Monday, September 2, 2013

Week 12: "Which street corner would be most comfortable for sleeping on?"

 September 2, 2013
Hello everyone!

Once again, I am strapped for time. Our branch president is giving Elder Eastmond and I a P-day tour of Ieper, a historical WWI city. We have a train to catch. But first, gather round, boys and girls. I have a story to tell.

Last Thursday, my companion had to go up to the mission headquarters in Leiden, Nederland, with another missionary in our district -- Elder Bishop. So, we had exchanges: I would work with Elder Toole, Elder Bishop's companion, in their city in Brugge. On Wednesday, we met up with the Brugge elders and the zone leaders at around 9 PM in Gent, another city in our district. As our companions drove off with the zone leaders, Elder Toole (who is also a greenie) and I watched them drive away in shock and realized we had no clue where we were. We eventually found the Gent elders and their apartment (where we were supposed to stay the night), and everything was okay.

The next day, Elder Toole and I got to Brugge. Now, Elder Toole and I were in the MTC together -- he was in a different district, but we know each other pretty well. We've both been out for about six weeks now. He is a great missionary, but he has big struggles with Dutch. It was okay, though -- we had a day of miracles, and through knocking doors, ended up finding two new investigators and teaching two unplanned lessons. As greenies! Super cool. As we finished one lesson, we turned the corner, high-fived, and I said, "who needs our trainers? We should just be companions!" While moon-walking down the sidewalk. We had a good laugh -- of course we need our trainers! There's no way we could do it without them. I mean, we've only been out for six weeks.


Elder Toole is my new companion.

Transfer calls came in yesterday, while Elder Eastmond and I were biking home. I heard Elder Eastmond say, "Apeldoorn? I'd love to." with a look of shock on his face. That was the moment I knew he was leaving me -- I picked up my bike and threw it into a bush on the side of the road. On Wednesday, Elder Eastmond is becoming a zone leader and moving up to Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. Elder Bishop is becoming the new district leader and getting a new greenie. And Elder Toole is coming down to Kortrijk. We'll be co-senior companions together (and once you go senior, you rarely go back). So, we had our junior-companion childhood stolen away. I guess it's time to be responsible. Time to have more faith than ever before.

This also means that my address stays the same! For those who have been wondering, my address is:

Elder John Bonney
Jan Persijnstraat 20/B3 bus 1
8500 Kortrijk
Belgium

Any letter will get here from America with three forever stamps. If you've written me a letter -- I love you.

Keep calm and carry on.

-Elder Bonney

PS -- The photo is from last week on P-day, taken in Brugge. I'm with some sort of troll (I refuse to believe he's a devil). I was not comfortable in this picture. His hand was touching my back.
 
 
 
 

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