This last week has been so crazy! We landed in Charleston, WV, and got picked up by the mission president and all the AP's. Luckily, we all made it there. We had no time in our layover at all; we had to run and catch the next plane to West Virginia. But we all made it, so I did my job! It was so hot when I got here! I was overwhelmed by what everything looked like and the humidity and all that stuff! But it reminded me of Hawaii!! That is kind of what it looks like! It’s so nice and pretty. It’s not home, but I do like it!
When we got to the mission home we all gathered together and had dinner with the president and his wife. Then after that, we had a big testimony meeting and a get to know each other type of thing. It was cool and spiritual. The mission president wanted to interview all of us personally and for some reason he wanted me to go last??? So while I waited, the assistants took me tracting in down town Charleston! There were three of us and it was a blast! I didn't get rejected, which was cool and I gave away two Books of Mormon and had some long discussions with some people about religion. It was a sweet first experience! The AP's said they were really impressed but they probably say that about everyone. We went home and I had my interview. President Pitt said he could tell that I had the biggest testimony out of the group and that he knows that I will be serving in many leadership positions throughout my mission! It was neat.
On transfer day, I got sent to Radford, Virginia. I got assigned to my companion, Elder Lopez; he is awesome! He is my trainer and he has been out for about 5 months. I learn a lot from him; he is very nice and he is fluent in Spanish and English. We have a good time! We got doubled in and had to start fresh. There was no one here to show us the ropes of the area. We spent six hours cleaning our house because it was so trashed. When I saw it, I just about turned around and flew home! But we cleaned it up and it's good now! We have a very nice car. It’s a Subaru. It’s a 2013--they only buy new cars here and sell them after 50,000 miles so there are some very nice cars in my mission. It’s awesome!!
The members here are so generous! We get fed every night! It’s so nice. There is like 130 members in Radford and two other areas that make up the ward. The boundaries are huge that make up the ward. But I love the members; they’re very nice and hardly anyone believes that I'm 18 years old. A lot of the moms in the ward, when they hear that for some reason, they feel the need to feel so sorry for my mom! And give us extra food, so I'm good with that! ;) But the people here are a lot nicer than the people in Utah are!! Everyone is very kind! Radford is a big university town. There are a lot of crazy college kids. But there are also a lot of families here. I love it! It’s a great place to be! They say this is the nicest area of the mission and I believe it!
We have seen a lot of miracles! They’re everywhere when you know where to look! Right now, me and my companion have eight investigators! There are so many people here ready to learn about the church and the gospel!! We have meet so many people and all my hobbies that I know of have gotten me through a lot of doors. But we have a family of 4 that wants to get baptized and a lot of others looking for truth. We were walking down a road and it was later at night and I had the impression to walk up a big hill and tract it. So we did;.We got up there and there were about eight houses on this dead end street. We had knocked all but one and I was losing hope because no one was interested in what we had to say. On our last house we knocked on, this old man named Jesse invited us in. He is in his 70's and he looked like he was having a hard time. He was calm and in pain; we could tell he needed help. So he got talking to us and he told us that his wife is dying and that she has Alzheimer's and can't remember him. When he was telling us about it, I just about started crying it was so sad. He has been married for over 45 years and now he doesn't know where to find hope from slowly losing his wife. So after he told us his story, we taught him about our knowledge of eternal families and of the Savior and His atonement. We both bore very strong testimonies and it was so powerful. It was the strongest I have ever felt the spirit and I can't even remember what I said when I taught him. After our lesson, we got his info and he wants to learn more. So we will be going back and seeing him soon.
I have seen so many miracles just like this one. And they have all been led by the spirit. My heart has changed and all I want to do is help people. It’s so important that we always keep the spirit in our lives and that we always follow its promptings. When we trust God and allow the Savior into our lives and humble ourselves, this gospel will change us. The Savior will change us and allow us to become more like him and there is no greater feeling in this world! I love you all and am praying for everyone.
I will see you soon -Elder Bingham
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