Excuse me president... I'm doing what next transfer?

Alright everyone,

We got our transfer call on Saturday night, and the results are in for what I'm going to be doing for the next 6 weeks.

However, I got MY call for transfers on Friday morning. For any of you who have been missionaries, you know that if president calls you the friday morning before the usual transfer call, something crazy is up. That's why he calls the day before. To warn you.

We got the message from president on the way to an appointment. He didn't tell us anything, except for that I needed to call him back. I was immediately panicked and thought that surely someone had died or something. Worst feeling ever. I decided I didn't want to call him back until after we taught, because I knew if something bad did happen, I probably wouldn't be able to teach very effectively. So we went to our appointment, but no one answered, so Hna McMurtrey said she'd drive so that I could call him back. Unfortunately, he didn't answer. And neither did Sis. Hansen. The people in the office answered, but they gave me phone numbers that I already had, and then told me that he was going to be observing people's district meetings all morning (Friday we all have our district meetings at 10:30/11:30). Ugh. So we brainstormed for awhile who might know something and could maybe help us out, and decided that the assistants to the president (APs) might know something so we tried them. I explained the situation, and told Elder Rowberry my concern ("his voice didn't sound very good..."), and he just goes, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. You'll be excited."

What?

Did you just say I'll be excited?

Seriously did a double take after that one. He was just like, "yeah, you're going to be excited." PHEW. No one died. We got off the phone, and I told Hna. McMurtrey what he had said. She just smiled real big, giggled a little in typical Hna. McMurtrey fashion, and said, "You're training."

Alright folks. Here's the thing. I have one transfer in the mission. That means six weeks actually in the mission, speaking spanish to real spanish speaking people. People don't usually train until something like their seventh transfer... as in like 9 months in the mission. But the problem is that this transfer we have FIVE new baby hermanas coming in, and not enough senior companions to train them all. Hna. McMurtrey had several legitimate (although maybe a little bit intense) sounding guesses, which did not include me or any of the newer hermanas training, so I assumed it would be one of those. Boy were we wrong.

After an agonizing half an hour or so of trying to get ahold of president, he finally answered his phone, and this is how our conversation went:

"Hna Hollenbaugh! How are you?"
"I'm fine president, thank you, how are you?" (blah blah blah, formalities, etc.)

"Well hermana, I'm calling about transfers. Do you know Hermana Blanco?"
"Yes, president. My MTC companion."
"Oh yeah, your MTC companion. Well, the Lord has prompted me, and you are going to be working with Hna. Blanco, and the two of you are going to be training a brand new missionary from the MTC. Now, I've never done this before, but I really trust you two, and I know that you'll be great. Do you think you can do that Hermana?"

This was followed by lots of typical answers, such as, "Wow," and "I'm excited," etc. etc. I told him that I trusted him. Then we got off the phone.

Sooooooo... that's the biggest news as of late, folks. I'm going to be back with my MTC companion, and we are training. Already. It's crazy. BUT, I'm way excited and even though I have no ideas how all the dynamics are going to work out, I'm sure it'll be great.

Gotta go, but I hope you all are doing awesome!

Sincerely, Hermana Hollenbaugh