Well ... (06/30/2009)

Well, it has happened again. I am being transferred. I am going to Connell, Washington. It is about 45 minutes north of Pasco and it is a very small area. It is even smaller than Toppenish from what I hear. We cover 5 units - three English wards and two Spanish Branches. We cover Connell and another little town called Basin City and then another little town called Mesa. (Maybe it is Mesa, Arizona?!?!?!) I wouldn't say I am excited but after being transferred twice and having four companions in four transfers, I realize that every area is good and every one is nice. You just have to make it the way you want it. I am not excited about the small area but we are in the Pasco Zone and District so we get to go there every Monday for district meeting and every Tuesday for P-day. My new companion will be Elder Mendez. He is a native Spanish speaker but I don't know where he was born. The only thing I have heard about him is he is really quiet and has been out about nine months. This will be a change from my first three companions who were quiet talkative. Another thing about the area is since it is so big we get 1,800 car-miles a month. That may be the most of any area outside of the zone leaders. Also the car that they drive there is a Mazda 3!!

It is going to be tough to lose Elder Cavaness though. It seemed like we just got along from the start. He loves sports almost as much as I do.

Dad, Scott, Chad, Alicia, and Matt, how many areas did all of you guys serve in? I think I may be well on my way to beating you, although, there are only eight other areas I can serve in and two areas combine to cover one branch and two others combine to cover another branch so that puts it to about six other branches I can serve in.

Well not much has happened around here lately. I gave my talk in the Spanish branch on Sunday. I am assuming it went well. It is hard to fill about 20 minutes of time. We only had 19 people there, 12 of which were actually Hispanics, the rest were white people helping out.

The English ward also had me come up and bare my testimony. I don't know why they do that to me; they know I am going to cry.

We got an e-mail from the AP's saying that on the 4th of July we are to get ourselves more acquainted with the members. In other words don’t go around town talking with drunken people.

I won’t be e-mailing next Tuesday because that’s when our zone conference is down in the tri-cities so I will probably e-mail on Wednesday.

Just a few random items: At times I remember I still have 18 months to go but then I am like I have already downed a 4th, I can do what I just did three more times. We have zone conference every transfer. Every companionship in the mission has a cell phone. Every Spanish area has a car and most English areas do too but not all of them. The cars are normally either Corollas or Malibus.

Well another week down in the mission. It is going pretty fast. Mom, remember the Friday night before I left I was telling you I was going to be weird when I got home? I realized I will probably be a little weird but I am still the same old Matthew just living in small towns in Washington rather than the big city of Phoenix.

Well I better run.