Halloween!

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty fun!

On Monday night, we had a meeting with the Bishop to coordinate with missionary work in Scenic Hill. We were on bikes that day, and we had to bike for about 15 minutes to get back to our apartment. The meeting took a little too long, so it was about 9:14 and we were about to leave when Bishop Gealta comes running out to us with a frozen, unbaked, apple pie. Fortunately, I had just enough room in my bag for it. By time I got it into my bag and was ready to leave it was 9:17. We biked as hard as we could to get back by 9:30. We got there at 9:31. We jumped right to daily planning and getting excited for tomorrow's lessons and plans. The next morning, I was cleaning the apartment a little, and found the floor wet underneath my bag. I looked into my bag and found the pie. We totally forgot about it. Thankfully, it was in a box that was in my bag, so it didn't thaw completely. My bag was sticky and wet, though. We put the pie in the freezer and cooked it during Weekly Planning on Halloween. It is still good!

Speaking of Halloween, we didn't do anything really special. We weren't allowed to be out after6:00 pm, so we put our Weekly Planning for that night. Our investigator, Lili Tuiloma, finished moving out on Halloween. She is now officially in the Federal Way Stake. She is still set to be baptized, and I am hoping I can get permission to attend her baptism. Don't worry, we are still teaching a lot of people because the work has exploded this week. We doubled our lessons this week and next week looks just as good! I hope you all had a good Halloween! I love you so much!

Love,
Elder Steiner.

PS: My camera was in my bag with the pie, and so got the lens a little dirty. I also forgot to clean it before I took these pictures.

We biked in the rain for 2 and a half hours on Friday. It was actually pretty fun! I just got soaked!

This is our Halloween Dinner. Most of this we got from Brother Weiderholt. He gave us the pancake/waffle mix, the waffle maker, the hashbrowns, and the orange juice mix. And for some reason, Elder Miner likes to eat waffles with Peanut Butter. I tried it and it is pretty good, but also really fattening. He also likes to heat the syrup in the microwave.

Halloween Is Coming Up!

Dear Family,

This last week was kind of short because last P-Day was on Wednesday. I can't believe that it has already been 4 months! Wow! I hope you are all excited for Halloween! People in Kent have some quality Halloween decorations! I forgot to take pictures this week, but I hope I will remember next week!

Have I told you yet that we have a bus card? Well, it turns out that we do. Elder Miner is from Salt Lake City and he is familiar with buses and how the bike rack works. On bike days, we can't go down into the valley because of the steep hill, unless we take the bus.

It was hard enough to try and figure out all of the bus stops, but on Friday, we had to make an emergency bus trip down into the valley. Elder Miner forgot that we don't have the car on Fridays when he rescheduled with an investigator. It also happened to be exchanges that day, too. Elder Miner went to Crestwood and Elder Riley came to Scenic Hill. Elder Riley had no experience with buses, either. It was kind of crazy. We got to the bus stop 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to show up, but the bus came 10 minutes late. So we were standing at the bus stop for almost a half an hour. I am so happy that the bus bike rack was easy to figure out and use. It definitely was an adventure for us and was quite fun!

I just found out today, that there is a bus stop closer to our apartment that goes to the same place. Well, that is good to know for future bus trips!

We are still waiting for Elder Miner's bike to come. It has been 3 weeks. I am starting wonder if he ordered it right. Wish us luck with his bike! He is currently borrowing another missionary's bike.


Our investigator, Lili Tuiloma is moving this week. We don't know exactly where she is moving, yet, but it is probably in the Federal Way Stake. I think it is kind of funny and sad. Every person I help bring to the Gospel ends up moving out of our ward. Oh, well. At least she is on the path!

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner.

Oh, sorry, no pictures this week. I forgot.

Afflictions Consecrated 2 Nephi 2:2

Dear Family,

I am grateful for the letters that I have been receiving this week! I got sick last week, and they really helped me get through! I got sick bad enough that I had to stay inside for all of Tuesday last week.Tuesday happened to be the day that I received the Cokeville Miracle package from Grandma and Grandpa Sheffield! I read about the scripture that they were ponderizing, 2 Nephi 2:2. It read,"Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." It made me think of what blessings will come from being sick. Well, we updated the Area Book completely, and also reorganized it to be easier to split with the Sister Missionaries in Scenic Hill. Oh, and I also got a lot of sleep! That was nice. I feel like that scripture has helped me see the bright side of being sick, so it was a lot easier to get through it! Thank you!

We had Zone Conference yesterday! Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy came to this conference. It was so great! They talked about the House of Israel and our part as missionaries. We are to gather the House of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming. I am so excited! We also set a new goal as a mission: We are going to get a total of 40 baptisms in the month of November! That is double of what we are usually getting, but I think we can do it! We can really use some support and every prayer helps!

I almost forgot to mention the Ainuu family! It was pretty funny because when we did our Family Home Evening last Monday, Sister Ainuu said that I was losing weight. She then quickly followed up by saying that our next Family Home Evening would be over dinner. The Ainuu family is a Samoan family, so when they say you are losing weight, they mean that they are going to feed you a ton! We didn't actually end up having that dinner because Sister Ainuu was feeling sick, but it was still a funny experience!

We have an investigator that is progressing to baptism! Her name is Lili Tuiloma and she is technically ready for baptism. She is in the process of moving, so she can't get married until after the moving, so she had to delay her baptism. We talked with her earlier today (Yes, even on P-Day) and she told us her conversion story! I hope I can find the time to write it down and tell you about it! She is so getting baptized!

I love you all and appreciate the prayers! I know that I am being watched over and cared for! I love you all!

Love,
Elder Steiner.

Items Received:
* Cokeville Miracle package from Grandma and Grandpa Sheffield
* Letters from McEwen's and family

Q and A:

Do you mostly eat at members home, restaurants, or cook the food yourself?
* We mostly cook the food ourselves. We go to restaurants sometimes on P-Days, and we get meals from members probably 1 or 2 times every week.

I thought this was hilarious. The little sign says: "If we wee you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate measures." (see the fire extinguisher below the sign)

You know how you live in Davis County? I live in King County, but the way they wrote this sign makes it sound funny!

Biking in the Rain

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty good. I can't believe I have been training for 2 weeks already! It is really weird being Senior Companion. I am used to sitting in the passenger seat of the car, being free to take pictures whenever I want, but now, I am the driver. So, sorry for the lack of pictures this week.

We got to go on a blitz with the Assistants to the President on Saturday, but it was really short because they showed up late. It was very rainy that day. Elder Miner went with Elder Downing and the car, and I went with Elder Berkhiemer (That might not be the right spelling) on bikes.

We got to teach one of our investigators on Tuesday. He lives in a household full of many different faiths. He recently got layed off of work, so we could start teaching him more often. For this lesson we sat down at his kitchen table and there were some people watching TV in the next room. I had a prompting to ask him to turn off the TV, but then I thought that would be mean for the people who were watching it. I then asked him if he could turn down the TV. He went over and just turned it off. I that if I didn't follow that prompting, it would have been a lot harder to focus and feel the Spirit. It turned out to be a successful lesson and we plan on visiting him more.

Next week, P-Day will be on Wednesday. It is all weird because of Zone Conference and because general authority is coming to our mission! I love you!

Love,
Elder Steiner

Items Received:
* Package from family. Thank you for sending my GPS! I can actually find my way around now!

Q and A:
How are you doing with biking?
* Pretty good. Elder Miner ordered his bike last P-Day and we are still waiting for it to come. He is currently borrowing some other Elder's bike. We had to bike in the rain on Friday and Saturday. It was pouring on us! We recently found out that Scenic Hill has a bus pass! Now we just have to figure out all of the bus stops...

Do you share the car with the Sisters?
* No. The Sisters have their own car, full time. We are sharing our car with another set of Elders from the Park Orchard ward.

Is there enough work to go around since you Split the Area?
* Not really. Our teaching pool is very small and we often run out of things to do. But I know that God wanted this area split, so He will help us increase our teaching pool.

Let me know how you are doing.
* Sore from biking, but still happy.

This picture is actually from two weeks ago. Elder John and his trainee, Elder Riley, are in the back. Elder John is now my District Leader.

Training Week 1

Dear Family,

I think you might be dying to know about this week. I will start off with Transfers. I had to stay in the Maple Valley Stake Center and wait for the new missionaries and Elder Nelson left to be a Zone Leader in Graham. I have never felt so much anxiety in my life. I remember sitting down in the chapel, waiting. I had a packet in my hands with my name on it and my new title, Trainer. I opened it and started reading the papers and instructions inside it. As I was reading, an overwhelming sense of peace came to my heart. I smiled as I realized that God will never leave me and will fill the hole in my heart with His Spirit. At that moment, I knew that everything was going to be okay. I felt happy, hopeful, and even excited to meet my new companion. It turns out that I actually got to meet him before I knew he was my companion!

President Eaton was running late, so we got to have dinner with all the new missionaries first! Elder John, Elder Miner, and one other Elder sat across from me. We had a nice conversation and we got to know each other. I had a feeling that one of those three would be my companion. When President Eaton arrived, we found out who our new companions would be. This is what President Eaton said, "I didn't realize until now that their names rhymed. In Scenic Hill, Elder Miner will be serving with Elder Steiner."

I'll be honest. I feel like Elder Miner came pre-trained. He has some pretty amazing skills for missionary work. It has been awesome being able to serve with him for one week, and I am looking forward to serving with him for the rest of the transfer! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner.

P.S. Sister Ellineta Smith's Conversion Story Part 3, as said by Ellineta Smith, with details added by Elder Steiner and Elder Nelson.

On August 10th, the missionaries taught Sister Smith in what they called, "The Mission Home." She met President Eaton and Sister Eaton. President Eaton entertained her son, Josh, and Sister Eaton helped with the lesson. They taught about repentance that night.

Sister Smith worked very hard to do what the Elders taught her to do. She slowly read more and more of the Book of Mormon. The missionaries invited her to a Mission Devotional on August 16th, but she wasn't able to attend. She had to go to Auburn to get her car fixed and stay at a friends house over night the same night as the Mission Devotional.

The next morning, August 17th, the missionaries received a phone call from Sister Laude. Sister Laude was in a panic and was speaking so fast, the missionaries almost couldn't understand what she was saying. She was saying that Sister Smith had just called her and had said that she wasn't interested in being baptized anymore.

The missionaries immediately called Sister Smith. She didn't reject them over the phone, but instead said that she had a lot of questions and she wanted the missionaries to answer them. They set up an appointment for later that evening.

When the time came, the missionaries came to Sister Smith's apartment with Sister Laude and one of her sons. The missionaries listened to Sister Smith's questions. It turns out that the friend that she stayed with over night, had showed her an Anti-Mormon blog.

The missionaries help her realize that the real question she was asking was whether or not the Book of Mormon was true. They showed her some videos (some were actually from the devotional the previous night) that talked about the Book of Mormon.

The missionaries then asked her if she would kneel and pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon was true. She accepted and said a very sincere prayer. The Holy Spirit was there so strong that she was crying at the end of the prayer. She said to the missionaries that she wants to be baptized still! The missionaries set up her interview and said their good-byes for the night.

The missionaries taught her about the Law of Tithing on Wednesday, the 19th.

Sister Smith passed her interview on Sunday and was ready to be baptized! She kept reading the Book of Mormon and finished all of 1 Nephi the day before her baptism.

On August 29th, Ellineta Smith was baptized. She came up out of the water with a huge smile! The Spirit was so strong! She was Confirmed the next day, August 30th. She showed up that day with a Tithing envelope in her hand.

Sister Smith has since then moved out of Scenic Hill into a different Stake. She moved to try and find a better place for her son to grow up. The missionaries hope to see her again, in one year, at the temple.

Q and A:

Where is your new companion from?
* East Salt Lake, Utah.

How is your training going?
* Very busy, but good. We only had time to train 3 times last week.

Does he like to work?
* I don't know yet. Probably yes.

What are some of his talents?
* Charity in contacting and in lessons.

What are some of the things he doesn't like?
* I don't know, he seems to like everything.

Does he cook?
* Yes, he cooked a meal from our crock pot already.

Now that your area is split, do you still live in the same place?
* Yes.

You would think you could see more of my desk top if I got a bigger desk. Nope. But, I did get to inherit the Master Desk and Master Chair! 

Elder Steiner and Elder Miner.

From "First 12 Weeks" To "Second 12 Weeks"

Dear Family,

This last week has been crazy. Guess what? We are going to split Scenic Hill, again! I split it last transfer, but it was canceled, but this time it is not! This time we had to scramble to put everything together because they told us we were splitting after we did weekly planning. We had to use our meal times (after we ate) to put together the new Area Book. I am now serving in Scenic Hill A, and Scenic Hill B will be Sister Missionaries. Here is another surprise! I am Training! The purpose of the "First 12 Weeks" training program is to have missionaries be good enough to train right after their own training. Well, I guess it worked. I want to call my new training curriculum the "Second 12 Weeks." Elder Nelson is being transferred to Graham to be a Zone Leader and I am staying here, in a newly split area with a Trainee. Oh, and now Scenic Hill A is a car share area. Yep, so I will be biking half the time! So, I am the only one with experience here. I have just got to say, I am pretty nervous! Transfers are happening in a few hours, so I don't have my new companion, yet. I have found out who my new District Leader will be, though! It will be Elder John, who happens to also be from Kaysville, Utah!! When I say, "I used to work at Bowmans", he actually knows what I am talking about! He used to work in Fresh Market, just across the street from Bowmans. Who would have thought we would serve together in the Washington Federal Way Mission!

Okay, cool experience from this last week. Hmm... Oh, I got it! On Wednesday, Elder Nelson and I had a lesson with Lili Tuiloma! We set it up to be in the Stake Center, but we couldn't find a 3rd male to come with us. Our fellowship for Lili was Sister Weiderholt, whose husband was at work this time. We eventually had to call Brother Jackson. He is retired and can't drive by himself. So, we had to drive to The Village to pick him up, then drive to Sister Weiderholt's apartment, guide Sister Weiderholt to Lili's apartment, then all drive up to the Stake Center. It was pretty crazy. When we got there, we found out that the Zone Leader Trio was there having a lesson in the foyer and some Sister Missionaries were outside having a lesson! It was awesome to see so many lessons at the church at the same time!

The day before that, we got to go on an adventure! We found out on Tuesday that Stella had a flat tire. Elder Nelson put his garage skills to work and replaced that tire in 10 minutes! We had to go to Auburn to get the tire fixed. We were there for 45 minutes. We decided to still proselyte, so we walked around in nearby neighborhoods in Auburn. I found out that the addresses in Auburn are really weird. We heard from the Sister Missionaries that serve there (We happened to run into them) that there were 3 different 16th Streets in Auburn. I am glad that Kent's addresses actually make sense.

Well, I am going to have a very interesting next week. Wish me luck with my trainee! Wish me luck taking over this Area. Wish me luck with biking! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner.

P.S. Due to lack of time, I will post Ellineta Smith's Conversion Story Part 3 next week

Q and A:

Will you be able to view conference? How? Will the time of the Conference be different for you?
* Yes, in the Kent Stake Center or in Member's homes.
* The Conference will start at 9:00 in the morning because of the time change. In other words, I will be watching it at the same time you are.

Did the transfers effect you this time? If so, who is your new companion? What is he like? etc.
* Oh, yes. I am effected.
* I don't know who my trainee is, so I will save this question for next week.

We got to see the Supermoon Eclipse! Did you? It was actually really lucky that the sky was clear that night.

Since Elder Nelson is leaving, we got the excuse to take pictures with the Ainuu Family!

We have FHE with a less-active Samoan family, the Ainuu's. They gave us Lava-lava's (They call them Iae's). They kind of match, so we wanted a picture of them.

You may have to turn your head to see this one. Our last picture as a companionship. I am almost going to cry. I will miss Elder Nelson. He gave me this "Posterity Tie," telling me that I must give it to my Trainee. The next morning, I was called to be a trainer. I guess I won't hold on to this "Posterity Tie" for very long.

We tried to make bread because we heard that it only took 49 sense to make it. It did not go very well at all. It didn't expand like it should have, the whole inside wasn't cooked, and there were air bubbles everywhere. We both concluded at the end to save bread baking for after our missions.

Time to split the area again.

My desk at the end of a crazy week. It actually doesn't look too bad compared to Elder Nelson's desk. Oh, by the way, since I will now be the Senior companion, I have inherited the Master Chair and Master Desk. You can kind of see them in the top picture. My trainee will get this desk.

The Miracles of Missionary Work

Dear Family,

I feel that God has been our guide this week. I have seen many miracles. On Tuesday, we felt prompted to contact at the Scenic Hill Neighborhood. We have no investigators there. It has just been a void in our map of people to visit. While we were contacting, we actually ran into a Less-Active member! She was running away from an abusive home, and I assume she was just calling upon God to help her, when we showed up. We were able to give her the Bishop's phone number, so she could find help. We also gave her a Book of Mormon because she had forgotten to pack hers. I pray for her and hope she is alright now.

On Wednesday, we were struggling to find fellowship for our lesson with Lili Tuiloma at the church. The Ward Mission Leader had contacted everyone he knew might be available, but no one could be there. About 15 minutes before the lesson, Elder Nelson felt prompted to call Brother Finch. It turns out that Brother Finch was already at the church doing some work, and had just finished. He was able to stay there and be the fellowship for this lesson! I know that God will help us when we do our best to do His work!

There were more miracles on Friday during exchanges! We finally re-established contact with former investigators and were able to teach some! We also had a lesson with Sister Smith again! We still faced trials, though. We struggled with getting fellowship for Sister Smith's lesson, too. Eventually, the Ward Mission Leader himself came to fellowship. We were all outside the church building ready to go in. When I pulled on the handle of the door to the church, I remembered that it was locked. I have no key. Elder Nelson had taken his key with him on exchanges. I asked Elder Gonzalez, who was with me this exchange, if he had his key. He had left his key in the Spanish Elders' car. Then I asked Brother Woodruff, the Ward Mission Leader. He left his key at home because he rushed to get to the lesson on time. We had no key to the church. So, we taught the lesson while standing outside the church. I am grateful to have taught Sister Smith one more time. She is moving this week to a different stake. I don't know if it is even in our mission. I am grateful to have been a part of the huge change in her life.

I found a scripture that really applies to this week. 2 Nephi 27:23 says, "For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." I know that if I continue striving to show my faith, God will bless me, even with miracles.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner.

PS: Sister Ellineta Smith's Conversion Story, Part 2; As said by Ellineta Smith, written by Elder Steiner, with some details added by Elder Nelson.

One night, Ellineta had another dream. She saw the men in white again. This time one spoke to her, "You should join the Mormons." When she woke up, she told her room-mate, Fatima, that she would join the Mormons.

Later that day, July 24th, a Friday, the missionaries came by again, but this time there was a new missionary. Elder Steiner was Elder Nelson's new companion.

Ellineta welcomed them in and let them share their message. The told her about Jesus Christ and how His Gospel has been restored to the earth! She had this feeling when they were there. She explained it as, "goosebumps." She then told the missionaries how she knew that, "God is good." The missionaries asked her if she would follow Jesus and be baptized. She accepted, but her room-mate was hesitant and didn't want to. Ellineta agreed to set a goal to be baptized on August 29th. The missionaries set up the next appointment and bid her good-bye.

The missionaries gave Ellineta a call on Sunday saying they were going to be late for their lesson, so they set the lesson for 30 minutes later, at 6:30. The missionaries were unable to contact the fellowship to tell her of the new lesson time. Cecile Laude (Pronounced: Loud-ie) showed up at Ellineta's door at6:00 instead of 6:30. Both Ellineta and Cecile were from the Philippines and so became great friends in those 30 minutes.

The missionaries came at 6:30. This time they taught about the Book of Mormon and Sister Laude shared her testimony of it. The Missionaries challenged her to read all of 1 Nephi in 10 days.

The next few lessons Ellineta had with the missionaries were all at either the church building, or at Sister Laude's house. They started calling Ellineta, Sister Smith. She struggled with reading the Book of Mormon daily, but she kept letting the missionaries teach her.

On August 10th, the missionaries taught Sister Smith in what they called, "The Mission Home." She met President Eaton and Sister Eaton. President Eaton entertained her son, Josh, and Sister Eaton helped with the lesson. They taught about repentance that night.

Sister Smith worked very hard to do what the Elders taught her to do. She slowly read more and more of the Book of Mormon. The missionaries invited her to a Mission Devotional on August 16th, but she wasn't able to attend. She had to go to Auburn to get her car fixed and stay at a friends house over night the same night as the Mission Devotional.

To be continued...

This is probably the tallest wall of trees in my area. This is actually where the hill starts, if the road were to continue, it would go up hill, pretty steep.

At this time of day, Elder Nelson always has the sun in his eyes, whether he are driving towards the sun, or away from it.

A Walk of Faith

Dear Family (That now includes my niece, Melody!),

Welcome to the family, Melody! I am glad that everything turned out okay! I have been praying for you!

This week has been a little on the harder side. Many people dropped us this week and we didn't have any lessons on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. There were still miracles, though! On Wednesday, our schedule suddenly had a big hole in it because one of our lessons fell through, and the others all called and canceled. Elder Nelson told me that Heavenly Father has something else planned for us. We said a prayer and asked to be guided to those who were prepared. We felt impressed to stay in Meridian Green Apartments and contact there. While we were contacting, I felt impressed to knock on a door. At first I doubted because I thought we weren't allowed to knock on apartment doors. When I told Elder Nelson about it he said, "No, it is not allowed. Which door did you want to knock on?" We ended up knocking on it anyway. The man who opened the door was very open to us and he said we could come back! Elder Nelson explained later saying, "It might not be allowed, but to Heavenly Father, if it means saving one of His children, it is allowed." Over the next hour, we followed the Spirit and found two more people who are willing to take the lessons! I felt the impressions of the Spirit so strong that night. That is one miracle that has happened this week! We like to call it our Faith Walk, or our Walk of Faith.

Love, 

Elder Steiner.

PS: Sister Ellineta Smith's Conversion Story, Part 1

Ellineta grew up in the Philippines. Her first contact with the church was by the missionaries there. She was very young, but she remembered them because they were the only white people she had ever seen, while growing up. When she got older, she traveled around the world for a few years, but eventually settled in Kent, Washington, USA.

She had a dream one night, where she saw men in white. One of them touched her forehead and she felt like she was paralyzed and couldn't move. From that dream, she wanted to learn more about God.

She looked online to find a Bible. She came across a website called Mormon.org, where they offered a free Bible! She typed in her address and requested the Bible. She expected to receive the Bible in the mail. Instead, a pair of missionaries, Elder Green and Elder Nelson, showed up to give it to her. Since she lived in Village Green Apartments, which are in-door, they had to ring her bell from outside. Ellineta actually worked there, too, as a janitor. She was working next to the front door when she saw them. It was raining outside, where the missionaries had to wait. She opened the door and asked them who they wanted to talk to. They said ,"Ellineta Smith."

Ellineta had heard that Mormons don't believe in Jesus Christ, so after telling them she was Ellineta, she asked them, "Do you believe in Jesus?" The missionaries said, "Yes," and gave her the bible. They also said they wanted to come by and teach her about Christ. She told them she was busy and closed the door.

Several more times, the two missionaries came back. When she actually happened to be home, she would always ask, "Do you believe in Jesus?" The missionaries would always say, "Yes." She didn't ever have time for them to come and teach her. They would give her small assignments like to read their pamphlet or to search on Mormon.org, but she never did them.

One night, Ellineta had another dream. She saw the men in white again. This time one spoke to her, "You should join the Mormons." When she woke up, she told her room-mate, Fatima, that she would join the Mormons.

Later that day, the missionaries came by again, but this time there was a new missionary. Elder Steiner was Elder Nelson's new companion.

To be continued...

​This is my Zone! Elder Nelson and I are on the far left. The short Elder is Elder Gonzalez, and the funny Elder in the middle is one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Andrasko. The other Zone Leader is Elder Mousser, on the far right.

Labor Day Weekend

Dear family,

Honestly, I haven't even considered what to write in this email yet. I am sorry I didn't end up sending a letter home, it turns out I didn't have time to write it.

This week has been pretty good. We got another promising investigator. Her name is Valaauina, but she goes by Ina. She is Samoan and just turned 18 on Sunday. She is currently living at her Aunt's house, who is Less Active. It was a great experience when we contacted her. It was late at night, about 8:45 pm, it was dark and we were looking around our complex before we turned in for the night. Elder Nelson and I were walking. I saw Ina in a dark corner in front of her Aunt's apartment, and Elder Nelson saw the two guys wearing reflective vests walking under a light. As we passed Ina to go to talk to the two guys, all I managed to say was "Hello", and "Have a good night". The two guys weren't interested and after our conversation ended, we continued walking. I felt prompted to go back to Ina, even though I had already said good night. When I told Elder Nelson, he didn't even notice she was there. We went back and talked to her about the Gospel. She was prepared to hear our message. It was then that we found out her name and a little about her. I know that if I didn't follow the prompting from the Spirit, we might have never seen her again. We have since then had 2 lessons and she has committed to be Baptized! Here is a funny thing, during our first lesson with Ina, her aunt came out and said to Ina, "You should be baptized." Her aunt was Less Active. I hope that this baptism will reactivate their family!

Here is a lesson I have learned from that: Talk to everyone. Not just the ones in shiny, reflective vests. Chances are, there are some prepared people who aren't wearing shiny, reflective vests. Everyone is a Child of God and is in need of the Gospel.

I love it here! I know that there are people out here that I can help! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner

Q and A:

Did you do anything special today? (Probably meaning Labor Day)
* Nope. I did a lot of Proselyting, though. It was pretty great! Everyone was either out of town or had family visiting! I think mostly everyone had family over. There were also a ton of great smelling barbecues going on!

Do you have a guess for the weight of Brianne's baby?
* Yes. 7 lbs and 12 oz. Is that the right way to guess a baby's weight?

Did you get our package? If so, when did you get it?
* Yes. The Zone Leaders actually went to the Mission Office on Friday (The day it arrived), so I actually got the package on Friday instead of tomorrow (Wednesday). :)
* Thank you for the Cereal. It happens to be pretty expensive out here. I also loved the Milky Ways. They didn't even last one day.

​We found a full rainbow! It was so amazing. Elder Nelson took this picture while I held the umbrellas.

This was taken today, just for you. I am supposed to get my haircut today, too. Wish me luck!

​I feel like we are always stopped at Gowe street... maybe the next street is a little Meeker.

Those clouds look so fluffy! Sometimes I think Washington has the prettiest sky.

Baptism Confirmed!

Dear Family,

This week has been so full of amazing things! I probably won't be able to fit them all into this email... hint: This means written letter incoming (If I can find time to write it).

First off, Sister Smith was Baptized! I am so happy for her! I performed the Confirmation on Sunday. I was so nervous about it, but when I started the prayer, everything just came to me and it all worked out. I know that the Lord will help me in my efforts to do His work!

This week, we got a new Tiwi box in our car! Remember how I said Timoathy's (The name of our old Tiwi box) speaker was broken? Well, now we have a replacement and we named it TJ, for Timoathy Junior.

This week we were able to teach Kayla a lot. She is pretty shy and hasn't committed to a baptismal date yet. She is only 11 years old. Now, we have taught her all the necessary lessons to be baptized. She is ready, she just needs to select a date, and get written consent from her Dad!

This week, we had a lot of appointments fall through, but because of it, we were able to teach people we didn't originally plan to teach! I know that the Lord's hand is in our work. I might not recognize it at first, but now looking back, we have obtained 2 new investigators committed to Baptism because of it!

Here is a story I forgot to mention: Elder Nelson and I were talking about a contact we had just had. I made a comment, "It must be one of those temporal things." Elder Nelson laughed. I meant to say,"... one of those temporary things," but I guess I am getting too missionary minded. Now we use it as a joke. To almost everything, we can say, "It must be one of those temporal things."

Next P-Day will be on Tuesday the 8th because Monday is Labor day and everyone is at home on Holidays! Yay! Prime proselyting time!

I have been seeing God's hand in this work. It is His work after all. I am so grateful to be an instrument in His hands to bring people to Him! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Steiner.

Q and A:

What kind of odd things have you been asked to do to serve as a missionary?

* Walk in a parade and teach Gospel Principles at church. Other than that, I think I do pretty normal missionary work.

At Sister Smith's Baptism! Left to Right: Elder Steiner, Elder Nelson, Joshua Smith, Sister Ellineta Smith, Sister Cecile Laude.

Elder Nelson's Mustache! 

I have been all over Scenic Hill and this is the best view I can find! There are so many trees here! You have to look closely to see Seattle.

Look very closely, to see Seattle.