short-sleeved t-shirts, hand's on opportunities, and the same modern design that would be found at Apple, just a few stores down. Kind of typical. They never come up with an original idea. NICE WORK MICROSOFT!
Last night we had our weekly appointment to talk to the bishop. As we were about to leave, we saw he had a player piano. He showed it to us and we both got to use it. It was fun! Anyway, This was a good week and I can't wait for this next one. We have Zone Conference, which is always good. I feel your prayers every day and am constantly reminded why a mission is important. I love you!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
Well, this week was an absolutely crazy but incredible week! Let's start at the good news!
First off, we have a new investigator! Addison is living with a member family; the grandparents of her son. We taught her about the restoration on Tuesday. The lesson was amazing! Thanks for all your prayers! Never have we had a lesson where the spirit was so strong and testified of the truthfulness of our message. There is no doubt that she felt it too! She had no problems with the commitments and she understood the power of the restoration and why it was important. I felt the spirit tell me things to say and testify to her that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet and restored Jesus Christ's true church on the earth once again.
We continue to support and encourage the members of the ward in their missionary efforts. The ward has always been good, and because of the ward's help, 9 new converts have been baptized into the ward, making this ward the highest number in the stake!
One woman we teach, who has 4 small children told us that she began to doubt, but that prayer helped her regain faith. She is one of my favorite people to teach. She takes our advice and applies it to her life. It is a testimony builder to me that the Lord helps and loves all his children and wants the best for every person. This woman tries hard as a mother and her hard work is an example to me.
This week it snowed. Let me say, it was pretty crazy! Schools were shut down, cars were abandoned at the side of the street and the city shut down. People were truly stuck in their houses. It was great for missionary work! People seemed more cheerful and happy and willing to let us teach them. Here they refuse to salt the roads so plowing the roads simply reveals the ice below. Roads are quite scary!
This week was thanksgiving! Let me say, it was an amazing meal! We had multiple appointments during the day, but our main course was at a member's house who was recently re-converted. The woman who cooked is French and is an amazing cook! We had the usual, but she included some french ingredients. One family we visited gave us pumpkin juice, in commemoration of Harry Potter. I am glad there are fellow fans in my ward.
During the next couple of weeks I may be going to the Harry Potter Exhibition in downtown Seattle so if I don't send you a message that week, be expecting a letter instead. Last week we went to the Bellevue mall. It was quite fun! As we walked in I saw it - The Microsoft Store. As we got closer, it seemed eerily familiar, like I had seen it before. Maybe because it looked almost EXACTLY like the Apple store! Same kinds of people working there with short-sleeved t-shirts, hand's on opportunities, and the same modern design that would be found at Apple, just a few stores down. Kind of typical. They never come up with an original idea. NICE WORK MICROSOFT!
Last night we had our weekly appointment to talk to the bishop. As we were about to leave, we saw he had a player piano. He showed it to us and we both got to use it. It was fun! Anyway, This was a good week and I can't wait for this next one. We have Zone Conference, which is always good. I feel your prayers every day and am constantly reminded why a mission is important. I love you!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
Hello All
Well right now I am looking out the window at about 1 inch of snow and traffic is coming to a standstill. I love this weather! This was another slow week, but things are starting to pick up. We have a new list of part-member families we are going to start working with and we have a new investigator! We know that the most effective missionary work is through members and we are trying to get the ward more excited about it.
This week we did a lot of tracting, which I don't like, but every day we saw some miracles. We got appointments from people we never get to see and got some good potential investigators. We are finally beginning to get out of the after baptisms slump. Things in general look hopeful.
As for our investigators, We have to go back all the way to who God is and who Jesus Christ is for Kendra and her boyfriend. We thought she had a solid Christian background, being baptized Catholic, but she has never really gotten to know God. Now we have a clear road map on where she wants to go and it will be easier teaching her.
Thanksgiving is this week and we are having a missionary party! I am excited to see my friends from the MTC and others from my zone I don't get to see much. We have a lot of people that want us over to teach and have dinner with them so we will be well taken care of.
I am grateful for all I have and this mission has really helped me realize all that I have. I am grateful for the gospel and the happiness it brings people as we live it. The gospel is really amazing and it can truly change people for the better. I know that as we live it, we can build stronger relationships and bring us joy. I know the gospel is true and what I am doing is the right thing. I love you all!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
This week we did a lot of tracting, which I don't like, but every day we saw some miracles. We got appointments from people we never get to see and got some good potential investigators. We are finally beginning to get out of the after baptisms slump. Things in general look hopeful.
Elder Kitchen was ill for a lot of the week so there were times we stayed home. I got to catch up on some much needed sleep.
As for our investigators, We have to go back all the way to who God is and who Jesus Christ is for Kendra and her boyfriend. We thought she had a solid Christian background, being baptized Catholic, but she has never really gotten to know God. Now we have a clear road map on where she wants to go and it will be easier teaching her.
Thanksgiving is this week and we are having a missionary party! I am excited to see my friends from the MTC and others from my zone I don't get to see much. We have a lot of people that want us over to teach and have dinner with them so we will be well taken care of.
I am grateful for all I have and this mission has really helped me realize all that I have. I am grateful for the gospel and the happiness it brings people as we live it. The gospel is really amazing and it can truly change people for the better. I know that as we live it, we can build stronger relationships and bring us joy. I know the gospel is true and what I am doing is the right thing. I love you all!
Love,
Elder Fetzer
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