Week 71-72 "I Choose"

 Hey everyone just wanted to send a quick update, this Thanksgiving was different but we had fun! We each took a pie to the face to close out the night (we lost a challenge in our district) and I rather enjoyed it... Well, I mean not the pie but the experience

President Beardall requested all the Seattle missionaries rake leaves on 

Thanksgiving day to give service to the families providing dinner. Earn your supper!

They have chickens and an old bike that was awesome in it's day.

It's been sitting here for a very long time and no longer runs.

We hung out by the ocean, can't say I've done that on Thanksgiving before.

Been dealing with some lower abdomen area pain for the past 4 weeks and honestly the pain is annoying, and it's scary wondering what's going on wrong, but give it a week of hopefully not too much more pain and we could have the problem figured out! If not, well I've had it worse and I'm just grateful for the experience I mean who wouldn't want some constant pain? Good reminder to rely on my Heavenly Father who I believe will put me into the place where I will get fixed. He's great at fixing broken things, and for that I'm grateful.

I've also had a great deal of time to study seeing the past 4 days we've been quarantining because Elder Seu can't smell or taste and has a cough... But we don't know if he has COVID so we have decided to just stay inside to see if it goes away in the next few days. The state has us not doing a lot of in person teaching right now anyway so great opportunity to jump on that zoom!

Holiday taste test. Sure enough he got them all wrong but the chocolate milk.

(White berry & strawberry, apple cider, red Fanta, chocolate milk, whole milk, cranberry)

Now for the I Choose story....

We listened to a talk by John Bytheway this week and he tells a  story. A man is in the hospital and he says that everything to him is a choice. I can choose to be happy, I can choose to be sad. I can choose to be angry, I can choose to have patience and understanding. Well faced in a dire situation, he gets shot. Full of bullets. As he's laying in the bed he describes sarcastically, "While I'm on the bed I can see the somber expressions on the doctor's faces. How terrible would that be? Oohhh this guy's not gonna make it and everyone is wondering if it's worth operating he's so wounded. With all the strength he can muster he thinks these people need a joke and says "You know what's in me? Bullets!" And the people at the table are so shocked by his joke and how he could laugh at a time like this. He turns to the doctor and says, "Doctor I can choose to live or I can choose to die. I choose to live, and you have the knowledge and tools to make that happen so operate on me." He lived, in fact he lived for several more years to tell his story.

Strange enough you may say, how could he choose to live? Sure we could choose to not be angry or sad but our agency to choose to live? That can't be right. There's things out of our control we can't choose that... But! Listen. He said I chose to live. Because he chose to live he inspired the medical crew to do something they wouldn't have done otherwise. He chose to live. Maybe some things will be out of our control but powerful statements like these may be strong reminders of our power to choose

-I choose to be happy. Regardless of circumstance

-I choose to have faith. Regardless of adversity

-I choose to love. Everybody. 

-I choose the Savior. Today, tomorrow and each day we make this choice. 

Sickness isn't fun, I know from firsthand experience but I choose to be happy. I choose to be believing I will get better. The longer I have been out the more it has confirmed to me that we are agents to act. To choose. And we don't have to let the trials of the world turn us into something acted upon. 

Love you all! Elder George 

Week 69 - 70 Great News and then Not !

     I got to go to the temple with my companion Elder Seu and his family! Temples were closed when he started his mission so he has been waiting patiently. I was so grateful to be there! 

     My senior year I went every week and loved it. We were able to go while we were at the MTC but not on Guam because the temple is still being built. When I returned home I would have liked to go but all the temples were closed so it has been 15 month! This was definitely a tender mercy!

Sui was baptized with her son and niece this Saturday! She's been so amazing, she came to us because she lives with members and she wanted her family to be closer. So she came back in October, and we taught her everything in the space of a week and invited her to be baptized. She was told by the bishop if she just did what the missionary asked, and kept their invitations she would receive answers and she did! She never faltered on a commitment or a commandment and I absolutely loved getting to witness Elder Seu baptize her on Nov 7th! His first mission experience baptizing someone.

I got a birthday package! Hooray for 2020... 

I guess my 2019 package got lost in the mail?

Now the  Not so great news...We are kind of getting shutdown this week, as far as in person teaching goes and in home teaching. The state law prevents it as well as apartment complexes and everybody so the next 4 weeks are gonna really push our area. Our success rate might just plummet, and our experience with members and people we are teaching will crash. I honestly am not sure where to go from here because other areas can use technology but we thrive and only use in person experiences. no tracting, no finding and we can't even teach outside because it rains and is too cold...So we're in for an interesting next month. Hopefully it leads to a great Christmas season! Love, 

Elder George

Always time for service!

Week 66-68 Samoan Ward - Back to Church

Another Transfer and I get the opportunity to learn a little more of the Samoan language. Nov 1st (my Birthday) was our first week back to church in the Samoan Ward. Pretty nice gift! Not always sure what's going on but hanging in there. It's a challenge but we're making it work. We knock, We invite, and we help people come unto Christ.

Great missionaries out here in Seattle! End of 2nd transfer,
start of #3 in Samoan again with Elder Seu!

Spent a week with Elder Villatoro.
He was serving in Cordoba, Argentina

Seattle has Beautiful Fall colors!

Little Ceasers = Two happy Elders

Back to the airport to pick up Elder Seu 

Elder Seu pondering... I think

It's getting cold here and I am missing the warm weather I enjoyed last winter!