Zone Conference & A Fireside

A busy week...

 

Hi Mom & Dad!

Yes I got the Seattle Seahawks beanie that you sent me.  I love it haha it is awesome.  I wore it to our preparation day activity last week.  A lady in the Ward gave us all Seahawk shirts too which is way nice.  They are all XL so I kinda look like a little kid in my dads shirt but I am still stoked about it.

So this week was pretty strange.  We got a call a few days ago from President Weaver.  A missionary went home, so they had to take one of the Elders in Lincoln Ward and move him somewhere else and to replace him they took Elder Harward from us and put him in Lincoln Ward.  So now we are in a threesome.   We all get along well  so we are down with the three of us.  It makes knocking doors kind of weird too because there are all three of us on the doorstep haha.

On Wednesday right before Harward left we had a lesson with Mike and President Weaver came.  It went really well but he isn't on date yet . He is super receptive and likes talking to us and is progressing pretty well- he is just kind of slow and steady.  We are meeting with him tomorrow and probably are going to teach the plan of salvation so I hope it goes well.

 

On Thursday we had Zone conference and it was the most uplifting zone conference I have ever been to.  Elder Kleine and I took a group of people on a mock church tour and it was a really cool experience for me.  I said the first vision, which I have said a hundred times, and I felt the spirit so strong . I just love that the spirit will testify over and over again of it to me.

 

At Central Zone Conference

Elder ?, Elder Anderson, & Blake

 



Also, to end the week we had another fireside over in Lacey.  It was awesome to be back in Lacey for a little bit . Back to my old stomping grounds!  I saw Elder Geddes and I got to talk to Elder Anderson a lot too.  I love both of those guys so much!  It was a really good fireside as well.  It has just been a really uplifting week - but also a little bit slow work wise. We have had a hard time this week finding new people to teach and we have some people right now that are solid but won't get baptized for a little while so we are going to have to do some hard finding this week.

 

Yes, we do have the burning tradition here. I was supposed to burn a tie at my 6 month but I forgot, so maybe I will just burn it with my shirt at my one year anniversary.  Speaking of clothes, I decided that I am going to buy a gray H&M suit.  They are way cheap and look way good and I already have the pant for it so I just need to buy the jacket.  It will probably be the last thing I buy for a while.  But at the beginning of next transfer I am planing on that.

 

Thanks for all your prayers!

 

Love you!
Elder Green



A Baptism & Valentine's Day

A Baptism on Sunday 

 

Hi Mommy! Hi Pops!
 

This week was pretty amazing!  We had a baptism on Sunday of this 10 year old son of one of the recent converts in our ward.  His name is Ethan and he is a stud.  He asked me to baptize him which was a pretty special experience for me.  It is always a cool thing to perform a saving ordinance for someone. What really made it cool is that he kept saying how good he felt inside.  I just thought to myself "the church is so true!"  It is small moments like that when a 10 year old says how good he feels after being baptized and confirmed that give me strength as a missionary and make me love my mission.!!

Elder Kleine, Ethan, Blake, Elder Peck, & Elder Harward

 

Ethan is a stud!!

 

 

I got your package this week!  Thank you so much!  My companions were pretty stoked too haha.  I love the shirt that you got me it fits super well.  Any one of the three options of shirts is fine with me. The cheap ones are pretty thin but they fit well too.  I have been reading the book you sent as well.  I really like it.  I have been reading it every night and thinking about how cool it is that these miracles happen, especially in the Lord's service.

 

We had Mission Leadership Council again this week and it was a lot of fun to see all the other Zone leaders and President Weaver.  They talked about how important it is that we work with members and how we need to start utilizing them more because that is how the work is supposed to be so I think I am going to start praying for more opportunities to work with the members in the Wapato Park Ward.

 

We don't have anyone on date for baptism right now which is pretty sad but I have a feeling that a great miracle is on the horizon. We have a lesson tomorrow with a guy named Mike and we are going to teach him the restoration, I feel like he will accept the invitation to be baptized, the only problem is that he loves cigars, but I have seen miracles happen in the lives of investigators before. We have been doing a lot of finding activities lately as well so I think that we will have some other awesome people soon.

 

Thanks so much for all your prayers!! 

Love you so much!

 

Elder Green

 

 Last week at the Tacoma Fireside

 

Tacoma Fireside

 Elder Webber & Blake at the Tacoma Fireside

 

Another picture of the snow day in Tacoma they had last Saturday





New Companion & SNOW!

Transfer Week

New Companion & Snow

 

This week was pretty awesome.  Transfers was good.  Elder Peck (my new companion)  is two transfers away from going home, so most likely I will be the one sending him home next transfer. He'll be the third one!  I keep track of all the missionaries I kill off with little tick marks on the back of my name tag.  I miss Geddes, but Peck is a way good guy and we get along great.  I think President put him with us because Wapato is just a great place to finish your mission.   (You guys should still hang out with Geddes' parents even though we're not companions anymore though).

 

 

At Transfer Meeting - Blake's new companion, Elder Peck

 

Elder Kleine & Elder Harward (Photobomb by Blake)

 

Saying goodbye to Elder Geddes

(Blake, Elder Geddes, & Elder Kleine)

 

We had a fireside on Sunday which is where the missionaries in a few zones get together and sing a bunch of songs and some missionaries give testimonies.  Elder Kleine was asked to give his testimony and he did a really good job.  He did the last part of it in German and it was pretty cool.  It was way cool to see the Shoops there!  They are awesome!  Every Ward has those few people that are kind of the gems of the area and the Shoops are the gems of Lacey 2nd Ward.  Here in Wapato Park we have Bro. Quigley and Sister St. John.  I got way happy to see them (the Shoops) and talked with them for a little while after the fireside.  She said Elder Anderson and I were her favorites and we were both there so she was pretty glad to see us.  I did see Elder Smith at the fireside and Elder Webber.  Whenever Webber and I get together we make Sister Weaver take a picture of us for our moms. ha ha  So look on the blog.

 

Elder Harward - The Shoop Family (From Lacey 2nd Ward, Blake's first area) - Blake

 

 



I read my Patriarchal blessing not that long ago and I love the paragraph about my mission.  It makes me so grateful to be here.  Even in my blessing I can see how important my mission is in preparing me for the rest of my life and what the Lord wants me to do.  I am trying my best to be a good missionary and to grow because of it.  I also have repented and write in my journal every day now.

So this week had some ups and some downs.  Kerry who is the investigator that pulled a gun on Geddes & Harward dropped us.  He was our top progressing and we really loved him- so it was really sad.  He answered the door and looked a little upset and handed us his book of Mormon, said thanks for trying and shut the door.  It was really sad and we are pretty sure that someone exposed him to anti or something.  But that same night we also taught the 10 year old son of one of our recent converts who wants to get baptized.  His name is Ethan and he should be getting baptized either this Sunday or next Saturday.  We also are teaching this really cool guy named Mike who is way cool and we always have the best lessons with him that are really powerful.  His only problem is that he loves cigars.  We haven't had the talk with him yet. I think he has a lot of potential though because he is so sincere.  Usually the spirit isn't really very strong in a lesson if they aren't receptive so it leads me to think that he is receptive.

 

It snowed here on Saturday!  We went home Saturday night and the four of us had a snowball fight in the back yard.  It was all fun and games till I tagged Elder Kleine in the eye.  He grabbed some snow and was turning to throw it at me but turned right into my snowball.  It was brutal!  He was a good sport about it, though.  I miss the snow so it was a cool moment for me.  I was gitty and having a lot of fun.  Gotta take joy in the simple things.

 

Anyway, I love you mommy!  Love you Dad!

 Have a great week!

Elder Green

 



A Baptism, Transfers, & the Superbowl!

Transfer week.....

...staying in Tacoma!

 

Hi Mommy - Hi Dad!

This week was pretty exciting!  Super Bowl Sunday was pretty fun!  They didn't want us to do any proselyting after 3 so we met at the church as a zone and ate, then we had a "Scripture Bowl" which was a game Sister Weaver made up which was pretty much jeopardy mixed with football and all of the questions were mission themed.  Elder Kleine and I were the team captains and had to run the show pretty much.  My team won.  No big deal.  We had to send everyone home around 7 and driving home was crazy!  There was so much energy everywhere!  It is so cool to be somewhere where they just won the Super Bowl!  Cars were honking and there were fireworks going off and people were in the streets causing a ruckus.

 

Saturday we had the baptism of Lexi and her little brother Eli.  Lexi asked Kleine to baptize her which was pretty cool and their dad baptized Eli.  Elder Harward confirmed Lexi and I got to confirm Eli which was a pretty sweet experience.

 

The Allen Family

Blake, Elder Kleine, Elder Geddes, Elder Harward

Lexi & Eli

Elder Kleine & Lexi

 

 



Saturday was a crazy day because we got transfer calls and we had a game changer.  Elder Kleine, Harward, and I are staying and getting Elder Peck.  Elder Geddes is going to Lacey 1st on bike!  If you'll remember my first area was Lacey 1st and 2nd so he is going back to my birth place!  I am way sad to say goodbye to him but I am so happy about where he is going and I know that he is going to make me proud.  I see a lot of potential in him. I heard that Smith is going to be an office Elder and I was so excited!  I love Elder Smith!  Also Elder Anderson, my trainer, is going to be the Zone Leader in Tacoma West so I will see him a lot too!  I am way excited to stay with Kleine here in Wapato Park and I am pretty sure I will be here at least one more transfer after this.

 

Side note: Elder Geddes and I decided to treat ourselves and we bought some shoes. They are brown Stacey Adams so if you see it on my card that is what it is so don't freak out. They are way steezy!

 

There was someone that answered the door with a gun on Geddes and Harward.  His name is Kerry and he is probably our best investigator right now.  He is progressing so fast and his only hold up is that he feels that he has already been baptized.  (He hasn't)  but lately he sounds like he wants to get baptized again.  We just need to explain to him the importance of baptism and priesthood authority more and I think he with excitedly accept the invitation to be baptized.

 

Love you all and thanks for your prayers!!

 

Love,

Elder Green