News from Seattle

Our mission the past month has been blossoming in success! Our area has 3 people on-date still and one is getting baptized on the 23rd. It's so exciting! We are finding people like crazy! I really hope I'm able to stay here another full transfer which would mean I'd be here until December 14th. Our week was wonderful with faith building experiences. I must explain one story that I probably wont have again. This wasn't a good news experience but my companion and I can't stop laughing at it today.

Yesterday in church we had a man in his low 40's come into church. Now remember... I serve in a singles ward aged 18-30 so people who are older stick out. We've talked to this man before and he starts out his conversations with missionaries like this: "Hi, how do I remove my records from the church?" Last time we spent 2 1/2 hours wasting our time with him and giving him all the compliments in the world. We later found out he just goes around the mission asking missionaries for blessing and fishing for compliments. Needless to say the first experience was HORRIBLE! Luckily we were surrounded by people this time. The first time we were all alone in the institute building. So, he pulls us out of Elder Quorum and states the same question as always. We didn't give him any pitty, told him to talk to his bishop, and walked away. Well he was not happy with the answer we gave him. So he waited till the Univeristy 3rd ward missionaries got out of sacrament and talked to them. He was slightly harassing them (just as he did us a couple of months ago) and a member was not happy. As everyone left and went to their classes it was 4 missionaries (two of them being me and my companion) this estranged man and a member. In the middle of the foyer an argument broke out and a fight was about to break loose. Luckily the member walked away and the man yells at him across the foyer "In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you!" Then the member turns around and starts laughing, then walks downstairs. This man is crazy, the member handled it in the worst way possible and I was WAY too tired to break up a fight because it was fast Sunday. It was super awkward in the moment but now its really funny.

The police have been informed if you were wondering. Well, on that note, have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Bottema

P.S I promise I'll have some good experiences for the next blog entry. But I had to share this one story. It doesn't happen everyday.