June 6.2011

Hello everyone!

I'm not sure that I have much to tell you this week. It the hardest week I've had since I started my mission. We found out on monday night when he called that President Pendleton was considering closing our area. It's something that I've considered for this area too, but I wanted it to happen after I left, not while I was still here. So we had a hard time working this last week, since it's hard to pick up new investigators when they won't have anyone to teach them... And it was extra hard because we couldn't tell anyone about it. President Pendleton is closing the area mostly because there just isn't the member support for the work like there should be. Honestly, it has been really hard to work here, effectively. But we've been doing our best. The final decision was made Saturday when, because of a little rain, the barbeque/chapel tour that Sister Barfuss and I have been working on for almost 15 weeks was canceled. It was really hard to see that all the work we've done here for this huge missionary event was canceled, with no regret on the part of the branch.

But even at that point, we didn't know what was going to happen to the work here for sure until President Pendleton called us this morning to let us know that we would be leaving tomorrow. It's heart breaking. And I can only hope and pray that the branch won't lose the investigators and less actives we've been teaching after we leave.

So, I bet you're all wondering where I'm going now! Well, I found out just this morning that I'll be "shotgunning" a new ward. Some of you may know it as "whitewashing," but it essentially means that the missionaries in the area are both being moved out at the same time, and that me and my companion will move in without any preconcieved notions about the area. It'll be challenging, but the hardest part, and the part that I'm most nervous about is that I'll also be training again. So not only will I know nothing about the new ward, but I'll also have a brand new companion who needs to be taught everything! Yikes!!! I'm very nervous and I'll need all your prayers and support and love and letters and emails that you can send my way for the next several weeks.

So... sorry it's short. But we had a tough week here, and I've got an even tougher week ahead. I can't wait to tell you all about it next week, though.

Love, Sister Reid