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