So the weirdest thing happened. I got transferred. I'm going to serve in Leeds with an English speaking companion. So many memories of this place; I've spent 14 months here! It's so
strange for me to have to pack my stuff. I've sort of gotten a lot of
stuff now, and it’s not good! Elder DeShazer is going to Sheffield to serve in the Slovakian branch. In a month he will train an elder who is learning a language (we are guessing Slovakian, Polish or English). And both Elder Owens and Elder Olsen are training English speakers here in Hull and Elder Olsen is the new district leader! I'm both excited and nervous to go to Leeds and have a new companion who I know nothing about (I don't think he's been out longer than six months) and to an area I don't know. I am really going to miss Hull, but maybe even more I'm really going to miss Elder DeShazer. I've also become really close to Elders Olsen and Owens. And not to mention all the people I know here. I'm pretty sad about leaving them. I don't think it'll really hit me that I'm leaving until I get to Leeds.
Samantha didn't get baptized, but we set a new date for her in a month. She wanted to feel more ready. I know she has gotten an answer that it's true, but wants to feel more ready. But I think she'll one day be baptized, I mean she's come to church five times in a row, lives the Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Chastity, and studies the scriptures, and all the rest. She even is spending time with other Young Single Adult friends. I think she'll get baptized some day, but patience is the key. I can't really do too much more about it.
I bore my testimony as well on Sunday, I just felt like I needed to do it. Now I'm glad I did it because I got transferred. It's a bit odd when you have 12 missionaries in one ward. You don't want it to seem like the missionaries are taking over the meeting, so we usually try to let the members have more of an opportunity to share (12 missionaries could talk for well over an hour I think).
I'm so happy for Brendon; he’ll love every second of the MTC! I think he'll do just great. I've emailed Brendon and he's emailed me back, so that's all fun. I'm really excited for him, I know that it'll be hard, but if it wasn't hard then there'd really be no point in doing it I suppose. That's sort of my thinking on doing hard things. (Remember 1 Nephi 3:7). I don't think that Spanish is a terribly hard language to learn; in fact Samantha is studying Spanish in university, I think.
Now I get to try and get things going with the Polish people in Leeds! But I'm on my own in a way now, but I know that it's got to be possible. I'm pretty alright at Polish, I can survive talking to people and I understand a lot! I'll have to. I'll be the only Polish speaker in the area, in the city! I am confident I'll survive. The hard part will be when I have to say goodbye to Daniel and his family today, and to everyone else I taught.
Love you,
Starszy Ressler
