Why hello!

So... What to say about this week... Well I suppose I'll start with the big news. With transfers, I was really hoping to go to the rainy side of the island, or to go off island. My true hope was to go to Hilo side of the big island, but that, to put it lightly, did not happen. I don't like being on the dry side of the island at all, but it looks like that's where most of my mission is going to take place. I'm moving to Palehua, which isn't even in a different zone. I'm still in Makakilo Zone, the most dry and desert-like part of all of Oahu, which is home to nasty pit bulls and dogs of every kind, all of which constantly seem to want to kill us. In fact, I still meet in the same building as I did before, just in a different ward with a new companion, or should I say companions, because now I'm in a trio with Elder Taka and Elder Durrant. The other notable difference is that Palehua covers two wards, which means that from now on I get to go to church twice per week! One of those two wards is a Tongan ward. Which means that my mission language has now officially changed from English to Tongan. I have no idea how to speak Tongan, but I suppose I ought to try and forget about Japanese for now, because now I'm required to speak Tongan.

Oh how joyous an occasion this is.

Definitely not what I was hoping for, but oh well. It's what I was given, so I'll do my duty with a smile I suppose.

Yesterday was spent saying goodbye to the families in this ward that I'm going to miss, but as I still meet in the same building, they're all not too worried about it, because I'll still see them often, I just don't go to church with them anymore. The military academy kids were hard to say goodbye to though. After teaching them so much and seeing how engaged and ready to learn they all were, it was hard to tell them I'd be leaving. I'm still in the same area kind of so it's possible for me to go back for lessons sometimes, but not as often as I wish I could.

I'm still in the same district in fact! How crazy is that?! When everybody found out in both my ward and district they all burst into laughter. I was just really confused. I suppose the Lord needs me to learn and preach in the Tongan language now, so that's definitely a change. But it's all good.

Also, on Saturday for a finding activity I got to draw the plan of salvation with sidewalk chalk in the park. It was a fun project, though it was much harder work than I had thought it would be. We were able to find a lot of new people to teach that way, but I suppose that I'll have new people to teach anyway, because I'm, you know, moving to a different area within the same district and all. It's not even a mile away. I can walk to my new area. This is super weird and totally not what I was expecting, but you know. It's a new adventure.

Until next week everyone!