I got a full hour today so I don't have to rush.
We are still not permitted to take off our suit coats until
it hits around 75 degrees so it may be a while before I get to send my suit
home, considering it snowed on Saturday.[1] I'll still have to make do
with my holey pants. The holes just lead to the inner lining of the pants, so
no one will notice, especially compared to Elder Condie's enormous holes in his
pants. We were teaching the youth on the
fifth Sunday and he was sitting on a table. Only later did he realize what
pants he was wearing and that he should not have been sitting like that.
I loved conference! I've always had a hard time paying
attention and I still did a little bit this conference but I think I picked up
more than usual. Part of that might be watching it in a stake center. We could
have watched it with the Welshes on the BYU channel but Elder Condie wanted to
go to the church building. The favorite part of all the missionaries was when
Elder Bednar said the missionaries are the full-time teachers and the members
are the full-time finders.[2] I love referrals! The
solemn assembly was interesting. I don't remember the conference after
President Hunter died (although I do remember the day he died) so I didn't know
that's what they did.
President Clark came and interviewed Duane and Vickie and
they're good to go for the 26th, when Duane will be off probation.[3] He even wants to come to
the baptism. Transfers are in two weeks and I hope I'm not transferred before
they're baptized. Not this coming transfer but the next there are eighteen new
missionaries coming in and everyone is saying they think I'll train, since
President has to get a lot of new zone leaders as well (many of the current
ones are going home) and that is a lot of new missionaries. If that is the
case, it would probably mean I'll get shipped off to a new area in two weeks,
stay with that companion for a transfer, and then train for two (if I stayed in
the same area it would be nine months by the time I was done training and that
would be a long time). But that is all just speculation. I don't feel qualified
to train, although President wrote Elder Condie and told him to give me a lot
of responsibility to help me grow.[4]
As for the "unique spirit" thing--I think everyone
took that far more seriously than I intended. Sure, that was my interpretation,
but I wasn't really offended or anything by it.[5]
I can't believe Allie is going to kindergarten. That's less
than five months away. I really can't believe that in less than four months
she'll be five--I think she'll be four to me until I come home. And Preston
will be three. And Franklin just doesn't exist until I get home.
I can't think of anything else about which to write at the
moment.[6] If I think of anything
else the next fifteen minutes while I'm here I'll send you another email but
nothing might come to me.
Sincerely,
Elder Melville
[1]
The general rule was that we wore our suit coats between October and April
conferences, but not between April and October. But in April, they told us we
still needed to wear them longer, but in October, we had to wear them even if
it was warm. I thought that was dumb. It should either be a weather thing, or a
conference thing, not some arbitrary whim that could change.
[2]
I recently cited this
talk on my other blog, but in a much different
context. Elder Bednar visited my mission when it was almost time for me to
go home, and he referenced this talk, saying he heard all the missionaries
squeal with delight when he said it.
[3]
His probation was extended, and they dropped off and never got baptized.
[4]
This was kind of a presumptuous paragraph. I never trained in my entire
mission, nor was I a district leader or a zone leader. And when I think of some
of the missionaries who did serve in
leadership roles, I’m fine with that.
[6]
“About which to write”—ugh. This is why you don’t teach people that you shouldn’t
end a sentence with a preposition. That’s false, and it makes awkward phrases
like this one.
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