June 30

Hey!

 

Coming to you from the Oregon Salem Mission. I am really interested how this transition is going to go. It has been interesting to see all of the little changes that have all ready started to take place. We have MLC (Mission Leadership Council) all day Friday and then we are staying the night and going on a "field trip" on Saturday. We are not really sure what President Samuelain has planned for that but it sounds like it is going to be fun. I think that he is trying to get the leadership of the mission to become united so that the mission can becaome united rather than having Portland missionaries and Eugene missionaries. It is fun to be in a place where I can have more information, I like to be in the know. We haven't had a chance to meet President Samuelain yet but we will meet him tomorrow morning.

 

This past week we had Zone Conference for the last time with President and Sister Morby. They are so great! On Tuesday Morning Sister Morby sent Elder Irvine and I a text asking us if she could cut one of our ties. Then when we got there she said that she didn't do that for everyone but that we had been in the OPM for so long that we were "Their missionaries." That was so hard to not cry, I love them so much. It was cool though because after zone conference they had departures and we got to mark our scripture in their scriptures and they gave us the OPM pin (we can't wear it until we go home) and then they gave us a binder with all the e-mails that we had sent to President Morby. It was really fun to start reading them and be able to recreate every week. Elder Irvine and I also both needed temple recomends so after that we had our interviews for those so we get to have OPM temple recommends!

 

Sounds like you are going to have a fun 4th. I love this time of year! We are going to spend a good part of the day helping at the city celebration in North Plains and then we are going to a bbq. We have to be in by 7pm so I am not very excited about that but that is what was asked so that is what I will do:)

 

We have been very busy! We have a few progressing investigators which is great! I think that probably the coolest thing is that we dropped by Don & Leatha's yesterday and we are going to start teaching them. They are actually in the Dairy Creek ward where I am now so we are hoping that it will help with the transition. They are so awesome! The work here really is just chugging along. It really helps that the ward is supportive, especially the youth. We go to mutual every week because we get referrals there almost every week. It is awesome!

 

Things in our zone are going ok. We cover two districts, Forest Grove and McMinnville. In Forest Grove there are 6 companionships (8 Elders and 4 Sisters) and in McMinnville there are 5 Companionships (8 Elders and 2 Sisters). I remember before I left that Grandma Steel said that she really wanted me to serve in Tillamook, well I never served there but it is in my district so that is pretty close.

 

Hope that everything is going great there in the wonderfully dry state of Idaho (it has been in the 90's all week and humid). Love you all!

 

Dustin