WEEK 22 - DWELLING in the WILDERNESS

Hello everyone, this is Elder Z.S.Weber!

 

That's right, I'm back once again, and made it safely through Transfer Day! Well...mostly safely. Elder Tapia (my new companion) and I had to put our bags onto the Mission's Trailer so that they could get to Nebraska safely. However, once we got to Nebraska, and were picking the bags up, one of mine went missing! Luckily, it was only the bag that has my non-missionary clothes in it, as well as my extra missionary books, like Jesus the Christ, Preach My Gospel, and Ensign. My scriptures, personal hygiene items, and missionary clothes all made it there safely, so I can still at least work hard until I can get my other bag from my new Zone Leaders, who are actually serving in Wyoming right now.

 

...yeah...I may never see that bag again...

 

Anyways, besides losing my bag, everything else seems to have gone just great! Instead of living with members, like I had with Elder Proffit and Elder V back in Fossil Creek, Elder Tapia and I are living in a double-wide trailer, equipped with five beds, a personal washer and dryer, a dishwasher, an oven, and one of those old TV's that are as wide side to side as they are front to back. Our landlord is a nice and kind 80's-ish old man named Joe, who always seems to have a smile on his face, and actually gave us some pancakes and jams the first real day we were in the area. Also, we no longer have The Battle Wagon (Fossil Creek's Grand Caravan). Instead, we have a small and simple Subaru that has great gas mileage, but is probably too small a car to be handling the rugged roads of Kimball, Nebraska.

 

That brings me to the other interesting fact about my new area. Though Elder Tapia and I are technically serving in Kimball, our area is actually a Ward made up of about a half-dozen small towns, the largest of which is Sidney, Nebraska, the home for the famous hunting/fishing outfitter, Cabela's. So, we are actually sharing the area with the Sidney Elders, Elder Snelders and Elder Layton. Elder Snelders is actually a missionary I already knew--he was one of the District Leaders back in Loveland. Elder Layton, however, is a greener greenie than even I, and comes from the strange and exotic world of Alberta, Canada. Working with them, especially with how to divide up the Ward, has been a very interesting and enjoyable experience, though also a bit of a headache now and then.

 

Besides our fellow Elders, the people in our Ward are some really great and amazing people. Most all of them work for, or are in some way related to, the Cabela's franchise, and as such, there are some very interesting characters to be found here. Like for instance...the Jones'. The first day I met them, I walked up onto their front porch with Elder Layton, Snelders, and Tapia, and the first thing I saw was a dead raccoon laying in a cardboard box. Elder Layton, rather than being surprised or disturbed by the lifeless creature, merely chuckled and said, "looks like Brother Jones finally took care of his pest problem." When we went inside, I found out that the raccoon was probably the least of the sights I'd see with Brother Jones. A real, bona fide hunter, Brother Jones does his own tanning, smithing, and carving. Last night, at dinner, he went into deep detail about how to tan a deer's hide, and even brought out a rifle of his he uses on some of his big-game hunting endeavors, while also cracking some hilarious jokes about his hobby-based work. So, for the most part, I'm getting the feeling I'm going to like this Ward.

 

The excitement doesn't stop there, though! Not only is this Ward filled with friendly and comedic hunters and outdoorsmen, but so far the experiences I've gained here in the first week surpass those of Fossil by a long shot. On Friday morning, after driving through the cold fog of the day, our Mission got the chance to hear from Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Some of the Elders there were afraid he was coming to give us an Apostolic beat-down, and chastise us brutally in front of the Mission President. But, no, when he got up to speak, he looked out over our still, silent crowd, and began cracking some sarcastic comments. Instantly, all the tension in the room disappeared, and we were able to really enjoy ourselves, listening to him talk to us in a very friendly, casual manner, and have us answer some non-aggressive questions. He even answered some questions from the crowd, questions that ranged from "what impact has your wife and your family had on your life" to "what was it like being called as an Apostle" to even "where is the Sword of Laban".

 

...actually, that last one he just gave the Elder that asked it a blank, "are-you-kidding-me" stare and shook his head...

 

But, all in all, it was a great conference, and the spirit I was able to feel there, while listening to one of the fifteen Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ bear his testimony and answer our questions, was incredible. I'm very thankful for the chance I had to listen to him, and to learn from him. I hope that, with as magnificent a beginning to this Transfer, I and Elder Tapia will be able to have a wonderful six weeks here in Kimball, Nebraska, doing whatever we can to expand our Master's garden ever further into the world. I know that the work will be hard--I'm going to have to work in a completely new way than how I did back in Fossil--but as long as Elder Tapia and I put in our best, whatever we reap is what we deserve. And I know that with our Heavenly Father supporting us through this, we will do many great and marvelous things here. That is my prayer for this next Transfer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Well, that's all for this week. See y'all again next Monday!

 

--Elder Z.S.Weber

 

A message like this makes my day a good one!!!

 

**Excerpt from the Mom Letter:

 

Alright, first the questions:

** Well, they have a Pizza Hut, a Subway, and a Family Dollar, but other than that, nothing.

** I'm living in a trailer house, peach color.

** There are about 300 members in the area, but only about a fifth of them are active.

** No, there have been proselyting missionaries before us, but that was back in 2008-2012.

** We have Elder Snelders and Elder Layton over in Sidney, about forty miles east of us.

** We go to church in Sidney.

** Elder Tapia is okay, a really nice guy once you get to know him.

 

Sounds like things are going great back home (except for the inversion, of course). I hope you know how much it means to me that you guys keep emailing me. These emails help me stay strong and last long through the week. They...give me hope that I'm doing good out here, and remind me of the real reason that I'm serving. So, thank you.