Car troubles, evacuations, forest fires, transfers and an eclipse...

Car troubles, evacuations, forest fires, transfers and an eclipse… that about sums up this week.

Right now, in Montana we are right in the path of the solar eclipse!!!  How crazy is that?!?  Apparently this is like a huge deal and I’m pretty stoked that I get to be in Montana at the same time there's a solar eclipse!!!  I'll attach some pictures for everyone to see!!

Anyway, so we started out this week and our cars been giving us some grief, so we determined that the only time we had available to actually take it in was Monday (today) and we would have to drive all the way to Missoula.  So this whole week has been a build up to today.  ***Just as a brief summary as to what's wrong with our car*** The A/C doesn't work which sucks this time of year; the engine gets ridiculously hot which doesn't help the A/C.  It has trouble shifting into higher gears as well.  I'll be driving along, gaining speed when out of nowhere it lurches almost as if I'm driving a stick and didn't get to the clutch fast enough (if that makes any sense) and out speed just starts dropping.  Also just this week, the truck decided that she'll only start when she wants to start.  So we will get into the car go to start it up and it won't want to roll over or do anything... greaaaaat can't tell you how many awkward experiences we've had this week where we visit someone and we go to leave and the car doesn't start... haha good times.  

So at the beginning of this week we got a list from the bishop of the Willow Mountain Ward of people to go visit and see if they want home teachers.  We went to go visit this one lady out in the middle of nowhere and as we go we get to this bridge and I’m not kidding you… this is the sketchiest bridge I've ever been across in my life.  No guard rails and it's literally like a slab of concrete... annnnnd we totally drove over it and took a video J But it was way fun not knowing if the bridge could hold the weight of the truck haha! And it did.

Then we had dinner with the Jacksons and they're hilarious!!  I freaking love going over to their place.  After we were leaving and heading out, there were two cows just roaming out in their driveway and so we took a video of the cows as well.  It was pretty funny.

On Wednesday we had district meeting and I gave a discussion which was pretty good.  It was fun too :)  I talked a lot about finding and all that stuff and decided to do some role plays with different people and I gave them roles to portray as they did it and it was really fun!!!  It gave everyone a new perspective and that's always really good.  Afterward I took a picture with the whole group with my selfie stick that legit holds up my iPad hahahahahaha!!  I know I'm dumb but its fun being a goofball.  Then I'm pretty sure later that day the sisters up in Lolo got evacuated from their place because of the fire that was raging up there.  They wouldn't have to have been evacuated but the fire actually came up over the mountain so like tons of people had to leave and I think something like 70% of the ward up there is gone.  So that's pretty nuts!!  The fire is going absolutely crazy right now!!  

After Wednesday is when the truck started having some real problems.  We went up to go visit someone who’s a ways out there and we got up to where he should be... and it doesn't exist.  At least the address didn't haha so we started driving back down the mountain and the truck dies... while I'm driving it!!  So I realize and I'm like, "poop the car died" so I pull over turned it off and it legit won't start again... so we sat there for a while.  People would drive by and ask if everything's ok and I would tell them it was and that we just had to wait.  So we waited and eventually the car starts up again so we start driving back down the mountain and a little bit down the road it dies again.  At this point we call the zone leaders to come and get us because we can't go anywhere.  So they head out to come get us.  We wait and wait and try the truck here and there but nothing comes of it.  Finally just before the zone leaders got there it starts and we are able to get home.  But all in all we waited a good hour... so that kinda sucked.  Oh well.  

Then just yesterday we were at dinner and we stayed for a bit and then as we go to leave our truck wouldn't even start.  Like honestly, didn't even sound like it was close at all the starting or turning over so we call the driving coordinator in Billings and coordinate a tow to come get us the next day, and we get a ride with a member back to our place.  

This week was also transfer week.  We got the call telling us that Elder Wright is staying and that I'm leaving to Dillon Montana.  And my comp is Elder Jon Christensen.  He was my zone leader when I was in Big Fork and he's extended his mission and so I'm going to be his companion for the last little bit of his mission.  It'll be a good transfer and I'm excited to learn from a missionary who's been around the block a bit.  It'll be good.  I've heard a lot of good things about Dillon so I'm excited.  

So that's my week.  Exciting stuff!!  I'm going to miss Corvallis and all the people I've met here and the bonds I’ve made with the people here.  I'm going to miss them but it's all good because I'm coming back!!  So people of Corvallis never fear I shall return!!

Love y'all!!

Elder Zeller

308 E 1st street unit B

Corvallis, MT

59828