Exchanges

Oops, sorry, I didn't play for 43 hours, I would most likely have died.  [Mom's note: Devin's last email said 43 hours, but I changed it to "for 3" hours.]  Haha, no it was 4 hours. I will most likely be playing dodgeball again today. So as for my area. There is a Hamilton and Blodget Ward, both of those are in Hamilton and the Hamilton Elders cover both of those wards. Those two wards share the same building. Corvallis has its own building. As for Darby, Darby is South of Hamilton and Blodget Ward. Hamilton and Blodget are in between Corvallis and Darby. Darby is a 30-40 min. drive. So Elder Croteau and I went to Darby for the first time last Saturday and Sunday. We stayed at our Ward Mission Leader's cabin which is next to their house and it is a super nice cabin. I'll have to do a video tour the next time I stay there. There is a river right behind the house and cabin, so it looks beautiful.

So what we are doing as a mission is we have what we call a Dinner List. When we have dinner appointments with members we have this paper that says "The _____ Family" and then it says, "Yes, we are Missionaries". There on the paper the family can write names of people who they think they can fellowship and share the gospel with them. Both the family and we have a list and by the next dinner appointment or the next time we see them we can ask how they are doing with the list of names they have written down.

So we have a part member family in Darby and the wife is an active member and the husband is an active non member. He knows a lot about the church, what we teach, and goes to church every Sunday. The only thing we are waiting for is his decision to be baptized.

Elder Croteau got sick yesterday so after church in Darby we just went straight back to the cabin, which meant we missed the potluck the Ward had after church. So we didn't really do much yesterday except church. He is feeling better today but still sick. I just hope I don't catch it. Oh, Darby was a ward but now it is small and should be considered as a branch but they still call themselves a ward. They have about 60-70 people show up. In Corvallis they have 180 people show up on average. I really love my district and zone.

So on Thursday we had a Zone Leadership Training, basically a Zone Conference and it went very well. President Mecham is trying to get the Zone to be more unified and the companionship to be more unified. Then I was going to go to a Leadership Training in Helena since Elder Croteau is District Leader but I found out at 10:00 Thursday Night I couldn't go. I was disappointed because I would have seen Elder Scott my Father and Elder Burrows from my MTC District. oh well, I went on my first Split/Exchanges with Elder Wood who is in Hamilton. Elder Wood has only been out a week. He is really cool and I like him. Since I didn't find out I wasn't going to Helena, I had to plan for that day during companionship study, but we were able to keep busy. So Elder Croteau went and he said they emphazied on short but powerfull lessons. A 20 min. lesson by using the pamphlets we have. Missionaries haven't been using the pamphlets like we should so we are bring back the pamphlets and its importance.

Anyway, sure do love ya and it is beautiful and cold up here.

Elder Ashcroft