Okay, Q&A time. (I'm writing back now because my temporary companion— until I get my new one on Wednesday— still needs to email and I have half an hour left.)
- How big is Walla Walla? How far is it from Pasco? Walla Walla has about 30,000 people. It's an hour's drive southeast from Pasco.
- Where did the name come from? According to the elders' quorum president in 1st Ward, "Walla" is Native American (dunno which tribe) for "water." "Walla Walla" means "many waters." Apparently there was quite a bit of water around here back in the day, but not so much anymore. There are a few creeks here and there, and there's one called Mill Creek that runs through downtown. But otherwise, not a lot of water. At least not like Tri-Cities. Walla Walla was apparently also the first town in Washington— or something along those lines.
- What do people there do for a living (major employers for the area)? Again, according to our elders' quorum president, most people are either in the medical field— a lot of doctors, dentists, etc.— or they're in agriculture. That's pretty typical for our mission. (At least it was in Pasco and now here in Walla Walla.) From there, there's a lot of people who work at the penitentiary (we have a prison in Walla Walla) or in law enforcement in general. But everyone I meet usually just tells me they've got some typical job. Nothing too unusual. There's a lot of mom-and-pop shops in downtown Walla Walla. Nothing too... mainstream, if you will.
- Who is your companion? Where is she from? How long has she been on her mission/in the area? My companion that just left for Tri-Cities to go home tomorrow is Sister Brinker. She's from Murray. And well, she just left today, so she's been out 18 months. Haha! She was in our area for 6 months.
- Tell us about some of the members, like if they have cool conversion stories or how they ended up in Walla Walla. Members! There are so many great members here! It seems like everyone I meet always reminds me of someone back home. Our elders' quorum president, the one who gave me all the info, is Brother Shiffler. He's always really good to help us with little trivia things we need to know, or little mundane favors we ask of him. He's always quick to bring us lunch/dinner. Just yesterday we were having a lesson with a (formerly) former investigator, and apparently Brother Shiffler was just driving by the park where we were and decided to drop in on our lesson and bear some bomb testimony about what we were teaching and totally helped this guy find a friend in the ward. Just, whatever. Haha! He has a daughter on her mission in Argentina and he's got a son who's leaving for Las Vegas in October. I'm not sure about his conversion story, but he's been in Walla Walla for a little under 5 years, or something like that. He's just really cool and helps us out a ton. Brother Humpherys is our ward mission leader in WW 1st Ward. He reminds me of Grandpa so much. Always teasing, always making mean jokes that you know he's kidding about. Sandra and Jose were baptized my first week in Walla Walla. Jose came across this guy who calls himself "The Walla Walla Jesus" (look it up... it's a crazy story!) who gave him a triple combination and said, "Read this, it'll change your life." And then the sisters came by and met him, started teaching him, and Sandra soon afterward started the lessons with them as well. They've been involved in drugs and gangs, but they are super, super converted to the Gospel. It's so awesome. Her kids are always telling her that they see a positive change in the way that she is a mom, and you can just see the difference. Brother Shiffler saw them at the bus stop one time, and said they just stood out because they were glowing. Sandra and Jose are so solid. They love the Gospel and they tell us each week about all the things that happen to them that just solidify their testimony. There are so many people here with really, really cool conversion stories, actually, now that I think about it. It's hard to pick just one!
- What is/are the ward or wards like? Our wards are really great and really supportive! We're losing the 1st Ward to a new set of sisters, but the 3rd Ward is so great. I feel like we do all the work in 1st Ward and we're getting more investigators in 3rd... so it's kind of a weird thing. Random tangent. I'm not sure what that question is aimed at. What do you want to know?
- Have you eaten a Walla Walla onion yet? Are the onions a big deal there or are the locals "whatever" about them? I haven't eaten a Walla Walla sweet onion yet. They are a little bit of a big deal, but it depends on who you talk to. Most everyone loves them. Fortunately, it's not something that they plaster all over town or anything, but they're pretty famous.
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