It is so hot!! I literally feel like I am melting as I write this email!! Seattle is passing through a record setting and breaking heat wave!! Usually it doesn't get above 85-90 in the summer, but it is 110 degrees today!! We are baking!! No one here has AC, so it is so hot!! We are super blessed to have a portable AC unit that is capable of keeping our bedroom a cool 84 degrees, but the other rooms in our apartment are toasty as can be!!
It was another awesome week here! We had MLC on Friday. It was super awesome, cause we got to do it with masks off for the first time!! President Beardall even gave us hugs!! We also got to have an awesome meal there!! During MLC, I learned a ton. We had some great discussions on faith, urgency, diligence, focus, and working with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.
We set a baptismal goal of four for our zone this week. It is exciting, because we now have four on dates for July in our zone. It has been really hard for the last couple months after opening the Bothell Zone up. Almost no one had any investigators because the Everrett mission had been shut down for so long. When Bothell became part of our mission, missionaries hadn't really been out of the apartment for over a year. We have been doing everything we can to get this zone going, but we haven't had any baptisms yet as a zone.
We put Savia on date for baptism this week. She is so ready to get baptized!! She is also succeeding in stopping drinking coffee!! It has been super hard for her, but she is down to one cup a day. We are praying that she will be able to stop drinking coffee this next week. The 18th will be the week after Elder Ward and I go home, but Elder Almeida will still be here. I hope either Elder Diago or Elder Ludgate are with him so they can have the chance to baptize someone. It would be super good for both of them. Please keep on praying for Savia!!
So, Savia is one of the on dates for baptism in the zone. Two of the others on dates are Alex and Shonn. The cool thing about both of them is that they are both people the Lord guided our companionship to in the first week. We knocked on both of their doors and contacted them. We then passed them off to the English companionships. It was definitely worth the hard work!!
We went to a park to contact people this week. That isn't anything too crazy; we do that a lot because there are always people to talk to. The different thing, however, was that we found a huge biking and running path. There were so many people there!! I think that literally hundreds of people passed us in the park. We tried to talk with every single one of them. Elder Ward and I were having so much fun!! I don't think that I have ever laughed more during an hour of proselyting. It was the closest that I have ever felt to being one of those missionaries back in the day that would just stand up on a pedestal and preach to a crowd. It was crazy!!
We had a cool experience on Sunday. We had been tracting for several hours in the heat. We were just dripping with sweat. We knocked on this door, and this Indian family ended up letting us in. The dad's name was Ruben. They are Cathollic (which is super rare, 85% of India is hindu) and Ruben knows the Bible and what he believes extremely well. However, he was super curious about who we were and why we were sharing the message. He listened very intently and asked some great questions about key doctrinal topics. At the end, he looked at us and said, "Wow! This is super important. If I am wrong and you're right, I am in big trouble. If I am right and you are wrong, you are in big trouble. Salvation is at stake. If your message is true, my family and I need to join your church immediately!!" He understood better than anyone I have ever taught just how important the message that we share is and what he needs to do know. Heis very committed to reading the Book of Mormon and figuring out if it is true. I could see him having a Parley P Prat experience with reading the Book of Mormon this week.
Last night, we ended up having to go give a blessing to one of the Elders in our zone really late at night. He had just got news that his grandpa was in the hospital with a super serious heart attack. President beardall gave us permission to go give him a blessing. We talked everything through with him and gave him the blessing. The Spirit was definitely there.
I love you all and am excited for another amazing week in the best work that has ever existed!! I hope I don't melt!!
Doctrine and Covenants section 130:18-19
18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
I love representing the Savior in Brasil and Washington, I love the Gospel and Atonement of Christ, I love my family, and I love my Redeemer. I am ready and excited to work harder, learn more, and love better this week!
Love,
Elder Warren Matthew Dudley
Photo 1 - The Sammamish River
Photo 2 -Tracting trailers
Photo 3 Mount Rainier
Photo 4 - Finishing up the night after an online lesson at the church
Photo 5 - beautiful skies
Photo 6 - My call with the family at Lake Anna
Photo 7 - Double tags. I went the entire day without realizing I had two tags on
