Conference was excellent. I especially liked President
Uchtdorf's Priesthood talk and Elder Holland's talk on the Atonement.
Conference weekend is always special for a missionary. Sadly, I only have one
more. I had a dream the other night that it was my last day in the mission
field (it was different in the dream; you went proselyting in the morning and
went home later in the day). It was very depressing. But then in the dream I
was talking with a sister who came out with me, and since she wasn't home yet,
I realized that it wasn't time for me, either, and I was relieved when I woke
up that I still have eight months. Even so, eight months is a depressingly
short time. Last night we were visiting a less-active member, and when I told
her how long I'd been out she said, "Oh, you're almost going home."
She was still under the impression that missions were eighteen months. I'm glad
they're not!
This week was snowy and rainy. On Thursday we awoke to about two inches of snow. Yesterday and today have been quite pleasant. I will admit that sunny days can be nice, but that doesn't change the fact that sunlight makes me nervous.
The general tradition is that we get to take our jackets off at general conference, but our district leader told us not yet, which is what President Clark said last year. But our adjoining district didn't get such information. With the temperatures it's supposed to get we should be able to take them off, according to what happened last year, but my zone and district leaders last year were a lot more human than the ones I have now, and I fear that I may be sweating profusely in my suit because of them. The slacks you sent me do fit but they need to be hemmed, and the ones I already had really need to be tailored. So my choices will be legs that are too long and bunch up at the ankle, or a waist that sags beneath my belt (which, by the way, it probably won't be too long before I need to buy a new one) and gives me the appearance of a balloon. From what I have been able to find, the only place that tailors charges $10 a pair, and considering that all my suit pants and my slacks need to be taken in, I'm not sure I want to fork it over. I may just do the slacks and wait on the suits until I can find a cheaper place. Fortunately, usually when I have suit pants on I have my jacket on which hides the loose waist. Last year I liked how my jackets hide my fatness. I don't have to worry so much now since my pants fit me better (Mr. Mac's tailoring job when I came out left everything too big even before I lost all the weight I have). Right now my CTR ring won't stay up right--maybe I'm losing weight in my fingers.
Easter is this Sunday. I worry about it because we haven't received special instructions for it. I had an investigator once accuse us, saying, "You don't knock on doors on Christmas or Easter, right?" I do fear what we will do that won't make people angry. Hopefully a lot of members will invite us over. With Conference this weekend, no one has yet.
I still would like an extra memory card for when I am ready to send mine home, since I don't have one to replace it yet. If it is sent before May 28[1] I might also like some extra music. Elder K. really likes choral music, which is fine, but it would be nice to have some variety. Some LDS artists that I know are good include Hilary Weeks, Mindy Gledhill, and Jessie Clark Funk (I don't know why they're all women), and some EFY music can be good. It doesn't matter too much to me (you can send others), as long as it's different than typical choir music. But don't worry about it too much. I don't need any more possessions sent to me after May 28 because that is the point I need to start sending more stuff home than I get. Once all the snow piles are gone (a few small ones still reside in shadier parts of our area), I will send my boots home, because then I will be fairly confident that we are out of the woods with snow, or if it does snow, it probably won't amount to enough to necessitate boots.
I loved the Allie story.[2] She is so much more adult than when I left. I was glad last week she still considers herself as living with me,[3] considering I haven't seen her for over a year (and she seemed rather desirous to leave the MTC, for some reason).[4]
Love,
Elder Melville
This week was snowy and rainy. On Thursday we awoke to about two inches of snow. Yesterday and today have been quite pleasant. I will admit that sunny days can be nice, but that doesn't change the fact that sunlight makes me nervous.
The general tradition is that we get to take our jackets off at general conference, but our district leader told us not yet, which is what President Clark said last year. But our adjoining district didn't get such information. With the temperatures it's supposed to get we should be able to take them off, according to what happened last year, but my zone and district leaders last year were a lot more human than the ones I have now, and I fear that I may be sweating profusely in my suit because of them. The slacks you sent me do fit but they need to be hemmed, and the ones I already had really need to be tailored. So my choices will be legs that are too long and bunch up at the ankle, or a waist that sags beneath my belt (which, by the way, it probably won't be too long before I need to buy a new one) and gives me the appearance of a balloon. From what I have been able to find, the only place that tailors charges $10 a pair, and considering that all my suit pants and my slacks need to be taken in, I'm not sure I want to fork it over. I may just do the slacks and wait on the suits until I can find a cheaper place. Fortunately, usually when I have suit pants on I have my jacket on which hides the loose waist. Last year I liked how my jackets hide my fatness. I don't have to worry so much now since my pants fit me better (Mr. Mac's tailoring job when I came out left everything too big even before I lost all the weight I have). Right now my CTR ring won't stay up right--maybe I'm losing weight in my fingers.
Easter is this Sunday. I worry about it because we haven't received special instructions for it. I had an investigator once accuse us, saying, "You don't knock on doors on Christmas or Easter, right?" I do fear what we will do that won't make people angry. Hopefully a lot of members will invite us over. With Conference this weekend, no one has yet.
I still would like an extra memory card for when I am ready to send mine home, since I don't have one to replace it yet. If it is sent before May 28[1] I might also like some extra music. Elder K. really likes choral music, which is fine, but it would be nice to have some variety. Some LDS artists that I know are good include Hilary Weeks, Mindy Gledhill, and Jessie Clark Funk (I don't know why they're all women), and some EFY music can be good. It doesn't matter too much to me (you can send others), as long as it's different than typical choir music. But don't worry about it too much. I don't need any more possessions sent to me after May 28 because that is the point I need to start sending more stuff home than I get. Once all the snow piles are gone (a few small ones still reside in shadier parts of our area), I will send my boots home, because then I will be fairly confident that we are out of the woods with snow, or if it does snow, it probably won't amount to enough to necessitate boots.
I loved the Allie story.[2] She is so much more adult than when I left. I was glad last week she still considers herself as living with me,[3] considering I haven't seen her for over a year (and she seemed rather desirous to leave the MTC, for some reason).[4]
Love,
Elder Melville
[1]
May 28 was my eighteen-month mark.
[2] My
mom wrote: “I have a pretty funny Allie story. Yesterday she was riding
with Matt and Susanne and just out of the blue she asked when they were going
to break up. Nan assured her that she had no plans to break up and asked
why the question. Allie said because Joey and Chancey broke up with their
girlfriends. After they got home Allie started bargaining with
Matt. She promised him she would get him another ferret if he wouldn't
break up with her. How do they get these ideas? But she also told
her mom she didn't want her to marry Matt because she wants them to live in
their own apartment again.”
[3] The
previous week, my mom wrote: “I also have a quick Allie story. In primary
they have been talking about families (that is the theme for this year).
Laura A. has been working hard on presenting all the different kind of
families, not just the traditional two-parent home. She has talked a bit
about how Austin grew up with his grandparents just like Allie. Yesterday
they were talking again and she asked Allie if she wanted to talk about her
family. Allie declined but said Laura could talk about it. Laura
was saying that Allie lived with her mom and grandparents. Allie stopped
her and said, ‘Don't forget my uncle, I live with my uncle, too.’ I
thought you would appreciate that.”
[4]
When my family dropped me off at the MTC, Allie asked her mom if they could
leave.
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