Go back where you came from, November! (11/2/09)

So I'm sorry I didn't email last week. We went to the temple last week and when we got back we didn't have time to email. If I had written a letter it wouldn't have arrived until today anyway.

I had wondered earlier this week what I would do if someone died--if I'd come home for the funeral at this point or not. I didn't know we had telepathy! I'm glad everyone's healthy.[1] I'm so glad I'm invincible and don't get sick. On Friday night we were at a restaurant and I was out of water and my mouth was dry. So I poured a shot of my companion's water into my glass and drank it. The next day he wasn't feeling well all day and was even a little feverish later on. I was worried but nothing's happened yet! The last few weeks I have been waking up with an extremely dry (and therefore sore) throat but I can handle the fact that that's as sick as I get. The H1N1 has definitely hit people around us, but not us, fortunately.[2]

We haven't had anyone nearly die (except for an elderly member who moved to Arizona to die, and she did),[3] but we have had an exciting couple of weeks.

We are pleased that the girl we have been teaching, Mallary [last name redacted] (cue Home Improvement comment),[4] is being baptized on Saturday. She bore her testimony yesterday. This is my third baptism for the singles branch here, and they've all been solid people who have just come to us--ready to be baptized but had to be taught first. The other two are still active, and Mallary has already gone to weekly Institute.[5]

On Tuesday we had my final Zone Conference in the Spokane West Stake Center, my old stake when I was in Ritzville.

The next day we went back up to Spokane to go to the temple. The missionary who arranged it told us we had to leave at 4:00, since the only ride we found was an early temple worker. But he was wrong. We were already at their house to spend the night before we learned we had to be there at 4:00. So we got up at 1:00 and left at 2:00, arriving at 4:30. If I had known it was that early I would have declined. But we were there earlier than our assigned session so we got to do two. We slept in the car before going in at 5:30. Being so tired and hungry I wasn't totally alert, especially for the second session. But it was still good. There were several members there from my first area. Wow, that was such a long time ago!

On the way back our ride stopped at his son-in-law's house. Three of us slept in the car and one went in with the member. Apparently the fridge had thawed or something so there was rotting turkey which they had to clean up. It was in a kind of resort area so the missionary held the stinky garbage bag out the window until we could drive to the Dumpsters. Because of that episode we didn't get back until 3:30 and P-day ends at 6:00, and thus we didn't have time to email.

Friday night we went to the town of Culdesac, ID, where we ate at the previously-mentioned restaurant, which was free since it's owned by a member. That's one thing I'll miss, free meals. This week we're going to Winchester, ID. I love small towns. I want to get to all the ones we cover in this month.

Halloween was quite boring. Elder T. wasn't feeling well so we stayed home, and it was temple day for both the ward and the branch, so I didn't know if I could really arrange splits. I carved a pumpkin with a tie and a tag. I tried my hand at baking the seeds. At one point Elder Tamblyn got up and got dressed, only to determine that he was too sick to leave. We didn't leave until almost 7:00 p.m., when we had a lesson with Mallary at the stake center. Then we helped blow up orange and black balloons for the branch party. It occurred to me that maybe I'm finishing my mission here so I can get used to a singles ward.[6] I wished we hadn't had to leave the party early. It was fun. 

I got very depressed, notwithstanding November is my second-favorite month and my outstanding depression usually hits hardest in March and July and August. But I was depressed two years ago at this time. It occurred to me that I must NOT be sad I only have a month left. Rather, I should be happy I still have a month. That will make it easier.

I sent home another package today. Soon I'll have to send home my bike.

I bought a temple recommend holder today (since at the temple a small library card decided to stow away in the cheap ones the temple gives you). I couldn't decide between one with the Bountiful temple or the Spokane temple, but I decided on Spokane. I also bought a CD by the LDS artist Cherie Call, because there was a must-have song on it. I was going to wait till I got home but then I realized it will be more fun for me now.[7]

My time's almost up!

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] My mom wrote this in her email: “You have missed a very exciting week, but not exciting in a good way.  Your sister almost died this week.  I wondered how you would feel about coming home early for her funeral.  Luckily, she is home and alive so you will not have to decide that.  She had the flu (NOT the swine flu) and apparently it went into her heart.  So last Monday night she felt wierd and got very pale.  After she threw up and didn't have the energy to get up and clean it for about 30 minutes I insisted that she go to the emergency room.  It was a darn good thing because after we were there about 30 minutes she had a seizure and had a barely discernible pulse and no blood pressure.  After about an hour they got her stable and life flighted her to IMC (the big hospital) because they had 24 hour cardiologists there.  It was pretty scary for the first 15 hours.  They ended up putting a drain in the pericardium to release some of the fluid.  They took that out a couple of days ago and she got to come home from the hospital today.  She can't do anything for another week and has to go back to the doctor twice this week.  Her heart function is all back to normal and they really expect it to stay that way.  Is that enough excitement for you?  It was WAY TOO MUCH for me!!!”

[2] Oh yes, the days of Swine Flu.

[3] We used to do laundry at a members’ home on P-day, and they had a grandma (“Grandma Bigler”) living with them. Then they went to Arizona with her and she died soon after.

[4] She had the same last name as the tools on Home Improvement, but I’m trying to keep names out of these blog posts.

[5] None of those three baptisms remained active. I think Mallary went inactive just weeks after baptism.

[6] And now my time in a singles ward is coming to an end.

[7] I got her album The Ocean in Me. I’m a big Cherie Call fan now, and The Ocean in Me remains my favorite.

It's official (10/19/09)

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

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[1] Oh yes, Mallary. I think she just wanted to get baptized because her boyfriend was a member.

Brrr (10/12/09)

Note: I missed a few weeks posting my mission emails because they were missing from my mom's email account. My brother had copies forwarded to him, but there still might be some that are missing. 

It has been really cold here. Puddles have frozen. This week I had to bring out my sweater and my earmuffs. Today I'm going to buy some gloves (the ones I came out with are very bulky). I love unseasonable cold. They say it's going to get up into the 60s again this week.

Today I'm going to send home a package, if we can with it being Columbus Day. I'm sending home the watch (they told me I needed a receipt), my slacks, and a pair of shoes that now has holes in the soles. In addition, I sent home stuff that was sad to send home but the space will be needed when I get on the plane. This includes some books and some more CDs. The Michelle Tumes CD is one of my favorites but three of the songs aren't mission-approved, and we usually listen to our music on random. But the songs will be fine when I get home.

We had an interesting experience this past week. Thursday evening at about 7:30, we were seeing an old name I had found in our area book. It was dark so we couldn't see the addresses. We biked up to a mailbox but it was the wrong house, so we looked at the right mailbox. It wasn't labeled, so I picked up my bike to shine the headlight on the address, and determined it was the right one, so we dismounted our bikes at the end of the driveway and were getting ready to go to the door.

While we were doing this, a man opened the door and we asked if those people lived there. He never gave us a definitive answer, so we were asking how long he'd lived there, to determine when those people had moved. He asked if we were the ones in his yard for the last five minutes; he'd been watching with a surveillance camera. We had only spent about a minute searching for the address. He told us to get out of his yard (I guess he thought his driveway had grass on it) and never come back. But us turning our lights on and putting our helmets on wasn't enough for him; he expected us to vanish instantly. He was angry we weren't gone yet, and told us he had a shotgun.

My companion said, "Please don't threaten me." The villain responded, "It's not a threat, it's a promise." He continued to tell us to leave (never mind that we were preparing to leave) and he told his wife or someone inside to get his shotgun.

Both of us thought it unlikely he was actually going to do anything. However, my companion asked for the phone and called 911. We were up the road slightly on the next block. While I thought he was just a jerk while he was at his house, I was scared as a car pulled up and didn't pass us but simply followed us. He pulled up to me and continued to say the same things he had said previously. He asked me my name, so I conjured up the name Matthias. He asked what my name tag said, so I told him. Elder Tamblyn told me that the dispatcher said to tell him we were talking to the police, so I told him, and he said, "Good," and didn't have much else to say. He said something and then drove off and turned around, and on his way back he asked what my companion's tag said.

Shortly a female fuzz arrived and asked us the situation. We explained it and another policeman showed up and asked us if we were tracting, so we assumed he was a member. (As a side note, last night we had dinner with a member who's a cop and he had heard briefly about the incident, and he told us the woman is actually married to a less-active member.)[1]

My bike tire was flat so we went to the nearby church parking lot to pump it up, and while we were there the lady cop drove by and waved at us. We don't know what happened, although on Saturday we biked by his house, and a police car happened to precede us. It might have just been a coincidence.

I have received more persecution in Lewiston than anywhere else I've served. I've had a paper cup, a half-eaten apple, and spit hurled at me from moving cars. Nothing's hit me, although the apple hit my companion in the chest. (To say nothing of all the profanities and derogatory comments yelled at me.) But there must needs be opposition in all things; I've probably gotten into more houses here than anywhere else--not by people interested in the gospel, but just by friendly people who wanted to let us cool down. (I guess there's something good about serving in a hot place.)

Going back to my flat bike tire, that was the second time that day I had to pump it up, and when we got out of an appointment half an hour later, it was flat again. Pumping it was a daily thing, so I bought a new tube, one that's extra durable. I'd been using that tube since June 2008. The reason it's been flat so often is because of these nefarious goat-head plants. They were bad in East Wenatchee, but that valley doesn't hold a candle to how they are here. They're quaint-looking plants, with small green leaves and yellow flowers. But those little yellow flowers become vile green stars, which turn brown and split into five little indestructible pods. These resemble the head of a goat, and the horns are very pointy and painful, and murder tires. The slime in my tire is the only thing that's kept me safe; otherwise I would have been through fifty tubes by now.

This Saturday Elder Bednar will be speaking to our mission. It will be the only meeting with the whole mission I will have. That day (or around it) we should find out what I'm doing for my last six weeks.

When the policewoman asked me my name I didn't think it was appropriate to tell her it was Jeremiah. It was weird to use that other name and it will be an adjustment when I get back. I felt much better on Saturday when we helped an old lady who asked our first names, and I told her Jeremiah.[2]

As for [my home ward bishop] knowing someone in the bishopric here, there are three Lewiston wards. Our bishop is [redacted] Palmer and his counselors are [redacted] Hastings and [redacted] Christensen, although a [redacted] Mundell was recently released. The branch presidency is [redacted] Landeen, [redacted] Rauch, and [redacted] Godfrey. Of these seven [redacted] Christensen seems the most likely to me to know him (he does a lot with horses), but there are still two other wards, and Brother Christensen was only called a few months ago, while I was here.

I was very depressed packing up my box, and reading through my departing instructions. At least I still have seven weeks.

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] I remember the lady cop asked if we felt we were in danger. I said I thought it was unlikely that he would actually shoot us. But I was more scared when he actually got in his car to follow us. What a jerk! The world doesn’t need mean people. They should quit being mean. And if they won’t do that, they should quit being people.

[2] I didn’t like telling people my first name on my mission, so I told people my name was Jeremiah. But the jerk guy didn’t even deserve that name, so I told him Matthias. I don’t know whether he didn’t believe me or just wanted to know what my name tag said.

It's Autumntime (9/21/09)

OK, so I finally got all the BYU stuff done. You might want to double check just to verify. I got my interview with President Palmer done (I'm glad we had stake conference) so he should be sending it off soon.

This week we committed our investigator by the name of Barbie to baptism, and she accepted. The problem is that she's been coming to our ward and we've been teaching at a member's home in our ward, but she lives in another ward, so we will have to hand her off.[1]

We've had some slightly cooler weather this week, but we hear it's going to get hot here again this week. It had better start cooling down fast if we're supposed to don our suit coats at conference. Six thirty (I have no idea how to spell out times) gets darker every morning. We jog most mornings and today was pretty chilly. I'm so glad.

Thanks for the pictures. I've seen pictures of Preston and Franklin on blogs, but not many of Allie. It's weird how big she is. It's going to be weird to see Preston and he won't be saying things like "Shu-shu shoe" anymore.[2] It's also weird how much of a person Franklin is but I've never met him.

We're emailing at the college[3] today due to various circumstances. I've gotten so used to short email time I don't know what to write now that I have time!

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] Barbie later fell off.

[2] Right before my mission, I visited my three-year-old nephew Preston. I sprained my ankle, and I had to take off my shoe. He became concerned about my shoe and said, “Shu-shu shoe!” We thought that funny. “Shu-shu” meant uncle.

[3] Lewis-Clark State College.

Stupid (insert something relevant here)! (9/14/09)

The Lewiston library only has four computers. And MyLDSMail is being exceedingly slow today. Thus, I don't have very much time to write.

But I did complete one of the essays for the application process.

I hope I don't need an interview for the ecclesiastical endorsement, because we don't have interviews until October. I also need a new temple recommend.

The orange watch still would be fun but not essential. I will need a lot of new clothes when I get home.

I need the Baldwins' address.

I only have three minutes so I have to wrap it up.

Love,

Elder Melville

9/9/09

The reason I'm emailing today is because they thought it would be a good idea to work on Labor Day, because supposedly many people would be home, but I think we can all guess what really happens on Labor Day.[1]

All my mission I've had one dream area: Brewster, WA. This has been assigned to Spanish missionaries, but they do the English and the Spanish both. With my Spanish background and it being a bilingual area anyway, I really wanted to go there, and since I loved Ritzville, I figured I'd like Brewster, which also covers two branches.

But everyone told me it was impossible, and I figured it was. Elder W. was one of the people to tell me it wouldn't happen.

But it was possible. Elder W., who said it would never happen, and who knows no Spanish at all, went there. And I am staying in Lewiston, likely to finish off my mission. My new companion is named Elder T., and he is from Phoenix. (He hasn't  officially told me Arizona, so I can't really say that's the state :) )

We had a pretty successful week. We started teaching two new people. One's name is Barbie, and she's been coming to church with a member. She's pretty quiet but I think she liked it.

The other is named Heidi, and she lives in Culdesac, ID, about twenty miles away from Lewiston. She agreed with the Great Apostasy; when we went over the First Vision she asked if we believed in the Trinity, because she doesn't; she likes the way the Book of Mormon sounds; and she really liked church on Sunday.

A less-active member has also been attending so we will start teaching his family next week.

This week I prayed in sacrament meeting. Our bishop's wife said when she saw me she told her daughter I couldn't lose any more weight. She said I reminded her of the picture of the little boy in the missionary suit that was way too big for him. I think of myself looking like the character on Beetlejuice who has the really small head.

FYI, with my birthday coming up, I don't think it would be a good idea to have something delivered from a floral shop, just because of our weird situation living with nonmembers.[2] Incidentally, their dog can jump over the fence now. He always barks at us like he wants to eat us but when he jumps out he just sits there. He's the most pointless dog ever.

I sent a package UPS so it should arrive tomorrow. I sent it in case I got transferred, but I sent it Saturday because I figured everything would be closed Monday. But it's good to get rid of stuff anyway, because I'm at the point I need to do that. Elder W. wanted to send a box UPS and since we were there I figured I might as well, too. With that particular box I think it was cheaper UPS, anyway.

I don't have much time and I have to look at BYU stuff. But I'll talk to you later!

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] Missionaries are encouraged to work on holidays because supposedly more people are home. I didn’t find that to be the case. I was especially annoyed that we had to move our P-day this week for the holiday. Not only were people not home, transfers were the next day! You’re supposed to have a P-day to prepare for the transfer.

[2] For my birthday in 2008, my family had a fruit-and-candy bouquet delivered to our house from a local floral shop.

Last day of August! (8/31/09)

I am so glad the summer's ending. I hate this heat. The problem with Lewiston is that sometimes, like the last few days, it decides to rain or thunder, but it only does it at night and fizzles out by the morning. Fortunately, we are heading into September, and even though September can be hot, we are closer to coolness.

I am going to have to spend some money today. I really need a new pair of shoes, because now both of my pairs have holes in the bottom. One already had them, so I hoped the other would make it three months. But nope.

I also need a new helmet. On Saturday my back tire was low, so we were out and about and I pumped it up with the pump I have on my bike. My tire (not the tube) has been kind of worn. Well, I hopped on the bike and started riding when I heard "PA ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Indeed, my tire was flat in a few seconds, and since we were far from home, we did a few things in the area and then walked home with the bikes. But somewhere along the line my helmet must have fallen off my handle bars, and I didn't notice it. We went up and down the street looking for it, paying attention especially to where we stopped and put the bike down.[1] (Maybe I should have bought a kickstand and then it would be less likely to fall off when we stop.) Elder W. had an extra tire which is now on the bike. I expected the flat tire would prevent us from riding. But no, the tire's fine now; I just don't have a helmet.

Well, even though school's started, it appears I have another short session. Transfer calls are on Saturday, so maybe I'll be transferred somewhere with long email time, instead of Lewiston's moronically small library. I have no idea about transfers this time.

Love,

Elder Melville

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[1] I remember this incident. I think I was on an exchange with my zone leader when this happened, and it seems like the zone leader was annoyed that we would be less effective if I wasn’t on a bike. (Zone leaders do get overzealous.) We had talked to some potential investigators, and I think we went back and knocked on their door again to ask if they had seen the helmet in their yard.