How can I be twenty? (9/29/08)

Yesterday, the 28th, I turned ten.[1] Today, the 29th, I turned twenty. I was in fourth grade the last time I changed a decade. I still feel like a kid. I am overwhelmed at the thought of being in my twenties. I guess I always felt that being old was for other people, but not for me. Ack!

Thanks very much for the package. I am very disappointed at M&Ms, because they added green and purple to the Halloween mix. A few weeks ago before the Halloween season started I pondered if I should consider purple a Halloween color, but I ultimately decided against it. One of the grounds for doing so was that M&Ms had no purple for Halloween. And then they disappointed me by adding those extra colors. I can kind of see purple but green is absolutely out of the question.

It's been so long since I've cashed a check I don't remember how to cash Grandma and Grandpa's, especially since they don't have American First up here. I don't even know where a bank is in this area.

We had our interviews this week. I asked President Clark if he had any ideas about our transfers. He didn't know, but he said three transfers is too short to stay in an area, that it's usually supposed to be four to six. So I may be here another seven weeks, since this is the last week of the transfer. We will find out probably on Saturday morning before conference. We get to attend few meetings other than regular church meetings, but we get to view all five sessions of conference. It's also the time we are reunited with our suit coats full-time. It's supposed to be in the 80s or 90s again this week >-( so that might not work too well.

I have more to write but I'm losing time, so I will definitely try to write snail mail today. But I can't guarantee anything.

Love,

Your elderly son

---

[1] I entered the MTC on November 28, so on September 28, I was ten in mission age.

Finally fall in many ways (9/22/08)

This week was ninety degree weather, which was not fun at all. It was good to see the red and yellow on the ground, and the trees losing green, but I was not fond of the infernal heat. Fortunately on Saturday it cooled down a lot and this morning I feel quite happy with the chill in the air. It used to be only clouds here could make me feel good, but there are only distant clouds today and I feel fine. It's a good thing; our jackets come back on in two weeks.[1] Sister Knighten, the member we live with, has many old Church music books, including "The Children Sing" and "Sing with Me," the precursors to "Children's Songbook." ("Sing with Me" is in a somewhat familiar orange binding--did we use to have a copy, if only of the cover?)[2] I have been playing the songs in there on the piano and found a beautiful song called "Autumn":

Leaves are falling, falling, falling, from the trees today

Birds are calling, sadly calling, Let us fly away

To the south, for winter's coming, [something][3] the insects cease their humming,

Leaves are falling, birds are calling, winter comes this way.[4]

And I don't remember the second verse. But it's such a beautiful song that I copied it at the church library along with "In Perfect Faith," "Oh Give Me Back My Prophet Dear," and holiday songs not in the current hymns and children's songs. I sure hope we have a piano when I get back![5]

Our little area has been struggling. President Clark has given us "Standards of Excellence," and I've never met them consistently, but one of them is ten Quality Gospel Invitations[6] a day. So we had eighty this week. Typical is in generally in the thirties.

We had our fair share of drunks we talked to. We were walking by a house and a totaled car sat in the yard. We turned the corner and two guys and two girls about our age were in the backyard drinking and smoking. They hailed us over and they couldn't believe we'd never drunk beer. The next day we walked by the house again and I looked at the car and said, "That explains it."[7]

We were walking by another house and a chubby shirtless man started talking to us. He was more coherent than most drunks I've talked with, but I could clearly smell the alcohol. He and his friend think we obey nine commandments because we observe the Sabbath on Sunday, not Saturday. They're "Jews for Jesus." He started yelling about it and soon the police showed up because someone had called. He made up the excuse he was yelling because he had a sore throat and had to talk loudly. He wasn't really unfriendly, just crazy, so when the police saw we were fine they left. We talked with them yesterday, and he thinks he's a prophet, that the world will end in 2012 (because it will be 1260 days after Hurricane Ike),[8] and the sun shines on him when he tells the truth. I think in our conversation Elder Duncan got a little defensive, but after a while it was so ridiculous about what Nazis they were about the Sabbath that I just started laughing. Just quiet, disbelieving laughter. I laughed during his goofy prayer with his hands in the air, praying as a "prophet of God," and all I can say is I hope he's not outside when we walk by again.

It seems I was thinking of something I wanted for my birthday, or at least I needed, but I cant think of it now. Maybe size 36 slacks (they can be cheap ones, although that might not be the best idea now since I'll have to pack my summer slacks away soon).[9] Transfers are in two weeks and I have no idea what's happening. Maybe I'll get a hint at interviews this week.

[Line redacted]

Love,

Elder Melville

---

[1] Our mission rule was that you took off your suit coat at April conference and put it on at October conference. Except that after April conference, they told us we still had to wear them if it was cold. But we still had to wear them even if it was warm in October. I thought that was so dumb. Either make it only weather, or only conferences.

[2] Yes, we do have Sing with Me, and I sometimes play songs from it.

[3] “Haste” is the word I forgot here.

[4] This song is by Evan Stephens. I understand why no one sang it, because the lyrics are a little dark; the second verse talks about snow being a shroud for the earth to lie in. But it’s a stunningly beautiful song. I really want it to get more attention.

[5] My mom had given our piano to my cousin. But I wanted it back so I could play it after picking up some piano on my mission. We did bring it back to our house a few weeks after I got home. But unfortunately, it had a number of damages done to it. I can’t possibly understand how it got damaged like that.

[6] Quality Gospel Invitations, or QGIs, were basically every time you talked to someone.

[7] Seriously, though, don’t drink and drive. Ever. If you do, you deserve to be dead.

[8] I think it was February 9, 2012, that he predicted would be the end.

[9] I started my mission with a size 38 or 40 waist. Today I’m 32 or 33.

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

[1]Sounds like you had a fun weekend. I've been thinking about those old traditions that have died. Glad there are new ones.[2] It seems weird to me that it was almost two and four years ago that my grandparents died. My whole senior year doesn't seem that long ago because I was anticipating my mission, but it started two years ago![3] Even though I've been out almost ten months I still feel like I just started my mission.

Boston, huh?[4] You sure are taking a lot of vacations since I left. Then again, in a way I'm taking a consistent two year vacation, except most of it is work. Last week we went to Rocky Reach Dam with some members to observe salmon swimming up the Columbia River through a series of fish ladders, 100 small pools that gradually climb upward. It was funny because we went in to the visitors' center and some people came upstairs. I was thinking about what they must think to see us, but they said, "Oh, the missionaries are here," and they were actually visiting from Salt Lake. I think another person who was there that day thought we worked there, because he kept asking us questions, but he didn't seem altogether there. That's actually not all too uncommon; we frequently have people at the store asking us where stuff is, and we don't know any more than they do.

Don't get your hopes up too much for Mexico with my Spanish,[5] although the little I know has come in handy in this fruit-picking area. I don't know enough to teach or to understand when they go off, but when tracting I know enough to get permission for the Spanish elders to go back.[6] I always have a hard time talking at doorsteps, but I become the only speaker when the resident doesn't speak English. (It's not as easy in Spokane; I once tracted an entire street where everyone spoke Russian.)

I don't get to watch TV, but I did get to watch Nature without a screen this week. The bushes and shrubs of Wenatchee Valley are always covered with nets of cobwebs. When walking down the road I frequently take a diversion by looking for the little arachnids lying in wait in small tunnels on their webs. This week while taking such a diversion I noticed a miniature bee or something struggling in a web while the yellowish-tan spider watched nearby. It gradually got closer until it finally jumped on top of it and bit it. Then it began circling around it, I assume to reinforce its web. The bee stopped moving and the spider kept getting on top of it, but after a few minutes we learned that the bee was only playing dead. The pattern of the spider getting on top and the bee playing dead then trying to escape continued for a few minutes. Eventually the bee escaped out the bottom, but fell into a lower web, where an even bigger spider darted out, bit it, ran back to its tunnel, darted back out and bit it again, and hid again. The bee was no longer moving and the spider was missing when we finally left. It was amazing.

This week we began teaching an old lady who is kind of lonely. She is very friendly and very Episcopalian, but she has two granddaughters who married RMs in the temple, so she wants to learn about the Church to know how to interact with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was concerned that she has four great-grandchildren ages 1-5 who aren't baptized.

And while I am delighted to see the leaf-strewn lawns, I am not happy to feel the hot of the afternoon. I thought that was supposed to end once I could start thinking about Halloween.[7]

Love,

Elder Melville

P.S. Some elders have caught glimpses of your letters to me, and find the adjective "cute" quite humorous.[8]

---

[1] My email title comes from Proverbs 30:28.

[2] When I was growing up, we would always go camping in Fillmore on Labor Day weekend. My parents wrote to me that they had gone camping in Maple Grove near Scipio.

[3] I think it’s funny I thought two years was a long time—now two years is nothing.

[4] My parents foolishly bought a timeshare. My mom wrote, “We may try to use our time share in Boston this spring because we have to use it before June or we lose it.” But they didn’t end up going to Boston.

[5] My mom wrote, “Dad and I have talked about going to Mexico to use our time share because we can't find places we want to use around here.  We decided to wait until after you come home, though.  It would be fun to have you come with us because your Spanish would come in handy.  So plan on seeing old ruins there sometime after you come home.” But they (we) never visited Mexico.

[6] I took four years of Spanish in high school. I was surprised to get called on an English-speaking mission with all my language experience. On one occasion, my mission president asked if anyone knew some Spanish in case there were ever openings. I told him I knew some, but I never served in a Spanish area.

[7] When I was in first grade, I was eager to put out Halloween decorations. My mom said I could do it on September 15, and that’s been my arbitrary date ever since.

[8] My mom started my email with “Dear Cute Mark.” My district leader thought that was funny. An earlier companion had seen a similar letter opening and was amused. A year after my mission, I visited a branch with my parents, and I heard my mom introduce us by saying “Our cute son served here,” and she didn’t even realize it.

This month is such a special one (9/8/08)

Hello family!

We have a really good bike shop here. I went to take my bike in, expecting lengthy and costly repairs on my gears, but the man just took the bike, looked at it, did some adjusting, and I was on my way with a working bike without paying $0.01. Whew! They did the same thing when a metal piece was skewed and caused my front brakes easily to come undone a few weeks ago.

Last Monday we went on a hike at a place called Saddle Rock. I didn't want to, but I took one for the team. The other elders kept deciding to take steep shortcuts, with the belief that although they were steep, they would get flat soon, and we would get up the mountain sooner. I was surely opposed to the shortcuts, but I could not change their minds. They did not seem to realize the principle that mountains are very deceiving. We took the shortcuts to save time, but they turned out to take a lot more time. The ascent was extremely steep. We were on all fours most of the way up. It got to the point that attempting to go down would be more dangerous than going up, and that's the only reason we kept going the way we did. We were grabbing rocks in the mountainside, many of which broke off as we grabbed them. We had to climb up an absolutely gravelly slope, which was very tricky, until we got to a field of brush. Then the root systems provided stepping places and the plants themselves worked quite nicely as handholds. When we finally reached the top we all agreed we'd never do it again. Hiking is not against the rules--but rock climbing is, and that's basically what we were doing. We just hadn't planned on it. Incidentally, we hiked up in our "pros" (proselyting clothes), except we were wearing shoes more fit for hiking.

A quick funny story: Our ward feeds us very well, and an insert in yesterday's program was supposed to read, "Special thanks to all those who feed the missionaries." Instead it read "feel the missionaries." We got a good chuckle out of it.

I often think back to the September, October and November before my mission, and think of things I associate with that time--That Girl viewings,[1] Halloween candy, Thanksgiving lights,[2] drives home from work, etc. Many of it I can firmly remember, and I wonder if those specific things will always remind me of that time. It was odd yesterday, however, because a member picked us up for dinner in his RAV4. I didn't realize it until he pointed out to Elder Duncan that the front seat was small for him. Then I looked around and realized we were in a Toyota. I had always figured I would immediately recognize anything from my pre-mission time because that was a fun point in my life. But the ride in that vehicle did not take me back home, it did not take me back in time, it did not make me "trunky" (not that I get that way anyway).[3]

I am beginning to get to the point where I will soon be caught up with letter writing, and I may be able to write you snail mail again. But I'm done for the day.

Love,

Elder Melville

---

[1] I bought the second season of That Girl two and a half months before I left on my mission, and my mom and I would watch one or two episodes a night.

[2] I ordered some light-up Pilgrims the fall that I left for my last Thanksgiving at home.

[3] My family bought a Toyota Rav4 a few months before I left, and I had memories of riding around in that new car that fall. I didn’t like driving it because I felt too cramped. My 2017 model is roomier than the 2007.

FINALLY SEPTEMBER!! (9/1/08)

I am SO relieved the abysmal month of August has died. The year will no longer seem as bland and uncomfortable.

I don't think I ever told you but I do get emails on holidays now because we email at the Family History Center so we just have a member open it up.

Last night we had dinner with the Raabs. Sister Raab told me Allie was very cute and she was looking at them in awe because they had just left my presence.[1] I don't know; that's just what she said. It's so weird for me to think of her being five. She'll be four to me until I get back. Just like Preston will always be three.

So yesterday I had an unfortunate experience. We were riding down Baker, a semi-main road, and the portion we were on has no bike lane, but there are parking spaces. I hate to ride in the road, so I usually ride in the parking spaces and meander up to the sidewalks when a car is ahead and the curb is low. Yesterday there were cars parked and a person in the road so I didn't want to go out, so I went on the sidewalk, and I couldn't get back on the road because of the cars. A garbage can was on the sidewalk, and there was only a small passage between it and a fence. I'd biked past before, nudging the can, so I thought I'd try it again. But this time I did more than nudge it, and I crashed. Some people were driving by and they stopped to see if I was fine, which I was. But my bike is not in the best shape now; it locks up in first and second gear, and I don't want to try our hills in third gear. I'm taking it to the bike shop today. I hope they can fix it, or I may be in trouble. Hopefully it doesn't come down to a new bike--or a permanent third gear bike. As it is, it will probably not be too cheap to get it fixed.[2] Oh, well; that's the reason I got a job before my mission.

And walking home after that incident it did start to rain, and I didn't bring my new umbrella, although Elder D. brought his. I got pretty wet; my planner's a little warped, and after dinner I had to change my shirt (I had a wet shirt for dinner). But I was just glad it was raining. Rain in this area is unusual. It doesn't happen very often, and, while back home it is less common for there to be rain and sun, it is almost always sunny while it rains here. I don't think I've ever seen a completely gray sky here; there's always a patch of blue somewhere. The clouds that make it across the mountains disperse as they cross the river. It's been partly cloudy frequently lately, but it hasn't rained much.

I can't think of anything else to say...I thought of something else I might like. In 2006 when I was a vampire for the first time we got a special polishing tool for some old shoes of mine. I'm running low on my polish, and I think that was an easier tool, so I would like that if you can find it in the bathroom closet.[3]

Love,

Elder Melville

---

[1] These members visited my family and took a package home for me.

[2] The bike shop fixed it for free.

[3] I was a vampire for Halloween. My mom did send me the polishing tool, but it was not a quality product.