Sorry, I think my card reader decided to give up on life. I'll have to get a new one next week so I can actually send pictures, cuz I've got some cool ones.
This week has been pretty crazy. We got the transfer call on Monday, Sister Edwards spent the following days mostly packing and saying goodbyes, and we drove to Dickinson on Thursday morning to drop off our companions at the transfer train. We went back to Williston and in-between two dinners and a lesson cleaned out the kitchen fridge and cupboards! I have been just itching to do that! It felt good to de-junk our kitchen. Especially with only having two sisters live in the apartment now, we don't need that much in there.
Speaking of the apartment, we also got a call on Friday from the mission office saying that the lease is almost up at our place and that we need to keep an eye out for a one bedroom apartment. I guess they aren't planning on putting another set of sisters in Williston for a bit. We just don't have enough sisters coming out right now to support all the areas that did have sisters in them is the problem.
So Sister Barrett and I are companions and we... really didn't know what area we covered. We tried to figure it out before the companionships all changed. We called the zone leaders, President, and we were unable to come to a conclusion of how to divide up the areas. There were just too many variables. And everyone wanted to be in third ward. Ray is in third ward and only sisters can stay at the Boone's, too many girls and not enough guys, and both sets of Elders have a Spanish speaking companion and third ward is the only ward that has a Spanish group. And President Anderson says it is logical seeing as there are now three companionships, to have one companionship per ward. But then there would be a Spanish speaking elder not being used when he could be. Not to mention all the attachment you grow to the areas you have worked in, and yeah. It was just a mess. So on Saturday the Zone Leaders were able to come down and help us figure things out.
But during that Friday Sister Barrett and I decided to make the most of the situation and do work in all three wards! We hunted down names on the ward list, all three of the ward lists! I was quite epic, it was a good day. We didn't get in with anybody, but we met a nice lady and we set up a return appointment with someone, so it was still fruitful and good to be out and about.
Saturday we spent basically all day at the church. It was the Family Discovery Day, a family history day open for the community. And we met a nonmember that was drawn there, and the Lord really made it possible for him to be there and to get started on finding his ancestors, so that was cool to see.
Right after, we met with the zone leaders to decide what areas we would cover.
So you know how the apostles have talked about how all things that are done in the church and that they decide upon must be unanimous, and how they are all men of various and very different opinions and backgrounds, and how that makes it no easy feat? Yeah, that's exactly how this meeting went, only with eight missionaries instead.
It took over an hour of discussion. Many points were raised. President Anderson was called two different times. And it seemed that with every idea posed, there was a point brought up to make the idea no good anymore. President wanted to have us each in one ward so we could proselyte on Sunday, but we had been doing fine serving in two, and we brought up that we cut studies in order to get the full proselyting time because we attend two wards, but he brought up that working with two different bishops is not what he wants for us, and just back and forth. And we wanted to still go up to Ray. But they elders brought up something reassuring. They work with a couple who just got baptized and that couple lives just fifteen minutes out of Ray, so the Elders could stay with them if needed. That brought me peace.
The power of prayer is real, because after getting off the phone with you and discussing things a little more, we determined we NEEDED to say a prayer and as we knelt, Elder Adair offering it, Elder Bewall received revelation during the prayer and he told us what came to his mind and it made so much sense. The Sisters would serve in first ward, (Sister Barrett's ward), one set of Elders would have 3rd ward and they would teach anyone who was in 1st ward who needed Spanish, and the other set of Elders would cover 2nd ward, and they would teach anyone who needed Spanish in either 2nd or 3rd ward.
We all were at peace and we said a fervent prayer of gratitude! I'm so grateful for revelation and the organization of this church!
In the moment, the changes and figuring out our area couldn't happen fast enough! It felt like we were in limbo for awhile! But it was figured out pretty quickly in retrospect and perspective and we thank the zone leaders as well as you for helping us figure out what to do about our areas.
It's crazy to think that I served in all three wards, and to think that I totally and in a weird slow way got transferred. It's just been progressively. I mean, I am serving now in a completely different area geographic wise, I'm in a different ward, we are keeping the phone that I wasn't using and giving that one back to the mission office, AND we will be getting a new apartment. So I totally got transferred. Yet I still see the people who I served with last transfer all the time in passing. Weird. But awesome too.
I'm at peace. It'll take a bit to pick up the investigators that the elders had that we have jurisdiction over now, but things should settle in time. I'm just glad that now everything is figured out!
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