6 More Weeks in Gainesville

 

Hello friends and family,

 

Another transfer has gone by, and Elder Smith and I are staying in Gainesville for another transfer together. We don't have all of the details yet for this coming transfer, but we should be getting another set of English elders up here tomorrow. We helped set up an apartment for them this last week, so we'll see who ends up there.

 

With the new missionaries up here, our area will probably be splitting. It's a very large area, so that's probably for the better. Wherever I end up here, it'll be a good time and there will be work to do.

 

The work has been going well recently, we have our friends Brad and Kelly who are both progressing right now. They're both great, and they both love talking. It's sometimes hard to get a real lesson in because of how much they talk, but we do our best and they both love our message.

 

This week will be a fun one, hopefully there will be lots to write about. Have a good week!

 

 

Elder Mullins

I'm Transferring!

 

Hello friends and family,

 

Sorry I haven't written the last couple weeks. I was sick last week and I think I ran out of time or something the week before. But this week I have some exciting news. Transfers are tomorrow, and I'm leaving Decatur. I'm not going far though, I'm not even leaving my district. I'm going up to Gainesville and my new companion will be Elder Smith.

 

Elder Smith is still in training, so I'll be finishing his training this coming transfer. He's been in my district so I already know him a bit, which is nice. It should be a fun transfer. 

 

It's kind of funny that my first two areas are the two most rural areas in the mission, I guess I have something to learn out here in the boonies. Maybe I'm being prepared to be stuck in the city for the rest of my mission.

 

I'll be leaving my friends behind in Decatur, most notably Ramone. I'll keep in contact with him though, I think he'll be able to kick alcohol and get to church. I think he could be baptized within 3 months if he put in the effort, and I think he's just about willing to do it. Pray for him to make it to church, that's been a big thing for him recently. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 

 

Elder Mullins

My Ward is Splitting!

 

Hello friends and family,

 

I missed writing an email last week, but we had stake conference and they announced that the Decatur ward would be splitting, effective November 16. Basically, Decatur and Boyd are going to make up the new Decatur ward, and everything else I was covering will make up the new Grasslands ward.

 

We've had two sets of elders in the ward for the last couple of transfers, so we're going to each take one of the wards. Elder Mecham and I will be taking Grasslands since most of the people we're working with fall in those boundaries.

 

Our friends are all progressing at their own pace, nothing super crazy right now. I'm hoping we can get Ramone to church in the near future though. I think I've talked about him before, but he's super cool. Just has a drinking problem. We have two new people we're teaching, both named Sharon, and living at opposite ends of the area. We haven't met much with either of them yet, but hopefully we can help them come closer to Christ.

 

Matthew is doing well, we talked to him yesterday. He'll be a strong member, he just needs some time and some confidence. He's a great person. 

 

Sometimes it feels like our impact is so small out here in the field, but the small changes we see in people every day bring to mind a talk that Elder Uchtdorf gave in 2008, where he talked about a few degrees of error making all the difference in our lives. Each moment in our lives is a hinge point, where a few degrees of variation make an immense impact down the road. When we help people make small and simple changes in their lives to follow Christ, it is helpful to remember that although the change is not big, it has altered the trajectory of their lives in a way that will bring great joy to them in the future.

 

Have a great week,

Elder Mullins

New Ward Boundaries

Hmmmmm...no wheels...

Ohhh...this one has wheels,
but I'm not so sure it will go anywhere...

Cool moth

New Companion

 

Hello friends and family,

 

This week has been great, but difficult. My new companion, Elder Mecham, is great. We get along alright, and he has no problem working hard. It's a good thing too, because it definitely helped me get through the week. Since he's new to the area, I've had to take the lead in planning our days and contacting our people, which is exhausting. He's been helpful in lessons though, he's a great teacher. I have a lot to learn from him.

 

We have a friend named Ramone that Elder Layne and I had been talking to for a few weeks, and this week he's shown some great progress! He has a super strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon, but he just couldn't get over his drinking habits so he hasn't been baptized. 

 

This week, on my first day working with Elder Mecham, we called Ramone and asked if we could come by. He said yes, so we went over. That was the most sober I had ever seen him. We met with him a few more times throughout the week, including earlier today, and he's doing a lot better than he has before. We read 3 Nephi 11 with him today, and he committed to read every day. Right now I have high hopes for him. Pray for Ramone, help him have the strength he needs to stop drinking.

 

I'm sending a few pictures with this email too. There are a couple pictures from a walk we took around the park this morning, and one that Elder Mecham took of himself on my phone while I was out of the room. Maybe next week I'll send a normal picture of him too.

 

Everyone have a good week, stay cool.

 

Elder Mullins

 

Elder Mecham high-jacked my phone

We Got A Baptism!

 

Hello friends and family,

 

This has been a great end to the transfer! Going in, we weren't sure whether we were going to push back Matthew's baptism or not, but after meeting with him and talking about it for a while, he decided it was time to move forward and be baptized. After many tribulations, we managed to help him prepare for baptism, and I had the opportunity to perform the baptism on Saturday.

 

Along with the baptism, it's also transfer time. Elder Layne is leaving the area to be a zone leader in Irving, and I'm staying here. My new companion will be Elder Mecham. I haven't talked to him much since he hasn't been in my zone, but Elder Layne actually trained him too. I think he's been out for about a year, and I've heard good things about him. It should be a good transfer.

 

Everyone have a good week!

 

Elder Mullins

Elder Layne, me, and Matthew

My first baptism