November 7th, 2016 [entry continued from last week]:
Today was another busy but good day p-day. I got that Nintendo
poster mailed home and we walked & played in Bear River Park. Elder
Moe threw a football from a bridge to a walkway but he was way too short, so we
ended up having to go down in the high reeds to find it.
I emailed Brody (one of our younger investigators) today,
and he responded later. I really hope he considers the gospel more.
On a similar note, we met two teens/young adults who grew up LDS but now didn’t
consider themselves to be Mormons. I had seen and talked to one of them
before, and he asked me why I believed in God. I ended up sharing my
story with them and about my doubts I had before my mission and they were
surprised I was so open. They both opened up in response. They said
that they had talked to missionaries before and sometimes it wasn't
pleasant. I guess I'm really here for a reason. I hadn't thought
about it in that way before but God knows a lot ;).
November 8th, 2016:
I'm in the apartment even though it’s a little after 4 pm.
Elder Trincado had to use the bathroom and we were close to the
apartment. While waiting for him, I managed to tidy up the things I
couldn't on p-day. It's a nice little breather.
~Later~
I've been happy today! As well as these past few
days. I don't know what changed, but it started at Zone Conference.
One of the things I decided to do was to take really fast "cleaning"
showers instead of longer "relaxing" showers where I would
decompress. This has given me a little more time to write & otherwise carry
out things I could only do in free time. That being said I don't have as
much time tonight because Elder Trincado accidentally left his iPad at an
investigator's house who lives ~15 minutes away, so we lost 30 minutes
tonight.
November 9th, 2016:
I've been thinking about colleges. I've been leaning a
lot more toward BYU now, for many reasons. The two concerns I have still
are the limited majors at BYU, and the less demanding academic excellence (compared
to Carnegie Mellon). I learned that BYU has to limit the number of people
in some majors, which means there's a risk I couldn't explore as freely as I
would like. I just need to know more about it. For the different
academic excellence, I think that at least at this point I’d like being able to
explore more than being pushed, even in the fields I like. Graduate school
would probably be different, however.
I have, however, been considering how I might live while at
college. I think I might like to have my own place. Maybe I’ll get a small RV
trailer. I’d want to try it out first, and I have a lot way to go before
deciding.
~Later~
I saw some funny signs today. One read: "Mothers
of teenagers know why animals eat their young". The other read: "Impotence:
Nature's way of saying 'No hard feelings.'"
Today our dinner appointment forgot about us so they just
gave us money. We got Subway, but I wasn't super hungry so I got a cup of
soup. I asked if I could have a piece of bread and they told me I could
buy a footling-sized loaf for $1. It's pretty cool, especially given that
the man working there told me they'll be getting gluten-free bread options sometime soon. It's great for Elder Bade, as gluten-free bread
can be pretty pricey.
November 10th, 2016:
Weekly planning was not fun today! It felt like I was
working to get along with my companion and also to use the Area Book App
instead of having an easier time because of them. A lot of missionaries
don't use tasks in the Area Book App as well as they could – they like to use
notes instead. There's a long explanation to why that is, but if you're not
working on the mission field it's hard to understand. Anyway I thought I
knew how to plan better, but I still need to work on it.
After planning, we visited three houses. Only the third
house had anyone at home. At that home there was young recent convert who
I hadn't ever talked to before. He hadn't had any of the lessons after baptism
because he spent the summer away from home. We tried to get to know where
he was at with regard to his religious beliefs. The mom ended up kicking
us out (as politely as you could kick anyone out, I guess) because she felt
like we were trying to guilt him into going back to church. But all we
were trying to do is to figure out what the convert and mom currently thought
about the church. She told us that she had said she would let him choose, and
he chose to be baptized, which meant that he had committed to go to church. So
that didn't turn out so well.
That mom’s reactions really hurt me. After we left, I cried
for a little while. The mother reminded me someone else I know who had
left the church and were pushed away. Plus all the stress of the day had built
up. We had a dinner appointment we were 30 minutes late to. I still
had red-tinted eyes. Despite that, I felt absolutely no judgment from the
family. I was still on the verge of tears going in dinner appointment,
but over the course of the hour I was lifted up and re-centered by the company
this young couple and their adorable little daughter.
Now, I tell you this as a way of expressing thanks but also
suggesting that those at home take the same approach. Lift up others'
spirits. Be a help to them, not a hurt. To quote a recent article
on lds.org, "What are your first thoughts when you see a person
covered in tattoos sitting in the church pew beside you? How do you respond to
the pregnant, unwed mother sitting alone in the back row of Relief Society? How
do you speak of the family whose loved one recently came out as gay?"
November 11th, 2016:
Today felt like the day suffered from bad planning. We
had five lessons with investigators lined up, but we unable to have any of them
with a member. While we had called people the day before, I now realize we
should have planned farther ahead and given people more notice.
The family we had dinner with today was pretty funny.
There was a little kid who said:
"I like Donald Trump!"
"Why?"
"Because he eats mushrooms."
"You like Donald Trump because he eats mushrooms?"
"Yeah, he turns mushrooms into Trumps!"
The great thing about that family, though, is that the
parents were so patient. Their kids were pretty hyper, but the parents
were just rolling with it. They understood that their kids' worlds were
small and the little things were really important. I've found, often,
that I care less about how well-behaved the kids are--that can only be
controlled to a certain point--as much as I care about how the parents
react. Do they act with love?
November 12th, 2016:
Naomi was better today. She's a semi-active member who
gets painful migraines. She had to go to the hospital often lately, and
they now suspect she may have a brain tumor. When we saw her today, she
was under a dog-pile of the neighborhood kids, smiling while shouting and
playing with them.
Today we had a below-average lesson, which made me
think. I realized that as I've gained confidence on the field, I haven't
been thinking on the teaching skills of Preach My Gospel as much as I should.
I need to go back to the basics!
Also today (and Thursday & Friday) was "Hats Off to
Broadway," a musical production by the church in Evanston. We only
got to see half of it, but it was pretty good!
November 13th, 2016:
None of our investigators were at church today, which is
sad. We tried really hard for the two that we hoped would be baptized
soon, but they were not there. Also our plans were a little shuffled in
visiting different congregations, but it worked out in the end.
I really felt the spirit strongly at Sacrament
meeting. I'll list my thoughts:
- At one point in the meetings (Yellow Creek's sacrament, which starts at 1 PM), I realized I hadn't even thought of lunch. I had been so preoccupied with helping our investigators. It was a wonderful feeling because at times I had felt like I wasn't getting better--maybe even regressing--as a missionary. The spirit told me I was doing what I should, I knew what I needed to work on, and it would all work out as I kept trying and praying.
- At one point I thought of the forget-me-not flower seeds that me my dad sent to me. I had been trying to grow them, yet they hadn't sprouted. The seeds are all but guaranteed to grow, so I just need to wait more. I related this realization to both to myself and to the people I had been working with.
- I've been trying to see each speaker as an apostle at general conference. It relates to a section from the Missionary Handbook:
- "Like all callings in the church, each assignment has its own importance; an assistant to the president is no more important than any other missionary." [page 5, MHB]
- Do we listen to each speaker to hear the revelation God seeks to give us through these people on the stand? If we are prepared, "The Sacrament Can Help Us Become Holy," as Elder Peter F. Meurs spoke on in general conference. In church, there was someone sitting ahead of me taking notes on what the speakers said. I know she was getting much out of each meeting!
- One little thing is bearing a testimony by giving a promise. It's an interesting concept that can inspire others to act.
- One topic I really love is that if your religion isn't changing who you are, it's not a religion. Are you making the most of every opportunity to grow spiritually? Do you actively think to improve? Faith, testimony, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it's only when we start trying to do these things--and by extension, becoming those things--that we truly progress, start being happy, and come close to God. These aren't meant to be dead things! I wish to talk more on this, but I will leave it at this: how are your actions inspired by love to another or to God?
One last thing: the bishop of the mother and new convert we
visited on the Nov. 10th said she had apologized; she hadn't meant to be so
harsh to us but she was having a bad day.
Photos:
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I found a large can of corn at the store and later I was tired and thought to take this photo, no idea why.
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| A family that makes fudge together sticks together. |
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| A smart car, which I didn't know could exist in Evanston. |
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