Transfers, Apostles, and Logistics

June 12, 2017

It has been a crazy week. Transfers, new missionary arrivals, a joint mission meeting with the Kennewick mission and Elder Neil L. Anderson... That kind of crazy.

We're glad that transfers went smoothly! I forgot to mention this in my last email, but yes- Elder King and I will be staying together for a 3rd transfer, which makes him my longest serving companion! We are obviously really excited about that. We have learned a ton together, and we (for the most part) have found our flow when it comes to administering and ministering. This past transfer went sooo much more smoothly than last. We are getting the hang of things, so it's a good thing that everything will change in another six weeks. Haha. Ha. Ha.

Even though the past week has been a crunch, we've still had time to work our area a bit. Matt and Sarah have a wedding date of August 12th, and then Matt will be baptized the next day. They have thought about moving it up a week, though. They are doing incredibly well! They are reading the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes every day as a family, and they have talked to the Bishop about marrying them. They also are in the process of making the wedding invitations and everything. It has been the most incredible thing to watch them grow in the gospel together. They are pretty much active members!

As I mentioned in the beginning, on Saturday last week, we had a joint mission meeting with the Washington Kennewick Mission in Tri-cities. We have been anticipating this meeting for over two months, trying to figure out the logistics of moving 160 missionaries all over central Washington to one location. We prepared for the worst, but everything worked out. Somehow. In attendance were Elder Neil L. Anderson, President Hallstrom from the presidency of the 70, Elder Koch of the 70 (who was just recently Coby Johnson's mission president in Mozambique!), and Elder Stapleton, an area 70. It was incredible. Surprisingly, the meeting was very relaxed. Elder Anderson got to know some things about our mission and helped lift our vision for what we can accomplish. He also put Elder King and I on the spot to know our mission's baptisms for the last three months, which was fun. He challenged us all to especially make the words of God part of our "bones." Overall, it was an amazing experience. We can't wait to talk about what we've learned as a mission! It was also pretty funny meeting a bunch of missionaries NOT from our mission, including the AP's. Haha.

Hope you all are loving life as much as we are! Have a great week!

Peace and blessings,

Elder Moser

Entertaining the Departing Sisters 6/5/17

Captivating story tellers

Talking a walk...

Singing a song....

Weighing their suitcases...

Playing the stick rhythm game and ALMOST winning...

 Bringing in the New Sisters 6/6/17

Describing the mission areas.

More entertaining games...

Unloading the car....

Training...

Relaxing...

Training...

 TRANSFERS 6/7/17

All aboard the Transfer Truck. The peas are Elder Boshard's (back center).
I gifted little starters to him in Moses Lake as a joke and he is
 actually growing little peas now.

 Doctrine of Christ Training. 6/8/17

 Mission Conference in Richland with Elder Neil L. Anderson

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"Can You Teach Me the Steps to Get Baptized?"

May 29, 2017

This has been a crazy awesome week. The work is taking off!

Our week started with an exchange with The Dalles, Oregon zone leaders. It was amazing for several reasons: 1) I have never seen the Oregon side of the mission, and it is seriously beautiful. 2) I got to be with Elder Bird and Elder Poloncic who are now serving together, who were my previous 2 companions! We had a blast catching up and doing missionary work. 3) We made the staircase in their apartment into a mattress slide and 4) we witnessed a miracle first hand. For dinner that night, the member decided it would be best if we ate with him at the local hospital's cafeteria instead of him trying to rush home to cook something. After eating some delicious food, the four of us started waking outside with the member who fed us, Brother Stewart. As we were walking towards the parking lot, a girl in her 20's ran out of the doors behind us saying "wait, wait!" We all stopped to turn and look at this girl, who was working in the cafeteria as a cook, when she said "can you teach me the steps to get baptized?" I kid you not. Her name is Taylor, and she just moved to The Dalles from Chicago. Her friend from the Tri Cities has been teaching her about the church for a while, and she's been reading in the Book of Mormon. She said that she believes it all, but has never had a chance to talk to missionaries. When she saw us come into the cafeteria, she knew this was the chance- but she couldn't gain the courage until she saw us walking out. She is amazing. Elders Bird and Poloncic told us yesterday that she is already in Mosiah, and she is on-date for the 17th of June. She also introduces the missionaries to her friend, who is also on-date now. God does prepare people, and it is amazing to see.

So much has happened this week that it is hard to sum it all up. But we have found so many new people to teach, that it feels like we are running! Last week, we taught a part-member couple who are both actually younger than me by a few months, the Branner and Elaina. It kind of freaks me out because they just had a kid a few weeks ago. Anyway, the Husband, Branner, is not a member, and we had  a good introduction lesson with them and he prayed for the first time ever. They are so cool, and so relatable. 

Evelyn told us some big news last week! Her mom is planning on coming for all three hours of church next week, and then she will let her be baptized! Her mom has been coming for several weeks now, so we are confident that she will keep her word. It is so good to see Evelyn finally moving towards the water!

We found a few other families last week, but I'll spare the details. They are all so cool, and so sincere. I'll keep you posted on how things go with them this week, even thought we will be super busy with transfer planning. Elder King and I just feel like the luckiest people on the planet right now.

Last week I mentioned a man named David that we found who is on-date for next month. Yesterday he came to church! He enjoyed the last two hours, especially gospel principles, but he was sweating buckets during sacrament meeting because he was so nervous. He calmed down when he realized he didn't have to do anything. We're just glad we ended on a positive note!

It has been a week everyone. I know that this work is the most purposeful work on earth. It still blows my mind that Elder King and I, just two 20 year olds, are charged with sharing the gospel with all of the people around us. And even more, I can't believe that it actually works, that people want to listen! But I can, because it is true. Even when my past areas have been hard, the gospel has changes lives- even if it feels like it's just changing mine.

Love you all!

Peace and blessins,

Elder Moser

We also went on a hike to some caves, but we couldn't find the caves. 

This is my "I think we're lost" face

​Elder North and Elder King coming back with some loot

​Stonehenge

Each of these windmill blades are 2 train cars long.

The Dalles, Oregon is right in the Columbia River Gorge as it makes

 its way to the Pacific Ocean. So sick.

Hitting the streets with Elder Hamblin. He's hilarious. 

May 22, 2017

This week was, as they say, really really cool.

We started off with an exchange in one of the prettiest parts of our mission, Wenatchee. I was with Elder Harman, who is one of my favorite people to talk to because he is just so cool. Because both him and his companion are spanish missionaries, our entire day was in spanish. We taught a few lessons in spanish with him translating for me, and he taught me a lot about the language. After a year and a half of serving around spanish speaking people, I like to think that I've picked up quite a bit. At least enough to stumble my way through a door approach! 

The next day, we made the drive to Omak, which is the nethermost region of our mission. It is probably our favorite exchange to go on because we are light years away from Yakima and we get a taste of everything; Hispanics, white people, Native Americans... it is super fun! I was with Elder Allsop who is literally me in another persons body. We have pretty much all the same interests it feels like. We had an incredible day, and helped a family of three to commit to a baptismal date. We also taught a super cool young couple named Jeff and Amanda who life in the middle of the forested mountains in a cabin. It is beautiful! One of my favorite parts about being a missionary is seeing how the gospel affects everyone's lives differently. In those two exchanges, everyone we taught was sooo different from one another, but they all were drawn towards the same thing. Each of them had their own questions and challenges, but each felt God's love in similar ways. It is seriously so cool. I am so glad that the world is diverse and that people are all different. It is beautiful.

We were out of our area for a big chunk of the week, but we went hard for the days we were back to make up for it. Our investigators are all doing well, and we have been finding people to teach like crazy! I could talk about them forever, but I'll let you know how our lessons go next week. It sufficeth me to say that they are cool. 

The work keeps moving forward. One reason why missionary work is so enticing is that it is never finished. Elder King and I have met so many people in just the last week who are ready for the gospel. Yesterday, we met a guy tracting named David who is living at a clean and sober house who is already striving to clean up his life. He is excited to be baptized, and set a date for June 17th. They are all around us. I wouldn't rather be doing anything else than sharing God's love with them!

Peace and Blessings,

Elder Moser

​The view from a member's living room in Wenatchee.
The picture doesn't make the mountains look as cool as they really are.

Jeff and Amanda's cabin

​​The classic Omak picture. The story behind it is too long to explain haha

Stretching the legs.

Monday at the office.

Four Zone Conferences in Four days.

May 9, 2017, Zone Conference #1

All pictures are courtesy of Sister Lewis.

Setting up for ZC #1 this week. Yakima Selah.

Passing out cleaning supplies.

Zone mission photo

Post ZC leadership meeting #1

May 10, 2017, Zone Conference #2

Setting up ZC #2, held in Moses Lake for the Othello, Moses Lake and Ephrata Zones.

Crazy group photo.

Post ZC leadership meeting.

May 11, 2017, Zone Conference #3

Zone Conference #3, Wenatchee with the Omak and Wenatchee Zones

Zone Group Photo, Omak and Wenatchee Zones

Post ZC leadership training.

May 12, 2017, ZC #4

Ready for ZC #4, Toppenish with the Yakima Valley Spanish and  Dalles Zones

Zone photo YV and Dalles

Gospel Principles game that Elder King won 4 days in a row.

Some old friends, now companions.

Post ZC leadership training #4.