Week 13, Alaska, Fairbanks

Hello people's,

This week has been pretty crazy, but it was a good week like usual. My
new companion is Elder Reading. He's a fun guy, he's super nerdy,
which is fun. We geek out sometimes, and it's pretty sad. I'll be here
in Fairbanks till at least mid-December, the beginning of February at
the latest. This week I saw the coldest weather I've ever seen in my
life. It was -15 out one day. If you breathe through your noses your
nose hairs freeze and your nostrils stick together. It's funny, but it
also means you have to breathe through your mouth all the time, so now
my throat is dry and I'm sick, which is unpleasant. It's just a cold,
no worries there, it's just annoying.

Monday we got up bright and early to take Elder Jesperson to the
airport, so I was with Elder Kettle who's serving in 5th ward for two
days because we didn't pick up our new companions till Tuesday night.
We had dinner with Bishop Roe, the previous bishop in the ward.
Apparently he would swear from the pulpit. He's hilarious though. He
always asks us for mission gossip. This ward is crazy. I feel like
people back home weren't this crazy. 

Tuesday was transfer meeting, so we watched all the departing
missionaries give their departing testimonies. It's funny how easy it
is to tell the people who cared about their mission and who didn't.
I'm hoping when I give my departing testimony it'll be clear that I
cared. Of course, I still got some time before I get there. Then that
night we picked up our companions from the airport. Elder Reading is
kind of a small, unintimidating kind of guy, so now they have two of
the smallest elders in the same ward. We're terrible at two on two
basketball now. He just came up from the Northern Lights Samoan ward,
so he eats like crazy. It's hilarious. He just doesn't stop, then he's
hungry an hour later. 

Wednesday and Thursday we pretty uneventful, but we were able to visit
a few people. We taught a few lessons, got lost a few times because
neither of us are masters of our area, and ate a lot of pizza. It was
a pizza filled week. 

Friday picked up though. We taught Lorinda and we brought a member so
we didn't have to do a lesson outside. We brought Brother Blankenship
who is a crazy old man, so it was an interesting lesson. The goal is
to get members to every lesson we have, but everyone works except for
old people, and all our investigators are young single mom's. It
doesn't work too well sometimes. But we're working on it! We have a
lot of spreadsheets right now. Too many spreadsheets. 

Saturday was great. We taught four lessons that day. We also attended
two baptisms, one was for a convert in 3rd ward, the other was for a
kid in our ward. It was really nice. It was a spiritual day, which
helped soothe my anxiety of being greenie -broke. The transfer after
you finish training is your greenie-brake transfer, which is stressful
because you're the only one who knows the area so everything is up to
you. No pressure. 

Sunday was a good Sabbath. There were three investigators at church.
The Smiths, who were with their friends the Kennedys, and Jennifer who
we got there with a member. It was awesome. Jennifer is crazy. She was
not afraid at all to participate in Gospel Principles or Relief
Society, and people were really good at fellowshipping her. We stopped
by her house after church to see how she liked it and she attack
hugged me. Elder Reading laughed at me.  Jennifer creeps on me a
little, it's weird man. 

So that's the week. I'm doing pretty good. Following the rules, not
driving like an idiot, freezing to death, it's all good. It's
currently -20 out right now, so that's an exciting development.
Tracting becomes significantly less effective at these temperatures.
Man I wish I hadn't run out of wool socks. Such is life. Have a great
week everybody. 

Elder Miller

The only picture I got this week was of this giant burrito that Elder Miller is apparently pretty proud of.