BBBBaptism, extra B's for extra Baptisms

Well this week has probably been our slowest week. We were only able to teach 3 lessons which is kinda a bummer. However, I cannot dwell on the past!

We had a small training with the zone on Tuesday to go over the missions goal of 444 baptism next year. President and Sister Rasmussen came in and gave a bunch of information of what we can do to achieve this goal. Randomly in the middle of the discussion the zone started bashing on the Zone Leaders again. This created a really awkward situation for President, who told us that maybe we should have a one-on-one chat in private with certain companionship's in the zone. Which is what they did. When they took us aside. They asked the questions of how they can be better Zone Leaders and how they can help us be better missionaries. I didn't really have anything against them in the first place, so I kinda just sat off to the side. Once Elder Lewis got out what he wanted to say, they accepted that and are now trying to go forward with more love towards the zone. However that wasn't what the other missionaries took it like at all. The were all like, "The Zone Leaders are just trying to stand their ground and they don't want to do anything to change." I completely disagreed with that and I told them that I think that they are really trying to be better Leaders. 

We had interviews with President this week. So I decided my question was going to be "how I can help make this zone become united again?" He talked to me for a bit about the whole situation and said he would probably be talking to certain companionships/missionaries about it. Then we talked about how perception of things is everything. Meaning, if someone perceives something one way and that way is negative then, nothing works together.  I totally agreed with him on that. He then said his advice to me was to keep doing what I was doing and help the zone when and where I can.

Then later in the week we finally got to teach our recent convert. His name is Bro. Irby. He is awesome. He is really just a power-house convert, but then again most are. When you teach him he just someone that you can feel has really come to have a testimony of Jesus Christ and that is truly amazing. We were also able to teach Tony. He going through some rough things at work so I shared with him the story of the Stripling Warriors. Then taught the principle of trusting in God and everything will turn out alright. Of course we did all of this while he personal trained me on the bench press. Totally going to be shredded after this area.

Then the main event happened on Saturday... the day of Meuoy's baptism! We got picked up by Bro. Ramsey around 5:00PM and headed off to good ole' Garrison Creek. When we arrived I got to see my old companion again, Elder Perkins. Plus a bunch of my other friends in the ward and the Renton Zone. I love all of them so much.  Meuoy came in and I could only smile at him. When it came time to baptize him, Meuoy and I entered the font and I did everything correctly but then his knee came out of the water! Which means that was "B" number one. Next round his knee came up again, "B" number two. Then we had a three-peat, which makes "B" number three. However on the fourth time it work out, performing the complete "Baptism." Can I get a "Heck Ya"! When Bishop ask Meuoy how he felt, he replied with, "I feel brand new." That was an awesome feeling of spiritual intensity during that moment. In the end it was awesome to be able to have the pleasure of being the one to baptize Meuoy.

On Sunday, a couple things happened......We have a NEW ward mission leader. It is now Bro. Price. He is going to be super great, I can just tell. He is a pretty humble guy and I am looking forward to working with him. Bro. Mietus is now the Ward Clerk. 

Anyways that was the greatness of the week. Love all of you.

Elder R.K. Northrup

Messages I received after getting these pictures from Brother Ramsey.

Your son was in High Spirits

And he seems very focused on the work

He said he missed our Ward he had a lot of first there

He realized that he doesn't have a lot of time left on his mission time is feeling very short

He had to baptize the guy 4 times tonight the water didn't get filled up very high so it was hard

Oh goodness!!!

How did Meuoy take it?

Like a champ

THIS JUST IN....

I received a message from Reggie's former ward mission leader in Garrison Creek ward with this picture.

Your son will be baptizing this guy Saturday.  I called him and asked him if he was prepared to be a "soggy biscuit"... I am picking him up at 5:30 Saturday night.  When Meuoy asked for Elder Northrup, I felt like Heavenly Father was mindful of him.

(Note from mom)

I have been praying since he was transferred that Heavenly Father would help him to be able to share the gospel with someone and be able to see them progress and then be able to baptize them at some point in his mission.  I cried tears of joy when I received this text.  I am so happy for him.  This will be an experience that he will never forget.  The Lord and his tender mercies!

Apparently the Tortoise wins the race?

Well, the area I am in is still dead... but we possibly have a new investigator. His name is Wes. He is cousin  to this less active, named Tony, that we have been working with to quit smoking. 

It was on Monday that we saw them both. We were talking to them both and I asked them how to get jacked. Since they are both Polynesian they knew all about that. Now the only way to teach them is the extreme use of "Teach people, not lessons." What we decided to do is they are going to help me get ripped while we help Tony and Wes quit smoking. They are going to be our personal trainers, while we personally train them to keep the commandments. It's definitely a win win situation. It should be a great experience...to see my muscles grow and them stop being destructive to their bodies. Pray for both of them.

We also taught another one of our less active's and her son. The son is active but she isn't, but they are both so awesome. They are from Russia. Their names are Nadia and David. David is hilarious so it is always fun to teach around him. Nadia is just such a sweet lady. They are great. We hope Nadia starts coming to church again.

We also went on exchanges with Lakota Creek. I went there with Elder Scheidell. It was great to get back on a bike!  (Weird... never thought I would say that before.) Anyways on the exchange we were able to teach their investigator Bro. Ili.  He is from Samoa. He knows the church is true and Elder Scheidell and I both committed him to baptism. It was so awesome!  He already has a super strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is incredible.

On Sunday I went to the Missionary Devotional with Elder Miner, Elder Scheidell, and Elder Steiner. We were all singing in the choir. It was pretty fun. I just wish I could actually sing well though....definitely not one of my talents as of yet. I will probably have to go through some fine tuning soon. 

(I pulled these pictures off the mission blog and put them on here from the missionary devotional Elder Northrup was talking about.  I don't know who this guy is in the first picture, but I saw Elder Northrup behind him and had to include it here....  Mom)

Well that was our week.  The work is coming along slowly like tortoise pace or something but oh well. Love you all and always do missionary work, because why not?

Elder R.K. Northrup

P.S.  Note from Mom.  I met Brother and Sister Mietus on Friday.  They were here in Utah dropping their daughter off at the MTC.  We sent a little bag of letters and goodies back with them for Elder Northrup.  They said his companion is legally blind due to albinism. What an amazing young man to serve the Lord even with the trials he has been given. Sister Mietus sent me this very short video... I love hearing his voice.

Another Dead Ward

Well as of right now almost everyone who was investigator was baptized before I got into the area.  We are now down to one investigator. I am getting a bit sick of having to relay the ground work, but I guess somebody has to do it.

Hylebos is ward members are pretty great though. We have met the ward mission leader Brother Mietus, Brother Angelo, Brother Shilling (German/Hawaiian), and a ton of other people. Still trying to get to know everybody. 

My new comp is a little difficult he just complains about things too much and it's getting a little old, but other than that we are doing good and he's a good guy. 

We taught our only investigator this week on Sunday. His name is Ata. He is Samoan and supa cool. We had cocoa rice at their house the other day and it was pretty good. Afterward we taught him about the Book of Mormon and why it is important to read it. We also invited him to read every day out of the Book of Mormon and he said he would. So Heck Ya! I am looking forward to teaching him more. He is as SOLID as stainless steel.

Other than that we are just going to be working hard to get more people to teach this week. Pray for us to find more people. Love you all.

Elder R.K. Northrup

P.S. Reggie lost the attachment that he needs to send pictures.  Thankfully the members come through for me.  We were sent this picture of Elder Northrup and Elder Lewis by Darci and Mateaki Kivalu from Hylebos ward.  The Elders did a "ton of service" which ended in a southern style meal at their home including country fried chicken, potatoes and hearty salad.  Sure love the members who take such good care of the missionaries.

The Dreaded Transfer

Well this last week in the 'G' Crk. has been a great last week. I was happy with opportunity that I got to serve in this area. Hope to carry that work to my new area in Hylebos!  It should be the bomb!

I don't have much to say this week other than good-bye to all of the awesome members in Garrison Creek. 

Anyways the few Highlights that we did have were Meuoy came to church again. Now he will be getting rides to church with Bro. Rogers.

We had an awesome potluck that the ward mission organization put on. I think it was probably the best attended potluck I have been to so far. It was a blast. Plus, a Tongan Dance team came and did...well obviously some dancing.

We had our drop lesson with Ruben. We basically shared with him the Restoration. We told him we won't be coming back until he knows that Joseph Smith is a prophet, because it is no use teaching him anything else until he has a testimony of that. 

Lastly, I rushed around to a ton of the ward members to get pictures with them. As well as say my good-byes. So long Garrison Creek! I will be back!

I am off to Hylebos now to have some more fun!

Elder R.K. Northrup

Note from Elder R.K.'s Mom

You've heard it said that "It's a small world in the church."  I have a story to back that up.  On July 28th, I was parking my car at the church down the street from my brother's house so that he wouldn't figure out that we were having a surprise birthday party for him.  On my walk to his house, I saw 2 Elders riding their bikes down the street.  I stopped them and talked for a minute.  I asked them where they were from.  One elder said "Minnesota"... awesome!  "I was your neighbor from Wisconsin!"  The other elder said he was from "Washington State".  

"Oh REALLY?  Where in Washington?"

"Federal Way."

"NO WAY!  My son is on his mission there!  What ward are you from?"

"Hylebos!"  

Well, then I had to take a picture of him and in my excitement didn't get his mom's contact information.  I went to our trusty "Washington Federal Way Mission Moms and Friends" facebook page and put his picture on there asking if anyone knew his parents.  Someone knew them and gave me her phone number.  I sent her the picture of her son.  We texted back and forth a bit.  It was super fun.  Fast forward to this week!  I found out Reggie was headed to the Hylebos ward.  I sent her a message to let her know.  The next day I get these pictures of Elder Northrup and Elder Lewis (from Idaho).  (Her husband is the ward mission leader there.)  So crazy!  "It's a small world after all!"

Pictures sent to us by Bro. Devin Ramsey of Garrison Creek Ward

Just a page of fun pictures that Brother Ramsey sent us while Reggie was still serving in Garrison Creek.  The first group looks like he and Elder Perkins are "bustin a move".  The second set they are making plan of salvation visual aids.  So grateful for amazing members who take good care of my boy!

This is the message I got from Brother Ramsey when he sent these pictures.

The few pictures I realized I didn't send

We're going to miss having your son he was an amazing missionary he's got a great attitude and he's full of personality probably one of the most thoughtful missionaries we've had come through in a while