This week was a weird one, I am now done being in the office and am back to being junior companion out of the MLC for the first time since I was with Elder Birchall. It feels weird but I think it is just what i need. I think President Craig is inspired for many reasons but one of them is that I think this is a good opportunity for me to kind of have a reality check. I have spent so much time administering and ministering to missionaries that I have kind of missed the opportunity to just have nothing but missionary work on my mind. I wouldn't want it any other way. It is strange the progress of your mission. For the first year all you think about is how this is your first whatever. First Christmas on the mission, first call home, first time being transferred. After your year mark it gets weird because you get to the point where it is like "man, this is my second Halloween" or whatever it is. Inevitably you are just conscious of it. Now I am starting to feel the last of certain things... I am not trunky, I am too sad to be haha.
Monday I sent a big bag of my winter stuff home to the greyhound station in Lethbridge and put my dad's number on it. Problem was, I did not tell them I was sending it so hopefully they got it! Monday night we drove out to Portage to meet Elder Francis (Elder Wrights new companion) who came in from Regina. That night we drove into Winnipeg and had a lesson with a family from Nigeria. She was loving the Book of Mormon. He on the other hand was probably who Nephi saw in his vision when he says the "A bible, A Bible" quote. This guy tried to rebuke the Book of Mormon in the name of Jesus Christ. Nothing happened so that was comforting...
Tuesday we had meetings all day. We had the seniors meeting first to schedule the transfer week out. I love that meeting. We come to it with a sheet of paper prepared with everything that will happen that transfer week on it. Everything from cars, to supplies to mail, to greenies. We were talking it over and I asked if the cars looked ok and he just went off on how good the cars looked that he just picked up from the lot. President just kindly informed him that I meant the plans regarding the cars and we went on. It was a hoot. I think they should make a tv show out of the CANWIN mission office. We also had the trainers meeting, I have been in that meeting quite a few times and honestly it was sad to be in it for the last time. I have our training like memorized and I know exactly what President and Sister Craig will say and when they will say it. The same is true with the next meeting we have which is the new leaders meeting. I reminisced on going to that as a new district leader and then missing it as a new zone leader because I forgot about the time difference in the two provinces. Anyways, it was really weird to walk out of that room knowing I would never have a meeting there again. That night we had a meal appointment and some tracting.
Wednesday we taught a native guy named Troy who has a baptismal date for July 1. I am hoping he can make it. We then went and helped the Hamiltons move. That was a gong show. I vow that any time I move I will be organized. i have moved way too many hoarders on my mission and it just is not effective. That was short lived though because we had to get all of the mail and supplies ready. It was a 7 week transfer this time so that was the most mail and supplies I have ever seen. It filled up our whole truck bed. We had to take all of it to the St James chapel and then get going so we could get to the airport on time. We picked up the new missionaries. one was Sister Patac from the Phillipines, she has been a visa waiter but finally got it and is now serving here. One was serving in Scotland-Ireland mission but had to go home and is now waiting to re-gain his visa and get back there. He knows Mason pretty well. The others are normal trainees. I love picking them up but this time I was hit in the face with reality, I am like 2 years older than these people. They seemed SO YOUNG! It was insane. That was another last, last time to the airport for a while. Then we went and had dinner at the mission home and I got to bear my testimony. that night we set up for the new missionary orientation.
Thursday was transfers so we had breakfast at the mission home and then had a big companion study with the new missionaries. We then went to the St James chapel and gave new missionary orientation. I would be surprised if they retain 10% of what is said. their eyes look glossy and their eyelids look heavy. The training went well and then we had to get everyone on the road. With that I left with Elder Gee without looking back. Elder Timms and Elder Gee had a baptism that day so we went to that.His name was Buyu and Elder Wright and I actually found and taught him before turning him over so that was neat! Elder Timms went out in style I would say. That night we just did some finding. Because Boyu got baptized our investigator pool went to 0. I think they focused so much on him that finding was on the back burner and the back burner was not turned on haha. Anyways I am excited to be here!
Friday we taught a guy maned Jay and set a baptismal date with him! For October... because he is moving to Vancouver for the summer. We are going to try to contact the missionaries there and maybe he will get baptized there. That day President also asked me to come and talk to him in his office. I probably would have been nervous a few months back but I was not for this one. he just sat me down and we just talked. Our relationship had been so much business and so much responsibility that he wanted to just talk. he thanked me for my help with everything and it was super nice. That afternoon was MLC and I was not there. That was kind of weird! That night we taught a recent convert about the brazen serpent because he had a bunch of questions about it and he is writing a book. I took personal study to look at it and I learned a lot. It is interesting that that short experience is referenced multiple times in the old testament and Book of Mormon as well as by Christ himself in the new Testament. Must be important. I sure learned a lot!
Saturday we taught Boyu. He went back to China on Sunday to see his family so it was good, we role played how to say no to beverages not in line with the word of Wisdom. He is really solid! That day we did a bunch of finding and I started the infamous "My Plan".
Sunday we had jay at church. He is the one moving to Vancouver. We also had an elders quorum meeting and I went to bed at 10:30 for the first time on a Sunday night since last December because I was not in the office doing indicators. It was a bittersweet feeling! Hope everyone had a great week!
Love Elder Stewart
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