Hey Momma!

 

So transfers happened, and yes I did get moved.  I'm now in a place called Wolverhampton.  It's in the same stake as Tamworth, but it's pretty far away from Tamworth.  It's a pretty big city, and a very big ward.  In fact, there are two wards here.  I'm over Wolverhampton 1st Ward, but we share it with the Zone Leaders, who are pretty cool, so I don't mind.  My new companion is Elder Shepherd.  I think you remember him. You should at least.  I realized all the people I meet out here get coined as an animal, Shepdawg was the first, then Hounddog, then The Bear, and now Shepdawg again.  He's an awkward guy, but that's alright, I like him and we get along.  At least he talks.  He's got three transfers left, including this one, so he goes home in April.  This is his fourth transfer here in Wolverhampton though, so he's probably going to move areas next transfer.  We'll have to see, I guess.  In the meantime, I'm content being junior companion.  He's the district leader here, and I've got a feeling that I'm next. Again, we'll have to see.

 

The ward is great though.  We get dinner just about every night, and they're actually willing to help us, annnnnnndd they have a basketball court at the chapel.  Looks like I'll have a way to keep the holiday weight off.  I love basketball. We played on Saturday with some of the youth in the ward (Youth!! Woohoo!) and I've been pretty sore ever since.  Which is good.  I'm out of shape, but soon I'll be back up to par.  The area is good though, and really I'm so happy to be here.  I've got one of the elders I was in the MTC in my district as well.  His name is Elder Allred, and he's from Vernal.  I really really like Elder Allred.  He's a total farmboy, and I love it.  He has his own cattle ranch back home, and he has something like twelve cows that his dad is taking care of for him, and before his mission he drove semi-trucks.  I think he is about the coolest hick in all the world.  But he's also just a really good guy.  One of those quality people that you know you'll be friends with for the rest of your life.

 

Anyways, you're going to want to know about Elder Shepherd.  He's from Idaho Falls, he's the oldest of three boys, he didn't really play sports back home, but he's a pretty good singer, he's almost 21, his little brother just got his mission call and is going to the Czeck Republic (poor kid), and all-around he's just a good guy.  I like Elder Shepherd.  Especially after my last two companions.  I'm pretty happy to be back with an American.  Is that wrong to say?  There's so much more to talk about.  I like it.  Maybe I'll get another companion like Elder Okuonghae again, and I'll love it, but I'm not a huge fan of Germany.  Probably I'm generalizing a bit too much. But that's life, I guess.

 

Everything here is good, and set up for Christmas.  I'll be able to talk to you for a couple hours hopefully.  The plan is to Skype from a member's house here at about 6:00pm our time.  There is a seven hour time difference again, so that's 11:00am for you.  Double check that for me.  I'm about 99% sure I'm right, but I don't want to get that wrong.  Please call and invite Angela too.  I've already emailed her and told her that I'd like her to be there, but I think she'd feel about a million times more comfortable if you called and invited her to come over. I still have a crush on her, and don't worry, that's not against the rules.

 

Emailing isn't going to be like it was before.  I'm sorry.  We'll be doing it probably from 10:15 to about 1:00 every monday.  So, I probably wont be chatting with anyone unless you guys decide to be awake from 3:00 to 6:00 in the morning.  That was fun while we did it though.  I think I need to play basketball and be active to stay alive though.  I hope that's okay.

 

So that's where I am right now.  I think President knows how I feel about him. I told him, so I hope it's obvious. I think that's maybe why I didn't move very far away from the mission office.  I have a feeling I'll be in Wolverhampton for a long time.  I'm absolutely fine with that.  I love it here. 

 

Don't worry about what you said to me.  I know what you meant.  In fact, I think I can hear your voice in my head just about all the time telling me what I need to do.  I think you're my Mom, and even the Spirit knows that your voice will get me to me the most effectively.  Things are good though Mom.  There is a woman in the ward that has a misisonary in the Manchester Mission (and we'll be eating at her house on Christmas), she told me what to tell you to make you feel better.  In fact, I really like this lady already, and probably she'll be in contact with you sometime.  Her last name is Chapronnierre, or something like that. Sister C. She told me to tell you that I'm in a new ward, and they take care of their missionaries (they do), and that I like my companion (I do), and that Christmas is all planned (it is) and that you have nothing to worry about (you still will).

 

There are a lot of people in this ward that are related to my bishop in Tamworth.  He actually has now moved to Church Headquarters in Germany, but I now know his parents and his sister, and he sold his car to a guy in my ward here as well.  So basically it's like coming home.  The flat is pretty small.  It's just a one bedroom with a big, studio-esque main room, where we study and eat.  The water heater pilot light has to light every so often, and it sounds like some one is trying to break in.  Just one big boom, every once in a while, to keep you on your toes while you're studying the scriptures. The beds are squeaky and I sleep on the top bunk. We live right above a chippy (fish and chip shop) and so I might get fat, but I have basketball so I can still burn it all off.  Everything is good, Mom.  You can stop worrying about me.  Actually don't.  Your Mom-Prayers work pretty well.

 

Elder Wrenger got a companion from my MTC group, that I didn't know very well, but I've heard that he suits him perfectly, so I'm glad.  He'll be a good missionary, and so I think I did my job, even if I was ready to kill him a few times. 

 

This week has felt like a month.  So much has happened.  We also had our Christmas Conference, and the whole mission got to come to that, so that was really cool.  I got to see all my friends.  It was good, but.. kind of boring other than the friends part.  You know those people who try too hard to be really spiritual all the time?  That's how my President is, and how he wants all of us to be.  And how he wanted the Christmas Conference to be.  Luckily, most of the missionaries don't hate fun.  So there were some good laughs as well.

 

Alright.  I think that's my whole life right now.  I don't think I'll be emailing you next Monday.  If I do, it'll be very quick.  Since it's Christmas week, I think they're moving P Day to Boxing Day.  Hopefully things are open that day, and if not, we'll just try and email from a member's house.  So the next time I will talk to you will probably be on Christmas, but I need your name on Skype again, and the email that you use for it.  I think I know both those things, but will you send me both of them in an email like the second you read this, so if there is a time I can jump on a computer for just a second, I can write those things down, so that I can add you as a friend from whatever account I use?  Thanks Momma.

 

Oh and I got a few things from you, and others in the ward!  The letters that Sister Hood sent, as well as some cd's that Brother Pennington sent to me.  They're of his Mr. Mormon thing.  I really like them.  Ask him about it, and tell him that I said thanks! I've listened to all of them and they all offer some really good insight.  The letters were a bit bland, I'll be honest.  But I guess when your ward has one billion missionaries, they tend to be that way.  Isn't it super cool that we have one billion missionaries?  I think so.  It's also cool that all of my roommates are out, and basically all my friends.  Except my girl-friend. But that's okay.  She's not married yet.

 

Thanks for all the pictures! I love them.  I only have about an hour left, because I write so much to you, but I love you! And tell all the others sorry because I spend all my email time writing you.  I'm sure they hear enough about me from you, so that's okay.  You can always send things on to my sisters if they want stuff, even my boohoo letters.  (Laura told me.)

 

I'm doing okay.  Try not to worry about me too much.  I really am happy here, and I think I'm going to see a lot of success.  It just might be after Christmas when people open their doors again.

 

I love you! I'm super excited to talk to you next week!

 

Love, Elder Smart