Elder Nathan S Moser: Tracting Uphill Both Ways!

September 4, 2017

It's been a crazy couple of days!

The beginning of our week was spent with the departing missionaries on Monday night, and then welcoming 28 new missionaries that arrived on Tuesday. Super exciting! This incoming group was the largest our mission has ever seen. The mission home was packed. Anyway, all of the transfer madness is over. It feels pretty weird knowing that was my last time helping with transfers like that. It's sad, but at the same time, I have never felt more rested in my entire life than in the past couple of days!

I am officially in East Wenatchee with my new companion! His name is Elder Fotheringham, and he's from Spokane. That's right, a Washington native! Getting doubled in was quite the experience. After we were dropped off at our new appartment with our luggage on Wednesday, I remember feeling the most helpless I have ever felt in my life. It wasn't really a bad feeling, but it was comical. There I stood, with a companion brand-new to the mission field, in a town I have never served in or around, in a ward where I literally knew no one. So, we started walking. In addition to some good old tracing, our first few days were spent meeting as many members as possible, and from what we can tell, the ward here is amazing! I have actually loved being doubled into my last area, because it has been so easy to get to know the members. Since we are both brand new faces, it's been really fun to introduce ourselves to anyone and everyone we see! For being here less than a week, I feel like I know the ward so much better than I did a week into any of my old areas. I can't wait to work with them all!

Currently, we do not have any investigators here in the Eastmont ward, but we have been doing everything we can to get the work up and moving. We've done a lot of tracting, and we're also doing our best to find part-member families. We actually found a couple last week that we are going to start working with! We have honestly felt the Lord's hand guiding us in the work these past few days. Even though we don't know anything about the area, our time has been spent well, and we are loving it. I'm so grateful that God never leaves us without help!

Everything is still in it's beginning stages here, so there isn't a whole lot of specifics to report except for the fact that our area is on the side of a mountain and every road is uphill; so try to not be too impressed when I come home with calves jacked out of their mind. ;)

My new companion is pretty interesting. Do you remember Elder Dodson? I don't remember how much I told you about my experience with him, but there are a lot of similarities between him and Elder Fotheringham. Elder Fotheringham is a two transfer missionary, so this is a trial period for him to see if he can handle a full-time mission (that's why he is so close to home). He is a great Elder, he is just socially awkward and has a hard time getting social cues, sarcasm, etc. Luckily, the members understand that he's a little different and just smile and laugh at his quirks. And I'm not worried for this transfer at all, even though I would have been if it was a year ago. I have learned a ton from my experience with Elder Dodson and now I am trying to make the best possible experience for Elder Fotheringham. Also, it was weird sitting in President Lewis's office Tuesday night assigning the trainees to trainers, because my face was up on the board. President said that I can help him though, so we'll see what happens!

Hope you all have a great week!

Peace and blessings,
Elder Moser