Sister Emily Mangum is a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission.

October 15, 2013

My First Area and Companion

Email October 15, 2013

Two Letters - One to Mom and One to Dad

Hey mom,

Its been crazy, I'm so ridiculously tired. 

I got my new area and trainer today.  I'm in a small town called Belen just south of Albuquerque.  Its quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Kinda reminds me a bit of out where grandma used to live. Except its complete desert.  Its really pretty, but way different from Florida.  We live in a little apartment on a dairy farm owned by some members.  Its a cute little house. I have no idea where anything is, but they have schedule in driving time no matter where we go. They said our area is one of the largest land areas in the mission just because of the dairy and cattle farms.

It is the picture perfect southwestern town. I keep seeing people in cowboy hats and boots and rusty pick up trucks.

I have my first real lesson today and i'm kind of concerned.  Its a couple and apparently they are pagan and have a statue that they worship.  Not quite sure, but it could be interesting.  The last set of missionaries taught them all the lessons but they dont seem to understand or get past the whole idol worship thing.  So i suggested that we need to take it back to the basics and focus on what God is. But I have no idea how to teach someone like that.

According to the district leader we do a lot of service here too. A lot of farm work.  Its a good thing i brought jeans and tennis shoes.  This ward has a set of elders and a set of sisters. One of the Elders was in my MTC district, so thats kind of nice.  

Love you!

Em


Hey Dad,

I just got to Albuquerque and have my area and new companion.  I am assigned to this little town called Belen about an hour south of Albuquerque.  It kinda reminds me a bit of the New Philadelphia area, except smaller and more south western. (I've lost count of the number of people I've seen in cowboy hats and boots, and apparently everyone wears jeans to church...)  
We live on some of the members land, they have a dairy farm. From what I've seen there aren't a whole lot of really promising investigators yet, and contacting is super hard because the sisters are assigned the area that is mostly farm land.  It's very much a desert, lots of sand and rocks.  Everything is brown and orange. 

We have a meeting with an investigator in about an hour. Apparently they are pagan and don't seem to understand whats being taught.  Should be interesting, I think we need to go back to the basics.  Then we are meeting with some people tonight, but I'm not entirely sure who or what or why. 

I met the mission president and his wife yesterday and the sisters all stayed at their house yesterday and last night. They are super nice. He has really high expectations for the mission, which is good.  

My companion, Sister Sarah Smith seems nice, I've only known her for a couple of hours.  Shes from Utah and has only been out about 5 months.

This mission has a ton of new missionaries and not very many out longer than a year.  The mission is so large land wise, that its divided in half and you tend to stay in either the north in Albuquerque or in the south in El Paso. Most of the mission is in the north. 

I'm really tired, but ready to work. 

My new address is:

119 Andres Sanchez Road
Belen, NM 87002

Love you !
Em

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