enero, janvier (1/26/09)

It's kind of a good thing we lost our place to stay in Davenport with all the fog that's been going on. Ritzville has been clear of it for the most part, but in Davenport the fog has been around so much that ice has collected in huge quantities. On some things the ice is thicker than what it's on. We weren't there for it, but apparently the power has been off and on all over the place, mainly due to all the ice being too heavy for the lines, although I'm sure problems also come from ice being too heavy for tree branches and they fall on the lines. We have seen countless limbs lying on the ground, and trees bent over from all the ice.

All these branches fell off of trees because of fog.

We had zone conference this week. After lunch we were all in the gym to watch a security video (we always watch a cheesy missionary safety video--they're unintentionally funny). We all gathered around the TV, but it didn't go loud enough, so they paused the movie and we all had to move our chairs up. When I picked mine up it must have folded partially, so when I went to sit down I missed the seat and crashed to the ground, smashing my fingers under the chair. I was embarrassed, but it was pretty funny, even with my hurting fingers. Suddenly I heard the same "smack!" sound I had just caused and another missionary was on the floor on top of his chair. The first several minutes of the movie I couldn't pay attention because the sister missionaries behind me were laughing quietly among themselves, and that made me laugh. Afterward I asked one of them if they were laughing because of me; she said she was but also because I wasn't the only one to fall. You probably had to be there, but it was really funny; I laughed all the rest of the day whenever I thought about it. I also slipped on ice twice later that day, which have been the only times I've slipped this winter. That's surprising because for a day Ritzville was extremely slick. Walking on the roads occasionally I slid down into little dips for grates in the road. It was like I was trapped, because I couldn't go up. I might have slipped the day before because of my no-traction shoes. I've been too lazy to switch my insoles. When I do, I'll have two pair of shoes, but that still won't solve my traction problem. I'll probably have to wait for new bottom soles until I get transferred to Spokane, Moses Lake or Coeur d'Alene, if that even happens.

I do have a request. I have one of those expensive scripture marking pen things with all the different colors. I am running low on green (Joseph Smith Translation). I may or may not have enough to finish my mission (or the JSTs). If I need any other colors, it would be yellow and orange, but I may have enough of those. Can I have a green refill?

We didn't have too eventful of a week. We count the number of "quality gospel invitations," or QGIs, we extend in a week (basically, the amount of people we talk to about the gospel whom we haven't talked to before). We had thirty-six this week, which broke the record for our area.

I don't know what I'm going to do about my laundry now that we don't stay with members. Our complex has a laundry room, but that costs a dollar a load--in quarters. I may be having to wear a lot of dirty socks. 

I can't think of anything else right now I need to tell you.

Love,

Elder Melville

The Wintry Day, Descending to its Close (1/19/09)

[1]This past week fog has been the predominant weather pattern. One day we got a light dusting of snow in Ritzville and nowhere else. Usually it doesn't snow in Ritzville without it snowing elsewhere. The fog can be annoying to drive in, but it flocks all the plants and looks pretty cool. We tracted a dead end in the fog. We didn't know how far it went; the houses just kept popping up.

Elder W. was sick this week so that inhibited a lot of our actual finding time, but it was actually one of the best weeks I've had in a long time. We had a lot of good lessons, more than I'm accustomed to.

 We put a  15-year-old girl named Cassandra J. on date for baptism. Her family was baptized in August but she wasn't (she didn't like the missionary I replaced, nor did most members). The family hasn't been to church for a long time but they came yesterday. We asked her what she thought about what we've been teaching and she said she feels it's true. We asked about baptism and she said she wants it. They just need to keep coming to church. Her dad smokes. We would want him to baptize her but I don't know if he can stop in time and our branch mission leader wants us to be careful talking about smoking with them, lest they get offended.

We got a new investigator, Jessica [Here I listed her last name and a pronunciation, because her name looked like . . . something else]. We are hopeful, although the members seem a little less enthusiastic. She investigated in Alaska a few years ago and almost got baptized. Now she's married (we think) to a less-active member, and their kids are usually at primary (they come with members). Last week she and her husband came with the kids (which was a first for him) so I asked her at church if we could stop by that week. They live in Lind, about thirteen miles south of Ritzville, so we don't get out there too often (we try once every two weeks). She was excited for us to come over, and though she didn't make it to church, she called us after and asked if she could read more than the chapter we gave her from the Book of Mormon. We don't have records of her being taught since she's lived here, but that doesn't mean anything. The members are glad we're teaching, but it seems they don't think it will last long (she's been to church once in a while). But she liked what she felt as she read, and she's quite interested.[2]

We were in Ritzville two weeks in a row because yesterday we had to speak for high council Sunday. It was the first time I've spoken on my mission. I talked about testimonies and cited Paul, Nephi, and Alma the younger as examples of good testimonies, even though they had different experiences. The closest thing I got to a laugh was when I inferred that Alma was baptized at eight and then went less-active. I find no account of him being baptized after he repented. They also liked my sharing of your parents' conversion, some of which details I didn't know until their letter to me (such as Grandpa reading to argue but finding it to be true).[3]

The members we have stayed with in Davenport asked us not to stay there anymore because they are in poor health. We're not sure what we'll do now. Davenport will be quite neglected. We might shortly get a place in Reardan, thirteen miles east of Davenport, where missionaries were staying with a family before, but their daughter's family moved in. They're planning on moving out again soon, but not as soon as we need it.[4]

We had interviews on Friday and from what President told me with the just-mentioned situation, to work in Davenport less, my speculation of them splitting the area now seems much less likely to me.

I do think I'll send back your picture frame. I know with the stick I might get pictures more frequently, but honestly I'll probably only look at the pictures once because it is too annoyingly slow to go through all of them. I'm much more likely actually to look at pictures on my own frame because I can immediately go to the ones I really want to see. Sorry. Whenever I get that sent, it will include all my Christmas stuff.

I have become very depressed knowing I have no more Christmases or New Years. I had a dream about Allie the other night. She was very cute but it made me sad--not that I'll be seeing her, of course, but sad that before the end of this year I'll be home, and my two years will be all gone. I liked my other dream this week better; riding on a portable house with other missionaries and soaring above the Columbia River with a blanket as a cape.

I can't think of anything else. I love you all!

Elder Melville

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[1] Now I know that “Its” in the title should be capitalized, but I didn’t know it ten years ago.

[2] Jessica did get baptized after I got home, but I doubt she remained active. I was Facebook friends with her for a few years. Then once she posted a profile picture that I thought was quite inappropriate (i.e. not allowed on Facebook), so I sent her an automated form message asking her to change it, and she unfriended me.

[3] You can find my grandparents’ conversion story here.

[4] We often spent nights with missionaries the next area over, and I think that was mostly because my companion was good friends with one of those elders. I think it was an unhealthy friendship, at least for those of us who weren’t in the circle. Later the missionaries would spend the night in the branch building. Then later, they moved from Ritzville to apartments in Davenport. After I came home, I visited the Davenport Branch the following summer, and I saw the missionaries there. There had been a house in Ritzville with a rude old couple who lived next to a mortuary. The old couple died, and the owner of the house (who also owned the mortuary) decided he would rather have missionaries as tenants next to a funeral home, so he made a deal with the Church. The elders thus had their own places to stay in both Ritzville and Davenport. I have no idea what the situation is like now.

FINALLY (1/12/09)

I'm sorry I haven't been able to email for such an extensive period. We had P-day on New Year's Day, so of course libraries were closed. We were actually allowed to email the Monday after Christmas, but we were in Ritzville that day, and for some reason the library was closed that day, even though it's usually open on Monday. The next week it had snowed and the city of Cheney declared a state of emergency. In their defense, it has become hard to find places to put all of the snow, but still, the state of Washington doesn't know what to do like Utah does. The temperatures have been rising, and in Ritzville we have hardly any snow and it's been raining. It was, therefore, surprising to drive up to Davenport (amid jellied-brain thick fog)[1] and see snow still on the ground, even fresh snow, that had snowed up north but was just rain in Adams County. Even so, the Mt. Everest Jr. of shoveled snow we had at the members' house in Davenport had shrunk to about half the size it had been. We were in Spokane after Christmas and the roads were down to 1.5 lanes instead of two full ones and a curb or shoulder. They even piled snow up in the middle.

Anyway, our Christmas after I talked to you was good. We had wanted to go down to Ritzville for part of the day, but we didn't get out of the members' house until the afternoon.[2] So, we made a belated visit to someone that had invited us for Christmas afternoon (which was over when we got there), and then watched Mary Poppins with our members. I would write about what an excellent movie that is, but I have other things to write.

Thanks for the package. A while back you mentioned sending me a letter from Jesse. I still haven't received that. Thanks for the picture frame, but I don't know if I'll send mine home. I know the memory card is harder for you, but my frame allows me to view thumbnails of all the pictures so I can choose what ones I want to see. I have not been able to find such a function on yours, so I must go through all of the pictures individually, and yours is a lot slower than mine. I hope it's not too much trouble to do the memory cards, because my frame really is a lot more user friendly. You can just have yours back, unless I find out how to make it do what I want it to do. Thanks for the CDs, and I am now eating the red and silver kisses in anticipation of Valentine's Day. (I'll save the green for after--stupid M&Ms has decided green's a love color. They'll sell their all-green bags better if they market them Irish, not romantic!)[3]

I wrote down that I need to write you something about pants. I think that's just referring to that I don't need my slacks until it gets closer to conference. I hope 36 isn't too big; I don't know now if I'm 34 or 36. Sometimes I now wear my belt at a hole I couldn't fit into when I first got it over three years ago. My service/P-day pants are getting big and ugly. I wanted to buy some pants at Wal-Mart, but they didn't have the kind I want. I used to have some dark gray and black pants that were kind of thick material; I don't know how to describe it. I wanted some of those (they were very comfortable) but couldn't find any at Wal-Mart, and I don't think there's anywhere else around here that would sell them.

Elder L. was transferred to Spokane. I think we probably got along best of all my companions. My new companion is Elder [Matthias] W.,[4] from Salina, Kansas. He's number six, and only number two not from Utah. He's my first companion that's been out less time (three months [less]) than I, but he's twenty-one so I still don't have a younger one in actual age. You mentioned something in one email. I feel I should tell you that I detest the term "senior companion." The experiences of my mission have taught me that if one missionary is functioning as such, one of them is not doing his job, and I have seen both. When I was with Elder C. I figured he was my senior so I just went along with what he did. BAD idea. Then Elder D. had the term go to his head (it was his first time) and tried to exercise unrighteous dominion over me. Therefore, I don't like the term.

With the transfers I now drive more than I did. After three months of not driving I got pretty bad, especially since the roads haven't been clear. I'm getting better, especially since the thaw, but I can still improve. It's interesting; I didn't drive that much before my mission. But now we drive long distances at high speeds. This week was the first time I'd ever been able to use cruise control. Last night's fifty mile drive from Ritzville to Davenport was kind of relaxing. Then Elder W. remarked how cool the fog looked on the side, and I was thinking it did and I was glad I wasn't driving in it, but then I was. That wasn't too fun but it wasn't bad.

New Year's was OK. We had a meeting on New Year's Eve. I had fun with the screeching balloons you sent. We watched Monsters Inc. on New Year's Day (I refused the incredibly idiotic Over the Hedge), which was good but not as good as,

"And from the cathedral the saints and apostles

Look down as she sells her wares,

And though you can't see it, you know they are smiling,

Each time someone shows that he cares." :)[5]

I don't know what else to write now, because I have had to abridge several weeks, so I don't know what else is important. But if there is I'll try to write a snail mail. Of course, I always say that. At the beginning of my mission we both wrote snail and email. Then I tapered off, then you tapered off. Which is fine with me.

Love,

Elder [Jeremiah] Melville

P.S. Weeks ago I tried to get my first name taken off of mission records since I am the only Elder Melville. They could not do that, but you do not have to put my first name. In fact, if you must address me anything more than Elder Melville, use Jeremiah as my first name, with any scriptural male name as my middle. You may call me what you wish in your letters, but I would prefer a change in what you write on the envelope. Thank you!

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[1] I’m referencing a line from The Nightmare before Christmas: “This fog’s as thick as, as—” “Jellied brains!”

[2] We visited some members in the middle of nowhere outside of Edwall, Washington, on Christmas Eve, and we got snowed in.

[3] In 2009 and 2010, M&Ms sold bags of all green candies for Valentine’s Day, which I thought was incredibly stupid.

[4] [Matthias] is what I put in the original letter. I made up first names for my companions when there was more than one with the same last name.

[5] From “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins.