Dear Family and Friends,
I received an unexpected phone call last week Tuesday. President Mangum called during our lunch time and notified me that I would be the new office elder for the mssion. I was really surprised, especially when he told me that I would be leaving for the office the very next day after our district meeting. I was a little disappointed because I had only been in Bauan for about a month and I was just barely getting to know the area and the members. The good news was that I still hadn't even fully unpacked from my last transfer so that went pretty smoothly.
Life in the office is really different, and I'm still adjusting to it. Our mission doesn't have enough senior couples to take care of the different zones so we have taken on a lot of extra responsibilities. We head to the office at about 8:00 or 9:00 every morning. We go through all the baskets and prioritize what we need to do for that day, and then we do our hour of personal study there in the office. Then we do work in the office (referrals, pouches, mail, supplies, cellphones, deductions from support, and anything that President or the senior couples ask us to do). After that, we usually need to drive somewhere in the mission to help someone move an apartment or give them supplies for their apartments (we do a lot of driving). Once a month, we also drive to most of the areas in the mission to replace water filters since we don't have senior couples to do it. We usually get out to do actual proselyting at around 6:00 or 7:00. We usually only get 1 lesson in a day and then we go OYM and give the referrals to the other missionaries in San Pablo.
It's definitely a different schedule than I've become accustomed to, but the work is still really exciting and and fulfilling. The two other office elders are really good at planning so everything runs very smoothly. It is also really exciting to be involved in all the inner workings of the mission.
I will be replacing Elder Nielson at the end of this transfer. They just brought me in early so I could learn everything that I needed to before he leaves. Elder Nielson was actually my zone leader on Mindoro and the other office elder (Elder Benosa) was my district leader on Mindoro, so it's pretty fun for us to all be back together again. Elder Nielson is from Alberta, Canada, and Elder Benosa is from Mindanao, Philippines. They are both really nice guys and it's been fun to be in a trio with them. Elder Nielson will be transferred on September 10th, so we have a countdown to learn everything we need to since he has been in the office for the longest time.
Everything is going well, and once again, I'm just trying to absorb as much as I can. I'm really excited for all of the new and unique experiences that lie ahead.
- Elder English
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