Companion Merrill

Wow! So much happened within the past two weeks that I don't even know where to begin. First off Elder Kasteler is home now in Idiana. My new companions name is Elder Merrill and is from Draper Utah (dang it) and I am on bike again because the sister missionaries took our beloved car. I'm used to it really because I've spent most my mission without one. However, My companion has NEVER had a bike area. He's only been out a transfer longer than I have so he is at 6 1/2 months.

It seems I always get the super wealthy companions and I don't know why? He gets an allowance on his mission. $200 extra dollars a month from mom at home and all he wants to do is go shopping. yay. can you sense the sarcasm? On a positive note he his mostly obedient and wants to work and has a lot of ambition to his new area.

Speaking of news I have excellent news! So this 18 year old kid just moved into our ward and he was baptized a 1-1 1/2 years ago in our mission. Well his mom wants us to come over on saturday at 3 to teach the lessons! He also has two siblings ready to be baptized! AND krissy hansen is solid as ever for March 27th. I could have 4 baptisims this month! =) It's so awesome! Every missionary wants to baptize a family. I've already complete one goal of tracting a baptism... how great would it be to accomplish the next one?

As for members I hear a lot about the Olympics and I guess the USA won again. That's pretty cool! You can feel a little more olympic spirit being so close to Vancover. As for the members we live with he pranked them! Our members (actually just brother long, sister long is normal) are psycho! So we bought yarn on P-day and at night after they went to bed we snuck upstairs and made a giant spider web! They laughed pretty hard! But it gets better, after they were cleaning it up sister long tricked brother long to come back downstairs where we were hiding in the laundry room. We waited and waited and when the moment was right we POPPED out of the laundry room and silly stringed him! hahahaha it was so funny! And then sunday morning we ceran wrapped his car. Our next prank isn't for another 5 weeks so we has time to re-cooperate. We did this because he always trys to prank us and he thinks he's real clever. Boy was he surprised. I think our ideas are much more creative.

Thanks for everything and all the awesome mail! I love you all!

Elder Bottema

????

So I had no idea what to name this blog. It wasn't a spectacular week but it was sort of crazy. Our member that we live with is furious and wanting to kick us out because we were using a space heater in the basement. yeah... I know. Apparently it runs up the energy cost and President Moffat offered to pay more money but then he declined so I don't know what his deal is. So I may be moving out which would be super depressing but what can you do. There is a member across the street that would be willing to take us in. All they have to do is get an inspection. Everyone is moved out except there youngest son who is 17 so I hope it passes IF the time comes that we have to move out. Hopefully not.

As for this week we had interviews which was awesome! I love meeting with president and his wife. Other than that my companion goes home next Monday at 2:00 but whos counting right? :P I wish I could say more but this week was slightly bland minus the high school drama at home. I love hearing the news from home... even the stupid facts. You'd be surprised. Thanks for the mail!

Love,

Elder Bottema

Temple Day

Okay so last week we drove over to Bellevue to attend the temple. The tile looks amazing! It looks better than I remember it and it was cool to see it with all the furniture and stuff. I was able to talk to the temple engineer too. He was talking to me about my mission and how dad was. I was hoping to get special treatment and get some kind of tour but we had a limited time since my companions recommend expired on jan 31st and we went on feb 2nd. So we got a temporary pass and was in and out. I still loved it though because I haven't physically walked on the temple grounds since summer 2008. It looks a lot better in the summer. I think winters are ugly everywhere/anywhere you go. HA!

So not to be all depressing or anything again but one of the people we were teaching just passed away last night. He had a major heart attack and they weren't able to revive him. He was on life support for 3 days but there wasn't any brain activity. He only lasted 3 min after they removed his breathing tubes. This death was pretty devestating for my companion and I. It really makes me think a lot about our next life. I hope he continues to learn on the other side. I think he will. However, its not sunny this P-day so everything seems dark and dreary... wait... it IS dark and dreary here. I don't know how many times I could say this but I'm so sick of the rain and clouds. Go away. I'm looking forward to May.

The good thing that happened this week though (the highlight of my week) is that we put someone on-date for baptism! She's on-date for March 27th and she's getting married on March 20th. She has been investigating the church for two years, has read the Book of Mormon twice, but has never commited to being baptized. Lucky for me I guess but she said she is finally ready! We are going to re-teach all the lessons as a refresher course starting tomorrow night.Well continue partying it up. I party here too but only in a spirtual way.... ;) Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Bottema

Sutley

Our Investigators the Sutley's are awesome!!! They took us out to dinner saturday night because they love us! They asked if they could adobt us! haha It's an 84 year old luthern couple and the wife is Japanese. When we brought her a BOM in Japanese she was floored. She talked about how in Japan all they learn is Loyalty, Honesty, and respect and she told us that missionaries have all those qualitys. She is so awesome. Natalie would love her because she is 5'2 and was a fashion model. She still looks like one and she's 84. She still wears custom clothing. But the husband's name is Vance and he served in the Korean war and he wants to be baptized!

Oh and on Sunday this random lady walks in to sacrament and says "I want to be baptied into this church." She's getting married in Feb and her husband-to-be is a member. I love when we don't have to do the finding and they just fall into your lap.

So yes this area is awesome and my companion is still awesome! He is going home on Feb 21st and his parents are coming to pick him up. Every time he talks about it I'm a little annoyed because it makes me feel like a mission is a life long thing and I'll never go back to school or anything. haha I'm not mad at him for talking about it. It's my own fault that I think about home.

Anyway zone confernce is tomorrow so if I get any mail I'll get it tomorrow! YAY! Feb 2nd is temple day too so I'm excited for that. I'm actually going to be doing baptisms for the dead because my companion has never done those in this temple and it's his last time so I'll be joining him. I'm excited though since I was able to be a part in the Seattle shut down remodels. I have 100% bragging rights! haha Sorry this blog is not organized. Hope to hear more about life!

I love you all and I promise I'll send pictures next week.

Love,

Elder Bottema

Jovita Creek

HEllO! My fellow blog readers! i am writing at a stupid keyboard in which the shift key doens't like to work and same with the delete key so bear with me. i have been transfered to jovita creek in federal way, WA which is the southern most point in the mission. It borders Tacoma city/mission. So I love my new area and companion. Holy freak. The members here are awesome but I am still trying to adjust from my last area. I HAVE A CAR!! AND I live in a members home so i like it because it was a much more home type feeling. I love coming home at night because sis. Long always seems to have some type of left overs for us.

So we had this investigator we were teaching and he dropped us hardcore. He called and I was the one that answered the phone and he says "Oh Um i don't need you guys to come over tonight or tomorrow... actually don't come over at all." OUCH! This area has a little less people to work with from my last area but there is still much to do. Did I mention how much I love having a car? Well I love it.

One last bit of information, my comapnion is from New Albany, Indiana and this is his last transfer. He goes home on Feb 22nd and he's not trunky at all. Hopefully he stays this way but he told me he feels like this is going to be the rest of his life or something. haha Oh man I can't even imagine. I wonder if i'll turn out like this? Well enough chit-chat. these next couple weeks will be exciting I think. I love the letters!

Elder Bottema

Transfers!

AHHHH!!! I'm leaving Des Monies! I'm so disappointed! We have a baptism next week and we just put another person on date and here I am leaving the best area in the mission! It's so hard to say bye to the members. One of them made me a poppyseed cake and dropped it off at the appartment last night. She heard me talking about how delicious poppyseed muffins are from cosco (that I haven't had since September) and made me a cake! It's the most delicious cake in the world. Another investigator that is on-date for the 20th of Febuary bought me a present and wrote me a card. haha She is getting married on the 31st of this month and then she's getting baptized on the 20th. But even my recent converts... two of them called this morning to say good-bye and it was heart wrenching. This is definatly my low point on my mission. All I feel like doing is curling up in a ball and rocking back and forth in a dark corner. I am very curious as to where I'm getting transfered. You don't find out until you arrive at the most central stake center (which is in Renton, Washington) and they hand you an evnelope telling you who your new companion is and where you will be going. I am anxious to write next week about my new experiences and new area...

I really hope I have another clean companion.

Love,

Elder Bottema

Baptism...Again!

So this weeks baptism on January 1st 2010 and 1:00 P.M was so much better than the last one. Everything actually went as planned! Horray for that! The girl we baptized is awesome. She made this Book of Mormon cake (As shown above) and had friends show up that were either not active or not members. It was a good oppertunity for us as missionaries to talk to these people and for them to see that we are actually humans and not robots. I would write a comment someone had about missionaies at the baptism but It's probably not completely appropriate. However I will let you know that it was hillarious!

I am happy to once again be on a regular schedule. The holidays was really stressful for missionaries because it's nearly impossible to find fellowship for lessons and our daily schedules had been changed so often it was hard to move everything around. We are very much in a routine out here. It makes the days go by really fast though because you plan something for every hour of the day from 7:00 A.M to 10:00 P.M. It's crazy how you start thinking. I'll find myself stressed when I have more than 1 1/2 hours of time or my body just knows when I've been at a members house for more than 45 min. Oh and I can't beleive another six weeks has flown by?! Next week is transfers to Preperation day wont be until Tuesday next week. I hope I stay in my area at least one more transfer and then I can be ready to go. I am too involved in teaching here right now and I just got on a members good side.

Oh how could I forget?! I went to Vashon Island this week for a companion exchange with my district leader! This island is the most beautiful island I have ever been on and the missionaries who serve there live in the members guest house on this huge lot this sits on the water. I couldn't study at all because I kept staring out the window. I wish I took more pictures but it's kinda hard when your constantly working. They have a car too so its harder to pull over to take pictures.

Oh and another cool fact! I tracted into this lady who knows Bottema's in Holland! This has happend twice to me now on my mission. This lady moved from Holland five years ago and knew a couple Bottema families. How cool is that? Anyway, I had to share that tidbit of information. Well, next blog could very well be an interesting one.

Thanks for all the support.

Elder Bottema