Pittsburgh Mission Memoirs

Folks, it seems the lull in missionary work was only temporary; this week has been just as wild as usual. That's okay, though. If it weren't, I would be surprised.

To keep things brief, for the most part, most of the people we've been teaching are still just about the same as always. We were disappointed that Dave and Peggy didn't come to church this week, and when we visited Dave his excuse was the same: he was too tired. He didn't get to bed till really late last night and was exhausted in the morning. I pointed to the Red Bull energy drink which he had just cracked open and asked "Do you think that makes a difference?" He looked at it for a moment, looked back at me and said "Yeah, it probably does. I know they're bad for me. I should stop drinking them so late." And with that, threw his head back and downed the rest of the can. I hope that was just a dramatic flourish to show his commitment to stop drinking them. So we'll see how next Sunday turns out.

It was too bad, too, because we had a confirmation on Sunday. Yep, you read that right. And because we had a confirmation, logic dictates that we had a baptism the day before.

I mentioned a few weeks ago how Brian was super excited to be baptized, and his scheduled date was the 24th. Well, it came, he was ready and boy, was it a great day. I can only imagine how wonderful it was for him, simply because of all the cool experiences he was able to have leading up to it. Monday, we went over the whole program, and prepped him for the interview. He was so stoked. On Wednesday, President Topham came out to interview him, and they had an awesome chat. Afterward, he pulled me aside. "Elder Anderson, I know we said that Elder Medina was going to perform the baptism, but I decided I want him to confirm me. Could you be the one to baptize me?" I was stunned with delight. "Brian, nothing would make me happier."

And so, around 5:30 on November 24th, I had the pleasure and honor of raising my arm to the square and exercising the commission I have of Jesus Christ. Man, I was nervous. Right before we got into the water, I was telling him how it was going to work, how to hold his arms and everything. Brian is so chill, though. "Relax, Elder Anderson. Just say the prayer, put me under, and help me up." He was so calm and so ready, and his words definitely helped me out right then. We went in, did the deed (he did slip as I was pulling him up. My bad), and he came out laughing and smiling. The same was the case on Sunday when he was confirmed. His wife, Katrina, and several ward members told us "He's glowing. He's downright glowing." I would say Katrina was glowing too.

Brian's wife, as I said before, was a convert, missionary, and MTC teacher before she chose to stop coming to church. She then married Brian, and since then has come back to church and tried to bring him back. After our visit on Monday, she pulled us aside, and said "Elders, I want to thank you so much for what you have done for my family. You have brought me the blessing of eternity." Wow. That really put everything into perspective. In a short year, Brian and Katrina will go to the temple and be sealed. And I'm sure that will be one of the happiest days of both of their lives.

After the baptism, I had two predominant feelings: an overwhelming feeling of joy and accomplishment and a feeling of "Okay. What's next?" We didn't have anything scheduled for the the rest of our evening, so we pulled over the car, said a prayer ("Bless us that we'll be able to find someone who is praying for us to visit them"), and looked over the list of less-active members in our area. Elder Colvin pointed to a name (Joann), and we drove to the address listed. Mind you, it was starting to get dark and as we drove, the city lights began to be less and less and the wilderness started to be more and more. Before long, we were straight-up driving on a gravel road through the deep, dark woods. Our trusty GPS guided us to a area where the road ended and a few houses stood off in the distance. Unsure of what to do, we called the phone number listed, hoping that we would get a response. Nothing. With trepidation ("We're going to get eaten by a bear!" said Elder Medina), we walked down to the one house which had lights on and knocked on the door. After several moments, an Asian man came to the door. "Uhh... Is Joann here?" I was sure the answer would be no.

"Uh, yeah. She is. Who are you?"

"The Mormon Missionaries."

 A voice came from behind "Oh, let them in, let them in!" And Grandma Jo came up from downstairs and shook our hands. She introduced her son-in-law and grandchildren, showed us around her torn-up house in the middle of  a remodel, and then said "You know, I was wanting to come back to church. I was thinking I should call someone to find out when church is." Hmm... Coincidence?

Early Sunday morning, we got a call from President Topham. We were planning on having him come to visit with Isaiah later that evening, and he wanted a few details. Then, in his usual style, he told me the following:

"Elder Anderson, I have an assignment for you."

"Okay, President. What's that?"

"I'm calling you as district leader for your district."

(A district leader is a calling within the mission. The leader presides over two to four companionship's, organizes training and meetings, goes on exchange with the missionaries in his district, and interviews candidate's for baptism)

Then came the question:  "What do you think about that?"

You see, President Topham always does that. Just about any time he tells us something that would elicit an almost infinite number of thoughts and emotions all at the same time, he asks us to tell him just one. Fortunately, I've gotten past my natural inclination to say the first thing that pops into my head ("AHHHHHH") and came up with the more gracious "I would love to."

With that, I also found out that Elder Colvin with be staying here and be my companion, and Elder Medina will be shipped out somewhere else. So, hopefully (it's all still up in the air) it will just be two of us. That's the goal. 

This also means that I have the potential to be here in Washington for at least a couple more transfers. I'm happy about that.

But after that... Who knows? Time will tell.

Take care all! Have a wonderful week, and an excellent start to the holidays!

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

P.S.

A few other things I am thankful for:

Molars, so I can eat delicious food.

My testimony.

Argyle sweaters

Lets add socks to that list too. I am thankful for socks.

Cell phones

Good music

CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The Spirit

Primary (we got to be part of the lesson yesterday)

And, of course, my Savior, Jesus Christ

The purpose for me writing all of this is simply so those who are preparing to go on missions can see what we talk about in some of our training meetings. It is not definitive doctrine or counsel for anyone but missionaries in my mission, perhaps even for only me. Still, I hope it will be informative to everyone who wants to know about the inner-workings of a mission. Also, after reading through my notes, I can see a lot of application to regular members of the church. So a secondary reason (or perhaps it should be the primary reason?) is to allow the Spirit to teach you something as you read those things that the Spirit touched me to write.

 

Just a quick note, before I get into the other stuff - Having a study journal has been one of the smartest things I could have done. It has been so beneficial to go back and look at my (meticulous, I almost transcribed General Conference :P) notes. I would highly recommend purchasing a high-quality notebook for you soon-to-be missionaries.

 

With the age change, a lot of new missionaries are coming out. In my mission alone, we are getting an addition of 90 missionaries, 45 of which are sisters. Why? As Elder Holland stated in a press conference "The Lord is hastening the work." However, as we have found in our mission, the areas which have many  missionaries don't necessarily have the most baptisms. So, there is little to no correlation between number of missionaries and baptisms. However, the Lord is preparing people. The example was given of Cornelius in Acts 10:1-21. He was not a Christian. But he was praying, and living a God-fearing life. He was ready for the Gospel.

The main theme of this training was Finding the way the Lord wants us to find, as part of our vision of missionary work: Find, Teach and Rescue. That phrase used to end with "Baptize," but the Brethren decided that our purpose is also to bring back the lost sheep who have wandered away. In Preach My Gospel, our purpose is defined as being to "Invite others (that is to say, everyone) to come unto Christ"

If I were to ask you to visualize the question "What does it mean to find people to teach?" you would probably think of two guys, bundled in coats in the freezing cold knocking on doors or in the city square running down people passing out pass-along cards. At least, that's what I visualize. And that isn't a bad thing - many people have been found and taught in that way. But, we are also looking for real growth - Converts who stay faithful, serve steadfastly, and obtain the blessings of the temple. How do we find people who will do that? The biggest contributing factor is member connections. If a person already has a connection with the church in some way, they will be more likely to learn and stick with it. But, in a recent Mission President's seminar, the presiding General Authority said "Unless you change the way that you find in your mission, your missionaries will never feel that sweet affirmation from the spirit that they have done the best they can." So, we were invited to ask ourselves at the end of each day "Did I find everyone today who the Lord prepared for me to find?" If we can answer "Yes," then we have done our very best and have that 'sweet affirmation' that we did all we can.

The Mission President borrowed my planner and looked at my weekly goals. Because we had no intentions of baptizing anyone this past week, the goal for baptized and confirmed was 0. "If you don't intend to baptize anyone, do you think you will?" Good question, President. He gave the example of a gentleman who served his mission and in faith felt like he needed to set a goal to baptize someone during a day when they had nobody ready to be baptized in their teaching pool. Guess what? It happened. Twice. It can happen to us, if we choose to baptize, and set a goal to reflect that choice.

Faith is the most important part of finding people to teach and, eventually, baptizing (rescuing too). If you don't believe you are going to find someone prepared for the Gospel, chances are you won't. Sad, but true. It goes for all miracles. Look at the miracles of the Savior. In a lot of cases, such as the water changing to wine, feeding the 5000, or raising Lazarus. What did Jesus do? What did the others do to help facilitate the miracle? We have a big part in the miracles which the Lord performs on our behalf, so we have to do the best we can to do our part. Like Paul said though, we aren't to take any pride to ourselves, but recognize that God allowed the miracles to happen on account of our worthiness and faith.

One thing that was emphasized: Talk with people, not to people. Talking to people is selfish and one sided. Talking with people is charitable. Another thing that came up - this Gospel message is amazing. It's incredible. And it's natural for people to want to share it, even if they haven't heard it. When it says in Preach My Gospel "Ask EVERYONE for a referral," it's serious. Do it.

 

Things to quit doing: (our mission president said some of these might shake our testimony, but they are all true)

Quit baptizing less-active people. That is to say, don't baptize people who won't stay active in the church. Get people involved and baptize them only when they are ready.

Quit praying that the Lord will give us investigators. Pray instead for the ability to recognize opportunities to share the Gospel, and whom to share it with. Quit asking the Lord to do something He is already doing.

Quit relying on active members for referrals. Instead, rely on EVERYONE for referrals.

Quit hanging out. Keep the purpose of a visit in mind, and be on time to all appointments.

Quit choosing not to baptize. Set goals to baptize, and watch the Lord bless you.

Quit relying on the Spirit for everything. In other words, don't be commanded in all things.  (Don't take this one wrong, read the quote by Elder Oaks in Preach My Gospel page 101) Instead, talk to everyone.

Quit teaching eternal investigators. If they aren't progressing or keeping commitments, drop 'em. Harsh, but true. Sometimes we hope they will eventually catch on, but what will help them catch on faster, being with the missionaries that they are used to being around, or being without the missionaries and realizing how much they miss the Spirit that they bring and the Gospel they teach.

Quit answering questions. People get hung up on the littlest things. Answering every question is not needed. The only question that needs to be answered is "Is the Book of Mormon true?" With that knowledge, everything else falls into place.

Quit scheduling time to find. Don't plan to tract. Make it a lifestyle. If you get a referral, knock on the doors nearby. If you are walking somewhere, talk to the people on the street.

Alas, as it sometimes happens, this week has been a 'regular' missionary week. Nothing weird has happened, nothing abnormal. Of course, to a non-missionary, this week would have been absolutely incredible, full of all kinds of amazing things. But when you've been out for as long as I have (Ha ha. Have I really been out for such a long time? People keep telling me that I'm a kid when it comes to mission-age), you start getting used to things.

One thing that I can say without a doubt is this has been my favorite area yet (sorry, Lebanon and Pittsburgh; I love you too. I just love Washington more). One of the biggest reasons is a man who I mentioned several months ago, when I first came to Washington. Brother Anderson, the ward mission leader. I would recommend that you go back to that entry (probably the beginning of June or something) and re-read how warm and devoted to the Lord this man is. He's got a lot of trials himself though. Being a convert to the church, his family wasn't so thrilled about it. His daughter and son-in-law (actually, boyfriend-in-law, as I came to find out. But that's too long to type) are pretty against it. Well, they put up with it, but when I first met them they specifically said "We'll sit down with you, but we won't talk about God or church or anything." And aside from that, our conversations with them have been pretty pleasant.

Well, all of that changed. Since I've been here, we've been giving service for Brother Anderson and his son-in-law. The son-in-law has been working on a house and is having the floor dropped by a few feet. Which means the concrete needs broken and the dirt underneath needs dug out (that's the way people talk out here. They forget the "to be"). We've been helping them out a couple of hours every week with the son-in-law working beside us, lighting up a cigarette to do his work, etc. Well, this week, we went over to visit Brother Anderson and have a little missionary correlation meeting. His daughter was there. Halfway through the meeting, she sat down and started talking to us, asking us questions. She divulged that she and her husband were looking for a church. And yes, they've already considered this church. But she talked about how important it was for her to be more spiritual, to actually be married to her husband, and to do things right. I talked to Brother Anderson afterward and asked if she's ever opened up like that. "No," he said. "That was an unusual event." So, the moral of this story: Service softens spirits.

All of our investigators are doing well, except Dave and Peggy. For privacy sake I won't go into too many details. This much I will say - prayers on their behalf are welcome, especially for their daughter named Hope. We were fully expecting all three of them at church, but they didn't show. So we stopped by yesterday to find Dave all alone - his wife and daughter had gone over to Grandmas for a few hours. It was probably best though, because that man needed some support. He was in a frenzy, talking about how bad his week was, flaring up in anger, cursing. In his defense, though, it was incredibly dignified, and was probably justified. We listened to him, felt his pain, and tried our hardest to comfort him. I'm confident that in that moment, the promise in the scriptures to us missionaries was fulfilled that we would be able to say exactly what needed to be said to him in the very moment that he needed it. As we started to speak and teach from the scriptures, his anger melted. He calmed down. He listened intently and was obviously touched by the spirit. Near the end of our visit, both myself and Elder Colvin felt impressed that this man needed a blessing. Like I said, for the seasoned missionary, this was a common experience. But I can say for certain that it was a miracle, a tender mercy of the Lord, and one of the most spiritual experiences I've had since coming to Washington.

That's the gist of my week. We taught a lot, we knocked several doors. We had training with our mission president. I'll write some notes about that further down for you future missionaries. There's a lot there, though, so don't feel obligated to read it all. For everyone else, though, I hope that your holiday is wonderful, that your week is pleasant and peaceful, and that those of you traveling will be safe. Take care, and be grateful!

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

*knock knock knock*

 

It was the first door of the day. We were stoked, ready for a good half hour of knocking doors before our first appointment of the day. We waited with anticipation for someone to answer the door...

 

*knock knock kn-knock kn-knock*

 

Elder Colvin loved mixing up his knocks. It keeps things interesting. Still, we waited. Finally, we left a card in the door and turned around to go to the next house. Before we got too far, though, we heard a faint *click* as the glass door opened. Within moments, we were back at the door talking to a lovely old woman who apparently had no idea who we were. She picked up quickly on the fact that we're really good listeners, and launched into telling us the story of her life, her husband, the injustice that she's endured because of her Polish background, and her happy life now, living alone. We listened patiently as the time of our next appointment drew closer. Finally, she asked where I was from. "Utah," I told her, "Where the Mormons are. That's what we are, Mormons," I added.

 

"You're Mormons?!?!" she exclaimed. I braced for the worst but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. "I LOVE MORMONS!" And with that, she threw her arms around each of us, puckered up and gave us a big smack on the cheeks. We were all a little taken aback, but got her info and permission to come back. Hopefully she doesn't express her love to us the same way.

 

Isaiah was not baptized this week. Don't worry, though, he didn't go to jail. He just messed up his plea bargain a little bit, and has to have another court hearing to sort through all the details of the crime. This might turn out to be better, though, because he might get all of the charges dropped completely and not even get any probation. Long story short, Isaiah is doing great. He's a little bummed, but he's taking the whole situation very humbly and cheerfully. "I know that it's all in the Lord's timing," he told us. Wow. It's kinda hard to see someone so prepared and so willing unable to be baptized, but I know if he stays strong, he'll make it eventually.

 

Brian, on the other hand, is still pressing forward to be baptized. We taught him the Word of Wisdom this week and invited him to follow it. "Oh, yeah. I've already been doing that. I've been off coffee for a month now." This isn't the first time he's done something like this, too. Yesterday, I sat next to him in Sacrament meeting. We had a high councilor (who, by the way, was the most animated high council speaker I have ever heard in my entire life) who talked about all of the blessings he's seen in his life. When he briefly described the temple blessings, I could tell Brian was getting a little emotional. He wants nothing more than to be sealed to his wife for eternity, and nothing is getting in his way. He is so excited.

 

Dave and Peggy came to Church yesterday! And loved it! We went over to visit them earlier in the week, and they expressed their desire to come and their commitment to come this week. We've invited them for several weeks straight, but had faith that they would come, and they did! It was excellent. Right after sacrament meeting, Dave bolted to the front so he could chat with the Bishop. He was shaking everyone's hands and was absolutely thrilled to be there. Peggy, who's always been a little bit more reserved, also seemed very happy to be there. It was wonderful.

 

Aja is another investigator we've been working with. She's about 21, has an adorable young daughter, and just moved from Ohio. Actually, she was first introduced to the church by a member who works at a diner. He was taking her order, chatting with her a bit, found out that she was new to the area and looking for a church, and suggested ours. She agreed, has been meeting with us. We've had a hard time getting lessons with her, though, because either she or her daughter has been sick. So we took a different approach. Actually, it was my companion, Elder Medina, who suggested this. When we found out that Aja was sick, out of the blue he asked "Ask her if she needs any chicken noodle soup." I texted her and she replied that she actually was all out and needed it. We went, picked up some for her and brought it by. It was a small and simple thing, but I'm sure made a big difference for her.

 

Perhaps that is the more perfect way to share the Gospel - not by the great big declaration "I know that Jesus Christ restored his church," when talking to somebody I don't even know right after I knock on their door, but in the small and simple services that show what that restoration of the Gospel has done for us. For example, when Elder Walker first found Brenda (I wasn't present), he didn't offer to teach her - he offered to serve her. He helped her carry in some things from her car. Thus began a powerful friendship and trust which has grown and finally blossomed. I'm pleased to announce that Brenda did in fact get baptized - just last week. Elder Walker called me to tell me the story. He was so excited. Apparently, he and his new companion got a call from her. (She's going to kill me if she finds out I shared this story) She told them that she was sitting on the commode (that's what they call toilets out here, apparently) pondering on the scriptures when it suddenly hit her: the Book of Mormon is true. She got a testimony right then and there and agreed to be baptized. I was so happy when I found out. All those weeks and weeks of hard work, inviting, teaching, answering questions, visiting her church, finally yielded the result. And, while I didn't get to be there for the actual baptism, I know that I was able to be a vessel of the Spirit to help that woman come more fully unto Christ. And what joy does it bring!

 

By the way, this is the second time this has happened. Remember that Cambodian family in Lebanon? They got baptized a few weeks after I was transferred too. Hopefully, the trend doesn't maintain. Elder Medina gave me a big scare yesterday. The Zone Leaders called and asked to speak with him. When he hung up, he said "One of you will be emergency transferred on Wednesday. President will call and say who it is tomorrow." AHHHHHH!! But then he told me it was all a big lie. He got a big kick out of it. He's a big jokester, but I love him. I love all my companions, despite their annoying personality quirks. One thing that gives me comfort - I get on their nerves just as much as they get on mine. :D

 

Take care, all. May the spirit be with you, always.

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

Huge, mach-speed winds. Torrential rains. No power for days, flooding, trees toppling. That's what we were told to expect from Hurricane Sandy.

Yeah. We got maybe an inch of rain. And a slight breeze.

I don't want to discount from the storm at all, and especially not from the suffering of those who were more affected. My companion, Elder Medina, is from western New Jersey and has no idea how his family is faring. We're hopeful that things are okay. I'm just grateful that I'm so far inland. The weather this week has been calm, cold, and mild. Nothing compared to the devastation further east.

We've got a baptism this week. A gentleman who the missionaries have been teaching for nearly 4 months is finally getting baptized. He's so ready too; he's changed is life around, stopped smoking, been coming to church every week for those four months. He's got a few things things to work out. This Wednesday, he's going to a court hearing. He abducted his own child and possibly faces a jail sentence. Don't worry too much, though. There is a good chance that all of the charges will be dropped. So, we'll find out this coming Wednesday whether he will be baptized, or incarcerated. I've got a good feeling about it. I'm pretty sure that he'll be baptized.

Brian's been doing well too. He's been planning his own baptism ever since we invited him. He's got speakers picked out, songs, who's baptizing him, everything. When he comes to church, he announces to everyone his excitement and anticipation to be baptized. Every time we teach him, he already has a strong testimony of the things we teach. He's ready. I'm so excited for him.

The big even this week was our visit with Dave and Peggy. We invited them to come up to the church so we could give them a little tour. One of the families in the ward was there waiting for us and gave the tour. They clicked from the moment they met, and Dave and Peggy loved the whole thing. He got really excited when we showed him the Family History Center, he was super interested in Young Womens (his daughter is 13, and a little bit of a rebel), and when we got to the baptismal font, he said "I'll be in there next."

Wow. I've never had anybody ever say that to me. It was really cool. We got talking to him a little later and I asked "So, when do you want to be baptized?" Without a moments hesitation, he said "Now." His wife is just about as excited, just not as expressive about it. When the tour was over, however, they said that they've been talking about joining the church for a while, and decided that they would talk to Peggy's parents about it before coming to church, just to see what their reaction will be. I got a little nervous when they told us that, but I'm pretty certain that everything will go well. We'll be talking to them this evening, and will find out how their chat went. Hopefully, even if it went bad, they'll be able to see the truth well enough to make the right choice.

Other than that, my week wasn't too exciting. We stayed in for Halloween for our protection, but were out doing work when the actual trick-or-treating was happening on Saturday. That was frustrating. With the elections ramping up, people have been polarized, either hating us because Romney is a Mormon, or thinking that because they are voting for Romney makes them exempt from hearing our message. Regardless, people still are struggling to keep their doors open long enough for us to help them realize that our message is important and that the Gospel has been restored. We have seen a little bit of positive fallout from the election though. A member asked us to give her a Book of Mormon so she could give it to a co-worker at the Republican Party office in Washington. Her friend invited her to a cup of coffee (what a great starting point for sharing the gospel?), found out that she was a member and said "Romney is the only other Mormon I know, and he's a pretty good guy. I'd like to learn more." She actually was able to make the connection, which was great. Another brother gave a testimony at church about how many members of the church join because they saw the happiness in the lives of their friends, and wanted whatever they had.

There is so much glorious light and truth in the Gospel and in the Church. It is true. All of it. I'm so grateful to know this and to share it, in every aspect that I do. I've been told by a lot of people that this blog has been inspiring to them. Recently, I personally met one of my readers. His name is Elder Larson, and he recently came out to the mission. I was waiting to be transferred to Washington, when one of the Assistants to the President came up to me. "Hey, do you know Elder Larson?"

"...Maybe"

"Well he's been talking about you ever since we picked him up. He's been reading about you somewhere and knows everything about your mission."

Wow. I was blown away. It turns out that I didn't know this elder at all. Once he got his call to Pittsburgh, his mom went a-Googling and found my blog. He's read every single post. When we finally met in person, he started telling me about things that happened months ago, like the baptism of the Galloway girls, us teaching that exotic dancer, or having a gun pulled out in front of me. It was weird meeting one of my fans. It was also cool to see how much my experiences excited him about his own mission. I told him "All of those experiences I had? The same thing will happen to you." A few days later, another missionary said it even better. "Disciples of Jesus Christ have cool experiences." It's true. Everyone who follows Christ will have incredible experiences happen in their life. It's just one of those things that happens.

That's about all I have to share. Take care everyone. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim