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....

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...

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...

*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...

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...