Matt's letter

Monday, November 26, 2012

HI Mom!

It was a good week. We stayed pretty busy for the most part! Ok so big news... I'm getting transferred! To Santa Barbara to be a zone leader again. Haha crazy. So I’m staying in the same zone, just moving 45 min away. My new companion is elder Fullmer from So Jo Utah. He’s way nice and I’ve served around him before in Bakersfield. He was my district leader in Tehachapi. He goes home 6 weeks after me, so that’s crazy. This is the last transfer of my mission. Its crazy how time flies! President called me last night, so here I am. Haha all over again! But I've learned alot since last time, and there is a lot I’m going to do different. Elder Fullmer is really a fun missionary and really gung ho, so I’m excited! This 6 weeks will go fast!

For Thanksgiving we had pie for breakfast at the Bishop's, and the other missionaries came, and they played basketball with the youth.  Then we had dinner at the Bishops (We made 28 people) and it was good! Then we went to another dinner at Vandenburg with some non-members in the other area. It was pretty good! The turkey tasted like beer though, I think they marinated it in it. Yikes! Then Tamales at a Spanish members house. A lot of food!! I didn't eat breakfast the next day! I was way full. Good holiday though, and So much to be thankful for. I'm trying to do the journal, its hard though with all the stuff we have to do. But I’m trying!! I also do thankful prayers at night. I don't ask for anything, just thank. :)

Just send whatever for Christmas, I don't really care, and like you said, I will want to get stuff when I get home, so just save it, haha! Treats and letters would be nice. Nothing I have to bring home.

There is a family here that went to school in Poky and love Idaho and are going to visit the 1st week of Jan, so I'm sending them with a box of things. They have family in IF, so they will come drop it off. There is a letter for you on top, and we'll just open it when I get home. Its honestly just junk, but junk i want. Also those pants you sent me, haha. 

They put up a christmas tree in the foyer of our church, and so we offered to do service and decorate it (Mainly me, haha). So last night we were struggling to find things to do (and president called, so i was all freaked out), so we went to the church and put it all together and decorated it. You would be so proud haha! It looks good. 

It has definitely been one of the hardest transfers of my mission, this last one, but I’ve grown a lot. I think mostly it was just to try me, but I'm doing better now. Last night we visited a less active that I love dearly (Sis. Craycraft) and told her I was leaving, and she said that I helped her a lot, and she definitely helped me a lot. She crochets, and showed us an afghan she made for her daughter that has a big cross in Burgundy on it. Then she went back across the room and got it and gave it to me. She said that she had been feeling that she should give it to me, but knew that we don't use the cross, but then really felt that she should give it to me. It was so sweet of her! I think she is defiantly one of the reasons I was here. 

So now to Santa Barbara.. The Goleta Valley ward in Goleta and the El Camino YSA ward in Santa Barbara and Isla Vista (UCSB, one of the biggest party schools in the US, we called it Sodom and Gomorrah). I'm pretty excited. Being a zone leader will be busy, so this time will fly for me. That’s good, and I'm excited.

Thank you so much for the package! I loved it, and LOVE the Christmas music! MOTAB is great. Thank you mom! I love and appreciate you so much! Keep up the support! Keep in touch, I love you so much

--

Elder Matthew Monk

 California Ventura Mission

         -  Jan. 2011 - Jan. 2013 -