Why must we pay for hellos that we say--pay when we sigh an adieu? (2/9/09)

[1]Saturday was an interesting day. It was very hard to focus because we  were itching for our transfer calls. But we managed to do some work and Elder W. made a cake for our baptism.

It was wonderful to have the baptism. It was a pretty good turnout, and it was the first time Jason Johnson[2] had ever used his priesthood. (He passed the sacrament for the first time the next day.)They had a lot of nonmember family come, and we hadn't even thought beforehand to tell them not to take pictures of the actual ordinance. Maybe we can ask them to delete the pictures. There were a few mishaps; I had to direct them how properly to hold their hands. We selected to sing hymn 180, which has a disclaimer on the bottom to sing verses 1-4 for sacrament and to omit 4 but sing 5 and 6 for baptisms. So we put on the program to sing verses 1, 5 and 6, and it was announced, but the chorister just went on with the first four. It does bother me that no one ever pays attention to the extra verses on the bottom. So, we sang a sacrament song for a baptism.

This was my favorite baptism. Cassandra, the fifteen-year-old, is actually my oldest baptism, and I think the most sincere. She's also the only one I've baptized that I've taught all the way through. When we started the day before Halloween we wondered if she was just taking the lessons to please us and/or her family. But after not quite three months we asked what she thought and she agreed to be baptized.

And thus it was very sad and shocking to receive our transfer calls. All day we were speculating what could happen. We knew  that something was happening since our zone leaders didn't call us.[3] But I'm being transferred to Hayden Lake, ID. It's my first Idaho area. I'm going to be companion to an Elder B., who is just done training, and thus in mission lingo I'm going to be his mom.[4]

Since a missionary in Cheney killed off his companion we're with him today and I'm stuck at a 30-minute computer, so I don't have too much time. The baptism and confirmation was the most exciting, but transfer calls were also noteworthy. I thought I'd be here at least four transfers, but nope. Now I probably only have two areas left--a three-transfer area and a four-transfer area. An elder in Wenatchee was there ten months, so it could be my last area! :(

Running out of time (in more ways than one),

Elder Melville

I was granted extra time (this week's email Part II)

The friendly computer gave me an extra thirty minutes, so I can write a few more details.

Another sad occurrence about transfers is another person we're baptizing probably in March, Jessica P.[5] She came to church as she should, and her husband did too. He's a less-active member, and she asked him what he thought about her learning and baptism, and he said he didn't want her to do it alone, so he's coming back.

We had to teach the lesson in Gospel Essentials. It was on our Heavenly Father. It was a short lesson so we allowed for a lot of discussion. So I talked about how we receive commandments for our benefit, and that living these, like the Word of Wisdom and the law of chastity, makes us happier. Then we asked if there were any questions, expecting more discussion about God. But Jessica piped up, "What's chastity?"  She struggled with the word, but her husband helped her say it correctly, so I hoped he'd tell her what it was, but he didn't, and no one else was answering, so I had to. Then she kind of uncomfortably dropped it, but Elder W. told me later he worried that it was going to turn into a five-minute sex discussion.

That was better, though, than when we had to teach the law of chastity as the whole lesson back in November or December. That day the class consisted of me and my companion, never married; our branch mission leader and his wife; a single sister in her fifties or sixties, also never married; and an excommunicated member, who was also a sex offender. She had just had an interview with the branch president about being rebaptized, and had addressed her WoW issues with him. Then in the lesson we got to the part that said, "Breaking the law of chastity can make you commit an even greater sin--abortion." At this point the ex'ed member chimed in, "Oh, I forgot to tell him about that. It wasn't my fault; the government made me do it." Yep, she has no shame, and it's going to be a long road for her.

Anyway, I was also excited for a woman whose husband is the high priests group leader, but she had her name removed. We were walking down the street last week and saw her and she asked for a Book of Mormon. She talked our ears off and said various pastors and stuff try to get her to badmouth the Church, but she doesn't. She also said she's not ready for "discussions" (which they're not discussions anymore, and as a former member she wouldn't need them, but we'd gladly give them anyway), but it was interesting she said she wasn't ready, not that she didn't want them. She's consistently been attending church, bringing their ten-year-old son, whom she didn't allow to be baptized at eight, but she may allow for it now.[6]

I loved the story of Preston and David the ghost.[7] The pictures I've seen of Franklin are darling. It seems you keep changing your mind. Last I knew you were planning on shipping me to Tennessee when I got home. Honestly I'd rather them come out, but as long as I'll get to see my nephews, it will be good.[8]

Love,

Elder Melville

---

[1] My email title came from a song from the 1972 movie Snoopy, Come Home.

[2] This was the dad of the family. I feel like I can include the full name since it’s so common. I haven’t been able to find them. The summer after I came home from my mission, I went back, but they had moved.

[3] The mission president would call us if one of us was being transferred, but the zone leaders would call us if we were staying.

[4] You were in training for two transfers, and your trainer was your dad. If you got a second companion while you were still being trained, that was your step-dad. And your companion for your third transfer was your mom. This was not official, of course, but my mission president did tell me, “You’ll be momming him.”

[5] She didn’t get baptized in March, but she did get baptized within a year.

[6] The mom and the son got baptized after I left the area. I was Facebook friends with her in 2011, but she thought I was a different missionary and later unfriended me.

[7] My nephews were in Taiwan while my brother was still at home. My mom wrote me this in her email: “Preston has decided that David is dead, that is why they don't see him.  Dave has tried to talk to him on the phone to reassure him but Preston won't talk to him.  He finally told Ya-ping that the reason he won't talk on the phone is because dad is a ghost so that is too scary.”

[8] My mom’s email said they were going to bring my nephews to Utah for Christmas when I came home, and that is indeed what happened.

It's Groundhog Day, and we awoke to a dusting of snow (2/2/09)

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.

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

---

[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!

---

[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.

Have a Very Merry Christmas! (12/24/08)

[1]I have to be brief today. I'm emailing today because our preparation day was switched to today for Christmas Eve. We are emailing at the Davenport library which is closed on Mondays because the Cheney library is closed today. There is only one computer so I don't have much time. We got our hair cut today at a good old-fashioned barber shop in town. It seemed a lot like Floyd's Barber Shop but not as friendly. It was cheaper than Great Clips.

Thanks for the Christmas package. I didn't realize you'd already sent it before I made my Christmas request. Today I'll be getting the package from Aunt Terri. I wanted to send out a lot of Christmas cards but I didn't have enough time and I was only able to send to you, Grandpa and Grandma, and Dave and Ya-ping, I think. I can't remember any more I sent.

I'm worried about the call home. We are going to be able to sleep in, and watch a Disney movie. The one we selected is nearly three hours long (guess which one it is!) so we had planned probably calling in the afternoon but we can probably move it up. Two o'clock there is one o'clock here so we may have to adjust our schedule a little bit.[2]

It has continued to be cold and snowy. It was about sixteen degrees today and it feels very warm compared to the negative two we've had. On Saturday night we went to the Ritzville branch Christmas party. It was important for us because we had fourteen nonmembers and eight less-actives show up. We had to leave that night to Davenport before it got snowy and windy (the drifts here can be colossal) and we got about a half hour out of town when the newly-called first counselor of the branch presidency called because we had his keys. So, we had to turn around, and got home late. The next morning there were a lot of drifts. We had about twenty people at church. It was the third Sunday but the high counselor couldn't make it, so it was a short meeting. It was only worth having sacrament meeting. Davenport does a better job of clearing the roads than Spokane does, but the whole state of Washington is dumb. A bigger snowstorm in Utah wouldn't affect everything as much because they just plow and move on. But up here, it's like, "Oh, no! It snowed! What are we going to do? Guess we have to shut everything down." Last year they closed school for a week and I didn't see a plow until a week after the snowstorm. The Davenport Elementary School this week should have been closed because their boiler went out, so fish died, toilets froze, tiles broke, and cold ensued, but they merely started late, so everyone was mad.

My time is about up but I can talk to you more tomorrow.

Love,

Elder Melville

---

[1] The title of my letter is the title of a song in the Children’s Songbook.

[2] As it turned out, we ended up snowed in at a members’ home in the middle of the Washington farmlands on Christmas Eve, so we spent the night there and used their phones in the morning to call our families. When we finally left, we were late to a dinner appointment, and then we watched Mary Poppins with the couple we lived with part-time.

I'm Mr. Icicle, I'm Mr. Ten Below (12/15/08)

[1]It truly feels like Christmas now. We finally got snow in Ritzville. It snowed a little on Friday but most of it melted. It was a little deeper out in Odessa, another small town in the  Ritzville branch. We woke up Saturday to fresh snow and it snowed most of the day. The big problem is not with the snow, however; it's with the wind. Some of the highs this week are in the single digits, and with the wind it feels like -20. Noses and cheeks instantly freeze when we get out of the car when the wind is blowing. I sent a letter to our mission president asking what he expects of us in such dangerously cold weather. Today I spent some money and bought thermals (thermal garments aren't terribly warm or comfortable, and with regular ones I don't have to wash them every time I use them) and boots. The rubber overshoes I got for my mission keep the snow off of my shoes but not out of them.[2] I hope the boots will fit properly; I didn't want to tighten them too much in the store because it would take too long. They are size 12 because the 11s weren't wide enough (curse my wide feet!).[3] It should work out, I hope.

Most of the snow is dusty because it blows off the dirt and then the dirt gets blown around. Most of the snow is not original snow; it's mostly stuff that's been blown from elsewhere. It's been amazing to watch it blow. It looks like little snakes slithering on the road, or little spinning gusts heading down the sidewalk. I have been wearing every warm article of clothing I own. That works out for most of my body except my face. Even if I were to wrap my scarf so that I looked Muslim I'd still be cold.

I should be shipping off a package today or tomorrow, I hope. It has a Halloween dodgeball as the biggest item.[4] I also decided to throw in all the letters I've received on my mission. If you could find a place for them (even if you keep them in the box) I would appreciate it. Most of them are from you. I also threw in a memory card with the explanations (I hope you can find them with all the letters, and FYI, my picture frame does not take the stick). I will send home gifts. The family present is nothing big so you can eat it immediately. You'll be able to tell what I got for Allie and the combined one for Preston and Franklin. You'll probably think it's stupid but they were right where we were and I didn't want to go to the toys because I can never decide what to get. You can decide if they're worth wrapping for them or not.

I did get some ideas for Christmas if it's not too late, but they're not too important so don't worry if it is. It might be fun to have the scriptures on CD (for long car drives when we don't get to study), or rechargeable batteries since my camera eats them pretty quickly. But whatever you get will be fine. If possible, it would be fun to have wrapped gifts. We already have one to open on Christmas, but I don't think living in an apartment will allow for a mystery Santa like last year.[5] If you want our home address to send them here it is:

104 E 2nd Ave # 9

Ritzville, WA 99169[6]

The members we stay with in Davenport were making sloppy joes and I mentioned the sandwiches you used to make with the ground beef and cheese and peppers, etc. Later she specifically asked me to ask you for the recipe. While you're at it, it may be fun to have recipes for Christmas sugar cookies or a buche de Noël. I probably won't make them for Christmas but I'd like to know I could.

We got a call that I got a package but it was sent UPS so they couldn't forward it. Hopefully the sisters in Cheney will be going to the office (since one of them is going back to Temple Square) sometime so they can pick it up. I don't know from whom it came, because I know you know to send USPS.[7]

Two years ago, among my glowing ornament decorations, twenty-nine Christmas shows, and three-year-old niece, I found myself sadly saying things like, "This is my last Christmas." Now, with my homemade wreath, common MoTab, and Micah 5:2 written festively on the whiteboard, I find myself with the same sentiment.

I wrote this for personal study on the day after Thanksgiving.

"O Holy Night" for some reason makes me particularly depressed. I have no more Christmases on my mission.

Some of the reason for this is a dream--a nightmare, perhaps--I had on Tuesday night. In it I went home. I got home and I was like, "Now what do I do?" I was trying to make up excuses not to call President Brower to release me, like, "It's Monday night so we can't interrupt his FHE." (That will actually be a valid concern when I get back.)[8] I went on a walk and I cried. But then I realized it was 2008 and I still had another year, and that made everything better.

But the dream made me realize the truth. I'd always had little fantasy scenes of everything being perfect when I got home. Now I realize that it won't be that way. I'm going to be sad and have no idea what to do.[9] I don't know how soon it'll be before I watch TV or listen to music because it's been forbidden for so long. The year 2008 is almost over, and I go home in 2009. It's so sad.

As for killing Elder L., Elder B. was my only non-three-month companion (he was six weeks). But companions are staying together longer. The mission is getting a large number of missionaries so there will be an increase from around 77 companionships to 90. We are speculating that they might split our area and one of us would stay in each. We agree that if that happened I'd probably stay in Ritzville and Elder Love would stay in Davenport. But this is complete speculation and probably won't happen.

I hope to send my Christmas cards off today.

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] The title for my email comes from a song from The Year without a Santa Claus.

[2] The Mr. Mac salesman sold me some rubber overshoes that weren’t terribly useful.

[3] My memory of getting size 12 was because we pressed the “customer assistance in shoes” button at Walmart, but they took too long to respond, so we left.

[4] I never saw that dodgeball again.

[5] Since I lived with members my first Christmas, somehow word got out that I didn’t have any presents to open on Christmas, so someone got some for me.

[6] If some nefarious person wants to use this address to go heckle missionaries, they don’t live there anymore, so joke’s on you!

[7] “From whom it came” is an awkward construction from my prescriptivist days. The package was from my Aunt Terri.

[8] The night I got back was a Monday, but it was the stake president’s counselor (and the bishop who sent me out) who released me.

[9] Yeah, that basically happened in real life.

Within five days (12/8/08)

It hasn't been long since I last emailed; at least, it doesn't seem to me.[1]

Let's see--what's happened since last week?

Well, Thursday night we sang in Spokane at a nativity exhibit. Four of us stood outside the church singing the hymns from 201 to 214. It was fun but we sang a lot. We weren't allowed to sing Primary songs :(. I wanted to sing all of the hymns, and I was kind of the lead singer, so we would turn the page and I would just start singing so no one had time to say they didn't know the songs. That was OK; Elder L. caught on very well and another elder wasn't on tune with the songs he did know (I don't know about the fourth; I couldn't really hear him). "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" was the only song I'd never really sung before, but I learned it by listening to music last Christmas. We sang it in sacrament meeting yesterday, and no one knew it there. The first counselor in the branch presidency announced it as "While Shepherds Walked with Their Flocks" and everyone was completely off. Back to Thursday, there we stood, in our red scarfs with green hymnbooks, in front of a heater singing for three straight hours. Immediately after I had to speak with a higher voice because through the evening I went from being a bass to a tenor since I wanted to sing everything in the proper key.

Friday evening we had interviews. President Clark told me that when he and Sister Clark had come to the nativities Sister Clark didn't recognize me because I'd lost weight, I had a smiley face (I don't know what that's supposed to mean) and they didn't expect me to sing so loud. I imagine my Elder L. haircut also contributed.[2] President told Elder L. that he (President) has to make the decision whether he dies in this area or goes elsewhere for his last three months. So after Christmas I'll either have a new companion or I'll kill off a six-month companion.

Saturday we caroled on a street corner in Davenport in the morning, and then went to a small town called Creston. We also explored a resort settlement (it can't be called a town--not really any businesses, only rich houses) called Lincoln. We drove down to the loading dock of Lake Roosevelt. It was beautiful, but we didn't really do much in the area; we had called or couldn't find the less-actives there, and the houses were intimidating to tract, and we were running out of daylight.

Sunday we had a lesson with some girls who are in the custody of their active grandmother. The older one will be adopted by her grandma, but the younger will go back to her dad. The younger one said she wanted to be baptized, but she needs parental permission, so she called her dad and asked. They expected a no, but he said he'd let her know in a week. We're praying his heart is softened.

That was our week. We have been highly enjoying the "Rejoice and Be Merry!" CD. It's probably the best one we have. It was worth the $18. Both of us love "Riu Riu Chiu." The only people I've ever heard sing that are the King's Singers and the Monkees (I caught the Christmas episode two years ago). I wonder why no one else performs it. I also like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and ordinarily I don't like that song that much. Elder L. has an older MoTab CD where they sing all the verses to different tunes, like "Stars and Stripes Forever" and the Nutcracker suite. That one's dumb, but I like this version with the little interludes for each of the gifts. 

I was confused at your comment that you haven't been to a concert since Dave got home from his mission. Do you not recall three years ago, when we went to the MoTab dress rehearsal? It was a Thursday night (I think), and we went with your sister. We got home late, and I stayed up to do math homework and watch Mr. Krueger's Christmas.

As for the stick and the picture frame, I don't remember seeing anything on my frame that would accept it.[3] But I'll look when we get back home later this week. We have been gone from Ritzville since last Tuesday night and probably won't get back until Thursday evening this week. All my Christmas candy is back there. Since I've gained about seven or eight pounds in the last month (making my net loss about thirty-five pounds), I have declined doughnuts, apple pie, and cookies in the last week. I can eat holiday foods, but after Christmas is over, it is impossible to find New Year candy,[4] and Valentine's season doesn't start for a while.

I need Dave's new address. I'll see what I can do for presents for the little ones. It is so weird to see five-year-olds now, because I know that's Allie's age but it's so much older than the Allie I remember. Franklin should be spinning in a few months, and they will need to make note of the date he first does, since I remember when Allie and Franklin did (Dec 3, 2004, and Nov 27, 2005, respectively).

As for a shoe repair place, I doubt I'll find one when we don't even have dry cleaning, but I'll look it up.

The Messianic Judaic investigator reads the Bible and believes Christ to be the Messiah, but tries to practice the Judaic law, I suppose because he feels that to be the most truthful. We meet all sorts. Teaching part-member families and less-actives are the most fun because they already have a foundation so we don't have to explain as much.[5]

Concerning the Austrian pine, if you had wanted to use it as a Christmas tree, as was once discussed, I would have liked to be there. But if you were just cutting it down, it would have been better while I was gone. I'm glad you can keep it trimmed. It was fun to use the branches in 2006. If I had kept the flocked tree in 2005, would it have been thrown out by now, or would you have changed your mind?[6]

And about cats--it will be nice to have Jenny, but I don't know if I'll want a cat again if she leaves, at least not soon. I have seen so many cats and kittens in this area, and seen and smelled the homes with colossal numbers, and they're not as appealing anymore. I've probably seen more cats in this area of my mission than I've seen the rest of my life combined. The only thing that may make that a false statement is when we went to the pound to get Jenny.[7]

I can't think of anything else, but maybe I'll write a snail mail. Next week I should be sending out Christmas cards, so if there's anyone you think I should send them to, give me their address.

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] The title of my letter was a parody of “within five years” from the “Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus” song. I think I did it because my previous email was five days earlier?

[2] My companion had accidentally given me a super short haircut.

[3] My mom sent me a flash drive with pictures to put in my electronic picture frame, but I don’t think it had a USB port.

[4] It was this very year (2008) that I decided to allow myself whatever candy I wanted for the New Year season, which I still practice.

[5] My mom’s email asked, “Is you investigator the " tries to practice the Messianic Judaic law" Jewish or did he just pick that up as what he wanted to do?  It must be interesting to teach some of your investigators.  I know I would learn a lot and have to study a lot to be able to hold my own.”

[6] We had an Austrian pine in our yard that was growing too big. We discussed cutting it for Christmas sometime. In 2006, I cut some branches and made a kind of weird decoration. My family cut it one summer while I was in college because the ward offered to cut it one day, so it never became a Christmas tree. My grandparents owned an artificial flocked tree that I inherited when they moved out of their house. In 2005, my family made me get rid of it because it took too much space, and I was very sad about it. They told me if I kept it, they would get rid of it when I was on my mission anyway, so I reluctantly agreed to get rid of it so I could keep my sister’s old tree. I just got rid of my sister’s tree this year (2018).

[7] My mom’s email said, “Did you cat encounters make you miss Jenny?  Dad would be more than willing to send her to you.  Do you think your mission pres. would mind? Actually Dad had to admit the other day that he still thought Jenny was better than a dog and now that I am trying to be good about emptying the cat box he will like her better.” After my mission, I didn’t like cats that much. But now I love them again.