[1]Oh,
boy, I've got a lot of stuff to write and not a lot of time to do it.
First of all, you're probably wondering why I'm emailing you
today. Well, we went to the temple this morning, so we had to switch our P-day
since the temple's not open on Monday.[2] This is due to the fact
that we can only go once every other transfer, and temple closures, etc, have
prohibited me in the past, and the four months I was on the other side of the
mission it was pretty much out of the question. (The temple district for the
Wenatchee stake is Seattle, but we are only allowed to go to Spokane!) A member
from my first area--former counselor of the stake presidency from when I was
there--was a veil worker so he briefly said hi in the celestial room. I was
glad but kind of annoyed that my temple pants do not fit me anymore; they're
too loose. They're the kind that don't need a belt, so I can't just go buy a
white belt.
It's only the second time I've been to
the temple on my mission (not counting the MTC) and the sixth in my life.
Our temple trip worked out nicely, because tomorrow we are
going to be caroling for a nativity exhibit in Spokane, so we had to be up here
for that, and the next day we have interviews. It also worked out perfectly,
because my package surprisingly arrived on Tuesday. If it hadn't come so early
it would have been on our doorstep for nearly a week. Thanks so much for the
package. I know a few months ago I mentioned I needed new insoles for my shoes,
and you said you would send them. I was wondering how you would do that without
the shoes, but if you can, I would appreciate it. The Hushpuppies are too
uncomfortable anymore that I seldom if ever wear them, which can't be good for
my Rockports. If I'm ever up in a civilized area again, I may just buy some
shoes. Maybe I'll just get some from Wal-Mart. I don't know if I'll ever buy
Rockports again; they're comfortable shoes but the traction is almost
completely gone, as are the heels.
The "stick"[3] you gave me for the pictures
requires that I shut down the computer to run the program, which I don't know
how appropriate that would be on a public computer. Maybe it would be fine, I
don't know, but it troubles me to do so.
The ornament that came with the tree was smashed when I
opened it (whose bright idea was it to use a glass ornament?) so I have Allie's
on it instead.[4]
I don't know if they sell simple plastic ornaments individually.[5] I have enjoyed the
Christmas music, although the disc is exceedingly scratched so not all the
songs worked on our car CD player last night (although it worked on our inside
player).[6] But since the last time I
emailed we switched our car twice. Ours hit 50,000 miles, which is when they
like to sell them, but there were older cars with fewer miles they needed to
sell first. Since our area uses more miles we took an older car and gave the
high-mileage one to the missionaries who gave us theirs, and then this morning
we got a brand new one.
It is exactly the same as the new car I got in Mead
(except for the silly blinker sound), and the weather and the new car smell
make me feel like a greenie again. Anyway, what I told you this for is that
maybe in the new car the CD will work better. And if not it's fine inside.
But I also spent some money today at the LDS bookstore near
the temple and bought the new MoTab/King's Singers CD. It was $18 but it's an
enjoyable listen.[7]
Are there any requests for Christmas presents from anyone? I
don't have any ideas for me but I would like to send some.
In the MTC I had a dream that involved the Thompsons' van
getting stuck on a muddy road at night. In Mead I thought I discovered the
road, except it was paved. But that dream was fulfilled even more last Tuesday,
when we were driving out in the country. We saw a sign that said "Water
Over Roadway" and a half-frozen puddle/stream blocked the road. We worried
about the ice on the other side damaging our car so we stopped and ultimately
turned around. But the place was just like the dream, especially since it was a
gravel road.
Thanksgiving was good. I did 250 sit-ups in the morning, and
then I made a wreath out of some piny branches from a member's yard. It's not
so much a wreath as it is a bunch of branches loosely tied together and pinned
to the wall. Once in a while we get a real piny scent, but not all the time,
and when you sniff the branches all you smell is dust. Some small spiders I
think resided in the vegetation; I have discovered three so far.
Friday I was getting Christmas lights out of our apartment
closet, and was perplexed to find diapers. I had seen them before but it never
really registered to me. I was wondering why on earth there were diapers among
the items in our storage. Some pretty random stuff can be found in missionary
dwellings, but I really didn't understand the training pants. Well, Monday one
of our investigators had some horrific problems (that will ultimately lead to
better things) and wondered how to pay for all of her expenses, including her
son's diapers. It just so happens that the ones we had were his size. She asked
us, "How did you enquire [acquire] them?" I told her I didn't know,
but her mom, who was excommunicated (and is very gung ho about being
rebaptized), told us God put them there, and I think she's right.[8]
That same mother was one of four women at a lesson Monday
night. There we were, across from a less-active, an investigator, an ex-member,
and an active fellowshipper who is extending her friendship duties far beyond
our meetings. It was awesome.
The investigator that night was one of the new ones we
spontaneously found on Saturday. The other tries to practice the Messianic
Judaic law. He agreed with the apostasy and everything, so he just needs to
find out the Book of Mormon is true.
Yesterday we had a lesson with a woman who is sort of
agnostic, but we read Alma 34 with her. She loved the language of it, having
studied literature, and I told her that if she read the testimony of Joseph
Smith she could recognize that the writing style is completely different and
that the BoM was not just concocted, but she said it didn't seem concocted at
all, without having read Joseph Smith.
By the way, Joseph Smith was a hilarious man. I was reading
in History of the Church where he gave a discourse about heaven and said that
Paul spoke of three degrees, such as the reference in 2 Corinthians about the
third heaven. He said if the sectarian doctrine is true about one heaven,
"Paul, why do you tell that lie?" It was really funny. (See HC Volume
5, I think page 425.)[9]
All the things I'm hearing--Allie's voice on the ornament
and pierced ears, [a cousin]'s son, engagements of high school peers, [a
cousin]'s mission prep, [two wardies]' speedy returnings, etc.--these many
things all make me wonder how much will have changed when I get back. It
boggles my mind.
Yesterday we saw a Persian cat that had never been brushed.
It looked like a deformed marshmallow, with huge lumps of matted fur. The
owners got it from someone who died and they're planning on getting it shaved.
The wife of the current owner has Alzheimer's or dementia or something, and she
told us they were going to shave it about ten times while we were there. That
cat wasn't as funny as what we saw on Friday. We were leaving an appointment,
walking down the street, and heard a cat fight. We looked up and saw it up on
the roof. One cat went toward the other, which backed up--all the way off the
roof! It was about as high as our home roof above the front door to the ground,
if not higher. It was funny but scary at the same time, but we think the cat
was OK because it wasn't there when we looked where it would have fallen.
 |
| The picture is blurry because I didn't use flash; I worried it might annoy the old lady. |
It was hard to get in the Christmas spirit at first, but I
think we've got it now. It snowed on Friday everywhere but Ritzville, which is
where we were.
Hmm...Is that everything? Probably not, but if I need to
tell you anything else I'll try to write. I need to get better at that. And
I'll be emailing on Monday again.
Love,
Elder Melville
[1]
The title of my email came from the lyrics of an old Primary song, “December,”
from Sing with Me.
[2]
I did one of my pet peeves here: doing an endowment session is not the only way
to “go to the temple.” Baptisms are just as valid.
[3]
A flash drive.
[4]
My mom sent me a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. My sister sent me a red ornament
with a picture of her and my niece, with my niece saying, “I miss you, Uncle
Mark.”
[5]
I still have the tree, and I have a plastic red ornament on it.
[6]
My mom sent me a mix Christmas CD with Primary songs, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the King’s Singers.
[7]
The album Rejoice and Be Merry!
[8]
There were some Pull-Ups that she used, but what we thought were diapers were
actually incontinence pads. I still don’t know why we had them in our closet.
[9]
“But saint Paul informs us of three glories and three heavens, he knew a man
that was caught up to the third heaven, now if the doctrine of the Sectarian
world, that there is but one heaven Paul what do you tell that lie for and say
there are three?” Smith, History, Vol. D-1, June 11, 1843,
1574.
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