Week 34: Emergency Changes

Emergency changes.  

Two words that every missionary dreads to hear.  Those two words mean that, if you're lucky, some other missionary will be continuing the work you've spent all of the change doing.  If you're not lucky, it means that the work in your area gets put on hold until the Lord tells Presidente that missionaries should serve in that area again.  They're words that inspire fear and dread in even the most seasoned of missionaries.  Thankfully, I did not have emergency changes this week.

What actually happened is that another area got closed, so one of the elders from that area got assigned to my area.  Yes, that's right, my first trio companionship of the mission.  That's not too crazy, it happens once or twice a change, for one of a number of reasons.  What is slightly crazy is that the trio didn't even last a week.  Elder Merino, my original companion, got sent home for a medical problem.  Don't worry, it's not too serious, he just needs a minor procedure done and will probably be back by change meeting.  However, for the last two weeks of the change I have a new companion: Elder Can of Mexico.  This is his last change, and he's fortunate enough to end his mission in Valle Nuevo, where the members love us and spoil us with dinner every night.  Lucky guy.

Now, to answer a question that people have been asking for the last three weeks: what's your companion like?  Elder Merino is a really good missionary.  Knows the scritpures very well, and is a very good teacher.  He's a pretty funny guy, always has a joke ready to lighten the mood.  We got along really well, and taught well together.  He was only a member for 2 years before he left for his mission, which goes to show how much a testimony can grow in a very short time.

I'll let you know about Elder Can next week after I get to know him a bit better.

Love,

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission

Elder Merino had a harmonica that one of his companions gave him.
So I borrowed it, put on my hat, and started playing hymns.
"Come Come Ye Saints" sounds really cool on harmonica!

I've started writing inspiration quotes and scriptures on sticky notes and
taping them to my desk. That way when I get distracted when I'm
studying it's at least with something else good! 

There are bats that live in the coconut palm outside of our house.
Better there than in the house I suppose.

Another gecko that I caught in the house. This one is named Moses.