Week 40 - YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED

Oh man guys this transfer has been so good like it's been crazy!!!

Now that I have your attention, would you all turn to 2 Kings 5. This chapter is a beautifully written lesson on Christ's Atonement. There is a king named Naaman and he has leprosy. Which is bad. And he hears about this guy named Elisha who can heal people and hes like dang I need some of that so he sends his servant to go get Elisha. Well Elisha probably has a lot going on being the prophet and such so instead of going, he sends a message back with the servant that all Naaman needs to be healed is go wash in the River Jordan 7 times. Naaman is heckin pissed. Hes like what the crap isnt there better rivers for me to wash in and also why wont he come see me I'm hecka important. He decides hes not going to do it and then his servant was like bro come on, if he had told you to go on this crazy adventure to be healed you probably would have done it right? Its gonna be so easy just go swim around for a few minutes and you will be healed like it's worth a shot. And so Naaman is like fine I will do it. And hes HEALED wow crazy. Anyway that's like exactly how it is with us and Jesus Christ. It's so easy to be healed all we have to do is repent and ITS SO EASY. Anyway yeah. 

I wasn't actually gonna click-bait because like this transfer has actually been so freakin good you have no idea but then I was like here's a good story so yeah.

 We came into this area with nobody to teach. NO ONE. and guess how many we have now? WE HAVE 9 PEOPLE WE ARE TEACHING CONSISTENTLY. That's crazy. Especially for Washington. 

There's so much to talk about. Gina is super elect and she wants to come to church and everything but her boyfriend is being way lame and he keeps bringing up anti and Gina is defending us and it's just a really weird dynamic but we will find a way.

Charlene is this sweet old lady (shes 95!!) that we tracted into and we asked if she needed any service and she was like yeah will you cut down those trees and we were like heck yeah. We got brother martin who does it professionally and we cut those bad boys down. Then we asked if she needed anything else and she asked if we had a way to get rid of all her junk so we got Brother Johnson to bring his truck and we loaded up a bunch of stuff to take to the dump. She mentioned how her toilets are leaking so we got Brother Moulton to come over and check it out and now we are replacing the mechanisms on Tuesday. And shes reading the book of mormon. It's straight up like Ammon and being a diligent servant so that they will hear your message. And we love her shes so funny. And such a sweetheart. 

We are teaching Forest every Wednesday and hes slowly learning and I think he will eventually realize what we are teaching is true. He watched some of general conference (and we forgot to invite him to do it too oops) and we will talk about that on Wednesday.

Ed is such a chill guy. We are kinda just buddies but then a week ago he kinda just opened up about religion and we were able to teach him. All he has to do is put in some effort but he doesn't see the reason because hes so happy where hes at now. We will show him if u known what I'm sayin. ‍

Larry is freakin crazy we don't know what we are going to do with him but we are helping him out with his yard and we built a shelf or bench or desk or something with him we have no idea but hes happy with it. We told him we are dream building and he just adored that term. He kept saying it he was like oh man yeah we are dream building yes I love it.

Anyway other than that I don't know. It's way awesome in Brier. I'm learning a lot and it's been great. 

Read book of mormon pray amen.

-Elder Dorrance

Week 34! I'm alive!

Hey everyone! Last time I wrote was the beginning of last transfer. I said that it was going to be a good transfer and I gotta say it was good for a lot of different reasons than what I thought! 

An update on Travis! We had that lesson and he just brought up a bunch of random bible verse trying to bash but we stayed calm cool and collected. It was so funny, he said "um you do know that like the leader of your religion confessed it was all a lie on his deathbed right?" And I must have skimmed over that when I had read church history. Now i know that when he fell out the window he fell right into a bed where he confessed all his sins and how it was all a lie. Crazy. Absolutely wack. But anyway yeah Travis just kinda wanted to bash so we decided we probably shouldn't go back and so then we went back and this time he brought his big tough older brother. Now Travis just kinda wanted to bash but Jesse... oh Jesse. He really wanted to bash so after that we decided to really not go back and then we didn't. 

To be completely honest with all of you, we didn't go out and work very hard that transfer. Elder Helms was working through some stuff so we took it easy. I love the man to death though. He helped me learn about myself and I hope I helped him learn something too. He's by far my favorite companion I've had on my mission. But yeah there wasn't too many memorable things happening in Skagit YSA for a little while sadly. But that's leads to my next point!

I got transferred again yaaaaayyyyy woooo that's awesome. Now I'm in Brier! My new companion is Elder Puodziunas from Argentina! He's a stud! He broke his wrist a little while ago and otherwise this would be a bike area but instead we get to ride around in the buses! And they don't come around here very often because it's pretty suburban so that means more walking than bussing!! But I love it I think! We have seen a lot of awesome things happen while walking! I have been able to pet like so many dogs it is so awesome and also people swear at us all the time from their car! Oh and also we met Bert who we wouldn't have met if we were driving around! Bert came up and told us we should come by and have a discussion when he's not busy. He came up to us! It was awesome.

We are teaching Sarah and if I don't edit this then that means I forgot to and you will figure out who she is next time

I've been kicked around a lot in my mission which is hard because that gives me the stigma that I'm a problem missionary who doesn't get along with companions or areas for long and I've been really frustrated with that. But now looking back I can see the Lords wisdom in all the places and people I've been with. I have a testimony that God has a plan for each of us! And sometimes that path that we need to be on isn't easy, but it is all for our profit. Keep on going! Keep working on being a better person! The Lord will sustain you! 

Maybe I will talk to you next week or 6 months from now idk yet we will see lol

Count your blessings because nobody else will do it for you ;)

- Elder Dorrance

Week 29 - 2 weeks in a row? Wow!

This is kinda crazy isn't it?? Y'all are so blessed to hear from me twice in a row.. 

Everything is going super well this week! Elder Helms had a surgery on his jaw and he was on some pretty heavy stuff which made him have some pretty serious mood swings. It kept things pretty exciting this week!! He stayed awake for 4 days straight and if that doesn't make a person cranky I don't know what will.. but now hes sleeping and he is not moody. Which makes me a happy Elder Door Hinge. 

After P-day ended last week we had a super fun mega awesome family home evening activity because we are in YSA and it's basically just a bunch of thirsty kids in their twenties trying their hardest to find an eternal companion so they need to have activities where they can get together and flirt it up. It really just takes me back to high school which is just great. It's great. Really its great.

I didn't say anything about the new person we are teaching last week so I will now. His name is Travis and he is SO Christian. Hes tried a bunch of religions and all of them are just so different that he decided to just call himself Christian to strive towards a unity of faith which is just like dang bro that's what we want too. Last Wednesday we had a lesson with him and before the lesson he texted us and he said hey guys let's not do the lesson tonight and I'm like oh no and he says let's just get together and just play cards and hangout. Then I thought ok that's better. So we went over and played cards and just had a good time. Elder Helms thinks he was just testing to see if we aren't just straight up nerds. And I think we passed because we are going back over this Wednesday!! :D we aren't nerds!! 

A spiritual thought you ask??? Anything for you! I was reading the bible yesterday and I came upon Luke 1:37 and it's just such a great and eternal truth and then I also thought of Philippians 4:13 then I had a thought pop into my head "that scripture is right" and then I was like that wasnt a thought that was The Spirit aka Ultimate Fighting Champion 11 years running. Love feeling the spirit. Also since you probably had to look up those scriptures you should just go ahead and read a chapter if you can. In the bible or book of mormon. Go ahead this email is over anyway. Go home. Its over. Respond to this email when you've read a chapter with what eternal truth you learned. Go on. Do it for Jesus. You know you want to. Ok bye

- Elder Dorrance 

3 Nephi 5:13 ;)

Week 28 - 5th Transfer 4th Zone

Hello everybody what's going on. It has been about a month since I last wrote a weekly but there are still things going down in the WEM! I got transferred out of Bothell after only one transfer again. President just loves kicking me around hahaha I haven't gotten to know my wards since Everson which is sad but it's ok. Guess I'm just a problem child.

Well I got transferred to Skagit island YSA which is apparently just like the dream place to be because the ward is just so close. My new companion is Elder Helms and hes just a wild ride lemme tell ya. One second hes extremely quiet and the next he will just be yelling at me and I am totally here for it. Yelling as a joke btw he's not like angry. He's also very very... like the best word for it is wise. Hes literally so wise it's incredible. I asked if adam had a belly button and he was like yes. And I was like how do you know. And hes like i cant tell you. And hes being totally serious. It's crazy. I got bit by a dog (if u want a pic message me) and we found a new person to teach the first day I was here. This transfer is gonna be great. 

July 2019 - I know your ways

Already read all yo plays

Yuh

Hello everybody it has been quite a while since I emailed haha a lot has happened, I got transferred except I wasn't supposed to what the heck. President Wilding sent transfer texts out on Monday and I wasn't on the list but then on Wednesday like 15 minutes before transfers were supposed to happen the zone leaders call me and elder scheffner and they are like "Elder Dorrance! Pack your bags and get to the mission office! You're getting transferred!!" I was like what the garbage alright sounds good. So usually we get like 2 days to pack up and I got like an hour and a half. It was crazy.

So now I'm in my new area in canyon park Bothell stake with my new companion Elder Harris. We baptized a kid named Teddy who is just really awesome and creative and perpetually distracted. He was fun to teach. We said goodbye to president Wilding which was so sad I almost cried but I didn't because I'm a robot. In the closing hymn he couldn't sing at all he was just bawling and I was like dang pres tryna hit me with the feels alright. Also we got a new mission president named President Auna and he's from Hawaii and he's Hawaiian he's literally so awesome the first word I heard him say was alooooha! And it was legendary. Hes so awesome. He was the area seventy in Hawaii before this and he's gonna be an apostle some day I can feel it. 

We are teaching a couple people and they are pretty awesome. One is named Barry and he's a chemical engineer and he's really smart and he's just really seeking the truth so hopefully the spirit is just like guess what ya found it. Grats. 

Anyway I don't know what else is going on but I'm having a good time and I'm perpetually sore because I'm on a bike. I feel for you bike missionaries. I am dead.

Anyway goodnight goodbye count your blessings love u all talk to you later bye from Elder Dorrance 

Sacrament Talk June 2019

6.30.19

Good morning brothers and sisters I'm grateful for the opportunity I have today to speak to you. I'm grateful towards the bishopric for trusting me enough to be up here at the pulpit. You really shouldn't have.. but it's too late now! 

This sacrament meeting the topic that was given to us is the holy sacrament. I'd like to start with an experience I had A few months ago when I was asked to participate in blessing the sacrament. The priests at the sacrament table and the bishopric get the special privilege every week to face towards the congregation and I had the opportunity to do that this particular week. Before sacrament meeting began I was looking out on the crowd watching the usual chatter that happens before the meeting begins, i see a young child desperately trying to crawl into the aisle to escape the grasp of his father. I see my companion dozing off a little bit.... but then I noticed the bishops wife, her name is sister morris... she is sitting on her bench, with her arms folded.., her eyes closed..., and shes swaying to the prelude music, while mouthing the words. I notice sister morris is literally being brought to tears by the spirit that she is feeling. it was astounding. Then I noticed something even more astounding, I looked at a gentleman sitting one row behind her, unaware of this very spiritual experience sister morris is having. because why? Can you guess? He was on his phone. The spirit testified to me in that moment that sacrament meeting is what you make of it. Now don't get me wrong this man wasn't doing anything particularly awful but was he looking at this meeting as a time for him to renew his covenants or was he seeing church as a quota to be filled... Motions to be ran through.. sometimes we just come to church and we eat a tiny piece of bread that usually doesn't taste that good, and we drink like a tablespoon of tap water all while sitting on a bench that might be a little bit less comfortable than our taste. But personally I'd rather come to church to partake of Jesus Christ's holy sacrament. Id rather partake of the body of Jesus Christ and drink his blood that was shed for us. But the benches are still a little bit uncomfortable. The point still stands that It really does matter that we give thought to what we are doing each week.

As the sacrament was being passed I added up about how many times I've heard the sacrament prayers and i think its somewhere around a thousand times. It wasn't as big as I thought but I often think of what I'm thinking as I'm hearing those prayers. I will admit that sometimes it's just background noise to me but it shouldn't be! It's a sacred covenant! Have you ever realized that the sacrament is the only saving ordinance that we continually do for ourselves? That's kind of a big deal and it should probably be treated as such right?

I know what you're thinking. "Ok so what? It matters how we think about the sacrament I will try to think about it better next time or something I guess" Can I ask. have you heard the saying.. words speak louder than thoughts? Well you shouldn't have because I just made it up but there's another saying that you do know... its actions speak louder than words right so therefore words speak louder than.. thoughts and actions speak louder than words. Ok so then what can we DO! to make this hour more holy. Elder Holland has said that sacrament meeting should be the most important hour of our week.... Can we be honest?... Sometimes we really don't treat this hour like its the most important hour of our week... I know I sometimes don't... I think we can all do better in respecting this sacred hour that we are given.. You all heard the quote from Elder Holland about selling the ox or filling the mire right? Well maybe some of us could do that! It can be really hard to get here on time some weeks and that's ok, really it is but when it happens every single week, can we really say that we are treating this hour like we should be? This meeting demands respect. 

My perspective changed a little bit when someone pointed out to me that the sacrament table over there when it's all set up kind of looks like a body under that cloth. Doesn't it?... When I noticed that, I got a little bit more reverent in the chapel... I thought maybe I should be on time or even a couple minutes earlier than usual. Elder Muers in the October 2016 conference said "Our sacrament experience can be enhanced when we arrive well before the meeting and ponder as the prelude music is played." I think we could all use a little bit of enhancing right? He goes on to quote President Nelson in saying "This is not a time for conversation or transmission of messages but a period of prayerful meditation as leaders and members prepare spiritually for the sacrament.” 

Can we all commit to being here 5 minutes early and speak through our actions? Say to your heavenly father that this hour is the most important hour of your week by being here 5 minutes early. Can we do that this next week? We are in the chapel so I wont make you say anything but quickly turn to your neighbor and have a little conversation with your eyes and tell them that you will be 5 minutes early next week. You will be sitting quietly trying to prepare spiritually for the most important hour of your week. Let's try to create a culture of quiet reverence before the meeting begins in this ward. I testify that as you do this and take that extra time to be here you will see a difference in your Sunday worship. I know that it can happen because I've seen it happen in my own experience! I know that my savior died so that we could all have the opportunity to renew our covenants and be cleansed each week through him. He is the only way by which men are saved and how grateful I am for that great and last sacrifice and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen

Week 20-21 it's been a while folks

Hola mi familia como esta? Soy discipulo de Jesucristo! I think it's been like 3 or four weeks oops. Get ready for a long one. We have have nick on date to get baptized this Saturday and we also have Roy on date to get baptized the following Saturday whoop whoop. 

Roy has been investigating the church for like 6 years now and when we had our last lesson with him, we brought Brother Pritchard who is honestly just killing the game out here in seattle with missionary work. Literally everybody knows him, anyway so he comes and we bring baptism up during our lesson and Roy is like "naw man I've already been baptized and the bible says one baptism so yall are crazy dont bring that up again." Then we continue in the lesson and it gets brought up again and hes like "well that makes sense but no I've already been baptized I dont need to. And dont you ever bring up the word authority around a black man he doesn't like that word. Black people hate authority trust me man." Then it gets brought up again! And hes like "alright well shoot maybe I do need to get baptized! Ya know I really respect Jim (Brother Pritchard) and he really cares about me, and if hes saying I need to be baptized then maybe I do.." so it started off the lesson with him fighting us about getting baptized then he was fighting himself then he just gave in. We went over the baptismal questions with him right then and he was like yea that was easy. Then we gave him June 15th! And he was like alright I will pray about it. How exciting!!

Ritva is still a freaking savage. Shes like get those weeds and I'm like what? All I'm seeing is green and shes like you need to go get your eyes checked are you blind. Maybe I am blind I dont know ritva leave me the h*ck alone!!

We have done a couple of car fasts where you just walk around all day and I am very out of shape! Well I'm in shape but the shape is much more circular than I'd like it to be!

I acted in a video that some member was making about how missionaries are normal. I got the dumbest part ever and it was supposed to be funny but it really really wasn't!!! And I'm also a terrible actor!! If you have Facebook here is the link: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1037768109761509&id=938629066342081 

We met someone named kathy who LOVES missionaries and she LOVES God and she LOVES her cigarettes. She reminds me a lot of my Nana. Shes so kind and shes very goofy and I cant wait to get to know her more.

This last Saturday we got up early and played tennis then went straight to rugby then went and played basketball for like 3 hours. I was so sore yesterday I wanted to die! 

Speaking of yesterday! That was the most interesting Sunday perhaps that I will ever have. Like a week ago we ran into Bob while he was mowing his lawn. Bob is really an interesting fella. He thought we were salesmen so he wanted to give us a book about how to be a really good salesman and so we were like ok sounds good. We talk for a little while and he eventually finds out we aren't salesmen somehow and we invite him to church and hes like only if you come to mine! And we were like ok sounds good we will be there! So at 8:15 yesterday morning we go to a Lutheran church. It was really very odd and I felt very weird in a suit when everyone else was wearing like shorts and a t shirt. Also during the communion thing I'm pretty sure we drank the wine instead of the grape juice oops oh well. So after that was done we went to our church! And that was the most interesting Sunday ever

Just kidding theres more! Since it was fast Sunday yesterday we had testimony meeting right? So after the first counselor bears his testimony and opens it up to everyone, its silent for a few seconds until Bob, very loudly, says "Well I guess I will break the ice!!" And starts walking up to the front. Me and elder Scheffner are quite terrified of what we might have done to this poor ward. He gets up to the front and doesn't go to the microphone and just starts yelling at everyone. "GOOD MORNING EVERYONE I HOPE EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME IM NOT SURE IF IM ALLOWED TO USE THE MICROPHONE OR NOT BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD JUS.." The first counselor tells him he can use the microphone so he turns around goes to the microphone and says things like: "I'm grateful for these two Elders spreading the Good Word" and "Come say Hi to me after" then ends with:"So yeah... CHEERS"

I'm waiting until transfer texts come out to send this so drum roll pleassssseeee: I am staying in seattle! I thought I would leave but nope! Talk to yall next time! I'm not gonna say next week because who knows!

Count your blessing!!

<3 / Elder Dorrance!

UPDATE: Mitchell called a couple days after this email to say he was being transferred to area just north of Seattle but the main reason for the call was that he was being transferred to a bike area and needed money to buy a bike.  

My version of a family recipe "Mountain Man Breakfast"

OH the Memories

found a nest of bunnies

p-day beach trip

Week 18-19 Prep Day

P-Day trip to Downtown Seattle

Week 17 - We out here fatty style

What's poppin ladies and gents it's been a hot minute but some big fat news I got transferred to downtown Seattle! Well not real downtown. It's the area right to the west of downtown so its downtown type of people without all the homeless probs. Its dope! I miss Everson like crazy. This is the exact opposite in every way. 

My new companion is named Elder Scheffner and he's way good at hoops. Also he can't use his right arm for basketball because of an elbow injury but he's still way better than everyone with his left anyway. 

On the first day I got to my new area we did service for an older lady named Ritva and she's from Finland and she made us serve like we were in the military. She'd walk between me and elder scheff and continually make sure that we were weeding correctly. And she was not afraid to correct. She is awesome!

On Saturday we went to China town for the annual Chinatown cleanup! We were basically just picking up cigarette butts for like 3 hours! It was so great!

On Tuesday we had exchanges and elder nuttall came here and I took over the area! After only 6 days!!! What the heck!! Anyway it was super awesome we had a super great time. And we talked to a bunch of people. At the end of the night was the best part though. Elder scheffner wanted to wrestle elder shoemig so they did and elder scheff won but then elder nuttall wanted to wrestle elder shoemig so they were wrestling and elder nuttall put elder shoemig on his back but elder nuttall fell on elder shoemigs knee. But don't worry his manhood was there to cushion the blow. He basically died. It was hilarious! 

Anyway that's most of the fun stuff 

there were a few times this week that we were in the exact right spot at the exact right time it was so inspired!! I love it.

Talk to you all next week maybe I don't know I haven't decided yet.

Count your blessings!!
<3 / Elder Dorrance

Week 15-16 - Transferred

Looks like weekly phone calls are going to make a weekly letter much more rare.  So I (Jennefer) will be posting his pictures along with a few comments from our phone calls. He was transferred this week to the exact opposite end of the mission to an area just NE of downtown Seattle.  He loves his new companion but the area is tougher than the countryside area he was in before.

New Companion - Elder Scheffner

Aftermath of removing some BlackBerry bushes aka the worst things ever

Space Needle

Ballard Locks