Tuesday was transfer meeting. We met in a big stake center in Bakersfield, or Bakes since that sounds cooler than Bakersfield. Everyone who was being transferred, or whose companions were being transferred, showed up to the meeting. All of the departing missionaries had a chance to bear their testimony and then we set off to our respective areas.
My trainers name is Elder Craig. He has been out for 17 months. He identifies as "One of the 50" This means that he was one of the 50 missionaries who all came out at the same time when the mission was opened. The Bakersfield mission is that young! It took a chunk from the San Fernando mission and a chunklette from the Ventura mission (I think) and created itself.
My first area is, as you might have guessed, Palmdale! More specifically Palmdale 4th ward. There are two sets of missionaries in our ward; Me and Elder Craig, and Elder Laubaugh and Elder Billings!! Woo! For those of you who don't know, Elder Billings is from Springville and we went to all of our public schooling together. It is great to see a semi-familiar face.
Wow! where to start! Ya'll can go to the MTC if you want to hear more about that because that seems so boring now..
Elder Craig used to be in a trio in Palmdale with two missionaries who, in his words, didn't care and didn't work. SO. We have a lot of work to do. We have a few investigators right now but I don't know how serious they all are. I'll write about them next week. I haven't even met two of the three ( or four maybe?)
Palmdale is the most southeast part of the mission, and is in LA county. Palmdale and surrounding cities are in the Antelope Valley. It feels like early fall, but a little bit colder, no that 40-60 degree weather is anything to complain about. It was raining the first couple days that I was here which is SUPER rare. So rare that every time it rains, it floods.
We eat dinner with Members 20/21 times that we eat, which is kinda weird for me. Elder Craig told me that the way he got over it and accepts all of the charity is by realizing that when families feed the missionaries, they are blessed. Plus they do want to feed us. Still pretty weird.
A lot of the members/people out here work at NASA or the Airforce base or one of the other multiple rocket/jet/aviation fields. We drove past a lot of airplanes just chillin' in the desert, y'know, kicking it and listening to club music, or whatever giant airplanes do.
I hate being the new guy and look forward to just getting into the groove of things. I'll be more spiritual and stuff next week. Merry Christmas everyone! Get everyone you know who isn't LDS or who is less active to watch the He is the Gift video, and you will be doing exactly what I have been trying to do for the last week.
Elder Burton
P.s. I hung out with a Falconer this morning and we watched his hawk hunt and kill a rabbit! 0.0
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