Missionary Moments - News From Elder Weston

From: David Weston

Well, I got transferred. And what a transfer. Imagine this. Saturday night, I find out that I'm getting transferred, and I'm wondering where in the heck I might be going, because we don't find out anymore until we get to our new area and meet our companion. I'm hoping to go over to Beaumont, because it's close enough to Orange that I could get a ride over to see Don's baptism on Saturday. So, Sunday night, Elder Dowies and I were just chillin' around the apartment, me wondering where I'm going and him wondering who he's getting, when all of the sudden the phone rings, and it's the mission home. So we answer it, and President Moldenhauer is on the other end of the line and asks if he can talk to me. All right, this could be interesting. He tells me that he has a very unique calling for me in the mission, which really could mean anything. Then he tells me that he wants me to be a Spanish missionary. A SPANISH MISSIONARY?!?!?!? What the heck? I've been English for 14 months and now I go Spanish? Spanish missionaries are weird! (All this was going through my head. All that I said was "I guess I can do that.") Plus, I don't speak Spanish that well. And all the Spanish missionaries are way over in Houston, 3 hours away from Orange! Curses! But, as it turns out, Elder Wrigley and I are opening a new Spanish area in Port Arthur, about 15 miles away from Orange. So, I can still go to Don's baptism this Saturday (and I just found out this morning that he wants me to baptize him. Woo-hoo!), and Elder Wrigley's cool. I still can't speak Spanish, but two of my three worries were assuaged quite well. Anyway, to make a short story long, I'm a Spanish missionary now, I guess... And I'm still freaking out about it a little bit. We're living with a member over here in Port Arthur, or Port Arturo as the Spanish put it. (I don't know why it's not Puerto Arturo. I didn't make the rules.) Oh, and our new address is:
3175 Merriman
Port Arthur, TX 77642
We're living with the Estes family, and they're really cool. They keep telling us to eat their food.
Speaking Spanish is really weird! I'm still not quite on top of it. We went over to the Gutierrez family home evening on Monday night, which was my first introduction into Spanish stuff. I almost understood a third of what they said. Every now and again my brain tuned in a figured stuff out, but then I'd lose it again. Methinks I'm going to have to work for a while at this before I pick it up. It gets easier when you have to speak it all of the time, I think. But yeah. Weird. Still slightly surreal. I'm glad it's P-day so I have a few minutes to chill and try to re-connect with reality. It's very far away from me right now. :)
Anyway, Don IS getting baptized this weekend, it will be amazing. Everyone back in Orange is excited for him, and I am too. Still hadn't taught Tina, but we saw her last Wednesday, and maybe Elder Dowies can coax her into coming to the baptism. We don't have a whole lot in the way of investigators here, but the members all seem really excited about missionary work. Either that or they were outraged at having a gringo missionary and I just didn't pick up on it. You never know. :) They're all really nice though, and we've got a couple of meal appointments for the week. It should be good down here.
Anyway, I hope everyone's doing well over there! Haven't heard from y'all in a while, but I figure that was probably from transfers. In any case, I hope y'all have an awesome week, tons of fun, and be good!
Love,
Elder Weston