Missionary Slim: Isn't in Kansas anymore. Was he ever in Kansas? (Week 21 in Pennsylvania, Week 3 in Pittsburgh, PA)

The people out here are awesome. I'm just going to say it flat out - they are amazing. They're as crazy as always, but nearly everyone wants to listen to our message. We run into people on the street all the time who come up to us and say "Hey, aren't you the Mormons? I want to talk with you guys." It's uncanny, but excellent. These people have had some of the most amazing experiences too. One guy told us about how he was run over by a truck and walked away from that. Another person told us of how, through Christ, they were able to recover from many addictions. Granted, there are still a few people who are a little... off.

For example, one guy was trying to prove to us that Christ was none other than Melchizedek, which makes a lot of sense, actually. I was surprised he was able to learn as much as he did just from the limited information he has in the Bible. Of course, if he had the Book of Mormon (he wouldn't take a copy, unfortunately), he would know that Melchizedek was just a type (or symbol, or forerunner) of Christ (see Alma 13). But, kudos for actually searching the scriptures for answers!

We knocked on another gentleman's door so we could deliver a DVD about Christ. Like all doors, we weren't sure what to expect. It could be a family, it could be a really old person, it could be the most dangerous man in the world. The guy who answered was none. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and was completely drenched, head to toe. "What do you want?" he said. We introduced ourselves, and the guy started laughing. "Oh great!" he said, "Jesus came to interrupt my bubble bath." He was actually pretty pleasant, considering we made him get out of his suds just so we could share the gospel with him.

There's this amazing woman we've been teaching, Eunice. She's been taught by the missionaries before, a long time ago. But she moved, lost contact, and forgot about the church. Well, lo and behold, two missionaries come knocking on her door (not us, the missionaries before Elder Walker and I). We've been teaching her, reminding her of what she's been taught, and it all rings true to her. She takes in and loves everything we say and everything we read. She's been so prepared through her entire life for the gospel, and I feel so blessed to be able to give it to her. She's spent the last several years of her life fighting her addictions, and she's pretty much completely over all of them! People like that just make me so happy! She reminds me that, no matter what I'm going through, I can overcome it.

It's been a scorcher here. Actually, from the sound of things, it's been a scorcher everywhere. Fortunately, it isn't dry out here so we aren't having any fires like they are out west (I'll be praying for those families that are hurt by those fires). But, being humid, it feels like it's 10 times hotter than it really is. And since we don't have a car, we are at the mercy of the people. If we have lots of lessons, we're good. But if those lessons fall through, we're dead.

Well, Friday was one of those dangerously hot days. 101 degrees, 80% humidity, and Elder Walker and I were in the middle of nowhere, tired, out of water, and overheating super fast. On top of that, Elder Walker really had to go. Yep, that kind of go. He was starting to get desperate, so we decided to hike up a hill to where there was a discreet grove of trees. As we hike up the hill, down come Bro. Gehrin, one of the members. I swear, as he crested the hill, rolled down his window, and yelled, "Hop in!" fanfare was playing somewhere in the distance.

He took us to his home, filled our water bottles, and let Elder Walker, uh, go. The least we could do in exchange was share a message with him. We taught a little bit about Christlike attributes (Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel - they're super great!), and he brought us to our next appointment. As we were getting out of the car, he said "Guys, I want to thank you so much. I was having a really bad day before I found you, and you really made it better." That was the best!

So, was that a coincidence that Bro. Gehrin decided to take that obscure route home, or a miracle? ;)

We went out to knock on more doors the next day. We knock on the first. Nothing. Behind us, a car pulls up. Two guys get out and we start talking to them. They mentioned that they're starting a band, and Elder Walker started telling them about his musical exploits. They really broke the ice well. These guys also talked to the missionaries before us, but this time, they expressed real interest in what we had to say and invited us into their home, which happened to be the next door we would have knocked on. We talked to them, answered their questions, and really helped them understand the restoration.

One more thing. We went to have dinner with a member. Check out the picture of his home.




Yep. I'm not in Kansas anymore.

Take care, everyone. God loves you all, don't forget that. And so do I.

Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim