Yep, this Thursday is my year mark. Crazy stuff.
A few things to reply to.
I didn't even know that Nicole was going on a mission, let alone turned in her papers! Crazy!! And to Warsaw, Poland...hmm.... Well, hopefully she is fed better than they used to be as well. Speaking of being fed really well, I've had pulled pork a few times on my mission, and it's amazing. Usually I just have it at restaurants when members are feeling especially nice, though. And yes, the corn is delicious. The Peaches and Cream Sweet Corn is pretty much sent down from heaven. Or Iowa. Same thing. I also realized recently just how old Lynx and Gracie are getting. I've been really hoping I wouldn't have to get an email here soon reporting their untimely demise. And I'm glad you have the same views on shaving I do, mom.
Crazy things that are taking place this week. We got a call on Friday after weekly planning that apparently there is going to be a three-day conference in Des Moines for everyone in leadership. Including trainers. So pretty much a good chunk of the week will be spent with nobody in our area. Elder Shelman will be in Fort Dodge with Elder Johnson, a missionary that came out at the same time as him, for those three days. BAD idea, but whatever. Better idea than him being with the sister being trained down in Hampton. So, yeah. We also had all three of those days filled with dinner appointments, so we had to reschedule those. It seems like most of our meals are having weird things come up causing cancellations, but it's all working out. We still barely ever have to make our own dinners. Sometimes not even our own lunches. And you wonder how I've gained 15 pounds or so. If it wasn't for me being dead-set on losing the weight, I might just ask for new shirts. But I'll lose it and be fine. I've cut back on my portion sizes and I'm sweating more than anything, so it all works out. Speaking of sweating, I'll be able to do plenty more of that, as this July has been more of a typical Iowa August, so my bet is that August will be really bad. Yippee. Oh well, I've realized I rarely need to carry around much water, a lot of people will offer you some while you're tracting, even if they are completely not interested. I even got brownies from some uninterested folk the other day.
In the way of goings on here, we've been just doing a lot of tracting and finding. Which has lead to the best stories. One day we set out, trying to improve my street contacting. While near downtown, we saw an elderly man crouched down on the grass. Unsure as to whether he was injured or searching for something lost or what, we approached him, asking if there was some way we could help. He informed us that he was looking for four-leafed-clovers. So we joined him in the hunt as we talked about his life and church. At one point, when the conversation had drifted to the latter topic, he said, "Yes, there are many people of your church that I admire. But what I don't admire," with as terrible of a way to start a sentence as that was, my mind began to conjure up all sorts of horrible things he might say next, "is that you two still haven't found a four leafed clover!" He was a great guy, but not very interested.
Yesterday we went out and tracted a good portion of a street. There we met a couple interesting people. One was a lady who right away told us that she had lost her faith due to all the terrible things going on in her life. Apparently she used to be a member of the church, and not only being upset about God letting bad things happen, she was also upset that nobody had told her about Kolob. Ok, my turn for a little tirade on here, that I didn't say to her. Really? I really think being upset that we attributed a name to the star closest to where God resides is kind of dumb. Especially that nobody told you that. You don't have to know EVERYTHING before joining a church. All you need to know is that it's true. And so WHAT if we named it that? Why aren't you getting upset that people call the place where God lives Heaven or name stars or constellations? People name things. And Kolob is only mentioned very shortly in Abraham, a book of scripture translated from papyri. Where are the people in an uproar about the multiheaded beasts in Revelation that some people take literally? That's more crazy to me than naming some star somewhere that is near where God is, wherever that is. But all I said is "Really? It's in the hymnbook." That caught her off guard, but she continued on being upset about them not telling her in Young Women's nor did they read from the Pearl of Great Price there. I really wonder how pertinent Kolob is to those lessons. It's not like we really hide anything in the church. It's like the people that get upset about the Mountain Meadows Massacre and our church covering it up. I have the article in the Ensign about it. No, the church doesn't go around with banners and billboards proclaiming these things to everyone. But maybe that's because we're more worried about things pertinent to a person's salvation. Really, people that get upset about this stuff have a lot more to worry about than they admit to even themselves. As long as they receive a witness that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith is a prophet, not by us ramming it down their throats, but by asking them to read and pray, then it all comes into place. Otherwise, it's like talking to a wall. And the worse thing that can happen to those people that try it out, is that the answer is no, it's not true. But I know it is because I've received my witness through the Holy Ghost, the bearer of all truth. How can you know something's true or not unless you've tried it out and asked of God after learning about it?
Sorry for the tirade.
I also tried to help her understand that bad things happen to the best of people a lot of times, and that this life is a test, and that God won't allow us to be tested above that which we are able, and that we need to remain faithful so we can receive the blessings, even if those blessings don't come in this life. I bore her testimony, which typically helps people settle down because they feel the spirit whether they like it or not, usually, and we were able to leave on a good note.
Later in that tracting session we met a guy that built boats for a living. He showed us a dingy and rowboat and canoe that he had either restored or built. Apparently demand for expensive yet beautiful homemade boats has decreased dramatically, so now he's selling or giving away most of his possessions and going canoeing down the entire length of the Mississippi for five months. I thought it was kind of cool and adventurous. It also reminded me of dad's pursuits lately of building his own dingies for the Young Men's activity.
On Saturday we also helped out with the baptism of an 8-year-old child of record. Doesn't go towards us, but they really did need our help filling the font and doing some other stuff. I gave the grandfather of the child a blessing, because his back was hurt and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stand up for the confirmation, but he was able to after the blessing, and he thanked me profusely for it. I've been giving a lot of blessings lately, it seems....
Pictures! There's a tiny town just outside of Mason City called Portland. Apparently a lot of mail gets sent there that was intended for Oregon. Anyway, the sign looks like something from some Post-Apocalyptic movie placed in Oregon's Capitol.
Also, me and a zone leader and the tall corn, taken not this last week but the one before.
Anyway, that's about all! Talk to you next week!
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Monday, August 2, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
If It Really Is Survival of the Fittest, I Must Be More Out Of Shape Than I Thought
AAAAllright, well, we got our calls from the Assistants this morning.
"Hey Elder Gates, are you ready for your transfer plans? "
"Yeah."
"You might want a pen and paper, this is pretty complicated."
"Ok."
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Ok...you and Elder Shelman are staying together..."
"Ok."
"...In Mason City."
I froze, pen in hand. Oooof course. I fell right into that one, alright. I had been thinking all morning that I had messed up far too bad for us to stay in Mason City, but apparently they "Appreciate all the hard work [we] have done." Well, I guess we're not too bad off.
This past week sure has been an interesting one.
On thursday was our last District Meeting of the Transfer, and we went out to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings afterward. I like my wings (not boneless, those are lame, give me the real deal. The joys of working at a pizza place.). There is a challenge at this particular chain called "The Blazin' Challenge," where they give you twelve of their spiciest wings and you have to eat them in 6 minutes. If you can do it, you get your picture on the wall and a free T-shirt. So two other missionaries and I decided to do it. They brought out a paper for us to sign. The other missionaries just signed it right away, but I decided to read what it was I was signing. When I noticed the word "death," I began to get a little apprehensive. But I signed anyway. A shirt's a shirt. So they brought out our wings, and specially made bibs just for us made out of take-out bags, and announced over the sound system our names and that we were doing the blazin challenge. They started the timer, and we were off. I ate my first wing, no problem, but as I continued to go, the world started to get hazy, probably from adrenaline. Two kids came up alongside me and were talking and watching as we ate. One apparently bent down to look into my face, but I was too focused by then. I noticed my left hand was starting to get tingly, but I trudged on. Elder Perez was done by a minute and fifteen seconds, and elder Heywood by about two and a half, but I kept going. My nose started to run and tears filled my eyes, and my mouth and face hurt pretty bad. But I was no quitter. Finally, at five minutes thirty seconds, I finished. I was so proud of myself. I got my picture taken, looking much like a kid after a playground beating. They announced the finished competition, and the restaurant cheered. After coming back from washing off, I looked over at a thirteen year old or so kid sitting near me that was still staring at me. "That was so cool! Congratulations, man!" he said. Yep, I inspired someone that day. I bet mom's proud.
The next day was even more exciting. We went down to Bristow and took a member that lives in a nearby town with us. We took him with so that way our investigators could meet the guy that would be giving them a ride to church. These investigators don't have a car that works so we needed his help with transportation. He also helped a lot in the lesson, and we reset a baptismal date with the mom, who we had set one with before, and with her daughters. So we left the lesson with three baptismal dates!! By Sunday they had all fallen through, as they hadn't come to church. Carol, the mom, had apparently gotten sick, and didn't feel well enough to come. She's been in the hospital a lot, making her disappear off our radars for awhile. But we met with them again yesterday and set up yet another date, letting them choose this time. Now all of the three main lessons are taught, so it's just the commandments now. So be sure to pray for them. We also visited another investigator in that obscenely small town named Jim. Jim wants to be baptized, too, but is just waiting to tell his wife who has anxiety and heart problems and the littlest things seem to set her off. So it's another waiting game for us. We taught him the Word of Wisdom, and he seemed to agree with it and we committed him to do it. Hopefully it'll stick and he'll come to church again. He used to come, but no investigator has come to church since I've been here. I guess I just have terrible luck.
So there are ups and downs all the way around. The weather's been exciting, very hot and humid, the point to which is not usually reached until August. Looking at the heat index, it was 105 degrees yesterday. And then we got to teach a lesson in an air conditioned house with fans that weren't blowing on us. I was sweating pretty bad. I picked up my arm off of my scriptures to find a fairly large pool of sweat there. Yeah, that was gross.
Some things to respond to from last week: Yes, I did see the billboard on Federal, with Obama between Hitler and Lenin. I was meaning to get a picture, not realizing it was going to hit national attention. Crazy stuff. Great thing for Mason City to be known for. Poor people, now it's going to cover up their popularity for the Music Man and Meredith Wilson (raise your hand if you knew who that was. yeah, me neither.). Ooh, by the way, if you do some google searching on Mason City, you'll discover it was once known as Sin City, and that a famous bank robber once robbed the bank here, and each year they have a reenactment, with guns and all. I wouldn't know from my own searches, people just tell us.
Also, about RAGBRAI, it's this week, and does not go through Mason City, but it is in our area. Yesterday they were in Clear Lake, and today they are traveling to Charles City, bypassing Mason. Lots of support vehicles were here last night. I'll send a picture of two we saw. It's apparently a pretty big deal. Too bad it's too far away for us to go watch today.
Well, that's about it!
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
"Hey Elder Gates, are you ready for your transfer plans? "
"Yeah."
"You might want a pen and paper, this is pretty complicated."
"Ok."
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Ok...you and Elder Shelman are staying together..."
"Ok."
"...In Mason City."
I froze, pen in hand. Oooof course. I fell right into that one, alright. I had been thinking all morning that I had messed up far too bad for us to stay in Mason City, but apparently they "Appreciate all the hard work [we] have done." Well, I guess we're not too bad off.
This past week sure has been an interesting one.
On thursday was our last District Meeting of the Transfer, and we went out to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings afterward. I like my wings (not boneless, those are lame, give me the real deal. The joys of working at a pizza place.). There is a challenge at this particular chain called "The Blazin' Challenge," where they give you twelve of their spiciest wings and you have to eat them in 6 minutes. If you can do it, you get your picture on the wall and a free T-shirt. So two other missionaries and I decided to do it. They brought out a paper for us to sign. The other missionaries just signed it right away, but I decided to read what it was I was signing. When I noticed the word "death," I began to get a little apprehensive. But I signed anyway. A shirt's a shirt. So they brought out our wings, and specially made bibs just for us made out of take-out bags, and announced over the sound system our names and that we were doing the blazin challenge. They started the timer, and we were off. I ate my first wing, no problem, but as I continued to go, the world started to get hazy, probably from adrenaline. Two kids came up alongside me and were talking and watching as we ate. One apparently bent down to look into my face, but I was too focused by then. I noticed my left hand was starting to get tingly, but I trudged on. Elder Perez was done by a minute and fifteen seconds, and elder Heywood by about two and a half, but I kept going. My nose started to run and tears filled my eyes, and my mouth and face hurt pretty bad. But I was no quitter. Finally, at five minutes thirty seconds, I finished. I was so proud of myself. I got my picture taken, looking much like a kid after a playground beating. They announced the finished competition, and the restaurant cheered. After coming back from washing off, I looked over at a thirteen year old or so kid sitting near me that was still staring at me. "That was so cool! Congratulations, man!" he said. Yep, I inspired someone that day. I bet mom's proud.
The next day was even more exciting. We went down to Bristow and took a member that lives in a nearby town with us. We took him with so that way our investigators could meet the guy that would be giving them a ride to church. These investigators don't have a car that works so we needed his help with transportation. He also helped a lot in the lesson, and we reset a baptismal date with the mom, who we had set one with before, and with her daughters. So we left the lesson with three baptismal dates!! By Sunday they had all fallen through, as they hadn't come to church. Carol, the mom, had apparently gotten sick, and didn't feel well enough to come. She's been in the hospital a lot, making her disappear off our radars for awhile. But we met with them again yesterday and set up yet another date, letting them choose this time. Now all of the three main lessons are taught, so it's just the commandments now. So be sure to pray for them. We also visited another investigator in that obscenely small town named Jim. Jim wants to be baptized, too, but is just waiting to tell his wife who has anxiety and heart problems and the littlest things seem to set her off. So it's another waiting game for us. We taught him the Word of Wisdom, and he seemed to agree with it and we committed him to do it. Hopefully it'll stick and he'll come to church again. He used to come, but no investigator has come to church since I've been here. I guess I just have terrible luck.
So there are ups and downs all the way around. The weather's been exciting, very hot and humid, the point to which is not usually reached until August. Looking at the heat index, it was 105 degrees yesterday. And then we got to teach a lesson in an air conditioned house with fans that weren't blowing on us. I was sweating pretty bad. I picked up my arm off of my scriptures to find a fairly large pool of sweat there. Yeah, that was gross.
Some things to respond to from last week: Yes, I did see the billboard on Federal, with Obama between Hitler and Lenin. I was meaning to get a picture, not realizing it was going to hit national attention. Crazy stuff. Great thing for Mason City to be known for. Poor people, now it's going to cover up their popularity for the Music Man and Meredith Wilson (raise your hand if you knew who that was. yeah, me neither.). Ooh, by the way, if you do some google searching on Mason City, you'll discover it was once known as Sin City, and that a famous bank robber once robbed the bank here, and each year they have a reenactment, with guns and all. I wouldn't know from my own searches, people just tell us.
Also, about RAGBRAI, it's this week, and does not go through Mason City, but it is in our area. Yesterday they were in Clear Lake, and today they are traveling to Charles City, bypassing Mason. Lots of support vehicles were here last night. I'll send a picture of two we saw. It's apparently a pretty big deal. Too bad it's too far away for us to go watch today.
Well, that's about it!
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Monday, July 19, 2010
Missionaries Are Better Than Superheroes
Really, it probably is one of the best realizations of my mission. I was studying Preach My Gospel and found a quote stating that preaching the gospel is the greatest work we can ever be involved in. And it hit me that that means it's greater than curing cancer, figuring out cold fusion, and saving people from psychopathic people with messed up faces, wearing make-up and purple suits. So the analogy grew and grew in my mind. Think about it. We have greater power than any superhero, even the freakishly perfect Superman. We have the power of God delegated to man, known as the priesthood. We have been called by the Ultimately Supreme Being, our Eternal Father, to assist in His great work here on the Earth. Sound analogous to anything? This is greater than knowing since you were young that fighting evil is what you needed to do, like Bruce Wayne. This is even greater power and greater responsibility than that given to Peter Parker, and, like him, is dependent on our confidence. We must also never run from it like he did, but accept it as our calling in life. Much like Clark Kent, we have been set apart from the world, given powers by our Heavenly Parents, and given instruction by our Father in a much more holy place than a crazy ice place up north. Like the Incredibles, many of us have been raised in families where these powers have been present and with whom we may find support. And we must never forget that our power to do the Lord's work is not our own, but is bestowed upon us by an even grander source than just our crazy Kryptonic reaction to a yellow sun. Yeah, that's about all of my analogies. Nerdy enough?
This week, this week, this week...um...what has happened?
Tuesday night we went to a member family's home for dinner. They're an amazing family that is in the adoption process and just waiting and I fell in love with them. They nearly went crazy when it came up that I was adopted, and it was really therapeutic for the wife to talk with me. Really, every missionary has some sort of thing that they bring to a mission that sets them apart (kind of like how every superhero has their own superpower) and that seems to be mine in some instances.
Wednesday was well over a hundred, like in the one hundred tens, with the heat index (humidity and heat combined to tell how hot it really is and not just by temp). Rode our bikes in the heat and a thunderstorm, went to Applebees, and, much like other nights, went to a members home for a little bit when a tornado was supposedly supposed to happen but didn't.
Thursday. Did service for a member that is demolishing a trailer for the scrap metal, scraped more paint at another members home, ate dinner with a family, and that was about it.
Friday. Demoed some more, did some work, had another tornado scare while a member was taking us to get ice cream at Wendy's. Everyone in Wendy's was scared except for him. Instead, we drove up over an overpass to hopefully see the tornado that was 20 some miles away and moving south. But there wasn't a tornado and never was one and we went home disappointed.
Saturday. More service and food with members.
Sunday. Church. Saw a clip from the Pioneer Day Broadcast and found it funny that they had a song from the Music Man at the end, and that that was basically the reason they showed it in Priesthood.
We have a progressing investigator who is reading from the Book of Mormon and coming at us with questions and everything. It's pretty exciting to have someone that is doing something and lives just up the alley from us so I don't think he'll escape us too easily, like others that have disappeared out of existence.
Things are really going well here and I'm excited by how they're going. We're trying to cut back on less necessary service. One member really understands and only asks us to help when he needs the help, so that's good.
That's about it!
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Your friendly neighborhood missionary,
Elder Charlie Gates
This week, this week, this week...um...what has happened?
Tuesday night we went to a member family's home for dinner. They're an amazing family that is in the adoption process and just waiting and I fell in love with them. They nearly went crazy when it came up that I was adopted, and it was really therapeutic for the wife to talk with me. Really, every missionary has some sort of thing that they bring to a mission that sets them apart (kind of like how every superhero has their own superpower) and that seems to be mine in some instances.
Wednesday was well over a hundred, like in the one hundred tens, with the heat index (humidity and heat combined to tell how hot it really is and not just by temp). Rode our bikes in the heat and a thunderstorm, went to Applebees, and, much like other nights, went to a members home for a little bit when a tornado was supposedly supposed to happen but didn't.
Thursday. Did service for a member that is demolishing a trailer for the scrap metal, scraped more paint at another members home, ate dinner with a family, and that was about it.
Friday. Demoed some more, did some work, had another tornado scare while a member was taking us to get ice cream at Wendy's. Everyone in Wendy's was scared except for him. Instead, we drove up over an overpass to hopefully see the tornado that was 20 some miles away and moving south. But there wasn't a tornado and never was one and we went home disappointed.
Saturday. More service and food with members.
Sunday. Church. Saw a clip from the Pioneer Day Broadcast and found it funny that they had a song from the Music Man at the end, and that that was basically the reason they showed it in Priesthood.
We have a progressing investigator who is reading from the Book of Mormon and coming at us with questions and everything. It's pretty exciting to have someone that is doing something and lives just up the alley from us so I don't think he'll escape us too easily, like others that have disappeared out of existence.
Things are really going well here and I'm excited by how they're going. We're trying to cut back on less necessary service. One member really understands and only asks us to help when he needs the help, so that's good.
That's about it!
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Your friendly neighborhood missionary,
Elder Charlie Gates
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Now I Can't Look At A House Without Determining How Easy It Would Be To Scrape
Hola Mi Familia...y otros....
Ok, so we had to take a bunch of time to fill out our letters to the President that are now done online and fill out a survey so Elder Zwick of the Seventy will know how best to teach us when he comes through in October and we're at the Library in Clear Lake (don't you love how missionaries talk about their areas' geography as if you know as much about those areas as they do?) because the Library in Mason City is closed today. Why didn't we email yesterday? Because we had interviews with the President and district meeting that day. So Prep Day was bumped to today. I'm wondering if I just need to ask if I can make tuesday my Prep Day. Probably not, huh?
Anyway, a good portion of this week was spent helping a member scrape his house. His little daughter who is probably just barely over a year old, somehow got lead poisoning from the paint on their house. SO, he is currently living alone there as his wife and children live elsewhere and he tries to finish scraping his house and repainting it. He's called upon ward members to help, but most of them are already busy beyond belief (hospital people with families) or else too old to be much service. Or they live forever away, take your pick. So we've been trying to assist as much as possible, and it was a couple weekday days for a few hours and a saturday morning spent on it. Most people would say that I shouldn't have spent so much time doing that, but it seems like a pretty big emergency to me. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I'm going to hell, at least I'll feel good about it.
In response to your email, mom, yes, I am getting along pretty well with Elder Shelman. I'm still learning to chill out, though. I've slightly lost the ability to take myself lightly between last transfer and training so I'm trying to regain that as to allow us both to have more fun.
The missionary work is interesting, as always. Things come and go and i'm not sure if it's because I'm slacking as a missionary or if everyone we talk to has a hard time sticking to stuff. And then things happen like yesterday. We tried to visit an invesigator whose name is Meki/Mike/Chris, different each time, and when he wasn't home, we went to the next house over to start tracting. A man came out, and when the question "Have you ever talked to Missionaries from our church before?" was posed, he said "My girlfriend might have." He then wrestled with the dogs behind him for a few seconds before shutting the door. Elder Shelman and I stood there, unsure of whether to leave or stick around, before his girlfriend answered. She was what we can "less-accountable," at least as far as I could tell. She was alright with us talking to her and was willing to read and pray, but..not really there enough to understand everything as well as she would need, as far as I can tell. I might be wrong, but if I'm not, it's just another exciting new investigator that might disappear off the map on us.
But I'm trying to stay motivated. I think I've gotten a new boost from my last interview with President Jergensen. I just have to do it. He's given me an idea to get both my companion and I up and going in the morning, and after utilizing it today, that motivation has seemed to carry on to now. I just want to do this and do this right. I've been told time and time again that training is the most important calling in the missionary field because generations of missionaries depend on this. Woo, no pressure. And it's hard when you have a discouraging week to pick up and work harder and not just go chill at the cool Less Active's house, but I have got to do it.
There's a thing here in Iowa called RAGBRAI. It's a big bicycle rally from the banks of the Missouri to the banks of the Mississippi. And get this, this is the really good part: it's to prove that Iowa is not flat. Let me explain something here. If you have to have people ride their bikes across your state to prove that it is not flat, IT IS FLAT. Maybe I'm crazy, you tell me. But you don't see people riding their bikes across Washington trying to figure out if it's flat or not.
I've realized more and more how blessed you can be as a missionary in Iowa. It is a very fruitful place to serve and things are nearly handed to you on a silver platter. Today we were given two tins of jelly bellies. Life is good. Much better than those glory missions to Mongospekistania where I get to sleep in a sleeping bag and eat something indistinguishable from the bowel movement I had the night before. Sorry if that's too discriptive.
This Sunday we were going to have to give talks, but it's been bumped back to a different week as we wouldn't have had enough time. So my still unwritten (and, knowing the topic, it probably won't ever be written as it's a topic I can do extemporaneously without even trying) talk on temples and families.
We're also finding Less Actives nobody ever knew about. It's happened twice now, and is kind of interesting. Our long list of less active (inactive, to all of you not going by PMG Lingo) is just growing, not shrinking, with our work. I've never heard of that being counted as a good thing....
Well, I guess that's enough rambling. Love you all!
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Ok, so we had to take a bunch of time to fill out our letters to the President that are now done online and fill out a survey so Elder Zwick of the Seventy will know how best to teach us when he comes through in October and we're at the Library in Clear Lake (don't you love how missionaries talk about their areas' geography as if you know as much about those areas as they do?) because the Library in Mason City is closed today. Why didn't we email yesterday? Because we had interviews with the President and district meeting that day. So Prep Day was bumped to today. I'm wondering if I just need to ask if I can make tuesday my Prep Day. Probably not, huh?
Anyway, a good portion of this week was spent helping a member scrape his house. His little daughter who is probably just barely over a year old, somehow got lead poisoning from the paint on their house. SO, he is currently living alone there as his wife and children live elsewhere and he tries to finish scraping his house and repainting it. He's called upon ward members to help, but most of them are already busy beyond belief (hospital people with families) or else too old to be much service. Or they live forever away, take your pick. So we've been trying to assist as much as possible, and it was a couple weekday days for a few hours and a saturday morning spent on it. Most people would say that I shouldn't have spent so much time doing that, but it seems like a pretty big emergency to me. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I'm going to hell, at least I'll feel good about it.
In response to your email, mom, yes, I am getting along pretty well with Elder Shelman. I'm still learning to chill out, though. I've slightly lost the ability to take myself lightly between last transfer and training so I'm trying to regain that as to allow us both to have more fun.
The missionary work is interesting, as always. Things come and go and i'm not sure if it's because I'm slacking as a missionary or if everyone we talk to has a hard time sticking to stuff. And then things happen like yesterday. We tried to visit an invesigator whose name is Meki/Mike/Chris, different each time, and when he wasn't home, we went to the next house over to start tracting. A man came out, and when the question "Have you ever talked to Missionaries from our church before?" was posed, he said "My girlfriend might have." He then wrestled with the dogs behind him for a few seconds before shutting the door. Elder Shelman and I stood there, unsure of whether to leave or stick around, before his girlfriend answered. She was what we can "less-accountable," at least as far as I could tell. She was alright with us talking to her and was willing to read and pray, but..not really there enough to understand everything as well as she would need, as far as I can tell. I might be wrong, but if I'm not, it's just another exciting new investigator that might disappear off the map on us.
But I'm trying to stay motivated. I think I've gotten a new boost from my last interview with President Jergensen. I just have to do it. He's given me an idea to get both my companion and I up and going in the morning, and after utilizing it today, that motivation has seemed to carry on to now. I just want to do this and do this right. I've been told time and time again that training is the most important calling in the missionary field because generations of missionaries depend on this. Woo, no pressure. And it's hard when you have a discouraging week to pick up and work harder and not just go chill at the cool Less Active's house, but I have got to do it.
There's a thing here in Iowa called RAGBRAI. It's a big bicycle rally from the banks of the Missouri to the banks of the Mississippi. And get this, this is the really good part: it's to prove that Iowa is not flat. Let me explain something here. If you have to have people ride their bikes across your state to prove that it is not flat, IT IS FLAT. Maybe I'm crazy, you tell me. But you don't see people riding their bikes across Washington trying to figure out if it's flat or not.
I've realized more and more how blessed you can be as a missionary in Iowa. It is a very fruitful place to serve and things are nearly handed to you on a silver platter. Today we were given two tins of jelly bellies. Life is good. Much better than those glory missions to Mongospekistania where I get to sleep in a sleeping bag and eat something indistinguishable from the bowel movement I had the night before. Sorry if that's too discriptive.
This Sunday we were going to have to give talks, but it's been bumped back to a different week as we wouldn't have had enough time. So my still unwritten (and, knowing the topic, it probably won't ever be written as it's a topic I can do extemporaneously without even trying) talk on temples and families.
We're also finding Less Actives nobody ever knew about. It's happened twice now, and is kind of interesting. Our long list of less active (inactive, to all of you not going by PMG Lingo) is just growing, not shrinking, with our work. I've never heard of that being counted as a good thing....
Well, I guess that's enough rambling. Love you all!
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Another Independence Day Has Come and Gone, and Still No Aliens
Hello World.
It says in the white handbook to not write anything negative about the areas where we serve, so I guess this Email will be really short.
Just kidding!
So anyway, Mom asked me how it feels to have reached 11 months and to be almost halfway. I'm guessing it feels about the same as being asked what it feels like to turn 50. I'd rather not think about it either. But since you asked, I'll answer. It's exciting but scary at the same time. Someone once told me the hardest part of my mission would be right about now. Extreme tiredness sets in, you start realizing you're almost on the downward slope, and earthly things (like sequels to your favorite childhood movies about talking toys) start to look very, very attractive. It's kind of a cruddy time to be training, but it's probably best to keep me focused. President Jergensen mentioned in the interview with me how missionaries lose focus around this time. I can definitely see how. But I'm pushing through and making the best of it. I'm enjoying this transfer much more than last, and the work is definitely picking up, so those two things help.
This week was also the week of the big change. The Peoria Illinois Mission was split so now we have Davenport (which apparently takes in Dubuque), Nauvoo, and Peoria Stakes. That's a huge geographical change. We also got a new Assistant from there, one of the ones from the other mission, and so it's weird having three. And we also have a new mission President, President Jergensen. Now, this is a lot of big changes for a guy who hates change (yeah, it was wonderful hearing our new AP that's been out 17 months saying he's been in as many areas as me, and would have only been in four if he had stayed in the other mission), but I learned quickly to love President Jergensen. Now, when he asked us to take off our jackets in Zone Conference, that may have made me somewhat biased in his favor, but still, I think he'll be good. He definitely doesn't seem like the whip-wielding taskmaster I expected him to be. He's got a good sense of humor, really has his wits about himself, and seems loving and caring too. We only had quick interviews, kind of like little getting to know you things, during Zone Conference, because we'll be having real ones at one of our district meetings coming up. During that interview, I was telling him about a couple that have been friends to the missionaries that ordered a Book of Mormon out-of-the-blue when the Referral Center called them up, seeing if they had gotten whatever DVD they had ordered, and asked them if they wanted a Book of Mormon. I said, "We'll be teaching them now, which is great, because we already love them and they already love us." He stopped me at that and pointed out how that is what it's all about, and that I was the first one to mention that yet. He also said that the second part of that sentence really shows what type of missionary I am to have people love me. Since I'm still learning how exactly to accept compliments, I mentioned how that was not meant to be bragging (which he said he knew that already) but that it's become common for me to tell my companions "I'm sick of all these people liking me!" I'm not, really, but I really don't understand what's so apparently lovable about me. I don't go out of my way or work really hard at it, it just happens. Anyway, I just find it so odd that the thing that means the most is the thing that happens naturally. Maybe all these other things I constantly stress over will just fall into place if I just sit back and let it.
Maybe. Can't risk it. Some useless stress should help things come together, right?
But yeah, things are picking up like crazy here. Numbers weren't terribly high for this last week, but numbers don't matter, the people do, and a lot was done for the people. We set a baptismal date last Monday, which fell through when she didn't come to church, but at least we set one! Also, we picked up a few investigators and gained some fun stories. One new investigator has dementia, I think, and was way talkative, spoke in third person, was 82, repeated a lot of the same stories and sayings, spoke to her pictures of deceased relatives, and dropped us when we finally got a member there for a visit. We're still puzzled as to why she dropped us, but we were able to convince her to keep the Book of Mormon that she was trying to hand back to us, at least. I told her that there was a chapter, 2 Nephi 2, that would help with reading Genesis.
Yesterday we were taken by an awesome Less Active to a town named Forest City to go to the A&W there. While there we drove around the Winnebago Plant there. It's the main one. I feel so special to be near such a major American Landmark as the Winnebago Plant. We also went to the Pilot Knob, the second highest point in Iowa. It had woods there and a stone tower and a hill to hike up. I felt like I was in Washington for a minute. Pictures of both will come soon.
Oh, and the fourth was actually really quiet and boring. No real fireworks like back at home. I kind of miss the war zone. there were some good fireworks displays, but both were after we needed to be in and too far away to see from our windows. You'd think third story in Iowa would allow you to see forever, and it would, but we have trees around us.
Well, that's about it!
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
It says in the white handbook to not write anything negative about the areas where we serve, so I guess this Email will be really short.
Just kidding!
So anyway, Mom asked me how it feels to have reached 11 months and to be almost halfway. I'm guessing it feels about the same as being asked what it feels like to turn 50. I'd rather not think about it either. But since you asked, I'll answer. It's exciting but scary at the same time. Someone once told me the hardest part of my mission would be right about now. Extreme tiredness sets in, you start realizing you're almost on the downward slope, and earthly things (like sequels to your favorite childhood movies about talking toys) start to look very, very attractive. It's kind of a cruddy time to be training, but it's probably best to keep me focused. President Jergensen mentioned in the interview with me how missionaries lose focus around this time. I can definitely see how. But I'm pushing through and making the best of it. I'm enjoying this transfer much more than last, and the work is definitely picking up, so those two things help.
This week was also the week of the big change. The Peoria Illinois Mission was split so now we have Davenport (which apparently takes in Dubuque), Nauvoo, and Peoria Stakes. That's a huge geographical change. We also got a new Assistant from there, one of the ones from the other mission, and so it's weird having three. And we also have a new mission President, President Jergensen. Now, this is a lot of big changes for a guy who hates change (yeah, it was wonderful hearing our new AP that's been out 17 months saying he's been in as many areas as me, and would have only been in four if he had stayed in the other mission), but I learned quickly to love President Jergensen. Now, when he asked us to take off our jackets in Zone Conference, that may have made me somewhat biased in his favor, but still, I think he'll be good. He definitely doesn't seem like the whip-wielding taskmaster I expected him to be. He's got a good sense of humor, really has his wits about himself, and seems loving and caring too. We only had quick interviews, kind of like little getting to know you things, during Zone Conference, because we'll be having real ones at one of our district meetings coming up. During that interview, I was telling him about a couple that have been friends to the missionaries that ordered a Book of Mormon out-of-the-blue when the Referral Center called them up, seeing if they had gotten whatever DVD they had ordered, and asked them if they wanted a Book of Mormon. I said, "We'll be teaching them now, which is great, because we already love them and they already love us." He stopped me at that and pointed out how that is what it's all about, and that I was the first one to mention that yet. He also said that the second part of that sentence really shows what type of missionary I am to have people love me. Since I'm still learning how exactly to accept compliments, I mentioned how that was not meant to be bragging (which he said he knew that already) but that it's become common for me to tell my companions "I'm sick of all these people liking me!" I'm not, really, but I really don't understand what's so apparently lovable about me. I don't go out of my way or work really hard at it, it just happens. Anyway, I just find it so odd that the thing that means the most is the thing that happens naturally. Maybe all these other things I constantly stress over will just fall into place if I just sit back and let it.
Maybe. Can't risk it. Some useless stress should help things come together, right?
But yeah, things are picking up like crazy here. Numbers weren't terribly high for this last week, but numbers don't matter, the people do, and a lot was done for the people. We set a baptismal date last Monday, which fell through when she didn't come to church, but at least we set one! Also, we picked up a few investigators and gained some fun stories. One new investigator has dementia, I think, and was way talkative, spoke in third person, was 82, repeated a lot of the same stories and sayings, spoke to her pictures of deceased relatives, and dropped us when we finally got a member there for a visit. We're still puzzled as to why she dropped us, but we were able to convince her to keep the Book of Mormon that she was trying to hand back to us, at least. I told her that there was a chapter, 2 Nephi 2, that would help with reading Genesis.
Yesterday we were taken by an awesome Less Active to a town named Forest City to go to the A&W there. While there we drove around the Winnebago Plant there. It's the main one. I feel so special to be near such a major American Landmark as the Winnebago Plant. We also went to the Pilot Knob, the second highest point in Iowa. It had woods there and a stone tower and a hill to hike up. I felt like I was in Washington for a minute. Pictures of both will come soon.
Oh, and the fourth was actually really quiet and boring. No real fireworks like back at home. I kind of miss the war zone. there were some good fireworks displays, but both were after we needed to be in and too far away to see from our windows. You'd think third story in Iowa would allow you to see forever, and it would, but we have trees around us.
Well, that's about it!
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tornadoes, Floods, No Mail, Mission Presidents Going Home, Mission Changes, Parted Hair, and Other Disasters
Yeah, I know which one of those you're probably most concerned about.
I've started sort of parting my hair. It's not so much a part as it goes to one side. It doesn't look too bad, but I think I can only do it for a little bit before my hair grows out some more. I hate parts.
Anyway, now that I'm done with the important stuff; we had some more tornado warnings to worry about this week. So, yet again, we went to a member family's home for awhile on one of the nights this past week. Trained my trainee in how to play Scrabble and lost by a few points to Sister Hansen. The weather is crazy when it's going to storm like that: the clouds look like a ceiling that has condensation on it, with little blobs of cloud hanging down, and then there was a funnel cloud and all sorts of lightning. I started to get a weird headache in my temple the short time we were outside in the lightning storm. I wonder if that's one of the feelings you get before being struck. Oh well, I wasn't, but my bishop was once!
Along with these storms came floods in the southern part of our area, and an entire town just about was underwater. I'll send pictures of Dumont.
The nice thing about the midwest is that the old homes here are very sturdy. They have to be in order to survive a hundred years or so of tornado seasons.
On Friday we had district meeting and President Talbot and Sister Talbot came to the end of it to have interviews with us to say goodbye. They both gave me a really good pep talk, which is good to hear, since now they're not necessarily obligated to give one. It's crazy to think that this coming Friday I'll be sitting in an interview with President Jergensen. I'll really miss Pres and Sis Talbot. I'm nervous about getting a new mission president, but I'm sure he's what this mission needs. Also, as of this week, due to the change, the mission will change as well, and we'll be losing Sioux City Stake and gaining Dubuque, Davenport, and Nauvoo Stakes, which will be a huge change. Some of my favorite mission buddies are over in Sioux City Stake right now, too, like Elder Heyborne.
Things are going great. We're picking up a lot of new people to teach (especially elderly single women. And by elderly I mean one's 84 and the other 82), finding investigators that have been lost, and things are really bumping up a notch. Things will go well here, as long as Mason City's not wiped off the map by a twister.
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
I've started sort of parting my hair. It's not so much a part as it goes to one side. It doesn't look too bad, but I think I can only do it for a little bit before my hair grows out some more. I hate parts.
Anyway, now that I'm done with the important stuff; we had some more tornado warnings to worry about this week. So, yet again, we went to a member family's home for awhile on one of the nights this past week. Trained my trainee in how to play Scrabble and lost by a few points to Sister Hansen. The weather is crazy when it's going to storm like that: the clouds look like a ceiling that has condensation on it, with little blobs of cloud hanging down, and then there was a funnel cloud and all sorts of lightning. I started to get a weird headache in my temple the short time we were outside in the lightning storm. I wonder if that's one of the feelings you get before being struck. Oh well, I wasn't, but my bishop was once!
Along with these storms came floods in the southern part of our area, and an entire town just about was underwater. I'll send pictures of Dumont.
The nice thing about the midwest is that the old homes here are very sturdy. They have to be in order to survive a hundred years or so of tornado seasons.
On Friday we had district meeting and President Talbot and Sister Talbot came to the end of it to have interviews with us to say goodbye. They both gave me a really good pep talk, which is good to hear, since now they're not necessarily obligated to give one. It's crazy to think that this coming Friday I'll be sitting in an interview with President Jergensen. I'll really miss Pres and Sis Talbot. I'm nervous about getting a new mission president, but I'm sure he's what this mission needs. Also, as of this week, due to the change, the mission will change as well, and we'll be losing Sioux City Stake and gaining Dubuque, Davenport, and Nauvoo Stakes, which will be a huge change. Some of my favorite mission buddies are over in Sioux City Stake right now, too, like Elder Heyborne.
Things are going great. We're picking up a lot of new people to teach (especially elderly single women. And by elderly I mean one's 84 and the other 82), finding investigators that have been lost, and things are really bumping up a notch. Things will go well here, as long as Mason City's not wiped off the map by a twister.
--
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tornadoes, Broken Bike Chains, and Crazy People: What a Great Way to Start!
Hello everyone,
Yep, that's right, we had a tornado just outside of our area (and Grandma was so excited that I was going stateside and not one of those "dangerous" foreign countries). It was actually Thursday night, Elder Shelman's first night in the field. We first got a call from a member letting us know about it, and then our Mission President called, asking how things were. I told him nothing looked bad where we were but that there was a tornado about forty miles away or so and he said that the news reports were saying it may turn south towards Mason City. So we canceled our plans to visit a member family that lives in a trailer park (for some reason "Trailer" and "Ternater" just didn't seem like a good combo) and just drove to a member family's home nearby that had a basement. Living on the third floor of an apartment building with no basement didn't seem too safe. So we stayed there until the news reports said it had moved down from tornado to storm watch.
The next day we bought a new bike for him. The day after that the chain broke about two miles from our house.
And this morning we tried to visit what we thought was a less-active member that wasn't on our roles. Yeah, no, he wasn't a member, but a man who is the son of a member who first ask for a Book of Mormon since he knew it was true and wanted to study it himself, but then continued on to talk about how he's had a spirit inside him and has a rock that Jesus once held and all sorts of stuff.... He talked, loudly, nonstop, for about 45 minutes and then tried to set up a time for us to come back. I hesitated, thinking "Look, guy, you seemed solid for the first five minutes but now I'm pretty sure you've fried your brain on too many drugs or else you have Bi-Polar/Schizophrenia or maybe you really were possessed by a spirit and it sure wasn't a good one by the story you just told or something and I'm pretty sure we could get nowhere with you," but instead all I said was "Uhhhhh...." I think what I said was more tactful than what I thought. He figured out that we'd either stop by at the foreordained time or else we wouldn't. I severely doubt we will. My poor companion, that's his second time in a "lesson" (I can't count it as a lesson, because there were no prayers and we said very little more than uh-huh and nope) with a nonmember in Iowa.
More about my trainee, his name's Elder Marcus Shelman from Pingree(?) Idaho, somewhere near Blackfoot. Thank goodness he's not from Utah. Tall kid, blonde, he's kinda like Tyler Mallory in the way he acts. Best way to describe him as far as I can tell. Great kid, he'll be a good missionary to train. I was pretty stressed out at first, and still kind of am, because I want his training process to go well and for me to set a good example, but there have been so many things going wrong outside of my control it's crazy. But at least they're outside of my control, so I can't beat myself up too much about the work not going well here. I was late to the training meeting though and so I missed out on some of the training for the trainers. So I was a tad more confused than most, I think. But things are going well. Not much else to update on, I don't think.
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
Yep, that's right, we had a tornado just outside of our area (and Grandma was so excited that I was going stateside and not one of those "dangerous" foreign countries). It was actually Thursday night, Elder Shelman's first night in the field. We first got a call from a member letting us know about it, and then our Mission President called, asking how things were. I told him nothing looked bad where we were but that there was a tornado about forty miles away or so and he said that the news reports were saying it may turn south towards Mason City. So we canceled our plans to visit a member family that lives in a trailer park (for some reason "Trailer" and "Ternater" just didn't seem like a good combo) and just drove to a member family's home nearby that had a basement. Living on the third floor of an apartment building with no basement didn't seem too safe. So we stayed there until the news reports said it had moved down from tornado to storm watch.
The next day we bought a new bike for him. The day after that the chain broke about two miles from our house.
And this morning we tried to visit what we thought was a less-active member that wasn't on our roles. Yeah, no, he wasn't a member, but a man who is the son of a member who first ask for a Book of Mormon since he knew it was true and wanted to study it himself, but then continued on to talk about how he's had a spirit inside him and has a rock that Jesus once held and all sorts of stuff.... He talked, loudly, nonstop, for about 45 minutes and then tried to set up a time for us to come back. I hesitated, thinking "Look, guy, you seemed solid for the first five minutes but now I'm pretty sure you've fried your brain on too many drugs or else you have Bi-Polar/Schizophrenia or maybe you really were possessed by a spirit and it sure wasn't a good one by the story you just told or something and I'm pretty sure we could get nowhere with you," but instead all I said was "Uhhhhh...." I think what I said was more tactful than what I thought. He figured out that we'd either stop by at the foreordained time or else we wouldn't. I severely doubt we will. My poor companion, that's his second time in a "lesson" (I can't count it as a lesson, because there were no prayers and we said very little more than uh-huh and nope) with a nonmember in Iowa.
More about my trainee, his name's Elder Marcus Shelman from Pingree(?) Idaho, somewhere near Blackfoot. Thank goodness he's not from Utah. Tall kid, blonde, he's kinda like Tyler Mallory in the way he acts. Best way to describe him as far as I can tell. Great kid, he'll be a good missionary to train. I was pretty stressed out at first, and still kind of am, because I want his training process to go well and for me to set a good example, but there have been so many things going wrong outside of my control it's crazy. But at least they're outside of my control, so I can't beat myself up too much about the work not going well here. I was late to the training meeting though and so I missed out on some of the training for the trainers. So I was a tad more confused than most, I think. But things are going well. Not much else to update on, I don't think.
"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in." D&C 127:2
Elder Charlie Gates
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