Monday, April 9, 2012

District Leader

Hey there all,

It was a busy busy week.
We did our usual stuff on Tuesday for Elder Crowther. He said goodbye to all those in Cathlamet that he was close to and then we kicked him out the next morning. Elder Mellies got in on Saturday early because he was already in Vancouver but we had to wait for Elder Boothe to come across the mission from Tri-Cities so it took awhile for us to get back to Cathlamet. The car that we used to have, a 2009 Malibu, got retired. Elder Mellies brought his car from his last area and we are using that now, a 2011 Corolla. I like it better than the last one. The Malibu had some issues with it...

On Wednesday they told me I am District Leader. I have a baptismal interview tonight. It should be fun. It was definitely humbling to receive that assignment. My mind frame instantly changed from just my companionship to my whole district. I wonder what they are doing and how they are doing. We had a District Leader Council on Saturday and that helped a lot. It made it easier for me to know my responsibilities and what is expected of my district. I feel a little more prepared now. Basically I get everyone's numbers each week, I do district meetings, I make sure everyone is following the rules, but most importantly I make sure everyone is doing okay and I try to serve them the best I can. That is what I gathered from our DLC. I'm excited for more responsibility. It was a little overwhelming to take over my area after only 6 weeks, and then hear that I'm DL but the Lord has helped me sort it all out in my mind and I am doing better.

Elder Mellies is great. He has had 3 areas and 5 companions whereas I have had 2 areas and 4 companions. We have both been out about 8 months. We came out at the same time. But we didn't know each other in the MTC. He has been in Vancouver his whole mission so he is used to the rain. He is an outgoing guy which I am grateful for. I don't need to do all the talking or anything like that. He has a girlfriend waiting for him. So did Elder Crowther. So did Elder Dutson, but they wrote each other off, Elder Boswell didn't. Elder Boswell is back in my zone though. I got to see him at DLC for the first time in awhile so that was way fun. Elder Mellies has had a few companions that have been tough to deal with. I have been really really lucky so far as far as companions go. I feel like a bad one will be coming my way but I don't really know... Everyone is nice. Elder Mellies just didn't get along with his last two companions.

Easter Sunday was great too! We focused a lot on the resurrection and the Atonement this week with people we visited. It was a good excuse to do that. It was the first Easter for me where I really focused on that. It has always been a good time to be with family and that is a wonderful way to spend Easter but this year it was more than that. It was a big focus on our Savior for me and we tried to bring that spirit into other people's homes. We went to Easter Dinner at the Johnsons and the rest of the day was relatively normal.

I am looking forward to calling home in only one month! I get to Skype everyone!

We saw Kyle three times again this week. He is still in the same spot as he was. We have found that we need to focus more on one thing. We were kinda overwhelming him with commitments. He has a hard time saying no to us but he hasn't been able to follow just about any of the commandments we have taught him so far so we are going to move slower and focus on one thing at a time. Especially because we see him so often so we are running out of material. He is a good kid, we need to move slower for him.

Francis Woods is doing well also. She is our newest investigator. 71 years old. She said she would read the BoM. We gave her one on Thursday. She really thought it was interesting and I think she was genuine when she said she would read. She shows some real promise.

That's all I can think of. I feel like I have a lot more things to worry about now. Cars, exchanges, paperwork, interviews. It's good worries though. I really do feel a difference when I turn to my Heavenly Father for help. I learned a lot about that this week.

Thank you for all your prayers and love.
I love you Kristen.

Love,
Elder Paxman

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