Renca 1 - Week #1

It's P-day Again!!!

As you can tell by my opening comment and the subject of my e-mail, we had changes last night... and boy did things change!!! To start things off, we were working on receiving the key indicators from the zones for a while when Elder Marin's phone rang with President on the other end of the line. Of course that meant that changes would soon be ready and that Elder Marin would be leaving the sector, afterwards he asked to talk to me... President let me know that I would be leaving the office and headed here to Renca 1 with Elder Nàjera, from México, and that I would not be training a replacement in the office. He wouldn't tell me who my replacement was because he didn't know yet, but told me that I would only be answering questions (aka training) over the phone.

These whole changes put a pretty big sinking feeling in my gut, but I'm finally working through it. Throughout the day it has been getting less and less, and now is just kinda there. Turns out that Elder Smith will be my replacement so he won't be entering with absolutely ZERO training (only 3 days of last change...pfff). I'm kinda dreading this change though with working in a new sector and trying to train somebody over the phone (mostly the second part). I've had a million thoughts running through my head of possible scenarios that could be coming in the next weeks, but I don't think they will be happening. I feel very sorry for the circumstances of the which Elder Smith is entering the office and the work load he will be having. I did my best to get everything caught up last change, and succeeded fairly well, so at least he is starting with a clean slate.

Changes didn't really stop there, but all but 15 of 85 companionships had a change involved! Craziness!!! Also from the talk in the office there will be several big changes in procedure coming up for them real soon... can't wait to hear what. I'm kinda sad to have to leave my sector and all that, we had a record in Sacrament Meeting attendance this week with 158 attending. It was amazing, and we had a very spiritual fast & testimony meeting as well.

I'm excited to be away from all of the politics and stress that the office brings, yet at the same time it is kinda hard to leave that style of work behind. The change was a huge surprise since always previously the historian has trained a replacement, but I had no notice at all. With changes we were in the office very late trying to get things ready for the new missionaries that arrived this morning and I was trying to prepare things for Elder Smith. On top of all that our electronic system was not working on President's end and we had to do the changes by hand instead of them showing up in front of us all nice and neat. AAGGGHHH!!! Everything could have picked a different night to go wrong, one that I wasn't already unfocused... We finally left the office around 5:00 AM and Elder Moore and I slept for about an hour and a half while Elder Driscoll & Elder Young got ready to go to the airport at 6:00! It kinda sucked! Today has also be a long day with running all over the place with a few crazy changes and then trying to pack all of my stuff in less than 1 hour (luckily the office is bringing it to me tonight).

So now I sit in the middle of our sector on the Internet in another Ciber, paying to use a crappy computer! But I'm trying to do it with alot of excitement. I'm excited for our new district, which includes Elder Céspedes (one of my old district leaders) as our current district leader, and Huechuraba (one of the sectors in my old ward... the one I just came from)! It will be good to be out in the sector again full-time, unfortunately it is right as summer is starting up pretty good.

Not much new news from down here. And I had no idea that the McCabe family is moving! Where are they going? And that's a pretty big bummer too, I'm going to come home to a ward that I don't even know.

My e-mail sounds like a bunch of ranting, but I truly am excited to be here. A little frustrated too, but excited at the same time! I hope all goes well with Elder Smith and I'll keep ya'll posted with the craziness that happens this change!

Love ya'll and miss ya'll bunches! Now there are only a little over six weeks until I talk to you again. I'm not counting ().

Love you all and I'll talk to you next week, but not until Monday!

¡Todo mi amor!

-- Élder Todd