I'll Be Home for Christmas!

Hello all,

 

Christmas time is now past and it's time to start looking towards the new year! Transfers are here and Elder Dale and I are staying right here in the Renton Highlands. And now I can finally say that I truly will be home next Christmas!

 

This week we did a lot of sifting. Although we didn't get many new investigators, we solidified the ones that we already have and realized once again that some people won't make commitments. But the highlight still is Zaria. She is pretty solid. Her 11 year old daughter is in town and she is on fire with the gospel! It is really neat to see. Our second lesson went well. We taught the doctrine of Christ, which she seemed to understand. Her daughter chimed in and unexpectedly taught her the Word of Wisdom and the 10 commandments, but it is really cool to see an 11 year old so engulfed in the gospel, reading her scriptures and studying. She is even reading through the entire Bible.

 

We did have a neat experience this week. We were walking home for lunch and heard someone shout, "hey Mormons," so we went over to talk to the person. We met Taylor. He told us that he moved from Texas about a year ago and took all the lessons there. He said that as soon as he walked into the church there he felt the spirit and knew that it was true. He said he is still planning on being baptized and reads the Book of Mormon, but needs to quit smoking. He knows he can do it with God's help. Unfortunately he doesn't live in our area. But as we were leaving he told us that he wasn't going to talk to us when he saw us, but something prompted him to yell to us. God truly does place people in our path.

 

Christmas was Good. We spent the day with the Kirkhams and with a less-active family the Gaileys. On Christmas eve we had dinner with members and went caroling before an appointment that we had with Zaria.

Well, it's the beginning of a new transfer. Miracles are happening every day. I pray that they will continue to happen. Things are going well and the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

A Christmas Miracle!

Hello all,

 

Starting out our week in the temple was a marvelous way to start out our week. Many people talk about spiritual experiences that they have in the temple. Quite honestly, until Tuesday, I didn't have one quite like this, but it brought the spirit more into our companionship and truly sanctified our work this week. It truly was a Christmas miracle.

 

Last Tuesday morning we got an MTC referral as we were getting ready for the temple. We were quite excited, as we hadn't gotten a referral in a while, plus this one just felt special. Zaria is a woman from Sierra Leone, in Africa. Her daughter and some of her family recently joined the Church in Utah. She went to Church one time in Utah and wanted to learn more. So we went by Tuesday evening and were let right in and we quickly dove right into the message of the Restoration. After reciting the first vision in Joseph Smith's own words, we asked her how she felt. She described the warm feelings of peace that she had and said that she had goosebumps. We testified that she had felt the Holy Ghost testify that it was true and repeated the first vision to her again. As we ended, she was awestruck and amazed that a young man did actually see God and Jesus Christ. We testified of the restoration of the priesthood and invited her to be baptized on January 7th along with her friend Brima. The spirit manifested itself strongly and it was probably the strongest I have ever felt it before.

 

On Thursday after weekly planning we met with Sara. I think I told you about her a few weeks ago. We have had kind of a hard time meeting with her lately. Some lessons have fallen through, but she apologized. She has many issues, including built up anger, some depression, and lots of stress, but the gospel is helping her. Each lesson there seems to be a little bit of change for the better in her. And Thursday was no exception. We testified about faith and that our Savior has suffered all of our pains and afflictions. That He can lift our burdens if we let him. The Spirit truly spoke through us. It was strong! Sara, along with her friend Valente, have once again agreed to baptism on February 11th.

 

God's promise to place people along our daily path truly does work. There were many small miracles that happened this week. Like when a lady answered her door and was wondering what Mormons believed after seeing the ads around. She is looking for God in her life and we testified that through the doctrine of Christ we can be made whole. We invited her to be baptized in January and she accepted. The only thing is that she doesn't live in our area. We were walking out of our apartment complex. A man asked us if he could have "one of those 'Mormon books.'" We testified that the Lord placed us in his path to tell him about the gospel. He said he was looking for more religion in his life and wanted to feel clean from his past. We invited him to learn more and referred him to missionaries in his area. Every person we talked to we shared the doctrine of Christ. We told them why we were there, to help them develop faith in Christ, repent, and be baptized. As we shared these things people felt the spirit and we were able to find many new investigators.

 

Yesterday our ward increased in size. Our numbers had been small and because of the turnover in this ward there are a lot of transient people here. The "same ten people" were practically running the ward, as Bishop Corder says. But needless to say, we had a great Sunday (even though it rained).  We set up a ride for Sara and her friend Jacob, who met with the bishop before Chruch and received some assistance. In the meeting, Jacob said that he too was planning to be baptized the same day as Sara. And although the hour long meeting with 3 wards was mostly about the split, the spirit was still there and we heard some great messages about change. Zaria and Brima weren't able to make it at the last minute because of work and an emergency situation, but they will be there next week. And because the Lord sanctified the week, we did have the 4 investigators at Church that we were planning on including two non-member husbands that we often teach.

This week truly was amazing. We hit all the standards of excellence. We have 6 people in the area who have a baptismal date, taught 24 lessons, most of them in the "other" category to investigators and those not in the Church, and did have people at sacrament. The Lord did bless our work and is preparing the Renton Highlands for something amazing. New members are in our ward and will only make it stronger, helping those that need extra help in the area.

 

I have learned this week that I truly am nothing in the work of the Lord. I am just an instrument in His hands. None of the miracles that we saw this week were because of us. God trusts us in this area and he is placing people in our path so that we can help them become closer to Him. We are working hard and putting our faith in Him. I feel closer to the spirit than I ever have in my life. The spirit has truly manifest to me that the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Spiritually Fed

Hello All,

 

Today was a temple day! As always, it was great to step inside the holy halls of the Seattle Temple and feel the Spirit of the Lord. I feel spiritually fed and uplifted and am ready to go out and do the Lord's work.

This was kind of a slow week. We taught many "other" lessons to people not of our faith, and found a few new investigators, but it seems that the people that the Lord has blessed us with to teach simply are not keeping any of the commitments we extend to them, including meeting with us. But the Lord has promised us that there are people ready for the gospel and we just need to go out and find them.

 

We do have one investigator named Doug that we have met with a few times. I feel that he is the closest we have to a progressing investigator. We found him a few weeks ago. He was the last door of an apartment building. He said that he had met with missionaries in the past and said that we could come back. So when we were finally able to go back, he kind of rambled on about things that didn't necessarily pertain to the gospel, but he was willing to read the Book of Mormon. When we went back yesterday, he had "researched" our Church a little more and had many questions, not necessarily wanting to anti us, but because he was simply curious. He also said that he was impressed at how we handled ourselves as he rambled on in the first lesson and how we answered his questions without fighting. He said that our Church had something that he wanted to look into more and basically committed himself to read the Book of Mormon and told us a good day to come back. So we'll see where he goes. I am remaining hopeful with him. 

 

We had our mission Christmas party on Friday night. All in all, it was a good time being with other missionaries that I have come to become good friends with. We had an excellent dinner, which was followed by a short musical program. But the main event was the movie. "17 Miracles" was in one word, amazing! It is the story of the Willie and Martin handcart company traveling to the Salt Lake Valley. It shows the dedication and faith of those early pioneer ancestors of the Chruch and some of the many miracles that the Lord provided to help many of them get across the dangerous plains. It showed the sacrifices that the pioneers went through in order to reach Zion so they could be with the Saints. By the end of it, there wasn't a dry eye in the chapel where we watched it (including mine). It shows all of us that no matter our trials and struggles, the Lord is always watching out for us. The movie opened my eyes to the many miracles that the Lord has shown me because "if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." (Mormon 9:19-21)

 

Interviews were yesterday. It is always great talking to President Larkin as he gives us encouragement, advice, and support in our missionary service. Well, things are going as well as they can. The Lord will continue to bless us because the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

People In My Path

Hello all,

Never in my mission have I felt more like a real missionary than I do here in the Renton Highlands. And this week was no exception. We had a great week, meeting lots of new people and truly seeing that the Lord truly does place small miracles in our place.

Let's just say that tuesday was rainy, wet, and yes, quite soggy. And we were out in the middle of it. Thank Heavens for my good Eddie Bauer rain jacket, and for the nice members that let us in. Wednesday was a good day! We found Sara about a week ago and she told us to come back later. After knocking on her door several other times and days, she finally was home and let us in. When we asked her why, she didn't know but told us that it felt right. To me it is amazing how the spirit touches some people by simply giving them "good," undescribable feelings. So we talked to her a little bit and testified about the cleansing power of the atonement. She has had a hard life and could truly use the atonement in her life. In the middle of our lesson about the atonement, her friend Jacob walked in. As we shared the first vision in Joseph Smith's words, we paused and let them think about it. The spirit told them that it was true and we invited them to be baptized on December 24th. They accepted that date and are working towards it. We're praying that they don't fall off, which they easily could.

 

I have found again and again that the spirit also speaks to us as missionaries telling us where to go to find someone that is prepared for the gospel. So the last door of the apartment building we were knocking on Friday we found a new investigator. This week the Lord truly has placed people in our path, as it promisses in Preach My Gospel. Although, not everything worked out this week, the Lord truly has placed us where we were needed at the time we were there.

Thanksgiving was this week! We had it with the Andersons, a member family that we see nearly every week. We had a great time talking to them and even had a cribbage tournement. Sister Belnap died this week and her funeral was Saturday. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and wasn't expected to make it to Thanksgiving. But her funeral was one of the best I have attended. It was funny, hopeful, spirit-filled, and uplifting. The Belnaps are one of the flagship families of the Renton Highlands ward. She was strong in her faith and will truly be missed, but will continue to spread the gospel in the spirit world. It was really quite amazing to see how positive her children (now grown up) were. One of her daughters told us that she was okay and it was just like a mission area transfer. It's hard but it will be okay. I have never thought of death being that way, but for those that know God's plan, that is truly what it is.

 

Things are going well. We continue to work hard. And the Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

It's almost Thanksgiving!

Hello all,

 

Well, this was actually quite a good week! They say that the "Highlands are hot," and I feel that they are beginning to become so. I feel good about this transfer. Hopefully it is the will of the Lord to allow us to teach someone that will actually progress towards baptism!

 

This week we got back in contact with a former/eternal investigator. Derrick and Carly Meehan have investigated since about 2009. RIght now Derrick is ready for baptism, but Carly is not. So we talked about how to recieve personal revalation. We read many scriptures, such as D&C 6:14-15 and D&C 8:2-3. They feel that they may already have recieved an answer on weather the Church is true, but they may not have realized it. So we'll check back on them soon and let them think about what we left them.

 

The Highlight of the week was Elder Dallin H. Oaks. He came to speak to priesthood leaders here, but also spoke to the Missionaries. He talked about always having the spirit with us. When we are able to teach by the spirit, we are able to teach anyone. He also reminded us that selfishness takes the spirit away. We have to let go of our selfish desires and have charity for those around us. It was amazing to be in the presence and shake the hand of an Apostle of the Lord. An opporotunity that we don't get too often. Elder Oaks' "Junior Companion" was Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy. He spoke about how those who are "prepared by the Lord" hear the Lord's voice and have an open heart. Hearing them both speak gave me the extra power I need to get through the next couple of weeks!

 

Thanksgiving is this week! We have a few invites, but we are still trying to figure out what we are going to do. I think that it is gonna be a good week! The Church is true and the Book is blue!

 

~Elder Fetzer

"What just happened?"

Hello all,

 

Well, this week was transfers again and I got a new companion. His name is Elder Dale. But I am staying in the Renton Highlands, which I am actually quite excited about. It is a really good area. We have some great members and many people we can visit and teach. But we do need investigators, some that will actually progress and do what we invite them to do. So we'll keep working.

 

This week we found two new investigators, Heather and Dallin. They are truly people that need the gospel. People say that the Church is kind of like a hospital. For them it could be. This is their third time getting married. They have only been married 3 weeks and are looking for a divorce. We testified about how the gospel could help them and they want to keep learning more. 

 

Also this week was the primary program. It is always fun to see the primary kids get up and sing, especially when we are combined with the Spanish branch. This week we met with Jonah. I told you about him a while ago. It was weird. He is very spiritual and told us that the only mistake in the Book of Mormon is that Jesus isn't a Hebrew name. He also went on and told us about how "father" told him about the 12 degrees of the universe and the meaning of his name and many other things. So we just intently listened and tried to get it back on a gospel subject, but now we know what to do for next time and it gave us a good idea of who to take with us. Really the only thing that could sum it up best is what I asked Elder Ellis when we were walking home: "What just happened?" But Jonah does believe the Church is true and wants to be baptized so I guess you could call him "golden."

 

Well, this week's letter will be short. All in all, it was a good week. All the prayers help. This will be an exciting week though. Elder Dallin H. Oaks from the Quorum of the Twelve apostles and Elder Rasband from the Presidency of the Seventies are coming on Friday. It is going to be an exciting thing for our mission! The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

The Mormon Moment

Hello all,

Well, this has actually been a pretty good week. We had Zone Conference this week, which was actually really good. Probably the best one I have ever been to. It was fun and informative. There was a funny skit about golf with President Larkin, showing us that we need to use all the clubs we have in our bag and all the tools we have at our disposal as missionaries. We also had a fun miniature golf activity against the zones. President Larkin called right now the "Mormon Moment" because the Church is making headlines nearly every day. The Church is being examined and often defended. Mission presidents have even been encouraged to get the newspaper so they know what is going on around them. We even watched THIS funny video. The Church seems to be in a good position right now.

Well, the weather is getting colder and wetter right now and it is getting darker earlier, which isn't too fun, especially without a car, but we'll manage. This week we got a new investigator. Her name is Adalena. She was a referral from another set of missionaries that taught her in another area before she moved into ours. She is a single mom and is at wit's end with her 3 children (5, 12 and 17). She is stressed and wants to teach them good morals and values. She was found by a member in another ward, driving home from a long day at work. The spirit prompted her to pick her up on the side of the road because she was carrying groceries. So when she went back to pick her up, Adalena had dropped her groceries and needed help. When she asked why the member picked her up, the member responded, "Well I am Mormon and when you are baptized into the Church, you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and it told me to pick you up." Eventually missionaries did get involved in that ward, but Adalena wasn't quite ready. The member basically bore her testimony to Adalena and told her that only the gospel could help her family. So she is ready to do anything to help her family. Hopefully she truly decides to follow the gospel. So there is a ray of hope for us in the coming weeks.

I went on exchanges this Friday with Elder Peterson, who is my district leader. It was actually quite a fun exchange. He is one of my favorite missionaries out here. Sunday was kind of disappointing. because Adalena's apartment had problems and the water had to be off temporarily. She didn't make it to Church. But she still wants to come and even get involved with the youth programs. Even a recent convert that was baptized here a few months ago seems to be falling off. He constantly cancels appointments and isn't there when he says he will be. Yesterday he didn't even show up to Church to have Elder Ellis bless his child, which may just be the last time that Eder Ellis could do it.

The Church is true and the work still moves on in the Renton Highlands ward.

~Elder Fetzer

This is Halloween!

Hello all,

 

Today is an exciting day! Super P-day is here! Seeing as we can't be out proselyting tonight, we are going to have a good day. Well, Halloween is here, which means that on November 1st, I will have 10 months left. I can't believe how fast time is flying my last half of my mission. So I guess that means I need to go out and work even harder.

 

This was another average week. We did a bit of tracting, teaching, and visiting. Nothing too out of the ordinary. But we did have a really good lesson with Abi, a less active member that is returning to activity. She invites us for dinner quite often. But the best part is that her non-member husband is the one that likes to talk about the Church. He seems interested and has really warmed up to us coming by. Hopefully we can invite him to really learn more. I feel like this area is ready for something big, but I don't know what yet. So I guess I will keep going out and trying to find new people that are ready and able to progress towards baptism.

 

On Friday we had our ward Halloween Party along with the Spanish Branch that used to be just a group in our ward. There were some really great costumes, including a family of Angry Birds, Parents as fishermen and the kids as a lobster and mermaid, and best of all, a younger couple that came as the spitting image of the Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts that stole the show. Best of all, many of the less-active members that we work with attended and met many more people in the ward.

 

This is going to be a short letter, but things are going well in the Renton Highlands. Missionary work is good and as always the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Thanksgiving in October

Hello all,

The rainy season has officially started in Seattle, making kind of a dull week. So yes, the rain really did put a damper on things. But hopefully things will get better soon. Last week I told you about Julie, an investigator that an intense, kind of pushy zone leader found for us during a tracting blitz of an apartment. Well, after many attempts to get a hold of her (even when we called she hung up), and finally getting a hold of her at her apartment, she dropped us. She has a lot on her plate and isn't ready right now, so we'll keep on looking for those that are truly ready for the gospel in their lives.

I don't know if it was faithlessness, or just experience that has told me that you can't necessarily put people on-date for baptism on the doorstep and expect them to follow through with what they agreed to do. But I guess that it sometimes works. I do know, however, that you should always talk about baptism in every lesson so it isn't a surprise when you invite people to be baptized.

Well, I got my Mormon.org profile finally online. There is a link on the side of the blog where you can find a link to it. Have you created a profile yet?

Well, I already told you that we teach many less active people. There are nearly 300 members and only about 75 come to sacrament meeting. But past missionaries have really made some good relationships with less-active members so we do have many people to teach. Hopefully we can get some new investigators soon. Until then, things are good! 

A dull week did end well. Last night we had dinner with the Kirkhams, an awesome member family that always makes my day when we go for a visit. They had an awesome full-on thanksgiving dinner, which I have to say was quite amazing. Sometimes the Lord knows just what you need after a disappointing week. So the work moves on and as always the Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Speeding Away

Hello All-

 

This week was my first time riding in a police car. Don't worry, it's not what you think. He was just a nice member that saw us walking to a 7:00 appointment and offered us a ride because we don't have a car. It was quite exciting!

 

The weeks seem to by flying by this transfer. Days go by faster when you have to walk everywhere! Our area is really quite small for a ward here and it takes about 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other. This week we had a few tracting exchanges in our area, where we found a few new investigators. Like Julie, who is technically on-date, but because we haven't really gotten the chance to meet her and she hasn't let us set up a time to come by, may be off-date very soon. She was tracted into and a really intense missionary invited her to be baptized. So we'll see where she goes, but I am a lot more hopeful about the Paulsons. The Paulsons are former investigators that we found in the area book. They were almost baptized a few years ago, but fell off because it would have caused family tension. So when we went to their house they were open to meeting again. We have an appointment with them this Thursday!

 

This ward has a lot of less-actives. With only about 60 attending sacrament each week and a few hundred on the records, there is a lot to do. I really like working with the less-actives. They have felt the spirit in their life already. There is usually a reason they don't attend anymore. But many of them are open to the missionaries visiting with them. It is sometimes the extent of their religious life and it is a really neat thing to be a part of.

Church was interesting yesterday. We were asked to do the Gospel Principles lesson in our class. Only 4 people attended. And Priesthood? I have never been to an Elders quorum meeting where only 6 (including my companion and I) attended. But the Church is still true no matter how big or small the congregation. And it is fun when you can get to know the members of the ward better and when they actually know who the missionaries are - a feeling I haven't truly felt in a ward since my firs area in Issaquah.

 

So right now we are moving along at a good pace. We teach every night and it is quite easy to have "other" lessons here. I feel like a real missionary again, after being in the office for nearly 6 months and not having too many people to teach. Time is ticking away now that I am over the hump. 

Well, things are going really well here.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Elder Fetzer with Ted and Kathy, a couple from his last area, the night before he was transferred.

iMISSYOU

Hello All-

iWAS shocked when iHEARD that one of the world's greatest businessmen and visionarys, Steve Jobs died. iDIDN'T know that he was so sick, or for that matter, that he had even retired from Apple. What a sad day! Steve is dead, but Apple will live on!

Well, the mormon.org campaign has officially started! Now it's time to get excited. TV ads have started, billboards are up, and bus ads are driving around the streets of King County (see http://boncom.com/mormon/ for ads). The mission is just beginning to feel the impact. Hopefully, as we talk to more and more people, we will find those interested in the Church because of the things that they have seen.

The Renton Highlands ward is really great! We don't have a car so we walk everywhere! It is good though. It makes our days go by so much faster. While walking, we also talk to so many more people. This week we met Shan. She said that her boyfriend was mormon and that she wanted to learn more. So we gave her a Book of Mormon and our number and didn't really expect to hear from her again. Where was my faith? So on Sunday she texted us and asked what time Church was at! We didn't even ask her about attending. It was a really cool experience. So we'll see how she turns out.

This ward has so much potential! I am excited to be here! I still don't know too many people, but the people I have met are really nice, humble people. I am excited to be here at this time of my mission. Anyways, this is short, but I am doing well!

~Elder Fetzer

Mission Office-Check that off my list

Hello All-

 

I am kind of relieved. It feels as though a weight has been lifted off my back from all the stressful days in the office, training the new vehicle coordinator, and always being on the move in the familiar Ford F350 mission van, driving around the mission on various errands and being asked to do large moves and having to do it before a particular time. I was transferred. My new companion's name is Elder Ellis, from Utah and we are serving together in - are you ready - the Renton Highlands ward in the Renton, Washington stake in the Washington Seattle Mission! Goodbye Bellevue! I am hopeful for the future.

 

I did like the mission office, but I think that my 4 transfers there was the perfect timing. It was great to always have things to do and places to be, but I am glad to be back as a regular missionary again. This was kind of a sombre weekend, as I was somewhat expecting to be transferred, but the highlight had to be General Conference. As always, conference was great, even better when you are sitting next to the recent converts you had a part in baptizing and they watched all sessions, including Priesthood for Jake, at the Stake Center. Jake and Lindsey Stinson are the highlight of my mission. I am so grateful that they have stayed strong in the gospel and are working towards the temple next year! We had dinner with them on Sunday night, which ended up being a testimony meeting. They have so much hope for the future through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Last night we went by the Stinsons to say goodbye. I know I will see them again soon and know that they are going to be just fine in the fellowship of the Bellevue 6th ward.

 

Betsy is another story. She too is progressing. She liked (not loved) conference, but has decided to be baptized when she is well enough. Hopefully she goes through with this decision. She still has reservations though. She is concerned about polygamy and the priesthood. I am sure Elder Kasenberg can handle all that she throws out. But I will attend her baptism, that is if it happens...

 

I can't wait to listen to and read conference again. It was a great spiritual high, which was just what I needed to get me through transfers.

~Elder Fetzer

An unusual week!

Hello all,

 

Well, this has been probably the craziest week of the transfer (and possibly my mission.) We have been quite busy, not necessarily completely doing missionary work, but also at the office. Today was quite an interesting day. What was supposed to be a p-day today became something I could never have imagined. In the middle of personal study, we got a phone call telling us that another missionary had left his apartment. So we spent the day, along with our zone leaders, driving around and trying to track him down. Needless to say, the elder was eventually found and has decided to stay. It is always sad when a missionary decides to leave. I don't think they really know what they are missing out on.

 

This was an exciting morning at the office. We picked up 5 new cars in Kirkland, which isn't necessarily new, but I finally was able to drive by myself! On top of that, we were outside of the mission boundaries. This is really the only instance that that is okay. It was really exciting and weird at the same time. And of anything I could have done in the office, driving by myself is one of the things I wanted to do the most! So I can check that off of my things to do on my mission checklist. Haha.

 

So it was kind of an abnormal week. I went on exchanges on Wednesday and half-day Thursday.

We did get some time to proselyte though. The Stinsons are finally back and are planing to attend conference. Jake is attending Priesthood meeting, which will be good. That is one of my favorite meetings. So this quite strange week is going to end well.

 

Transfers are next week. I don't know what is going to happen, but I know that whatever happens will be for my own good. I have learned from every area and from every companion. Anyways, this is probably a weird email. My mind is in a million places at once and I can't seem to put my thoughts together. Maybe it is a combination of overhearing a Chinese version of "The wheels on the Bus" at the library, having a million Spanish children running around the computers here right now, or it has just been a long week and I need a nap. But whatever it is, I am sure next week will be better. But things are going well. We still teach Betsy, although I don't know where she is going to go. Our other investigators aren't progressing.It will be interesting to see where I end up next transfer.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Getting Closer

Hello all,

 

Well this was quite an interesting week! Betsy is close. When we met with her on Wednesday, she decided for herself that she needed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. She is smart. She realized that that is one of the main differences from us and any other Christian Church. If Joseph Smith is a Prophet - and he is - than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true! We taught her about prayer and how she could gain her own testimony of the restored gospel. She says that knowing her, she will make a decision soon.

 

We invited our investigator Jullian and his family to Church! They said they were open to it and are planning on being there. So if all goes well we will have at least 3 at Church this week!

 

We were invited to dinner with Dave and his wife Michelle. They are a very nice couple. Interested in what we have to say, but active members at another church - Mars Hill - which is a very large and popular church in the Seattle area. They said we were welcome to come back and share more, but I don't know how interested they would be in being converted. So we'll see where it goes.

 

We're in the office less and less now that the Dollars are here. They are trained and ready to go, though we're still only a phone call away. Transfers are coming up, which means I have a good chance of being transferred out of the office, seeing as the previous office missionaries have only stayed here for 4 transfers. But we'll see what happens.

Things are going well.

 

~Elder Fetzer

Finding Myself

Hello All,

It is quite amazing what you find in an obscure corner of your area at the end of a windy road. The Lord promises that people all around us are being prepared to the message of the restoration, even in Bellevue, Washington. Each day we tract for just a few hours and this week we saw many miracles. First, we met Dave, a converted Christian that originally told us he was having family night and so we gave him a Book of Mormon, but just a few seconds after shutting the door, he opened it back up and stepped out and wanted to learn about the gospel. We talked to him for about an hour about the restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith and how the authority was restored to the earth. He was quite interested and wants to learn more. So we'll see where it goes.

Last month Elder Kasenberg and I were tracting in an apartment complex and we met June. She said she was busy and said to come back "in a month." So a month came and went and we kept on putting it off because things like this happen all the time without going anywhere, but we did decide to go back. So on Tuesday we went back and were told to come back Friday night (Last Night). A little skeptical, we went to our appointment and were invited in. It turns out that June's 13 year old son, Jullian had a friend from school pass away during the week. So we testified and taught about God's eternal plan and that he would see his friend again. What is amazing to me is the timing. We were prompted to go back on Tuesday and set an appointment for Friday BEFORE his friend died. None of us could have ever expected this tragedy to happen, but the Lord always knows best and times things perfectly. This family was prepared by God and at the very moment they had questions about death, they already had an appointment with the missionaries.

Now Jullian's parents aren't necessarily interested. June is Wiccan and the dad isn't really anything, but they are very open to letting their son come to Church and learn from us. So we'll see where our new prospects take us, but I know the Lord truly is preparing people all around us as we go out in faith and earnestly seek them - even in Bellevue.

Now to Betsy, she didn't make it to Church last week. She is very feeble and sick and was tired when the Stinson's came to pick her up. But we'll try again this week. She is still learning but I think with her we're going to be in it for a while. She sees the importance of living the gospel. As we were teaching her about repentance, I realized something HUGE. Anyone can repent fully without necessarily being a member of the Church. The repentance process is truly between yourself and God. Betsy has gone through all the steps of the repentance process before. Our Church doesn't necessarily have any new methods to repent, but we can repent fully when we are baptized by the proper authority, which only our Church has. This was a good week. The Dollars, from Meridian, Idaho arrived in our mission. We are still in the process of training them. Tuesday we went to the Temple. It was great as always, full of personal revelation.

How many missionaries does it take to change a tire? Answer: 7. One to change the tire, the rest to supervise, including the NEW vehicle coordinator My last official duty as vehicle coordinator involved changing tire in the temple parking lot in my suit, while the others stood around the car watching me do it. There was a missionary companionship that has been having car troubles lately - both with their assigned car and the one we replaced it with when it was being fixed from an accident. Now they had a nail in their tire that had caused it to go flat. Good thing it is really quite easy to do it and a repair at Les Schwab is free!

The highlight of my week had to be on Wednesday when Elder Edwards of the second quorum of the Seventy spoke to half the mission in a zone conference. His words were truly inspiring and uplifting. We learned about music and how music invites reverence and reverence invites the spirit. We learned that our future children will be our most important investigators. Most importantly, I learned how to see all God's children as He sees them. Everyone is a child of God. We knew them before this life. And now we are hear to re-teach them the gospel and touch them again because they agreed to it before they came here. The office staff and the zone leaders were personally interviewed by Elder Edwards afterwards. It was probably the BEST interview I have ever had with any priesthood leader, much better than any one I have ever had with President Larkin. Elder Edwards is filled with so much charity. He helped me see what I should become on my mission.  He helped me truly realize what missionary the Lord truly wants me to become. It was really inspiring and now I am even more determined to become a better missionary.

The Lord is truly blessing an area that hasn't seen much happen in the past months. It is really quite amazing! Things are going well and I am hopeful for the future. The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

The end of the office

Hello all,

 

This was another good week. The Dollars (new office couple) couldn't be coming at a better time. We have worked hard the last weeks without the Greensides, but it will be nice to have a new couple taking over our positions. It is kind of funny that so much happened in the office the last week. The Washington Seattle Mission office is officially out of English copies of the Book of Mormon, but we will have enough to give out until 640 new copies come next week. Secondly, someone wants to sue a missionary that got in an accident last year and take him to small claims court. I didn't have to talk to the person that wanted to sue because she didn't know who to call and called the local LDS family services. Luckily all it took was a phone call to the insurance company and they are now on the case! Lastly, A missionary drove home to Utah in a mission car. The car won't be coming back and will be sold by Church headquarters. So if you see a light green Mazda 3 driving around on the streets of Utah, think twice about where it may have come from.

 

Tomorrow we actually are going to have an investigator at Church! Betsy is coming to a stake conference (which is actually a broadcast). We have found Betsy to be quite a difficult student in some aspects. She has many feminist ideas, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but has problems with women not having the priesthood and for some reason doesn't like the doctrine on the family. Maybe she has past issues in her family - we'll have to dig a bit deeper into the problem. It seems as though she agrees with the majority of what we teach her, but she still has concerns about the smallest details. Jake and Lindsey have been great fellowship. Lindsey has really become her friend and even spent the day with her when she came home from the care center. Lindsey even came over and read the Ensign with Betsy. It is exciting to see the fire they have for sharing the gospel with others and hearing them bear testimony about how the Church has blessed their lives.

 

We got another new investigator this week. The Korean missionaries were tracting in our area and found Wei, a Chinese man in his late 20's. He grew up Buddhist, but doesn't necessarily believe in it. He doesn't understand why God didn't let him tell his grandpa he loved him before he died. But we had a really spiritual lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can heal his wounds. He felt the spirit and was excited to read the Book of Mormon. He is one of the most honest and sincere truth seekers I have ever met!

We are going to have a good week. Elder Edwards of the Quorum of the Seventy is going to be visiting our mission on Wednesday and we will be attending the temple on Tuesday. Things are starting to pick up in this area! It is always interesting to see an area come alive again after being nearly dead for many, many transfers, even before the Stinsons joined the Church.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Year One

Something has changed. I finally have less days than the number I have been out. I am just over the hump. I have been out ONE YEAR! And in that year I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned to be more patient. I have learned to be more kind. I have learned that I can make friends and spend time with nearly anyone - no matter what age. I have learned to cook better, how to be an effective teacher. And I have learned what charity is. But more importantly, I have learned more about the truthfulness of the gospel - by living it and seeing others live it. And I have seen the happiness that comes from fully repenting, changing, and becoming better. Is there room for improvement? Of course! I can work harder and be a better missionary, but I would never change what has happened so far. I know that all the people I have met, the companions I have had, the people I have taught and the places I have gone have taught me and made me better. And as hard as it is some days, I know I can persevere. Because I have seen the blessings that come through it. So all in all, I love my mission and I can't wait to see where the next year takes me.

To end my first year, I couldn't ask for a better week. Because this was probably my busiest week, teaching wise in this area. The Lord is truly blessing us right now. Time is ticking down until the new senior couple comes. For that I am excited. This week was my last vehicle training. And soon I can turn over my cell phone to the new Vehicle Coordinator and let him deal with some of the weird situations I have had to.

This week we got a new investigator. Her name is Betsy. I would say that she is in her late 70's. A member from a different ward asked some other missionaries to give her a blessing, but when they found out she lived in our area, we soon started teaching her. Right now she is in a care facility so that she can regain strength and gain some weight, which she desparately needs. But in a few weeks she plans on attending Church and other activities. She is very sincere about wanting to learn more. We have met with her almost every day in the care facitliy. Basically everything we have taught her so far "rings true" with her. So here's to hoping that she turns out. We brought Jake and Lindsey to one lesson. They were great fellowship! While we taught the Plan of Salvation, they shared their testimonies and conversion story. Jake even pitched in and did some of the teaching on agency and the fall, even when he didn't necessarily realize that was part of the lesson plan. He knows the doctrine well, even as a new member. It was really exciting to me to see where their testimonies of the gospel are. As I have said before, they are going to be great members of the Church.

So things are going well. We are teaching more and that always helps. The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Crazy things are happening!

Hello all,

 

So this was a busy week. It was transfers! And as I predicted, Elder Kasenberg and I are still in the office. This had to have been one of the busiest weeks of my mission, in the office every day from 9-5 and most evenings driving around the mission delivering bikes and other furniture to missionaries that moved into new apartments. But at least we are busy and do have things that have to be done, although I can't wait until I am back as a regular missionary.

 

I am glad that our ward has FINALLY implemented the focus 5 program, in which we focus on families and individuals that are less-active and would like to invite back to Church. It has taken a long time for the ward to really learn how to implement it, after various trainings from stake leaders and even an area seventy, and took Elder Perry to come for the ward counsel to really understand it. But better late than never. Other wards I have been in that have truly implemented the program have seen great success from it and have seen many people come back into the Church. So once it is fully implemented we will have a lot more referrals from the ward to teach.

 

This week I sold a car without the help of Elder Greensides. I feel pretty happy about my accomplishment. I sold the Toyota Avalon driven by the mission president before he got a new one. I am happy about the persistence of the man who bought it for calling nearly every week since June to see when it would be ready.

 

We had a REALLY CRAZY experience this week. I can't remember if I have ever told you about him, but there is a homeless man in the stake that is well-known among the missionaries that always asks for blessings and advice. I have had 2 experiences with him in the past when I was in Issaquah 5th. Before he came to Church and after the meetings he asked for a blessing because he "gained revelation" that he lost his exaltation when he was sitting in the waiting room (that is the only part he can go into) in the temple. So he expected us to give him a blessing telling him that he had or had not lost it (that blessing didn't say). As I saw the man walk into the office and stand at the counter and ask me and my companion for a blessing, I froze. This time he talked to us for an hour about how he moved back east but his bishop there told him to come back and make amends with his wife so he could fully repent. Now in Washington he wanted a blessing telling him what to do next. I have to be honest, the spirit wasn't there. So I gave a blessing telling him universally true statements, such as to follow the law and that Heavenly Father wants him to get his life back in order. THEN he wanted my comp to give him a blessing because "out of the mouth of two or three witnesses" is truth, so he says. So Elder Kasenberg gave him a blessing with universally true statements. After this experience we talked to other missionaries and many of them had heard and even had other experiences with this man. I guess for being in Bellevue nearly a year I got my fair share of experiences with him. Crazy stuff! But that is one of the interesting things about missionary work. You don't have those experiences every day!

 

Well, things are going okay. Work is moving along and the Washington Seattle Mission is doing good!

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Elder Perry comes to visit

Hello all,

 

So this week was actually quite good, not in terms of teaching or lessons, or the people that we met, but it was just good. And to end it by hearing from one of the Twelve apostle made it all the better.

 

Transfers are coming up next week and i'll be surprised if either me or my companion are transferred because we are really the only ones that know how the office runs. But it could always happen. Also, it seems as though my friends out here are all getting ready to go home. Each transfer more and more people that I know are leaving the mission field, off to bigger and better things. Every transfer I feel like I know less people. So maybe it is just me and I need to start getting to know the younger missionaries better. I feel like I am still a younger missionary myself, but then I realize I have been out nearly a year and see that most of the mission is younger than I am and that makes me feel weird. Anyways, things are fine right now. We're always busy in the office and getting ready for transfers is no different.

 

Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing from Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. He was accompanied by his wife and Elder Christiansen of the Quroum of the 70. Elder Christiansen just emphasized points found in Preach My Gospel including talking to everyone, companionship study, and how to help people read and gain a witness of the Book of Mormon. Sister Perry also spoke about enduring trials and the blessings that come from it. Elder Perry talked about loving your companion and how to work with less-active members of the Church. The spirit in the meeting was quite strong. It is always a great experience when general authorities come to visit.

 

We haven't met with the Stinsons is a while. They have family visiting. But they said we could come by next week. We're planning to talk to them about Patriarchal Blessings! We found some good potential tracting this week.So that was basically my week. It was good.

 

~Elder Fetzer

Zone Conferences and More

Hello all,

 

This was quite a good week! We actually did have time to do some missionary work (after 5 PM of course) and we stayed pretty busy. This week was zone conference, meaning that we had to be there all 4 days and do all the inspections and do training. It still surprises me that we train on basically the same thing every zone conference and missionaries still aren't able to care for their cars well. But at least we get a good lunch from all the work and I get to see some of my friends from around the mission.

 

Proselyting is going to start to change in the mission. BECAUSE, have I told you about it? The Church is going to do a HUGE media blitz for the "I'm a Mormon" campaign in the Seattle area and it is going to help the work here a lot! As part of it, we are spending a lot of time on the Mormon.org site and all the missionaries are creating profiles. Other cities that the Church has done this in has seen great success, especially NYC. It seems that the Church has been seen in a better light lately. Hopefully this helps people gain a testimony of the gospel. 

 

Also, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is visiting the area THIS FRIDAY. Rumor has it he will provide training for this upcoming blitz, but none the less, I am quite excited! At zone conference, all the areas got DVD players to use to watch the Preach My Gospel training DVDs. I'm kind of worried about what is going to happen, but I know that the people who approved it in the Missionary Department know what they are doing.

 

This media blitz may be what our mission needs to see the work really start to skyrocket. We have had many visits from general authorities in the past year preparing us for great things to come. Hopefully this will help accomplish the goals our mission wants to achieve.

 

We had some good success tracting this week. Many of the potential investigators we found live around members homes. It is surprising how prepared some of the people are. We were tracting around the Bishop's house and we found a man who wants to become closer to God. He let us in (the second time it has ever happened) and we taught him about the atonement and we taught him how to pray and actually got him to do it! It was really quite a miracle! 

 

Last night we had a great ward party! The ward holds an annual corn roast every year at a park on the shore of Lake Washington. It was quite enjoyable getting to know the members of this ward better! Other than that, It was an average week. But the Church is True and will bless many more people to come.

 

~Elder Fetzer

"Can I Rent a Car?"

This was another interesting week in the Washington Seattle Mission Office. We are getting ready for Zone Conference next week and we also have transfers coming up. So things are really picking up.

There was a car that broke down and I had it towed to a dealership. When the missionary found out his car would be in the shop for 2 days he asked if the Church would get a rental car. Of course the answer is no. It is just kind of funny the dumb questions you encounter from other missionaries.

 

Elder and Sister Greensides left for home. They both gave good talks in the ward that they attended. It was a bittersweet goodbye for them. They will truly be missed. They were great missionaries!

Last Saturday the Bellevue Stake had a luau. This stake does more activities than any other stake I have seen, probably because the people here have money, but still. They had a roasted pig, hawaiian ice, and hundreds of cupcakes. I saw some of my friends from Issaquah 5th like Anne and Sue. Every time I see Anne she seems like she is doing better. It keeps on being a testament to me on how the gospel changes people. Last October she was in a really low point in her life, but as she has more fully lived the gospel, she has been blessed.

 

The Stinsons and Sue and her husband Adrian met. They both have similar interests and love the outdoors and are very active outside. Hopefully they both become better friends with each other. As soon as I met the Stinsons, I thought that they would be good friends.

 

Things are slow right now. Hopefully things start to pick up, but for now we have the office, which takes up most days and evenings. So we keep busy, just not with real missionary work. Hopefully I'm blessed when I get out of here.

 

The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Ready to Take Over the Office!

Hello all,

 

So yes, Saturday is my p-day at least until mid-September, when the new office couple, the Wiesses, come. We work from 9 to 5 in the office all week, except Saturday and Sunday. The Greensides leave Monday and so we will officially take over the office. I am glad we have gotten a solid 2.5 weeks in training. I think it will be okay.

 

Last Saturday I attended Sue's sealing in the Seattle Temple. It was a great ceremony and as always, it is good to be in the House of the Lord. Afterwards, there was a reception at the chapel behind the Temple. It was great to see old friends from that ward. 

 

Other than that, it was kind of a dull week in the office. We are getting another vehicle ready to sell. And there are always emergency repairs and tire replacements needing to be done as well. So things can get quite stressful. I love the days in the office where there is nothing going on!

This week we tracted a lot in the evenings and found no one. Our area is very slow, and really has always been slow because the Office Elders have always been assigned to this ward. But the highlight of the week continues to be the Stinsons. They are still solid. We had a great lesson with them about service and watched the films on the new D&C DVDs about the story of John Rowe Moyle and John Tanner. They are faith building stories about how they fulfilled their callings in the Church. That is one more thing they need, real callings. They have been temporarily assigned to be on an upcoming activities comity, but they are ready and willing to do more. So we'll have to work with the bishop to make sure they get one. Because that is one of the things a Prophet of God said that every new convert needs, a friend, a calling, and nurturing from the good word of God.

 

So things are going well here. We're busy in the office and we are doing missionary work, just in a different way. The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

A Very Busy Week

This is going to be short. I have never driven a brand new car, or been out of the mission boundaries to pick them up, but I have done those and many more vehicle coordinator tasks this week. Along with that, I did new missionary training, signed the papers to sell a car, and had to call Church headquarters to get authorizations for car repairs. This is the busiest I have been throughout my whole mission. I can't wait to have a break.

I feel as though my emails are going to be rather boring over the next weeks. We have very little time to proselyte and our other office elder related activities, including moving out apartments and delivering furniture and supplies are taking up many of our nights. I am just glad that we have a good ward that is very missionary minded.

Plus we're still teaching Jake and Lindsey, but they are on a backpacking trip this week so we won't see them until next week. We're going to Sue's sealing today at the temple and her reception after. It will be fun to see my friends from Issaquah 5th.

All in all, things are going just fine.

~Elder Fetzer

Things Are Slow, But Things Are Good!

Hello All,

 

This was quite the week. It is always busy after transfers, but our added office assignments just make us more busy. First off, I am officially the Vehicle Coordinator for the Washington Seattle Mission with legal power of attorney to sign for new cars and sell old ones and do whatever else is required for the job. The Greensides leave the 30th of the month so Elder Kasenberg and I are at the office form 9-5 basically every weekday training with them. We are both going to do training for new missionaries, do zone conference car inspections, and manage the cars and make sure the missionaries get them fixed and take them for other maintenance. Plus, we are officially taking over for the Greensides the first week in August after they leave and filling in for many of the other office jobs until their replacements come in mid-september. This is going to be a busy and interesting transfer.

So far, we have learned a lot about how the mission works. It is kind of overload, but I am sure that the next week will get better and I know it will be fine.

 

Things in the Bellevue 6th ward are kind of slow. We got some new investigators this week. The Petersons are an older couple and were referred by their friends from Arizona when they went to the Easter pagent there with them. Our first lesson was interesting. They mainly wanted to know what made us different and about the Book of Mormon. I don't know how much real intent they have, but maybe they could end up being the next Jake and Lindsey Stinsons. We can only hope.

 

So since things are going slow here, I will just tell you more about Jake and Lindsey. They are still amazing! They just keep becoming more and more wonderful as time passes. Last night President Larkin had a fireside at his house for new converts. He asked them all to bear their testimony and share their conversion story. The Stinsons did great and Lindsey seemed VERY excited. They bore their testimonies about the importance of the priesthood and about how happy the last months living the gospel has made them. Lindsey says she is shy, but she has no problem talking to people about the Church. She is so excited about it! She was excited yesterday because she got her first calling as a visiting teacher. She said that her prayer came true because she prayed that she would be able to work with one particular sister in the ward that has really become good friends with her. Now they are companions and she will teach Lindsey how to be a visiting teacher. Jake and Lindsey are already doing missionary work. On the day of their baptism, Lindsey talked to her sister in Florida who was really down in the dumps and told her about the peace she has felt in the gospel. She asked if missionaries could visit her sister. Now, a month later Lindsey's sister has a job and is happier and is thinking about being baptized. But there is more to the story. Her sister's friend has seen the peace her sister has felt and is now taking the lessons. Even though they don't have kids to pass the gospel on to, a chain is starting to form with the people the Stinsons have told about the gospel. It is all very exciting.

 

So things are doing fine here. I don't know how much prosliting we will be able to do, but we are at least busy. That is good.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

The Busiest Transfers Yet!

Hello all,

 

Transfers have happened so for us that means it is our busiest time of the transfer. I have a whole list of missionaries that need things, furniture that needs to be delivered, and other office tasks that need to be done soon!

 

Last week was kind of slower, but when it got to the weekend, things quickly picked up.

First off, on Sunday night, after our wonderful dinner with the Greensides and Stinsons, Elder Rodriguez found out he was going to be transferred. So we spent all the spare time we had saying goodbye. Saying goodbye to the Stinsons was quite sad. They played "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again" and we talked about their conversion. Every time I talk to them I think of how amazing they truly are. It is amazing that Lindsey, who was a timid woman that didn't trust many people has grown into a bold new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel truly does bring true happiness and changes people for the better.

 

On Monday we took the old missionaries home, which tends to make me quite trunky, but I got over it quickly. Elder Tanner (Hello, if you are reading my blog), my old companion went home along with 12 other missionaries. He will be missed.

 

Yesterday was the busiest day of my mission so far. In the morning Elder Rodriguez packed up and we left for the airport to pick up 21 new missionaries. That is about double the regular size of new missionaries. One of them was actually a familiar face. He was an elder that entered the MTC the same day I did, but had to go home a week into the MTC. It was great to see him back!

 

I got a new companion. His name is Elder Kasenberg. He is from Kitchener, Canada! He is a bit younger than I am (about 8 months), but a great missionary. Together we are basically going to take over the office duties of Vehicle Coordinator and the other office duties when the Greensides leave at the end of this month. So we are going to have a lot to do this transfer training for the office.

 

After transfers we had to deliver some mattresses and a desk to West Seattle late last night because it was the only time we had and had to be done yesterday, according to the Apartment Coordinator. So we had a very long, tiring day yesterday and still have a lot to do this week. Things are good. It's better to be busy than not.

 

The Church is True!

~Elder Fetzer

The Sun is Finally Out!

Hello All,

 

Everyone told me that Summer wouldn't really be here until the 4th of July. They were right. The sun is shining and things are looking bright in the Washington Seattle Mission. 

 

This was just another week. Nothing too special happened, but it was good. On Thursday the Stinsons went to do Temple Baptisms for their parents. The ward was completely behind them. Many of the older couples in the ward that have befriended them were there. One couple even let the Stinsons do their parents! They had quite the spiritual experience and can't wait to go back soon! We had a neat lesson with the Stinsons on Friday night. They grilled steak and we had a really good time talking to them about their Temple experience. We also talked about the Book of Mormon and why it is the keystone of our religion and about the doctrinal truths we have just because of Joseph Smith's First Vision, such as the nature of God and that the heavens are open. I realized that if we as members always remember in our hearts the truthfulness of the First Vision, we will always walk with more faith and know that God follows through with His promises. Sometimes we forget it in the craziness of daily life, but if we do remember it than keeping the commandments is easier because we know that all the revelation, restoration of Priesthood Keys, and all else in the Restored Gospel after the First Vision is true also. We need to always remember the significance of that vision.

 

Celebrating the 4th of July was fun! We woke up bright and early for a ward breakfast. Later that day we had a nice barbecue at a member's house and ended the day with watching fireworks overlooking Bellevue and Seattle. It was a great day! Funny Story, we brought another companionship with us to the barbecue. The members asked us to help cover their pool and while one elder was leaning over, the phone went into the pool. It sat at the bottom for about a minute until someone retrieved it from the bottom. Amazingly, after it was dried off, it still worked! Just for safe measure they put it in rice overnight to dry it our, but I can't believe that it actually works! It is a miracle!

 

So things are chugging along. Transfers are coming up and so we are getting busy in the office. There is a lot we have to do to get ready for transfers. So I won't be emailing until next Tuesday.

 

The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Things Always Turn Out for the Better

Hello all,

 

This week was interesting. It actually started out quite bad, but by the end of the week, I was again on a spiritual high.

 

First off, remember the Indian bible study group that Elder Ouassil and I attended while I was in Issaquah? One of the meeting locations is actually in my area, so me and my district leader, Elder Taylor (who wants to start teaching Indians), went back to get invited back to the study. Warned and prepared from what happened last time, we went in Wednesday night. It started out quite well, reading from the bible, but then the real "lesson" started. One of the men in the group heard that we were coming back and did some "research" beforehand. He was surprised about what he found and pulled out a whole bunch of anti on us, coming mostly from Brigham Young's Journal of Discoursed, which may or may-not be doctine,  but we were able to solve it quite quickly. Our conversation then changed to Adam and Eve and weather they were able to have children in the garden. For the most part, we agreed on many things, but they pulled out suttle differences that they expounded on them. It was really quite annoying that they never really listened to our side. We stood our ground firmly, and so did they. and we never made any progress. Needless to say, it was quite a waste of time and they aren't open to further light and knowledge at this time. This experience only strengthened my testimony of the Restored Gospel. They seemed confused and didn't know all the answers. Experiences like this only make me more grateful for the Book of Mormon.

 

Saturday was interesting. At the Islamic Mosque next door to the Bellevue Stake Center was an open house. My companion and I, and another companionship attended. It was well recieved and I did increase my knowledge about Islam, although I did know a lot of it from my class at BYU-I last year. I was very impressed about how they presented themselves. They talked about the 5 pillars of Islam and even got to see someone who showed up take an oath and become a Muslim. Many members of our Church attended and during the open house they mentioned the "Chruch next door" positively.

I saw Anne and her kids in one of the parks in our area. If you remember, she was one of my favorite people I met with in Issaquah. She seems to be doing amazing! She has completely stopped smoking and got her patriarcial blessing. It is amazing to see the gospel truly change people's lives and I was happy to be a part of that change.

 

It was a pleasant surprise that on Sunday Jake Stinson got the Aaronic Priesthood and became a Priest. We were talking about them in Ward Counsel and noticed there was a stake baptism day for unendowed adults this week. So we invited them to meet with the bishop yesterday and they both got temple recommends and he was interviewed for the priesthood, which he ricieved after Church. It is great to see the progress they are making so quickly. They are my first new converts to be worthy to enter the temple. They are also quite excited to do family history. Lindsey and Jake's first baptisms for the dead are going to be their parents. They can't wait for Thursday!

 

So as you see, things are going okay here. We still don't have too many investigators, but we are still working with Jake and Lindsey. This week seems like it will be exciting too!

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Rain Drops are Falling on my head

This week it rained a lot. No big deal because I am used to it, but thought you ought to know. Seattle is beautiful in the spring. Flowers are out and summer is just around the corner (tomorrow!). This week was quite a lackluster week from last week. We caught up on some much-needed office work, going to Maple Valley, Auburn, and Seattle, but we still have much to do. 

We had a lesson with recent-converts, Jake and Lindsey and watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," which they saw on Temple Square, but they understood it much better this time. They said that they were asked a couple of times on Temple Square if they could have missionaries visit them, and they finally said yes after seeing the film. After all, Joseph did die a martyrs death for the Church. 

We are still teaching Chelsea, our Russian investigator, but she is still caught up on the apostasy and either doesn't understand it or doesn't believe it. So we still have quite a ways to go with her. We are also trying to get in with Mila, a less-active's daughter. She has been in the teaching pool for a while, but won't progress until her mom gets everything together. Her mom is quite lazy and non-committal and tends to stand us up on every appointment we set up, except the 2 times we have done service. But I am not the one to judge.

So all in all, things are just going along right now. We have no one solid we are teaching. But the Chruch is still true even though many people aren't interested and the work of the Lord will still go forth "boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished!" (from the Standard of Truth)

~Elder Fetzer

White Stuff is Falling from the Sky and it Isn't Snow!

Hello All,

It is finally summertime here in Bellevue. The sun is out more and flowers and trees are blooming. Cottonwood trees spread their cotton through the air, looking like a heavy snowstorm, and our apartment's parking lot often looks like freshly fallen snow. Welcome June!

This week was Jake and Lindsey's baptism. Let me say, of all the baptisms I have had this was the most special and spiritual! They are finally members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and they seem quite happy! We had two great lessons with them BEFORE their baptism on Sunday! One was reviewing the Plan of Salvation and the other, a Church tour, reviewing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had to have been the most prepared and sincere investigators I have ever had, studying as much as 5 hours a day, reading scriptures, The Ensign, and articles on LDS.ORG before our lessons! I am truly honored that I had the opportunity to teach them and see them through to baptism. Thursday they had their baptismal interview, which I think they were a bit more nervous for than needed, but they passed with flying colors says our district leader. We asked them to write out their testimonies. When they gave us copies of them they were truly remarkable. Jake bore a sweet testimony. He was thankful for Christ and his family. Lindsey was grateful for patient missionaries and the peace that the gospel has brought into her life. 

  

Saturday was their baptism day. They came excited, changed into their clothes, and we started the meeting. Sister Greenside gave a great talk about baptism and the Holy Ghost, while Elder Greenside baptized them. Elder Rodriguez and I were excited that he got the chance to baptize them, as they were his FIRST live baptisms. Jake, Lindsey, and the Greensides have become good friends. After the Baptism, Bishop Wilson welcomed them into the Bellevue 6th ward, giving them advice and telling them about how they would continue to progress in the gospel through Jake getting the Priesthood, getting sealed in the Temple, holding callings, and receiving their Patriarchal Blessings. The spirit was strong and the ward's support was great! Nearly 60 of Jake and Lindsey's new friends attended! As one of their missionaries, it made me quite happy to see the outpouring of love shown to them.After the Baptism the ward held a potluck at one of the Bishop's counselors houses. That was also well attended and Lindsey stood up and told everyone how grateful she was for their friendship. Lindsey and Jake have come a long way. As missionaries first started meeting with them 3 months ago they were nervous and somewhat reluctant to let missionaries in. But the gospel truly changes people for the better and they are a testimony to me that no matter what walk of life you come from, EVERYONE needs the gospel. Lindsey realizes that too. She is already doing missionary work and asked her sister, who has many problems, to take the missionary lessons in Florida! Her sister's first lesson sounded great and hopefully the lessons continue!

On Sunday I confirmed Jake a member of the Church. It was a remarkable experience to be a part of that! Sacrament meeting was truly made for them! The woman that spoke wrote her talk weeks ago. She was supposed to speak last week, but there wasn't enough time and was rescheduled for Sunday because they didn't have anyone to speak yet. She spoke about the Holy Ghost and recognizing its promptings. A high counselor spoke about following the commandments and the blessings of following them. The meeting was perfect and the spirit was strong! God truly had his hand in making it happen for the Jake and Kathy Stinson! They are going to be great, strong members of the Chruch. They are excited to serve the ward that has shown them so much love and support!

Yesterday was interviews with President Larkin. I am fine! And today the mission attended the Temple! So right now I am on quite a spiritual high! I feel good that the Stinson's are baptized and will continue to search for other opportunities to find new people to teach!

The Church is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Elder Rodriguez, Lindsey, Jake, Elder Fetzer

Just Another Week

Hello all,

So transfers are finally over! By the time we got home on Tuesday at about 8 PM we both crashed! But we have been going around the mission, delivering items and trying to catch up on different office duties.

To be honest, this was kind of a boring week. We met with Jake and Lindsey again and discussed the Restoration again. We took our Ward Mission Leader, who tends to stranglehold our lessons so that isn't too fun. Jake and Lindsey are so ready for the gospel! I am quite excited for this weekend! The ward is in full support for the baptism and have been great at fellowshipping the them.

This week we had to go to Seattle to pick up a furniture donation in Queen Anne. It was fun to go back and we went to Kerry Park again! It was beautiful!

I am so excited for this weekend! The Ward is hosting a potluck after the baptism!

Sorry this is short! I don't have much time.

~Elder Fetzer

TRANSFERS!

Hello all,

So this was quite the week. I am still staying right here in Bellevue 6th Ward, working in the Mission Office with Elder Rodriguez. But to me that was really no surprise. What was a surprise is that Bellevue Zone was destroyed. Many people left. So it feels like I know no one now. But it is all good.

This week we had a good lesson with Jake and Lindsey. They invited me and my companion and the Greensides over for dinner on Thursday. We had a Mexican fiesta! They ordered Mexican and we had a great time! We then took a walk around the Seattle Temple, which is conveniently in our ward boundaries, and had a great chat about what the temple was and it's importance. They are excited to one day enter it's walls. Lindsey told us how happy the gospel has made her and that ever since she went to Utah, she has been happier than she has ever been before. She talked about how worldly things didn't make her happy and that she has found much peace in living the gospel. Jake and Lindsey are amazing. It is quite difficult to help people really live the gospel once they are baptized, but they really have no problem with it. They are keeping their committments and living the way they should BEFORE baptism. That is true repentance! Jake had hernia surgery this weekend so we gave both he and Lindsey blessings that night. All went well. Now hopefully there won't be any complications before their baptism. 

Transfers are today! We have been busy getting ready for them this week. Monday we took most of the missionaries to the airport to fly home. It was really quite sad to see some leave, as now I am getting to know more and more missionaries that are getting ready to leave. Last night 2 missionaries stayed at our place so we could take them to the airport this morning. So we took them this morning and waited nearly 2 hours for the new ones to come. They are GREEN! I can't believe I was once like that. Everything is new to them. One of them asked me how busy we were and how many lessons we get. I tried to beat around the bush because Bellevue is VERY HARD!

So now they are at the Mission Home here on Mercer Island, being trained. We have a busy week ahead of us, delivering bikes, luggage, and whatever stuff missionaries left in their old areas.

So things are going well. The Church is True and the Book is Blue!

~Elder Fetzer

Elder Fetzer, Elder Rodriguez and the Greensides (on right)

FINALLY ON DATE!!!!

Hello all,

 

Yes! Jake and Lindsey are finally on-date for baptism for June 11th. This time we are going to do things quite a bit differently so that they really do get baptized on this date. First off, we have already reserved the building. Secondly, we announced it to the ward. Thirdly, they are quite excited and determined to go through with this date and are quite happy. Yesterday at Church Lindsey told me that she is becoming more bold. She also said that she hasn't felt this much peace in her life and she wished that she had this years ago. It is amazing to see the change in that couple just from the last couple of weeks. They seem happier! The gospel truly does change lives. It reminds me of the promise in "Preach My Gospel" that people are on a quest they often didn't know they were ever on until they found the gospel. Or there is the promise in D&C 123:12 in which people are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." It is really quite amazing. They are a testament to me that even people that come from comfortable backgrounds can still feel peace in the gospel. Jake and Lindsey have expressed the feeling that they have been prepared for quite a while for the gospel and that the time they went to Temple Square to see "Music and the Spoken Word" felt like they were going home. Wasn't that the spirit?

 

This was quite a long week. Tuesday to Friday we had to go around the mission, from Seattle to Sumner to 4 different zone conferences to inspect the mission car fleet. It was really quite surprising how some missionaries keep their cars up, especially showing up to Zone Conference with dirty cars. Elder Graves, who is in charge of the cars was quite disgusted by some of the cars.

 

Zone conference on Friday was good. We talked about revelation. There was a guest speaker, who spoke about the spirit. He said that sometimes missionaries have high and low points of lessons and that sometimes it is best to end the lesson when the spirit is strong, even when there was more to a lesson plan. He also said that we should help investigators make their own commitments and have them be their own, instead of us asking them to do things straight out, especially with baptismal dates. I feel that if we had pressured Jake and Lindsey into being baptized or setting a date too quickly, they would have pushed back. So I was happy with the guest speaker. Zone conference also mentioned how God sometimes gives you promptings in times where it is inconvenient to see if we will respond to them so he can give us other promptings in the future. That happened this week on the way to dinner. We were late and we saw someone laying on the sidewalk with people surrounding him. I was prompted to stop, but it was too late and I kept getting the prompting. So we turned around and by the time we got there again he was gone, but I think God did it so I could respond in the future.

 

Transfers are coming up next Tuesday so this is going to be another busy week getting ready for them. We pick up new missionaries next week! So that will be cool!

 

So this was a good week. Jake and Lindsey are doing well. The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Miracles Happen

Hello All,

To answer your questions, Jake and Lindsey are still not on date and are, of course, still not baptized, but they are still good to go. This week was tough for them. Their kids were worried about what might happen to them if they joined the Church. So they went to visit them in Portland and explained that the Church would only bring them closer and that they would change "for the better." So a week of worrying about them is over and they are still ready to be baptized. The ward is totally behind them and many people have called us asking when it is going to be. So whenever this baptism happens, it is going to be well attended.

Yesterday we had a wonderful day at Church. In gospel principles we discussed the chapter on eternal families. Jake and Lindsey were touched and commented that they can't wait for that time when they too can be sealed in the Temple for time and eternity. They are so ready for the gospel I can't even believe it. I can't wait for our appointment this week, where we will discuss their baptism plans and FINALLY set a date.

On Friday we had a miracle. Lately we have been going back to former investigators to see if they are interested in learning once again. I was impressed to visit Chelsea. Maybe it was because former  missionaries said that she was "possessed by a demon" and I wanted to see what was up. But the spirit told me to check once again on Friday night, because our other attempts weren't good. The first time we went by a girl answered ans said that Chelsea wasn't there so we went back and checked out her apartment again. As we walked up to the doorstep, two women were sitting on the porch. One of them was the girl who answered the door before. The other was Chelsea. So we started talking to Chelsea and she quickly said she wasn't interested, but the other girl was. Mila said she had investigated before, but family forced her to quit investigating because she was younger than 18. Mila said she had recently quit drugs and was looking for something more. So we had a powerful lesson on her porch and now she wants to start learning once again. I did learn a lesson - always be bold. Mila knew who we were as soon as we pulled up. She remembered the way she felt when she investigated before. She said it would have been funny if we had asked her if she was interested then because she was having a really hard day. But the spirit told me to check again and I am glad I did. So hopefully Mira's family doesn't deter her again from hearing the gospel.

This week should be a busy week. We have zone conference friday and have to go to all the other ones to check the condition of the cars.

So things are going well here. The Church is true. Miracles happen!

Mormon 9:18-21

18And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

19And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

20And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

21Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

~Elder Fetzer

Baptism

Hello all,

 

It was great to talk to you all yesterday! It really made my day! I couldn't wait to get out of Church and call home.

 

As you may know, Jake and Lindsey are still not on date. Jake has expressed that he wants to "get his ducks in a row" before he is baptized. Lindsey wants to do it soon. Elder Rodriguez and I want to do it soon also because we know that the more it is delayed, the more Satan will try to persuade them not to do it. It happens every time! Like with Eva and Jack. They both were tempted more than ever before their baptism. And of course Clint, who was tempted and still has yet to be baptized and now seems to be worse off than where we started. But hopefully we can give Jake and Lindsey a gentle nudge and get them baptized this weekend, or at least have a solid date for this month. They know that they have found what they are looking for and have expressed that it wouldn't be good if they gave it up now.

 

Other than that, I still need to get to know the ward better. I still don't know many of the members and we don't have too many other people to teach, but the Lord always has blessed me in the past and I know He will continue to do the same.

 

The office keeps us busy and with transferrs a couple of weeks away, I think we will start getting busier.

 

So things are good! The Church is true!

 

Love you!

~Elder Fetzer

Elder Kikutchi and More

Hello all,

 

So this week flew by. Jake and Lindsey didn't get baptized, but they are still ready to do it. They wanted to invite friends and their grand kids to their baptism and they thought that it would be better if they told them of a date that was sometime later in May. But they are still really solid. They asked Elder Graves, who is one of the senior couples to baptize them. The Graves have come to many lessons with us and have really become good friends with the Jake and Lindsey. I think it is really great that he is going to do the baptism. Jake and Lindsey are probably the BEST investigators I have ever had. They do what they say they will and are really interested in learning more.

 

Yesterday we had Elder Kikutchi of the Seventy come visit the mission. He talked a lot about obedience, following the morning schedule, and mastering the doctrine. He gave a lot of good insights. Elder Kikutchi came a day before I got into the field and he apparently gave the same (4 hour long) sermon, but practically everyone agreed that it was good to be reminded.

 

Surprisingly, we aren't in the office as much as I thought we would be, but it is still fun. We drive around the mission constantly. It is really surprising how rural some of the areas here are, especially in Maple Valley, where there is an area nearly half the size of the mission itself.

So things are going well here. I can't wait to talk to you all this weekend!

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer