I Got Transferred!

Crazy Story!  Elder Kim is originally from Seoul, South Korea.  He moved to Virginia when he was 17  and received his American Citizenship.  Then he went to college at BYU.  He is now on a mission at 25 years old.  His mission call was actually to the Sydney South Australia Mission.  Currently he is waiting for his Visa.  Another Elder, named Elder Johns, from Utah, was waiting for his Visa to Brazil.  He got it last week.  Elder Johns' companion, Elder Levitt, from Blackfoot, Idaho, is his companion.  On Thursday, Elder Kim and I got a call from the assistants telling us that I was going down to Camarillo to serve with Elder Levitt and Elder Kim was going to stay in Santa Maria with the other companionship as a tri-pan.  They were going to combine the ward in Santa Maria and close down the apartment that Elder Kim and I were staying in.  So, I have been working super hard to make that all happen.  The other Elders are basically white-washing the area I have been in for three months, so I had to write a bunch of notes about investigators and potentials that I really thought they should go see.  This morning Elder and Sister Miles (senior full-time missionaries) picked me up and dropped me off here, in Camarillo.  Crazy!  Elder Johns leaves tomorrow for Brazil!  I had no idea where Camarillo was, so I looked at the atlas.  It is very near Oxnard, where the Mission Home is located.  Elder Ruby has served in the very north, middle and south parts of his mission area all in 6 months.

Here are Elder Ruby's final comments from Santa Maria:

The area in Santa Maria is doing fine.  It will be good to have some fresh blood on our side.  We had many people who we would visit, but they all started to slowly slip downward into contentment.  This past week didn't feel real productive despite all the hard work Elder Kim and I did.  We worked and worked and worked.  Lunch was only as long as it took it gulp down a sandwich.  It was sad to say good-bye to many of our investigators and to the members, but I understand that God has something for me to do here in Camarillo. :)

Elder Kim was great.  He has such a good testimony.  He has really great moments when he decides to jump in and be bold.  Elder Kim is incredibly humble.  His goal is to be the most obedient and humble missionary he can be, and he is doing a good job.  Every once in a while he needs a bit of a push.  I know exactly how he feels (and how my trainer felt).  I was much like that when I was "6 weeks old."  He taught me a lot in the six days we were together.  I like the angles he takes on subjects and situations.  Maybe it's the "Korean" way. :)  We are doing some good work here in Camarillo.  Of course, God is going to do the hastening, we just have to reap and sow.

Currently, I am trying to discern between my boldness/love/sincerity and selfishness/impatience/requests.  Elder Campbell taught me to be myself, to be bold, and to just do.   Sometimes I think that when I am being myself, I am being selfish or impatient.  Maybe myself is selfish and impatient.  Haha.  I really want to be like the Savior.  I want to denounce sin, and be humble and unhypocritical about it.  I want to be bold, and love the people at the same time.  I don't want to be afraid of what man may think.  I want to do what is pleasing to God.  One thing that I am doing in my studies is finding all the things we need to get to heaven.  I know salvation isn't a checklist, but I was curious what the scriptures say.  As I have made this list (have faith, hope, charity, be humble, clean repent. . . etc), the realization came to me that all these attributes have to happen sometime if I expect to make it.  Why not do them now?  When do I expect to become humble, or repentant? or full of love?  Now!  I am really trying.

I am grateful for my new assignment, even though it was hard to say good-bye.

Here is a picture of Elder Walker, Elder Ruby, Elder Kim and Elder Comin at transfers on March 10.  Elder Will Comin used to live in Buffalo when he was much younger.  I think I have a picture of Hyrum and Will when they were kindergarten-age.  That was about the last time they saw each other until their missions.  Pretty cool that they were sent to the same mission!