New Companion, New Wards to Serve!

Elder Fry is gone. Elder Warren is here. The Walnut Grove area (which is right next to Collierville) is being "shut down" until next transfers (March 7) where they will be getting Sisters. It's not being totally shut down, though. In fact, I now have more on my plate. 

Now Elder Warren and I cover Collierville First ward, Collierville Second ward, the Germantown ward, the Walnut Grove ward, and the singles ward. 5 wards for 2 missionaries to take care of. It'll only be that way for 6 weeks, and we're making it work. After that 6 weeks, I'll also be getting a new companion since Elder Warren will be going home. I expect to stay in Collierville for another transfer after this one. I'll be here at least as long as Elder Fry was -- 6 months.

On Wednesday last week, The mission leader for the 1st ward, Bro. Mortensen, asked Elder Warren and I, along with Bro. Tinker (who is the assistant ward mission leader) to teach a lesson to all the youth about preparing to serve a mission, as well as being a better missionary. We decided to split it up into 3 parts: I covered preparation, Warren covered being a better missionary, and Bro. Tinker talked about being a missionary after a mission. It went very well. I was very nervous, but I made it through.

My mom asked me what I normally do on P-Days. I guess I should cover that, because we've been doing the same thing for the last few weeks now. We get together with the youth in the church building and play basketball along with hide and go seek. We play around dusk, so the church gets extremely dark as the sun goes down. It's hard to play hide and go seek then! The youth are really happy that we do it, though. They come to us every Sunday and ask if we're still getting together Monday. It's fun to be with them.

Well, I'll wrap it up. We're planning to open up a new slew of possible investigators. We're putting that into action this week. Pray for our success! I love you guys! I'll have a picture of Elder Warren next week.

-Elder Staib

Photos

This is the Martin family. They're very active in the ward.
They once got to go to the temple 4 weeks in a row! 

Transfer Week...

Hey everybody!

This week was emotionally straining. Transfers. My first time having to deal with a risk of being taken out of an area I really love. The results are in: I'm staying in Collierville, and Elder Fry is being transferred. I'm getting Elder Warren, who served in the next town over - Walnut Grove. Walnut Grove is being shut down for a transfer in preparation for Sisters. Elder Warren only has one transfer left on his mission, so I'll only be with him for 6 weeks. I guess that means I'll be here for at least 2 transfers? Unless they decide to whitewash the area... Anyway, Elder Warren's a fun guy. I'm excited to serve with him. Another bonus of the transfer is that we'll have the car full-time instead of every other week. Yessssssssss.

Elder Fry twisted his ankle on Saturday. We were helping someone move furniture in the morning, and he stepped off the moving truck badly. It wasn't bugging him too much until we played a game of basketball with some of the youth that evening, and then he put the final hurt on it after trying to block a layup. He's hopping around on one leg, and the ankle is really swollen. he'll be ok, according to the ward chiropractor. It's just a classic sprain, and should take 4-8 weeks to fully heal.

The ward exchange program is going great. Ward members are really looking forward to being with the missionaries, and hopefully they'll start bringing their friends in.

All our potentials and other investigators stand on the same step of the ladder they were on last week, but that WILL change this week. Somehow. BUT IT WILL.

Well, I gotta get going. I'll be sure to have lots of stories from my first week with Elder Warren. Good times and blessings await! We just gotta earn 'em. Love ya guys! Talk to y'all later!

Photos

Snow in Collierville

Heeeeeeeeeey everybody. This past week was kind of a blur, but I'll try to point out the big parts. I've been sick this past week, but it's calming down. The weather has been 50-60 degrees all week, except for 2 days where it dropped to the 20s. It snowed one of those days, and you can imagine how excited I was to see it.

On Tuesday, we tracted into a guy that was a very passionate Bible reader. He owns 12 different translations of the Bible. We got started talking with him, and it turned out to be a long, 3-hour conversation on the similarities and difference between our religion and his. I honestly don't know what his religion was since he was pulling ideas from 5 different denominations.

In the end, we asked him to read the Book of Mormon and pray. He said that man shouldn't pray to seek answers.

He also said we should be looking for people around us outside of the Mormon church to influence our lives and bring us to the light of Christ. This was the second time he had seen the missionaries. Who should be looking? He was a nice guy, though. Gave us some soda.

Many people from Mississippi have been going to the hospital lately, or been needing to. One man just got a knee replacement Tuesday, and we gave him a blessing of recovery on Saturday. Another man is going in for back surgery tomorrow, and we're giving him a blessing this afternoon. A woman is in the hospital for liver problems, and we got to see her in the hospital yesterday with a member of the bishopric.

SO HERE'S THE MAJOR NEWS:

Elder Fry was called last week to be a trainer again. One of us will be leaving Collierville, and it will most likely be me. Mail packages and letters to the mission home until I send you guys my new address. I'll be in a new area in two weeks with a new companion. I'll find out for sure next Monday if I'm leaving or not. There's still a possibility that Fry will be sent to whitewash a new area with his trainee, but I'm most likely leaving.

Ward basketball season has started up, and we've been bringing Caleb to play for our ward (the second ward). We've lost both our games so far, but it's been a good chance to get Caleb closer to the ward members. His family usually only stays for 2 blocks. We're really pushing him to stay for 3.

There's a family up in Oakland called the Stokes. Elder Arnold, Elder Fry and Bro. Pennington found Mrs.Stokes taming a roaming donkey in the middle of the road. She says that the moment she met them, she knew something was there for her to find. We're very excited to teach her. She's almost guaranteed to be baptized this year once we get a better idea of the work schedule for her and her husband.

Well, that's about it for me. Thank you for all the letters! And Happy Birthday, Grandma! Love you! Be safe in the cold weather, everyone!

-Elder Staib