Elder Carlton Baxter LDS Mission: Six Month Mark

This week was the start of a new transfer, my six month mark, as well as my first week as a district leader in the OEM. It began with a long ride back to Oakridge with Elder Cluff who is from Arizona. When we arrived we spent some time talking, unpacking, and getting ready for the upcoming week. The following Tuesday we helped Poppy put up some emergency insulation into her home. Condensation had been forming inside her mobile home as well as cold, so she called us in to help put in insulation to prevent it. It was itchy and took awhile, but it payed off and she was very happy at the end. Then the following Wednesday we did some contacting and tracting, as well as help an investigator make the final move over to the Philippians. We moved a whole bunch of boxes through slush, mud, snow, and rain, but she was also very happy at the end and said she would try to come into contact with the missionaries in the Philippians.

Thursday we did our weekly planning and had a pretty normal day. The big day was on Friday where I got to conduct my first district meeting as district leader. The district said that it went very well in the end, and the meeting was about how to best help resolve the concerns of investigators as well as having charity for everyone we meet. We then came back to Oakridge following a zone lunch, did some work, and that was the day. Saturday was an interesting day. It began with a new district leader training where we had to Skype into the mission home with several other Elders. We got to see the first twenty minutes, but then the spotty connection gave up and I was booted from the meeting. The AP's then told me to have my zone leaders train me, one of them is a former AP. We then gave random service to members who kept calling us up, tracted, and contacted. We also had our branch Christmas party, which was a lot smaller and simpler than what is done at home. We got a small dinner of subway sandwiches and other various things and watched a movie named the Nativity. It was a nice break from the usual. The following Sunday was pretty normal and not too much out of the normal happened.

The time is going fast and I am already a quarter finished with the mission. Thank you for everything that you all have done and have a merry Christmas!

Elder Baxter