Dear Family,
Haha it's okay if you send the
same letter to both of us Mom. At least you sent one at all. It means a
lot to me that you even consider writing an email specifically for me,
so I'm okay with it.
To answer a few questions: My toe is doing all better. In fact, it's just wonderful! I never thought that I'd be free of pain on that toenail. I had just gotten used to it. The sad thing though, is that my other toe is now starting to get a little in-grown. I thought that it might happen from all of the walking that we do, and it seems to be getting worse. I'm going to try a few things before I go and get it cut out, but it'll probably have to happen sooner or later. At least it's good to know that I'm not the only one. Missionaries go in like every week to get in-grown toenails taken care of. And don't worry, it's not that bad.
Yes, transfer calls just happened. I totally forgot to
tell you! This last Saturday we went out to lunch at a Chinese buffet
(transfer call day tradition), and then that night was transfer calls.
Elder Jensen and I were crossing our fingers and hoping that we wouldn't
get a call. We've had such a good time together! Calls start at 9:00
and go until 10:30 (bedtime). We waited and waited until 10:30 came, so
we went to bed thinking that we were both safe. But to our dismay, we
got a call at 10:35 from the assistants. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Both of us started freaking out and throwing stuff around the room. I
answered the phone and Elder Noyce informed me that I would be staying
in Owasso as district leader, but I would be getting a new companion
named Elder Ivie. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! (sorry Elder Ivie!) I
then tossed the phone to Elder Jensen and he was informed that he would
be moving to Pittsburg, Kansas to be senior companion. It was not a
happy occasion :(
Well, what can I do. It's all part of the mission life.
It's easy for me to say that Elder Jensen is my favorite companion. We
worked so well together and we totally felt like brothers. We could tell
each other anything and joke with each other. We could have friendly
arguments. We were like a 1-2 punch. Long walks/bike-rides around Owasso
were so much fun because we had so much to talk about. The ward could
see our unity and it got them pumped. No offense to Elder Ivie, but he's
got big shoes to fill. But like I said, it was going to happen sooner
or later, even if we beg and beg president to keep us together (which we
did haha). But I'm excited for the opportunity. I have so much more
growth to go through, and I know that Elder Ivie has many things to
teach me. We're meant to be companions, and I truly believe that. I'm
determined to make it just as fun and exciting as it was with my man
Elder Jensen.
But there is some happy news. Elder Villarreal is
staying in my district for another transfer! He'd been told he'd leave
because he's supposed to be a Spanish elder, but I guess he'll be doing
more work in Claremore. Him and his companion Elder Burbank are really
turning things around in their area. They get along very well and
they're working hard. It makes my job easier as a district leader. And
speaking of which, I was able to go on exchanges with him last Wednesday
and Thursday. It was so much fun!!! Who'd of thunk that we'd go to the
SAME mission? Who'd of thunk that we'd be in the SAME district?? And
who's of thunk that he'd come to Owasso for a day to proselyte with
me??? We're just starting to get used to it, but when we first saw each
other at transfer points we didn't even know what to say. It was almost
awkward because of how crazy-ridiculous it was. But now it's just fine.
We talk to each other like old pals. We tracted all day when he was with
me, and it was one of the most fun experiences of my mission. In all
seriousness, I feel like I've been blessed. To have an old friend in my
district? Priceless.
The work is continually progressing here in Owasso. I
feel like Elder Jensen and I have fought tooth-and-nail to get things
going around here. But I really do not mean to bring any credit towards
myself. All it took was a lot of praying and hard work. The Lord does
the rest. And to realize that there is an infinite amount of things more
that we can do just makes me all the more excited. Elder Ivie is coming
from back-woods Missouri where the work can get kinda slow, so he'll
probably love it. Elder Jensen and I were able to set a baptismal date
with Branden (I think I told you about him last week) on Tuesday. How
exciting is that!!! Branden is really really quiet, but he knows that
baptism is important, and Deb (his grandmother) is all for it. All we
have to do now is help him understand the principles of what we teach
and to get him excited for March 17 - which happens to be St. Patrick's
day (I think).
David came to church again for the 5th time in a row!
He's basically active now :) Each week it's fun to meet with him after
church and hear what he thought about it. And each week, without fail,
the talks and lessons seem to be just for him. Topics such as tithing,
the temple, and obedience/blessings. I can see David's confidence and
testimony growing exponentially. He loves the fellowship that the ward
is giving him. We weren't able to have a lesson with Ashley this past
week, but she's off of work this week and she said that her husband will
be willing to listen too. We're going to try and set a date with Ashley
in our next visit.
Mom, I'm sure you've
been wondering where Jim has gone in all of this. We hadn't seen Jim in
a long time until this last week. He really is just not willing to
change, sadly, despite our contant visits and some of the cool stuff you
sent me to share with him. But we thought we'd drop by this last week
with Bro. Gaylord (who happens to be Jim's electrician) and we had a
nice visit with him. Jim really appreciates the fellowship our ward is
giving him, so hopefully that helps in the future. As for now, we're
only going to drop by every now and then.
I'm proud to report that we got 20 again! The stake
presidency has really taken notice and they like what we're doing. I've
heard that Stake highcouncilmen have been braggin up on us. Sweet!
Well, I'm out of time, but I love you and wish y'all
the best. Thanks for all you do! Wish Grandma well for me and have fun
with all the snow. Lucky...
Love, Elder Atkin
P.S.
We got to bless a home that was inhabited by evil spirits yesterday.
Legit! I guess you could say that we were "casting out demons".
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