Outdoor P-Day Activity
Transfer week is the longest week of my life, oh my gosh.
Well, this
week was full of a heck-of-a lot of goodbyes. I hated it. But most of
the week was okay, just really stressed about about packing and all (oh
my gosh packing is a TERROR.) I didn't really start getting sad until
Tuesday night, the night before transfers. Saying goodbyes to the last
few families, and even harder was when Bishop Nickell shook my hand and
with his eyes brimming, thanked me for staying with them and being a
wonderful missionary. After that, my heart ached as I looked around the
house and reminisced of my time in Blackfoot. My heart was and still
is full of love for the people in Blackfoot. Then Wednesday morning, we
cleaned, took some pictures together as a companionship, and then
headed to the transfer sight!
And now I am in
Inkom! My new companion, Sister Le`on (lay-OWN) is from Houston, Texas.
She was born in California, though, and her parents are from Mexico. She
just got done with her training, so she's still learning the missionary
life and routine.
In Blackfoot, every time I told someone I
was transfering to Inkom, they said "Oh, Inkom Stinkom!" Apparently they
call it that because there is a factory of some sort here, and factories
usually put off a yucky smell. So I was expecting a teensy little town
in the middle of the desert, maybe some oil fields nearby, foothills in
the distance, and a smelly factory in the middle. How wrong I was.
Inkom is beautiful. It's a small town in the mountains,
so there are rolling hills everywhere, reminding me a lot of Ireland
(except they are more yellowish mountains rather than the lush green
ones in Ireland, of course). The views up in the hills are spectacular,
there's winding roads and creeks everywhere...makes me really want to go
hiking! That might be a regular p-day activity around here :)
I
forgot how hard learning a new area is. You kind of have to empty your
brain out of all the information from your last area to make room for
all of the different names, wards, leaders, streets, and people of your
new area. The good part is that it's small, so there isn't quite as big
of an area to cover and learn. But we cover 4 wards, so there is still
a lot of stuff to remember. I've met a handful of investigators. There
is a lot of less active work here, a lot more than in Blackfoot. I guess
when you're in a town this small, there are only so many new people to
find and teach. But I have learned my new area in Inkom better in 5 days
than in the first 4 weeks I was in Blackfoot. Which tells me that the
Lord has really been answering my prayers to expand my mind and help me
remember things. I pray all the time that I will be able to overcome my
forgetfulness and my poor memory, and I've really seen it working
wonders. I feel more responsible than ever I have before. I just hope
the Lord will help me continue to expand my mind that I may keep it
beyond just the mission. Prayer works, y'all.
I
think it was like the day after I got here, we were getting out of our
car, and I stepped backwards to close the passenger door and tripped
backwards over the curb, landing on my back on the rocks behind me. As
much as it hurt, it was more embarrassing than it was painful. I quickly
stood up and made sure nobody was around. My companion laughed, but
nobody else was around--phew! Then we turned around to go into this
house, but a girl came out and asked, "are you okay??" We all laughed,
but I was so embarrassed. Haha missionaries aren't always composed and
poised in their skirts and dresses and suits.
We
had a really great lesson with Kristy and Brett, a young couple, the
husband is a returned missionary and his wife is not a member. We mostly
talked about their background in religion, asked them a bunch of
questions, and read the intro to the Book of Mormon together. They are
sort of quiet, so it was a bit awkward at first, but as our questions
began to be guided by the spirit, Brett really opened up at one point,
expressing with tears in his eyes his desire to truly learn what
Christlike love is. The spirit was strong, and we can only pray that
Kristy really felt that. We set up an appointment for next week, can't
wait!!
Well, I will send pictures and things,
but that's all I can really think about for now. I'm sure as I get to
know the area and people more, I will be able to recount more of my
experiences. I know this church is true and that the Savior is there
for us wherever and whoever we are!
God Bless,
Sister Moreland
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