God's Timing

Hello all,

Well, things up here in the highlands are actually doing okay. First off, we had an amazing lesson with Levi. We went by on Wednesday night. He was reluctant to let us in because he and his room mate, Betsy were mourning the loss of their neighbor that unexpectedly died. But we told them that our message could help them so they let us in. We taught them about God's plan and that their friend was not lost. That their friend was learning and growing closer to God in the spirit world. And most importantly, that they would see their friend again. We testified about the gospel, that it can help us through tough times, bring families closer together, and most importantly, make us happy, for that is God's plan! We testified about the joy of repentance and drawing closer to God through prayer. He was crying and told us that he had never felt the way he did during the lesson in his life. It was a powerful lesson that I think he will always remember. The spirit truly was there and was guiding the lesson. But we did have a mini-miracle associated with him. After Wednesday, he was hard to get in contact with again. So Saturday night I prayed that he would have a change of heart, remembering and knowing the importance of our message. And so, Sunday night we got a phone call from him. He apologized about the way he was acting. We told him we weren't angry with him and he wants to continue to meet with us. We have a lesson tonight!

Our investigators Amina and Rachel, from Kenya are still doing good. They continue to learn and to listen. And they are coming to Church! Hopefully when we go back this week, they'll have read the Book of Mormon, like we asked.

When we were tracting a few weeks ago we met Clayton. He is from Mexico, but speaks English very well! We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and gave him an English copy, but told him that when we came back, we would bring him a Spanish copy. He told us he would be out of town for work, but to try back later. He didn't give us a date for his return. So when we invited a ward missionary to a lesson that fell thorough I felt that we should go try him again. We got in and taught him about the Book of Mormon.  And when we were about to give him a Spanish copy he told us that Spanish missionaries had come earlier in the day and had given him a Spanish copy. So he had 2 companionships invite him to read in a day! We found out he had just gotten back from his work trip so really there had been no time that had gone by with him at home that he hadn't seen missionaries! Isn't God's timing amazing? He must want Clayton to read the Book of Mormon!

So things are gong okay. We have people to teach and God is preparing others because he wants them in His true Church!

~Elder Fetzer

The First Vision Changes Everything

Hello all,

 

Well transfer time is here again and guess what? I'm staying here in the Renton Highlands for a 5th transfer! I guess there is still a work for me to be a part of here! And the really crazy thing is that I was called to be a District Leader. I'm kinda scared for what I am going to say/do, but I think that it will be okay.

 

This week we met Steve. He is in his 30's and wants to learn more about God. And the great thing is that he already knows members! So member fellowship is going to be key. We have our first lesson with him tomorrow night. He seems pretty solid.

 

I don't know if I told you about Amina. She is from Kenya and may be a member because she thinks she was baptized in Utah, but for now we're treating her as a investigator. She doesn't really have a knowledge about who Joseph Smith is and what the Book of Mormon is. When we met with her last Wednesday she kept on telling us how she would continue to read the bible, but as soon as we told Joseph Smith's account of the first vision, the mood changed. Even her friend Rachel who was there was different. They listened and felt. When she heard that the Book of Mormon tells of when Christ visited the Americas, they was intrigued. Amina and Rachel came to Church on Sunday, and they said they liked it, even though it was kind of a "rough" meeting. It was on canning and food storage -  a strange topic. And the speakers were so monotone, but the talks ended up well and the spirit was there and I think that they'll come again. So things are gong along. Yes, I'm staying and yes, it's okay. And the Church is still true, and the book blue (cheesy I know)!

 

From the Highlands,

~Elder Fetzer

New Insights

Hello all,

 

Well, the last few weeks have been interesting. We continue to work hard and do find some people to teach and the Lord is blessing us.

 

Now a brief update, Levi isn't progressing and is off-date. It seems like he does want to change and be baptized, but just doesn't seem have the motivation to repent and change. Change is hard! But we have been going through the unbaptized children of record list and have found some good potential. It seems like many of those families want to be active, but have either been offended or haven't been shown the love and support that they deserve and have fallen away. It is a great reminder that we all need to step outside our comfort zone a little bit and welcome those we don't know well at Church.

 

Last week as we were tracting, we met a lady named Hellen. She told us at first she was busy, but when she heard we were from the LDS church she opened up to us because of an LDS friend she had long ago in high school. She recently moved here from South Carolina and doesn't know many people. She seems somewhat lonely. She told us about her life. Many of her children died and her husband left her. She has had a hard life, but has been blessed by God. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and that she will see her family once again. It was a great experience showing me, at least, that God does prepare his children. And best of all it was the first door that we knocked on that day. It was truly a miracle. She wants to learn more...

 

Last week we went to the temple. It was a powerful experience and I gained new insights. I learned that God appreciates our effort and work, although it has not yet been completed or reached its full potential. It is amazing that even going several times to the same endowment, one can still learn about God and His plan.

Well through all the trials of life, God does have a plan, increasing my testimony that the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

The Miracle of the Atonment

Hello all,

 

Well right now I can't really think of what to say. It has been a good week though. We have gotten through some rough times the last few weeks, but the Lord, as He always does, has blessed us with a miracle. We got Levi as a referral about a month and a half ago. After several things falling through, we kept on going by to see if he was there and set something up. He never was, but we left a Book of Mormon with someone else living in the house and kept on going back. So on Wednesday night we got a call out of the blue from him. He said that he had a "spiritual awakening" and that he felt he should call us. He felt that because we kept on going back to see him, we truly did care about him. So we visited him that very night. He told us that, as we figured out already, he was kind of dodging us. He thought that we would judge him and he was kind of scared to change. He told us that he was a former drug addict and that he was worried if he would be able to be free of his sins, because they were many and great. He said that he died of an over dose, but came back to life. It was a miracle and now he wants to thank God for it. We testified of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and told him that he could be free of sin as he repented. We talked about baptism and invited him to be baptized. He is preparing for baptism in March. Levi has a lot to overcome, but he says he has been sober and off drugs for a few months now and is ready to turn his life over to God. He knows that there are certain things that he has to do, including marring his fiance and completely quitting smoking, but he is committed to do it.

Yesterday I gave a talk in Church. I was asked in Ward Council to speak, 2 hours before sacrament meeting. The bishopric for some reason didn't ask anyone to speak so they asked all the speakers that morning. But the meeting actually turned out pretty well. I spoke about charity and home teaching and I shared the story about Kaspar Fetzer helping bring back the "inaccessible" people to Church because that is something that the ward has been struggling with lately. 

 

Well, this is gonna be short, but the Chruch is true!

~Elder Fetzer

Teaching to Different Cultures

Hello all,

Right now the Renton Highlands are good, although things could always be better. On the upside, we do actually have 2 investigators that ARE progressing and keeping commitments. On the downside, we have no one on-date for baptism. But hopefully soon.

 

We are teaching two separate Vietnamese people. Bronson is a 20 year old college student. I think I have told you about him already. We had an amazing lesson with him last week. Although we weren't really able to meet with him last week, he did come to Church and liked it! He continues to read the Book of Mormon and pray and told us that he wants to come back next week!

 

Thao was a referral that our zone leaders met at a bus stop a few weeks ago. We have taught him a few times, although all we have done is read through the Book of Mormon, pamphlets and watched The Restoration DVD with him in Vietnamese because he doesn't speak really any English. But he can feel the spirit and I think that he does understand our message because of the things we have given him in the language. He is still thinking about being baptized by Priesthood authority, but for now continues to read and pray.

 

It really is neat being here in Seattle. Although I'm not in a foreign mission, I still do get to teach people from all over the world and do get to see a glimpse into their culture. I counted it up the other day and over my mission I have taught people from about 12 different countries. It's actually pretty neat. 

 

Friday was actually kind of a bad day. It was rainy and no one we were supposed to teach that day was home. At the end of the day we went to go see a lady named Wendy that had been somewhat of an investigator for a while. She is the lady that we gave the Book of Mormon to a few weeks ago during the snow storm in THIS LETTER and committed her to read it. We went back to see how she liked it. Well, she didn't really understand what the book was saying. We told her about how us as missionaries can help her understand it better, but she said she was too busy and insisted that we take back the Book of Mormon because she doesn't "want to see a book on my bookshelf and be frustrated that [she] can't read." She then showed us a picture story Bible that she reads to her son and says that it is how she likes to understand the Bible. So we basically left on an "I'll call you when I have time" sort of deal which will probably never happen. I was really shocked because I have never had anything happen like that before! But it's all good now because I know that God will place someone else in our path.

 

Things are good and the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

God's Timing

Hello all,

 

Well, we had an okay week. As always, there were some disappointments, like when your investigators don't come to the door when the members are there to pick them up, or when appointments fall through, but that is all part of missionary work. We do rely on the agency of others, which is kind of a bummer sometimes, but it is God's way.

 

We did have a neat experience this week though, which I think did make up for some of the disappointments. Like on Thursday we had a lesson with a 19 year old guy named Bronson. He is from Vietnam. So we started out the lesson. It went all sorts of places and it wasn't quite going the way we wanted it to go. About half-way through the lesson I was prompted to ask an inspired question, which also happens to be one of the baptismal interview questions, "Do you believe that God is your loving Father in Heaven?" "I'm Skeptical," was his reply. So we spent the remaining time helping him understand the nature of God. We talked about feeling the spirit and I asked him if he felt he had ever felt the spirit. He wasn't sure and so I asked him what it was that made him say "yes"to the missionaries that contacted him at the bus stop. He had felt overwhelming peace, which I testified was God speaking to him. He understood that God could speak through our thoughts and feelings and so we invited him to pray and listen to the spirit whisper after it. As he did the spirit was overwhelming. He now believes in God and wants to learn more.

 

I learned a few things from that lesson. I learned again that God is in control and that I have to rely on him throughout all lessons so I can help those I teach feel the spirit. I also learned more about God's timing. We tracted that one apartment building weeks ago because we felt we should. After he was the only one that was home out of the 15 doors we knocked on we decided to leave to another complex. But it was all part of God's plan. Who would have known that weeks later he would say "yes" to other missionaries and allow us to teach him. Only God did.

 

I have learned a lot in this area and I am glad to stay here. This experience was just another testament that the Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer

Progress in the Highlands!

Hello all,

 

Well, its transfers once again and I'm staying here in the Highlands! This area has really become one of my favorites! There are some really great members here that love and support our missionary efforts. My New companion is Elder Merrill, from Mesa Arizona. I will say though that I was sad to see Elder Dale leave. Together we built up the Renton Highlands and somehow have sparked excitement in missionary work "that the ward hasn't felt in 6 years" one member told us. Plus they trust the missionaries here now! So we need to continue to work hard and keep it up! It is really cool!

 

We did have an okay week. We both felt like one of us was leaving so we said a lot of goodbyes. But we did have a few cool experiences. We were tracting a neighborhood that we have been in lately. It was cold and somewhat rainy, but we felt like we should keep on going. Eventually we met Shannon, a 30 year old lady that had been to our church a lot as a youth with a family in another ward and has read part of the BOM. Her sister converted about 2 years ago. We were excited when she said that her family had been talking about going back to a church and she invited us to come back. So we'll see where she goes. 

 

We also got a referral named Molly, a 20 year old girl that the Zone Leaders met at the bus station. So we called her Saturday night and invited her to Church and loved it! She even came to a single adult potluck with many single adults in the area held at our amazing ward missionaries house. Unfortunately she doesn't live in our area's boundaries so we passed her off to the sister missionaries there, but she is planning to get baptized soon!

 

So things are going okay. Although I haven't yet seen someone baptized in this ward I still do see progress in the fact that the ward trusts missionaries here and sees that there are people here to teach. And I feel like that is a good accomplishment.

 

The Church is true!

 

~Elder Fetzer