Well, it's been a lot of things, this missionary journey of mine, and with only 7 more emails until things officially wrap up here, I think it's only fair to write a fair amount concerning... everything. This week has been a long one for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is because it all feels somewhat climactic. But look at me all reflective when there's still things left to talk about... We can resume this conversation later. For now, what exactly happened this week anyway?
Well for starters, this week was Zone Conference week. The most stressful week of the transfer. Not only that, but as you may know, the prophet was on island this week. Now if you want intimidation, I suggest being a missionary with the prophet and your mission president around at the same time. It's like having your boss's boss around at work. Absolutely terrifying, but nonetheless a spiritual experience. In case you were wondering, no, I did not get to see the prophet in person. He was in Kona, and we were in Hilo, but I'm getting ahead of myself again. Let's start from the beginning. Tuesday, May 14. This day was interview day. I felt surprisingly good that day, and my interview went well, until I learned that my mission president, President James H. Bekker, is leaving earlier than expected. He's flying out July 1st, directly into a new calling as an area 70 over the state of Utah, and the southern tip of Idaho, and a tiny part of Arizona I guess. This means that even though he's no longer my mission president, President Bekker will still be looming above me as Elder Bekker. I say that jokingly, as I'm actually kind of glad that he will still be around. He refused to say "going home" and instead used the words "transitioning" from one mission to another. I can understand why he would do that. Leaving Hawaii is a surprisingly bittersweet thing to think about. Some days I wish I could stay forever, and others I just want to chill and watch K-On, but most of the time I feel like I'd rather pretend I still have a year to go. One of the things that has made it easier for me to think about is that I'll be headed off to Japan shortly after returning home, so I have a lot to look forward to there. As for President though, I can for sure understand the sadness that comes from trading Hawaii for Utah. I'm sorry to say this guys, but all you need to do is look around at these islands to know there's absolutely no comparison. Hawaii is just a better place to live. Nobody can try to make the argument that Utah trumps paradise. It's indisputable fact. At least in the physical scenery sense. Elder Brooksby and I sometimes argue because he actually misses the landscape of Utah, and I guess I understand that. I always used to swing on my swingset around sunset, looking off at the mountains on either side of me, and watching the most incredible colors paint the sky as the world wound down another day. While Hawaii has more... appealing sunsets I guess, I do miss those days of school related anxiety attacks and constant depression caused by my grades not being high enough and the thoughts of failure parading around me at every turn. Well, not really actually, but I do miss those incredible great basin sunsets. Those really are a blessing to behold. Ultimately the consensus we came to was to each their own, but we can both understand the allure of one another's opinions, and I think that's fine. The best way to learn about the world is to find someone else's viewpoint, appreciate it, and discover that even if you don't relate to a person, understanding what makes them who they are is the key to understanding yourself, and those are the kinds of things that help a person better understand the love Heavenly Father feels. We are each our own story's main character, making our way through our own lives as best we know how. Serving in Hawaii has been a fantastic way for me to truly come to understand that. Compared to the rich cultural diversity of the islands, I just can't see myself truly being content with being back in the culture bubble of Utah. Just going back to the way things were isn't enough to satisfy me, so I've placed a fair amount of time in deciding where I want to go with my life, and what I think my own future could entail. As of now, I have a plan I'm happy with. It may or may not happen, but I'm willing to try, and that's what's important.
On the subject of Elder Brooksby though, I don't think we will finish our missions together. I'm a little sad about that, but with transfers on their way for the final time, I'm OK with another companion. I don't even care if it's a good companion or not, I'll just do my best to be a good companion to them for 6 weeks, and I think that will turn out OK. Whatever happens, I'm willing to put up with it. Perhaps I can learn something from it. Who knows. Either way, I'm glad I spent so much time with someone I care so much about. I've learned a lot from Elder Brooksby, and all I can really hope for is that I did some good for him. He'll be fine in life I'm sure, and I'll see him for "dying activities" anyway. (I'll probably explain those at some point). All in all, we've had a good run.
Following interviews was the day when Kona has their interviews. It's a pretty scary day in the pad I'm in, because we typically spend it cleaning. President rather enjoys randomly checking elders' pads, and somewhere deep inside each of the four of us is this random fear that we'll get a nasty surprise pad check, so just to be safe we clean like mad. One of the things we did was explain the vile illness that's been going around. We convinced President to get us new carpeting. That I think is a victory for everyone involved.
There's no Zone Conference next transfer, probably so that the new mission president can get adjusted to flying between the islands for interviews and stuff like that. Be that as it may, I've officially had my last zone conference, and that means they had me give my final testimony. It's called the "dying testimony" unofficially by the missionaries. Missionaries refer to going home as "dying" for some unknown reason. Mission terminology I guess. Anyway. I cried during my final testimony, and then they sang "Aloha Oe" (the farewell song) and I cried. I'm not even ashamed to admit it either. It's gonna be hard to leave this place. The work is improving, the members are feeding us, and we are finding people to teach. It's just... weird to be here at the end, all this time I've spent thinking it would last forever. It's kind of tough to be so close to the end. Sometimes you just don't want it to be over. I love my mission and these people.
I'm going to miss this place.
Until next week:
-Elder Rogers signing out
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