Transfer 15

What you think a mission will be like is nothing what a mission is like. The best way I can explain it clearly is to advise you to serve one. It's the only way you can fully comprehend its experience. My life is changing more and more as I am out here serving others and inviting them to come unto Christ through baptism. This transfer has some interesting changes and these changes are hard to swallow but I know that it is what the Lord wants me to experience next. Elder Bunton and I are BOTH being released and being called as Zone Leaders again in the Washington Seattle Mission. You might be wondering, "Well wouldn't that be good news?" In some ways... Yes, but let me explain.

I am being transferred out of the Federal Way Ward in the Federal Way Stake and moving up to Bellevue. I will be living in downtown Bellevue and laboring among the members in the Bellevue 1st and 8th wards (Bill Gates lives in the 1st ward boundaries). I will be "white washed" in as a zone leader with another new zone leader. White wash means both those missionaries are leaving and two new missionaries are coming in. Elder Bunton is staying in Federal Way and getting an experienced Zone Leader companion. They are going to accomplish great and wonderful things. I know what I want to accomplish in Bellevue and I am already scheming up some ideas. So this means there are going to be two brand new Assistants in the mission who are going to know nothing! So I have also been called as a 3rd Assistant, or in other words, the Assistant to the Assistants. I will still be coming into the office for the next six weeks training them on their responsibilities and helping them fulfill their roles. It’s defiantly going to be a challenge but I know it's what needs to happen.

Our mission needs to culture more obedience and hard work, which lead to miracles. Therefore, President is spreading it around the mission. My new companion and I will set stretching goals to involve our zone more than ever before. Our mission came just short of 100 convert baptisms for this month. We still have two days left and we need 10 more baptisms. I hope 10 companionships rise to the occasion.

I have such a strong belief in the Church and its restored gospel. I have seen my mind open up in ways I never thought possible. I am beginning to receive "treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." I can't explain it in words and it's very personal to me but I am so grateful I have been privileged to feel my Savior's love. I know this is what I am supposed to be doing in my life right now. I know this is true and that listening to the prophets brings happiness. I love my area, investigators, recent converts, and members.

Elder Bottema

Elder Kikutchi & Zone Conference

Wow, where should I even start? May is done! This month is now the fastest month that has gone by and yet we have already had 5 baptism this month! We have one more person being baptized this weekend and our goal is to get a couple more to join the service. We had another miracle for this past weekend. Van Jones was a self referral who had been studying the Book of Mormon on his own for a while now. He loves religion and has been studying almost every religious text possible. He found the Book of Mormon online and had been reading it on his E-reader. We contacted him last Saturday, May 15th and he said, " I know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet..." Perfect! =) We committed him to baptism for June 11th when he said, "I'm not one to just jump right into things." We committed him to continue reading and to pray about baptism. We went back on Tuesday and he said, "I want to be baptized as soon as possible." He was baptized this past Saturday. He said, "I have never felt so much enlightenment and knowledge come through any book than this. My knowledge has expanded so much that I can't deny it's truth.

A couple of weeks ago Elder Yoshihiko Kikutchi came to visit our mission again. It was an incredible meeting with alot of spiritual truth. He spoke pure revelation. Our mission needs these three things. 1) 100 % Obedience 2) Purifying our lives 3) PMG knowledge increase/ Hard Work! He gave us some very good tips and this week at Zone Conference we took them to the next level. Our mission is seeing the miracles already occur. We are only 30 away from reaching our goal of 100 for the month of May. Our mission hasn't done this since the split in 2001. As far back as our records go anyway. We are so excited to see what can happen when we follow and listen to our inspired leaders. We have transfers coming up next week which is always a killer on time, stress management, everything really. We will be running around with our heads cut off, as usual. I am taking a 5 day nap when I return home. I'm hardly walking.

What I have developed is a love for hard work. I know... strange. I Can see myself accomplishing so much more with my time on my return home and occupying myself with uplifting and wholesome things instead of wasting so much time on Facebook, computer games, reading pointless books, etc. I have such a more detailed focus on my life ahead and I am going to make sure I do everything to accomplish it. 4 months left in the mission field... I need to work harder! I'm still 13 baptisms away from my goal of 45. I pretty much need to baptize someone every week till I go home to reach that goal. It'll be done! I love this mission and the life lessons I'm learning. I'm still hungry all the time - force fasting because we literally don't have time to eat. I'm surprised I'm not dead yet. I love you all.

Elder Bottema