Day 107-Elder Pierce Squared-07-13-06

Well, I was able to have one last hurrah with Maddie. We loaded up Elder Davis’ stuff and went to the transfer meeting. I should be meeting Elder Pierce any time now.

I ran into Sister Roberts at the transfer meeting today. I first met Sister Roberts at the MTC. We both came out to D.C. at the same time. She’s originally came from Ireland. She asked me if I still carried around my bag of oils. She reminded me about the time we spent at the mission home that first night with President B. We had just gotten up. We got dressed and went into the family room. We got out our scriptures and began our morning studies. The long plane ride from SLC had made us all very tired and some missionaries were dozing off. I was one of those missionaries. I pulled out some peppermint essential oil and rubbed a drop down my nose to wake myself up. I offered some to Sister Roberts who was trying not to doze off. She asked if it would help her stay awake. She tried some. “WoW! That stuff is strong!” She didn’t have any trouble staying awake after that. Good memories.

Sister Roberts is here on a Spanish-speaking mission. Her name tag reads “Hermana Roberts”. She has this thick, Irish accent, so it’s funny to think of her speaking Spanish. She says she is having a great time on her mission. I am, too.

Well, I met Elder Pierce. He seems like a nice, level-headed fella’. I was asked to bear my testimony at the transfer meeting. I was just sitting there with all of the other missionaries. The AP was talking and then said, “And now a testimony by Elder Logan Pierce.” It felt like an electrical current went through me, I was so shocked. When I got up there, I told about how our meeting with S went yesterday; about how she knew the truth through the Holy Ghost; that she’d been facing all of this opposition since she started meeting with us. I said how excited I was to go back and see how she was doing. I also mentioned my new companion Elder Pierce. I said, “For those of you who don’t know, I’m Elder Pierce. My new companion is also Elder Pierce. It’s going to be interesting talking to people and telling them that the two of us aren’t brothers…Well, we are brothers in a spiritual sense, so…” Everyone laughed at that.

Then President W. stood up next to me and said, “This companionship is called Elder Pierce squared! Everyone laughed harder.

Elder Pierce said that this is nothing new for him. I’m one of several companions he’s had with a funny name paired with his. His companion at the MTC was named Elder Spear. “Piercing Spear”-get it?” Another one of his companions was named Elder Pierson. “Hey, it’s Elder Pierce and Pierson.” And now me. “Hey, Elder Pierce,” “Yes,” we both answer. This transfer’s going to be great!

I saw Elder Francom at transfers. It was good to see him again. Elder Thatcher and Elder Patton were not there, which means that they and their companions are staying in the same area.

Elder Pierce has been on his mission for 1 year. The Herndon area is the furthest north he’s been his whole mission. Before, he spent all of his time out in the rural areas of Virginia. When we first got back to the apartment after transfers, he was amazed at all of the buildings here. “For the first time on my mission, I am in a city.” This is also the first time that Elder Pierce has been in a bike area. His bike did not have a headlight on it. He asked if mine did. “Nope,” I said. “Isn’t it dangerous riding at night?” “Not really,” I said, as long as you stay under street lights.” My companion was shocked. “Whoa! Street lights! Having been in the same area so far on my mission, I did not realize what all is out there, or not out there as the case may be. The other Elder Pierce has been on his mission for a year and this is the first time that he has had the advantage of street lights at night. I think we’re going to have fun together. Good night.

Day 106-Faith Without Works and Saying Goodbye-7-12-06

S said that her preacher sounded scary on the phone. “He didn’t sound humble like you guys.” We told S that we would remember her in our prayers.

We told S about Elder Davis’ transfer. S said, “Oh you guys! You can’t keep doing this to me! I don’t handle change very well. I don’t know what I’ll do when Elder Pierce leaves because I’ve been with him the longest. (I don’t know either. I can’t picture leaving S now.) I told S about my new companion that is coming tomorrow, Elder Pierce. She thought that was funny. Something tells me the novelty of it will wear off after a couple of weeks.

As we were leaving, S asked, “Elders, one more question. I’ve been thinking about faith and works. I’ve been trying to understand what you’ve told me about it. I’m trying to make sense of it in my mind.”

I’ve been meaning to talk about faith and works in my journal since Day 50. I’d planned on have a long discussion on the subject including such scriptures as James 2: 14-26, Revelation 20:12-13 and Revelation 22:12.

I am thinking back to those church talks my mother e-mailed me. One line really stuck out to me from a talk by Dallin H. Oakes, “Are you Saved By Grace or Works.” I told S that, “while works are necessary for salvation, they aren’t sufficient.” S said, “Wow, that’s really profound.” I told her, “Well, it’s not my saying. It came from an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Dallin H. Oakes.” S did say that it helped her to understand that we need to do more than just accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to gain salvation. Other great scriptures on faith and works are, Matthew 7:21, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Nephi 25:23, Mosiah 13:28, Alma 42:23 and Moroni 10:32-33.

Before we left S remembered that her daughter had made us some cookies. Her daughter is so nice. We’re going to write a thank you not to the W. family thanking S, S and D for the kindness that they have shown us and the veiled hostility we’ve received from S’s husband (just kidding!). Maybe we’ll leave off the part about the husband (wink). He can be nice. It’ just that he has people telling him half-truths and down right lies about what we believe. It’s hard to hear the still small voice through all of that, I guess.

I had so much fun teaching S today. There’s nothing else I’d have rather done. Of course, p-day is practically over. It’s already 4:30.
We still need to go check our emails. ( NOTE: P-day is the one day a week that the missionaries have to just hang out. They sometimes go play basketball or some other activity with other elders in their district. This is the day that they do laundry, go to the store and write letters and answer e-mail.) Elder Davis said he’d burn me some CD’s today. I really only want the songs and remixes that are his. Elder Davis originals.

Words from my departing companion, Elder Davis:

“Well, brother, it’s been a blast. It’s been just one short, short transfer with the whole “mulberry/arm” situation. You are a very intelligent person whom I respect greatly. Continue to stick to your morals and standards and you will succeed in everything that you set yourself to. Take great care of Herndon and all of your future areas. Please keep in touch with me. I hope that we continue to stay in contact throughout our lives. I’ve learned a lot from you. I’ve particularly enjoyed our times when we were just brainstorming about comedic situations. Good luck with Elder Pierce2, too, also…That you for putting up with my inability to pick things up. You helped me out a lot. Adios. Look for my music. I’ll be out there. Keep it up, superstar!”

I can’t remember how much I have talked about Elder Davis, The Man behind the Music. He was born of goodly parents. He is the youngest of three. Everybody tells him that his dad looks a lot like Dustin Hoffman. Elder Davis was raised in CA. He loves to break dance (when his arms aren’t broken). He also loves music and wants to be a songwriter when he finishes his mission.

He said that when he was growing up, he was a rebel without a clue. He wasn’t sure if he would serve a mission or not. He wasn’t even sure if God was there. He prayed and asked Heavenly Father if He was there to show him a sign. He felt prompted to open his scriptures. The first scripture that caught his eye was Alma 32:17. “Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. 18 Now I ask, is this faith? Never did a passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of Elder Davis than that did at that time to him. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of his heart. He had asked God to show him a sign and was led to read Alma 32:17-18.

You are a great companion, Elder Davis! In looking back on our time together, I remember fondly the Herndon festival (day 67), the temple conference, (day 77), day of the mulberry II (day86) taking S to the visitors center (day 91) getting our car, Maddie(day 93), meeting our new mission president (day 97) S at the pancake breakfast (day 98) and all of the other fun things in-between!

It is not 6:00pm. P-day is almost over. I’m a little concerned that I won’t be able to check my e-mails today. We’re not home right now. For the past 4 hours we’ve been at a member’s house in another ward with the Zone Leaders. Elder Davis, Elder Goodrich, and Elder Spencer are over here using the recording studio to make a missionary rap. They began this project on (day 85). I took that day to write down my certification requirements. Today they are putting on the finishing touches.

Well, the ZL’s just left. They gave Elder Davis express permission to continue the work without them. They already recorded their parts. All that is left now is for Elder Davis to arrange all of the voice tracks and the music tracks together. Simple, huh?

It’s 7:30pm. Elder Davis is still working on the cd for the zl’s. So, having nothing better to do, I’m going to draw some funny cartoons. (Elder Pierce drew a cartoon of two men talking. One man says to the other, “My dog has no nose”. “How does he smell?” “Awful.”)

We didn’t end up leaving until 8:40pm. (On the plus side, they finished the CD and it only took up 6 hours and 40 minutes of our P-day. Sigh.)

It’s now time for bed. I haven’t checked my e-mails. I’ll try and do it tomorrow with Elder Pierce during our lunch break. I didn’t get a copy of the CD. Elder Davis said that he would make copies in his new area and try to get them to me somehow. I’m not worried. It’s been a busy day. We didn’t hear back from S tonight about how her non-denominational church meeting in her home. I hope she is doing okay. Maybe Elder Pierce and I will stop by her house tomorrow and see how it went.

It just occurred to me…when Elder Davis leaves tomorrow, there goes Maddie. You know what that means…back to bikes. Good bye Maddie. It was fun while it lasted.

Day 106-P-day-P Stands for Pierce-07-12-06

Elder Davis is on the phone now. I’ve just been informed by him that he’s getting transferred. I’m staying. (whew) Elder Davis is going to Fairfax to be a district leader. My new companion’s name is…what!?!...you’ve got to be kidding me. Are you serious? My new companion’s name is Elder Pierce. Out of all of the other missionaries in this mission, the Spirit dictated to pair me up with Elder Pierce. President W. must have had a lot of fun with that revelation. “Let’s see…Elder Pierce….with…Elder Pierce,…” (chuckle)

As some of you may remember, I mentioned Elder Pierce at the temple conference. I never in a million years thought that we’d be paired up as companions. I’ve never even met him, just heard about him. This should be interesting.

Elder McKnight is going. Elder Chacon is staying. Sister Pletch is leaving. I don’t know who’ll take her place. Elder Oram and Elder Phelps are both staying. Elder Davis is leaving. Elder Pierce is staying.

Today is going to be so busy. We are going to leave to teach S in a little bit. In my studies today I found some great scriptures on Adam and Eve. S asked us on Day 98 about how it seems like God set up Adam and Eve. 2Nephi 2:14-16… “there is a God,…And to bring about His eternal purposes…it must needs be that there was opposition; even the forbidden fruit…Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.”

Yesterday when we talked with S, we asked her to read 2Nephi 2. She had not read it as of yet, but promised that she would read it by our meeting today. I hope when she does read it, she pays attention to the words in 2Nephi 2:11, “For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things…” Hopefully, she will see a parallel between that and what is going on in her church.

We really could not have picked a better topic than Adam and Eve. It’s truly inspired. Elder Davis wants me to remind S what the fruits of the spirit are. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.” If you don’t feel that, what you are told isn’t true. “It is not of the Spirit,” said Elder Davis.

The time is 2:00pm. We talked with S. We could not meet in a member’s home, so we met outside her house. S’s question was, “Why did the fall have to happen?” For a while we kind of went around in circles. S told us that she had read 2Nephi 2. I love it when investigators read! But it only gave her more questions. She asked, “Why would God give them a commandment, if all along he wanted them to break it?”

We talked about a lot of things. Why we needed to come to earth. We came to earth to show our Heavenly Father that we would come here to make choices and to receive a physical body. We told S that there is opposition in all things. God always gives us a choice.

We were way into our meeting. It seemed that we would never get past the idea of God setting Adam and Eve up to fail. I was unsure about what to say to S to help her understand. It was quiet for a moment. No one spoke. At least no one that we could see (veiled reference to the Holy Ghost). I saw a change come over S’s face. Where before she looked puzzled and confused, searching, now she seemed to gain an understanding that I know we didn’t give her. Her face was full of assuredness. “I get it,” she said. “I understand now. God had to give them that commandment so they could know the consequences of sin. That makes sense to me.” S had gained that knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And then, as if to drive the point home about opposition in all things, the phone rang. S didn’t want to get it right then, but her son brought it to her. It was her church leader. He was calling to confirm the time to meet with S and her husband tonight. He wanted to make sure S understood what kind of people she had been talking to.

We left her with Galatians 5: 22-23. We told her, “S, if you don’t feel these things when they talk with you tonight, then what they are saying is not from the Spirit.” We also gave her Moroni 10:5 to reflect on. “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

Day 105-The Beginning of the End-07-11-06

We could not get a hold of S today. We spent the afternoon with A. We (by which I mean Elder Davis) helped him fix his laptop at the Seniors Center. A is 79 years old. He was a paratrooper in WWII. He showed us some pictures from when he was 18 and drafted into the service. He was a handsome devil. He looked like he could have been a movie star.

A is also a great person to talk to. He is nice and grandfatherly. We taught him a little about our church while we were there. He loved all of the temple pictures we showed him. He is not interested in investigating the church right now, but he thinks that we are the best young men he’s ever seen. “You guys,” he said, “look at you. You’re a couple of young sprigs (whatever those are –wink) out on your own. I’ll tell you, you are two of the nicest most polite young pair of gentlemen I’ve ever met. You do a great service to your church.” He’s a really nice man to talk to. And speaking of people who are nice to talk to…

We were a little late for our dinner appointment tonight. The reason was that we stopped by S’s house to talk to her. We could not go inside because there was no man at home, so we talked in her front yard. No sooner had we started talking to her when a man came by walking his dog. When he saw the three of us talking, he waved at S and said, “Hey S, my wife wants you to call her about us coming over tomorrow…! So why don’t you go ahead and call her right now and we’ll get it all set up.” And then he kept on walking his dog. After he was out of ear-shot, S whispered to us, “He’s just telling me that because he doesn’t want me talking with you.”

S told us that since the trip to the Visitor’s Center, (Day 91) her husband has been really circling the wagons and calling member from S’s “non-denominational” church to try and dissuade her from talking with us. That’s what the guy with the dog was doing.

The reason we could not get a hold of S on the phone earlier today was because she was busy cleaning her house all afternoon for the church meeting there tomorrow. That was the meeting the dog-walker was talking about.

S said, “I feel like my church is coming to attack me tomorrow.” S is so sweet and is beginning to realize that there is something different about Mormons. She told us, “When I’m with you guys or talking to Sister H, …look, I’ve been hanging around you guys so much that I called K, Sister H…But when I am there or at the Pancake Breakfast, I feel something that I don’t feel anywhere else. It’s like there is a hole in me that I didn’t even know was there, and when I am with you, it is filled.” (Cliché, I suppose, but I know that if S said it, it came from her heart. She feels the power of the Holy Ghost when she is with us.)

She told us, “What I can’t understand about my church, from a Christian perspective, is why they don’t want me to talk with you. I mean you guy accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, so as far as I’m concerned you are saved. I’ve met very few people in my life that have stayed strong in a relationship with God like you two do. When we went to your Visitors Center and listened to the Christus, I was at peace. I’d have loved to have stayed there all day because of the feeling I felt.”

We told S that we’d try to visit her tomorrow. “Oh, you don’t have to do that, guys. Tomorrow is your p-day.” I told her, “S, I’d get more joy out of teaching you and talking with you than anything I could do tomorrow.” (That statement is 100% true) So we said good-bye to S, for now. She and I were both getting a little misty-eyed. She said it meant a lot to her to know that we cared.

After we got home from dinner, S had called us back. We had left a message on her machine earlier before we spoke to her. She told us that she wanted to meet with us tomorrow morning. She said that she is really nervous about how focused her church is on her not meeting with us. She wants us to go by and see her tomorrow at 11. I can’t think of a better way to spend my p-day.

Tomorrow we get transfer calls. Elder Davis is almost positive that he is going. He’s been slowly packing his things for a week now. When he goes, Maddie goes with him. So, it’s back to the bike.

Day 104-The Great Eskimo Hunter-07-10-06

I’m sitting down to breakfast now. We’re going be leaving for our Monday meeting soon. I just wanted to say that R has moved. I don’t think I mentioned it because at the time I was worried about how we were going to get Maddie back from the tow place. But, now things have calmed down, so I figured I had better write it in here. Good-bye R. Good-bye and good luck. Maybe our paths will cross again on my mission. Okay, we’re leaving for meetings. I’ll write more when I have a chance.

Well, today was our last zone meeting before transfers. Elder Davis was asked to prepare a game for our district meeting and I was supposed to give a spiritual thought. My spiritual thought was about staying focused on missionary work. I told the story of the Cold Eskimo.

There once was an Eskimo who was a great hunter. His job was very important. His job was to find food for the people in his village. The village was way up north with the ice and snow…

One day, he took his kayak out on the freezing water to catch some seals, fish, narwhals, and other things. A kayak is a boat made out of animal skins and bones. It is very sturdy and is able to go out in the freezing weather.

It was very cold that day. The wind was blowing very hard. He was freezing out in his kayak. “Gee,” he said, “being a great hunter is not as much fun as I thought it would be.” He could not focus on what he was out there for. All he could think about was how cold he was and how nice it would be to go back to his nice, warm home.

He thought, “It wouldn’t be so bad out here if I had a fire to keep me warm.” He started a fire. It was small at first. That did not keep him very warm, so he made a bigger fire. The fire got bigger and bigger until it spread. He could not contain it. He had to abandon kayak as it burned up.

So there was our brave Eskimo hunter. No warm fire. No kayak. Just the cold Arctic water…If he would have focused on what he needed to do instead of what he wanted to do, he would’ve done okay.

I’m reminded of the scripture, Matthew 6:24. “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Or to paraphrase a saying for our Eskimo friend, “You can’t have your Kayak and heat it, too.”

Elder Davis’ game was cut short unfortunately, so I’ll write some of the best questions in my journal when I have more time. They are questions about funny things from the OT like the cartoon I drew with Elisha on Day 90 of my journal. I want to draw some more funny cartoons for OT scriptures when I have more time.

We taught J at Brother and Sister N’s home. J is dating their daughter M. They both attend the singles ward. J is very knowledgeable about the Bible. We showed him “the cups”. The organization of the church made a lot of sense to him. He asked lots of great questions which we were able to answer. We’ll plan to meet with him again at the N’s next Monday or Tuesday to teach him about the Book of Mormon.

Meeting with S tomorrow seems uncertain at best. We did not get a hold of her today. We are not sure how things are going to work out tomorrow. We’ll just have to wing it.

Day 103-Sunday-07-09-06

We didn’t have any investigators at church today. W’s been a little distant to us, it seems. S wasn’t there. Oh, well…we are supposed to see her on Tuesday.

Today was a big day for the H family. It was their son, J’s last Sunday before he goes on his mission. Elder H has been called to serve in the Lubbock, TX English Speaking Mission. He gave a great talk in church today. At the end of his talk, he sang the first verse of “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” It was so sweet. I wish S would have been there to hear it.

Needless to say, the H’s are going to be very busy this week. J’s leaving for the MTC on Wednesday. Sister H said that this week could we find another home to meet with S. We’ll see what we can get worked out.

We saw T today. She has not been coming to church, so we stopped by to see how she was doing. T’s oldest son is back in prison for breaking and entering. He’s the father of T’s grandchildren who are staying with her. Both of her son’s are in jail now. (Sigh)

The church has been working with T to help her get her patriarchal blessing and a temple recommend. I’m thankful that we have a goal to work toward with T. It’ll be great for her to get those, but first we have got to get her to church.

We plan on going to talk with T tomorrow. She is going to have a friend there and wants him to hear the message of the gospel. I’ll tell how that goes tomorrow.

Tomorrow we have meetings and Elder Davis is in charge of the game. I get to help. It’s going to be lots of fun. I’ll write down the questions and answers. It’s going to be fun and crazy. I can’t wait.

We are going to go over to Brother and Sister N’s for dinner. Their daughter’s boyfriend will be there. He’s been with them to the Visitor’s Center, so he wants to take the discussions. Tomorrow looks pretty busy. Pretty exciting…and it’s only going to get better.

Day 102-A Visit to the Prison-07-08-06

Today we attempted to see A in prison. In order to do that, we had to ask our district leader, Elder Oram. He, in turn, calls the zone leaders and asks them if it’s okay. The zone leader calls the assistant to the Mission President. The assistant to the President calls the Mission President for permission. In this case, the Mission President said it was okay.

We got a ride from Brother S. He’s the ward mission leader. When we got to the prison, 30 minutes away, we were told that we could not see A because he had already had a visitor that day. We were told to try again next week. I guess that is what we’ll do. (Sigh)

So, we headed home. This afternoon we stopped by Brother G’s house to check on him and see how he was doing. I also got to see my bike for the first time in weeks. Maddie did not come equipped with a bike rack, so we have to leave our bikes there for now.

We also taught D and Sister A’s house. We taught him the cup lesson. It went great. I want to mention Sister A’s son D (not the same D as the D that we taught). He is 17. He is a martial arts master. They literally have 1st place trophies laying around the house. They are piled up in the corner. This is a great family.

Well, that and other events of the day have worn me out. I’m tired. I want to go to bed. Tomorrow is church. Hopefully S will be there. Cross your fingers.

Day 101-Lawnmowers and Haircuts-07-07-06

Today was pretty good. I am always amazed by how much we as missionaries are able to get done in a day.

We checked in on Sister B. She is so nice to us. Since her mother died, she’s found a renewed desire to get her family to church. I feel that she always wanted to be at church, but she needed to take care of her mother and could not really leave her.

We helped her put together her new lawnmower. I’m still impressed with myself. We took it out of the box, followed the directions and it worked! It worked the first time we tried it. Sister B also gave us haircuts. It wasn’t a planned thing. She just commented that my hair was getting a little long. She had an electric shaver on hand, so… she offered to cut our hair for us. We said, “Sure, as long as we’re here.” Sister B also gave us some food and things to take home. My companion took home a brand new $50 electric manicure device with attachments, for free. Sister B said, “Take it. I don’t need it.” I don’t know how much Elder Davis needs it either, but never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Day 100-Milestones, Mulberries and Cups-07-05-06

Today is a milestone. That is what it is. Looking back at the first hundred days of my mission, I can’t believe how fast they’ve gone by. I couldn’t have asked for a better day than today to celebrate the 100th day since starting my mission. The weather is perfect.

Today is Thursday. We went to the Herndon Seniors Center for service. Normally, we go there on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but last Tuesday was the 4th of July, so the center was closed. We postponed our service hours this week until Thursday.

Normally, when we go there for service, we help out in the computer room. (In my case, talk about the blind leading the blind) Elder Davis is great, though. He’s a computer wizard.

A quick story… A couple of weeks ago the Senior’s Center held a 50’s music day. Elder Davis and I were upstairs in the computer room. We had the best seats in the house. We were able to help a few people that day, but when the program started, most people were there to watch the show. The best thing is that over half of the seniors there are from other countries. They were hearing most of these songs for the first time. They had the Senior Chorus singing such favorites as, “Davy Crockett”, “That’s Amore”, “How Much is that Doggie in the Window?”, “Rock Around the Clock”, Elvis’ “Hound Dog”, the classic, “At the Hop”, plus many others. There is always something fun going on at the senior center.

And there was something fun going on today. We were headed up to the computer room when the director of the center called us. She wanted to know if we could help her in teaching an English class to some of their Chinese guests. We said that we’d be happy to help.

When we got to the classroom, we introduced ourselves as missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We told them that we were here to help them learn English. Mrs. C, the center’s director, used Elder Davis as an object lesson. She asked how he broke his arm. She then wrote ‘broke’ and ‘arm’ on the board. He told her it was because he fell off his bike. She wrote ‘fell’ and ‘bike’ on the board. She asked Elder Davis how he fell off his bike. He told her that he fell when he was trying to grab a mulberry off a mulberry tree and lost his balance. She wrote ‘grab’ and ‘mulberry’ ‘tree’ and ‘balance’ on the board. Then she had a review for the class.

“Elder Davis fell while riding his bike. He lost his balance while trying to grab a mulberry from a mulberry tree. When he fell, he broke his arms. The next time Elder Davis wants a mulberry, he should get off his bike first and then pick some.” I was laughing silently. It was pretty funny. Elder Davis just stood there and smiled. Today really could have been called, “The Day of the Mulberry, Part 3”, but I thought better of it. All in all, I think it is pretty funny how things work out. Good missionary memories.

Today we taught one of our best lessons EVER! We taught D and B, A’s cousins. We taught them the first lesson with ‘cups’. Whoever thought up the cups lesson was truly inspired. For those of you who don’t know, the cup pyramid is a teaching tool to show how the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ is set up.

You have the Twelve Apostles as the foundation, with all of the doctrines of Christ on top of them, with Jesus Christ being the head of the Church.

The bottom twelve cups are the apostles. When I make up my cup set, I want to have a picture of the 12 original apostles on one side and on the other side, the apostles now. The Apostles of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry are: Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

The next part of the pyramid is the doctrinal principles of Jesus Christ. On one side of the cup, I’ll have pictures showing the principle, i.e. Prayer will have a picture of a person praying. On the opposite side there will be the scriptural references about the principle. The different doctrines are, Prayer, Faith, Repentance, Atonement, Baptism by Immersion, Laying on of Hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost, Sacrament, Fasting, Tithing, No Paid Ministry, Temples, Missionary Work, Revelation and Priesthood. Then you have the head of the Church. During the time of Acts in the Bible, the head Apostles were Peter, James and John. Have a picture of them on one side, the First Presidency of the Church today on the other side. And at the head of the Church is Jesus Christ. His cup is upside down so it can sit on the top of the pyramid. On the other side I might have a picture of the First Vision, I don’t know.

D and B could feel the spirit during this lesson. So could I. We told them how important Revelation and Priesthood are to Jesus Christ’s church. B really got excited. “So these men are God’s prophets for all of Christianity?, he asked. “Yes, I said, but not everyone accepts them as prophets of God yet. That is why we go around and preach to people who believe in Christ as well as people who don’t. We want to tell everyone that believes in Christ, the He has called a prophet on the earth once again to unite us all in one faith.”

B said that was the greatest thing that he had ever heard. He wants to learn more about the church, but he is just visiting here in Virginia. He is flying back home tomorrow to his home state. We were able to call him tonight and give him the churches information where he lives. As it turns out, there is a ward building 2 blocks from his house! How about that?!!! We passed his information along to the Elders where he lives. They will be contacting him in a day or so. Is this a great church, or what?

Day 99-Kick Ball and Blacksmiths-07-05-06

Today was a fun p-day. We had another fun zone activity at the park. We played kickball, the senior companions vs. the junior companions. The weather was perfect. We had some good innings. It was a little difficult for Elder D, not being able to catch with his broken arm. Elder G. was our team captain, being the Zone leader. When we were up to kick, Elder G would instruct us to hit to Elder D in left field. He can’t catch. Elder D showed us up, however. When the ball was heading toward him, he positioned himself so that he could kick it back as soon as it landed. He kicked it right to second base and got our man out. In the end, seniors won 26 to 16. I still had a blast, though.

We also taught D at Sister A’s house. As it turns out, D does not live in this area, so we will need to transfer him to the missionaries in his area, but for now, the support is here in this area. Plus, Sister A is the best. She loves to teach and bear her testimony. We were telling D about praying sincerely. Sister A got into the discussion and told him how receiving answers to your prayers is like a blacksmith. I won’t dare try to tell it like she did. I can’t match her story-telling. It’s amazing to listen to her speak. I’ll try to put the gist of her story into my own words.

Prayer is like a blacksmith. “Underneath a cherry tree, the village Smithy stands. The Smith, a mighty man, they say with arms like metal bands.” Rocky and Bullwinkle A blacksmith’s job is to mold metal into horse shoes, wagon wheels and things like that. (“Any of you boys Smithy’s?, or if not Smithy’s per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts, till circumstances beyond your control forced you into a life of aimless wandering?” Everett, O Brother, Where Art Thou)

When a blacksmith wants to make a wagon wheel, he works the metal over the fire. It makes it soft, so when he strikes it with his hammer, he easily gets what he wants. If it is not soft, it is almost impossible to change the shape of the metal. That’s how it is with prayer. If we don’t soften our hearts, we won’t be able to receive the answer our Heavenly Father wants to give us. We have to humble ourselves before a change can occur.

Good night. DAY 100 TOMORROW

Day 98-The Anatomy of a Discussion-07-04-06

“So, we know that we have a physical body. That is so we can be more like the Savior, do you agree, S? “Yeah”.

“Now, about Adam and Eve…This is one of my favorite doctrinal topics”, said Elder Pierce-The Fall of Adam and Eve.” “Cause, you know, said S, it seems like they were set up. God already knew that they were going to make the wrong choice. He knows everything.” “He knows, said Elder D. but He doesn’t make us do it.” “Right! So, then what was the purpose in creating the garden and saying, Don’t eat of that tree? He knew before he created them that they were going to eat of that tree.” “We can discuss this next time S,” said Elder D. “I’m getting excited for next time,” said Elder Pierce. “I’ll have a great discussion planned for next time. This was one of my favorite topics to study in seminary and on my mission. What was the real purpose of the Fall of Adam and Eve?”

“Oh, I’m excited now, said S. I can’t wait.” “Because when I studied it in seminary, it never made sense to me. I guess I could never get it straight in my own mind,” said Elder Pierce.

Elder D. said, “Write down this scripture and look at it. There’s a verse...or I could give you the whole chapter…” “Well, give me the whole chapter,” said S. “2Nephi 2 and to highlight one verse it would be 2 Nephi 2:25, but the whole chapter is great.” “What’s it about?” asked S. “Well," said Elder Pierce, "remember Lehi? We talked about him. He is telling his sons about the creation and the Fall of Adam and Eve. But we are going to save this discussion for next time.”

“So, hopefully, said Elder D., we have shed some light on the pre-earth life.” “Yes, you have, said S. It’s like when Sister H. and I first talked about Jesus having a body…I mean I’ve studied the word. I’ve been studying my whole life. There are certain things that were never brought out to me…things that I never saw when I read the Bible. Like, in Genesis, when God created the heavens and earth, He says, “We”…you find out that it was Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. When I went to Sunday school it was always, ‘God created the heavens and the earth. I never noticed the we. I mean, I find it so interesting that there are all these little things in here that I am just now noticing.”

“We’d like to leave you with a word of prayer”, said, Elder Pierce.

So that was our lesson with S. I’d like to give a special thank you to Elder D and his tape recorder. He recorded the whole lesson and I was able to write it down here. I don’t plan to make a habit of it because it is very time-consuming.

It also rained a lot today. I mean, it was coming down in buckets, but nothing Maddie couldn’t handle of course. I kind of feel sorry for those Elders out on bikes in this weather. I should be quiet, though. I’ll BE one of those Elders when Elder D gets transferred.

We went to see D again. His mom wasn’t there. She was working. A is still in prison. We talked to D about going to visit A on Saturday. A’s other cousin B is living there with them as well. We taught them most of the first lesson. It went very well. D wants to meet with us again. D asked us, “Why are we here?” We’ll try to answer his question next time.

Well, gee whiz! Today sure was a long day. Tomorrow is p-day. One of the highlights will be to meet in Sister A’s home to teach her daughter N’s friend D. I can’t believe it! Two more days and I will have been on my mission 100 days! Wow! That is something. Today I am glad that we were able to teach S. I’m going to have to prepare something really good for the Fall of Adam and Eve. Watch for it.

Day 98-Fourth of July-A Discussion-The Sins of the Parents-07-04-06

Sister H talked to S about how our purpose is to get a body because the Savior came to earth to get a body. It’s about trying to follow His example. When Jesus Christ was resurrected, He showed his apostles and others that he still had a body. It was now exalted. When we are resurrected, we will have perfected bodies through Jesus Christ.

“Now to answer why you were born into an atheist home…, said Sister H. “Did God choose?”, asked S. I can’t imagine that God said, “Oh, here’s two messed up people. Let’s put S there.”

“Things are put in our path for a reason, I said. “They are to mold us and shape us to be better people. You’ve learned a lot.” “But couldn’t I have learned with loving, kind parents? Not one single member of my family attended my wedding. You talk about families being sealed together, my father did not walk me down the aisle. That is something that will haunt me forever. I mean, they all left town so that they would not even be in the same state.”

“When I was little, I had never been to a church. I had never talked to anyone about God; but I loved God. My parents hated me for that. Maybe the reason for all of the suffering I have had to go through has not been revealed to me yet; because certainly no one in my family has come unto Christ because of my dedication and devotion to God. When I was younger, whenever I would come home from church, my parents would beat the crud out of me. I mean I still got to go. I wasn’t kept from going, but I did pay for it dearly every time I came home. One of my friends at church said that he believed that God had a purpose for me. When I got married, my husband said the same thing. So I thought, well, okay, maybe this was all worth it. God has some great plan for me. But now that I am older, I can’t help but think that there was no great plan.

“Your life is not over,” said Elder D. “Well, there is nothing that explains why my parents were so mean to me…” Brother H said, S think about this, “We don’t see things as God sees them. Sometimes a family grows wicked. In the case of Noah, it was the human family. God helped Noah preserve the human family. In your case, your family was in this abusive pattern. You were the one to break the cycle. That is very important. Your children are not being raised as you were. That is huge. That is big. That is really amazing.

Elder D. then added, “I’d be willing to guess that you’d be a totally different person. You are strong. You are a loving person. I am willing to bet those things are because you have seen what is not so strong, what is not loving or caring. You’ve seen both the good and the bad. You’ve made a choice. Let me share a scripture with you. This is from the Book of Mormon. Ether 12:27 “And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me and have faith in me. Then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

When I look at your situation, this is what I see. The weak things, those things that you endured that were bad, are now your strengths.

“I have so much to learn,” said S. (Everyone laughed) (S is so happy and loves to laugh). Sister H said, “You know, here is something that I have learned. Heavenly Father does not stop people from making choices. You were put into a situation where your parents were making bad choices. I mean abuse happens to a lot of people, just like you, and you did not do anything to deserve that, but the choices that your parents were making…” “But He did love and take care of me,” said S. “Exactly,” said Sister H, “In spite of the choices that your parents were making. That is something to think about, too. Sometimes there is really nothing that a person does to explain the consequences that happen to them.

“Remember the story of the blind man?” said Elder Davis. “There was a blind man. Jesus and his Apostles were there. They asked him which person had sinned. Was he blind because he had sinned or was it the parents? Jesus Christ said that neither of them had sinned. He is there so that he can show forth the works of God. So, Jesus went and healed him. That was his purpose, to show the people the power of God.”
“But what about this verse-and this is the one that has always haunted me, cause ya know I don’t come from a very great family-it says that the fathers sins are passed down to the children. Is that why my life has been so hard? Is it because of the sins of my father? Did God punish me…?”

“You are not accountable for those sins. They are not your sins. But parent’s choices are going to affect the children. It is basically saying that the choices we make have an effect on everyone. Your parent’s choices had an effect on you. You now have a choice in how you will let this affect your children. Does this make sense?” said Elder D.

“Well, yes, actually it does,” said Shelley.

“I think we’ve given you a lot to think about today,” said Elder D. “Yeah, I’ve got this whole booklet and we’ve only gotten through the first page! But that’s okay,” said S. “One page at a time,” said Elder D.

Day 98-Fourth of July continued-Why Are We Here?-07-04-06

After parting with D, Elder D and I headed over to go teach S at the H’s house. Yesterday, I thought that S would have some questions about the 3 degrees of glory. We went in planning to teach her the second discussion, The Plan of Salvation. We did not get past the pre-mortal life.

Some new teaching tools given us to use are three teaching pamphlets-The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

S read us something that she had read in the PofS pamphlet. “Heavenly Father created your spirit, and you lived with Him as a spirit before you were born on earth…” “Although your memory of it is withheld, before you came to this earth, you lived in the presence of God, your Eternal Father, and His son, Jesus Christ. You shouted for joy when given the privilege of coming to this earth to receive a body and follow God’s plan for your happiness.”

S said, “Ya know, I’ve never really thought about existing before I came into being here on earth. The thing that kept coming to me after reading the pamphlet is Why?” “Why would you want to leave the presence of God? I would not want to go. I mean what if I mess up and have to spend eternity in Hell. I shouted for joy about this? How does that work?”

“What is something that we needed that we did not have as spirits when we lived with Heavenly Father?”, I asked. “With God in Heaven, asked S. “Yes, I said. “I don’t know”, said S. “We did not have a physical body, said Elder Davis. We came to this earth so that we could get a physical body and be tried and tested. The main reason we are here is to be tried and tested and decide for ourselves whether we will choose the right and return to our Heavenly Father or choose to follow Satan. We needed to come to Earth to be tested. That was not something that we could do in the pre-existence."

Elder D. then asked S what brought her joy in this life? What brought her happiness? S answered that lots of things brought her happiness. Like what? Name a few. “Well, my husband and my kids, my dogs, my crazy loud bird, horses.” Elder D. said that the things he had found that most people say brings them happiness is family. Another thing that brings happiness is learning something new. When a person figures out how to do something that they could not do before. Elder D. said “all throughout your life, you are constantly learning and growing. When we lived with Heavenly Father before we came to this earth, we were learning and growing. We were learning as much as we could, but there was a point when there was nothing more we could learn. Nothing more we could learn in the spirit world. We needed to be able to have a physical body. We needed to be able to come to a place and be tested.”

“How do you know?”, said S. “I mean, I can’t imagine that there is anything here that we could not have with God in Heaven.”

Elder D. responded, “Well, a body! He gave us a body. We had to come here to get a body.” “Did we need a body?” asked S. Just then Sister H’s husband who was sitting in with us, said, “S, when I was a boy, I looked up to my father. I wanted to be like he was. I could not have that yet. He was a man and I was a boy. He was married and had children. I wanted some day to have a family. It was the same with our Father in Heaven. He had an exalted body of flesh and bone. This was something that we could not have as spirits. We wanted to be like our Father. That’s the way I relate it in my mind about the pre-earth life experience. When I look at my son and his son, I kind of see this pattern. I know that this did not start here, but was here before the world began. Spirit children wanting to be like their exalted Father in Heaven.”

“But where do you find that”, asked S. I told S that in Jeremiah 1:5, God is speaking with Jeremiah and Jeremiah asks, “Why me, God?” “Why am I a prophet?” God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” God is telling Jeremiah that he knew him before he was born. He knew his strengths and weaknesses. Our purpose here is to learn and be tested and return to him with what we’ve learned so far.

“But I can’t imagine being with God not being enough, ya know? I guess I never really thought much about a plan.” “Well, He’s given us a great plan that was actually talked about in the book of Moses. The book of Moses was translated by Joseph Smith. Basically He states His purpose. In Moses 1:39 it says, “For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” That is His purpose. That is why we are here.

“So do all spirits come here?” asked S. “Yes, all spirits that choose God’s plan will come here and get a body.” “Choose His plan?” “Yes, there is a part that talks about that here…I’ll read on page 5…Satan…”

“I know what happened with Satan and his followers. I just didn’t know…” “Well, when did that happen? Who were the followers of Satan? Where did they come from?”

“They were the spirits that were up in Heaven with God, right?” “Right, and where did you come from? Did you come from God?” “I guess I never thought about that before. I mean I knew about Satan and his followers being cast out, but I had never heard of the other spirits coming down to earth.”

Elder D. then made a great point. “Well, we read that a third of the hosts of heaven were cast out. Where were the other two thirds at this point?”

“Well, they were still up with God in Heaven”, said S. “Doing what”? “I don’t know?” “Why were one third cast out?” “For rebellion, they wanted to follow Satan’s plan”. “So for them to choose to follow Satan’s plan, there must have been another plan to choose from?” God always gives us a choice. We have our agency to choose otherwise it would just be God telling us what to do and how would that help us learn and grow?

“Well, I believe that there would’ve been a choice. It’s just looking back on the first 24 years of my life, I’d rather have spent it with God than on earth where sometimes my life was unbearable.”

Day 98-Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast-07-04-06

Well, we just got back from the pancake breakfast. I’ll tell you how that went, but first a special thank you to our gracious ride there and back, Brother and Sister B. Thanks for the ride! On the way back, Brother B. gave me a gift that was given to him by Elder B. A burned dvd of Bruce R. McConkie’s farewell talk. “You can reach more people with this than I can”, he said. I’m so happy that I was able to get this talk on dvd. Elder B. said he would try to copy this for me, but he got transferred before he got the chance. I’m so glad that Brother B. gave me his. I’ll put it to good use.

The pancake breakfast went great! There was a flag ceremony. Brother W. was there along with the rest of the Fairfax county firefighters and their fire engines.

S., her two kids and her mother in law showed up with the H. family.

We watched Brother H., a local stage actor, and some other actors from the Sterling Playmakers perform some numbers from the musical “1776”, a play that “puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons.” They sang a few songs and acted out a few scenes. It was a lot of fun. I think S. and her m-i-l liked it.

Her kids went off to look at the fire trucks. Then they went over to launch some water balloons. One of the members built this massive water balloon launcher. All of the kids went running all over the parking lot to try to catch water balloons. S’s son really got into it. He must have caught 50 balloons or more. He’d catch them and they’d pop on impact. He was pretty wet when it was all over. S said that her son was “100% boy”. S’s daughter also had fun, but she was more careful not to get wet.

S had fun. We talked to her just before we left about coming over today to teach. She said that would be great. We plan to go over the Plan of Salvation with her. We’ll be teaching in the H’s home. Ah, the H. family…where would we be without them?
N. (day 96) was there today with a friend. I did not get to meet the friend. I was busy talking to S. and putting chairs back inside the building. Elder D. could not help much with his arms and all, so he sat and talked with them. Elder D. says he loves how bold N. is. She said, “This is my friend D. I want him to be a member of this church.” From what Elder D. said, D. sounds like he wants to know more. We are teaching him in Sister A’s home tomorrow evening.

So, that’s what happened so far today. We’re almost done with lunch so we’re gonna head back out and see some other people today. I’ll write more later.

Brother D. dropped us off on the H’s street. It was an hour before our appointment with S, so we went tracting on a neighboring street. We hadn’t gone far when we stopped and talked to a man pulling weeds out of his flower beds with his kids. His name was D.

D. is a fundamentalist Christian. He buys into the Trinity. He said, “Frankly, I think you guys are a cult.” He was really nice, though. He said we could come by to talk religion anytime. Most people don’t even allow us that. The only thing I hope for with D. that he won’t just want to talk, but will want to listen with spiritual ears and not think only of the “anti” books he’s read. I did find some common ground, though. D. and his wife home school their three children. They are learning Latin together. What are the odds, huh? For anyone who doesn’t know, I am home schooled and my brothers and I learned Latin together.

Day 97-A Great Day to be a Missionary-07-03-06

Today was good. As often is the case, the more things that happen, the less time there is to write about it. Today we met President and Sister W. for the first time. They are so nice. President W. is so funny. When he got up to talk, he said, “You Elders are wonderful. And the Sisters…Shazam”!!! President W. is different from President B. President B. would never say Shazam. Haha. I imagine they are both great leaders, just different styles.

President W. spoke about the importance of speaking from your heart. “When you bear your testimony, it needs to be genuine. Don’t do this (President W. takes his index finger and rolls it over his lips B-L-L-L-L-L-L”.) He asked us to prepare a 10 minute talk on the Saviors Atonement for the next Zone Conference. Like at the MTC, everyone prepares a talk and you don’t know if you will present it or not until they call you up. I like that though. It’s fun to prepare a talk. President W. said that even if we don’t give it at zone conference, not to worry. He may call on us some time at a moments notice. Shazam!

I’ll write more about President and Sister W. as I get to know them.

Today was a great day to be a missionary sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We taught A’s mother J (day 88). We also taught A’s cousin D. We taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was one of the best teaching experiences I’ve had in a while.

J and D both enjoyed the lesson. After it was over, D told us, “You two are great. You are welcome back anytime. You have a real peace about you.” It’s always nice to hear something like that. I could really feel the spirit when we taught and I know D could feel it, too.

We are planning to visit A in jail this Saturday. It’s out of our zone, so we’ll need permission from President W. I think we’ll get it though. D and J want to go as well. I’ll let you know how it went.

When we got home from teaching there was a message on the phone. It was from S. She called about going to the pancake breakfast tomorrow. She was hoping we’d be there. I wouldn’t miss it.

She also said that she had some questions. She did not say what they were over the phone, but she did say that she had read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and was wondering about some things. The Plan of Salvation covers a lot of ground. My guess is that her questions are about the Three Degrees of Glory. I could be wrong. Shelley asks great questions, so win-win either way.

S. Tomorrow. Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast. Tomorrow. 8:00 am. I can’t wait!

Day 96-Highways and the Holy Ghost-07-02-06

Church today was pretty good. None of our investigators came, though, so that was a little depressing. I talked to Sister H. before church. She said that she called S. to invite her to church, but could not get a hold of her. Oh, well…there is always next week. Plus, we are going to try to get some of our investigators to come to the ward’s annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast. It’s this Tuesday at 8:00am. (I don’t know why everything in this ward is so early.) Elder D. and I joked that we’ll try to get N. to go with us. Let’s show a potential J-Dub how the Latter-day Saints celebrate freedom. At this point, though, I’m not sure it’s the best approach.

I bore my testimony in church today. I said how thankful I am to be a member of this church. I am thankful for all of the members and all that they do for the missionaries. No matter where you are in the world, the members are the same great examples of what they believe.

Sister H. then got up and bore her testimony. She said that when she was driving home one evening on the highway, she looked at the cars going the opposite direction. Traffic had come to a standstill on the other side. A huge multi-car wreck had tied up traffic to the point that no one was progressing.

She passed it by and kept going. As she got further and further away, she could see the cars on the other side of the highway zipping along. She wanted to tell them that they should not go that way. They should get off right now, because they would eventually catch up with the rest of the traffic that was stuck and not going anywhere.

How often do we know, because of our knowledge of the gospel, what is waiting for us after this life? How often do we see people taking a wrong path, going the wrong direction? And we know where they will end up. On the road of life, there are many places to turn around, get off and get on the right path. By the same token, we can do this in our lives. Heavenly Father gives us many opportunities and chances to change. Like Sister H. wanted to do, we should want to tell people that we meet to turn around, get off, don’t go down that road. We know what is at the end and it is not what you think. We can be a force for good. Maybe they will get off the wrong path. Maybe they won’t. The point is to never give up hope. Trust in Heavenly Father. Always look for ways to help your spirit brothers and sisters go in the right direction.

Also, today, Elder D. and I taught the Gospel Principles class. That’s the great thing about being a missionary. Before I went on my mission, there’s no way I would have felt comfortable giving a lesson like that without a few weeks notice. Today, though, the teacher wasn’t there. The family is moving to Reston and needed to finish packing. They were not able to find a substitute, so Elder D. and I just got up and started to teach from Preach My Gospel. Our lesson was on the Holy Ghost.

It the Gospel Principles class sat a woman and her daughter. (There were other people, but this story isn’t about them.) This story is about Sister A. and her daughter N. Sister A. and her family are from Ghana. They are recent converts to the church. (Sister A’s other child, D. is the young man who went with Elder B. and me to teach W on day 32).

Sister A’s daughter, N, spoke last month in Fast and Testimony meeting. (Day 68) That was the first time I had ever heard her speak. I should explain. It was a miracle. In Jan. of 2006, N. fell down the stairs in their home. She’s about 22. Something happened when she fell that affected her ability to talk. When Elder B. and I went to pick up D. and take him to W’s house with us, I met N. for the first time. She has the most brilliant blue eyes of anyone I have ever met. If eyes are the window to the soul, then N’s are stained glass. All she could do was look. It was bewitching. Leaving D’s house, all I could think about was N’s affliction. She fell down the stairs and lost her ability to talk. Bam! Just like that. It was very humbling. It helped me realize all of the blessings I have that I take for granted.

That is why in the June testimony meeting when N. got up to bear her testimony, I didn’t know what to expect. She said that she could now talk because her voice just returned to her one day. She said how thankful she was for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. She was thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is still amazing to me that someone who was dumb for 5 months could all of a sudden get their voice back overnight. N. and her family have been so kind to the Elders. They offer to feed us as well as offer their home for teaching opportunities. But, the greatest gift I have gotten from that family was to hear N. speak in church. N’s story ties into another story that Sister A told in G.P. today about the influence of the Holy Ghost.
This was back in May. N. still did not have her voice back at this point. Before Sister A. joined the church, she used to watch televangelists as a part of her Sunday routine. Old habits die hard and so last May she was watching a show when a toll free number came up telling people to call if they knew of someone who needed a prayer. Sister A called and asked them to pray for her daughter that she would get her voice back.

The woman on the other end of the phone asked Sister A, “Are you a Christian?” She replied, “Yes, I’m a Mormon.” (Now I doubt that very many, if any LDS call in to those places, so I can only imagine the surprise by the phone person upon hearing this information). She then asked Sister A., “Have you always been a Mormon?.” “No. I was Pentecostal,” said Sister A, “but I became a Mormon when I learned that God had called a prophet and apostles on the earth today to lead and guide the followers of Christ.

Sister A. was told by the televangelist that she should not be a Mormon. “Join a church that relies on the Bible as the word of God”, said the woman. Sister A told her that the Mormons do believe that the Bible is the word of God and “shame on you for telling me that I should not be a member of this church. The Mormon church understands the doctrines of Christ better than any other Christian church I have been to. I know this because the Holy Ghost told me these things are true. The Holy Ghost is with me where ever I go and I can feel him the strongest in the Mormon church. “

I’m so thankful for Sister A and her family and all of the members of the Herndon ward.

Tomorrow is Monday. President B. is back home. We get to meet our new Mission President tomorrow. President W. It’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait.

Day 95-What Happened to June?-07-01-06

It’s July already? What happened to June? It seems just like yesterday that it was Day 65. I was sitting down to breakfast with Elder B. All of his stuff was packed and ready to go to his new area. When the phone rang, Elder B. answered. That was when I found out that my new companion was Elder D. Since then it has been a whirlwind of a transfer here in Herndon.

I’m a little sad. W. says he won’t be coming to church tomorrow. He was progressing so well. I kind of have the feeling that he wants to back off for a while. He’s focused on finding a job here. He plans to go back to Kenya later this year or early next year. He needs to earn some money. We can’t force him to focus on the message. It’s just hard when you’ve worked with someone for a while, and for no apparent reason, the become distant. (sigh)

Day 94-We Paid the Fine, Still Blows My Mind, Hey, Maddie-6-30-06

Well, today has been good so far. It's 6:10pm. A member should be droppin off our dinner soon. I'll say this...it feels good to share the gospel with people. Having been cooped up the better part of a week with Elder D., it felt like forever since we talked with someone. I mean, we've taught S. and others that we were already teaching, but today we went out and taught new people.

This means...We got Maddie back! The fine was paid by the mission. Elder D. and I were told that we would have to pay the mission office back, so it looks like July is going to be a lean month when it comes to spendin' for Elder Pierce. As for whether or not Elder D. and I will get retribution on that tow-happy landlord who doesn't even place a sign saying "visitors need a permit to park in the visitor's parking or else they will be towed", remains to be seen. We'd had that car for less than an hour, man. R.'s was the first place we went and we got towed!!! There is no safe place to park there. We found that out at the cost of $65. Sooo sad. (Little cartoon of money with wings)

But enough about that depressing stuff. We got Maddie back. We went driving around. First though, before that, we planned. Elder D. and I had been kind of slacking off in the planning department. The reason being, we could not go anywhere without an exchange (because of the broken arm/no biking/no car), so there was very little to plan for.

Today, though, we sprang into action. We called a new potential investigator, T., and met with her today. We first met T. a little over three weeks ago. We gave her a Book of Mormon and committed her to read from it. We have her 3Nephi11 to read. That was over three weeks ago. We've tried to contact her again after that, but she's not been home until now.

We met with her today. She read 3Nephi11 and was really interested. She had some questions that we were able to answer. I love it when investigators read from the Book of Mormon. We'll keep in touch with T. in the coming weeks. She's a short, black woman. She's pretty young. Tweny-one or twenty-two. A funny thing, she's in the same apartment complex as W., A.'s mom and C. (see day 73) She lives in the apartment right above W.

9:30pm-I'm thinking about my mission so far. There really is no such thing as a normal mission. I mean, I was companions with my district leader on my first transfer. On my second transfer, I got certified. My new companion broke his arm. Because of that, we got a car. I, as a junior companion, was allowed to drive. Well, not so much allowed…I was told I had to drive. Not to mention the fact that the car was towed away within the hour after I got behind the wheel.

Yeah, things are pretty crazy right now. All I can think of is mailing a package home. I’m sending my brothers and sister some toys and things. I’m also mailing more of my journal home. I hope I can do that tomorrow. It’ll probably take two or more weeks to get home.

As for driving, I haven’t crashed yet. You’ll be pleased to know the learning curve for the car isn’t as steep as was my bike. Good day. We tracted. Talked to some people. Taught T. I got my wonderful Maddie back. Sure it’ll cost me some money, but I choose not to think about that right now. I’ll just get upset. Good night.

Day 93-Elder, Where's our Car? or Couldn't I Have a Normal Day, Just Once?

We're getting a WHAT in our area? My companion got a call from our Zone Leaders and apparently we are getting a car for the rest of the transfer. Now, normally I wouldn't worry. After all, I may be certified, but I am still the junior companion. Mission rules dictate that the senior companion is in charge of driving.

I just want to remind you that yes, I do have my drivers license. It was a long, frustrating hard battle, but I got it. If only for the fact that I needed to get it before coming out on my mission. Which gives you some idea about how I feel when it comes to the whole driving thing.

If you recall, my companion, (the senior companion) broke his arm. That is why we are getting a car. He can't ride a bike with a broken arm. To cut to the chase, I don't want to drive. I've said it before. I can drive! I just don't like to. We'll see what happens.

Wha' happen? At two o'clock this afternoon, the assistant to the mission pres. showed up with the (echo) keys to our new car..."Congratulations, Elder Pierce! You've got a Brand New Mazda 3." "M-me?" I asked. "Yeah, you get to drive!"

They were all smiles and staring at me. You know how I feel about combustable engines! I hesitantly took the keys. They talked about Pres. B and how he is going home in a couple of days. They said that he was getting a little trunky.

TRUNKY; (trun-key)-missionary slang meaning ready to go home.

(Elder Pierce drew a cartoon of his mission pres. in golf attire complete with golf clubs, knickers and a plaid tam with a pom pom on top. He is talking on the phone..."Yeah, sure. Give 'em a car. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some things to do today.")

The AP's said that we will have the car for the rest of the transfer. I have to say that this transfer is doing a lot to make it the most memorable one. What with my companion breaking his arm and now a car! We still have two weeks left! Who knows what could happen?

So...I went outside to check out the car. It was a beaute! Almost made me wish I had some knowledge about how it works. Elder D. took my picture beside it. Then we headed to visit R. It had been over a week since we had seen him not counting church. Elder D. called R. Saturday night to make sure he was coming to church. R. was reluctant to go. Elder D. said, "Come on R., you've gotta be there. I wanna show you my broken arm." "You broke your arm? "Yeah!" "How?" "I'll tell you at church tomorrow." "All right. I'll be there." And that's how we got R. to church.

It's about a 5 minute drive from our place to R's. We got there at 3:10pm. I made sure to find an empty visitors parking space. "Restricted. Restricted. Ah, here we go, Visitors!" So we parked and went in to see R. The moving was well under way. His sister was packing up to move. There were boxes everywhere. After about 40 minutes we told R. that we should probably be going. We walked outside. The time was 3:50pm. OUR CAR WAS GONE!!! The place where I parked it, was empty. It wasn't there. I locked it. I know I locked it. Elder D. thought, "Great! We've been car-jacked."

Before we had too much time to start panicking, R's sister came out with some moving boxes for the U-haul. "Was that your red car they just towed away?" As it turns out, the policy at R's sisters town home complex is strict. The landlord hires a tow truck to go around and tow any car that is not registered. When you live in these town homes you register your liscense plate number along with your house number so that when the tow truck comes prowling around, they will pass by your car. This is much like the Isrealites when they were commanded to sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood on their doors so the Lord would smite only the Egyptian homes. (Exodus 12: 21-30)

Now you may be wondering, as I still am, why we were towed from a VISITORS PARKING. It did not say "Restricted" on it. Elder D. and I went around and looked. We couldn't find any signs that said it wasn't okay to park there. They had signs saying not to park in restricted. All of the parking spaces in the complex say RESTRICTED except for the visitors parking spaces.

Elder D. called the tow place. They were rude to him. They said, "If ya wanna gitcher car back, ya gotta pay the fine." Its $130! That works out to be $65 each for Elder D. and myself. Not feeling that we should have to pay the fine, Elder D. asked why. The tow guy said that he was just doing his job. They got their orders from the landlord. All visitors cars must be registered on the visiting cars list. The problem is, there are no signs anywhere posting that little rule.

I don't know what is going to happen. We'll pay the fine, of course. I'm not a happy camper. Elder D. wants to punch something, but he can't because of his arm.

I miss Maddie (Elder Pierce's mother thinks this is after Maddie Hayes from Moonlighting, but has yet to confirm this suspicion). That's the name of my Mazda 3 that was taken. Elder D. talked with some of the higher ups in our mission about getting her back. They can do it, but it'll cost us...$65 each.

Oh, Maddie, we'll always have those magical 5 minutes driving from our place to R's. I can't believe it. We get a car and within an hour it gets towed. That's gotta be a mission record. If President B. thought he could leave in peace he didn't reckon with the Elders of Herndon. Talk about a great introduction for President W. I can see it now. He'll read our report. "Let's see... In the Herndon area, Elder D. broke his arm a little over a week ago...President B. gave them a car so they could continue working...Good, good...within one hour after obtaining and driving said vehicle, it was towed...hmmm...What? There was more to the story of the bike crash!...something about a mulberry...What a couple of knuckleheads."

No, seriously, good times are just around the corner. Sleep well, my beloved Maddie.

Day 92-Laundry Bags and a Broken Arm-6-28-06

P-day
Most of today was spent finishing up yesterdays journal entry. Today I'll just say that we are planning to meet with N. We don't have an exchange, so we're walking there. It's now 6:40 pm. P-day's over now. We're heading out. I'll tell you how things went with N. when I get back.

As it turns out, we never left. As we were about to leave, it started to pour down rain. We called N. to see if he still wanted to meet tonight. He told us tomorrrow would be better. N.'s wife does not want to participate in our discussions. She is Baptist. To avoid conflict, we meet outside and talk. I wonder if N. brings the Jehovah's Witnesses to the same place that he talks with us? Hmmmm....

Elder Davis signed my laundry bag today. He's my third companion to do so. The first being Elder Patton at the MTC. The second being Elder Buttars, my first companion in the field. I hope to have all of my companions sign it. It will be a great souvenier. Today was a pretty good p-day. I got a lot of writing done. That is fun for me. Things have slowed down in our area since Elder Davis broke his arm.

Day 91-Temple Questions-Part II-6-27-06

It was time to go. On the way home S. told us about her Native-American heritage. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not. Either way, I'll expound. S.'s birth mother is Native American. Her father and step-mother were cruel to her. They were emotionally and physically abusive. S.'s parents were atheists. She joked that most people only had one bad mother, if that. She had two. Despite her childhood, S. has a happy family now with her husband and two children. At least she did until WE started teaching her. On the way home from the Visitors Center, S. said that her husband told her she could not meet with us today. She went anyway. That does not surprise me. S. is the kind of person who has spunk. She does what she wants. S. said that since we started our discussions, strange things have been happening to her. Her neighbor across the street saw us talking to her one day. The next morning, S. found a book on her doorstep. Someone had left her a book on Mormons. Not a Book of Mormon, but a book called, "Teaching the Truth Lovingly to Mormons." Someone had given S. an "anti" book. And that was only the beginning.

She got calls from people in her church telling her not to see us anymore. (she found out later that these calls were started by her husband). She is not sold on the church by any means, but she is asking good questions and seems sincere in her search for answers. She told us the last time she felt like this was when she told her parents, the atheists, that she believed in Christ and wanted to be baptized. They told her she was being stupid and did not know what she was talking about. She said that all of the backlash that she is getting from friends and family can mean 1 of 2 things: #1-Either this is God's way of telling her not to investigate further or #2-what we are teaching her is true and this opposition she is getting is Satans way of trying to scare her away. (I think it's #2-how about you?) Spiritual warfare. That is what S. called it. Even her 11 year old son is against it because of what he has been hearing from people at his church.

Her son was not home when we extended the invitation to go to the temple. He was in another state at a youth conference (of sorts). It was Christian in nature with wholesome rock bands and such...She told us how when he came back, he told her how much fun he had! He bought a shirt, a cd, and some other fun stuff. But the best part, he told her, was when this guy laid hands upon his head and gave him the power of the holy ghost. A simultaneous "WHAT!???" came from Elder Davis and me.

As it turned out, one of the ways they "spiritually strengthened" the youth was to hoodwink them. Her son came home and told him mom that he was going to be speaking in tongues! (Roll of the eyes)

I'll continue to pray for S. and her family. I thank our Heavenly Father every night for the H. family (lds) that lives next door to S. Let's see...anything else to add today?

We know that: a.) S. is 50% Indian, b.) There is opposition in all things, especially missionary work, c.) member referrals progress faster than missionaries finding them on their own, d.) Christian youth conferences in other states teach false doctrine, and lastly, e.) for Eternal Families. I don't know why. I mean I know why they are and how they are. I just need to convey this to S. She says that her son is baptized, but her daughter, age 9 is not. She is waiting for the right time when she feels that her daughter can fully understand about being baptized. It's funny. S. is worried about her daughter being baptized and we are trying to teach her the importance of baptism by the proper authority.

I'm thinking about asking S. to read John 3:5 and Moroni 8. We'll try to see her Friday or Saturday. She needs to come to church. Well, that's all for today. See you later.

Day 91-Temple Questions-6-27-06

Today's the day! We called S. and all systems are go for the DC Temple Visitors Center. Elder D. and I will be picked up here at our apartment by Sister H. We will all go and see the exhibits for a while, then catch the Joseph Smith movie. Afterwards, we'll head back home. It should be a fun day.

We'll have to take two cars. S. will follow us. R. is available to come. He asked if he could bring his girlfriend. Why not? The more the merrier. I'll write how things went when we get back. It's raining hard again. (Sigh)

Our visitor center experience: We saw "The Christus." That's the huge statue of the Savior. Next, we went to a temporary exhibit. In the room were several paintings of the prophet Joseph Smith and key events in his life. We never made it past the first painting. We stopped and discussed the prophet and the church. S., as always, had lots of questions. Sincere questions.

We talked about the primitive church, the Apostles. S. said, "Well, the Apostles were all men who walked with Jesus, and you're saying that there are Apostles on the earth now?" I said, "Well, not all of the Apostles in the New Testament were with Jesus during his earthly ministry. In the Book of Acts, for example, after Judas kills himself, the eleven remaining Apostles got together and prayed to know who would fill his place." "And the lot fell on Matthais; and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles." Acts 1:26

Elder Davis added, "or Acts, chapter 9". Saul, who later became Paul was persecuting the church and the Apostles. The resurrected Christ appeared to him and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Acts 9:4 Saul was called, much like Alma the Younger, to repent and preach the Gospel. So, yeah, you didn't need to walk with Christ during his earthly ministry to be an Apostle. You still have to be called of God, "for no man taketh this honor unto himself..." Hebrews 5:4

Before we knew it, it was time for the movie. We were the only ones there. The movie was good as always. I cry every time I see the Carthage jail scene. The problem is, it's too short. At 65 minutes, everything just zips by, one scene after another. I wanna' see the extended directors cut. (haha)

When we got out of the theater, I asked S. what she thought of the movie. She said that she did not realize how many spirits and resurrected beings visited Joseph Smith. I personally think the movie should be extended to 4 hours long. At least. (The movie really needs special features. The movie is too short, not the Carthage jail scene. Although, now that I think about it, the jail scene could be longer. They should sing, "A Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief". It doesn't show it.)

After the movie, we stayed and walked around the grounds. S. told me that when they moved here, they drove past the temple. Her kids got all excited. They thought it was Cinderella's castle. They did not know there was a Disney land here. Kids are so funny.

S. then asked us, "I hope you don't mind, but don't you think this whole temple thing is a little grandiose?" "What do you mean?", I asked. "Well, the lavishness of it all. You don't have to build a flashy temple to worship the Lord. It seems from my point of view that temples are "members-only". I mean instead of building these huge temples, why not take that money and give it to charities?" ( I just want to say that when S. asks these questions, she is always nice and really just curious. There is a desire to know the truth)

Well, first of all, why are temples so big and expensive? Why not just a simple, humble, modest little meeting house? To put it simply, nothing but the best for the Lord.

What I told S. was that in the OT, when people offered animal sacrifices to the Lord, only the best would do. When you took a lamb to be sacrificed, it had to be your best lamb, without blemish. Sometimes, when it comes to His Holy Temple, God expects our best.

As to the temples being "member's only", S. said that since she was not a member, she could not go in. Why is that? "Jesus did not turn anyone away", she said. "In my church, we are all welcome, even non-Christians."

Elder Davis tackled this one. "Just because you are a baptized member of the church doesn't mean that you are allowed to enter the temple. Some members can't go in. Everyone who wants to enter the temple must have an interview with the bishop. Only those living the standards of the gospel are allowed entrance into the House of the Lord. As for not turning anyone away, we don't turn anyone away from our churches. All are welcome. But, just as you would not allow someone who wasn't trying to follow God's commandments, access into God's presence, only obedient members can go into the Lord's house. The temples are different. Sacred.

"In biblical times sacred ordinances were administered in holy edifices for the spiritual salvation of ancient Israel. The buildings thus used were not synagogues or any other ordinary places of worship. They were specially constructed for this particular purpose. While the people traveled in the wilderness, they used a portable tabernacle. This tabernacle is called “the temple of the Lord,” and it was there, for instance, that Samuel’s mother went to pray. (1 Sam. 1:9.) When they ceased their wanderings and obtained a stable government, they built a glorious temple in Jerusalem to take its place.

Following the pattern of biblical days, the Lord again in our day has provided these ordinances for the salvation of all who will believe and directs that temples be built in which to perform those sacred rites." "Why Mormons Build Temples", Mark E. Peterson, Ensign Jan.1972 www.lds.org

To answer the question about charity, we have many different programs going to help people here get food and clothing that they need. Every first Sunday of the month is what is called Fast and Testimony meeting. That is when we fast for two meals and give the money we would have spent to the church to buy food for those who need it. Our church gives service through that and other humanitarian charities that we have established.

We then began to talk about baptisms for the dead and being sealed together as a family for time and eternity. We showed S. a picture of the baptismal font inside the DC Temple. "Wow," she said, "I wasn't baptized in anything that grand." "Neither was I," I said. I told her that the baptismal font used in the temple is used only for baptisms for the dead. "Okay," she said. "You guys keep talking about baptisms for the dead." I don't know where it talks about that in the Bible. (most people don't)

We showed her 1st Corinthians 15:29. Elder Davis gave some background. He said, "at this time, Paul was writing a letter to the saints of the church in Corinth." (Yes, the followers of Christ who heeded the words of the Apostles were called saints. Look in 1st Corinthians 1:2) Paul had heard that some of the members did not believe that there would be a resurrection. Paul asked them, "how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Then he says in the next few verses that if there is no resurrection, that means that Christ isn't risen. "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain(1st Cor. 15:17) Then he mentions, almost as an afterthought, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead raise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1st Cor. 15:29) He tells them that of course there is a resurrection. It's because there is going to be a resurrection that we are baptized in behalf of those who didn't have the chance in this life.

(Long day-continued in part II)