Zone Conference Week

Wow. This week is something that describes being hit by a train. It sure does wear you out going all over the mission presenting training after training. It sure didn't run smoothly either. The first day of zone conference I left my training material up in Bellevue and a video presentation on the laptop was deleted because the computer froze as we were setting it up. So the first two zones didn't get to see the video and the pictures from my presentation. The second day of zone conference was with three zone and we had to cancel two hours of conference because the fire alarm went off and we had to leave the building. They were doing a small construction job at the Maple Valley Stake Center installing tile in the hallways. The thin set dust triggered the fire alarm. It was soooo annoying.

The third day of conference was moved to the upcoming Monday (tomorrow) because of a snow storm in Seattle. It broke a new record considering how late in the year it is to snow. Especially because Seattle doesn't usually get cold enough for snow. It's been a strange year of weather in Seattle. Then on Friday we had the usual conference which was the most normal. I was conducting and made so many mistakes it was unreal but now I'm more prepared for Monday's zone conference. Thursday is transfer board council where we decide what happens for transfers, Friday is zone leader council, and Saturday from 6-11 p.m is announcement for transfers and calls. So the only full days we have to do normal missionary work is Wednesday and partly Saturday.

Our baptism this week was great. The last of a family member to be baptized. Now the entire family are members. They have some non-member cousins that live in the same household that we are going to commit to baptism in March. I can't believe I've already had four baptisms here and we have another four coming up in March. It seems the more my mission goes by the more people I help come into the waters of baptism. It's partially because of my companion and all the help he is and everything that the ward does. I've been very blessed recently.

Our mission continues to do great things. We have put 50 people on-date for baptism again this week and it looks like we are going to baptize 100 people in the month of March which would be a new record for the Washington Seattle Mission. The difference is this time we are already putting people on-date for April and we are consistently finding as we are teaching which is leading to increased baptisms and continual success. I love seeing the mission from the position I'm currently filling. I'm going to ask if I can be released as an assistant and re-assigned as a trainer. I feel like I've accomplished what I was supposed to do here. We'll see how President feels.

Thank you for everything! Continue to have a wonderful winter.... Spring is just around the corner.

Love,

Elder Bottema

Another Amazing Week!

Last week we as a mission put 50 people on-date for baptism and this week we put 60 on-date for baptism. I wish you could all experience and hear all the stories I do and the feelings I feel as I see us and missionaries come closer to our savior. This week was a pretty "normal" week for missionary work. We actually got to spend more time in our area compared to most weeks. Unfortunately this week is zone conference but I still am somewhat excited for that because I have prepared something in which I am anxious to share. I am starting my training with a talk from Elder F. Enzio Busche. I'm not sure what the title of the talk is but if you search his name in YouTube it is the first video that pops up on the search list. Everyone should watch this video and sacrifice 6 min 44 seconds out of your day. You'll be glad you did.

This week we had the baptism of Junior (Nathan) Note. He was a husband of a part member family and now the family is no longer part member and their oldest sons birthday is March 16th in which he is turning 8. If only you could meet the best/ most wonderful people I get to associate with each and every day. I am reaping the blessings and you can read it along these lines. I challenge you to look for opportunity's this week in which you are a blessing to someone. Find that person or stranger who needs something more such as a smile, a compliment, or a message from the spiritual life that brings you happiness. You'd be surprised to find how happy it makes you. Sacrifice for those you love is what turns into love and it no longer becomes a sacrifice. The only reason we hesitate to sacrifice for others is because of the sting we are afraid to feel. Soon thereafter, or, the more you do it, the sting leaves, and your soul is filled. You can choose which road you take.

I love you all with my heart, might, mind, and strength. Continue to make good choices and follow the promptings you feel. I can't express how much joy this week brought me, but know that I am doing well and living a happy fulfilling life. I thank all of you who helped me to get to where I am now. I feel like my progression can never end and that my own charity and love has exploded. It's a gift god has helped me better obtain. I can't wait to fill my soul with more of it. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.

Love,

Elder Bottema

Another Babtism!

Hello! This week was crazy because of the leadership training but all in all it went over pretty well. We had some really good trainings and I must say that I did a fairly decent job. I love getting all the wonderful comments from missionaries who look up to me. I feel so inadequate at pretty much all times but it's all worth it when you can be a good/righteous example to others. I didn't feel like my training was that spectacular but apparently it was. Even though I get all this attention and confidence boosting comments I still want to be a regular missionary so bad! This week wasn't bad in the sense of dealing with President and any of his emotions, mainly because our mission had such a great week. We put 50 people on-date as a mission this week! Can you believe it? We even put someone on-date for baptism over the phone on the way up here to Bellevue. It was a fun experience and a great story to tell in person, perhaps in my homecoming talk eh? I still have 8 full months of proselyting and I'm using it fully and squeezing ever last minute in there.

We had another baptism this week. It was Andrea Lole and I actually taught her last year when I was serving in the Jovita Creek ward! She was being taught be the zone leaders and I was a District Leader at the time so I went on an exchange with them to the Federal Way ward I taught her. Well she is still here and I came back to find out she was put on-date for baptism! She had such a great baptism and was overcome with the feelings she felt there. She felt so "clean and forgiven" and felt like she could move onto a new spiritual path and journey, It was cool to come back and she recognized me. It is still surreal I am back in Federal Way. If I could move back to Seattle Washington I would move back to Federal Way and live in one of these wards. Especially the Jovita Creek ward but perhaps after 6 months of serving in the Federal Way ward I'll have the same love I do for Jovita Creek. The only difference is we don't get nearly the same type of experience as other missionaries because we have so many other responsibilities. For example, we have Zone Conference not this week but the next which means 5 out of the 7 days are taken. We also have to wake up at 5 to get to all the zones in time for leadership training and conference. Not to mention coming back to our area to have 2 essential lessons with on-date investigators and then crashing into bed at home to wake up early and start over. We haven't even got close to preparing for Zone Conference. We have a meeting with President Larkin tomorrow at the mission office and we'll have a nice long chat with him about everything. We usually talk to him every night but it's just to get all the people's names who were put on-date for baptism in the mission field. We announce those names on a voice blast ( A voice mail sent out to all the missionaries phones in our mission) every morning. It really helps boost faith in the mission. Especially weeks like this where we put 50 people on-date for baptism! It was awesome! This mission is growing so much and so fast. I love you all!

Keep in touch,

Elder Bottema