"Dear Family and Friends,
This past week was an adventure! So, I got emergency transferred
to [Name Withheld] to finish the training of a missionary. His name is Elder
[Name Withheld]. We sort of white washed in the area. Elder [Name Withheld] has been in the
other part of the area and now he has a new to work with. Anyways,
when we got to the apartment we looked at our area book..... There was
nothing... The missionaries before had opened the area just three
weeks prior of us coming here. So, we did a lot of Tracting and
Tracting. That was all that we really had to do. It was kinda sad that
I lift my last area after opening it four weeks ago. We just go
several people to work with and the work was progressing a rapid pace.
But, last week we literally started out with nothing. We found ten new
investigators and already have taught them a few times.
It was good! We also saw a huge rat in our apartment!!! It
was gross! Another missionary decided to kill it by using is foot!!
Nasty! Then he took off his shoe and washed it off in MINE shower! Not
good! Gross.......
Anyways that my week!


Sincerely,
Elder [Name Withheld]
P.s. This is my last full week of the mission."

Those emails have been enlightening...and painful.

Thou shall not kill.

Poor rat.

What does he mean by white washed?

They looked for white and delightsome people in the neighborhood?

EB, glad to see this kid heading home. From experience, he's going to have an interesting period of "readjustment" to normal life (well, as normal as life as a TBM can be).
I hope he's gonna be ok.
I've enjoyed vicariously sharing his mission.
Thanks for the long-running soap opera.

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I hope he's gonna be ok.
> I've enjoyed vicariously sharing his mission.
> Thanks for the long-running soap opera.

I hope so too. He is someone who needs guidance. I'm sure his culture, his family, and his religion will provide plenty of it for him.

I've enjoyed seeing how kids can be sent out and preserve the bubble the previously mentioned things creates around their heads.

I actually increased my faith in a deity on my mission at the same time I was in awe at the bubble heads I was surrounded by. I wanted to believe in something so badly after losing my faith and self-control as a teen. I latched onto the helium in their bubbles but I never quite accumulated enough to assist my movements around this world.

My nephew will have his bubble refilled and actual have it grow when he returns, no doubt about it.

when all missionaries from one area are moved out and new missionaries are brought in, instead of transferring just one missionary.

the only time all the elders would be cleared out and a new set sent in was because one or more of the missionaries had been fraternizing with member and/or non-member girls. One town I served in was infamous for this happening. The local girls were indeed very friendly.

The series of his emails has been very enlightening - and confirms my belief that this texting-generation can't write nor spell.

Please keep us informed whether he chooses higher education or an apprenticeship in the trades.

i Will miss these unfortunate missives from your nephew. They were painful but enlightening.

Thank you for sharing.

I don't think it's that this generation can't write nor spell. I think it has more to do with the very limited time missionaries have to write emails home. Also I'm not sure, but some of them may be trying to type these out on their ipads.

I know when I was a missionary my letters home were unintelligible half of the time, and I never had time to do a quick read through of what I wrote, I just hit send as soon as I was done. My younger brothers followed suit, and it was always fun to see what misspellings or grammar issues they had.

Maybe someone should do a study on how being severely oppressed intellectually on a mission affects thinking and writing skills lol

I will miss this kid and his weekly updates. I hope he can find something to do with his life that is more meaningful than serving a mission.

shortbobgirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will miss this kid and his weekly updates. I
> hope he can find something to do with his life
> that is more meaningful than serving a mission.

Me too. I admire him for doing it at all and lasting the full 2 years and also appreciate him giving all of us another reason to be glad I'm out of the church, even if he will never know how much I liked reading these.

@Elder Berry, maybe somehow you can slip a compliment to him for the entertainment he's provided.

"Dear Family and Friends,
This is my last email as a missionary. I have seen lots of
miracles during the course of my mission. I have seen lots of member
become active and lots of people join the church in the places that I
served. I have served with twelve wonderful missionaries. I loved the
mission and all the experiences that I've had.
See you soon,
Sincerely,
Elder [Name Withheld]"

It's like that scene in The Untouchables, where Kevin Costner and Sean Connery are interviewing recruits at the police academy. The one bumbling recruit who can't speak properly but can regurgitate all the right buzzwords about "protecting" and "serving"--"There goes the next chief of police."