April 20, 2010: New Companion

This is transfer week, so the e-mail came on Tuesday instead of Monday. And there is transfer week news:

"So obviously the biggest news is that this week is transfer week. So Elder Valdivia is leaving. He is going to Leeds! Lucky man. I have been telling him all about it. Members to work with, crazy members to avoid so on and so forth. I think he is excited. I think this is his stop before he becomes an assistant [to the mission president], he's getting tested in a big zone. Also Elder Rondo, my previous companion became the new assistant and Elder Kacher went back to the field for his last five weeks. This next transfer is only a five week transfer. I like to take 95% of the responsibility for Elder Kacher and Rondo becoming assistants. And if Elder Valdivia becomes an assistant I'm pretty sure it will be because of me. You can just call me the assistant assister. But seriously, all pride aside I've been blessed with some really good companions and they taught me loads more than I taught them. Please sense my sarcastic tone and don't think I'm taking any of their credit. Elder Valdivia has been so good. He is a little bit more quiet and reserved than me but he is very loving, humble and bold. I'll really miss him. I think we worked really well together. It is amazing to see all of the different things you can learn from each companion and situation."

Of course, there is more to this story:

"That brings us to the next question...my new companion. I thought I'd be getting a new zone leader or a younger companion but I'll actually be getting a companion who came out with me and has been a zone leader the same amount of time. The one, the only...Elder Seletos. When I think of him I just smile and laugh. I served next to him in the good ol' Sheffield days. He was in Sheffield 1 while I was there. We served side by side and trained about the same time and were district leaders about the same time. Looking at it now our missions are very similar. I remember when he came to Sheffield. I didn't really like him at first. Looking back it makes me laugh because I love him now. He is great ohhh it is going to be so much fun ha ha. He is very different from Elder Valdivia. Although I've served around him a lot I've never served with him so it will be interesting. He is interesting. A surfer from Los Angeles. He is so funny. Obviously I already know a lot about him but I am really excited. I just hope we don't have too much fun. I am way too lucky to get such great companions. Things should get interesting. I am super stoked."

The only other information in the e-mail this week was an exciting report on the teaching pool.

"The other highlight of this past week was that teaching with Sam went really well and we moved her baptism up to this Saturday. So we'll have a baptism in a few days. She is really excited. Super prepared. It was such an answer to our prayers. We didn't really have to do too much with her to be honest. No big concerns to work through. Pray for her please, that everything will go through alright. As for the rest of the teaching pool, Kallan is still struggling with smoking although he has done a lot better with drinking. Richard and Eva unfortunately didn't come to church. They were preparing for their exams. Hopefully they will come again next week. We have a fair amount of other people who are doing alright but we need to find some new prepared people to put some electricity in our teaching pool. It is interesting that we work so hard with people like Richard and Kallan and then someone like Sam comes along who is totally prepared. Sometimes I guess it just matters who you find. It is all about finding the elect."

It's amazing to realize Eric has only 10 weeks left, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down at all. It's gratifying to see his devotion to the work and his interest in the lives of the people he is teaching. We continue to pray for his success and for the Spirit of God to touch the lives of the people he is teaching, to allow them to feel the love of God for them and the influence the Savior Jesus Christ can have in bringing happiness and peace into their lives.