Hello friends. Romans. Countrymen.
Man, what is that from? OH! SHAKESPEARE!
Glad I remembered that. That was bugging me.
The week has been very bittersweet. It is so weird for me to think that just a week ago, I was in Saratoga Springs with Sister L at the racetrack with a couple of members, and the next day I was saying goodbye to our young adult investigators, then went home and sat in a pile of clothes and cried because I didn't want to leave.
It was weird driving to Utica. I was just kind of in a daze the whole time, and same with the drive from Utica to Elmira. I was just kind of.......in disbelief I guess. I was crammed into a van with a bunch of luggage and four other missionaries, and I didn't say much the whole time.
Elmira is like a much, MUCH bigger version of Owego. More civilization and a lot less nothingness than Owego, but much MORE nothingness than Saratoga Springs.
It's a good area, and already I've felt the love from the members in the ward.
But let me tell you. The adjustment, especially when I first got here, has been hard.
The van pulled into the church building in Elmira, and all of us piled out. One of the sister training leaders, who spent the day in Elmira with my companion, pulled me aside and said, "This area needs you. Like, really really needs you."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because there hasn't been a sister here who has been out longer than 6 months in a really long time. Your companion was trained by someone who just got trained, by someone who just got trained, and the sisters out before that were pretty new, too. There's just a lot that needs to be done that isn't getting done, simply because they just don't know what to do."
"So what should I do?"
She shrugged and said, "Just....be yourself. Love her. Love the area."
I nodded and said, "All right. I can do that."
She helped me load the luggage into the car, then turned to me one more time and said, "Basically, you're here to train."
I was a little shocked, but nodded, and went to go meet my companion.
Sister H is SO, so sweet, and we actually have a lot of similar interests. She has been out 3 transfers, and is very bold. I guess you could say she has the "greenie fire," and she is NOT letting anyone hose it down.
Which, hey, I'm cool with.
We agreed that I'm sheepishly bold, and she's very bold.
It works out. We get the point across and we even each other out in the process.
So I opened the area book after a couple days.
"How......how is this organized?" I asked.
"I don't even know!" she said.
"Me neither. I'm just......we're going to tackle this another time, okay?"
"Yeah. Hey, what's your opinion on how the whiteboards are?" she asked me.
"Hate them."
"Oh good, me too. Can we reorganize it?"
"Yes, please."
So yes, that's been the majority of my week.
The ward is good, but it's slightly hilarious. Seeing as the past three sisters who have been here have been brand new, and then two before that have been brand new, the main question everyone asks me is, "So you're just brand new to the mission, then?"
"Oh no, I've been out a while."
"How long is that?"
"Just over a year."
"How much over a year?"
"14 months."
"Oh wow! So you're going to finish your mission here?"
"I guess so!"
Life's good.
But mostly I've just pit-puttered around Elmira, trying to get used to my surroundings, and trying not to miss Saratoga.
It'll take time, but I know I'll adjust.
Hurrah for Israel!
Sista' Stimpson
Man, what is that from? OH! SHAKESPEARE!
Glad I remembered that. That was bugging me.
The week has been very bittersweet. It is so weird for me to think that just a week ago, I was in Saratoga Springs with Sister L at the racetrack with a couple of members, and the next day I was saying goodbye to our young adult investigators, then went home and sat in a pile of clothes and cried because I didn't want to leave.
It was weird driving to Utica. I was just kind of in a daze the whole time, and same with the drive from Utica to Elmira. I was just kind of.......in disbelief I guess. I was crammed into a van with a bunch of luggage and four other missionaries, and I didn't say much the whole time.
Elmira is like a much, MUCH bigger version of Owego. More civilization and a lot less nothingness than Owego, but much MORE nothingness than Saratoga Springs.
It's a good area, and already I've felt the love from the members in the ward.
But let me tell you. The adjustment, especially when I first got here, has been hard.
The van pulled into the church building in Elmira, and all of us piled out. One of the sister training leaders, who spent the day in Elmira with my companion, pulled me aside and said, "This area needs you. Like, really really needs you."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because there hasn't been a sister here who has been out longer than 6 months in a really long time. Your companion was trained by someone who just got trained, by someone who just got trained, and the sisters out before that were pretty new, too. There's just a lot that needs to be done that isn't getting done, simply because they just don't know what to do."
"So what should I do?"
She shrugged and said, "Just....be yourself. Love her. Love the area."
I nodded and said, "All right. I can do that."
She helped me load the luggage into the car, then turned to me one more time and said, "Basically, you're here to train."
I was a little shocked, but nodded, and went to go meet my companion.
Sister H is SO, so sweet, and we actually have a lot of similar interests. She has been out 3 transfers, and is very bold. I guess you could say she has the "greenie fire," and she is NOT letting anyone hose it down.
Which, hey, I'm cool with.
We agreed that I'm sheepishly bold, and she's very bold.
It works out. We get the point across and we even each other out in the process.
So I opened the area book after a couple days.
"How......how is this organized?" I asked.
"I don't even know!" she said.
"Me neither. I'm just......we're going to tackle this another time, okay?"
"Yeah. Hey, what's your opinion on how the whiteboards are?" she asked me.
"Hate them."
"Oh good, me too. Can we reorganize it?"
"Yes, please."
So yes, that's been the majority of my week.
The ward is good, but it's slightly hilarious. Seeing as the past three sisters who have been here have been brand new, and then two before that have been brand new, the main question everyone asks me is, "So you're just brand new to the mission, then?"
"Oh no, I've been out a while."
"How long is that?"
"Just over a year."
"How much over a year?"
"14 months."
"Oh wow! So you're going to finish your mission here?"
"I guess so!"
Life's good.
But mostly I've just pit-puttered around Elmira, trying to get used to my surroundings, and trying not to miss Saratoga.
It'll take time, but I know I'll adjust.
Hurrah for Israel!
Sista' Stimpson
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