Arizona Week 54 - Cibecue

Hello Everyone,

This week we had transfers. After serving 6 months in Pinetop, and maybe getting a little hint from the President's wife, I knew I would be transferred but didn't know where.

Transfers typically go like this: During the day, president will call people to new positions in this order: new zone leaders (or ones going to a new zone with same position), new district leaders, trainers, and that's it, I thought. Well the bulk of the day came and went, and we received no call. No big deal.

And then out of the blue, President called to tell me what assignment I would have because; although not "leadership" it is an important assignment. Three Elders and I will be opening a town on the Apache Reservation as its own area. The town is called Cibecue. Up until now, a set of sisters have gone maybe once a week for a couple hours. We were told that it would be a difficult assignment and that we would be sacrificing a lot of physical comforts while serving there and yet we are so excited.

We will be working with a branch that has about 20 people at church each week. The building is very small. If the steeple were to be removed it literally could fit in most stake center cultural halls. The "chapel" does not have pews or an established podium. The main room can be separated into two by the use of one of those accordion curtain doors thus creating the chapel and a cultural hall-with one basketball hoop. Up the stairs at the back are two small classrooms. Somewhere in this building is an office for the branch president (a man from Show Low). Church here is only 2 hours (Sunday School and then Sacrament Meeting).

  

We live in a single wide 2 bed 1 bath trailer that they plopped next to the branch building. There is very little around us. We will not have much in the way of comforts, we probably will seldom be fed by the members, and I love this area (already) more than any so far! I am so excited! I really can't even express it. This will be, by far, the coolest thing that I have done on my mission. It is seriously as if I were in a different country.

President has told us how much trust he needs to have in the missionaries that will be serving here. Further, he said that the chosen elders must have a lot of integrity because this place needs miracles. All of us have expressed the fact that we can absolutely feel the Spirit moving through this little town. We can see that this field is truly "white, already to harvest," and we are so eager to begin harvesting. President has told us that we were selected because he knew that we could handle a challenge (it will be a very difficult place to be).

Serving here are Elder Lomu (our district leader for the 4 of us) and his companion Elder Bateman (a brand new missionary), Elder Gaebler (my companion) and me. We are already having a blast.

Love you all!

Elder Kirk