October 28, 2013
Missionary Slim doesn't have to use his ruby slippers to get home, just the power of prayer and a tank of gas (Week 90 in Pennsylvania, Week 1 in Wintersville, Ohio)
"Gee, Toto, I don't think we're in Pennsylvania anymore!"
And isn't that the truth! After a wild turn of events, I finally made it to... well, maybe I'd better explain those wild events.
Monday, a preparation day like any other. I worked hard to pack and do laundry while saying my goodbyes to all the wonderful people that I'll be missing as I go to my new area. Tuesday, I was off. Another missionary (on his way to home, actually - he was at the end of the two years) hopped into a car and took off down the Pennsylvania Turnpike with somewhere around 200 miles to drive just to get to Pittsburgh and about 4 exits along the way.
I had arranged the day before to have lunch with a family that I taught in Somerset, which happens to be a convenient stop on the way. As we were driving, reminiscing about the mission and our areas, I took a look at the dashboard to find the fuel low light on. I quickly took a look at the digital display with the fuel range information: 12 miles. I looked at the GPS to see how far Somerset was from our current location: 20 miles.
Oh shoot.
We were panicking just a little bit, mainly because we were on a pretty tight schedule and really weren't in the mood for walking 8 miles to get a gallon of gas. The Turnpike is a toll road, too, so it would be very difficult to expect anyone to give us a ride one way or the other.
We pretty much had only one option - pray.
You know that story of the Savior blessing that bread and those fishes and it suddenly multiplying, or at very least sustaining itself long enough to feed a massive group of people. Well, that kind of miracle still happens nowadays. As we drove along, trying our best to keep the mileage as high as possible, we noticed that for every two miles we drove closer to Somerset, our fuel range only went down 1 mile. Miraculously, we made it all the way, and were able to fill up and get to Pittsburgh in safety.
So, now all the exciting stuff. I ended up getting transferred to... an area to work with a guy named Elder Almond. He's a Tooele native, born and raised in the church, but fell off in his teenage years. After a couple of years of 'riotous living', he decided that his life wasn't going anywhere good, slowly got it turned around, and is now on a mission serving the Lord. He's been out for about 6 months, and has been here for a transfer.
The work here is going great. The investigator pool is low, but I'm sure that's going to change - we found three new investigators this week. A recent convert named Jasmyn pretty much invited all of her friends to meet with us, and two of them accepted the invitation to learn more about the gospel; one of them even came to church yesterday and loved it!
An investigator named Carlene is getting ready to be baptized. She's a sweetheart with a big heart and is really good on picking up on the Spirit. She's had a rough life, and it shows, but she's got such a great desire to follow the right thing. She's had some great friends in the church mentor and guide her along, and now, she's telling everyone that she's going to become a member. I was helping her with her wheelchair yesterday, and I caught her talking to another member saying "I'm getting baptized soon!"
One more thing: This morning, we got a call from the senior couple that works in the ward with us - they got a call that one of the elderly members was in the hospital and requested a blessing. We got there, and he was in pretty bad shape. He was in his 80s, a native of Scotland, and in a coma. His health had been declining for a long time, and his granddaughter who was there felt that he was wanting to go home. She requested that we release him from mortality - the senior missionary, Elder Monson, performed the ordinance. There is always a very special feeling that comes when the words "I bless you to know that your Father is pleased with you and is calling you home" are pronounced over someone. The granddaughter was very grateful, and I'm sure that somewhere, bagpipes were playing 'Danny Boy.'
And all this happened in sunny Wintersville, Ohio! (I bet you thought I'd never mention it, huh?)
Have a great week, All!
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
October 21, 2013
Missionary Slim likes photoblogging (Week 89 in Pennsylvania, Week 13 in Dover, PA)
This might be mostly a photo blog post. Lots of
great things have been talked about in the blog, but I haven't put up
pictures in a while.
A recent hurricane blew through, causing this flooding. It was pretty intense!
Kyle's baptism!
In other news, Transfers! Tomorrow,
I am off to different climes. Yep, I'm being transferred. All that I
know is I'm going to be somewhere in the western side of the mission,
but that's about it. It'll be totally different than what I've been up
to lately, though. New area, new ward (or branch), new investigators,
new companion, new everything! Except toothbrush - I'm hanging on to
that.
For the record, this is going to be my sixth area.
Probably my last, too, but I'm not going to say one way or the other for
fear of getting jinxed.
I'm leaving behind a
bunch of great people, which is the worst part about being transferred. A
ton of people who I wasn't expecting came up to me at church and
sincerely told me goodbye. It was super touching.
Wherever I go, though, It'll be good. It'll be where the Lord wants me to go. That, I'm excited for.
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
October 14, 2013
Missionary Slim sees a TON of fish but is having the best success being a 'Fisher of Men' (Week 88 in Pennsylvania, Week 12 in Dover, PA)
Missionary work is going well. We pulled out our
area book this week and found this name under the potential investigator
section:
Valentin. Contacted August 2007. Note: "This guy is SO prepared!"
And with that to work with, we stopped by. Sure enough,
we found him at home. Actually, he was leaving in about 5 minutes, but
he had time to get to know us a bit, tell us that he could visit with us
in the morning, and get our phone number.
We stopped by two days later in the morning and he let
us in with this greeting: "Guys, this is going to be the first and the
last time, because I'm just so busy, I can't commit to anything. But
come in for today." We sat down and he just started talking to us, with
us making comments here and there. He talked about his work, his family,
his homeland Mexico, his wife, his church that he doesn't attend. You
know, all the important stuff. We just sat and listened. Every now and
then, he'd stop, think for a bit, and then throw our a super-inspired
question. "So, what is it with you guys? What makes your church any
different from any other?" or "What happens to us when we die? Coz my
kids have been asking and I don't have a good answer." And we answered.
We gave him a Book of Mormon, and he seemed thrilled to give it a read.
We'll see what happens.
Same goes for the wife of a less-active member who we started teaching this week. We've gone over in the past to chat, to help them with their fish (they have a TON of fish), and other stuff. This time, though, we were going to teach. She had a TON of questions too (not as many questions as fish, though), and we were able to answer every single one. She's going to think about what we shared and decide if she wants to learn any more during this coming week, but I'm hopeful and confident that she'll choose to keep learning.
Also, we had the chance to visit with Noel again.
Without going into detail, she told us one of her biggest hang-ups with
coming to church. It was incredible how the conversation just naturally
flowed into the gospel and the love which Heavenly Father has for us and
how much He wants us to just make good choices and follow Him. He knows
what will make us happy, and He's going to try his hardest to help us.
She seemed a little bit more comfortable after that.
Finally, we had an awesome baptism this week. Kyle, who
I mentioned many weeks ago, has been taught by the sister missionaries
in the ward. They've worked through all his concerns and questions until
he finally decided to be baptized. It was a great baptism. Like the
baptism of Sarah a few months ago, we were able to have a Skype session
with the missionaries who taught him online. They were awesome guys too -
one was paralyzed from the hips down and the other had cerebral palsy.
Both were dedicated servants of the Lord, though, and were trying their
best to share the gospel.
Kyle gave his testimony as well. He explained how he
came to find the church after taking a survey online about which
religion he affiliates with the most. Turns out that the result was
"Mormon." So he got online, got in touch with those missionaries, they
got us in touch with him. He said that his first visit with us was
"intimidating." (ouch...) But the sisters came in right after that and
softened him right up. He's totally dedicated to the church and gospel
and is ready for his new life! That's just testimony to me that the Lord
really is in charge - He'll make everything work out.
Anyway, it's been a great week. I hope yours has been too!
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
October 7, 2013
Missionary Slim has a few words to pass on to everyone (Week 87 in Pennsylvania, Week 11 in Dover, PA)
Today, Slim has been extremely busy and didn't have a lot of time to write. Here are a few of his own words to sum up his week:
-General Conference. Two words: HOME RUN!
-Remember
Kyle? I mentioned him weeks ago. He's been taught by the sister
missionaries, and will probably be getting baptized this coming week. Do
like one of the seventies (I can't remember which) told you, and pray
for him by name. He'll appreciate it.
-Cody, who I mentioned last week, came to Priesthood session. He really liked it.
-Noel is contemplating joining the church more and more every time we visit.
-By the time you read this, Elder Bowcut will be on an airplane to Australia.
-The Church is still SO true!
That's about all! Hope your week is as exciting as this coming one should be!
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
September 30, 2013
Missionary Slim encounters a new opportunity and an old one. Coincidence? I think not. (Week 86 in Pennsylvania, Week 10 in Dover, PA)
We were walking down the street. It was a pleasant
day; the sun was shining, and clouds glided by, creating shadows here
and there occasionally. A gentleman we had passed earlier when he was
tinkering with a lawn mower was now out walking his puppy. We decided to
say hi. Here's the gist of the conversation:
"Hey there!"
"Oh, hi guys. How are you doing? I was wondering when you were going to talk to me."
"Oh, have you talked to missionaries before?"
"No, but I've seen you guys and I know what you do. But
I've never talked to Mormons before. Hey, I'm not busy. If you guys
want, you can come by the house in about 15 minutes and we can sit down
and chat."
"....Sure!"
We went over and had a
great discussion. His name was Tom, and he made it clear that he just
wanted to get some information and was mostly interested in what made
our church unique. But he also said that he was going to seriously
investigate it. We introduced him to the Book of Mormon and he told us
"Well, good thing I like to read!" When we asked if he wanted to meet
with us again, he said "Give me a couple of weeks to get through this,
and then we can talk." That sounds fair to me!
Later that day, we stopped by the home of a former
investigator. Actually, it was a family. The had missionaries visit them
YEARS ago, like 5 or so, and it looked like they hadn't been touched in
about that long too. Oh, and they had two pages of notes attached -
these guys were investigating pretty heavily.
When we went over, we met Cody the adult son. He was
pretty awesome and open. "Oh, sure, guys. You can come back. I remember
when Sister Basian and Sister Frey used to come over." My jaw probably
dropped just a little bit when he said that. My thought was "You
remember the missionaries that taught you that long ago?"
We met his mom, Kim, when we came by the next day. She
explained that she was raised in her parents church, but had a lot of
questions and such. She said there were a lot of things that she liked
about her parents church, but a lot of things she didn't. I decided to
focus on the positive and asked "What do you like about your parent's
church?"
"Oh, well.... I guess just the familiarity. I mean,
it's what I always grew up with. I like how comfortable the worship
service is. I don't know." Hmm...
Come to find
out, she hasn't been attending any church for a while, and Cody has
actually been doubting the existence of God for some time. They haven't
been praying or reading the scriptures. "When the other missionaries
came by, they really helped me through a really hard time," she said,
also explaining that they were close to joining the church, but her mom
had a fit when she found out. They've been going through a rough time
presently, though. Then, after a pause, "Maybe that's why you guys came
over now."
They both listened intently as we talked about faith
and prayer and about how much their Heavenly Father loves them. That
small home was full of the warmth of the Spirit - it was awesome.
Following our visit, they were more than happy to have us come back and
keep teaching them. Also, they told us the names of several ward members
who they knew. We'll see where this goes.
So, the work continues. Alas, it will continue without
Elder Bowcut come the 8th. He got his visa to Australia and will be
leaving then. All I have to say about that is Godspeed!
Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
September 23, 2013
Missionary Slim forgets that it was ' International talk like a Pirate Day ' last week (Week 85 in Pennsylvania, Week 9 in Dover, PA)
There's an awesome family that we've been able to
visit, the Gonzales'. And don't let the name fool you - they're
Filipino. The son is a security guard working nights and has a really
hard time getting to church because its right when he's supposed to be
sleeping. He hasn't come to church in several years. Well, we had a chat
with him and found out that he's really been thinking about serving a
mission. He's getting pretty old, around 25 years old or so, but he's
still technically eligible. All three of us were able to teach and
testify about how much the mission has meant for us and encourage him to
do everything in his power to make it a reality. Hopefully it happens.
We went to visit a guy that I mentioned a few weeks
ago. His name is Harvey, and he REALLY wanted to watch 17 Miracles with
his wife. Well, we got them a copy, they watched it, and then we went by
to visit this week. Actually, I went by myself with another member of
the church. It was pretty incredible what happened.
As it turns out, this member that I brought lives just two houses down
from Harvey's brother. They both were in construction and
transportation, both lived out in the mid-west and Wyoming areas and
loved it there. They clicked like two lego blocks!
I asked about how they liked 17 Miracles. They loved
it. It was so touching and so moving for them. They were incredibly
impressed, and it was plain that they felt the Spirit. We spent the
majority of our visit watching the Restoration, a film about the Prophet
Joseph Smith, and talking about it. They ended up telling us that they
felt very good about it, that it might be true, and then told us "You
know, since you guys have been coming by to visit us, we've been
thinking a lot about our church. It's been really hard to go there for
the past few months because our old pastor left. We've really been
thinking about visiting your church." That was awesome to hear.
We did visit them later that week and they told us that
they were planning on continuing to attend their church for the time
being, at least until they got a more permanent pastor (their current
pastor is only there for the time being while they find a replacement).
Still, they've been touched. It's only a matter of time before that
touch of the Spirit turns into a testimony which will become a full tree
of conversion.
So, the work continues! Until next week,
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
September 16, 2013
Missionary Slim has a week of many changes and adventures (Week 84 in Pennsylvania, Week 8 in Dover, PA)
It's been a really fun week. Seriously. Incredibly fun. Here's the rundown:
Monday
I went up to Harrisburg. Because Elder Ramos is training during this
new transfer, he needed to drive out to Pittsburgh to be part of the
trainer's meeting. I was going to be babysat by another elder in
Pittsburgh, Elder Brady.
We did work up there. He's in the walking area, so
we hoofed it on bikes, walked, talked to dozens of people. He himself is
waiting for a visa to Brazil, so he knows Portuguese, but not very much
Spanish, so I was able to speak to some of the Latinos on the streets
of Harrisburg. That was cool.
Tuesday
I continued working with Elder Brady and we were joined by another
misfit missionary waiting for a companion, Elder Staple. Again, we hit
the streets, visiting less-active members, chatting with people,
teaching the Gospel. Late that night, we met back up at the Harrisburg
chapel so I could meet up with Elder Ramos and the new companion, Elder
Bowcut.
Elder Bowcut is awesome, by the way. He's a Mandarin
speaker going to Sydney, Australia (my dream mission, by the way). He
was in the MTC for 11 weeks waiting for a visa before they finally gave
it up and shipped him here. As soon as his visa arrives, he'll be on a
plane headed out there. Until then, this Highland, Utah native will be
working with us. And boy, is it a pleasure to work with him. He's got
the lessons already down, he isn't shy at all, but is super humble. He
came pre-trained.
Wednesday,
we went to work and had one of the most successful days of missionary
work I've had in a long time. I blame that good, old fashioned MTC Fire
coming out with Elder Bowcut. We had a great lesson with a couple that
we've visited several times. They're older, and had a lot of Mormon
friends when they lived in Wyoming. Since coming back to PA, they've met
the missionaries here and there, but as far as I know, we're the first
ones that they've let in. He's really interested in pioneers and such
(come to think of it, I might have talked about them before... Oh well,
anyway). We came over to give him a copy of 17 Miracles and ended up
talking our way through the entire Restoration. Pretty nifty. We'll see
where this goes.
Thursday,
we chatted with a great guy named Jerry. He's not quite so interested,
but he does like the idea of a modern prophet. He's interesting though -
his neurosis in his feet has removed most of the feeling in them. When
we stopped by, he had a cast on. "What's that for?" we asked. "Oh, it's a
long story..." He then launched into a story about how his little
ankle-biter dogs did just that - to his toe! Gnawed it right to the bone
before he realized what happened. The only reason I tell that story is
because it isn't something you hear every day!
Friday,
we stopped by the home of Noel, an investigator who we taught a few
weeks ago. She opened the door and stepped out for what she thought
would be a 10 minute visit. Fortunately, she had time and was looking
for a distraction from her house cleaning because we ended up talking
for 45 minutes and gave her the whole run-down of the Restoration of the
Gospel. Best of all, she agreed with most of it! I was floored, which
you would expect wouldn't happen so much now that I've been out for a
long time, but it still happened.
Same goes with the mother of a less-active member
who we visited. She herself is a very cheerful, lovable lady, and a
devout Methodist, but she still listened intently as we explained the
loss of priesthood authority and the Book of Mormon. When we asked if
she would be baptized when she found out that these things are true, her
reply was a very positive "yes." Again, floored. In a good way.
Saturday
was spent doing service at various homes, the library, and attending
the birthday party of Brother Bill, whose wife, Dee, is seriously
contemplating baptism. Despite our lack of lessons, the day was still
productive.
And finally, Sunday.
After a week like this one, a good Sabbath was definitely needed. After
church, we had the pleasure of teaching Desiree, who we haven't seen
since her confirmation two weeks ago. Still, she was just as happy and
just as full of joy as she was then. That was a pleasure and a blessing
to be a part of.
We also visited Ferne, a great older lady who I've
mentioned before. Out of the blue, she started talking about the Lord's
law of health, which launched us into a discussion about the Word of
Wisdom. Now, this wonderful lady hasn't been able to come to church yet,
but regardless, she still had the faith to say yes when we invited her
to give up her only vice: coffee. She gave us a hard time about it too,
but in the end, she said she'd pray about it.
In all, a good week. The work really is moving.
Love,
Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim
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