The unthinkable actually happened... I got transferred to Taylorsville!
(the zone is called Bennion but the area I cover includes parts of Taylorsville,
Murray, and Bennion - mostly Taylorsville) It's crazy because the houses in my
area are SO NICE. The basement we stay in gives my companion and I our own
bathrooms which is awesome. The apartment actually has a nickname - The Palace.
I've also already ran into Grandma Wendy's sister so I've met by great aunt and
uncle who also happens to be one of our ward mission leaders. Another first is
that I went to Leatherby's earlier today for the first time on my mission :) :)
:)
Even though we're whitewashing the Zone Leaders left us two people on date,
which is nice. One of them is a 21 year old girl that is newly married to a
returning member. His name is Tyler... and he actually plays Pokemon
competitively so we get along very very well! The work is a lot different than
Midvale; there's a lot more stopping by members and less people just
wandering/walking. We have a few nice apartment complexes to work in as
well.
I really enjoy working an area like I did in Murray Parkway again with lots
of youth and families. Hopefully we can get through the whitewash and by the end
of the transfer have things really rolling with a solid foundation.
--Elder Chandler
----------------------------
thought: whitewashing an area
My brain isn't working too well right now (I think I'm just starting to
have some kind of mild bug come on...) so I'll just muse on whitewashing for a
bit.
Transfers are always great because they give you a chance to literally
start over. You can drop all of your bad habits, pick up good ones, and do so
very easily. On the converse, you can also drop all of your good habits and pick
up bad ones very easily so you move forward with caution! All in all though, as
you strive to do better and better transfers give opportunities to take giant
leaps forward.
Whitewashing is even more exaggerated. You have no "senior area companion"
to buffer your entrance. Both the new companions must be on their 'A' game at
all times for good impressions. It's a chance for, not just missionaries, but
areas, to have the same benefits of a transfer. It can start over the foundation
for the better, and that's what we're going for.
This foundation, especially with the members, is vitally important. It's
our opportunity to have a ton of members out here, each with a heart that wants
to do missionary work. One thing that has been especially important in this is
working closely and in the line of the vision of the bishop. Luckily I didn't
have to learn this by error because of Heidi's letters :) When you jump on board
with the bishop, even when the previous missionaries haven't liked him, even if
you feel at first his vision (or lack of vision) is limited, to get on board
with him and move forward with the key holder.
The next step is the rest of the ward councils, then the youth in the area,
then the "social butterfly" active members, and finally the Less
Active/Returning Members/Recent Converts. Each step is vitally important in
giving the area ability to flourish. The people here are great so it's going to
be a great six weeks!
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