New Companion - 08/26/13

Adventure is out there! And so are the pure in heart. I just have to go find them.

This past week was pretty adventurous. Our baptism actually happened! But not without some opposition. The night before the baptism, our investigator's parents invited their Methodist pastor over to the house to "talk the devil out of him". He invited us over to be on his side. I was very nervous about getting into a bash, but the spirit was with us. Our driver/teamup was excellent  and the Methodist pastor got shut down pretty quick by pure testimony and biblical support. After we shot down his first couple arguments, he mostly kept quiet and we were able to talk with the parents and answer their questions. In the end, I think it was a very productive meeting. 

The baptism on Thursday was an amazingly spiritual experience, with a very good speaker and some excellent testimonies from those in attendance. We filled up every seat in the relief society room and had some standing in the back! And the spirit was so strong. In fact, my zone leader that suffers from Tourette syndrome says that his twitches and tics only stop in the celestial room... and at this baptism. It was intense. But the mother stood in the back the whole time and shook her head, looking very distraught and unimpressed. She left as soon as she could. The father was more polite, and I think the spirit touched him a little bit more than the mom. But "B" (new convert) is the one that matters, and I'm sure he had a good experience. 

My companion flew home on Friday morning. I'm glad I was able to make his last few days comfortable and enjoyable. We had to figure out things like where to find a pianist with only an hours notice, how to ship a bike to Ohio, and where to do our laundry in the middle of the week for free - can you believe it costs $2 to wash and dry a single load here at our apartments! We also said goodbye to all of our investigators, which was good because it actually got us into more homes than the week previous.

I feel like our teaching pool is kind of sparse, so I'll have to get cracking on finding us more people to teach. I'm sure there is lots that can be done in this ward! I just have to focus and have faith. There will be opposition. Doesn't matter, had faith.

My new companion got here Friday night. Actually, he's not a full-time missionary, but an 18-year-old serving a mini-mission for a week. He'll be with me until 31 August 2013. Then we have to find another solution for the last week of the transfer. President doesn't seem to have a solution in mind just yet... but he's not very worried about it and neither am I. It's nothing we can't handle. Worst-case-scenario, I get to drive around with the Zone Leaders for a week and try to cover the two areas in a trio. No worries. 
My mini missionary companion is a pretty solid dude. I don't feel like I have to train him too much, because he's already served a mini-mission before. He's also a temple worker. Go figure. He'll be leaving for a mission in Guatemala in October and working a temporary job in Utah next week, which is why he can't just stay for two weeks. But we had fun on Saturday. I found out that one of our member families keeps pet snakes, and I got to hold them. The rosy boa was my favorite. The gopher snake pooped on me. So that was an adventure. I got to hold a rosy boa, chase down a red racer and get pooped on by a gopher snake. The mini thought that was hilarious. No big deal for me. 

Oh, and does anyone here know of the metal band Suicide Silence? On Friday I gave a priesthood blessing to the mother and sister of their lead singer. They are one of my favorite part-member families and I hope to keep seeing them. 

Well, I'm off to go save the world. I've been touched by the spirit this week, to the point of tears on Saturday when I was listening to some music during breakfast. I know that God gives us the strength we need to go on, and that my faith in my savior Jesus Christ is not misplaced. He loves us, he cares for us, and his gospel is the way to happiness.

Moving Out - 08/19/13

You've caught me at probably my happiest that I've been in the entire past week. It's been a stressful one.

On Tuesday night, our homeshare decided to tell us everything that my companion has been doing wrong. I had no idea that we were doing anything wrong. But he told us that my companion has been  rude and disrespectful and immature and selfish - all of those words, I'm not exaggerating - and cited examples. One of those examples was when we baked brownies and my companion offered him some. That was clearly rude to offer them because they were his brownies already because we baked them in his oven. Never mind the fact that we purchased the ingredients and made the brownies, and that our homeshare agreement clearly states that our food is our food and his food is his food. That really ticked him off and showed how disrespectful my companion is. Why everything was my companion's fault, I still haven't figured out. But our homeshare had obviously been actively looking for malicious intent, taking offense where none was intended, and bottling up those hurt feelings. Because of the lack of communication, we had no idea that we were offending him, and it became apparent that it would take a long time to heal the wounds that we had already inadvertently caused. 

Well, we don't have a lot of time to heal those wounds. Earlier that very day, my companion had spoken with both his therapist and our mission president. They both said he should go home from his mission early. The mission president wanted to send him home the next day, but agreed to let him stay until Friday 23 August so he could attend the baptism we had scheduled for 22 August. I use the past tense because this guy left us hanging and canceled his lesson on Thursday, which is also when we were going to do the baptismal interview. He then left town for a vacation on the river and we didn't hear from him all weekend. 

So flash back to Tuesday: in one night, I discovered that my companion whom I love dearly is leaving his mission early. And then my homeshare, who I thought was a pretty cool dude despite being so shy and quiet, revealed an awful lot of anger and told my companion specifically that he needed to move out of the house as soon as possible. We didn't sleep much at all that night. 

Wednesday morning, we got moved into an apartment. Yes, by some miracle, our housing coordinators were able to find an open apartment, pay for it, sign all the papers, and move our stuff out of the old place in the same day. This place is a pretty nice apartment, too. New carpet, new stove, new fridge, new microwave... and most of all, it's just us two and nobody else to worry about accidentally offending. I could see them moving two more elders in there eventually, because it's more space than we need even with just one bedroom. 

We spent a lot of time this past week trying to get situated in our new housing situation. I'm still not completely unpacked, because we just got a dresser this morning to put our clothes in. I wonder how long it will take for the mission office mail lady to start sending my mail to the new apartment. I texted her and called her on the phone already, so hopefully that will be enough this time around. I'm just a hard elder to keep tabs on! This is the third place I've lived in the last six weeks, and I'm about to move on to the fifth companion I've had in the Moreno Valley zone. Yikes.

It was a pretty dark week. I hated the idea of losing my companion, because he and I are honestly the best of friends. I was grumpy from not getting enough sleep. Our numbers this week were awful because of all the time spent packing, unpacking, talking to higher-ups, and taking care of errands and assorted moving-related business. It especially stressed me out not knowing if the baptism would go through. My companion has not baptized anybody his entire 7 months of being a missionary. He got special permission to stay for this one baptism, the only one of his mission. Having our investigator skip out on us made me terribly anxious and upset. But I have a lot of support out here from the missionaries and I find lots of comfort in living the gospel and strengthening my relationship with my savior. The Sacrament really turned my mood around, and now I just have to deal with the fact that my companion that I love dearly has to end his mission early.

So, today we had a nerf gun war with the whole zone in the cultural hall, and it was exhilarating. Seriously, it was the most fun I've had in weeks. Especially with all the sisters playing! It was hilarious seeing how much they got into it, too. We played for about an hour, and I'm pretty sure we're going to do this again. It was fantastic.

Oh, and right as I started typing this email, we got a call from that wayward investigator that bailed on his baptismal interview. He says he wants to get baptized still. I saved the draft of this email and called the zone leaders and got his interview all set up. He received a pretty definite answer to his prayers and he is ready to get baptized even though his parents told him they are "one hundred percent against you becoming Mormon". He's 19, and he's told us it's his decision and not theirs. He just passed his interview and I have the signed baptismal white in my hand. I'm pretty darn excited about that. :D

In the end, God gives us what we need. Sometimes he lets us sweat it out a little bit, and we are usually tested and tried a lot before the miraculous happens. But his Love always shines through no matter what. I'm so glad that things are looking up, and that God has brought peace to my soul and strengthened my faith yet again. I know it's true, and I'm anxious to see what my next assignment is.

Like no one every was - 08/12/13

Being a missionary has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people. You teach them, you watch them grow, and you learn to love them. I've become very attached to the people I've befriended here in California. And every once in a while, you find that loving people opens you up to being hurt by them. My heart has been crushed a lot recently.

I found out this week that my favorite Jewish friend, who was on track to be baptized in Jurupa soon, got scared of the familial implications of joining our church and told the missionaries to stop coming by. That hurt a lot. I want this lady to join the church SO BADLY. And I know that the spirit pushed me really hard to ask the sister missionaries to go visit her. So to hear that she dropped them like she dropped us, well, I felt like I just got dumped. It was painful. In fact, it brought me down almost all day Saturday.

Not too long ago, I found out that a lady I baptized in Jurupa had moved to Moreno Valley, but that she didn't get her records moved because she didn't want the missionaries to bug her. I got permission to talk to her and visit with her if I could. Well, she didn't really sound excited to have me come see her, either, and told me that she doesn't consider herself Mormon anymore. OUCH. 

My companion has been struggling a lot recently, as well, and he may not last another transfer in the mission, despite my best efforts to keep his spirits afloat. We play games together, we talk about nerdy things together, we study the gospel together, we talk about his feelings together, and we keep on top of the missionary work in a pretty spectacular fashion. We've turned this area around in a big way, and it might pay off in baptisms soon. But he told me this week that he's probably going to go home early to try and work things out. 

On Sunday, all of this was weighing down on my heavily. It didn't help that I slept in that morning and didn't read my scriptures at all. During sacrament meeting, it occurred to me that I would rather love and be hurt than not love at all. And sharing God's love with people will never be a poor investment. God's love conquers all. And I need that charity for everyone in order to be in God's presence. Charity never fails. 

I made quite a few connections this week. We had a drunk guy offer his daughter's hand in marriage to us while tracting. I met both Don and Suzie Taylor at the temple this week, and I can tell how they would be great friends of my Grandma Hansen. I discovered that my Zone Leader went to four years of seminary with my Uncle as his teacher in Texas.  I got to teach a lesson with a brother, who I found out last week is the grandson of the man who ordained my grandfather a high priest. 

Oh, and that recent convert who doesn't consider herself a Mormon anymore? She was having a rough time and called me up on Sunday. Our teamup took us over to talk to her at a park near her house, and we had a very productive visit. She insisted on making a return appointment. I think we will get the sister missionaries in with her very soon. The spirit changed her demeanor completely over the course of our visit. I love it when that happens. The one downside: We were late for my companion's birthday dinner. Today is his 20th birthday! Happy Birthday! He got an Iron Man toy that he loves to bits and a journal with some cool testimonies written in it, courtesy of our Ward Mission Leader and his family. 

All in all, I have been very uplifted recently. I got broken down this week, but between the miracles of Sunday and my temple trip on Friday, God has definitely given me some hope. Never give up hope, because God hasn't given up on you. 

And above all, I know that charity makes my life worth living. I will forever be praying with all of the energy of heart that I may be filled with this love. Moroni 7:47-48.

I wanna be the very best - 08/05/13

Hello again from the ever-beautiful desert hillsides of Moreno Valley California! It's been another warm week, but not as blisteringly hot as last summer. Gotta look for that silver lining! 

Among the highlights of this week was being able to say hi to one of my Dad's childhood friends. I mentioned last week that I discovered the connection through my priesthood line of authority. Well, this week at church the woman who is the same age as my Aunt came up and talked to me a little bit about growing up with my aunt and uncles and dad. About how my Grandpa was a great seminary teacher. And about how my Dad sent her a Facebook message with how excited he was that I got to meet some of his old friends. I'm pretty excited, too. Call me a sentimental sap, but that kind of thing just makes me smile like crazy. 

The ward support seems to be really picking up here in the Hidden Springs ward. I've discovered that some ward council meetings are more effective than others. Well, recently we had the Stake Presidency come to our ward council meeting and whip us into shape. While it hasn't been a night-and-day difference, I have noticed a bit more efficiency since then. I'm super stoked about some of the attitudes that picked up a little bit, though. And we seem to have a lot more splits lined up now. Things are definitely looking up in that department. 

We got to teach our good friend "B" again, and I presented him with his own set of scriptures. Hardbound, too. I've been toting those things around since my first transfer in Jurupa. I bought them to replace my scriptures because they seemed sturdier, and because I got water all over my scriptures on my first exchange on bike. Well, I ended up supergluing my old scriptures back together instead, and I've been lugging around the extra set just waiting for somebody to need me to give them away. Well that opportunity presented itself, and "B" is so happy to have some fancy scriptures of his own. He wants to read the whole Doctrine and Covenants before he gets baptized. I want to convince him that he may not know everything, but he knows enough. He seems to want a lot more knowledge before he gets baptized, but in my opinion he's been ready since I got here. So I'm going to work on that attitude next time we're together. Hopefully kneeling down in prayer with him will help him overcome some of those fears. God won't leave us hanging if we ask him for a more certain witness that baptism is the right course for him. I call it the Bruce approach. He said he would do that a lot on his mission. If they hesitated after being taught all the lessons, then he and his companion would kneel down with the investigator and all three of them would take turns saying a prayer out loud to know if they should get baptized. Their investigators usually got wet shortly thereafter.

Oh yeah, Bruce is the high councilor over missionary work in our stake. Once a month he and his wife invite all the missionaries in the zone over for breakfast and we have a little devotional together. It's really sweet. I've come to look forward to it even though I'm always cajoled into eating more food than my body really wants to eat. They are really sweet and they love the missionaries a lot. 

That reminds me... I've long held the belief that the "gifts of the spirit" passages in the scriptures overlook one of the greatest gifts given to full-time missionaries: The Gift of Stomach. Seriously, I've learned to eat far more than I did before the mission and I've kept down all kinds of things that would have caused me considerable gastric distress before I was a missionary. Now I can pound it down like a champ and we very rarely get sick despite the external evidence pointing toward the notion that perhaps I should have. If you happen to give a missionary food poisoning, that food probably should have killed them. Consider yourself an accomplished food assassin. So far it's only happened to me once and it feels like it should have happened at least a dozen times. 

Well my companion has had some rough times this week that I tried to help him with. Our numbers were lower than I would have liked, but we are stoic in our desire to push onward, ever onward, in the pursuit of more baptismal statistics. Just kidding... we've declared our motto this transfer to be "DOESN'T MATTER, HAD FAITH." instead of the originally proposed "Numbers, numbers matter most; never mind the Holy Ghost." Although that one is pretty entertaining as well. But yeah, I'm in pretty good spirits now, although I really really needed the strength of the sacrament on Sunday. I'm looking forward to another good week. 

Almost forgot: I gave a training on Charity at Zone Development Meeting this week and it was pretty phenomenal. I was over-prepared and had to cut a lot of content last-minute to keep us from going way over the time limit, but I think what I did manage to spit out was pretty relevant. It was very satisfying for me to prepare it, at least. I'm very glad I studied it. I don't have my notes here or I would share a lot more, but here's the piece of poetry that I memorized: 

"Go spread to the needy sweet charity's bread,

for giving is living," the angel said.

"Oh must I be giving again and again?"
my peevish and willful answer ran.

"Oh no," said the angel, and her gaze pierced me through.

"Just give till the Master stops giving to you." 

I'm so glad that we receive so bountifully from our Father in Heaven and that he lets us share the things we get and the love we feel with the people around us. 1 John 4:11 was basically the theme of my training. 

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 

The church is true, guys, and I love how much God loves me. He loves you too! Even when you're a little bit naughty or lazy or judgmental, God will always be there for us. 

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands 

Love you tons guys. Sorry for the late email! Our pday went nothing like I wanted it to.