At least it will be a Happy Death!!

Well folks, it's that time. It happens to every missionary.

Final transfer call.

Final transfer.

I am staying in Happy Valley and will be training a new missionary.

More Chronic posterity.

Excellent.

Crosby is off to Tacoma (which, if anyone cares, has now expanded so much with the massive influx of missionaries that they have split it into 2 zones) to the Highland Hills ward where she will be the first set of sisters there in a couple years and will be serving with 2 other sets of elders. You read that correctly: 6 missionaries in 1 ward.

That's my kid.

Chronic and the Cheerleader. Gotta say bye to it tomorrow. It's been fun.

There are some really crazy things happening with missions, specifically this one. Actually, being out here in China I don't hear much of what's going on in the rest of the mission. Ha, President called us this week. He asked how I would feel about training again my last transfer. Some missionaries are ok with it, some are not. I was ok with it. Anyways, he told Crosby he had this sinking feeling that she would be closer to Tacoma this week. That didn't give us much of a hint though since pretty everything is closer to Tacoma than we are.

 

I've had this cool epiphany this week about God.

In Revelation, John is writing about the things that he is supposed to tell these 7 churches. Each one is a specific message to them from the Lord, and for each one He gives a different description of Himself (i.e. he who holds the seven stars, he who is the first and the last, that which was dead and is alive). What is fascinating to me is that just because the Lord gives a different description doesn't make Him any less God. We all have different experiences and different perceptions of God. Why? Because we are different. One day we will have the whole picture, but for now we get little bits at a time. It just all matters on where we are at spiritually. I think of the verses where the Lord is talking about the destruction that comes because the people are wicked and He says that in all of these things, His hand is stretched out still. There are two ways to look at that. Either His hand is stretched out to bring punishment to those who refuse to repent or to offer a hand to those who are willing to turn and reach out for Him. His hand is stretched out still. This carries into the tree of life as well, just to continue that idea from last week. I don't know what the tree of life looks like. I like lots of trees, how could I pick just one that would be THE tree of life? I don't have to. The tree itself is huge and has a lot of different sides and parts. One part might be an evergreen, another might be a cactus (technically not a tree, but just go with it) and another might be one of those that you see in the beginning of the Lord of the Rings movie where Frodo is sitting in the branches reading a book. It's still the tree of life. The requirements to get there are still the same. But we all have different perceptions of paradise. That's cool.

 

The work is chugging along. I love teaching and I love feeling the Spirit.

I'm going all out, guns blazing these last few weeks.

There's no other time to do it.

Much love.

 

Chronister

What was once a tiny SEED

Has grown into a TREE of LIFE.

I love the tree of life. 

The imagery is so cool.

I've always really loved trees and big green things.

Good thing I grew up in Arizona.

And then came on my mission to Washington. 

I'm not even really sure what it is about a tree, but I just love the story of working toward this amazing goal and striving and working so hard and then at the end falling down at the tree, partaking of the fruit, and enjoying rest. You know, rest isn't a bad thing. Even God rested on the seventh day. We can rest from our labors too. When it's the right time. I'll rest when I'm dead.

Conference highlights:

-the gospel is part of the blueprint that anchors us to the foundation of Christ. 

-renewing the call for a return to virtue

-the Lord WANTS to forgive and He wants us to understand His willingness to forgive

-priesthood power: to bless, sanctify, and purify us

-most often the love of God is felt through the simple actor obedience

-we are under covenant to lift up those in need and to stand as witnesses of Him

-peace is the gift of God--an abiding deep happiness

-it takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the LIGHT.

-start where you are, turn your heart to The Lord, walk in the light

-belief is the first step toward conviction

Great, grand stuff. I love conference as a missionary because every applies. It's easy to see the ways that these things are useful for your life and for the lives of those that you are teaching. +1 for being a missionary. 

Things with the work are going well. We are seeing some pretty cool things happening with a family that isn't super active and one of the boys isn't a member. When we first started seeing them he wouldn't talk to us at all. Now he actually declines to join games on Xbox live to listen to the things that we teach and to listen to general conference. That's pretty cool for a 15 year old kid. The gospel, the light of Christ does absolute wonders in the lives of every human soul. There's nothing quite like it.

Take a minute to go and review some things from conference. It's amazing what you'll miss the first time and catch a second time.

Hope on,

Journey on.

Chronister

E.a.S.t.E.r.

Easter Sunday.

It was a fun day at church.

Crosby and I sang in sacrament meeting. I'm turning into a regular performer here on the mish.

Not really, I still feel super uncomfortable doing it, and I look like I'm uncomfortable too.

One of the YW mentioned that to me today. Awkward. Some things never change.

Despite my awkward tendencies though, I pulled through and the Spirit provided the needed boost to really carry the message.

I know that my Redeemer lives.

Yup.

Easter is a fantastic holiday.

This was an interesting week for me. I have started doing a lot of pondering. It's now a regular occurrance for Crosby to come in at night and I'm laying on my bed, staring off into space and she asks, "Doing some deep thinking?" Yes. Yes, I am. For the most part it's not about in anything in particular. Just normal "end of something big" contemplation. I realized that I have been blessed with a lot of gifts while I have been on my mission. I don't say that in a "look at how cool I am cause God gave me all these cool gifts" but very humbly, I am grateful for the ways God has chosen to bless me. One of my fears is to lose those gifts when I come home and am released. I frantically write down everything that I study and hear, trying to ink it into my brain. I don't want to lose what I've gained. I don't want to go back to what I was before. I want to grow and progress from here.

The good news is that I can.

These things are not just promised to missionaries. God doesn't just give us things for a time and take them away. If we want them, He allows us to keep them. IF we want them. IF we work for them. Salvation, exaltation, is not an easy thing to obtain.

"Eternal life. It hurts to get there. But it's the only way to get there."

"The path tho salvation has always, one way or another, led through Gethsemane."

Nothing is unattainable for us. NOTHING. As long as we "look unto [Christ] in every thought. Doubt not, fear not."

In other good news, we have had some really sunny days, in which I actually heard from the mouth of Baby Crosby that it was "hot." It was 60 degrees. And I got a sunburn while we were out tracting, but it was all worth it becuase we met a dog named Jessie that followed us for a couple of miles and kept us company. It was sad to leave her behind when we had to go.

Have a blessed week everyone. Work hard at whatever you do.

chronister

Sealing in Seattle

What a weekend.

It was an experience that I never thought I would have, but it happened. It was real.

The Tangaro family was an awesome family that I worked with in Steilacoom.

The parents were members, just really inactive, and four of their kids were not baptized.

By the grace of God we were somehow able to meet them, bring them to church, teach them, and see them all baptized last summer.

You probably remember the stories/pictures. If not, that's ok.

The parents were endowed about a month ago and this weekend they all went to the temple and were sealed to each other as a family.

I was incredibly blessed to be able to go.

A member from our ward in Sequim (shout out to Sister Oliver and Sister Peet) heard we were trying to get to the temple and volunteered to take us.

Kingston Ferry to Edmonds. Seattle to Bainbridge on the way back. GORGEOUS.

As we pulled up we could see some people outside taking pictures. I looked closer and realized,

"THAT'S MY FAMILY!!"

We pulled around and I jumped out and ran and gave them all huge hugs. It was so good to see them.

Basically it was a really surreal experience. It's something you always hope will happen, but you're never completely sure until you're sitting in a room full of people you love seeing a small family all in white being sealed together for time and eternity. Few things really measure up to that.

And I may have teared up a little. Just a bit though.

I mostly just smiled.

The work is coming along here in Sequim.

We've spent a lot of time finding this week. Lots of tracting which, in these parts, mostly means walking and occasionally coming across a house. For the most part people are nice, and Baby Crosby is really funny so we keep ourselves entertained.

I have this dream of buying 25 acres of land out here and building a 20x20 house, growing hay, and keeping chickens, pigs, goats, and a donkey (they're very protective animals, keep the cougars away) and growing my own garden. Basically, be off the grid, if at all possible. I shared this with a recent convert and she handed me a book called "Tiny Homes" all about people who have downsized and live in, you guessed it, tiny homes. I was giddy.

I'm trying to think of some pearls of wisdom to share with you (coughcoughnataliecoughcough) since some people actually still read these letters.

The other day Crosby was talking about how she had a hard time when she first got here, but what really helped her stay was how much I loved my mission and being a missionary.

That made me so happy.

If there was one thing I would want her to understand, it's that. Your mission will change you for the eternal good if you love it and if you let it and if you learn from it.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

That's all.

Chronister.

Trunky reminds me of Harry Potter

Cause you know....they have trunks to carry their stuff around.

10 points for Gryffindor.....

This week was pretty interesting.

There's not a whole lot that happens in Sequim, Washington.

Everything about it is slow.
Happy but slow.

 

We took mint chocolate chip ice cream over to this part-member family's house.

Their son just got baptized last week.

The other son is on the fence.

His favorite ice cream, which he talks about all the time, is mint chocolate chip.

Bribery? Maybe.

Do it anyways? Yeah.

We had an analogy for it. I just can't remember right now.

Something along the lines of the tree of life, how it's delicious. BUT if you don't make the choice to go and partake you can't actually have that in your life.

I was motivated by a tip in my journal.

Make your lessons interesting. If you're bored teaching, they're definitely bored listening.

 

Also, studying and praying are very important.

Never underestimate the power of either one.

 

We gotta run.

Barracks are calling.

Yeaaaahhhh P day.

 

Chronister

What Dew you want to Dew?

Not Mountain Dew. That stuff tastes like cat pee.

Not that I actually know what cat pee tastes like.

I feel like I'm digging myself in hole with this one.

Sheri Dew.

The one and only.

We got to meet her this weekend. There was a giant women's conference for all the stakes on the peninsula (Gig Harbor, Bremerton, Silverdale, and Port Angeles) and she came and spoke.

A lot of good stuff.

For the second week in a row I heard what was essentially a really great sermon on revelation.

The Spirit is so important in our lives.

We often focus on our relationships with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Don't get me wrong, those are FANTASTIC things to focus on.

But we can't forget the third member of the Godhead, the one who has been granted to us as a gift, as our constant companion.

The Holy Ghost.

As the teacher of truth, the comforter, the testifier, and the sanctifier it is so important that we not forget to come to know this person as well.

I actually think it's pretty interesting that the one we communicate through is the one we know least about.

But the promise is made to us that we can receive and know all things--through personal revelation.

That means time and effort.

Whaaat. We have to work for something?

Yup.

But it's worth it.

Promise.

The sad part about being on a mission is seeing people who know something is good and will help them, but because they don't want to/think they can change, they don't do it.

The gospel is simple.

Live it and you will be blessed.

It's simple but it's not easy.

Jesus Christ makes it possible but He doesn't do it all for us.

We have to live part of it.

We had a fantastic baptism last night.

Little Joseph was baptized.

His non-member Grandma came, and so did his Dad.

Actually, his grandma reminded me a lot of Gramma and Grampa Chronister.

She is a baptist, but she said she wouldn't miss his baptism for the world because she knew how important this was for him.

It made me really appreciate them for always being there for significant things in our lives--regardless of denomination.

That is true Christlike love.

Thanks, Gramma and Grampa.

Love you all.

Have a great week.

Don't suck.

chronister

You're going to . . . No Transfer!

Happy Valley. In other words, I'm staying. So is Baby Crosby.

Ha. Everyone calls her that in my emails to me.

She doesn't know that yet. But she'll get a kick out of it.

 

I want to say something about fasting really quick.

I still don't understand it.

It's something that is beyond me exactly how it works, I just know that it does.

Sort of like the Atonement, only the Atonement I understand even less than fasting.

I have learned over the past few months though that fasting really works.

I didn't really like it for a while. I think it's because I never saw how powerful it can be. Now I've seen it.

Anytime you feel a prompting to fast, do it. I wasn't planning to this week, and I'm not trying to get all Pharisee up in here, but when I felt prompted to fast I did it and I don't regret it one bit. We feel closer to God and He is then able to bless us with more revelation and guidance.

We had stake conference this weekend. The stake president gave a great talk about one thing we can do to better receive revelation:

REPENTANCE.

It's more than just turning away from our sins and bad habits.

It's turning towards God.

 

We had a mission-wide challenge this week to have 75% of our lessons with investigators with a member present.

We didn't quite make it, but it was a lot better than the past few weeks. Why? We tried to get memebers there.

We are taking laurels tracting with us.

Members are taking us out to go follow up with people.

We are visiting with members more.

And it pays off.

The more you see members, the more they want to help you.

We have been so blessed here. Chirstlike people abound and their desires to spread the gospel are incredible.

End of the week, we had 7 referrals. Not sure how it goes in other places around the world, but usually 2 or 3 is good here.

Seven. 7. Siete.

Including one that was a phone call at 8 in the morning letting us know that they had made an appointment for us that evening with someone.

What.

Cool.

The gospel is infectious, and as President Weaver said, the coolest thing you will ever hear.

Moral: share the gospel by sharing your friends. Nothing beats that.

This is a labor of love people, so you might as well labor for those you already love. Then you can work on the ones you only like.

 

We're out in Forks today. Yep. I finally made it here. And the sun is shining.

Gonna go see some Twihards. Have a great week.

Much love.

 

Chronic