Transfer announcement (not Eldrew) and THE WRECK.

Why he hasn't been writing. (Same old, same old.)

 I apologize for not sending the newzy emails I should be sending...These passed two weeks have been crazy!!!  Transfers tied us up, then it was moving the mission office (not home), and then it was ZLC, and then, and then, and then... ha ha Those are my excuses! 

An unanticipated expense...a car wreck.

So...I tell you this not so you will freak out, but so that you know of some upcoming financial needs that will be rising. I am fine, I was not hurt, nor was my companion, but I got in a car accident last Monday. I was driving and right after an intersection, right after I was turned to check my blind spot I turned back and traffic was stopped at a point when I was not expecting it to be, so I turned the wheel, slammed on the brakes but I hit the back of a truck. It hardly did any damage to his truck but it got our truck pretty good. Long story short, I got a ticket and our vehicle coordinator said when all I said and done it will come to about 250 out of pocket for me. Which I just feel foolish about and I am so sorry because obviously it won't be coming out of MY pocket and I feel bad because I can't work to pay for it. So, I am sorry in advance. I am going to go to court and plea poverty because I don't make any money and I'll see where that will get me. But anyways, I'll answer your questions now.

New companion.

So there was a transfer in my area.  Elder Peterson is now a District Leader in the Richmond 1st and 2nd wards.  It is a very large area geographically and it is also extremely wealthy.  In that area there is only 1 apartment complex, the rest is ritzy homes with large plots of land.  My new companion is a Spanish missionary named Elder Bayles.  He is an all state middle line backer from Green River, Wyoming.  He is a stud, he went to BYU before his mission and practiced with the team before he came out on his mission.  He plans on playing football at BYU.  We are getting along great and we are really similar to each other, it's eerie.

Mission office move (Answering our questions about it.)

It went as well as a move can go. We actually moved the mission office, not the mission home. The responsibility to move the office was firmly placed on our shoulders, we just got a whole zone to help us. We moved it in 2 days and the office couples and missionaries are putting all the pieces together and unloading boxes.

Q. Where is your apartment in relation to the new mission office?

I don't actually know what my apartment address is, because I don't get mail sent there because I could get transferred and I don't want to tell people to send it other places and have mail for me where other missionaries can lose it...though, the chances of me receiving mail are slim! ha ha I don't write letters and as a result I don't get letters and any letter I would receive wouldn't be very interesting. Plus, I am in the office everyday doing something so the mail being sent there is really convenient for me. The mission office is now in the Eldridge chapel. I was in this chapel for 4 1/2 months when I was a Zone Leader in the Alief ward. It used to be the Richmond stake center so it had the stake offices, but they built a new building for the stake center with new stake offices so the church converted that section of the chapel into our mission office, it's pretty neat and it will save the church money! The mission home is about 15 minutes away from the office, President Saylin also has an office at his home so he has two interview places.

The mission is doing great!  When I started my mission we were the lowest baptizing mission out of the 3 in Houston.  Now, we are the highest.  In the America Southwest area (Which includes all of Arizona and New Mexico where the church is really strong) we are above average on all key indicators AND we lead the area with the most baptismal dates!  421 investigators preparing to be baptized!

Q: Are you teaching anyone?

The Chen family, brother Chen accepted a baptismal date for April 16th. It was awesome!

Random photo.
Eldrew sent this photo without any explanation of who the other missionary is.

(Commentary: Reporting how a mission is doing is always a somewhat odd thing. On one level, the number of baptisms is a concrete sign of the lives that are being brought to the Gospel — and the hard, faithful efforts of missionaries and members. Yet, it can come off as overly statistical and calculating. So, I take the above statistics as a measure of joy at the success rather than boasting or competitiveness.)Q. How is the mission going?