[1]So
I have successfully made it to my new area. Due to when my old members could go
to Spokane and when my new members could, I waited in the mission office for four
hours. That was interesting. One of the senior office missionaries needed help
with cars, so we went to pick one up and I followed him back to the office.
Driving without a passenger for more than a few feet was a very different
experience. Then I had to drive a pickup with soft brakes to be repaired. Again
I was companionless in the vehicle. That was also the first time I've ever
driven a truck, and backing it up in the small, full mission office parking lot
was a little intimidating, especially with the office missionary waiting for me
to follow him.[2]
I really like Elder L. He kind of reminds me of Howard
Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show but with swapped interests. He is from Sunset
and used to be a mechanic, and periodically points things out on cars that
aren't good for them. I know nothing about cars so it's a different situation.
It's the first time I've been to an American branch.[3] Yesterday we attended the
Davenport Branch, which I understand is somewhat struggling. It doesn't help
that the missionary I replaced offended half the branch by spraying a cat[4] so it would get cold,
joking that he was going to kill it. But I guess their problems with him go
beyond the cruelty to animals, so I have some positive existing to do. We spend
Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday up there, and every other weekend. We
spend P-day in Cheney (CHEE-nee), home of Eastern Washington University, with
the rest of the district. In Davenport we stay with the Herrons, an older
couple. Our staying there is not the easiest for them, so I kind of feel bad.[5]
The rest of the time we stay in Ritzville in an apartment,
which is our official place of residence. It has me concerned about my
impending package, because I do not want it to sit on our apartment doorstep
for days at a time. We were going to see if we could call into the office and
have them forward it to our branch president's house, but we forgot to ask him
if that would be fine. I don't even know if the package has gone through the
office yet or not.
It is kind of difficult being so isolated. I would like to
get some new shoes, but I don't think even Cheney has good shoe places. My
Hushpuppies have worn completely through the insoles, and my Rockports have
lost all traction and the heels have begun to flatten.
I am also still concerned about my birthday check from
Grandpa and Grandma. I forgot to bring it up from Ritzville this weekend. And
when I do bring it up, I have to figure out where to cash it.
But it's fun covering small towns. We cover probably about ten
of them. Ritzville and Davenport have a very Fillmore-y feel to them, but they
may be a little smaller. Their location and the time of year have caused me to
have many flashbacks to the funerals and related events of 2004 and 2006. It
was really weird when the Herrons had a calendar open to October 2004, and
there the remembered month was, and I could look at the calendar and say
exactly what happened on several days of the month.[6]
We talked to a guy who is just a person who is nice to
missionaries and has read the Book of Mormon but says he won't come to church
and won't tell us whether or not he thinks it's true.[7] I wasn't impressed with
him; he asked for my first name and wouldn't accept Elder. I feel like when I
reveal my first name I'm uttering a naughty word or dropping my pants or
something. So later when he called me by the name I gave him, verifying if it
was correct, I said, "Actually it's Jeremiah." Jeremiah was what I
said my name was once at Taco Bell (for the name they call out) because I was
reading Jeremiah. I almost told the guy yesterday it was Luke because that's
what I'm reading (good thing I already finished St. Mark) but I decided
Jeremiah sounded better. I think that's what I'll say my name is when anyone
asks. I get sick of members and investigators asking and it's none of their
business anyway.[8]
We got a new investigator who speaks English but prefers to
read Spanish so we gave her our Spanish material. We're encouraged to study for
the needs of our investigators so I had some fun reading 3 Nefi 11 and the
pamphlet La Restauración del Evangelio de Jesucristo.
This morning I was looking through my suitcase and found a
small plastic thing. I hadn't seen it in forever and had forgotten that I had
it. It filled me with great joy, for it was the thing Allie stuffed in my
suitcase on the morning of November 28.[9] (It's a pen thing used for
those little static boards with the plastic strip of film on them for writing.)
I am most likely going to hit my year mark in this area, the day after Thanksgiving.
It's sad and unfathomable, but I'm sure it makes you happy.
It seems like I was going to say something else but I don't
remember. Oh, well.
Love,
Elder Jeremiah Melville
[1]
My email’s title comes from Romans 6:4, but I took the “newness of life” to
refer to my new area.
[2]
To this day, that is the only time I’ve ever driven a truck.
[3]
I visited branches in 2002 when we picked up my brother in Taiwan.
[4]
There was no shortage of cats in this area.
[5]
The Herrons had many health challenges.
[6]
My grandpa died in October 2004 and my grandma died in October 2006. They lived
in Fillmore.
[7]
This man was actually a descendant of Brigham Young.
[8]
Even now, once in a while I feel weird saying my own name. Thanks to LDS Tools
and other things now, I couldn’t get away with this anymore.
[9]
That was the day I left. Allie was putting it in my suitcase that morning and I
almost told her not to, but I realized it really didn’t matter.
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