Curmom! Just do it!

Well this week has been a continuation of ridiculousness. First off once again all of our appointments fell through and two of our appointments we even had a member with us at the door ready to teach and they just decided to cancel in our faces! Curmom people is it really that hard just to keep an appointment! Whatever, I have faith that they will eventually learn to keep appointments.

We have decided to start just having Audrey come to one of our members houses so we can teach her the lessons. We believe this will be less of a hassle and that way she will be ready for baptism faster. We just need to talk to her mom about our idea. 

Also this week we had interviews with President Eaton. Which is weird to me because that just means he is getting closer and closer to him leaving us. Which just made me think of that Nacho Libre quote when he says, Nacho/President Eaton: "Chancho, I need you to be obedient." Chancho/Missonaries: "Are you leaving us?" Nacho/President: "Yes, I am leaving you, but I need you to be obedient."  Anyways we also got new phones and they are super lame. They are definitely not smart.

Later that day we went on exchanges. I went to Hylebos with Elder Fullmer. That was a great exchange. I learned from that Elder how we can't be nervous to just invite someone to be baptized we just have to have the faith that he will accept the invitation to be baptized...by the proper authority that is. 

We were also able to teach a investigator of theirs named Nora. She is really progressing. Plus, the lesson we taught her was just so spiritual. Elder Fullmer and I were blessed with the ability to teach and testify together when we never had before. Then towards the end of her lesson she looked at us and just came out and said what her concern was. It was a slightly awkward concern but I believe we addressed to the best of our ability. Then we told that the bishop might have an even better insight on her concern she seemed to accept that. Then we went to bed. We woke up the next day and did some studies. During Companionship study Elder Fullmer asked me some questions that I didn't really see coming. I am really not sure what I said to Elder Fullmer. What I do know was that the Gift of the Holy Spirit was directing me the whole time to what to say to him. It was awesome to be able to answer his questions about the work. We then did some wood working for a non-member.(pics for that will come later).

Gosh dang it. One of our only investigators is going to be moving to Tacoma so our teaching pool is about to get even smaller. We really need to teach people because we are starting to run out of things to do during our proselyting hours. Please if you could all pray for us to find people to teach through tracting and member referrals that would be a huge blessing to us and to our Father in Heaven.

Well tonight we are going to go try and inspire some members to do missionary work. Challenge for you all: Do missionary work in some shape or form this week. 

Elder R. K. Northrup

P.S. We also had our temple trip today it was so amazing to have that feeling of relaxation for a bit in the temple and just soak in the happiness. Plus, I was able to get some inspiration for our area. I had the prompting to be more obedient and inviting to be baptized always.

Elder Stoker is the one looking a different direction and Elder Knight is in the background and Elder Snook is the one next to me....and I am the one next to Elder Snook.

Our area was Weird

​Yes this is my Gandalf Staff you definitely shall not pass!

This week has been really interesting. Mostly because a lot of random things have been happening. Here are most of them.

We saw a couple of 7 yr. olds fighting each other by stiff arming one another in the face. That was weird to witness. When we were driving back to our apartment after Bishop meeting, a white mouse darted out of the foliage running at full speed and head-butted the tire of an SUV in front of us. Yeah, he's gone. Then we went tracting and I knocked on a door so hard that it opened on itself and nobody was home...  we got the heck out of there. Maybe I need to work out a little bit less in the morning because I might be getting to strong. Then the next house we went to, their front doors were barricaded by a bunch of wooden chairs. The next day we saw a squirrel trying to carry a bagel almost 3/4 its size up a tree. Sadly when the squirrel saw us it dropped his bagel from off of the tree branch. That squirrel deserves that bagel. Then today we had a guy come up to one of the Elders in the library and told him (and the rest of us) that we are apart of a Cult, and that one day we will realize it. The Elder just invited him to pray about it. Then on top of all this one of our investigators dropped us. Which I then screamed "Come On" and pretend to flip my desk.

Now for the people choosing to have a normal week. Lot and Valora are really progressing right now. They seem to be really excited to listen to the Book of Mormon and the teachings it contains. Their fellowshippers, (the Gardners) have invited them over for dinner Saturday. We would have taught Audrey this week twice which would have been awesome because then she would be all ready to be baptized on the 30th. However, we are luckily going to most likely teach her today. Which make it so we don't have to push back her baptism again.

One of my favorite Elders got to tag along with us on Sunday. Elder Jeong came out with us and we got to spend our last few proselyting hours that day with him.  It was such a blast. I am going to request to possibly serve in the Korean Branch if they ever need someone to be put in there. Which is totally a legal move, so yeah.  

Other than all of those events of this week, not much has happened. We have been doing a lot more finding because we honestly just need more investigators. Pray for that to happen. It would be much appreciated. Well have a good week guys and I will talk to ya next week.

Elder R.K. Northrup

The Spirit is strong in this one!

​My scary Anakin pose!

​I... am... Ironman!!!

I don't always get shot in the face but when I do it kills!

Teaching is da bessssst, I love it!

Well this week we taught 4 lessons which is totally awesome because now every single one of our investigators is progressing. It is great. One of them even has a baptismal date for the 30th of January. We are praying that the our other investigators will accept our baptismal invitations as well. 

The lessons we taught were so interesting. We taught an X-Jehovah's Witness which is really hard because her concern is that she wants proof that Joseph Smith is talked about in the Bible. We kept trying to tell her that it didn't matter if Joseph Smith is in the Bible or not. What matters is that we read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, that is the only way we will gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, that Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and that Christ church is restored today. Her name is Pora, please pray for her that she will find the truth in the Book of Mormon as she studies it out in her heart. I have the faith that she has been prepared to be baptised. 

Our other lesson we kinda failed at just we thought it would be better to show a video on the restoration. Well we were so wrong. We watched the video with her but it just didn't have the same spirit that could have if we had taught her by speaking and testifying. We have decided to go and reteach her the restoration the right way. Please pray that she will see the truth of what we teach and that we will teach through the guidance of the spirit. Her name is Sister McClelland.

Our other lesson were for Audrey, we have almost taught her all of the lesson for her to get baptized. We are looking forward to her baptism because of the joy we know it will bring her during that moment.

We weren't able to teach Lot and Valora this week because they forgot about our appointment but we will catch them again sometime. We did leave them with a Joseph Smith Pamphlet because Valora wanted to learn about his life. I know and have the faith that she will read it and feel the spirit that it will bring her. Pray that they will start reading the Book of Mormon as well.

Well that was our eventful week. I hope you all had a spirit filled week as well. Challenge read 1 Nephi in 10 days. GOOO!

Elder R.K. Northrup

Looks like a little Star Wars art going on in his spare time. (Kylo Ren.)

Double Spirit Session with a Side Order of Finding!

This week has been marvelous! We were able to teach Lot & Valora twice this week with a member. Oh man member lessons are the best! Bro. Gardner came with us to both lessons that we taught. I was just exceedingly astonished because how much more understanding there was when we had Bro. Gardner there. With all three of us testifying it just turned out really incredible. We taught both the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They haven't accepted our invitations yet but it is amazing to see how much they are progressing. Plus, bringing a member is like the wheat to our thin. It just makes sense!

On Friday, I went on exchanges with our district leader Elder Knight (who came out with me). That day was amazing! He taught me so much. I love learning from other missionaries. I learned a lot about contacting. Even though I really stink at. I learned that the more you try to teach some doctrine while you are finding people the chance they are willing to listen skyrockets! We even were able to teach part of the restoration to the 15 yr. old kid named Ivan, he is Ukrainian. He accepted our invitation to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. He also wants to get baptized!  Pray that he will read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of it and want to learn more about it. We also went and taught a member lesson to the Beach Family. One of there daughters is about to go on a mission too Tucson, Arizona. We taught a lesson using the video by the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson called "Faith in the Work of Salvation". Elder Knight then gave a spiritual experience about how doing missionary work now can bless their lives. We then invited them to ask a non-member they know to meet with the missionaries and they accepted the challenge. We are following up with them in two weeks.  Then exchanges ended.

We had another great member lesson on Saturday. We were praying about what member we should visit while Elder Moon came across the Gassman's in the ward directory and we both kinda felt directed towards there house. When we arrived and knocked at the door they let us in and we were able to teach them a member lesson as well. At the end of it Sister Gassman was shedding tears of happiness, because of how strong the spirit was in that room. They also accepted the invitation to invite someone to meet with the missionaries. Plus, they already have names of people in mind. It was just a glorious moment to be apart of at that time.

Well I love you all and hope you guys enjoy this new year. Pray to God when you struggle and pray to him when you aren't because it will make it all better. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. So why not start sharing it!

Elder R. K. Northrup

Sometimes when I am cold....and yeah this explains everything