Week 63: Transferred!
Sister Fairbanks
37 Uptown Rd. Apt. 15B
Ithaca, NY 14850
It sounds like they are having Zone Conference this week (earlier than usual), where they are hoping to learn more about what will change with the upcoming mission merge. You might remember that on July 1st, the New York Utica mission is being dissolved, and that that area will be combined with the New York Rochester mission area to create a big new mission area that will be called the New York Rochester mission. That means quite a few changes! The poor mission president's family will have to move (which must be a real challenge for them and their 5 kids after only one year), but they will be more centrally located for President Vest to be able to preside over the whole new mission area more easily. They will also be closer to the airport in Syracuse, which will make it easier to receive new missionaries coming in and to send missionaries home who have reached the end of their full-time service.
Another very significant variable in all of this is that Becca's release date might be affected. The old Rochester mission's transfers occur a week after the Utica mission's transfers (Transfers occur every 6 weeks for every mission, but they are staggered throughout the calendar, so that the Missionary Training Centers are sending out new missionaries every week to different areas of the world). Depending on whether they stick with the Utica or Rochester mission's transfer dates for the new mission will determine when the missionaries will finish their service and go home. UGH!!! That means she could be coming home a week LATER than we thought... 😑 We will deal with whatever comes, but I'm sure you can understand my reluctance to see another week added to her mission. 😜 #missionarymomproblems
Anywho... Becca's email to me was short, since we spoke yesterday, but she sounds so much happier already! Here's the whole thing!
Good Morning!!!
It was a lot of fun to talk to you yesterday. I hope you are all home again today!
This week was long but good. I left my journal at the apartment so I'm not sure how many details I will remember. But Monday was pretty good. I think the last two days with Sister Chanipo were our best. I remember on Tuesday that I said goodbye to Jay. That was a little hard. I promised him I would text him when I get home. :) He's doing awesome.
Tuesday was when we got transfer calls. Super exciting. And I'm so happy to be in Ithaca!! So that afternoon I packed up everything. I was able to fit everything into my two blue suitcases. So I hope you don't mind but I donated my medium suitcase... it's really a lot nicer to travel with only two suitcases. All the boxes I sent home paid off, haha.
Wednesday we drove three hours to Utica. Then jumped in the Ithaca car and drove about two hours to Ithaca. We had a good visit on the way down. [Sister Sessions] is super sweet and I think we'll get along just fine. We already have a lot in common. Communication is already so good. All week so far we have just been visiting and talking and getting to know one another. It's nice to be able to talk to someone!
Wednesday afternoon we had a lesson [to teach]. Wednesday evening we had a lesson. Thursday we had a couple. We've had a couple of lessons almost every day. Ithaca is busy and so full of people. I'm excited to find even more to teach.
Today we are planning on a lot of shopping. There is a mall and a Target in our area. Super excited for that. Still no Walmart [which is so funny, because we hear that there were dozens of Walmarts in the Utica mission!]. But I'm grateful to have anything more than Dollar Tree! Sounds like there is a lot of fun stuff to do in Ithaca on pday, so we might go do something cool too. :)
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
❤😘❤😘❤😘❤😘❤
❤❤❤ Sister Fairbanks
1 - candid Jay 😂
2 - working at the historian's office
3- Sister Sessions!
And here's the very short group email:
Hello!
This week was transfers! So on Wednesday I left Canton and Sister Chanipo, and I am in Ithaca with Sister Sessions!!! I've always wanted to serve in Ithaca and Sister Sessions is so sweet. We already get along great and are working hard in Ithaca. We are teaching quite a few people and the members here are so excited about missionary work.
It's been a crazy week and we are out of time today. But the work keeps moving forward!! Hope you all have a great week!
Sister Fairbanks
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