Elder DeLong is excited to announce the birth of his second-born son!

Quick background/explanation of missionary slang:

When a missionary first arrives in the field, their first companion is their trainer. This is a calling from the Lord to teach and train this new missionary. That trainer is the new missionary's "father" or "mother" and in turn, the new missionary is the "son" or "daughter" of the trainer. This also applies for the trainer of your trainer being your "grandparent" or the new missionary that someone you trained is now training as a "grandchild." Follow me here? Okay.

All of that being said, I got a call from Pres. Packard Sunday morning. He said, "Elder DeLong, the Lord wants you to train." I'm training these next two transfers! I'm beyond excited for this. Of course, this is a sacred and serious responsibility, and I'm a little nervous, but I'm more excited than anything else. He (and the other new missionaries) arrived yesterday here in the field, and I get to meet him tomorrow. I can't adequately express my joy and anticipation. I knew I'd be getting a new companion, since Elder Ang leaves tomorrow, but I wasn't expecting the call to train. I'm humbled, and thrilled at the same time. Training Elder Langford was such an awesome experience, and I'm looking forward to doing it again! For those of you who are curious, he'll be an English-speaking Elder - no more Cambodians in our mission, remember? And on that note, I'll be translating sacrament meeting all on my own from now on...well, the Lord qualifies those He calls, right?

The first snow of the winter came last week, in the evening on the 7th. It was just a light "flurry" of snow then, but we woke up in the morning with a good half-inch or so on the ground. Not much, but still snow nonetheless! We had to scrape the snow off of our car, and all that. It was pretty cool! Ask me how I feel about the snow in a couple months, and my answer will probably be different. The weather this past monday, the 12th was PERFECT - upper 60s, light breeze...and then it rained yesterday. New England weather is all over the place. Cool thing from yesterday though - there was a full-arch rainbow in the sky during part of the afternoon. That was the first time I've ever seen one!

On Friday, we drove down to Madison, CT for a mission devotional (which I was asked to sing at by Pres. Packard!) and dinner. We took a mission picture, and the devotional itself was powerful. We don't ever get to have the entire mission in one place, even for transfer meetings, and so this was a special experience. It was such an awesome feeling of unity to have all of us together. We found out that over the next few months, our mission will be growing by 44 sisters and 20 elders! That's HUGE! Not only that, but our first 19-year-old sister and our first 18-year-old elder are on their way in the next couple of transfers. It's an exciting time to be part of the work of the Lord! After the devotional, the sisters all left to surrounding members' homes for the night, and all the elders slept in the Madison chapel. We had an awesome scripture study session with Pres. Packard - it was such a powerful feeling to know that each of us there held the Melchizedek Priesthood of God, and that we were all there for the same purpose and cause in a brotherhood as missionaries. Aside from all of that, it was really great to see all of the friends I've made in this mission, all together in one place. As for the real purpose of us ALL being in Connecticut, the next day, we all took part in service and clean-up efforts to help out with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy! We worked in the New Haven area, and my group was in Milton, next to the beach. We helped with moving things, taking out damaged insulation, and even a little demolition! It was a long, but fun day, and a really great opportunity to help those in need. It was an unforgettable weekend.

I've been thinking a lot about who I used to be before my mission, who I was at the beginning of my mission, who I am now, and who I am becoming. It's amazing to see the changes that have taken place and are currently taking place within me. Looking back on myself, I was so prideful, selfish, impatient, etc. Of course, I'm still battling these things, but I've come so far in the strength of my Savior. I'm eternally grateful for His guidance and His empowering grace that is helping me to transform into the man that He wants me to be. I'm happier than ever before. I love this work, and I love being part of it! I can't wait for this next transfer. Who knows how the Lord will bless us? =]

Love,

Elder Justin DeLong