Mission Update

Mikkel was called to the mission office for the third time in 8 days last Monday. He thought it was for a multi-zone conference but it turned out to be an entire mission conference. They announced that they are splitting the mission in two (adding a mission) and then left it at that. No one will know any more until around June when it will all take place. President Hansen doesn't know if he will stay in the Veracruz mission or go to the new one. None of the missionaries know if they will stay in the current or go to the new one either. So, there will be speculation and drama for the next several months until we hear more news.

The first two times he had to go to the mission office weren't so wonderful... He was transferred from Temezcal to Mendoza (a town in a valley of the tallest mountain in Mexico) and his companion there "liked to have fun, he likes to sin" (as Mikkel put it). He didn't like Mikkel much because he wants to work. Mikkel, being the senior companion thought he could just encourage the elder and it would all get better.

Well, a week later the companion said that Mikkel was the source of a week-long migraine and he wanted to go home. Mikkel tried motivating and encouraging with no success. The companion called President Hansen and asked "what do I need to do to go home?". So they and another companionship had to travel two and a half hours (each way) to the mission office to drop off the one going home.

Once they got home, they started doing the usual p-day stuff when they got a call saying "come back, we have a new companion for you!". So off they went - another 5 hour (round trip) bus ride to get a new companion.

This one is much better, he's from Whistler, Canada so Mikkel has a sweet place to stay if he wants to learn how to ski in a year and a half or so. They get along great and things are moving much more smoothly. They even had a baptism - Mikkel's first one since November, which is a long time in that mission.

Just for the record... the one that went home was a trouble-companion before Mikkel came along, it didn't start with him nor was he the reason for all the problems. That didn't make Mikkel feel better at the time but I think he realizes it now.