On Christmas day Matt went to the Stake Center in Cleveland and had a zone p-day. They played basketball and "chush-wozy" which is a game that the elders in that mission made up. It is a cross between ultimate frisbee and basketball. There are 22 elders in Matt's zone. They went and ate lunch at the mission home with President and Sister Sorenson. They got President Sorenson to tell them stories of meeting General Authorities.
They went to dinner at Robbie and Esther's house. They had ham, potatoes & gravy, garlic noodles and rolls. Robbie and Esther are so solid. Matt says the ward loves them and they would be fine without missionaries teaching them. Matt told us some funny things that Yazmeyne has said. One time she was praying and asked that an acquaintance would "stop smoking the wrong things". She also called certain drinks "drug cans".
They don't have too much snow right now.
As a Zone leader Matt's duties include: meetings, exchanges with missionaries in their zone, taking care of "problems", etc. He said all the "problem" missionaries (companionships that didn't get along) all got transferred. Matt had told President Sorensen that a few of the companions "hated each other". President Sorensen told Matt that was why they were kept together for another transfer. "They can learn to get along or go to hell together".
They have to drive to Cleveland at least twice a week. It is an hour round trip and about 100 miles round trip from Sandusky. They have 1750 miles a month for their truck. Elder Fronk has been in Sandusky for 7 1/2 months, and he'll be staying the next transfer too.
The ward in Sandusky gave them stockings with candy and stuff in them. Our Riverton ward sent a big poster/card made out of wrapping paper that people in the ward had written messages on. He also got something from the cub scouts in our ward.
Matt has decided that you can tell how good a ward will be by how loud they sing. If the ward sings loudly and enthusiastically they are usually a gung-ho ward. Sandusky Ward may be the exception because they don't sing too loud, but are still pretty good. That might be because there are only 100-150 active members. They have the age old problem in that ward of a few members doing most of the work. They have a regular building, but they are the only ward in it. They go to church at 9:30. The missionaries go to choir practice after church - Matt sings tenor. They used to have meetings before church like Ward Counsel, but with the new handbook they don't have to go to that anymore.
Merrill had to give a talk on the 26th on agency and accountability. Matt says he loves teaching members about agency, but it's harder to teach investigators. He says with members you can go in depth, but with investigators it's like giving them a drink out of a fire hose.
Matt told us he would be transferred on the 27th, a week before normal transfers. He didn'g go into any detail, but said he'd tell us what was going on when he e-mailed us. He was a little sad that he wouldn't be in Sandusky for Robbie and Esther's marriage or baptisms. He is hoping to have an investigator to take so he can go back.
He said "I'm doing real good!"
We got to talk for about 45 minutes and nobody shed any tears. It was awesome to talk to him!
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