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