This week it warmed up quite a bit, getting almost to fifty
degrees. Ritzville hardly has any snow, but Davenport still has crusty glaciers
everywhere, with broken tree limbs strewn all over the place. It was nice to
walk around without a bulky coat, but we're getting closer to the peculiar
March period. I like March, but I always get really weird feelings from after
Valentine's Day through Easter.[1] It did get colder again
later in the week.
We're excited for the work that's going on. We're having a
baptism on Saturday. We didn't expect that her dad would be able to do it, but
the branch president approved it. We also have a baptism set up for the end of the
month. Transfers are in a week, and I hope I'm not transferred, but I don't
think I will be. All of my companions have been two transfer companions except
for Elder B., and that's only because he was going home. I kind of hope Elder W.
will leave the area before I do, because I do think this is my favorite area so
far. There are definitely disadvantages to serving in rural communities, but I
feel privileged to be here.
We were at a members' home this week (where we taught the
woman who called us the next day, and said she felt peace about being baptized)
and we were looking at a map they had on the wall. It had a lot of cities and
towns on it that kind of surprised me; for example, they had Pulaski.[2] I looked for Bettendorf,
and it was there, but it was interesting when I saw Davenport. When I first
learned of my area I kept thinking of the Iowa Davenport, but when I looked at
the map I could only think of the Washington Davenport.[3] I do like Ritzville
better, though. It's a cleaner town.
We just got a new Davenport branch presidency, and none of
them actually live in Davenport. The branch takes in surrounding towns and
communities of Reardan (where the new president is), Edwall (second counselor),
Harrington (first counselor, who is the same), Seven Bays (a resort
settlement--I think it has its own zip code but I'm not positive), Lincoln
(another resort place, right on Lake Roosevelt), and Creston. Ritzville takes
in Lind (where our new on-date lives), Hooper, and Odessa. Of all these towns
Odessa is the most quaint, with German architecture, flowers painted on walls
in European style, and "Haus" in the name of half of the stores, but
it also seems to be generally the least friendly of all our towns. I'd say it
by far has the most Do Not Contacts. (All those Germans immigrated before the
Holocaust, so I don't think it can be because they're Nazis.)
I actually sent a package home this week, containing all my
Christmas stuff and your picture frame. It is depressing to know that the next
time I listen to my Christmas music I will be home. It was a big box, and
should be there this week some time. I sent home some garments I don't wear and
just take up space. I like to send home a package each time I'm transferred, to
keep my possessions reasonable, so if I do get transferred, you'll get two
packages within a relatively short time of each other. One of these times I may
send History of the Church home. I will have to sometime before I go home
anyway, and though I have learned a lot from it, I don't use it that often. It
just makes my suitcase heavy. We'll see what happens the next time I send
something home.
I can't think of anything else I immediately want to tell
you. I need to catch up with writing back to all the people who wrote me over
the holidays, but being fifty miles from home each preparation day, I'm bound
to forget something I need to write.
Love,
Elder Melville
And one more thing
I'm losing my voice. But I don't get sick. I lost my voice
about this time last year. It's not fun because my throat gets all
uncomfortable, and I sound really weird, and I get bad tastes in my mouth. But
I simply do not get sick. I don't think I've really been sick since seventh
grade. I get stuffy or lose my voice (or my cookies) now and then, but I don't
become ill. It's quite nice actually; I'm practically invincible. I just hope I
don't jinx it.
[1]
In 2012, I called these weird feelings “lemits.”
[2]
My great-grandmother lived in the small town of Pulaski, New York.
[3]
My cousin Tammy lived in Bettendorf, Iowa, which was right next to Davenport,
Iowa.
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