"It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy...Let's go exploring!"

Letter from Phillip on July 16, 2012 My Dearest Family, Wow, I have officially entered into my last and final transfer! I am now a part of the oldest group of missionaries in the mission. Are you ready for some transfer news........drum roll.......I am staying in Sabana Yegua. I´m happy that I´m staying here for my last six weeks. I´ve grown to love the people that I am working and serving with. The verdict, Elder W. is leaving. Elder P. is replacing him. I don´t know much about Elder P., just that he grew up in both Mexico and the United States. One of those fluent English Spanish speakers. So, the English class every Saturday is still a go. I´ll be sad to see Elder W. leave. I wasn´t sure what to expect that first week, but we were two chill guys that worked hard. I think we helped each other out in our respective strengths and weaknesses. Atlanta is sounding like my kind of city. I´m excited to see what it´s like. I´m glad that you guys are all moved in, and that life is now normalizing. For the most part, our investigators are doing well. It´s always tough when you try and try to help people progress, but something always gets in the way. There is this great family. Miguel and Rafaela. High functioning family, Miguel works for the department of education, yet something always gets in the way of them going to Church. A young girl has been going to Church with her best friend. I think in terms of people that will most likely get to baptism, this girl Chantal is the best bet for this next transfer. She has a lot of enthusiasm and has great support. A lot of the people that we have found that have gone to Church are doing well, but they still lack that extra touch of conversion. I hope that they can get it. This last week, we had the end of transfer Azua lunch with the senior couple, Elder & Sister Browns. So much fun! The missionaries of Azua, along with the assistants, got together at the Browns apartment to eat hoagie sandwiches. I thought of Mark Johnson [Phillip’s friend who recently got back from Spain] last night. We saw a group of about 20 white people. I thought they were from the U.S., so I started speaking English but it turned out they were Spaniards from Barcelona! They are here on a 2 month service mission from the Catholic Church. Even though we both speak Spanish, I realized how different Mark’s mission experience must have been from mine while talking to the Spaniards. Their accent was so different. But, they all had an air of European sophistication which I am definitely not used to here. I told my comp that I have few goals for this next transfer. Finish marking my Spanish Book of Mormon, 2 baptisms, and become tight with all the new Spaniards visiting Sabana Yegua! Gretchen, I need you to do me a favor. There is a quote I want to write in my planner. It is what Calvin says in the last ever Calvin and Hobbes strip. [Gretchen responded to him and sent the following: "It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy...Let's go exploring!"] Con mucho cariño, Elder Phillip LeCheminant