Soundview Starts

Dear Family,

Again, sorry about the short letter from last week! It was a crazy couple of days saying goodbye in Steilacoom and getting ready for the transfer here to Soundview.

Saying good-bye to one more family last week in Steilacoom

I must have done something right, because Heavenly Father has blessed me again with a great area. The Soundview ward is outstanding. We had 13 lessons with members present this week (that is very good). We would set up lessons here and there, then just call our ward mission leader, with the name and place, and he would get us a member there. And almost every time it was a different member. True, not all of these lessons went through, but when they didn't, we would bring that member with us to visit other potential investigators, and more missionary opportunities would open. Also funny, whenever we would try and get a member to come with us, if they ever said no, it was for reasons like, "Sorry I have a home teaching appointment," or "oh, well I'm actually on my way to the temple," or "Well I'm teaching an institute class right now, but if you really need me I could get a sub here!" or even, "Sorry I missed your call, elders, I was just doing some family history work so that I could seal my parents in the temple" 

I think I'm in Zion.

Also, we have members feeding us or the sisters every day of the week, and more members dropping off food at our apartment. The Soundview ward does also have its own set of sisters, Sister Baird and Sister Clayson. This is their 3rd transfer together. They are doing great here.  Our ward council is amazing and got 4 recent converts (all baptized this year) to go to the temple for baptisms on Friday. And they all received callings in the ward this Sunday.

Elder Webber next to his new Companion Elder Anderson

I'm serving with one of the most experienced missionary companions, and he is a machine when it comes to working hard. Except for the first few weeks of my mission, I don't think I've ever worked so hard. From 10:00 AM when we leave the apartment to 9:25 PM when we get home, it is go, go, go. I love it!! He is helping me to be more obedient too, and the blessings are apparent. He keeps me moving and thinking and planning every minute of the day. And we have a car. Elder Anderson taught me that as Zone Leaders, we are simply to do and say exactly what President Weaver would do and say, like the Nephite Apostles were for Christ (3 Nephi 19:8).

The area we live in is perfect. It includes part of University Place, on the water of the Puget Sound, and some very well-off and great members of the ward. It also has a middle class portion called Fir Crest, and parts of Tacoma, which is definitely lower class, and that makes the work very dynamic and the ward well-balanced. We live in this house that used to belong to a member family who built a new home above ours, and they sold the house to the mission. So we live with the two Assistants to the President, and the two Office Elders. It has 3 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms, a large kitchen, fully stocked, and a few study rooms, and a living room. And big windows that open to a view of the Puget Sound. I get to study every morning with that as my view.

Puget Sound view out the window

Living room

Missionary Kitchen, 2 boxes of Lucky Charms, Top Ramen, Licorice

How did I get so blessed?

We sent out texts to 100+ people to invite them to church this week, about 15 of the invites were when we were with people, but we decided to try and contact all of the people on our phone we did not know. Of all of them, 10 committed to come to church, and one showed up. That was sort of disappointing, but we keep going. It has been an ongoing struggle on my mission to get people to come to church and to keep coming to church. The one who came to church we met this week, his name is Maike (Spanish for Mikey pretty much) and he moved here from Panama to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, who are all members. They invited us over to teach him! He already had come to church once and had been reading the Book of Mormon. He is 16 years old. He believes it is true and accepted the invitation to be baptized! His chosen date is on April 12th, we are teaching him the 3rd lesson tonight and he is so ready. He doesn't speak a lot of English, but their family wanted us to teach him instead of the Spanish missionaries. (Not sure why...) but his cousin is a return missionary from Texas and spoke Spanish there. His whole family speaks Spanish. So they helped translate our teaching to him in Spanish, but it works pretty well and the Spirit was there.

I love my mission more than I can say. All is well, All is well.

Love Elder Webber