Lewiston is now officially my longest area and my final area
(unless there is a silly emergency transfer). Elder T. is killing me off.
My group has now been out longer than anyone else in the mission. I was quite
depressed filling out my planner for this transfer. I put a sad face with a
tear next to the dates it covers. I also put #17 (the number of the transfer)
in a tombstone.
It's also good to know that I've been accepted to BYU with a half-tuition scholarship. That will be nice. As far as housing goes, I have no idea what to think.
But it is sad to have to start thinking about that. At our mission conference it was probably the last time for seeing most of those missionaries. One of the office missionaries saw my name tag so she pulled me aside and told me she's filling out my paperwork. :(
Elder Bednar was amazing. But he told us not to email home what was said because of the possibility of misrepresentation or misinterpretation. So you'll have to wait to hear what was said until I can tell you in person. Elder Rasband of the Seventy was also there and spoke to us. It was primarily a question and answer thing--Elder Bednar asked us questions, and we asked questions, and sometimes he'd have Elder Rasband also answer. Elder Perry of the Seventy was also there but we didn't hear from him.
This was my third visit from a General Authority. My first transfer Elder Douglas Callister of the Seventy came (so now my group's the only one to remember that!), and in August Elder Bruce C. Hafen came. I've also incidentally met some others. In East Wenatchee, a family moved in whose father was Elder Dickson, and he spoke the same day Elder B. spoke just before he went home. In Coeur d'Alene is a Mexican restaurant owned by a member, so all of us Hayden missionaries would go there on Mondays. One day we were there and Elder Perkins walked in. He said, "Hi elders," so we assumed he was just another member, since his tie was loose and his button was unbuttoned, but then he told us who he was. There may have been others but I can't think of them.
We started teaching a girl this week in the singles branch who wants to get baptized. We had a really good lesson and it won't be long before she gets dunked, although it sounds like she physically wants to get baptized in Boise.[1]
We've been plagued with the strange bugs of the Inland Northwest. They're all over but the worst I've seen them is here in Lewiston. I've described them before, but they're peculiar blue gnats or aphids. They collect in swarms and walking through them is weird but biking is worse. I think they're quite hilarious but they're a little annoying. They are literally blue and they leave blue spots on your clothing. They attach to you and stay there for extended periods of time. They are very fragile and the slightest disruption to them turns them from a blue body to a brown, dead mess. Thus, you cannot flick them. I cannot describe in words how densely they've been swarming lately.
I had an interesting thought this last week. From my observations, and from what I've heard about other places, Lewiston is the worst place in the mission for these blue bugs; for goat-head plants; for persecution; for heat (which is fine in the winter but not the summer); and for smell, thanks to the Clearwater Paper Mill. What is good about this place? No, it's not really that bad, it's just kind of funny.
I've liked the changing leaves, but not all of them are changing. When we had the cold spell it made about half of the trees start losing their leaves when they were still green. So a lot of trees didn't go through a color change but we still have some yellows and oranges.
I can't think of anything else at the moment I wanted to tell you.
Love,
Elder Melville
It's also good to know that I've been accepted to BYU with a half-tuition scholarship. That will be nice. As far as housing goes, I have no idea what to think.
But it is sad to have to start thinking about that. At our mission conference it was probably the last time for seeing most of those missionaries. One of the office missionaries saw my name tag so she pulled me aside and told me she's filling out my paperwork. :(
Elder Bednar was amazing. But he told us not to email home what was said because of the possibility of misrepresentation or misinterpretation. So you'll have to wait to hear what was said until I can tell you in person. Elder Rasband of the Seventy was also there and spoke to us. It was primarily a question and answer thing--Elder Bednar asked us questions, and we asked questions, and sometimes he'd have Elder Rasband also answer. Elder Perry of the Seventy was also there but we didn't hear from him.
This was my third visit from a General Authority. My first transfer Elder Douglas Callister of the Seventy came (so now my group's the only one to remember that!), and in August Elder Bruce C. Hafen came. I've also incidentally met some others. In East Wenatchee, a family moved in whose father was Elder Dickson, and he spoke the same day Elder B. spoke just before he went home. In Coeur d'Alene is a Mexican restaurant owned by a member, so all of us Hayden missionaries would go there on Mondays. One day we were there and Elder Perkins walked in. He said, "Hi elders," so we assumed he was just another member, since his tie was loose and his button was unbuttoned, but then he told us who he was. There may have been others but I can't think of them.
We started teaching a girl this week in the singles branch who wants to get baptized. We had a really good lesson and it won't be long before she gets dunked, although it sounds like she physically wants to get baptized in Boise.[1]
We've been plagued with the strange bugs of the Inland Northwest. They're all over but the worst I've seen them is here in Lewiston. I've described them before, but they're peculiar blue gnats or aphids. They collect in swarms and walking through them is weird but biking is worse. I think they're quite hilarious but they're a little annoying. They are literally blue and they leave blue spots on your clothing. They attach to you and stay there for extended periods of time. They are very fragile and the slightest disruption to them turns them from a blue body to a brown, dead mess. Thus, you cannot flick them. I cannot describe in words how densely they've been swarming lately.
I had an interesting thought this last week. From my observations, and from what I've heard about other places, Lewiston is the worst place in the mission for these blue bugs; for goat-head plants; for persecution; for heat (which is fine in the winter but not the summer); and for smell, thanks to the Clearwater Paper Mill. What is good about this place? No, it's not really that bad, it's just kind of funny.
I've liked the changing leaves, but not all of them are changing. When we had the cold spell it made about half of the trees start losing their leaves when they were still green. So a lot of trees didn't go through a color change but we still have some yellows and oranges.
I can't think of anything else at the moment I wanted to tell you.
Love,
Elder Melville
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