We had a really normal week
this week but it was a fun one. Tuesday
when our week really started we drove up to Springfield to do our exchange with
them. That was really fun because Elder Christensen is one of the zone leaders
there and he was the assistant for 7 1/2 months while I was a zone leader and
we went on a ton of exchanges. It was really fun to get to be with him again.
The
day after that we went up to Champaign and had our exchange with them. It was
the first time I have been on an exchange with Elder Bellnap and we have known
each other for like 9 months now. One of the coolest things that I have been
able to do over the last month or 2 is really build friendships with so many missionaries.
Right now I am looking at a board with 230 missionary faces on it and when I
first got here I had no idea what was going on with all of those missionaries.
But now I can look at the board and have personal experiences with every single
person up there. I have learned that every person in the world has something
that they can teach us.
Thursday we just planned out MLC all day which is
always a party... Then Friday
we had MLC. It’s always fun to get 20 of the best missionaries I have ever met
together and see what kind of ideas they can come up with to help the mission.
We have fallen into a slump recently and we are starting to fall behind our
month goal for baptisms as a mission. We have a bunch of different ideas that
we are going to try over the next few weeks and hopefully that can get things
picked up again.
Saturday was a really fun day. We drove down to Cape
Girardeau and went on exchanges with the zone leaders down there. Elder Bassett
is there and he is probably our favorite person to go on exchanges with because
he is insane and super fun to be around. The other zone leader is Elder
Williams who I served with in Fairview Heights and he was the person that I got
to go on exchanges with. It was so much fun to get to serve with him again for
a day. We talked about how it’s crazy to think how long we have been out now.
When we were together I was at 7.5 months and he was at about 9. We talked
about the first ZLC that we went to together and how there are only like 2
other missionaries that were there who are still on their missions. It’s always
fun to get to see missionaries after you haven’t seen them for a while and see
how much they have changed.
That night was a pretty crazy
one. Down in Cape there wasn’t anything more than some clouds and maybe a
little bit of rain but right when we were about to go to bed we started getting
calls from zone leaders all around the mission about missionaries having to go
to members houses so they could be in their basements and areas all over the
mission were getting smashed by tornadoes. Thankfully everyone ended up being
ok. There were definitely some close calls but no one was hurt. We can thank
God for watching over all of us on that one.
This coming week is going to
be a super busy one. Today we are going to the City Museum with South zone so
that will be fun. Then Tuesday
we have sister’s conference. That’s going to be weird. I don’t really know what
to expect on that one. Then Wednesday
through Sunday
we have exchanges with zone leaders every day. I have a feeling that next week
when I get to email again I am going to be very thankful that I get to sleep in
my own bed that night.
With
all the craziness and problems that come up in the mission I am still so
thankful that I get to be here and serve here. Especially in the office, I have
learned a ton. I was talking to a few missionaries yesterday and we were
talking about when I get to go back into the field. I am so excited to get to
go back into a normal area and apply all of the different things that I have
learned here. But for now and for the next few transfers I am excited to serve
the mission and the new mission president when he gets there. I am so thankful
for all of the lessons I have learned and the blessings that I have seen in my life
and in the lives of others. I love you all and will talk to you again in a
week.
-Elder Banks
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