Hahaha so first, I want to share my most recent (as in 30 seconds ago) news! Elder Bednar is going to know my name! Michael just texted me to say that he recently wrote Elder Bednar a letter asking for advice (I don't think too many investigators do that... but what can you do! Haha) and he said I was the missionary teaching him. I'm going to be famous haha!
But, other than that, it has been quite an odd week. I really only spent half a day in my area, and it was spent entirely doing internet work. But, I still have some good things to report, no worries!
So transfer calls came last night! Elder Ryser, not surprisingly, is getting moved up to Fairport (one of the richer areas, where all they do is tract... haha) and I am getting Elder Holt. I'm trying to be open-minded, but I haven't heard the grandest of things about him. Although, the other Elder Allen likes him, so hopefully all goes well! Ha, and after a six week break, I am back to being district leader again. Assuming I stay for the last three transfers of my mission, that will mean 13 out of 17 transfers were as district leader haha. District leader for life!
But, probably the best day of the week was on Thursday. We had a meeting in Warsaw in the morning, so I decided to swing by a couple people there afterwards. Well, all of our appointments in Geneseo cancelled one by one, so we ended up staying in Warsaw for most of the day!
First, we saw Jimmy, who is doing WONDERFULLY. He is such a stud. We stopped by his work and ended up talking at least 45 minutes with him. He told us about when he baptized his girlfriend and her daughter and about how great of an experience that was, especially because then he passed the sacrament for the first time the day after! He's been the missionaries' go-to-guy for having a member accompany them to lessons. He said it perfectly, "I have found that in the Church, when people ask you to do something, you just say yes!" He's doing incredibly! Haha he says that his parents told him that they think he's going to move to Utah soon because all he does is talk about the Church. It was great to talk to him, again!
Then we swung over to Dolly's. She is as witty as ever. Awe, I meant to bring it so I could just write it all out here, but she wrote a poem about monkeys making fun of the theory of evolution because of how absurd it was to them that a species that doesn't take care of themselves or their families to have descended from them. It was hilarious! I'll have to send it some other time. But, she is doing wonderfully. Health-wise, maybe not so much... but she has read the ENTIRE Book of Mormon since I left! She is the sweetest old lady. Haha, Mom and Dad, she made me promise to introduce you to her someday hahaha.
Then we went over to Jenn (Topps Girl!). She has been struggling with life, in general. Tons of crazy stuff has gone down, and over time, she has stopped meeting with missionaries. Not officially dropped them or anything... more just dropped off the face of the world. HOWEVER! She is still awesome. She said the Book of Mormon is sitting up on her fridge and she says she feels guilty every time she walks past it because she knows she needs to start reading it again, then she said she keeps on wanting to go to church just never gets around to it. So, she promised that she would start reading again and get in touch with the missionaries. Ha, I really miss teaching her. She was so much fun with how into studying on her own she was!
Next up was Gila (one of my Jews). She had dropped the missionaries a while back because we celebrate Christmas and don't celebrate Hanukkah.... Haha she had a hard enough time that we didn't celebrate any of the Jewish feasts, but apparently Christmas on December 25was just too much for her haha. But, she still invited us right in and we had a great conversation! Haha she still doesn't want to meet with the missionaries... but what can you do haha. Elder Woodworth (the senior missionary in Warsaw when I was there) and I agree that she was mostly looking for a way out of meeting with us because what we were teaching was coming together too nicely and was too true for her, and it was getting to the point where she either commits or quits.
Then we went to the Boccicchios! I love them!! They are still as great as ever. We ended up actually having dinner with them and playing Chinese Checkers with May. Haha they are such a cool family. I just want them to join the Church so that she can be Relief Society president within a week or two of her baptism and he can be a General Authority the following year. Ha, she practically quoted Doctrine and Covenants to us! She said, "If you go your whole life and touch millions of people, and only one of them comes to the Lord, you've done exactly what you're supposed to do and you'll be plenty happy in heaven." (See Doctrine and Covenants 18:15.) Not too shabby for a Catholic, eh!?
But, really, I got to thinking after that. First, I was happy that they all remembered me. But, second, I realized I really don't have any good relationships built up in Geneseo. Elder Ryser, no doubt, is kind of burnt out of the area. (He has been here for five transfers now.) We really haven't visited any of the members except the three or four who have invited us over for dinner. He is convinced that none of the less actives want to talk to us. Ha to make it better, though, we spent all day Sunday with our Relief Society and Elders Quorum presidents going through the ward list and he kept talking about all these less active members that they used to visit that he hasn't seen for a couple months and all these members that were completely active up until a couple of months ago who we haven't stopped by to check up on. DAH!!! Haha but, now I have my list of people to go see these next few weeks. So it will be nice to be able to start afresh with Elder Holt. I just miss having real friendships and relationships!
Then three of the other days of the week, I was on an exchange with both companions in Nunda (the more rural part of our ward). Nothing too exciting happened there, but it will give me a good break from Geneseo to get a jump start next week.
Then the one day that I was in Geneseo, like I said, I was on the internet most of the day, writing this: http://brackenallen-
Normally I would have tried to spread writing out over a few days so I don't spend a whole day there. But, Amanda made a deal with me that if I had it written by Sunday she would do everything she could to be at church Sunday! So, since I was going to be on an exchangeSaturday, I had to dedicate a huge chunk of Friday to writing it up. Seems to have had a pretty good response, so you should give it a read!!
Well, I have been writing forever... so I think I'm done. Hard to believe that I only have three more transfers until I come home! Geez. Time to get writing me so I can still be your friend when I'm home! ;)
I love you, but I don't miss you!
Elder Allen
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