Transfer weeks are always so bittersweet... So exciting, yet they're so sad at the same time. This week was nothing but saying goodbye, packing up, and saying hello to all the members of the Mustang 1st ward. Much like leaving Purcell, leaving Sulphur was a lot more heartwrenching than I would have expected. Saying goodbye to our two recent converts, Thomas and Tammy, had me pretty emotional. On Monday we had an amazing dinner at Smokin Joe's with the Landers family--probably one of my favorite member families in the branch. On Tuesday we had dinner at the McElvany's, another favorite family in the branch. Saying goodbye to Tammy was probably the hardest person out of all. I never really realized how much time I'd spent in Sulphur. I finally left behind six months of a legacy of missionary work in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Now that I've arrived in Mustang I've realized how different this place is compared to my first two areas.
To describe our area, it's very suburban and dense with neighborhoods. That's MY cup of tea! Just kidding...tea's against the word of wisdom. Mustang city limits are 12 square miles, and our area in actuality only covers 1 square mile of Mustang. The rest of our area covers parts of southwest OKC and the south end of Yukon, another suburb of OKC. Yukon has some incredibly nice neighborhoods--something I've yet to have in my mission. The roads are busy, and it's very easy to lost in the neighborhoods.
To describe the missionary work aspect of the area, it's night and day compared to serving in Sulphur in the Pauls Valley branch. I'm now leaving two companions and going back to the usual one companion, who by the way is awesome. Elder Bolan's taking over the area for the first time, so I've gotten to help him out and get things up and running for our area. In my apartment are the other set of elders serving in Mustang, Elders Davis and Woodward. They're pretty fun to hang out with, and the four of us have some pretty good times together in our frigid apartment. The more and more I walk the streets of Yukon and OKC, I realize more and more how much of a change this place is going to be compared to the first two areas I've had so far on my mission. I nearly forgot what it was like how different being in a ward with a sizeable population is. The make-up of this ward is just like any Utah ward--lots of families, youth, little kids, and a handful of older people. I never realized how much people had to work and rely on each other in a branch. It's funny how in a branch there's lots of work to do, yet at times it seems like you have so little to work with. Missionaries are actually needed in branches. Not trying to suggest anything about Mustang 1st, but the attitude is definitely different here. Still trying to figure out what that attitude is, but for now I'm looking forward to new adventures and experiences here!
Elder Garner
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