Well this week was really great. We had transfers on Thursday which was crazy as usual. Me and 3 other missionaries were left at the church while everyone else went down to Irmo. We had a huge transfer this time around where 97 missionaries were transfered. So the whole mission was whitewashed. When elder Powell finally came up to Irmo we went on to our area and stopped by the apartment and unpacked. Our first night we went to a recent convert couple who speaks Spanish. We then went to the Bishops house so we could get a little start and get some names on who to visit. We also saw the Bishops neighbor who is a member.
Friday was a huge getting to know the area and members day. We have one of the largest areas in the mission. Our boundaries stretch from Simpsonville to Joanna. On Friday we met with our ward mission leader Hermano torres who is just super great. Then we later drove down to Lauren and walked around downtown Lauren which was really cool. We ate dinner at this 50s diner place that had a great atmosphere and food. Super weird place because it was also a movie theater, if you walk through the diner, there's a hallway that takes you to the movie theater. So it was quite an experience. Later we went to some different members houses all around laurens. And at night we had a lesson with a deaf guy named Ronnie. We actually had a member from the Greenville 1st ward translating for us. And so elder Powell and I have commited to learn sign language and I think I have found my calling. I learn this stuff so fast. When we saw Ronnie at church I was able to have conversations with Ronnie and understand what he was saying and respond a little bit. Super cool, maybe getting a study guide for sign language would be cool? Anyway we taught him the plan of salvation. He is the son of a recent convert so he comes to church every week and really wants to get baptized. He is on date but we'll have to push it back a bit.
Saturday was our big member day. We met just about every member in the Simpsonville area. Except for those on ward council everyone except the relief society president and the ward clerk said no to our texts. So we stopped sending texts and just started showing up to people's doors. So we met a bunch of members and by the time we had dinner with the relief society president she was very impressed that we had already met with half the ward. By the time we were finished with dinner and left she sent us a text saying that her kids both said that we were the best missionaries that they had met. So that felt pretty good. We replaced the sisters in the ward and the ward hasn't had elders for over 3 years, so we are having to work hard to be accepted. After dinner we went to our assistant ward mission leaders house and got to know him and his wife. They just moved form Colombia 9 months ago and don't speak much English so they were very excited that we had come.
Sunday was church day. We went to ward council in the morning and everyone commented on how sorry they were that they wouldn't let us go to their house. Then after ward council we met everyone else in the ward. Super weird thing though is that someone's parents were visiting in the ward and apparently they are from Highlands Ranch as well. They are one of the 50 Jackman in our stake. I'm pretty sure they said they were in the Southridge ward. But the senior Jackmans are his parents. So I have their granddaughter in my new ward. She is the primary president here. After meeting everyone I was asked to give a talk the first 2 hours I was in the area so I gave that, which went well if I do say so myself. Then we had elders quorom and met more people after church. Then we went to fountain inn and met members and investigators around there. Afterwards we had dinner with bishop, bishop has 10 kids and we took the challenge to know all the kids names and we nailed it. We shared a good spiritual thought and afterwards we went to the Payans and they had another family over as well and we got to know them and shared a though there as well.
Today we will be going to gravitopia and having fun. We also have a dinner with the Martinez family tonight as well.
Elder Bertoch
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