March 14, 2016 Springvale

This week there was an E.T.! That's right. Extra Terrestrial. Jokes,  no
that means emergency transfer. So yes I have been transferred! I am no
longer in the Australia Melton mission! I am back into the Australia
Melbourne Mission! I am now in Springvale, which is one the other side
of the city. Wahoo, East side baby! My new companion is Elder
Faamausili. He is a giant Samoan Rugby Playing Man Monster...Elder. He
is the man. He has already given me an authentic Samoan Lava-lava,
which actually isn't called that, but I forget the real name.

Springvale is very Asian! I went from an islander area to an Asian
area! It is full of Chinese and Vietnamese. I am again in a four man
flat. The other two elders are Vietnamese speaking. But one is from
Utah and the other is Aussie.

I finally got letters in the mail! They had been sending
them to the wrong address, so somebody found them and I received 

about 10 letters from months earlier. That was happy and frustrating 

at the same time. I will write a response as soon as I am not so busy.  

But I will respond to all of the letters that you have probably forgotten 

about and you'll probably be confused.

I am glad you have spring coming. Our weather is just now going
cooler! It's been really comfortable the past few days! I am enjoying
the transition. Everyone talks about how it gets so cold here in the
winter, but I think that's just cause they don't know real cold.

Guess what? You can now add Spanish and Vietnamese to my language
list! Also I forgot to mention that Chinese means Mandarin and
Cantonese, and Tagalog also means Cebuano (the dialect that both Elder
Sifuentes and Elder Seifert speak in their home, but all Filipinos
also speak Tagalog.) There are many Spanish speakers in this ward.

I got the valentine package from home.  It was great. The candy hearts were
a big hit. Mostly with me because I hogged them, but everyone else
liked the one that I allowed them to split between them. ;)

Our ward is much smaller, but our chapel is much bigger than Melton.
Go figure. Everything is going well. We don't really have anyone to
teach yet, I've only been here since Friday. But we will have a
massive teaching pool in a couple weeks! I have no doubt. I can feel
the potential in this area.

Oh I also got to go to the temple this week! That was a surprise
because I had thought I was going in April, but the transfer changed
the date for me and I went to the temple the second I was with my new
companion. I love being in the temple. It feels like home.

I drive a Holden Cruze now. For you Yankees, Holden means Chevrolet.
It's really nice. The key flips out when you push a button, kind of
like a switch blade, so we have fun with that.

We had a P day where many Elders gathered together for basketball at a
chapel, and President Maxwell showed up! He played ball with us and he
was actually pretty good! But don't worry. I trash talked and beat him
just like I do with Dad.

Speaking of Dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! Thanks for everything Dad. I
love you and I hope someday I will be exactly the kind of father to my
children that you are to me.

It was a week of adjustments. But I am excited for my new area!

Love yous all!

Cheers

Elder Chappell