So as you know this past week I was transferred. I was sent over to Lexington which is a suburb outside of Columbia and so I'm serving in the Lexington Ward. My new companion is Elder Root who's actually from Gilbert, Arizona! He and I have been getting along super well and it's been great being here so far. Elder Root is pretty much the same as me personality wise haha. I get along with people who are like me I guess more.
And this place is pretty small and pretty old. The ward has about 120 active members so it's pretty small compared to Boiling Springs and Mt. Pleasant. Everyone knows everyone and so that's nice. I've met a good amount of the members so far and they're awesome. Like Cecil. he's a really old man that we see a lot to help him out and he's just the funniest guy I've met here so far. He's awesome. I've been having a ton of fun and I really love this place I'm in right now. The ward is really amazing too. Everything has been great.
So not only am I in Lexington but on Sundays I get to go over to Fort Jackson to teach the members of the Army that are in their Basic Training and AIT while they're stationed there. There's a chapel at the fort and they have a branch there as well as a lot of non members that go there. Elder Root and I go over there with the AP's, and 4 other sisters to teach those who are interested. So I get to work with Elder Willie and Elder Muir a lot now. We have a meeting on Saturday every week for Fort Jackson and then they pick us up to go there on Sundays so it's been fun.
The cool part is that it's the only place in our mission where you don't teach any lessons with your companion, you get to teach people by yourself. It was a way cool experience and I'm really excited that I get to go there every Sunday! The privates there are some of the most humble and cool people that I've gotten to meet on my mission so far. They're all willing to listen and I get to sit with whoever and just teach them the lessons. On Sunday I got to teach Privates Thomas and Toro, and then I also interviewed Private Gonzalez for his baptism and then right after my interview with him he was baptized right outside. They get baptized here so fast. It's amazing to see the quick change and happiness that everyone gets from becoming converted and learning about the Gospel. I was so happy when I heard I got to teach all by myself because no one ever gets to do that! I had a ton of fun. I could get used to this place. Since people get baptized so fast and are taught by more than 2 or 3 of the missionaries all 4 of us Elders can interview anyone at Fort Jackson. The rules and stuff are really different there. The investigators don't have to wait a week to be clean of Word of Wisdom stuff or Law of Chastity stuff because they're already living that way in Fort Jackson because it's required of them.
Lexington has been exciting lately too. Elder Root and I found a new investigator named Renee while we were biking, and we had a kind of crazy experience with her too. We went to her house to teach her the first lesson with a member, and as we were sitting in her room talking a woman started yelling super loud and then ran up to the door and tried to break it down! Then she broke the door handle and banged a bunch on the door and walked off yelling alot haha. Renee says that her living situation isn't the best and there's like some dispute between her mother in law and her or something. But Renee called the police and so we had to sit around for awhile and talk to an officer which was weird. It was just a weird lesson I guess hahaha. I think that lady hated us and Rene haha.
Anyway, my week has been super great and I'm way excited to be in this area. Elder Root and I have been great together and we're with Elder Pulotu and Elder Jeffs in our apartment and they're all awesome. (They're all from Arizona too haha). I hope everyone has had an awesome week! Things are good here and I'm really excited to work here in the coming weeks. There's really not much I can complain about except that the shower here was covered in mold. I cleaned it though.
Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Bills