Hello, friends and family!
It's been a whirlwind of a week! I found out last Thursday that I was coming back to the mission! I was set apart on Sunday evening and I shipped out early Monday morning. My family came into the airport with me and we gave our goodbye hugs just before I went through the security check... right behind a whole bunch of other missionaries! They probably thought I was some totally apostate new missionary. They weren't going to North Carolina, I found out, but I met the group going to my mission at the terminal. I didn't get to sit next to them on the plane, which was kind of a bummer because I was looking forward to talking with them, but it was good, too, because I got to sit next to some nonmembers and share some of our message with them. One of them was a lady from New Orleans named Priscilla. During the flight from Atlanta to Raleigh, she game me her phone number to give to the missionaries in Louisiana.
When we left the terminal to get our luggage, we were met by President and Sister Bernhisel, the two new assistants to the president, and Elder Farr, who was my first companion in Hope Mills. (He was one of the assistants, too, but he finished his mission today so he was helping to train the new assistant.) I already knew a lot of what was going on so I pretty much hung out with him all day after we got back to the mission home and I had my interview with Pres. Bernhisel. It was great to catch up on things. I found out in my interview that I was being sent to the Jacksonville 3 area, home of Camp Lejeune, a big Marines base. I'm excited to see the similarities and differences between serving in an Army town and a Marine town. I can already tell that this place needs the gospel really bad, even though I haven't even been here for 24 hours. I'm super excited to be here.
On Tuesday morning I was an honorary assistant to the president for the day. I helped transport the missionaries to and from places, revise the transfer board, and run errands for new missionaries who forgot stuff places and the mission president and his wife when they needed things. When the transfer meeting almost began, I was received by a lot of my mission friends with a really warm welcome. They said they were really excited to see me back, but I don't think they have any idea how much more excited I am to be back. We received our assignments and then headed out to our area. Jacksonville is in the Wilmington zone, really close the southeastern coast of the state. When we arrived, I met my companion, Elder Brady Clegg from Eagle Mountain, UT. He's a really great missionary, and I've been really impressed. He has been on his mission for three months (he entered the mission when I left it) and so I will be follow-up training him. He was in a tripanionship with Elder Black and Elder Langford, who trained him, until I came. Elder Bentley came with me to be Elder Black's companion. We weren't able to move back to our original apartment, so the four of us all camped out in the Jacksonville 2 apartment. It was kind of cramped, but really fun. E. Clegg and I slept on the couches. That night we also taught a part-member family that's struggling with getting along with each other, but they are great and I love them very much. The gospel has obviously already helped a lot and I can't wait to see how they change even more! I forget the first name of the dad, but he is going to get baptized soon! We just need to help him quit smoking first.
This morning we had district meeting, and we got to meet the sister missionaries that work in both the 2nd and 3rd wards, the military relations missionary couple, and the Hampstead elders. Elder Brewer is our district leader (and one of the Hampstead missionaries), and he's a good friend of mine in the mission. It was weird to look around the room during our meeting and realize that I was the missionary who has served the longest in our whole district, except for Elder Brewer who goes home in 6 weeks. I can already tell that the next 9 months are going to fly by. (Yep... only 9 months... I found out I come home 17 Sep 2013.)
After the meeting we came back to our apartment and Bro. Petino, our ward mission leader, helped us move to our new apartment. It's more run-down than I expected. Elder Clegg and I will be having a deep-clean day tomorrow because it smells bad and it looks like someone broke in. (I don't think anyone really did, but the place is in shambles.) We live in a quad-plex, surrounded by a bunch of marines. There are helicopters that come from the airfield in the camp and they fly over our apartment and they're really loud. They remind me of the trains in Kaysville and make me feel at home. We basically dumped our stuff in our apartment and headed straight here. Hopefully we'll have time to go shopping right after this before we get picked up for dinner with a member and leave to teach a couple lessons to night. If we're really lucky, we might even have time to unpack.
Anyway, it's been great so far. I love the missionaries I serve with. They are great elders and sisters. I know the gospel is true and that the Book of Mormon changes lives because it is true as well. I'm grateful for the Holy Ghost and how it testifies when we bear testimony. I know that Jesus is the Savior and I love Him with all I have.
I hope that you are all doing well and I would love to hear from you! (My address is below.)
With love,
Elder Schank
North Carolina Raleigh Mission
6508 Falls of Neuse, Ste. 100
Raleigh, NC 27615
United States
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| Goodbye Elder Schank....take two |
