I express similar sentiments with Pops about thinking of
last November.[1]
Yesterday was my anniversary of going to the temple, and a year ago today we
helped April prepare to move, looked for stuff to get my pilgrim lights set up,
and ate at Subway. I am now at that horrible part where I can say I've been out
about a year (and a few people still think I'm a new missionary) and I have a
year left. 2008 will soon be over and it is the only complete year of my
mission.
Congrats on all the Church stuff going on, with temple
worthiness, mission call, mission preparation, and the like. I will soon no
longer be the only missionary out.[2]
Transfers are in two weeks, and we have no idea what will
happen. I hope we stay the same. But there are reasons both for and against
that. Elder L. is going on six months here, and the Brethren have asked that we
generally stay in an area six to nine months. I also think President Clark wants
companions to stay together a little longer. However, it seems Elder L. has
some premonitions about him leaving. So we really have no idea. This week we
had related dreams on the same night. I dreamed I was being emergency
transferred to Brewster and Twisp, two bilingual branches near Wenatchee.[3] He dreamed he was starting
a new Church program by getting a new companion who was a girl. We doubt that
both of those will happen.
Zone Conference was good. I found out someone I taught in
Mead, Kristy W. T., was baptized. I was there when we started teaching her this
time around and when we gave her a date for baptism. I got my transfer call the
day she married her less-active boyfriend so she could live the law of chastity
and be baptized. She didn't keep the date we set but she moved to Montana and
recently got baptized. (I was confused when President Clark told me at first,
because he told me "Sister [a similar name that started with T]" was
baptized. I understood when I took out the "[extra letters].") Also,
President asked if anyone had learned any noteworthy Spanish in case there's
ever an odd number of Spanish missionaries or something, so I told him. (That's
what prompted the transfer dream.)
I was disappointed at the amount of Christmas stuff going on
at Wal-Mart today. I was so distracted by the wickedness that I bought an
excessive amount of clearance Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff. I used my home card
for this. I bought orange lights because we have Christmas lights hanging in our
apartment and occasionally Elder L. likes turning them on because "it's
relaxing." Now I will forbid him from doing this and only allow the orange
lights to be on (maybe I should have bought more). I am going to get so fat
over the next two months. An investigator gave us her leftover Halloween candy,
almost an entire box of full-size Baby Ruth bars. And I bought four bags of
Thanksgiving candy. But I am about the weight I was when I got my first
driver's license, so I'm still lighter than I've been for a long time.
However, as in four weeks it will be Christmastime, I have a
request. I would like a special Christmas mix CD. "Music should invite the
Spirit, help you focus on the work, and direct your thoughts and feelings to
the Savior. Do not listen to music that pulls your thoughts away from your
work, merely entertains, has romantic lyrics or overtones, or dulls your spiritual
sensitivity by its tempo, beat, loudness, lyrics, or intensity" (Missionary
Handbook, pg. 25). I would like the following:
"What Child is This," "My Little Drum,"
and "Greensleeves" from A Charlie Brown Christmas
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" by the King's
Singers (I know some of their stuff was played in the halls at the MTC, and
they sang with the MoTab. More than this song could be fine, but it's the only
one I can specifically think of.)
I have the Children's Songbook CDs already, so these aren't
super important, but they might be nice on a special Christmas disc: "He
Sent His Son," "Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus," "Stars
Were Gleaming," "Mary's Lullaby," "Oh Hush Thee My
Baby," "Away in a Manger," "Have a Very Merry Christmas!"
"Picture a Christmas," "The Shepherds' Carol," "When
Joseph Went to Bethlehem."
Also any other songs you think I would like and would fit
the above guidelines.[4]
I also would like my line of authority, since I've never
even seen it. This can just be sent in a letter, of course.
I don't know how much time I have left. We're pretty busy
today. I hopefully soon should be sending home my birthday check, along with my
own original verses to "Follow the Prophet."[5]
Love,
Elder Melville
[1]
My dad’s email talked about preparing for my mission a year earlier.
[2]
Among other news, my mom told me about my cousin getting his mission call.
[3]
All my mission, I hoped this would happen to me. Then, at the end of my
mission, it happened to my companion, who didn’t even know any Spanish!
[4]
My mom did send me a burned CD with Primary songs, most of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the King’s Singers. She wrote “Mark’s
Christmas” on it, and I wrote over it “Elder Melville’s Christmas.”
[5]
I wrote seven original verses to “Follow the Prophet,” with ones about the
brother of Jared, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Amos, Samuel the Lamanite, Joseph Smith,
and Abinadi, both Almas, and Amulek.
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