The Bismarck Ward

Life in this area is preaty laid back, people complain all the time that during the winter months from January to about April theirs absolutely nothing to do, and their probably right, no fishing, no hunting, no virtually anything, it's just too cold. So a lot of people just end up hanging out in the nice warm bars (and we all know what happens then) a lot of people just go to work then stay home with their families and their precious TV's that manage to stay on pretty much at all times (most people, even some members, don't turn the TV off when we come over, and only some turn the volume down)

There's really only one ward in Bismarck and it covers Bismarck, Mandan, Lindon, New Salem, and a few other small towns in the area. The ward is big enough to split, we just don't have enough active members, there is constant talk of splitting so it may someday soon have a second ward. But because the area for this ward is so big we actually have two sets of missionaries in our ward affectiontly known as the Bismarck and Mandan missionaries, even the dinner calender is split into two so you don't have to have four missionaries destroying your house all at once! (haha) the people that are active, are way active and nice people, but there still could be a lot more improvement. The work is a little upsetting, we see the same couple of people much more often then we probably would, because we need to be something of a constant support to help people get out of their addictions, as they can't be baptized if their addicted to ciggerettes or alchohol, most people don't have so much a struggle with the alchohol as they do with the ciggerettes though for some reason, but I have no complaints there.

In Bismarck we just have the 2 missionaries, but in our ward 4, the next closest missionaries are a set in Minot, about 2 hours north, and another set in Dickenson, about 100 miles west. So the church is much more spread out with less people per square mile.

We normally have transfers every 7 weeks, the last transfer was only 5 weeks long which was a little annoying, but yeah the transfers this time around are happening on the 31st, I doubt I'll get transfered but there is a chance, I think Foulger might get transfered or else he will stay for one more transfer but I don't think it will be much longer then that.

Yeah actually I did get transfered right before Christmas, It made the bishop in Gillette upset, because he has planned a whole Christmas thing with the missionaries and I up and said "bye" bassically right before it.

Curiousity may have killed the cat, but it got the missionary a new investigator!