March 12, 2012 Mission Culture

Family,

What's up?!?!?! Transfers are tomorrow and I found out this morning I will be staying in Black Mountain another 6 weeks! I'm super pumped about that! There are a lot of things happening here that I didn't want to miss. Zac is supposed to be coming back in town in a few weeks, some people are getting married form the singles ward, there is a ward Luau in one of our wards, and Shannon's kids should be getting baptized here shortly. There's nothing quite like what goes on in a mission.

This has been an exciting week. We have a couple of missionaries in this zone who are going home tomorrow. Being around missionaries who are at the end is a bitter sweet experience. Everyone seems to handle the tail-end a bit differently. Some work hard even till the last day, others check out, or have already checked out. It helps me to see how I want to end my mission. One missionary who is going home came over the other night and we burned a suit of his. This is common among departing missionaries but a practice I cannot afford.

Here are some things you all might find interesting. I thought I would share with you what our mission culture is. In the Nevada Las Vegas Misison we: baptize, talk to everyone we see, are obedient, work in the heat, drive Mazdas, Malibus (Mali-boats), Colorados, and Corollas, walk, bike, and run down people to talk to, ask questions to people in the streets, do our best to remove distractions in lessons, ask for referrals, testify, repent daily, like to play Munchkins, Risk, Settlers of Catan, and Monopoly Deal, don't like yappy dogs, play street ball in our church clothes, love to eat, love to exercise, gain an average of 20 lbs., have many Texans, say Mmmmmmmm after someone says Warm Springs Zone, get together on P-day and bowl, hike, play ball, B-BQ, play board games, play volleyball, and dart wars, wrestle, laugh, control our anger, bash with JWs, repent for bashing with JWs, avoid Central Christian, love In-n-Out, avoid the sin-bins, love the mayors, love the cops, wear our coats when it is below 70 degrees, watch the thermometer all day so we never miss an opportunity to take off our coats, don't like fake people, collect bottle caps and water bottles, listen to Eclipse, keep our minds diligent, and love the members!!!!!!!

These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head that describe our mission. It is an interesting world, the mission is. It is filled with all sorts of drama and victory, hardships and camaraderie, charity and humility. We all come from different backgrounds, and no two are alike, unless they are both from Utah....that's a joke. We are all here to serve our God and to help others change as we change ourselves.

May this week bring you blessings.
Love,
Elder Cronin