Elder Joel Bassett: September 2013

Washington Kennewick Mission - email (09-26-2013)

Dear Missionary Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Washington Kennewick Mission. We already love them and are excited to serve with them. We have enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and are confident that they will become an effective instrument in the hands of the Lord in sharing the gospel with the people of Washington and Oregon.

We have assigned them a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary. All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary. This first companion will be a special person in your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here.

We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child. We want to assure you that we will be in close contact with them. We will be observant of their physical health, happiness and spiritual well being. We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the Church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please be assured that we will be in contact with you if we encounter any concerns that would call for your attention. We see you as a great asset to the success of your missionary while they are serving here and will work closely with you if the need arises. You would help us immensely by informing us of any changes to address, phone number or email for you, your bishop or your stake president. We want to keep our records current so that we can keep in touch whenever necessary.

Attached are photographs of your missionary taken with us at the welcome dinner at the mission home, along with a map that identifies your missionary’s first area. Please feel free to contact us at the mission office with any questions that you may have.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field. We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways. We know that His blessings will be upon you as well.

With love,

President Boyd S. Ware Sister Linda P. Ware

Washington Kennewick Mission

8202 W. Quinault Ave., Ste D

Kennewick, WA 99336

Office Phone (509) 734-5443

Office Fax (509) 734-5475

Office Email: 387991@ldschurch.org

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From Home - email (09-23-2013)

Love all 'ya all!!!!!!

Dad

Elder Bassett - email (09-23-2013)

Hello!

Here is my flight info for tomorrow. I am taking the UTA Frontrunner from Provo to the Airport.

Leave MTC: 9:30

Flight Departs: 3:16

Flight Number: Delta 4773 to Pasco, WA

I will call the Home phone and Dad's Phone, probably around noon. I can't wait to talk. I have too many stories to share in an email. I really need to work on my story writing skill. I love ya lots!

Hopefully I can attach a few pictures to this email. We have been having trouble with Gmail and the size of the attachments. These are just pictures of my district that we took yesterday.

Love Ya!

Elder Bassett

P.S. I don't know when I P-day in the field is. At the MTC it was Friday, and they gave us permission to email the day before we left. So my next batch of emails might be a while in coming.

Washington Kennewick Mission Training Center - District (09-23-2013)

Elder Bassett - email (09-20-2013)

Thanks for the Info!

I have had the experience of a life time! The MTC is fantastic! Tell John and Dakoda to get out here!

I know you want to here every detail, but there are so many stories. I really don't know what to share! I do get to go to the Temple today! We are going to take a shuttle to the Main Campus and then walk to the Temple.

I leave for Kennewick next Tuesday. My flight leaves 3:16 ish. I am leaving the MTC on the UTA frontrunner at 9:30. I am going to call home as soon as I can get through security. (might take a while, my companion has a metal rod in his leg, long story) I hope I get a hold of you!

Tell dad that I will try to find the stars he mentioned, but the sky is very bright due to the cities. Tell everyone I love them! I know there are no stories here, but I will spill a lot when we talk!

Sincerely,

Elder Bassett

This is a picture of my district as well as another Sister. Love Ya!

This is Sister Platt. We took this after our last lesson with her!

From Home - email (09-20-2013)

Dear Elder Bassett,

This is quite a great thing you are doing! The spirit of your mission has had a great impact on the Bassett family and others of your friends. On Sunday (Last) Jason Richardson was baptized along with his Father (Dan) and his Mother (Jennifer). Jason is Dakota's cousin. It has been a significant impact on Dakota to have you leave and to have Jason join the Church. I believe that if Dakota's Mom is now the deciding factor in his Mission service. It is exciting to see your friends impacted by the sizable influence of the spirit.

There have been so many scriptures I'd like to share with you, but I fear that I'd be preachy, so I'm reluctant to say too much. But I've been really impacted by Section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants, as well as your Patriarchal Blessing and the Book of Joel in the Old Testament. I believe that some real Pearls of Wisdom are in these three scriptures especially for you!!!

Be sure to look out into the morning sky during these fall and winter mornings and find Orion and the Dog Star - Sirius. When you look up into the dark early morning sky, remember that I am also looking at those same stars. They represent something special to me … something that tells me the passage of time and the seasons. I'm very excited about your mission call … it represents a passage of a season in your life and mine too. You are a Savior to your friends and acquaintances … you will be a Savior to the people in your Mission to whom you will love with a bond stronger than you can imagine today.

Please; lose yourself in the work you have been called to perform … the Lord will look after your family - so don't worry (be happy) … and the Lord will look after you. You have been called from the foundations of the world(s) to do mighty things … thus the sacred name that you bear is so vital to rehearse in your mind from time to time.

I love you just because, and without bounds…

Dad

Elder Bassett - Hello Family - email (09/13/2013)

Fri 9/13/2013 10:57 AM

Well... I feel like I have been hit by a bus and a train and a plane and a .....

You get the point. My P-day at the MTC is today(Friday). I get to be here for 2 weeks. And it already feels like forever! My district is AWESOME. The 8 of us (4 elders and 4 sisters) get along great. We flow well in discussions and we have tons of fun outside of class. Elder Wilcox is my companion and the District leader and is very strong, both physically and spiritually.

My first hour here was go there, go here, be a lemming, touch your toes, smile, blah, blah, blah. I then met my teachers and they are great. (Brothers Weekes and Stanley) The first night they had us in large groups trying to teach an investigator. All 3 attempts were humbling. None of us listened to what they or the spirit was saying, and there was absolutely NO planing of cohesion among us. So after that exhausting evening, we all just crashed. Yesterday was tiring, but not that crazy. We were in class the entire day and we learned a lot. We also were introduced to our first "investigator" !!!!!! We are meeting him and teaching him tonight. TONIGHT!!!

So far today has been eventful and busy. We woke up at 5:50 to run to the other side of camps to do some service. Then Elder Wilcox and I realized we did not have out ID cards to get food. And we did not have our keys. So after running back and forth, we finally got to the cafeteria and my ID did not work. My badge magnet had wiped it. So more adventures happened and now I am emailing you. (I did get to eat :P)

Tell Dakoda that I am in the Y-View Apartments. My classrooms are in the nearby apartments, I think they start with an 'R'. They apartments are not that special. They are small but functional.

Dad, could you put this email on my Facebook? There are no limitations about who can email me, and email is probably more convenient for most people.

Love Ya and I am completely stoked to be here!

With love,

Elder Bassett

P.S. Quote from Brother Stanley: Charity is the never ending search for someone else's happiness.