Transfer Time Again!

Hello everyone!

Yes my birthday here was great! It was kind of just another day of missionary work, you know - but this nice member family fed me and got some cake and then afterwards we had a co-ordination meeting with the Ward Mission Leader and he bought us pizza, so we were really really full that night! But it was really fun, not super eventful, but it was a good day!

And also yes guys - it is transfer week again. And surprise surprise: I'm getting a new companion again! In case you didn't realize, I was with Elder Jaeger for two transfers right at the beginning of my mission, and since then I've only had companions for one transfer! I had 6 in a row: Faingata'a, McBride, Dickson, Stahle, Duff and Ma'a.

But the news this transfer is that I'm training a new missionary! So my next companion I should have for 2 transfers at least! That's how it normally works when someone is trained usually, because during the first 12 weeks of your mission, your trainer runs through a special program with you. So I'll be doing that starting tomorrow!

At transfer meetings (I've been to a bunch now) all the brand new missionaries bear their testimonies, and then all the missionaries going home bear their testimonies, and then the trainee's are introduced to their trainers - and beforehand nobody knows who it's going to be, so when they announce - ''so and so is being trained by....    Elder Thompson!'' I'm going to jump up and run up to the stand and hug whoever it is I'm training, but I won't find out who it is until right then!

So that should be fun! And I'm excited but a bit nervous to show the new guy the ropes!

So anyways - I think somebody maybe Sammy was asking about do we do any service as missionaries? And to answer, yes we do - not that often, but whenever we can, especially if they're not members or less active or something like that - and in addition we always look for unplanned acts of service, we just ask people if we can help with anything, and sometimes people say yes.

But this week the Ward organized a helping hands activity where we cleared all the plants and dirt from some really overgrown paths in the area, and it was really fun - tons of ward members showed up and it was really nice!

Dad was asking for some stories about some people were teaching so let me just tell you a bit about a lesson we had this week with a lady named Thethe Kanghi who is originally from the Congo but has moved around quite a bit - and her daughter Jenny who is scheduled to be baptized on the 3rd of October and their neighbour, another African Lady named Rita. Basically we wanted to go and teach Jenny a lesson to prep her for her baptism - but when we showed up their neighbour was in the house and so we taught the first lesson to all of them, and it was so funny because Thethe doesn't really speak English, but Jenny does and Rita thinks she does but she doesn't really - but they all speak French! But because Ma'a can't understand French they all did their best to talk English, but often I would have to translate in French and English and it was just really funny! 

But jenny is excited to be baptized and Rita wants to meet with us again on Thursday and come to church! So we'll see how it goes! Plus that'll be an interesting lesson for the first full day of whatever new missionary I'll have with me! Should be fun!

So the rest of transfer news - Elder Ma'a is not my companion anymore but he's staying in the area and is going to be with Elder Korte from Australia! And the other Elder in our flat - Elder Vickers is moving to Leeds. So this next transfer should be fun! Ma'a always keeps things exciting.

Thanks for the letters from the cabin and the talk from dad! I really liked the talk you gave in Ward Conference Dad. The poem right at the beginning really sunk in with me, I like it. There was a few other quotes as well - one from some book, about atheism? I really liked it too.

Sounds like you guys are having a fun week! Everybody here is going back to school too! The busses are always filled with College students - but University hasn't even started yet, this town is goin to be a madhouse when that starts!

Love you guys!

Elder Thompson