Missionary-Obsess-About-Transfers-Thursday

Dear family and friends,

This week we did lots of tracting and looked up media referrals to get our area back in check. Our investigators keep slipping from us so we have to get new ones, which unfortunately occured most of this last week.
Unfortunately, with this week being the last week of the transfer, once again wild rumors began to fly about what would happen this transfer cycle. Elder J. got calls from the AP's and the office asking about certain things. He says major stuff always seems to happen in the last week of the transfer and that the last week of the transfer is always the worst.
President R. has told everyone the last few transfers that fewer people are coming into the mission because "the baby boomers kids are all grown up and their grand kids are only in the seventh grade." So, unfortunately that means fewer missionaries are coming out, more are going home, and the mission is shrinking. This means to make up for the lack of people they have to close and combine areas. As such, nobody knew what was going to happen this time.
There was a rumor that Cicero would close and the three of us would have to move, so we worried about that a bit. On top of it all, there was the problem in Pullman that had yet to be fully resolved. Tuesday night, after a hard day of work and worry we finally got the calls at the latest possible hour. Apparently he three of us, by some miracle, are staying in Cicero! Loads of other areas closed, including Pullman, which combined with cal city. Elder B.'s companion Elder O. went there with Elder P. in those two combined areas. Cal City used to be the zone leader's area, but they moved that to Beverly, and the sisters in that district stayed the same. Meanwhile, in my district, the Stock Yards area split in two and Elder B. got moved there in a foursome. He's the first missionary to come back into my district after leaving it. Elder H. also gets a new comp in the Soldier Field area.
With the stress of transfers over, we celebrated staying together and me being the last comp for them before they go home by getting up early to watch the sunrise on the lake by the skyline view. Unfortunately, just like every other time I've been there, it was cloudy, so I saw the sun through the clouds instead. Hopefully one of these days I will get to see the sun rise without the clouds there.
I'm so glad I get 6 more weeks and the opportunity to be Elder J.'s Elder S.'s killing companion. Really, it made lots of sense for them to keep us together, if they had moved us they would have had to move three, but with them leaving if they end up closing Cicero now, they only have to move me. Personally, I spend too much time worrying about what would happen this transfer and now I'm sick of it. Next transfer I don't care what they do; I get a new comp ether way, and I'd rather focus on the work.
Sorry that nothing else but transfer worries happened this week. Next week will probably have more stuff included in the e-mail.

Love, Elder Fields.