G'day one and all!
First off, I must voice just what I'm thinking about as far as some family news goes. One, I miss my cat =/ I definitely wouldn't want him to come to Darwin though - even the street savvy cats don't really last long, and that's not necessarily because they get killed, but more because they kill things that end up being poisonous, thus killing the cat. [Elder Schomburg's cat is fine. He just misses him, I guess. ;)] Anyway! Elizabeth got the lead!!!! Whoohoo!!! What a pro! I'm super excited for you, Elizabeth!!! You'll smash it! [Elizabeth auditioned for The King and I and landed the lead role of Anna! You can see her in it in mid-November.]
So... transfer information came.... I'M LEAVING DARWIN!!! I'm really excited to go south, and anxious and nervous, too. I knew this was coming- there was no way I was staying in Darwin for one more transfer, despite popular belief (I'm telling you, the Holy Ghost and I are like peas and carrots). We got the call at 6PM last night, which was much earlier than expected, and then we may have more or less been put in an apostate situation [they broke a mission rule - apparently by accident] by our ward mission leader: he heard about transfers in whatever way that he did, and he decided to put together and throw a last minute dinner for the missionaries! So Elder A and I didn't think we were going- we'd just finished riding around trying to say goodbye to the solid members that I really love in our area (none of them were home), and we were at a less active's house when Brother B called and said he was coming to pick us up at our flat. So we raced to our flat and we waited.... and we waited... and we called and he said he was still coming, so we waited. It was 8:30 when he showed up and it was 8:50 by the time we got out to Nightcliff where he lives. The Darwin District Sisters were there and so was Elder F and Elder W (who is going south along with Elder C [who is finished] and Elder N and me). So... we had to be into our flats at 9:00, and Elder A and I were dependent on a ride and twenty minutes by car out of our area, which would have been a fairly long walk considering our lack of navigational skills in the foreign Nightcliff area. Consequently, we were stuck. The District Sisters said hi and said bye and we took some photos and they were outta there. Elder F and Elder W, who were on bikes and in their own area, stuck around, and Elder A played music on a guitar and sang songs while we ate ice cream and lasagna. We got back to the flat at 9:30... definitely apostate and I'm sorry. I've been wondering if we could have done something differently. We had wanted to cancel with Brother B but he had just pulled up to pick us up when we were going to make that call. Honestly, it was the most hastily put together thing I've ever experienced and Brother B's motives were pure (in his old mission the elders didn't have to turn in until 10PM) but we were still apostate for the space of an hour or so. Sorry guys....
On to more news! I have none! I'm excited to go south because in all honesty, I was getting pretty itchy feet in the Malak area. I wasn't quite sure what I should be doing (aside from the usual missionary work); none of our investigators were progressing and nothing long term seemed to be happening. I've been trying to figure it out but I'm not sure what the deal was. Oh, quick sidebar! I've decided that Elder A is a really good friend and fun to "hang out with" as it were, but as far as missionary work goes, we have very different styles, and we're both pretty stubborn in our ways and we think VERY differently, and that's where most of the problem was. But it's not fair of me to focus only on the negative aspects, especially when I myself have more than a few- he's a good friend and I know that he would have my back in any situation; we're just different missionaries. Alright, anyway, so I wasn't sure what was going on in Malak, or rather, why it was that nothing was going on and I was starting to get impatient with the situation. Now I'm leaving, and I'm sad and glad- I think it was time for something new, at least for myself, but I'm sad to be leaving the place that every other missionary wants to be. That also makes me nervous about going south- why is it that everyone wants to come to Darwin? How bad is it in Adelaide that Darwin -the most humid and therefore one of the "hottest" places in the mission- has become the place to be? My shirts are smashed, by the way, and I'm fairly certain that the black suit I have in the vault down south, my first suit, probably doesn't fit me anymore. I'm sure it'll be easy to take care of down there, but we'll see. That's another thing- they wear suits all the time down there... I probably should have brought three, because now I'm down a suit. What can you do? Come what may and love it! I'm going to miss Darwin... certainly won't miss the smells though- the dank and humid air makes the slightest aroma permeate the surrounding area like nothing I've ever experienced. If something smells good, you can smell it for 50 kilometres in any direction- likewise, if something smells bad, you can smell it as well, and there are just pockets of the aromas. One second you go through a pocket of air that smells like sewage, and the next you go past a lily tree and you just want to stand by it and soak up the sweetness. Wow, that was random, sorry for rambling. I've got to write down all the things about Darwin so I don't forget them later!
I'm going to miss the members here- I've been told that the members here are the most solid in the entire mission, which makes me a little less-than-excited for going south to meet the members. At the same time, I can't wait to see what it's like! Apparently, and Elder A just told me this, a different Elder was supposed to replace me up here earlier and I should have gone south already, but as it was that didn't happen. Elder A will be great up here, though- he's going to get it done and there are two investigators we have up here who I'm confident will be baptized this transfer. I'm a bit sad about not getting to be a part of those baptisms, but so long as it gets done and they become solid members, I'm happy- we're all on the same team here, and it doesn't matter who gets to do the ordinance, just so long as it gets done.
I'll probably be in Adelaide at about 5PM [1:30 a.m. Monday USA time] - my flight leaves at 1:10PM and I have to be at the airport in thirty minutes... aw dang.... what's for lunch...? Haha, no worries, airplane food tastes better than some of the things I've made! XD Anyway, I've got to be off now. I love you all!! Cheers!!!
-Elder Schomburg
[Elder Schomburg is a somewhat nervous traveler, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he makes this journey and adjusts to his new area. Thank you! Lisa]
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