Elder White's letter:

Well, we got transfer calls on Saturday, and sadly I will be leaving my beloved Albertson, North Carolina, and I shall be headed to the dark and dreary waste of Hampton, Virginia. I don't know anything about Hampton other than it is far from "The Hamptons." Don't mix those up. But there is just no way it can be as good as Albertson--I mean the last three digits of the zip code are 666!

         When I informed members here that I was being transferred they were so surprised. I told them, "I'm surprised, too; I've only been here for 7 &1/2 months--I was sure I'd stay." But really, though, I am going to miss Albertson and North Carolina so badly. I love the people here so much they feel like family and they treat me like family. It feels like I am leaving home again. I hope and pray that I will be back in North Carolina again before the end of my mission in 7 months. When I was leaving church yesterday I was talking to our friend Joel, and the conversation went like this, "Well, Elder White if you ever are back in Albertson you'll always have a place to stay."  When I responded, "Thanks, Joel, that's so nice of you," Joel told me, "Well, I am sure there are plenty of members that will let you stay with them, and I know of a few motels around here!" Joel is so funny. I can never tell where he's going with what he's about to say to me.

         This week we did not end up gelding a donkey at the Friis', but we did help them de-worm 48 goats. I was in charge of taking the weight of each goat and sheep and recording the weight and what medicine they were getting on a clipboard. The whole time, his baby cow, named ‘Cookies’, was sure I had treats in my shirt pocket, so the whole time I was trying to write down the data I was being harassed by a little cow trying to eat my pocket!

         Yesterday I found a 20-acre field full of hogs, so to remember my time in Duplin County, I had to take a picture of me in front of all the pigs (Duplin county is pretty much the hog capital of NC, well it smells like it at least).

         Now, after I leave here, Elder Pruitt should have 2 or 3 baptisms in the next transfer or two, Nathalie is still on date to be baptized the 14th of April, and we have some other really great people we are teaching, too. Nathalie has been reading the Book of Mormon for just under two weeks now and is well into 2nd Nephi already, so she is doing great! And yesterday, on my last Sunday here, we had a lot of less-active members come to church and our investigator, Nathalie, came too, so it was a blessed Sabbath.

         My last week in Albertson was a memorable one. We taught Stephanie twice at the Jones' and she's doing so well she is halfway through Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and she is well on her way to going to the temple. There is so much more to write, but I can't, because I can't focus. I am still too worried about leaving to the big city. I've been here for so long I don't even know how to handle it. Also my new area is an all-bike area... Well, until next time--y'all have a blessed week! 

New Address: 

507 Marcella Rd., #3

Hampton,VA 23666

-Elder White