So, tomorrow is transfer day in the mission, meaning I have been in the mission field for 6 weeks!!! It is crazy to think about. And I have some crazy news.... I made breakfast this morning!!! Wow! Hahahahaha, not the crazy news. Anyway....
So Saturday morning we received a phone call from President Tucker. Elder Redmon answered it, because he thought he was in trouble. He borrowed another missionary's GPS and the Elder had wanted it back for awhile now. That Elder called 15 minutes before President Tucker did, and Elder Redmon ignored the call, thinking he would call him back later that day after he shipped the GPS. So 15 minutes after the ignored call, the President called and Elder Redmon thought the other missionary had called the top dog and that he was gonna get a talkin' to! Well, turns out he was wrong. We had forgotten about transfers, and we all get a phone call saying whether we were getting transferred or not. Anyway, this whole time I had no idea who Elder Redmon was talking to, because I was in the other room. But he comes in and hands me the phone, and tells me it is President Tucker. I had no idea why he wanted to talk to little ol' me, but I answered the phone. We greeted each other, and then he said, "I assume Elder Redmon told you about the bigs news" and I told him no.... and then he said to me.... "You're being transfered!!!!!" It caught me completely off guard! I have only been in Texarkana 6 weeks. So I asked him where I was being transfered to and he told me I am going to Gulfport South (Gulfport, Mississippi...right on the coast). I then asked who my new companion was, and he said it was an Elder from Utah by the name of.... Elder Todd!!!! (He asked if I knew him, knowing full well that I do). It is CRAZY!!!! For those reading this that might not know who Elder Todd is, allow me to explain. Elder Michael Lorin Todd is from Mt. Pleasant, Utah! Same stake as me, and we used to work together. We are really good friends. Spent plenty of time hanging out and goofing off. It is absolutely crazy that we got sent to the same mission, and now we will be serving together. When I got sent to Texarkana, I thought I wouldn't get to see Elder Todd at all, because he now only has 6-12 weeks left and that is how long I was expecting to be in Texarkana. I told President Tucker that this was a complete surprise and he said it was. He said he normally doesn't do this, but he had a strong impression that he should. I guess the Lord has a work for Elder Todd and myself out in Gulfport, MS. It's crazy!
So that was Saturday morning. It is bitter sweet. I love Texarkana, and Elder Redmon and I were really starting to get along well, and I love the people here and have made some friends. I am especially going to miss Lyman Sisson. He is so awesome. I have mentioned him before. I have learned a lot from him and consider him a really good friend. It is going to be tough to leave here, but I am excited to serve with Elder Michael Todd. It is going to be a BLAST!!!! His older brother, Taylor, and I were joking around before I left that Michael would be my trainer and we would have so much fun together sharing the gospel that people would see us and the joy we had, that they would want to have what we have and would be curious and come investigate the church. Well, I guess it will happen now.
Not too much else happened this week. Same ol' same ol'. We did go to Ashdown, AR on Friday and worked there for the day. A member, Brother Jet (he is Thai and has a hard name to pronounce so he goes by Jet for short... and I don't remember his last name) drove us. We ended up going on splits, and I went with Jet and Elder Redmon went with Tylor Jones, a 16 year old who lives in Ashdown (which is 20-30 minutes away from Texarkana). We all had a lot of success and it was tons of fun.
Well, not too much else to report on. I leave tomorrow sometime for Gulfport South (which is the coast... and one of the longest transfers of the mission.... LOOOOOOONG drive!) The transfer van (15 passenger van) will pick us (Elder Davis and Elder Mark from my district are being transfered as well) up in Monroe. So we will drive to Shreveport, LA, and from there get a ride with a member to Monroe and from there we will meet Elder and Sister Erikson and head out east.
It's not very often at all that a greenie who has been out 6 weeks leaves his trainer and goes to a different area. Elder Todd will finish my training. I am assuming that I will serve with him until he goes home, and then I will be there another 1-2 transfers. Not to worry. Hurricanes and oil don't bother me much. I hear the apartments there are really nice. Elder Redmon served in Ocean Springs, which is the area right next to Gulfport.
I look forward to my transfer. The Lord had a work for me to do here in Texarkana, and I have finished (almost... I still have 1 day left!) that and now he needs me in Gulfport. I am ready and willing to go where the Lord calls.
For any letters, until I know for sure of my mailing address in Gulfport, you can send them to the mission home address:
Elder Dwight Douglas Mendenhall
681 Towne Center Blvd Ste C
Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157
They will forward all the mail on to me. And any mail sent to Texarkana will also reach me in Gulfport....eventually.
Well, the work goes on. I will try to not have too much fun with Elder Todd. Keep the faith, and keep on keeping on!
Love,
Elder Dwight Douglas Mendenhall
