The Hazards of Missionary Work

Hazard: Approx. 5,000; Perry County: Approx. 29,390

Hazard is located in the heart of the Appalachian Coalfields in Eastern Ky. It is found at the crossroads of Highways 15 and 80 and the Hal Rogers Parkway (formerly the Daniel Boone Parkway).

The City of Hazard was founded in 1884 on land deeded to the town trustees by Elijah Combs and his wife, Sarah. Hazard is the seat of Perry County, founded in 1820, the 68th county to be formed in Kentucky. Both the county and the city were named to honor Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero from the War of 1812.

Dear Family,

You are probably worried sick as to where in the world I am, since it usually doesn't take this long for me to e-mail you. The answer to that is I am no longer in Wilmington. After 9 months there, the Lord has sent me to the most southern area of the mission: Hazard, Kentucky. Yep, from the all the way north to all the way south, in one day too! As such, we spent pretty much all of yesterday driving, and on top of that the library here is switching locations and won't be open until October 15th or somewhere around there. Currently, I'm sitting at a members' computer writing this. We're still trying to figure out what we're going to do about e-mail until the library opens, and if we don't find anything we'll have to resort to the old days before technology and write snail mail instead. Not that it's a bad thing, even though it would take longer for you to find out how things are going. But I remember Mom saying she likes hand-written letters better, so perhaps this will be a good thing. Obviously, I don't know the area yet, and I really doubt I will ever know it near as well as I did Wilmington. The reason being is that there are roads EVERYWHERE....literally! What would seem like just a narrow dirt road turns out to be filled with houses that somehow are still standing on the side of the mountain. That's pretty much how it is all over the place, and we cover like 5 or 6 counties or something like that. I don't know exactly, my head is still spinning trying to get used to things. Once you find this place on the map, you will discover just how far removed from everything it is! On a brighter side, we will be plenty busy this transfer as there are a lot of investigators and an unrealistic amount of referrals. The number of referrals is seriously in the neighborhood of 250 at least! This came about because of a festival held here last transfer in which the missionaries set up a booth. They encouraged people to sign their names on a list to have a free Church DVD or Book of Mormon delivered to them. Hence the huge list of referrals! Pres. Robbins already told me I won't be here near as long as Wilmington(no surprise), but I'll probably be around these parts for 3 months at least, 4 1/2 at the longest. Here's my new address:

409 Cedar Street Apt. B

Hazard, KY 41701

Oh, and my new companion is Elder Bittner from Centerville, UT. He has 3 months left on his mission, so it's very likely that I could be his last companion, which would make 3 altogether! He has a very interesting personality which will definitely take some getting used to. He's a pretty creative person and doesn't have any problems talking to anyone, so I'm planning on learning from him just as I have any other companion.

I suppose my current trial is how quickly I will adjust from Wilmington to Hazard. :) Congrats to Dad and Mom on your talks/garage sale managing/yard work/making dinner by yourself! Woah, that was a mouthful to say! I'll have to measure myself to see just how tall I am so Caleb's inquiries will finally be answered. Sounds like from Mom's pleadings that he has been asking about that a lot. How's Ellie doing with preschool? I'm sure she's enjoying it still. Well, I'm not sure if there is anything else to report at this time. I managed to get all my stuff packed pretty snug in my suitcases and backpack, but if I was going home I'd definitely be paying extra for them 'cause they were heavy! I'm continually amazed at how the Lord has blessed you with basically everything you need and then some! I can't think of any better knowledge to have than to know that my family and friends are safe and happy! This area will be a unique experience for me, but I'm looking forward to the things the Lord would have me do in the short time I will be here. Hope all goes well for you this week, and hopefully I'll be able to communicate via e-mail next week as well. If not, keep an eye on the mailbox! God Bless!