Transfer Time!
Primero, lo siento que no pudiera pensar de un mejor titulo para esta carta. ¿Translado Tiempo? ¿Inserio? A veces, no soy muy listo. Ese titulo es un poco menso. ¡Bueno, a menos es verdadero! Hoy quiero empezar con la conferencia para los misioneros.
First, I'm sorry that I couldn't think of a better title for this letter. Transfer time? Seriously? Sometimes, I am not very bright. That title is a little lacking. Well, at least it's true! Today I want to start with the missionary conference,
This week, the highlight was when we attended the Missionary Executive Council Meeting. President Oaks presided, and also present were Elders Bednar, Anderson, and several other important people. I don't really remember the other people, except they had fancy titles. I think one of them was a member of the Quorum of the Seventy.
Of course, we attended this meeting remotely, and we didn't actually participate in the meeting. However, we did see it in the form of the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast. They talked about many amazing things, and especially on how we can better "teach repentance and baptize converts". However, there were two announcements that just about made me fall out of my chair.
First of all, the missionary schedule. You may or may not have heard that it is changing, but the changes are pretty huge. We are going to get an extra 2 hours of P-Day, and we also get the option to get an extra hour of sleep each night. That's partly made possible because our daily planning is no longer at night, but in the morning. Now, I was wondering how that was going to work, since we always record our key indicators each night during planning. However, that brings us to the other (and far more impactful, I feel) change.
You know how missionaries have always kept careful track of how many people we talk to, how many lessons we have, how many member presents we have, how many referrals we receive and contact, and many other things? Yeah, that's now completely done away with. We only count one thing each day now: New Investigators. What?!?! Okay, we also count some things at the end of the week still: People who are both baptized and confirmed, investigators with a baptismal date, and investigators at church. Add those to New Investigators, and we're only counting 4 things!
That means the rest of it is all up to us. We will still be trying to get other lessons, lessons with members, and other things, but we're no longer keeping track or reporting those numbers. It completely changes everything. Also, one of us is getting transferred to Yakima. However, I am staying. Elder Steadman is, sadly, leaving us. I will be receiving a new companion, however: Elder Fordham! Hahahahaha! I win. I totally just hid that in the middle of a paragraph. You now have to read everything to find out what is happening for transfers. We also had a couple of really cool experiences with investigators this week.
First of all, we had a potential investigator, Rosa, who is trying to prepare to be a personal trainer. One of the most interesting service opportunities I have yet had in the mission was teaching her math... in Spanish. It was really quite interesting. We are also teaching a lady named Ana and her daughter, Noeme. Turns out, we discovered recently that Noeme is the girlfriend of one of the priests! Heh heh. That was probably an interesting sacrament meeting. Too bad we couldn't go to that ward this week.
Finally, Brenda, Crystal, Yolie, and Nikita are all doing fantastically well! They are all preparing to be baptized on February 11th. Honestly, I have never come this far with an investigator. It's really exciting!
I love you all, and I hope you all have a fantastic week!
Love,
Elder Adams
[Questions from Editor Mom]
The obvious one: Are you and Elder Steadman both staying in the area? What's up there? - Hmm... spoilers...
Are your black pants repairable? Do you want to send them home or trash them? What brand/size are they, in case we want to replace them at some point? - I believe they are at least nominally repairable, and I will probably continue to wear them until I get around to fixing them. I don't know their brand or size, sorry.
What day are your district meetings? Are they the same day mission-wide? - Here, they are on Tuesdays, but they're not even the same Zone-wide. In Wenatchee, they were on Wednesdays.
Funny stuff? - Nope, just Elder Ramirez is funny. That's about it. He says the most hilarious stuff. He is in our district.
What do you spend your time thinking about? What have you learned in your studies? Have you had any cool insights into the scriptures? Life? The Universe? And everything? - I spend my time thinking about a lot of things. Usually, it's plotting for investigators or potentials, thinking about calling members to help us out, and other related things, but I occasionally think about wizards and laser guns. I think about a lot of widely varied things.
I've learned in my studies a lot about how to teach more simply, especially. I often spend them making lesson plans to help me simplify myself. I also have learned about a ton of other random things; it's practically impossible to list it all.
Where did the cello come from? Do you get to have it around for awhile? - It was rented by another ward, who then graciously let us use it. I unfortunately will not have continued access. However, the most flattering complement I received was from a mom who said her youngest child leaned over and told her "They sound like the Piano Guys!" Yeah, that made me pretty happy.
Cool experiences? - Um, teaching math in Spanish to a potential investigator?
Love you
Elder Adams
---
Text received from the Bishop of the Othello 2nd (English) Ward on Jan 29::
Dear Brother and Sister Adams and Brother and Sister Steadman, my name is Bishop Paul Risenmay and I have the pleasure of having your son serve in my ward. Today your Son and his companion played a beautiful musical number in sacrament [meeting].
Thank you for sharing your Son to us!
We love serving with your Son!
Text received from the Bishop of the Othello 4th (Spanish) Ward on Jan 31::
As Elders leave the Othello 4th Ward... I offer
'Whole Chicken 🍗 Challenge '.
With Elder Steadman leaving us tomorrow....
tonight he's making his valiant attempt to eat the whole chicken!
Only 2 Elders have ever accomplished this feat!
😊
Your sons are hard
working missionaries. You can be proud of their diligence and
willingness to serve the Lord.
I remind them (we have 6 serving in our ward)
weekly of the prayers and sacrifice that is being made on their behalf....
Thanks for raising great sons.
Bishop Villarreal
[about 30 minutes later]
Well,
well.... I pray they don't throw up 🤢 later!
BOTH ELDERS finished their Yard Birds tonight!
Elder Steadman finished first.... with Elder
Adams pounding the mashed potatoes and salad with every bite!
We officially now add their names to our wall
of Fame!
Around here.... they have something to brag
about to the Zone Leaders!
Honestly.... when Steadman finished. Adams felt the pressure to get his done. Then they said--- 'Bishop, today we are
double Big Macs for a late lunch....'
Oh oh 😲...., I wondered if this was a good idea for
the both of them!!!
Then I'm reminded.... they are still young men!
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