Week 96 in LA--Last Transfer

Zach called on the 4th of July which was awesome and totally unexpected. Everyone got to say hi to him and or talk to him for a bit. I of course got the longest time and it was amazing!! We talked about anything and everything and we had a really nice conversation. He had to be in his apartment at 6:00 that night because things get a little crazy in LA on the 4th. They were invited to a 4th of July party by a Jewish man. Zach said that he is the nicest guy and told them that he loves the missionaries and that they are always welcome at his home. At this party, they like to try different kinds of food so Zach was able to try duck, venison and one other meat that I can't seem to remember. He said that he liked the duck best. After dinner was over, they loaded them up with lots of food to take home (like LOTS), which was so nice. He said that the majority of the people there were non-members or inactive's and they had a lot of great conversations with them. He said that there was a gay couple and they were pretty stand off-ish with them. Zach felt the strong impression to go over and talk to them. They thought that Zach and his companion hated them because they are gay. Zach sat with them and told them that in fact, he loved them. They went on to have an amazing conversation and were so thankful that Zach took the time to talk to them. Zach said that it was amazing!!

He called again on Monday. He said that their P-day was extended because they had to drive to the mission home for Zach to get his temple recommend renewed. He now has a recommend signed by a General Authority, but only for the duration of his mission. Kind of cool!! He said that President Cordon is such an amazing man and that he really likes him a lot. 

Ted was baptized on Saturday. Zach was able to go to the baptism with one of his former companions, Elder Leavitt. They swapped companionships for the day and drove to Woodland Hills. Zach said that the traffic was really bad so they barely made it in time (with only 3 minutes to spare). So, sadly, they missed most of the photo opportunities, only getting one picture because traffic is so bad and they had to leave right after to get back to their companions. However, Zach said that it was an amazing baptism!!

Transfer calls came in on Sunday night and..............Zach will be staying in the North Hollywood ward only, he is no longer district leader and his new companion is Elder Meldrum. Elder Hill will be serving in the Studio City ward with a brand new missionary as a trainer. Zach said that he was super sad that he wasn't assigned to be a trainer. That is the one thing he wanted to do before he went home, but it wasn't in the cards for him. I told him that he had the amazing experience of being a district and zone leader for half of his mission and that is a great thing so not to be too upset about it. He was feeling much better about it on Monday night when we talked. This is his very last transfer and he said that all of the people they were teaching were in the Studio City ward so they have a lot of work to do in this 6 weeks.

He said that he is ready to come home. He has accepted that his time is almost done, he's not at all trunky and he will finish strong, but he is ready to come home, get a job and start college. He has made plans for himself so he doesn't waste time and is productive when he comes home. This guy has matured so much and he has such a good head on his shoulders! He is going to do great things in life!!

He taught me the restoration lesson over the phone. He has it memorized (along with all of the others). We had a nice and kind of deep gospel conversation and it was really good. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. He said that he set a goal to read it completely before he comes home and he is doing it along with a study guide that was given to him. I am excited for him to bring that home so I can read and study with it. So cool!!

We were able to talk for 1-1/2 hours and it was so nice. At the end of our call, Elder Hill got on the phone and thanked me for raising such an amazing son and he said how much he enjoyed having him as a companion. So sweet!! 

He sent quite a few pictures and a video of all of the fireworks that were going off all around them (they may or may not have went up on the roof to watch them--shhhhhhh!!). Sadly, the video won't share so I'm not going to be able to attach it here. 

**A few side notes--Zach felt both of the earthquakes and was able to email us on Sunday letting us know he was ok (which I already knew thanks to Julie). Zach was really glad that he got to spend time with Elder Leavitt on Saturday and again on Monday because he goes home today. Also, when Zach went to get his recommend, he said that this car was trying to "run him over" but he realized that it was Jeffrey (Elder Yi). He was in town for a few short days so it was a total coincidence that Zach got to see him but he was super glad that he did!!

Pictures
1-4 P-day with Zach, Elder Hill, Elder Leavitt and Elder Jeon
5 Ted's baptism day
6-10 Some of his district
11 Zach and Elder Hill chilling on their couch