Elder Josh Mortensen: The World Got A Lot Smaller This Week

Hello!!!

yes this was a great week!! its weird to get moved but it is always a good thing. I am serving down in a small town called Walla Walla. its a little bigger than any of the areas i have been in though. We cover Walla Walla and college place in spanish. The world got a lot smaller this week. I was talking to a lady in the mission office, they just got here. Their names are the Riries, i dont know if that is how you spell it. But they recognized the name. They said they are related somewhere back in our lines. At church there was an elder that i thought i knew and he played soccer for Lone peak, so i hope he dosent have any sour feelings about us beating them. There was also sister Ellis' niece that kinda knew me, and there was another lady. She was in joseph! she met Grandma and Grandpa and we are related somewhere back also. They had a picture of them all. it was a weird time at church. There is a lot of Hispanics but there are all kinda spread out everywhere. The branch has around 40 people coming to it. so its a little bigger than Prosser. There is farming around it but we are in mostly in the city. Because we are spanish missionaries we are in a car. The spanish areas are usually to big for walking. Also i dont think that there are even any bikes in the mission now. Being a district leader has been good. I kinda feel like the mom of the district. If anything happens in the district that is different or weird, they have to let me know and a lot of time get permission. Its different for me that is for sure. I also collect all their numbers and lead meetings. Its not a ton different but it is a lot more responsibility. It will be good for me. The area is doing good. There isn't too many investigators but just a lot of potentials. Our work is to go through those and see what ones are really interested. There was a less active man that brought his nonmember family to church last week because they didnt like the one they were at and didnt feel it was where they should be. they opened the phone book and our church was there. They took that as a sign and they came to church!! we have been over there and had a few lessons. They are awesome!! they came to church again! They have a ton of potential!! the dad is going to be a really strong leader in them coming to this church. not a lot has happened here yet. One funny thing is the first day we were here Elder Tirado mowed and i tilled a garden in our slacks!! only as a missionary!! its great! Elder Tirado is from Tennessee! so his english is good. it gets a little confusing because we speaks a lot of spanish. we are going to get along really good and get a lot of work done here.

Thanks for the update about lehi!! it sounds like everything has been a lot of fun! I hope that everything continues to go good. have fun with soccer and your new callings and lack of callings and everything else!!

I love you all!!

Elder Mortensen