Zone Conference 5

Tomorrow is zone conference... again! It's up in my old Stake in Seattle. I'm pretty excited. However I'm not excited to get up even earlier. Leadership training is at 8:00 A.M and we have to leave by 7:15 to get there on time which means getting up 30 min. earlier. NOOO!!! At least I know I'll sleep well Tuesday night. Next week I'll have preperation day on Tuesday because It's temple day again. We get 4-5 temple days a year and It's time. I'm excited because I heard the temple grounds are in full bloom right now. If it's sunny I might be able to snag some great photos. If it's rainy I'll still take a couple anyway.

It's really weird to think I only have two more zone conferences and two more formal interviews with my mission president. He's really getting to the wire. I'll have my new mission president for 15 months of my mission. I'm excited but sad at the same time because I really like the one I have right now. I've never really had a conflict with him.

My companion has been slightly better but that doesn't mean I'm not still practicting my patience. I think I'm just used to the criticism now. hahaha Oh geez. uh.. moving on!

This week we are planning on putting another person on-date. Today actually at 12:30. I hate planning lessons durning P-day because we have limiting time as is but it was the only time he could meet. I'm excited though because he's really excited about the church. He's 52 years old but looks like he's 40. He's in really good shape. He works in customs and sky dives with a member of our ward. I love referrals. Then we have a Church tour at 6:30 and we plan on putting another person on-date! We'll see what they say. Thank you Federal Way, Washington Seattle Mission.

As for exciting news that's all I really have for this week. My bike is getting fixed right now but I'll be getting it back on wednesday or Thursday. Time to run with the others. Gotta catch a ride to go shopping. Thanks for the letters. Keep em coming. Nothing is better than a letter.

Love,
Elder Bottema

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Wow. April is a really rainy month here! So in Seattle when I talk about rain it's usually a constant drizzle or a light sprinkle all the time. Well this week it has been actually raining hard all day everyday. It makes for good bike stories but as your pedaling in windy rain it sucks. It looks really funny going into lessons all wet. A member in our ward gave us towels to dry off in lesson. They laughed.

So we had some new changes this week. The mission has really been struggling on its goals and the Federal Way zone (the one I'm serving in) is 12 ahead if its zone goal. So we are really uplifting and keeping the mission going. Therefor we have done something unusual. Every first wednesday of a new transfer we have what you call a ZONE MEETING. This consists of missionaries in the zone setting goals and making plans and role playing lessons with one another. Well this one was quite different. This time we had a combined zone meeting with the Seattle Stake (my old area) and president ripped us a new one. We are counting lessons different but it makes it even more difficult to get our 20 lesson goal. I like the changes in some ways. I don't have to do nightly calls anymore to get key indicators. I just call to see how everyone's day went. I don't ask for numbers excpet Sunday night to get everyone's weekly key indicators. Our companion exchanges are also going to be a little more strenous and our district meetings may have 'surprise' guests such as Presidnet Moffat. EEEK! That scares me.
I'm just happy I'm serving in such a fruitful area with a lot of sucess and people to teach. My first 6 months have been very fortunate in that sense.

Well this blog is getting quite long. I still LOVE the letters. It's like a christmas present everytime I open the mailbox and see a letter for Elder Bottema. Keep being positive and good examples.

Love you favorite person,

Elder Bottema

Transfer 5

Here I am starting my fifth transfer. It has a lot of 'first' things. First time I've stayed longer than 3 months, first time I have a companion longer than 6 weeks (and of course the one that is spoiled and doesn't even want to be here) and the first time I finish tracting with daylight at 7:00. This past week was quite eventful with conference. My second one in the mission. I was able to have two investigators there which was fun. They really like some of the talks. I loved some of the talks, especially Elder Uchtdorfs. He is my favorite german buddy. I like to see how diverse the 70 and apostales are coming. Different nationalites. One things that's really cool up here is how there is one of every race. A very big melting pot.

The zone in which I am serving is having major sucess right now while the rest of the mission is struggling. We might be saving their butts! We have a combined zone meeting, not zone conference, tomorrow which experienced missionaries have never had. Our zone leaders informed us that there will be some changes in the mission and we will all be informed by the end of Wednesday. Im curious but anxious at the same time. It could be changes I like or changes I don't like... obviously. Opposition in all things! haha great.. now im laughing at myself thru my own missionary jokes.

Easter was great! I had a really good dinner with an awesome traditional easter bunny cake. It reminded me of my baseball cake when I turned five years old. I still remember that event quite well. Im so happy I have a good long term memory.
This will be an interesting transfer being with someone I honestly.. deeply dislike. Let's see how far I can go without breaking one of the 10 commandments. Just kidding. Time to run. Got to finish grocery shopping with the other missionaries. Love you all!

Elder Bottema

Kristina Hansen

Krissy is the best! We had a baptism this past saturday that went just as planned. Everyone on the program showed up, the water was hot, the spirit was strong, yeah everything went perfect. Krissy has been investigating the church for two years now and I had the privilage of seeing her be baptized. She has had a strong conversion with a lot of life changing events. She has a lot of support from her husband who, by the way, baptized her. They are living the happy married life in bliss! :)

The best thing about Sunday was her confirmation and just as we lost a person to teach to enter into baptism we found some more. We had a lesson with a guy named Dave who is a member referral. He is definatly interested and he is an awesome guy. I can't wait to teach him more. Then on Sunday the bishops son brought this girl from school to church... again because she liked it last week and she and her parents are very interested. WHAT THE?! There is so much good stuff happening in my area right now. I am constantly teaching and finding which is very fullfilling. Cory is still on-date for baptism on May 1st and now we have a chance to put a family on-date. How much better could it get?

It's been really challenging companion wise but I don't like to talk negatively about him. Lets just say if he gets transfered I'll be happy.

Thank you for the prayers! I feel them! No seriously... some days I feel them more than others. I love ya guys!

Elder Bottema

March Maddness

hey! So to understand this picture i will exlpain briefly of what it means. So I was walking down this street with my companion (obviously) and we were tracting. Well we tract one side of the street and then when we get to the end we turn around and tract the other. As we are tracting the east side we see a couple drinking coffe or hot cocoa or whatever it was on the west side. We wave at them and they wave back. We only had two houses left so we decided to continue and then we'd see them again shortly. On our way back we are just about to walk up the driveway on the west side of the street where these friendly peopled waved and they had stratigically placed an old christmas decoration in front of thier door so we couldn't knock on it. I thought it was pretty funny! So that is the story of the week.

As for more serious matters I had a very different interview than I usally do. My companion has been struggling pretty hard and i've been in a little rut. It escalated to an extreme on saturday night. He is extrememly home sick and was on the verge of going home. He's been out 6 weeks longer than I. He as a lot of medication for physical and mental disabilities. Very ADHD and anxiety and IBS and much more. He's been a struggle. I'm at a loss of words though because we've been so busy I don't understand why he's getting so depressed and angry. During interviews President Moffat said there are very few missionaries who can be his companion and therefore I have been forwarned that I could be with him for a long while. He needs CONSTANT attention and support. He gets a lot of that from home but apperantly needs even more. President also told me this isn't new news. The longer Elder Merrill stays out the more confident he'll stay on his mission. He said every companion he's had has had this issue at least once during the transfer. His 2nd companion got it every week. Please no. At Distrct leader correlation I got a lot of training on "how to deal" so we'll see how this works out. It's definatly a trial week. As for me I am still moving forward and you shouldn't have any worries of me coming home early.

Thank you again for the letters, love, and support from home.

Love,
Elder Bottema

Positive Week

Yesterday (As in Sunday March 14th) was the busiest Sunday of my mission but by far the most rewarding. So I have meetings from 8:30 A.M - 12:00 A.M and then have chruch from 1-4. We had a lesson at 4,5, two at 6, and the last at 7 then District Leader Correlation (DLC) at 8:00. I was so tired last night but somehow managed to write in my journal. I haven't missed a day. That's thanks to Unlce Mark and his advice. Anyway, we had to find someone at 2 during church, had someone who we thought was baptized ask to be baptized (HOLLA!) and then found four new investigators! We have 3 church tours and one of them is today, preperation day. I tried to avoid it but it was the only day that worked for them so I'm sacraficing an hour of my P-day. I didn't realize before my mission that P-day was only from 10:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M. So an hour is a big deal. I feel like i've been running around with my head chopped off since September 30th, If I had advice for any who are preparing for missions I'd say, "Get used to being tired." I'd give anything right now to take a saturday to just sleep in.

Zone conference was excellent this past week as usual! I often wonder about our new mission president. I'm sure President Moffat doesn't like that but hey, I'm curious. Who wouldn't be? They can change whatever they want. The schedule before President Moffat was completely different. I think we'll hear a lot about them next zone conference. They said they would. They as in Sister Moffat and President Moffat.

I know this blog seems short but everything seems to have left my mind. I'd say the things that happened this week were positive and I'm excited for this week because we have so many lessons set-up with new investigators and one of them is for sure being baptized! Oh and Krissy's baptism is in less than two weeks. Weird. Oh and I have interveiws this week on Thursday. That's what I was going to say. Sounds like a crazy week and it is. Thank you for all the support at home. I'm greatful I chose to come and serve a mission. I feel like I've already learned so much and I still have miles to go. Hope to hear more news from home.
Love,
Elder Bottema

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