Week 32: Its been a Green Week

Picking up Elder Phelps

How was everyone

This was a solid week. We really are out here doing what can. Elder Carlin and I picked up our greenies on Wednesday, hence, the subject line.

First things first, my (very) new companion is Elder Phelps from Portland, Oregon. We are the same ages in school, and he actually did 3 semesters at BYU so he did the whole COVID thing at BYU which did not sound fun. He's originally called to Peru, so I have only had reassigned companions so far. Elder Carlin is also training and his trainee is Elder Haywood from Victorville, CA and is also originally assigned to Peru. They're coming in at a great time in the mission though because we are being showered with cookies from people now that we can accept food.

In that regard, there was one time where this one mom was going to bring us dinner, and legit that day I was like, "bruh I kinda just want a salad low key," and then for dinner she brought us a Costco pizza and a Costco salad!! It was delicious.

Elder Phelps is taking to mission life great though. He is really good at just talking to people and is really eager to learn. I seriously have been blessed with all the companions I've had so far.

The greenies have had some good food this week though. On their first day after unpacking we went to In-n-Out and somebody offered to pay for us. Then Friday was Elder Phelps' birthday so we got lunch at The Habit and a lady who happened to be from Westlake Village offered to pay for us too (I don't remember her name though hehe). Then Bishop Rollins and his family took us out to dinner that night at a Peruvian place for Elder Phelps' birthday and got us ice cream too. Then today at Cafe Rio we got paid for again. I guess there's more free places here than I thought joke langgggg.

An interesing thing that happened this week is that one of the sisters in my district left for Chile on our transfer day last Wednesday, and now the new sister that came in to the district and her companion (who was already in the district) are BOTH going to their original assignments in Brazil on the 16th! So I guess they're gonna whitewash their area when they both leave for Brazil in like 2.5 weeks. My guess, very wishfully thinking, is that they might just combine our area with theirs when they leave because our area borders their's and we actually live in their area too. And even more wishfully thinking, they could potentially give us their car too. I'm not getting my hopes up, but that would be a real game-changer.

Speaking of original assignments, Elder Dieker got the call that he is going to Chile this morning! He's leaving on the 22nd! Our plan was to go to Chili's for dinner on the day he got the call, but I guess he'll just have to go with his new companion.....

Our pday today was bomb too. We got to see the Lamb of God concert film which was really really good. If you live here in Utah, I would highly encourage you to go see it. We got to see it at the Megaplax theater at Thanksgiving Point with like 4 other zones of missionaries so it was basically a zone conference too.

Last bit of news is that all the missionaries in the UOM are getting the COVID vaccine!! We're getting the first dose next pday, one week from today, and then obviously the second one a couple weeks after that. I'm really looking forward to it because I've never had COVID and if I don't get it this week then someday 20 years down the road and COVID inevitably comes up in a conversation I can say, "ya know I actually never had COVID."

I love you all! Please keep praying for the Philippines!

Elder Snyder