Pittsburgh Mission Memoirs

Sorry, guys. This week might sound like a bit of a downer. If you read to the end, though, it gets better!

You know that feeling that you get when you come to a point in a project where there is no way you can continue with it, and you've been working on it for so long that it's wasting your time, so you just get rid of it? Elder Nelson and I felt that 5 times with 5 people this week. Yep. We've dropped 5 of our investigators, two of which were lined up for baptism. I suppose I'd better at least mention those who we aren't teaching anymore, to clear up any questions of "Why don't you ever talk about this person anymore."

 Remember Angelica? Yeah, neither do I. We taught her the first few weeks I was here, she almost got baptized, and then she quit. Stopped dead in her tracks. We've only talked to her out of her window since then, haven't had any lessons, and finally came to the point where we just needed to give up and move on. It really hurt, especially with someone as far along as she was.

Victor was scheduled to be baptized this past Saturday, but he just couldn't bring himself to part with his beer and coffee, and he isn't willing to change. He's really stubborn, really arrogant, and really prideful. He knows what's right. Every time we talk to him, his heart is pricked. But, he still won't change! Again, it came to the point where it wasn't worth our time to visit him.

Also, Andrea. She didn't even want to change her life. She just wanted to learn what makes Mormons tick. She didn't read the Book of Mormon, and felt really bad for telling us she didn't want to meet with us anymore. She still says that she'll read it, but until then, there's no way we'll get another lesson with her. There were a couple of other people who we had maybe one or two lessons with, but could never get in contact with them to set up any more lessons, and we couldn't afford to waste any more time on them.

Now, let me tell you right now - I am not happy about any of this! In fact, every single name which we cross off our list pains me, because thats one less person who gets to enjoy the blessings of living the Gospel. But, at the same time, by wasting our time on them, we are denying others of the chance to hear the message of the Gospel. So, we'll be working even harder on spreading the Gospel, and not focusing on just a few people who aren't even willing to change their lives.

If they are willing to change their lives, we will focus on them. That's the case with John. He really is a great guy, and is super excited (and, lets be honest, nervous) to get baptized. He's just having a very difficult time quitting his smokes. He's still willing to change, though, and is still trying. He's got a cigarrette sobriety date of April 1 (don't worry, We're pretty sure he's not joking about this one), and if all goes well, he'll be qualified for baptism by the 14th. His humility is incredible though. Every single time we talk to him, he tells us that the only way he's going to overcome his addiction is through God and Jesus. He really knows the atonement, and really wants to keep learning, keep growing, and keep fixing up his life.

This Wednesday was his birthday, so Thursday, we took him out to Infinitos. While we were there, we started talking about his changing appearance. Two weeks ago he shaved his goatee, and last week for his birthday he shaved his mustache. Then he tells us "Man, I should get a haircut. One like you guys," and he pointed to Elder Nelson's buzz cut. "Who gave you that." I proudly (yes, I need to work on humility) took credit. "Man, do you think you guys could give me a haircut." We thought about it, talked it over, and then agreed. I mean, we're supposed to give service to our investigators and ward members, and while giving the haircut, we could give him a lesson. So we agreed.

We brought over the clippers, sized up his hair, and talked to him about it. He was already having second guesses, but eventually decided that he needed it really badly and gave the goahead. We got right to work. It took a whole hour (he had a LOT of hair), and I made a few small mistakes on the ears, but when it was all done, it was a very fine and handsome haircut. He even laughed and said "Wow! Now I look like you guys. All I need is a nametag, and I could be out preaching!" Then he chastised me for not having a haircut in a while, and I promised to get one. I'll be sure to get a picture of the two of us with our haircuts up sometime soon. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a picture beforehand, but I'll tell you, he had a lot of hair!

In other news, this week, the fates finally caught up with me. I've been running from sickness, evading it with my Super-Duper-Wellness-Formula-super-health pills which stop sickness in their tracks. Unfortunately, the bug that I caught could even overpower the illness-fighting power of my super pills. Incidentally, the sickness hit me while we, as a district, were eating at a Chinese buffet. I got the worst muscle aches ever, all over my body, chills combined with a fever, and absolutely no appetite for anything but water. Fortunately, my throat was left unaffected, so I could still talk and teach, but man I felt like something very large and very fast moving (perhaps a freight train, or maybe a semi-truck) had plowed into me. And the whole not being able to eat was annoying, especially when we went to Infinitos with John ("Man," he said, "I feel so bad that you can't eat anything." Like I said, heart of gold). But, with the help of a little bit of faith, rest, and a blessing, I was able to get back to normal in no time. I was ache-free by Thursday night, and eating like normal by Friday.

One final event of consequence: the confirmation. Because the baptism of the three girls last week, Samanta, Ashley, and Ashanti, happened on a Sunday night, we didn't get the chance to confirm them until just yesterday. So, Elder Nelson, myself, and another brother in the ward were able to have the privilage of confirming them, giving them the gift of the Holy Ghost, and blessing them. Let me tell you, I was super nervous. I got to confirm Ashanti, the youngest. Having fasted and prayed before hand, I put my hands on her head ("He was shaking like crazy!" she told my companion after the fact) and, like I faithfully expected, the words were able to flow as directed by the spirit. Let me tell you, those of you who have never had this experience: When a priesthood blessing is given by the spirit, the words just come. It's like I say the words before I think them, because it isn't myself giving the blessing, but the Spirit giving me the words. And, when it's finished, I feel uplifted and drained at the same time. Like I said, weird feeling, and hard to describe, but very cool. Yesterday was no exception.

A thought to leave you with, an old Pennsylvania Dutch phrase: If you can't be good, be careful. Don't ask me what it means. I heard it for the first time yesterday, and thought it was so funny I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Hopefully this finds everyone doing well. Stay happy, stay optimistic. I can say honestly that, despite any problems which I face, any trials, and pains, sickness, whatever, there is always someone who has felt more. We met a guy who was dying of three kinds of cancer. Another guy we met has given up on finding a girlfriend because he thinks they all make fun of him. Another just can't find happiness in anything. At least I have my health, my family, my friends, and my happiness. And of course, above all, I have the knowledge of the Gospel. I know that even those three people haven't suffered as much as the Savior, and I also know that all of them can find comfort and peace through his atonement and his love. May we all recognize how we can better use the atonement to love our neighbors, forgive our enemies, and comfort those who stand in need to comfort. May we all become more Christlike, one step at a time.

Do the right thing. Be good. Even if you can't be good, you can still try your best. Thank you to all of you who show your support for me and thanks to all of you who pray for me. It really helps.

Take care!

Elder Anderson (Missionary Slim)

As with every week, this one was one of many ups and downs. Take this past Tuesday as an example: It was an exchange. Elder Rowzee and I were together again. It was great to be back with my old MTC companion, and together, we planned to baptize the entire area, all in one day. Unfortunately, the best laid plans never really work out. Our first idea was to tract in the richer neighborhood over on the west end of our area. This was a lovely neighborhood of newer houses which more than likely had families living in them. And, as we all know, every missionary loves to baptize families! Alas, door after door didn't answer. During the whole time we were there, not a single person answered the door. Numerous people were outside gardening (it was a very nice day, fortunately), but none of them wanted to listen to us. No luck.

Then, we went to our first appointment. Fell. Second. Fell. Third. Fell. Fourth and Fifth... Yep. Fell. I was pretty disappointed, and especially sad because I was hoping Elder Rowzee and I would be able to have a lesson together and I could see how much he had improved since the MTC. Sadly, we didn't get the chance. We even had a guy cuss us off his porch with the threat of sicking his dogs on us! Needless to say, when we got back to the apartment, we were relieved that the day was over.

 Don't worry though! That was the only even remotely bad day out of the entire week. The rest of the week was pretty fantastic. I think that was in part because of all the lessons we had with John. John is the chain-smoking investigator. We've been able to visit with him every day this week, and we've seen the change it's had. He went from saying "I don't think I can quit these smokes" to "I know I can do this!" He seems to be happier, and even though his life is rough. Another thing about him - He's always asking us if we have any 'new recruits', as in new investigators. It wasn't until this week that I learned what exactly he meant by that. He's asking us if we've found any new female recruits. He's really wanting us to find him his true love and baptize her so he can get together with her! Part of me hopes we can, because I know nothing will make him happier than a righteous wife.

We also got to visit Jamie, who we haven't seen in forever! He's really taken a step back. He doesn't really want to investigate the church anymore. We were just a little bit frustrated, but fortunately the Spirit was able to direct our conversation. We severely emphasized that ours was the only true church of Christ with the true authority to perform the ordinances. We encouraged him to read the Book of Mormon to know if what we said was true. Before we talked, he didn't really realize how important the Book of Mormon was to his conversion, but now he does. He told us he's going to really study it this next week, pray about it, and then get back to us. So, we won't be seeing Jamie until a week from Wednesday, but hopefully he gets his answer.

There is another interesting person who we've been talking to. Her name is Andrea. Her mom is a minister and her dad is that guy I talked about last time who was going on about how we need to tell the Pope about the priesthood (we still haven't been able to meet with him since then). Andrea really wants to know about other churches, but doesn't seem to be interested in changing her own beliefs. Again, we emphasized the Book of Mormon and how essential it is to conversion. She also promised to find out for herself if it is true.

We taught some pretty interesting new people too. There was this girl named Xylina who we tracted into last week. We knock on her door. She opens it, wearing just enough clothing. She explained that she is an 'exotic dancer.' Elder Nelson and I start talking to her about the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and our message, and as we talked, we could see how self-conscious she was. She really expressed a desire to repent, but at the same time said that she wasn't on the best of terms with Jesus and didn't feel like changing. We set up an appointment for Saturday. When we came back, she was wearing more clothes (thankfully), and asked a lot of really good questions, such as "If there was a prophet before, why isn't there one now?" and "Why doesn't God talk to us personally?" It's obvious that she's in darkness about a lot of things, but she really wants to learn more and come more into the light.

And the most exciting thing from this week: The baptism of the three Galloway girls! Samata, Ashley, and Ashanti were all baptized this past Sunday! But, before I get to that, I need to talk about the events leading up.

So he could baptize his daughters, Darren Galloway was conferred the priesthood this past Sunday, so to prepare him for that, we taught him about it. We focused on the scriptures and read to him from D&C 13, D&C 20, D&C 84, and D&C 121. If you want to know how the priesthood works, read those sections. They really put everything into focus and show you what the responsibilities of priesthood holders are, how they should exercise their priesthood, and what blessings they and the people they serve can get.

The ordination itself was pretty unique though. In fact, Darren almost didn't get it. That morning, I went on exchange with one of our zone leaders, Elder Scoble, so his companion, Elder Gerratt, could come here. You see, Elder Gerratt was the one who baptized Darren, and the counselor in our mission presidency encouraged him to confer the priesthood on him. Darren had it rough, though. He works night-shift, and this past Sunday, he didn't even get off work until fifteen minutes before church started. Elder Nelson and Elder Gerratt, upon seeing Darren and Maria weren't at church, rushed over to their home. They rang the doorbell, sang songs outside, but nothing they tried worked - Darren was sound asleep. Before they left Darren's house, the elders said a prayer, and with faith (more with despair that the baptism wouldn't be happening). But, as soon as they got back to the church, they got a text from Maria saying they'll be able to make it back in time for the 3rd hour of church, meaning he would be able to get the priesthood after all!

With that small issue out of the way, the baptism went through without a hitch. (Well, the refreshments never did make it to the church, but that's such a small thing to worry about) The three girls were super excited to be baptized, Darren, though super nervous, was able to perform the ordinance, the service was wonderful, and incredibly spiritual. Many of the ward members came (much to Samanta's dismay; she didn't want anyone to be there), and the support was incredible! The girls will be confirmed the coming Sunday, and I'll be privileged to do one of the confirmations. I'm stoked about that.

So, overall, the week has been a good one. This past transfer has been great. Yes, I've made it through the first 6 week section of my mission (for those of you who don't know, every six weeks is called a transfer, because missionaries spend time in areas 6 weeks at a time. Sometimes they move after those 6 weeks, usually they stay). I've also officially been a missionary for 2 months, and in that time I've seen a lot of blessings and miracles. Again, thanks for all of the support which all of you show me. It really does make a difference.

Best wishes! Elder Anderson