Elder Joseph Janson, California Santa Rosa Mission: 2/2/15 I am getting transferred!

Hey people,

So as the subject says, I am finally leaving my greenie area and I am
moving on to Fairfield, a city like an hour and a half east from Santa
Rosa. Apparently there is the Jelly Belly factory there, so I know
where I am going on p-day. Also there is a big Air Force base there.
Only thing that sucks is there are only 9 bike areas on the mission,
and guess who's going to one!?? Fairfield 2nd ward is on stupid bikes!
But that's ok, I'll just get really big quads :)

So today is consisting of packing for the first time in 4.5 months,
which should be fun. This week was awesome though! Me and Elder
Adamson were on exchanges in our area with Elder Haynie, who is going
home tomorrow!! He certainly didn't make that a secret haha. I always
just tell everyone I'm never going home because it is so far away it
might as well be never. But he is an amazing missionary and one that I
want to become like. Me and Elder Adamson have 6 months total of
mission experience so he kind of knows more than us. Jussayin!

We had a very interesting teaching experience the other day. We went
to go see a member with the last name Youngblood (coolest last name
ever!). We are trying to go and teach members that aren't active as
well as active ones, as a kind of practice in a way. Well we find out
she is married to another female member. So we got to teach in that
unusual living situation, and just taught the restoration. It's crazy
to see such people and teach them, and really see where they come
from.

Elder Reeder had one of the funniest phone calls the other night. We
were "phone tracting" where we simply call the 600 numbers on our
phone who we don't know. He called one, and the guy immediately
starting arguing with him that we are a cult, etc. and he simply would
not accept that we are not polygamists. It honestly was hilarious to
listen to just Elder Reeder's side of the conversation. I just wonder
why people think that everything they see on tv is solid, legitimate
fact. It's quite sad actually haha. I'm getting to the point that I
see how crazy people are about us, that it's not even offensive
anymore!! Hahaha.

Probably the coolest experience was earlier this past week. We were in
a Safeway parking lot talking to people because we needed to talk to a
couple more people. One lady was literally outside of the grocery
store holding a sign asking for donations for her little sons funeral.
We got to talking to her about it, and she said her 2 year old son had
an asthma attack in the middle of the night and she couldn't get to
him. It was terrible. But as we talked with her, we testified of the
plan of salvation and gave her a pamphlet with our number and I told
her if there is ever anything she needs, just to give us a call. The
spirit in the middle of that parking lot was incredible and that was
the first time I have ever almost started crying for a complete
stranger. As we go about trying to teach everyone we see, it starts to
make sense that we really are all brothers and sisters, and when we
truly try to help them, the spirit is there as we testify of truth,
and we understand what Christ's love is. That is one thing I have
learned already, that Christ's love is something that is very hard to
feel genuinely, but when you do feel it, it is undeniable. I bore my
testimony in fast and testimony meeting yesterday, and I felt so
comfortable up there bearing my testimony it didn't feel like me! It's
amazing to see what the spirit does.

I'm so happy to be out here with a bunch of people to support me, and
thank you all for your emails and packages! It helps a lot. I'll let
you know my new address and stuff as soon as possible, and I finally
get to see what a transfer is like! Haha

I love you guys!

Elder Janson