Homemade Skiline Chili

Hi:
So this week was crazy awesome. Started off with p-day and I got my haircut for free from this cool old barber guy. Then we had dinner at the bishop's house and his wife looked up how to make skyline chili. She made it for us - - sooooooo goood! They thought it was weird but good to have chili on noodles.

Tuesday was an amazing day. We had interviews with the mission president and I learned a lot. We are focusing a lot on how to become master teachers so that was pretty much what we learned about. We had to have a fast interview because we were running late, but it was still good. He told me and Elder E that he wants us to focus on our less active and part member families, which I am pumped about because that is a way better way at getting people to come to church and finding new investigators than knocking on doors. So - on Tuesday something crazy happened - we went to go see a potential investigator but they were not home, so me and Elder E decided to knock on the doors of the last four houses on the street. As we were walking down the street we saw this lady pulling out of her driveway with a cup on the top of her car. Elder E ran over and stopped her and handed her the cup. Her comment to him was "that was way weird because I had been praying for help - and then you show up". So awesome. We had a lesson with her two days later. She is in the middle of moving here from Portland so it is hard to meet with her but she wants to meet with us as much as possible because she knows the Spirit guided us to her. During the lesson on Thursday we asked her to be baptized and she said she would be. So - we will hopefully have a couple baptisms this April. She is a single mother with four kids, so we are going to try to get the kids to come to church too. They are all so awesome and nice.

We have just been running into a lot of people who are letting us come back so we are hoping to keep this up - and it is all because of the Spirit. Without the Spirit we would have no success. We have a couple other progressing investigators that we are working with also.

On Wednesday it snowed and everyone here freaked out. They are not use to snow. I was on exchanges with one of the Spanish speaking elders. He is from Utah and when we looked out the window we were like - "there is snow - but now very much." So we started to get ready when we got a text from our zone leaders saying that the President wanted us to stay inside and clean and do weekly planning because it was not safe to go out side. hahahahahahaha. We just started laughing because; one - we cannot do weekly planning because we are not companions and, two - there was like only two inches of snow. So we cleaned until we were told we could leave. Just some funny stuff that happens in Oregon. The best part was that the next day it was like 64 degrees. The weather here changes all the time. But - life is awesome. The work is moving forward, we are working well with the ward (without them we would not be able to do anything), and I love it here.
Love, Elder Woestman

Rain, rain, rain, . . .

Ok - so this week was way good, and way stressful. It started out on Monday raining the most I have seen since I have been out here. We had our bikes that day and as we were going to one of our appointments at night, we had to go over some railroad tracks. Some how my tire got stuck in the railroad track and I flew off of the bike, hahaha. But my tire popped so we just chained up our bikes to the nearest pole and then walked the rest of the way to the guys house. By the time we got to our apartment we were soaked, lol, but it was fun. I fixed my bike, so thank you mom for all the bike stuff and thank you Bob for having mom get the stuff.

So, pretty much all of our appointments fell through this week, which was making me pretty frustrated. But, we still have one way good investigator, Randy. He is getting baptized in April, so I am pumped about that. Oh - so we tracted into this lady named Georgia. She is from the UK and is way cool. She did her thesis in college on Mormons so she let us in right away. She then went and told us that if she was to join any religion it would be ours. Elder E and I just looked at each other and smiled. But she didn't want to be taught right then, so we are having the bishop's family go talk with her because they live three doors down from her.

I had a way good learning experience this week while I was fasting on Saturday and Sunday. I had been fasting that two of our lessons on Sunday would go well. Well - one lesson cancelled and the other lesson went terrible. It helped me realize that when I fast I need to be more specific about what it is I am fasting for. And that even through I fast for something, it doesn't mean it will happen. That was good for me to realize. But over all, it was a good week - another week in paradise :)
Love you all, Elder Woestman

First Baptism

So this week was way awesome. On Tuesday I had a training thing down in Eugene because I am a new missionary. I was able to meet all the guys I was with at the MTC - which was WAY AWESOME. The coolest thing that went down this week was Grady's baptism - so spiritual. That guy is amazing. We did most of the baptism service in French so he could understand it, but when he was actually baptised I just got so excited and the Spirit was way strong - it was amazing!! After the baptism, we all went to his house to have dinner with he and his wife - and you could tell he was just so happy. This is one man I will never forget. On Sunday I was able to stand in on his receiving the Holy Ghost. Just overall - it was awesome.

The guy named Randy we are teaching is going to be baptised in April, so we are pumped about that. He is just so excited about it it makes me laugh. We are also teaching a man named Jeff. This dude knows his stuff. He has a super strong faith in the Bible, but he is scared that the Book of Mormon will tear down that faith. So on Sunday when we meet with him we tried to show him it doesn't, and that if he would pray and ask God, that God would answer him just like He answered him about the Bible. Next week we are taking a member wtih us so we are pumped.

The members here feed us every night and we are talking to as many people as we can about the 4 step invite plan - and they love it. Oh - and next week I eat dinner with our bishop and his wife. She found the recipe for Skyline Chili so she is making that :) Oh, oh, Dad - this lady stopped us while we were finding and asked us if we knew how to start a car. I was on exchanges with two other elders and so of course - we being men - we said "yes" (lol). But when we got over to her car, the other elders didn't know what anything was. So I told her to turn the key - but nothing happened. I had a flash back of when the Saturn did not start a year ago when I was with KK, DJ, and McKell - so I told her to pop the hood. I punched the starter a few times and then the car started. SO AWESOME. So you teaching random car things has payed off.

Thanks mom for the ukulele. And I am staying dry (lol).

Love, Elder Woestman

4 Step Program

Yes, it rains a lot out here, but it is not bad. And yes, we get dinners a lot - the ward here is awesome about that. . . .

This week has been great. Our investigator, Grady, is so awesome. That guy is so humble and has so much faith, that I learn from him each time we see him. Last night was our last lesson. We taught about the Word of Wisdom. He loves coffee, but after we had him read Section 89 in the Doctrine and Covenants, he said he lost his love for coffee. And because he speaks French, it just sounded so much cooler. lol. The Spirit is so strong when we are there, it makes my day. He is already going to talk to some of his friends about the Church. Love that guy. He gets baptized on Saturday at 5.

I went on splits with our zone leaders and so I was in the town of Corvallis, home of Oregon State University. College kids are so much easier to teach than families because they are way nicer and don't get angry when you ask them questions. It is funny but true, and that was good because the missionary I was with is really good at talking to people. I am learning to not take the first three times people say "no" as an answer. lol.

We are trying to build up our investigators. One way we are doing that is by using our ward families. President Young found this four step invite plan based on faith that was written by one of the Apostles in the 1980s (or sometime), but it is way good. So we have been sharing it with the families we eat with every night to help them get more involved. This is the plan, and it is all based on their faith and their willingness to be missionaries themselves:
1) Prayerfully - and if felt needed, fast - about a date in the future you will ask someone to come to church using the guidance of the Spirit.
2) After picking that day prayerfully - and if felt needed, fast - about who you should ask.
3) After figuring out step one and two, talk to the bishop, missionaries, and ward mission leader about ideas on how you will talk to that person.
4) Using the Spirit, ask that person if they would like to learn more about the gospel.
The whole thing is based on the members' faith and their following the Spirit. It is way nice and we have a couple families that will do it now.

Love You Guys,
Elder Woestman