It has been a good week for me in the library. It may be my final week serving in the International Floor, as Transfer Conference is coming up in just a few hours. However, I doubt it, as neither me nor Elder McElwain has received a moving notice from the AP's. However, there is still that chance that I may moving to my new zone. I will let you know how everything goes.
There could be worse weeks to end off on, I will say. I have been going through a training for a new service model. The mission has been having more people going out than coming in, so our work force has been shrinking a bit. Also, the new RootsTech thingy on the main floor has been bringing in more visitors than ever before. Therefore, it has been decided that we would rearrange our customer service, and the International floor has volunteered to give the new system a test run. It was implemented yesterday, but I did not have any special assignments then, so I have not personally experienced it yet. If I do stay on the floor, I will have a couple shifts as Floor Supervisor, so I ought to prepare for that!
However, there was an interesting experience that happened this week which kind of shows how far I have already come. I was asked to help a guest use a microfilm reader, which I was able to do quite easily. However, when the images came up, they were Norwegian church records, which are quite similar to the ones in Denmark -- even the language used was legible to one with experience in Danish records. So, I was able to guide them through the records to the entry they were looking for. I was quite impressed with myself. I am definitely further along than I was a couple months ago, when I first said goodbye to friends and family to serve the Lord. I know that most missionaries are noticeably different when they return at the end of their two years, but I feel like I have already changed quite a bit in these few weeks I have been a part of the team. However, I know that there is more for me to learn, and that I cannot stop just because I am proud of what I have become in relation to who I was. There is only one way to go, and that is up!
I did get a haircut yesterday. I don't have a ton of money to spend on haircuts, but there are a couple missionaries who do give haircuts. Yesterday, the AP's came to our apartment to talk to Elder Desotel about him getting a haircut (which he did kind of need). I decided to go on an exchange with him, as my hair had been getting a bit longer than I would have liked. I wanted a sort of the hairstyle I left for my mission with, but that is a bit less than possible with standard clippers, Elder Wilkes, the AP who cut my hair, did give it an honest effort, and it does still look pretty good, but I won't be quite able to comb it over like I did. Oh well -- it does look better than it did before! Or at least, I think it does. I will let you guys be the judge of that, I will send a slightly embarrassing picture.
As I am sure my mom has marked on her calendar, Mother's Day is coming up in a couple weeks. That means that I will be able to call my family, and talk to them for a while! However, this mission will be doing things differently with these calls now. There was a time when the mission just called their parents with the phone of a district leader or AP. However, now we have the opportunity to talk to them through a video chat! This will happen on the 15th of May, meaning I will have been out for just over two months. I am truly excited for this, the chance to talk to my family face-to-face! There will be much to catch up on in this 40 minute chat!
Finally, I was able to go through the temple with the ward last Friday. This is my second time going through the Salt Lake Temple during my mission, and so far my first time going through the same temple a second time. It was also a little extra special, because this was my first time going through for a name which I had found in my tree (a distant cousin, but nonetheless, he is in the tree). I chose that particular one because I felt like he truly wanted to have it done - not some imaginary feeling that he would be the one to want it, but a true confirmation that he had been waiting for some time for the work to be done, and had a real desire for me to do this for him. When the session concluded, I truly felt he was there in the room. I have not felt the spirit quite this strongly for as long as I can remember, and I am truly happy to be the one to have done this! It has surely been my favorite session that I have done for another!
Well, it has been nice being able to talk to you, and share some of what I have done this week. Of course, it was not much, I have had more exciting weeks. However, every week on this mission has been great, and I am truly thankful for this opportunity to serve a mission here in Salt Lake City! My challenge for the week is this: have you done any Family History work? If so, do you have a name with which you can go through the temple? If so, then I would recommend you do go through for that name. If you do not have a name, that is alright. Go through the temple anyway, it is always an experience like none other! Thank you for the support, and I will talk to you all next week!
Hair Cut
Elder McElwain
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