Missionary Transfer Wednesday

Dear viewers,

This week the work was on fire in Cicero, an no, our area book didn't catch on fire. We were finally beginning to see the fruits of our labor. We got new investigators, promising investigators, and the ones we had found before are progressing. Last Wednesday after we visited the aquarium, we taught a new media referral. She's a pastor for her church, but unlike all other pastors who just listen to humor us then ask us to leave and then never hear back from them again, this one was humble and open minded. she actually wanted to hear what we had to say and asked honest questions and wanted to learn more. She even invited us back. After teaching the pastor lady, we had another awesome lesson with Steve and Hannah. Steve is still lacking in a testimony and we are trying to help him better understand Christ. Hannah has come along nicely but isn't ready to commit yet.

Saturday was another awesome day. All of our appointments went through!!! We had another awesome lesson with a new media referral. Never before in my mission has the spirit guided me so well in what I should say. That lesson was perfect, we were very bold, extended the perfect commitment and gave a great warning of anti-Mormon sentiments. She is an ex druggie wanting to learn more about Christ, no longer wants to fool around with her boyfriend, and already knows what its like to be hated by someone of a different faith. Unfortunately she just got into a new church and has a scheduled baptism date for the next day in that church. She also believes every word her pastor tells her!!! This probably means that despite our boldness in telling her that her church doesn't have the full authority from God, she probably will just go back and ignore our warning and just believe her pastor; I've seen it happen before. These two things worry me, if it weren't for those she would be completely golden. I honestly hope that I didn't just waste all my talents and a perfect lesson on someone who will never go anywhere because of the above. Elder R. was very impressed with my boldness in that lesson and followed my example in the next lesson that we taught. I have more hope for this one because she was introduced to us by members.

Alas, despite a perfect day and a nearly perfect week all good things must come to an end. Saturday night we got the life shattering transfer call. After 14 months in the city, I am being transferred to the suburbs of Woodridge in the Joliet zone. This isn't right, that's not how it was supposed to happen, something went wrong. I know I should have stayed in Cicero. My replacement, Elder B. literally just switched places with me. He was only in Woodridge for one transfer; he should have stayed there!!! MOVING TWO PEOPLE LIKE THIS JUST ISN'T DONE, THEY HAD NO BUSINESS DOING IT. I think it must be my fault that we got moved like this, I think I did something wrong. Alas, I think I got moved because I didn't get good teaching statistics and that I lacked the faith to stay in the area. That is the only explanation. There was no other reason to move the two of us.

Sunday was spent in solemn depression. None of our investigators have progressed fast enough to be baptized from the last six weeks. I will never be able to see the fruits of my labor. I missed Beverly when I left, but after 9 months there I felt my time was done and that there was nothing more I could accomplish. Not so with Cicero. There was so much more I could have done, but now I'll never see it.

After church I spent the rest of the day saying my goodbyes to all the awesome people I've grown to love, who I may never see again. I will greatly miss the St family. Sister St.'s cooking was some of the best I've ever had! We would have spent Thanksgiving over there, except that now I'm getting transferee and have to spend it with total strangers!! I loved that family, Brad St. is a man who will make an awesome missionary some day, if he just listens to his mom.

after the St. Fam, I said goodbyes to the V. family. Honestly, they are one of the best families in Cicero. They have truly become some of the best friends I've ever had. Brother V. was the man who always had something for us to do, Sister V. would always have dinner for us even if it was inconvenient for her. Little Tatiana will be all grown up if, and when, I ever see her again, she won't remember me at all. I'll even miss obnoxious Mario. When I left that home for the last time, I felt a sinking emptiness like I've never felt before any other time that I've been transferred. Elder Rn. said it only gets harder with every area, but with the true friends I made of missionaries and members that I met in the city, I don't think it could get any harder than that to leave, at least not until my dieing/last area. I feel I honestly should have stayed and gotten a quad kill with Elder Rn., but i guess that wasn't to be.

I wasn't exactly happy to be leaving, but everyone I talked to tried to console me with stories of how awesome Woodridge is; a baptism about every month, being fed every night, etc... I still wasn't happy to leave but i decided to take some good advice and forget myself and go to work. I think with every day that passes by, I'll be a little less depressed over leaving Cicero. On Monday I packed all my stuff and left for transfers. I vowed that I would return to the city one day but I was just being overly dramatic about leaving, that it was just wishful thinking, I know it's out of my hands. After transfers, I left for Woodridge, bidding a fond farewell to the city I had gotten so used to every day.

I got to know my new companion, Elder Sn. He came out one transfer after I did, so he's the first companion that has less time in the mission than I do, he's district leader and area senior, so I'm still junior companion. He's the youngest of 6, who have all served missions, this is his third area and he has four baptisms. I asked him if we could be related, since he and my mom's side of the family share a common last name, but although he says that it is possible we are related, he doesn't know for sure. After getting settled in, unpacking, ect; we got to know some of the members, getting fed every night does help. Hopefully I'll be able to see the work progress in this area and see the fruits of my labor while still in the area.


With warm regards, Elder Fields.