Time for a change!

Welp, my friends, after the 4 months in the office, I'm winding down the next 2 training the new guy in a few days. I ain't gonna reveal his name, 'cause the transfer's not 'til tomorrow (and I'm always paranoid for info leak) but...a change is as good as a rest.

I'm...actually feeling pretty relieved. I immensely enjoyed being secretary, and I know that my contributions to the office will be appreciated, though not necessarily recognize. I did my best to include a little more computer science wizardry and intelligent modification of the documentation and secretary protocols, and I hope the next guy can do the same. However, I'm also ready to get back to just having a simpler focus on my mission: baptizing the dickens out of the Northeastern people. It sounds silly, but there you have it! I'm gonna be way more focused when I get reassigned now.

In the office, I learned a lot about personal organization and playing one's part. I learned better how to work in a team and get stuff done intelligently. I also realize that there's a way better way to get people in the water than just looking for a dunker on the street - with such limited time, we really have to work with our head! I also had the change to put my greatest personal strengths into the mission, which is everything that's got to do with a computer.

Side note for my UCAS buddies: I came THIS close to slapping Linux on the machine I used...but unfortunately the IT guys'd just wipe everything out if there was ever a problem. :( The Church prefers to just get stuff done, I guess.

It will be interesting to be in a trio again, but time will tell if I'm gonna enjoy it. The house will get harder to organize, and missionary work will be a pain while I work to get the newbie oriented quickly, but he's an intelligent guy. I'm sure that God's got it handled. If anything, that's what I've learned this last week...in spite of any doubt, persecution, or trouble we endure, our faith and followup with what we know we must do is what will set us apart at the last day. T'ain't easy, but reviewing Hebrews 11 and 12 always helps to keep things in perspective. It's one of the passages in the scriptures that I think I might use in times to come when I'm feeling sorry for myself and I need a good spiritual smack in the face. I have no idea when and in what form trials that come will take, but at the important thing is my being able to say I did my best, with all that I had. Perhaps in this way the office was a little mission of its own - looking back, there's always things that I could change with the knowledge I have now, but there's no way I could have that hindsight without going through it. I can say I passed my time here in the office the best way I knew...though it's not over yet! If for some reason I disappear of the face of the earth, I'll bequeath the responsibility of the next blog post to my companion, who'll presumably be alive when the next week comes.

Well...I'm off! Ta-ta for now, friends and family. I wrote this all in a bit of a rush, but at the very least it'll serve as this last week's post. I love y'all, and hope that y'all remember me every once in a while - I sure do remember a lot of people seeing tons of 'em every day here on the mission. If only a few more would write... ;D But I digress! Don't forget to write, and DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!

Love,

-Erich