So, I am going to be an Office Elder. Cool!!

I lied about getting an audio this week, wah. Oh well, there is not a lot I can do about it though. I wish I could call him up and make him do an audio right now. That would be amazing! He is in the office now so I actually think I could do that. Hmmmmmm I guess I probably shouldn't, it defeats the purpose right? Oh, but to be able to would be so amazing! I can't believe Alex is going to be working in the office. That is so great for him. I know that is the one place he said he would love to serve. He is very good about all that computer stuff and I am sure he will be able to do a great job there.


Well, this is my third three-changes sector. Because I am shortly leaving. Tomorrow.

(After having read the gospel of John (probably my favorite book of scripture), the number kind of jumps out to me - three sectors, three changes each. Three is the number of divinity, by the way.)

I also have the unique power of knowing where I am going. I am no longer a District Leader, nor will I be going to be a Zone Leader.

It all started when I wrote my weekly report and mentioned that if President King ever needed me for some video or audio stuff or general computer help, I was a professional in that. He didn't even respond to that. However, last night he called me. Personally.

"Elder Crist, how are you doing?"

"Very well. We got 4 MAC (member lessons) this week - a record." (Notice I get sort of militaryish when I talk to President)

"Well, I've been thinking and I think you should be the next Financial Secretary."

"..."

"I had been thinking that you would be good for the job, then you sent me that report and I knew it was for something. You'd be handling the references, money, and legal matters of the mission. Would you do that?"

"... Absolutely."

"Good. Thanks for what you did in Villa Brasil. I look forward to serving with you."

"Okay. See you Tuesday."

Click.

So, I am going to be an Office Elder. Cool. I probably will help do the "Retrospectivo", which is the mission's end-of-year video. Very cool stuff. (Elder Christensen was just in the office three months ago.)

The mission is going to be very... atypical now. Very, very atypical. Lots of driving around to deliver mail and packages. Lots of computer stuff and Excel. And Google Maps. And lunches with members are over - we will be eating out or cooking always, for we'll have no time to do anything else. How cool is that?

This last week has been a week of Ascension. I had my Gethsemane in the mission in Melipilla. But after every Gethsemane comes and Ascension.

In the last two changes we have had one lesson with a member. Until this week. Because we enacted something we recieved from our Zone Leaders and it worked. We decided to go to each person and ask them individually, instead of hoping our inactive mission leader will do something. It worked. Through a lot of planning and a complete fluke, we destroyed our goal, which I thought was too high. It was a victory for sure.

I am satisfied with the sector; I feel that I left it better than it was before. The ward is very strong- it wierded us out that we weren't having success. The thing was that they simply had no direction. We had to be the direction. When we were the direction, thing started happening. Nothing about having four of those lessons is impossible now that they've worked. Every time someone goes out with us his vision multiplies and his testimony puts down more roots. It's very hard for someone who goes out with the missionaries to go inactive. Or really fail in Church at all. President Hinckley said that the genius of the Church is involvement.

We did it. Elder Burk has five to seven easy baptisms now. Not a joke. I really don't even feel that someone is cherrypicking my work. I know that was what I was to do here. And I did it. And man, is the time going fast now. It seems that I was in Melipilla four times as long as I was here. But it was the exact same. Nuts. I guess not having companion issues is nice.

I also get to be part of training the new incoming greenie noobcake missionaries at the beginning, which is cool. Elder Christensen said I'll have to work out hard to not put on weight because the sector is small and we sit and drive all day. Also, the ward is supposedly the best-functioning in the mission - in such a way that the missionaries can have an emergency and not go out for days and people still see their investigators. Not bad. Just lots of working out.

I am really thirsty.

See? All that computer stuff did pay off. I knew it.

Don't tell me about Dad's iPhone. I might die. Nothing but Windows and Nokia poprietary operating systems as far as the eye can see. Did he get an iPhone 4? Oh.

Well, here we go. To the office. The office is almost always a six month assignment, so I pretty much will leave here and only have like three or four months left. Is that sickening? Yes.

As Elder Christensen would say,

"Go! You're in! Go!"

Love, etc.,
Elder A Conrad Crist
Apparently Financial Secretary