The Craziest Week of My Mission

Hi!

Wow. I'm so glad I survived this week. It was crazy. Let me tell you all about it.

Monday: A sunny and beautiful - if cold - day. We drove the transfer van from Lansing to Battlecreek to Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids to Lansing. After dinner, we filled up with gas and got everything ready for the next transfer day.

Tuesday: The worst day of the winter. Lots of snow. Elder Barney drove the transfer van, but I followed him in various minivans/cars that we were transporting around the mission. We drove from Lansing to Mt. Pleasant back to Lansing, and then from Lansing to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo to Battlecreek and back to Lansing. We had a wonderful evening at the mission home with the departing missionaries. We shared our testimonies, ate good food, and then had an emergency transfer meeting with President Jones. It turned out that we needed to make some adjustments to the transfer; we decided to make those on Friday.

Wednesday: We got up at 3 to take the departing missionaries to the airport in Flint. It was a crazy drive. We rode back with President and Sister Jones, did a little missionary work, and then got ready to head back to Flint to pick up the new missionaries. Only, they missed their connecting flight out of Atlanta. So we found some more people to teach for a couple hours while we waited for news. They finally got in at 7:30. We brought them back to the Mission Home and did some preliminary orientation. We had to put off more of it until the next day since it was already 10:30 by the time we left.

Thursday: We held some more orientation with the new missionaries. Afterward, we headed over to the Stake Center to do some orientation with their trainers while the new missionaries met the office staff. I really enjoyed the trainers' orientation; there was a very good spirit in the meeting. President Jones read a quote from President Monson that made me cry. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was very good. President Monson talked about how much he loves seeing missionaries say goodbye to their parents in the MTC - seeing dad in a wrinkled, old suit and shoes that might have a hole in the sole, looking proudly at his son in a handsome new suit and polished new shoes. President Jones emphasized to us and the trainers that the missionaries have a family back home praying for them every day, and in many cases, praying for their companion, and especially for their trainer. Thank you all for your prayers. I feel the blessings that come from them. I know that God hears our prayers.

Anyway, after the meeting, we took Elder Merrell (one of the trainers) and Elder Ames (his new trainee) to Kalamazoo. And then drove back to Lansing.

Friday: We made some adjustments to transfers, driving from Lansing to Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids to Lansing. On the way from Grand Rapids to Lansing, President Jones called with some more changes that needed to be made with the transfer. Thankfully, he did the driving for the three companionships affected. Sister Fredline, who has worked in the mission office for basically forever, said this has been the craziest transfer she's ever seen. I figure if I can handle this week, I can handle anything they throw at me, right?

Saturday: We just did missionary work. It was awesome! We had a lesson with Alex, a young man in the ward, and invited him to invite one of his friends to be taught by us. He said he would. To our surprise, he called us that night and had us come teach his girlfriend, Lindsey. Long story short, after coming to church yesterday and meeting with us again, she wants to be baptized. So, she's preparing for baptism on March 6th. Pretty cool.

Love you all,
Elder Joseph Cloward