Week 51- everything is turning Green!

Everything is turning green! I mean that in multiple ways.   The mission is getting more and more new people, thus turning green, and Virginia is turning green, too!!! I LOVE the green summers here, and I'm SOOOO excited for it to be bright green again!

                                              

So, this was pretty much a crazy week. Remember how I said I loved training and biking? and how I liked serving as district leader? Remember how I said that Elder Porter and I would likely stick together and that since we were training, we were some of the safest from the grasping hand of transfers? Yeah, apparently the Lord had other plans. haha

So, Sunday night, I got a call from President Riggs. He's a busy man, so that usually means something is going down. Yup, something went down. I'm no longer on bike. I'm no longer training, and no longer district leader.  He asked me if I would accept the call to serve as a Zone leader, and my first response was: "does that mean I can't train?" “haha He said ,not right now”. So, I told him yes. I know where his revelation comes from and I'm always willing to respond to a call from the Lord.

Monday was P-day, Tuesday was packing, and Wednesday was transfers! The. Most. Intense. Transfer. Meeting. I. Have. Ever. Been. To. President started out by talking for like twenty minutes about change, then made "the announcement.": In mid-June, the mission will be splitting, and those in the Fredericksburg and Woodbridge zones will be switched to the Virginia, Richmond mission. That being a transfer and a half away, for those moving this transfer, if you move to one of those zones, odds are you will be in the Richmond mission. I've never felt so anxious during transfers. I knew I was going to be serving as a Zone Leader, so that meant I was going to 1 of 8 areas, 2 of which meant Richmond. So, 25% chance of getting transferred to a different mission! In the end, I got put in the LAST zone they read off, but I ended up staying here in D.C. South. It was so hard to see some of these wonderful missionaries I've come to love getting sent to another mission. President choked up a bit and just grimaced as he read those zones, too. It was so hard. He was asked to run transfers as if there was no split happening, and he did. Elder Ravia went home this transfer, too, so that was hard to see him go.

I am now serving as a Zone Leader with Elder Jared P in the Centreville zone. And, get this, I'm in the Manassas 1st ward!!! MANASSAS!!! Isn't that sweet! The Civil War freak inside of me is totally geeking out. It's a new zone I've never been to, and it's beautiful out here! It's green and warm and pretty! And Elder Pyne is awesome. He served as my Zone Leader back in Ashburn for a couple transfers, and now he's showing me the ropes! It's great to have a teacher like him. It's definitely been exciting, too! Since I've gotten here - in addition to working hard in our proselyting area - we've already run many errands, helped many missionaries with things, and just stayed crazy busy! Organization is another thing I'm working on learning... haha

Turns out, too, Elder P knows the Clarks!!! They used to be neighbors back in Cedar Hills! haha

Pretty awesome!

Well, we had another adventure, too. Saturday night, we found out we had an apartment inspection this morning... So, after some mad cleaning (previous elders didn't keep it too clean), we managed to scrape by! But, that means I have less time to email today... We have zone sports, and we have the building key...

Know I love you! Know I'm working hard! Know that the Lord has the real plan, not us. President said  and I  wanted to keep me training, but here I am, smiling, serving and LOVING this new opportunity to serve in the newly green Virginia!

-Elder Hodgson