Ovando

Well, this week has been very slow and we weren't able to do a whole lot of productive work unfortunately. We had to go into Missoula 4 times this week. Monday for P-day, Tuesday for District Meeting/Email, Wednesday because we have to write to the Mission President by email now instead of letters plus we had to do a survey. Then on Friday because the missionaries have a tradition of eating at a pancake place for lunch to discuss about transfers. So Elder Scott will be finishing my training in Clinton, which means Elder Scott will have been in this area for 7 1/2 months! We will be getting 3 brand new missionaries in Missoula area on Wednesday.

Tracting was terrible this week since the only place we can really tract is way out in Rock Creek since all the other towns have been basically tracted out. The houses in Rock Creek are really spread out so it takes awhile to go from one house to another. We only tracted 15 houses this week. It's really frustrating and we're going to try and do better this week. We also tracted part of Ovando yesterday, which is 20 minutes past Seely lake, and we talked to a guy who lived in Salt Lake for a couple of years so he knew about our church and he said he also read the BoM, but he never prayed about it, so he doesn't have a testimony of it. Anyways, he said he lived in Ovando for 40 years and he said the missionaries have never been there! Thats Crazy to think that missionaries never tracted that town! But Ovando is a really small town, population just over 50. I think Elder Scott and I are the only missionaries who have been to every town in our area and tracted in them for a very very very long time. In fact, I think we are also the only missionaries to go to all those towns in one transfer too in a very very very long time. I'm sure other missionaries have done it, I'm just saying it hasn't been done in forever. Anyways, we weren't able to tract out Ovando because we had to get back home, but of the people we talked to, they are really nice and seemed prepared to listen to what we have to say.

We went to church in Seely yesterday and it's a really small church! They had about 40 members there and they are amazing people. Saturday we spent all day doing service with a family who moved to Seely about 4 months ago. The Hamlins said that when they first arrived they asked their neighbors if they knew where the church was located, well they were anti-mormons so they responded that there was no church there. Well, the Hamlins eventually found the building a month later. The Hamlins are great people and we helped with their house and yard all day from 10A.M.-8P.M.

One thing I've learned since being out here is that I need to carry a lint roller everywhere I go cause just about everybody up here has a dog. And they always leave a ton of hair on my pants and it's a pain to try and brush it off. The other day we saw a St. Bernard and the guy said he weighed 200 pounds! We have also seen some half dog and half wolf! We also see a ton of deer up here. I'm not sure if I told you, but hunting season started, which means I'll be getting a lot of meat, which I'm excited for. :)

Elder Ashcroft