TRAIN THE TRAINER

Hey Everyone,

Transfer news came this weekend and I am being transferred to a new area to follow up train a new elder. I don't know where I'll be going or the name of the greenie but I look forward to helping this young elder adjust to mission life and to train him this transfer. I'll pick him up on Thursday morning and we'll be off and running in our new area. 

Elder Midgley and I have had a great companionship this transfer. He is staying in Woodland Ward and is also training. We really think alike and enjoy talking to everyone we come in contact with. I am blessed to have the best companions as I've served. 

Bed Bug Update: The Mission Housing Team gave us zipper mattress covers that we put on our mattresses. The bug infestation has gone down and I've only seen one bed bug in another room on a floor board, and today Elder Midgley found a bed bug on the pants he was wearing. Tomorrow our apartment will be fumigated and we will have to be gone all day. There is a very long list of things we have to do in preparation to be fumigated. I'm waiting to pack until the fumigation is over so that I don't transfer bed bugs to my new apartment. 

We think we found out where we got the bed bugs from. Unfortunately, it was from an investigator named AUGUST. When we went to teach him this week we saw bed bugs on the soft couch we were sitting on. So, that mystery has been solved. AUGUST is recovering from an accident and is still very sore from surgery and new hardware that he is carrying around in his body now. He continues to want to learn more about the gospel.

Because of the bed bug infestation, the mission office asked us to quarantine in our apartment for a few days and we had to cancel and reschedule a lot of appointments so our week looked a bit different then all of the teaching appointments we were planning on. Once we were cleared, Elder Midlgey and I were able to get outside and walk and talk to a lot of people. The weather has cooled down so being outside was a gift this past week. 

Some sad news to share. Remember PAT from Longview Lake ward who asked me to baptize her, and she had a date set for baptism in late Spring, and then was hit by a car and spent months in rehab and the hospital? Well, unfortunately, I was contacted by Elder Davis and PAT passed away last week. I know that she now knows what we taught her was true and that she is feeling relief from her earthly trials and pain. I don't know any other details, but Elder Davis added that PAT's husband's heart has softened towards the missionaries and he has been respectful. 

This week we had a great meeting with the bishop of the Woodland Ward and he shared with us that the Priests Quorum is really struggling. The bishop felt a nudge to ask us missionaries to get to know every young man. We started this process this week and set up a golf outing with a really tough Priest who has fallen off track and needs good people in his life. We have been given permission to golf with this young man on Wednesday and then eat dinner with his family after the outing and share an inspiring message. We look forward to the opportunity to make a difference in this young man's life. 

This week we had a Mission Housekeeping meeting during lunch one afternoon. Elder Midlgey and I were running late and needed to stop and grab lunch to eat during the meeting. We walked in the church and met up with our district just as the meeting started and first on the agenda was bed bugs. The entire district started laughing because everyone already knew who the missionaries were that had bed bugs. It was funny because the senior missionaries teaching were trying to be sly about which missionaries had the bed bugs but we had already told everyone, we all had a good laugh. 

Studying in Preach My Gospel this week I focused on how important commitment is in our lives. Every day we commit to doing things we need or are asked to do. Our level of commitment is determined by our desired outcome. When it comes to missionary work, we need to have a higher level or commitment to teach and baptize investigators for us to see success. The deeper and more determined our commitment is, the greater success we can see. 

Elder Mortensen

Picture: District Council fun