Well, change is the word of the week. There is sooo much CHANGE going on right now!!! I LOVE it! Change used to bug me, and it's still hard, but I'm learning to make the best of the change and as I come to see its purpose, I'm finding a lot of fulfillment in my mission.
First big change is, well, the mission is splitting in half haha. People used to laugh at me because Manassas is the furthest south I've been.... I'm about to become the southern border... At Mission Leadership Council last week, we probably spent a good half-hour talking about the upcoming split and the logistics, and what role we would need to play, etc. There's a lot going on there.
The Spanish companionship we live with just got a third companion. So, there's 5 of us in the apartment now haha. There's more change to get used to.
The biggest change this week was probably some of the things we received at Mission Leadership Council. We had to re-define quite a number of rules and principles detailing appropriate interactions between elders and sisters. Phone principles, leadership communication principles, Elders and Sisters are now allowed to ride together to meetings, more principles to regulate that. haha, it was pretty exciting. We also received some new principles we're putting into play of how to better work with our wards as we do missionary work, and in a matter of just 4 short days, it's completely transformed how we do work in our ward. We're SOOO excited to share it with the zone on Tuesday!
Our area is doing really well. We found many more people this week who are interested in hearing about the gospel, and last night, we had one of the most memorable lessons I've had in a long time. The Spirit helped us to testify of the restoration very powerfully and very purely and it was amazing to feel the Spirit working through us like that.
We have our first stake correlation meeting with the new Stake President this Thursday, so we're looking forward to that as well.
On top of that, our Ward Mission Leader is moving to Arizona next week, so we'll be getting a new one of those, too!!! Really, I wasn't joking when I said there was a lot of change happening. haha
There really isn't a good way to describe what's going on here in the mission field except change. EVERYTHING is picking up pace, and it's amazing to see. New areas, new missionaries, new techniques and principles and just everything is new or changing.
Things are picking up pace really quickly, too... With 37 new missionaries last transfer meeting, we're trying to find places to put them all!!! It's insane! Oh! and I'm a grandpa now, too!!! haha In the mission field, we often refer jokingly to missionaries we train as our "sons." Elder Cannon, my "firstborn son" is training this transfer, so that makes me a "grandpa!" haha Looking back, I've really had the opportunity to train some amazing missionaries. One is training, one is working hard as an office elder, one is here in centerville and is one of the zone all-stars, and one is pioneering the way into the new mission. It's been a wonderful privilege to have seen these elders from when they were new and to see the change that occurs in them.
Well, there's a semi-reflective letter on change haha. This week we were super busy, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred... lots of work, lots of lessons, lots of talking to people about Christ, which I always love doing.
I hope everyone has a good week!
-Elder Hodgson
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