Maple Valley--December 28, 2015

Dear family,

I love you all so much! This week was incredible. I learned so much about myself and missionary work. There's a big lesson I learned about being diligent when your circumstances are tough.

On Saturday, I went on exchanges. While I was there, I asked their ward mission leader if I could test my blood sugar on his glucometer. He brought it to us, and I checked my blood sugar. The meter read 594!! I called the mission nurse and she told me to check into the ER right away. I was there from 8 pm to midnight on Saturday night. I was so tired. They performed all sorts of blood tests and stuck me with an IV. The fluids helped flush the glucose out of my blood. After that my blood sugar was 117. I was diagnosed with diabetes. On Sunday, I got a glucometer, some test strips, and lancets. I also was prescribed Metformin. Today, I went to the doctor and he prescribed a higher dose of Metformin and insulin. Elder Noh and I, however, did not give up on missionary work. We read our scriptures, made plans for the next day, and even gave the nurse a restoration pamphlet with our phone number on the back. She happened to be named Jessica ;) Because of this experience, I learned that you can do the Lord's work wherever you find yourself. There is a really cool example of that in the Book of Acts, chapter 16.

19 ¶And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

 20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

 21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

 22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

 25 ¶And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Paul and Silas, as missionary companions, were put in prison. And they converted the jailor!! I know that we can do more as disciples of Jesus Christ. When things get hard, we cannot give up. Paul and Silas easily could have given up hope. But they trusted in God. It can be difficult when it is the holidays, and people are a little less likely to let you in, but you keep tracting anyways, and God will shower blessings on you. I learned to fear God more than man. That way, you always feel of God's approval. Those who seek for God's approval over the praise of the world, are more blessed.

We taught Sister "W" the Word of Wisdom, and she committed to live it! She is very prepared. We set up a time to go to the discovery center in Bellevue, which is right behind the temple. Afterwards, we are going to show her around the temple grounds! I'm really excited for that. In addition, we are taking our mission's annual temple trip at the end of January. Could you find a family name for me to take to do an endowment? Last year it didn't get here in time. 

In answer to questions: Elder Noh and I are the only Elders that work in the office. We thankfully spend more time proselyting and spend as little time as possible in the office. President has two Elders that are assigned as Assistants. The best way to avoid temptation is to spend as much time as possible praying in your head, and ponder the scriptures. My favorite part of church is the sacrament. I love taking that time to reflect. 

I hope you all have a fun and safe trip to St. George. It sounds like it will be fun. It will probably be the same temperature as it is here! Maybe a little warmer.

I will love you forever and always,

Elder Herbert

Maple Valley--December 21, 2015

Dear family,

This week was a very eventful week. Because it was the first week after transfers, and I am serving as an office elder, we moved a bit of furniture from place to place throughout the mission. It's cool because we drive a Chevy Silverado truck. We picked up some bed frames, box springs, and mattresses from the storage unit and drove them to Enumclaw, which is a teeny-tiny little town directly south of Maple Valley. It's still in the Maple Valley stake. It's country out there. Lots of pastures and farms. We took the remaining ones to some sisters in Puyallup because they are now in a trio companionship and they needed an extra bed. Then we took a mattress to my old companion Elder Samuels. He is serving in the Benson Hill ward in Renton. We went to go pick up a pair of bed frames from some members in Federal Way. It was beautiful. They live next to the Puget Sound. It was breathtaking. When you get to the ocean, it feels so open and calm. I hope I get to serve in Federal Way someday.

This week, a member that is returning to activity introduced her friend to us. She is a friend from work. The member's name is Sister “V”. Sister “V” just asked her friend, “S W”, if she wanted to take missionary lessons, and she said yes! She lives in Renton, but we'll still teach her because her friend lives in our ward. We taught her twice already. We had the first lesson in a member's home (The “W”s), and the other at the stake center. The whole ”W” family and Sister “V” were there for the second lesson. We softly committed her for baptism on January 16th, but she wants to study more before she commits to a solid date. The adversary is working hard on her. Before we had our second lesson, her car got stuck in a ditch, so we had to go to the place she got stuck and push her car out. Thankfully we were able to do so successfully. Take that Satan. She came to a baptismal service on Saturday but she couldn't come to church because her roommate's car was parked behind her's and they couldn't find the keys! Satan strikes again. Thankfully, we have a lesson set up with her for Tuesday at 8 at the “W”s home.

We tracted into a lady, where we taught a brief restoration lesson on her doorstep. Her name is “S E”. She opened up to us, which she said was surprising because she normally has social anxiety. She ended up telling her whole life story! She's from Tennessee. When she was younger, she was told she couldn't have any children, and it broke her heart. She eventually ended up accepting the fact that she wouldn't have any kids. She and her husband lived the good life for quite a while, until they found out she was pregnant. Unfortunately, her baby miscarried and she stopped believing in God. After several experiences however, she regained her faith in God. Then she had two more kids after that. Two little girls. It was actually one of her daughters that opened the door. She told us that if it wasn't for that, she probably would have not answered the door. We prayed with her and then set a return appointment for Saturday. I guess we'll see how it goes. God works in so many mysterious ways!

There are a lot of people that get dissuaded from meeting with us, because there is a lot of opposition. Family, friends, co-workers, anti-literature, etc. What should we do to prepare potential and current investigators for opposition? That is one obstacle that we are trying to overcome.

The members here are rockstars at sharing the gospel! We are preparing quite a few families to invite their friends to meet with us. Some are neighbors, so it will be in our ward. We met with a member family, the “P”s and talked about a neighbor. His name is “J W”. Sister “P” told us that he'd hit rock bottom after trying to end his life. He was life-flighted to the hospital. They started talking and he feels like something is missing in his life. He is looking for a church. She said that he would be the last person they'd invite to meet us because before his suicide attempt, he was a mean, gruff guy. He even yelled at neighbors for driving on his curb. But now, he's really soft spoken. She told him that we believe in living prophets that guide us, and in a plan of salvation. She bore her testimony that we came from heaven. He was fascinated by that. He said, "Really? I always believed that we came from heaven. And I always wondered about why God has prophets in the Bible and they aren't here anymore."

I'm really excited to work in this ward. I love you all and I can't wait to talk on Christmas!

Love,
Elder Herbert

Auburn--December 15, 2015

Dear Family,

 

I'm so excited for this upcoming transfer. I will be serving in the Elk Run ward in the Maple Valley stake. My new companion is Korean American. His name is Elder Noh. It's funny because I will be in the same building. Elder Samuels is going to the Benson Hill ward in the Renton stake and Lake Holm is getting replaced with sister missionaries!!!!! I'm so excited. We even got a new investigator named “N” committed for baptism on February 6th. She's African American. We found out that her oldest son, who is 15 now, got baptized a member in Bellevue a couple years ago. We were meant to come in contact with her. I also think that the Lord knows she'll progress faster with sister missionaries.

I wrote down all of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the families I love so we can stay in contact when I'm off my mission. Hopefully Brother “W” will be baptized by the time I come back. The sisters will absolutely love their family. I already know one of the sisters that will be serving in Lake Holm. Her name is Sister Frischneckt. She was in my district when I served in Kent. The other sister's name is Sister Gaza. Sorry I opened my presents already, but I don't mind opening them early. I'll get to skype you on Christmas, and I get to enjoy the company of members and their festivities. In fact, we need to set a time to skype. I don't know who we'll be having dinner with, but let's plan on skyping at 6. It will be 7 in Utah so plan to get on skype at 7! I'm really excited to talk to you face to face! Just like Moses talked with God face to face.

I love you all and hope that you have a good week!

Love,

Elder Herbert

Auburn--December 7, 2015

Dear family,

I love you all so much. I know that even though I am going through many struggles, the Lord is blessing me with strength and good courage. In fact, today I read Joshua 1:9 to a little boy that was at the Doctor getting his shots. It was really funny because he gave me his e-mail address so I can write to him on Mondays. He was really outgoing. His name is “L”. Elder Samuels was there getting a check-up. I did get your package. Unfortunately, I opened it before I could read this week's e-mail. Sorry! Today I'm going to buy some new shoes with the money that I have remaining on my card. Thank you so much for the sweater, the gift cards, and the sketchbook with sharpies. I also love seeing your smiling faces. Ha-ha. Elder Samuels asks Jessica: in the pictures, where is your other eye? XD Thanks for sending your patriarchal blessing. It is so you! I loved reading it. Your Heavenly Father knows you so well.

This week might be the last week I'm in the Lake Holm ward. Transfers are next Tuesday. If I do get transferred, I hope that my new ward is cool. I love serving in this ward and I don't want to leave it. Things are starting to pick up as we just got a new ward mission leader and two assistants. Bishop keeps apologizing that the ward hasn't been as focused on missionary work and he wants to pick it back up. That's why he changed the mission leadership. Elder Samuels and I got to stand in the circle as Bishop set them apart. It was a neat experience.

Love,

Elder Herbert

Auburn--November 30, 2015

Dear Family,

Thank you for your love and support. This week was a really rough week. We taught no lessons this week. I can see the Lord's hand though because we found 16 new potential investigators. So that's a bonus. It's really disappointing when your investigators are really busy and don't make time to meet. I feel like some of them are just falling through the cracks. “L” is slipping away from us. She really doubts her decision to learn about the church. She is hanging out with the wrong crowd. We met one of her friends and he was just really disrespectful, rude, and obnoxious. His name was “T”. She tells us that she has temptations with drugs, sex, and bad language. She's only 15 years old. That's Aaron's age. My heart breaks for her.

Sometimes it's really hard to watch those that you care for make all the wrong decisions. I took a step back and realized that at one point, I was Lexi. I wasn't making the right decisions. I teetered back and forth between wanting to change and being afraid to change. It took lots of love and support from good friends, leaders, and parents. I keep praying for her. That's all we can do for right now.

I'm glad you had a good Thanksgiving. We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Church. It was sponsored by the VanQuill's for anyone in the ward that had no family in town for the Holidays. Bishop and his wife were there. There were a few other members there as well. Sister Mitchell came. It was really good too! It was a great experience.

Thanks for sending a sweater! I look forward to it.

Thank you so much Grandma for the money. I love you so very much. I also had a question about music. What is the difference between time signatures like 2/4 and 4/8? Are they conducted differently? Do they differ in tempo or expression? In 4/8 do you conduct 2 or 4 beats to a measure? I hope you are doing well. I keep meaning to write letters home, but it's really hard to find time on P-day. I will be writing handwritten letters today though. 

Jessica and Aaron, Mockingjay 2 sounds awesome! I hope you two are doing well. Jessica, send me a picture of you with your braces off! I want to see your beautiful face!!! I'll be sending some pics from Elder Samuels' camera. Also Jessica, I was wondering if you would send a copy of your patriarchal blessing. I was excited to have you read my blessing. I wouldn't show it to anyone else.  

Sarah, I love the Saul to Paul conversion story. I've read it a few times before. Some of my favorite scriptures are in the epistles, after Jesus leaves and the apostles are leading the church. I love how devoted they were to missionary work and how patient they were in trials. There is so much that you can learn from their examples. I wish that I could go to the temple every day, but we only get to go once a year. Cherish those moments when you get to do baptisms for the dead. Then you'll be prepared for the day when you get your endowment. It is a really cool experience. 

I love you all so much. I know that we'll be together FOREVER! 

Love,

Elder Herbert

Auburn--November 23, 2015

Dear Family,

Elder Herbert and Elder Samuels

Thank you so much for the pictures! I'm glad that Sister “A” was able to send you a picture of me. This week was good. We had snow on Elder Samuels' birthday but it hasn't snowed since. It's actually been pretty sunny lately. It gets really frosty in the morning. We bought a bear claw window scraper at Fred Meyer's last P-Day. It works great! Thank you for the extra money. I was able to buy socks, but I also got gloves, ate out a couple of times, and bought stuff to paint with. I'd actually like to know how much you put on my card. I would really like some snacks and treats. I'd also like a gift card to Wendy's and Taco Bell. I'm out of money this month. Elder Samuels is too. We thought we'd buy everything at the beginning of the month so it would last for the transfer, but it didn't work. We don't even have money for milk. That's pretty much it. If you could, could I get more money on my card? I'll need it to purchase a new sweater and boots. I have my shoes from a couple months ago but they aren't warm enough for my feet. 

Elder Herbert

This week, we met with Sister “M” again and out of the blue she told us that a coworker has been reading the Book of Mormon with her. We challenged her to invite her coworker over to her house for a lesson! We are so excited! This week, I have been focusing a lot on reading the scriptures and praying with real intent. Elder Samuels says it's really cool how I'm able to pray and immediately recognize the answer. It's because I've actually been asking questions as I pray. The more specific your questions, the more specific answers you'll receive. That is what we learned about in Zone conference this week. It was a neat experience. This week, I am going to be focused on receiving answers to prayer in the scriptures. 

Thank you so much for everything you do.     

P.S.  Elder Samuels is bummed that you haven't e-mailed him anymore. He'd like to hear from you again. 

I love you all so much.

Elder Herbert

Auburn--November 9, 2015

Elder Herbert in the woods

Dear forever family,

I'm so happy to hear that you are ponderizing the scriptures. As a mission, we have a ponderizing scripture once a week. This week ours is 2 Nephi 9:23. It goes along with our goal of baptizing 40 people this month. This week, we found a new investigator. Her name is “C”. She is 10 years old and she's really shy. She is “L P”'s sister. We've been teaching “L P” for a couple weeks now. She is 15 years old and she's been to church a few times. She is a really smart girl. She has lots of friends from school that are in our ward. She agreed to be baptized. Her date was November 21st but we'll have to push it back because we haven't taught the Word of Wisdom yet. We committed “C”n for baptism on December 19. It was funny. “L” said, "If I have to get dunked, you're going down with me." 

I love you all so much. Dad, thank you for sharing what you learned in Priesthood. I'd actually love to hear some mission stories from you and mom so I can learn what sort of things you experienced as well. I haven't been as diligent at keeping a journal, but I've been spending some of my free time writing poems and drawing. I bought blank sheet music so I can write songs on the piano. Elder Samuels and I love to play music together. He's phenomenal at the guitar. Thank you mom for putting money on my card.

Elder Herbert and Elder Samuels

Mom, it's exciting that you're getting your endorsement to teach ESL. It's funny because that's actually one of the suggestions in our daily planner for finding people to teach. It's one of those things that's hard to advertise and organize. I don't even know where I'd begin.

Jessica, I'm so excited for you and your externship at the Pharmacy. How did you decide that's what you wanted to do? 

I can't wait to hear from you next week.

Love,

Elder Herbert