Pittsburgh Mission Memoirs

Here comes another story about food. This time, our cuisine comes from the deep south - New Orleans. Sister Southern, a less-active member in the Washington Ward, had us over for dinner. The dish: Yah-Yah Gumbo. I'm not sure if I spelled that right, but that's what she was saying over and over as huge billows of steam came billowing out of her kitchen from the great pot bubbling over her stove. She brought bowls over from the kitchen. I have no idea what I was looking at. It seemed like a smorgasbord of whatever you could imagine being in there - shrimp, sausage, crab meat, leaves of some kind (okra, I think) chunks of lemon, all in a deep brown rue. It wasn't bad. It's just another interesting thing added to the list of things eaten on my mission.

We met with Brian and Katrina again. Brian is preparing to be baptized on the 24th of November, and is so stoked. He's eating up anything that we teach him and loves it. This time, we had a short lesson and then a mini-testimony meeting. The missionaries went first, followed by Brian. He bore the most clear, simple, powerful testimony I've heard out of any of my investigators, with the exception of Michael a few months ago. He said how much he wants to be sealed; how excited he is to join the Church; how much peace the Book of Mormon gives him. It was awesome.

His wife's was just as good. She served a mission, but went less active shortly after that. We also found out that she was on a "Do not contact" list for a long time, until she moved to Washington and had the desire to come back. She told us in her testimony of how she's always had a testimony, and never imagined going less-active. It just happened. She said how disappointed she felt because of the time that she had wasted and wanted to have back. "Never turn your back," she told us. She then told of a story which I don't feel at liberty to share in full. I'll give what I learned from it. The Savior was mocked and jeered and spat upon because of his plainness of doctrine and his simple, pure love. "He is despised and rejected of men, and man of grief and acquainted with sorrows." Yet, we are invited to be like him. We are told that we need to take upon ourselves his countenance. "But what," we may ask, "What if the world starts abusing and reviling us, as they did the Savior?" It doesn't matter, because we are like the Savior. Words to ponder.

We had a really cool visit with another less-active gentleman. He was never converted. He was baptized because his aunt wanted him to, and then left the Church. He's been gone for many, many years, but knows the doctrine of the Church pretty well. In fact, he knows the doctrine of just about EVERY church pretty well. He's a serious seeker of truth, but he has no idea where to look. We sat down and he started going off about his questions, his concerns, his thoughts and ideas and theories. He basically sounded agnostic to the extreme. As I listened to, it reminded me of another man who I had read about that very morning, a man just as confused and troubled, a man who knew of the existence of God, but had no intention of worshiping. That is, until a courageous missionary taught him the truth. This missionary invited this man to kneel down and prove the Lord. And so he did. "O God," he prayed, "Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day." Boom. He got an answer. And boy, was it a powerful one with so many incredible effects. After sharing that story with this gentleman, he got really quiet. Instead of throwing out all of his questions, he thought and pondered. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon. "Oh yeah. I'll read it. I'll read it by the next time you come by." Oh. Wow. This guy was desperate. But I'm sure and confident he will get his answer.

The problem this man has is how many doubts he has. He doubts everything. He doubts Christianity because of Constantine. He doubts Joseph Smith because of anti-Mormon literature. He doubts God because he has yet to see any sign of God caring about him. One thing that I've found so apparent while I've been on my mission is how important it is to question. Questioning finds answers. Questioning invites the Spirit to teach you. Question everything, and then fnid your answers. Most importantly, though: question your doubts. Question those things that poke against the testimony you've already gained. "So this person is telling me Joseph Smith is a fraud. Why?" "I don't agree with what the Prophets are telling me. Why? Do I really believe them to be prophets? How can I know for sure if what they are saying is true?" "This person at Church offended me. What does that mean about the Restored Gospel?"

These examples may or may not be accurate. But I know that the Church is true. Period. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Jesus Christ called another Prophet and continues to call prophets and apostles. He runs the show. This is His team. We cannot let ourselves be blinded or deceived to give up such a good gift, like those who partook of the fruit of the Tree of Life and then fell away into forbidden paths. If you have tasted of the fruit of the Gospel, do not go away from it. Stand firm and strong. If you haven't tasted of the fruit of the Restored Gospel, give it a go. I know it will give you joy beyond comparison. Search the scriptures. Ponder them. Pray. God will answer. I know it. And when questions come up, or people start jeering at you because you have tasted of the fruit or because you look like Christ, remember: Joshua 1:9.

Take care, everyone!

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

Here I am! Writing this time from Washington, Pa, a medium-sized community south of Pittsburgh. It's nice here. I'll be honest, I loved the city and especially the people there, but I'm glad to be out of it. It's much nicer out here.

Right before I left, we got to say goodbye to Brenda...again. Her husband, William, had hurt himself, so we went over to offer comfort to both of them. As usual, she seemed one step closer to baptism after our chat. It might interest all of you to know that a few days after I got here to Washington, I got a call from Elder Walker. He and his companion (who happens to be a brand new missionary, in case I didn't say so), had a question, and then he told me "Oh, yeah. Brenda. She's getting baptized on the 4th of November." I shouted out loud and punched my fist into the air. His trainee had the guts to invite her the first time he met her, and she accepted. I'll be sure to keep track of what's going on up there and let you all know.

So, Tuesday, I packed up, we hugged, said goodbye and went on our way. My two new companions are Elder Medina from Peru and Elder Colvin from Arizona. The idea behind having two companions is so I can go to the mission office, work on the mission video and hang out with the office senior missionaries while they go out and do work. Pretty clever, if you ask me. I was with Elder Medina before, and we got along great. Elder Colvin is the more quiet, sensitive type, but he has powerful testimony. With the three of us, we'll be unstoppable. Either that, or people will run away even faster. Three guys in white shirts and ties can be pretty imposing. And yes, we have had somebody run away from us already.

This area is so fantastic. I've been grinning from ear to ear ever since I got here. Since I was last here, one of the people the missionaries were teaching before has been getting ready for baptism on the 10th of November. His name is Isaiah, and it's obvious to see how his life has been changing. You can still see the remnants of his past life as a thug and gangster tattooed up and down his arms, but his spirituality makes it easy to look past them. He's been coming to church for the past three months and has been loving it - commenting in classes, being part of the ward, everything. The only thing that needs to be cleared up is a little court hearing in a few weeks, and then he'll be all clear.

The second person getting ready for baptism, Brian, was actually invited to be baptized by Elder Colvin just this past week. His wife, Katrina, served a mission, but then went less-active. She married her husband, was prompted to get back to church, got in contact with the missionaries, and it's been downhill from there. Her husband has been there for the lessons as the missionaries have been teaching his wife, and is really interested, especially in sealing. He knows that he needs to become a member to get sealed, so as soon as we mentioned it to him, he basically said, "Let's do it!" All three of us were very pleasantly surprised. When he came to church this Sunday, both he and his wife were telling everyone how excited he is to be joining the church. Man, I'm pretty sure I'm getting spoiled right now.

Here's a twist: Usually, it's the Mission President who interviews the missionaries. In fact, he did that this past week. But the day before, I got to interview the President! It was for the mission video I'm working on, but it was still kinda neat. We sat him down in front of the camera. It was obvious how nervous he was, which was kinda strange. I got to see a different side of the mission president. Anyway, the interview went smoothly, and all was well.

The interview the following day was very short, as most of my conversations and interviews with the Mission President are. I started talking before he could even ask me anything.

"President, I am so incredibly happy right now, you cannot even believe. I don't even know why, I've just been the most happy I've been all my mission ever since last Saturday, and it's still getting better. It's awesome."

"Well, Elder Anderson, That's great. So, do you have any questions for me?"

"Uhhh... President, I thought you were supposed to be asking the questions?"

I don't blame him, though. We had a good chat the day before. He had a lot of missionaries to interview. And by all means, I'm doing great, the best I've been my entire mission. I won't complain about that.

So, for you Google Maps stalkers, my new address is:

 

235 W. Chestnut St. Apt. #1

Washington, PA 15301

 

Or, if you want to send a letter, my mailbox is always welcome.

 

As for the Gospel, it's still true. So is the Church. So is the Book of Mormon. And so is Jesus Christ. He has the power to change us into better people. Once a week, we do something spectacular - we come into His house, partake of His sacrament, and remember Him. Wow. What an awesome thing. I'll close with an interesting story. This week was the primary program in the Washington ward. Church started unusually late, and after the announcements and business, the Bishop explained why - the bread for the sacrament was not there yet. In a very unorthodox move, he decided to postpone the sacrament until after the primary program.

The program was excellent and brought memories flooding back as I recalled when I did the exact same thing. I wonder if the things I sang about then meant as much to me as they do now? For example: "I feel my Savior's love in all the world around me. His Spirit warms my soul through everything I see. He knows I will follow him - Give all my life to him. I feel my Savior's love, the love he freely give me." I pondered that as I took of the sacrament and was grateful that I was able to experience that primary program right before the sacrament. It really made a big difference for me and made the entire experience all the more rewarding. I've decided that if I ever become a bishop (heaven forbid!), I would ponder on making that same decision in my Sunday meetings. Unorthodox as it is, it was really a tender mercy.

That's about all I have to say. Other than packing up all of my worldly possessions and moving, my week has been pretty chill. We'll see what the Lord has in store for me.

Take care!

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

Whew. Where to start. I think I'd better start at the end, and go backwards.
General Conference. Wow. Wasn't that great? If you didn't get the chance to watch it, make sure you do. Digest it in some way, whether it be though the text, audio, or video. It really was excellent, and answered many of my questions.
I suppose one thing that would be best to cover right away is my thoughts on the new policy change for missionaries. I can tell you, when me, and the 9 other missionaries sitting around me heard the announcement, we were cheering (as reverently as we could in the chapel). We all knew and could feel the truth, and the implications, of the announcement. What implications?
Well, for one, it means that very soon (within 6 months) the missionary force in the world will double. Think about it. Twice as many missionaries sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Think about what this means for the world. Crazy cool things are going to happen.
Secondly, it means that going on a mission is much more of a choice, for both Elders and Sisters. I've known sisters who were half-planning on going on a mission. "If I don't get engaged when I'm 21," they think, "then I'll serve a mission." But now, sisters have the opportunity to choose to go on a mission much sooner. This also means that those who already were choosing to go on a mission when they turn 21 have the ability to go much sooner. I know there are many of you who are reading my words right now who fall into that category. I would love to hear from those of you who are now putting in your papers, or will be putting in your papers soon. Let me know where you get your mission call to. As always, I can be reached at the mailing addresses to the right. I'll be sure to reply quickly.
Finally, it means that missionaries have to be preparing much sooner to go on a mission. You can no longer wait until right before you go to say "Oh, I'd better get a testimony." As Elder Holland said, we have to get a testimony, and then stick with it.  Halving half a conviction will get us nowhere. We need to know the truth, and we cannot afford to know it any later than now. (Note of interest: Elder Holland gave a talk in the MTC 20 months ago about the very same topic. In fact, that same talk has been distributed to missionaries in our mission via DVD. I have one. I knew what he was going to say before he said it, except he said it more forcefully in the MTC devotional. Kinda cool.)
Something I noticed from conference were how many times the speakers said "My testimony is my greatest possession." What a cheesy thing to say. (It makes me think of the line in the Sons of Provo song where they say "My testimony will keep me warm at night.") But it's true. Nothing will protect us more in the places that need protection the most than our testimony. Remember, in the whole armor of God, our loins are gird about with truth, which I take to mean our testimony of the truth. And I don't know about you, but it seems to me that it is a vital protection to have. Paul didn't choose to liken our testimony to our loin protection for no reason.
Brenda came to conference, and she loved it. She came to the very last session of conference, (was super confused about Elder Scott's talk about family history and temple ordinances - it went way over her head) and had a ton of questions at the end. Throughout the course of our conversation, we boldly told her to give up all of the false things in her life. Namely, her church. (Again, her church does much good, and credit should be given where credit is due. Regardless, however, it is false) She actually took it rather well, and basically agreed, even supported, what we were saying. She is so much closer to baptism, but even more importantly, she is closer to full activity in the church which will lead her to temple covenants and blessings. :D
We were walking down the street on Tuesday. We had just left our apartment and were looking for someone to teach. A woman came right at us, stopped us and said, "Who are you guys?" We introduced ourselves. "I thought so. I need someone to pray with." She told us about some of the hardships of her life, being a single mother. As we talk, conversation drifted to her eight year old daughter. She told us this girl had some of the most incredible spiritual experiences. She basically explained that her daughter already understood and taught her mom the principles of the three degrees of glory, pre-mortality, what the spirit felt like, and baptism. In fact, (get this) when the girl turned 8, she told her mom "I'm ready to be baptized now." Wow. We had to teach this family.
We have yet to actually sit down and teach them, but we did stop by. The mom was absolutely thrilled to see us, and told her daughter "See, these are the missionaries that are going to teach us." We actually gave them cookies that a member had baked for us, which they really enjoyed. Other than a bright glow in her eyes, this little girl is just like any other little girl. But I have no doubt that the Restored Gospel will ring true to her and her mom as it does to everyone else who opens their hearts. (Oh, by the way. Today I was reading Mosiah 9 through 15 ish. Notice how many times it mentions the heart in those chapters. Yes, I will bake cookies for whoever does this.)
I'll finish with a pretty hard topic. Death. I talk about this because the gentleman who we blessed last week died that night. The family called us and invited us to the funeral. It was very Catholic, but there was still a very special spirit there. A spirit of peace. The father continually mentioned the fact of the immortality of the soul and the reality of the resurrection. This brought my mind back to a good friend of mine who passed away this summer. I received word of it and was completely stunned. Not only did I realize that I now had a good friend who was living in the spirit world (a cool prospect), but also that life is very fragile. He was only 19 - he even had his mission call. It was heartbreaking, and I wish to offer my condolences to the family and friends. But I also want to testify of the truthfulness of the doctrine which that Catholic priest taught. We will rise again. This life is only the beginning, the preparation. Eternal life is real, and through Christ, we will all be made alive again. I know it is true. And I love that truth.

Have a wonderful week, all!
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

I know I write long. Sorry about that. I sometimes wish I could be like the Stake President here in Pittsburgh who bore his testimony in our sacrament meeting as such:

"I just want to testify that God does answer our prayers. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Beautiful. 

I could write about just Saturday and Sunday, and would be totally satisfied. But, I'll give a brief recounting of the week, and then get to the good stuff.

I've mentioned the Howie family before, I'm sure. They lived in Mormonville Nevada (not a real city), and were totally surprised by how nice people were, like most people are. They took the lessons, went to church, and Alicia, the mom, got baptized. However, the two daughters, Calielle and (get this) Cylazha (Sah-lay-shah) were not. Well, they want to be. We went over to visit with them, and the whole time we were talking to them, they were telling us how much they loved the Book of Mormon, how much they wanted to come to church, how much they wanted to get baptized. It was pretty amazing. We'll see where this all goes, but I'm certain that a lot of good will come from it all. 

There was a devil worshiper we met a few weeks ago who we ran into again. On our first encounter, he invited us to meet the miserable man himself. We politely declined, and then invited him to meet Jesus. He did not politely decline. That is to say, he did decline, just not politely. Anyway, when we passed by him this time, we were getting ready to go in and teach a woman who lived near his salon ("666 Styles - Unleash the inner beast") He was super rude at us ("I don't associate with Mormons" and then gestured) and at her, but we just let it slide - that's what you do as a missionary. It really bothered the woman, though, who knew him personally. Well, we walk out from the appointment and he was there waiting for us. "Come over here, guys." I was super concerned, but, eh. What the hay. I've got God on my side. What's the worst that could happen?

"I just wanted to apologize to you."

Uh.... What? Jaw: dropped.

"That was very rude of me, and I know you guys do this for two years, and you don't deserve crap like that from me."

I wanted to tell him that it was very Christlike of him doing that, but I didn't want to provoke him at all. It was... bizarre. Really weird. He seemed sincere though. So, this just goes to show, being a good example can soften any heart.

Okay, now to the really good stuff.

Wednesday, we went knocking on doors. We met a really cool woman, Diana. She was in a hurry, but had enough time to kindly tell us that her sister was a member and she was looking forward to when her nephew would be doing a mission like us. She also mentioned her niece was planning on being baptized. That was the extent of our visit. I'll get back to her later.

Brenda. She is pretty much the investigator who we are most concerned about with right now. Every single time we visit with her, we can tell she is closer and closer to baptism. She just isn't there yet. We don't know what's taking her. We know she reads the Book of Mormon sporadically and prays for the truth, and we're trying our hardest to help things click and help her understand the importance of doing. She just isn't. But, she does want to do some things. She wanted to meet the Bishop. She wants to watch General Conference. She wants to witness a baptism. Cool. We can work with those.

So, we had our visit with the Bishop this weekend. She came in and just started asking question. She asked about the Apostasy, the Restoration, the Church, the Bishop, the Priesthood, the power, the authority, the callings, etc. She was mainly driving at two things: First, she was extended a calling in her other church, a baptist denomination. Second, she really wanted a priesthood blessing by the laying on of hands. Cool? I don't know. I mean, it's awesome that she recognizes that we hold the priesthood, but it's weird that she doesn't see what that implies - the truth of the Restoration and the falsehood of her own church. We're really confused at this point, but we'll keep working with her. We offered to support her as she accepted the calling at her own church.

Yep. Elder Anderson went to a baptist church. 

It was my first time attending a service of any other kind of denomination. I was excited to learn more about other people and how they worship. I was not expecting what I got, though.

Hooting, hollering, praising, "Halleluiah"-ing. Drums, organs, yelling, singing the same thing over and over again. A few of my favorite quotes from the service:

"We need some more praise up in this piece! If you stop praising, you'll let the devil in!"

"Praise like the Steeler's just won, but remember that they can't save you. Ben Rothlisberger (one of the Steeler's QBs) can't save you. Only Jesus can save you!"

"This is not a show! This is not a game! This is real!"

"This church has been around for 47 years, so we expect an offering of $47 from every member."

That last one was a paraphrase, but he really did expect $47 from every member in addition to the tithes. All of the other ones are honest to goodness quotes."

Now, I like the Brethren, want to witness that there is good in this church. I do not want to discredit any of the work or service that the pastor and other staff perform. But, I also want to submit with all of the power of my testimony and authority of my calling that the true church of Jesus Christ has been restored, and it was not that church which I attended. That is all that I want to say about that.

I was glad that we went to support Brenda, though. She needs love more than anything. She is still learning with us, and is still looking for the truth. I just pray that she will be able to discern what really is the truth, and then have the courage to choose the right.

Sunday evening was straight up incredible.

We were in Diana's neighborhood, and just decided to knock on her door. I don't know why. Well, I didn't know then. But I know now.

It was pandemonium in that home when we visited. Lots of people, family, etc (the member sister was not present, though). One of her sisters answered the door, and was stunned to find out that we are missionaries. "One moment." She closed the door, but we could hear her conversation as we waited. "I think it's a sign." "Should we have them come up?" "They were sent from God!" The door opened again and Diana was standing there, puffy faced. "Come on in, guys. Come on up." She explained to us that her husband was dying of cancer. She showed us up the stairs and introduced us. Well, as much as you could introduce a man who was unconscious. He was in a bad state. We said a prayer and gave a blessing, and gave words of comfort and counsel to the family. The Spirit was felt, the power of God was manifest. It was an incredible miracle. 

I don't think I need to say much more about any of this. I'll just hope and pray that the Spirit will teach any who read this what they need to learn.

Love,
Elder Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim