Dear family,
Do you know what I just
realized? It's January and it feels like summer here! The nights get
pretty cold and we have to scrape the ice off the car every now and
then, but it gets pretty warm during the day. The other day it got up to
like 70 degrees when we were tracting! I really wish it would just like
dump a foot of snow right now and drop the temperature to near zero.
Call me crazy, but I miss that. Oklahoma doesn't cease to amaze me...
Yep, Mom. I'm officially a fourth of the way done.
Don't worry, I'm never really counting, but I couldn't help but notice
last Friday that I had hit my 6 month mark. It's gone by so quickly!
Springdale seriously seems like a distant memory in a distant world. I
already don't remember what it's like there. I guess I just love Owasso a
lot. A lot of missionaries keep on telling me that I have to burn a tie
since I hit my 6 month mark. How lame is that? I tell them that I think
it's a dumb tradition and that I'd rather keep all of my clothing
items. Some missionaries think I'm lame for saying such. What the heck??
Whoever made up that tradition was probably some missionary a long time
ago who got a mustard stain on his tie, decided to burn it because he
likes fire, and then claimed that it would be a new tradition that all
missionaries must follow. Yeah whatever. I'm also supposed to burn a
shirt on my year mark, burn some pants on my 18 month mark, and burn a
suit right before I go home (or something like that. I'm not an expert
in the vain and foolish things of this world). Great! Either way I'm
excited to move forward. I also wonder what my next 1/4 will be like. I
do know how it's going to start though.
I'm gonna be a district leader!! I'm going to be a
district leader??...... I don't know if I already told you, but Saturday
was transfer calls. Holy cats this last transfer went by in a flash! It
seems like I just met Elder Jensen. Anyways. On Saturday we were
anticipating transfer calls starting at 9 PM. We went out to eat at a
Chinese Buffet (another tradition. This time it's one in Owasso. The
tradition is to get the Mongolian grill and read your fortune aloud to
everyone. I think it was started by Elder Jensen) for lunch. My fortune
read, "An unexpected event will soon bring you fortune." I'm no
superstitious guy, but I couldn't help but think, "Oh, my. Today is
transfer calls." So eveningtime rolls around and we receive a call from
the assistants. Elder Jensen finds out that he's staying (yay that's
what we wanted), and then I find out that I'm staying (yay again). I
thought the conversation would be over, but then Elder Noice was like,
"Elder Atkin, we also decided that it would be fit for the Ranch Creek
district to make you district leader at this time." Surprise surprise!
Being a district leader isn't THAT big of a deal, but it certainly is to
me. I still feel like I'm brand new, and so I really don't know what
I'll be doing. Good thing there is a big fat district leader binder that
tells me what to do. So what do you think? Should I be excited? This
coming Sunday I already have 2 baptismal interviews with girls who'll be
in the singles ward. Oh great....
So yeah, transfer calls were exciting. Overall it was
an exciting week I guess. Well, more exciting than the past. No new
investigators to report :( But we did have a great lesson with Jim! :)
But I wasn't there because we were on exchanges :( But we will see him
again :) Elder Jensen and Elder Padgett were able to go over to Jim's
place with our ward mission leader (Bro. Kennedy) and have a smack-down
lesson with Jim. From what I heard from Elder Jensen, they asked Jim a
bunch of really good questions, bore solemn testimony, and committed him
to reading the Book of Mormon every day this week. Jim still expressed
his usual feelings of non-committalness, but he was honest with us and
shared his feelings. He still doesn't think he'll be comfortable at
church and he doesn't think that he'll get an answer to his prayers
about the Book of Mormon or the Church. But we'll keep trying. We're not
quite ready to drop him yet (like so many missionaries have done
before), but I just hope that we don't have to keep going through this.
Jim needs a solid kick in the pants, if you ask me.
We're still waiting to hear about Violet. She wasn't at
church again, so we'll have to try to contact the Brits or just hunt
her down ourselves. She sounded so golden!! I'm sorry if I sound so
repetitive, but I WANT TO TEACH SOMEBODY NEW. I've decided that the Lord
must have something in store for me that I just haven't seen yet. I
just need to trust him, I guess. I don't feel like Elder Jensen and I
are doing anything wrong, but yet there are no new investigators every
week. Do we need to tract all day every day? Or even more than that?
What does it take? We've been focusing our studies on finding lately. Do
I sound sad and depressed? Because I'm not. I'm seriously so happy! But
I just can't imagine how happy I'll be when we have some solid
investigators. Elder Jensen and I are SO eager. We're ready to pounce on
anybody that wants to listen. We're like a lion.... waiting in the
shadows.... on the prowl... looking for..... new investigators to teach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!!
Man, I love the
church so much. I feel unbelieveably good at Sacrament Meeting each
week. You'd think that I'd feel hopeless with how little of teaching
we've been doing, but it really only makes me more and more ready to go.
I'm pumped! The blessings that come from church attendance and
obedience are becoming clearer and clearer to me. It's almost flipping
tangible. All I can do now is look for ways to work harder, look for
ways to be more obedient, and look for ways to help people the best I
can. The Lord will bless me somehow. I don't know how, but he will.
Well, enough with the rambling. I'm so excited for
Rachel to move down to Provo! And the new car??! Awesome!! I hope y'all
have a great week. Be safe and be happy. Amen :)
Love, Elder Atkin
P.S. Sorry I didn't write you yesterday. We had a zone
outing and we didn't have time to email. I promise that it won't become a
regular thing.
P.P.S. Dad, did you watch the National Championship? I heard about it. 21-0! Craziness...
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