A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MISSIONARY TRANSFER

It was the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus (544 - 483 BC) who is first credited with having said, "There is nothing permanent except change."

Here is the Maryland Baltimore Mission, Sister Lindsay and I have now become accustomed to the reality that every six weeks during missionary transfer day, we are likely to experience changes among the young missionaries who are a part of the Jones Falls district of which the Chesapeake Ward is a part. Occasionally, one of the elders or sisters will be going home because their mission is completed. More often, however, someone is either being transferred into our area from another location or being moved from here to a different assignment. Unlike our young missionary friends, as senior missionaries we are likely to remain assigned to the same congregation for the entire 18 month period of our mission experience.

Today, however, we participated in a different type of missionary transfer from what normally occurs. We closed a missionary apartment that houses four elders within our ward boundaries and moved them to another apartment located four miles away that will be somewhat more central to where they will be doing their proselyting work.

All of this was accomplished within a single day thanks to the kind assistance of two Church members who volunteered their time and their vehicles (including a pickup truck). The heavy lifting of furniture was done by the four elders, while the Church members assisted by helping with many of the boxes and lighter items. Sister Lindsay and I were there with our car as well to make certain that items that might be broken or surplus were not part of the transfer process. Usable but unneeded things will be taken to the Bishop's Storehouse in downtown Baltimore to be given away to people in the Baltimore area, both Church members and not.

Go make your bed and sleep in it!

After getting everything moved to the new apartment and the furniture positioned and reassembled, Sister Lindsay and I provided pizza for a late lunch before returning all of the elders to the old apartment. These four hardworking young men carried their suits, dress shoes, and scriptures with them because they still had to vacuum and clean their former living quarters before heading out this evening for missionary teaching appointments.

Sister Lindsay and I will go to the apartment office tomorrow at one o'clock and then complete a walk through with the apartment manager to make certain that everything has been left in good working order for the next tenant.