Elder Tanner Hutchens: Spiritual Week

What a week guys, its been so incredible to serve here in the Washington Kennewick Mission so far. I'm not even sure where to start.

We have been working with a girl named Christina. She has parents who are both 7th Day Adventist preachers. They don't like the Mormon faith at all, and for the longest time they have forbid her to get baptized. Shes 21 years old and has already applied to BYUI. Yesterday we got a phone call late at night and it was her. She said "I told my parents im getting baptized and theres nothing they can do about it." So we a baptism coming up soon for her, I believe it will be this week. But her example of knowing what she has to do has been a testimony strengthener for me. No matter what, she has said from the beginning that she wanted to be baptized. So hopefully this Saturday will be the day she finally gets baptized, ill keep you posted. We also have another baptism coming up for a girl named Heather. That will be the 27th of September. Shes 16 years old, we started working with her and trying to explain all the things that we could to make it clear for her. We went and visited her, the first thing she said was "Elders, i know its true, things just clicked." So we set her up for a date to be baptized. Also we are working with another guy named Reyes, hes also 16 but was raised Catholic. After talking to him and working with him, hes starting to come around. Hopefully soon things will click for him but he says he feels a lot of peace and joy when he is at the church. Yesterday at church we had 4 investigators at church also, thats the first time I ever had any investigators at church and it was such a blessing.

If you guys cant tell the work here in the Washington Kennewick Mission is going forward very strongly. The Lord is blessing the people here and opening up their hearts. I am so blessed not only to be serving here, but to be serving period. We pray for these people every single day, with that being said i see the power of prayer. We had prayed so much for Christina to tell her parents, and just like that she did. God is changing these peoples life's and as a missionary I have the rare opportunity to see the life's changing. I never realized how some people rely on missionaries so much. We have an investigator named Elva. Shes 35 years old with 7 kids and no job. The Elder that was working in my area before me had been working with her for a while. I suppose she got really close with the Elder and when she found out I had taken his place, she sat down and started crying her eyes out. In that moment it was like i realized the significance of the power of a missionary. How some people put so much stock and feelings into missionaries.

We also had an interesting Monday night. Monday night around 8 myself and Elder Ballard came in and i had to go pee. We heard a knock on the door and he went to open it up and no one was there. It freaked us out a little. That night after I had went to sleep, my companion woke me up at 1 o lock. He and Elder Manwill were up and both of them said they had weird feelings. They then heard someone trying to open up the window and Elder Manwill grabbed a golf club, and he said after that he never heard the noise again. We called the cops and a cop came and checked everything out. After he left we went down to the church and I slept in a pew. Was one for the ages for sure, not only scared the pee out of me, but I'm not sure how safe i feel in the house anymore. But we fixed the windows and everything so it should be good.

I love you guys, and can't wait to continue reading all your letters and packages. It means the world to me. Getting a letter and packages is like Christmas. I'm so thankful for all the support that has been shown and I'm so thankful for all the prayers. I hope i can make you guys proud back home, not only you guys but Jesus Christ.

Thanks so much for everything, love you guys!

Con Amor,

Elder Hutchens