January 6, 2014

Missionary Slim's penultimate post from his mission (Week 100 in Pennsylvania, Week 11 in Wintersville, Ohio)

Happy New Years to all! I hope everyone has at least one commitment for the coming year. For the record, mine is but a single word: Forward. And, of course, a verse to go with it: Doctrine & Covenants 90:24

We've been subtlety working with a part member less active family who lives with their active parents. It's had a big impact on the non-member wife and she's really taking a serious look at joining the church. We've been told not to push, so we just make it a point to be there, to set an example, and to answer questions when the come up, which happens about every time we go over there. This Sunday, the less-active husband and his wife came to church, and we chatted with her about joining the church. She has trepidation (another good word, for the record), but is seriously considering it. She asked me "What are the stipulations for becoming a Mormon?" Great question. She'll get baptized. It's not a matter of if, but when.

We're working slowly but surely with another family. They're both active and engaged in the ward... she's just not baptized. Perhaps she just doesn't see the point yet, but the family is well involved in the ward itself and we consistently go over there to teach them. I think that is a similar situation. When it hits her, she'll 'get it' and realize that this is something she needs to do. But for now, it's a slow but sure process to get her up to speed with knowledge of the Gospel.

We've been working with less actives quite a bit and have another prospective investigators. The husband of a very less-active sister wants to quit chewing tobacco. We offered to do the Stop Smoking program, which should help, and he seemed really excited about it. He isn't committed to doing it yet, but in time he'll be on it, and I think that will lead right into full-blown investigation of the church. He's come to church once while I've been here, and seemed very comfortable, so I think that he'll get into it once he is eased in.

So, the work is going well out here.
Have a great week, and a great year, all!

Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim



P.S.
Slim's Mission President asked the missionaries to send in their most spiritual experience of their mission. Below is his reply. Enjoy!

I've already told you of my most spiritual experience - I actually mentioned it in my very first email when I was first a missionary in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The culture shock was incredible, of course. It was difficult to find myself in this new environment. But the worst part of my first week was the incredible opposition that faced us. It seemed at every doorstep, we were yelled at, people would curse the name of Joseph Smith and call the Book of Mormon a false book. "You're wasting your time!" was the cry of all who we met.

I remember my very first door. An angry dog met us at the door, and his owner matched the temperament. After asking us what we wanted, he started to yell, telling us that we were wearing our religion on our sleeve, that we were 'holier than thou' and that, again, we were wasting our time. Looking back on the past 100+ weeks of the mission, I think that was the week I received the most flack at people's doorsteps.

It bothered me, haunted me, those first few days. I was seriously questioning my faith. Even the spiritual high of the MTC and my experiences of the past didn't even turn away my doubts. I knew, though, from years of being in the Gospel, that the answer was the Book of Mormon.

All during my life, I had read from the book, treasured it's words, and on occasion, perhaps after a really moving Seminary lesson, prayed about it's truth. But I never really had an eye-opening, Saul-to-Paul, angels from Heaven, burning in the bosom experience. It just felt good.

This time, though, I needed something more. I had some spare time. I knelt down and poured out my heart to the Lord. I told him what had happened. I told him how I felt. I told him what I wanted. In effect, I said "Lord, I want to be your missionary; I've been preparing for this my whole life... and I will turn around and go home now if you don't answer me. If I'm going to be out here telling people that the Book of Mormon is true, then I had better believe it, and you had better tell me."

I don't know how wise it is to tell the Lord what to do like that, but He did answer me. In that instant, I received my answer - a powerful feeling of love and peace accompanied by the thought "It's true. You know it's true. You've always known it's true." And that was the truth. It wasn't that I wasn't answered before, but rather the answer had always been there and I had always known it. But this time, I had an undeniable witness of what I already knew.

Since then, I have tried to discredit that testimony. I've questioned it and doubted it, but in the end, the Spirit still tells me. "What I told you was what I told you - It is true." There is no way I can dispute the answer I received.

I have had many other spiritual experiences since then, but had it not been for that one, none of the others would have happened.

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