Yeah, I heard something today about Osama Bin Laden being dead. That's pretty exciting! Those rare times in life when you can celebrate the death of another one of God's Children and not feel guilty are delightful experiences.
I believe it was Thursday night when Elder Unsicker turned to me in the car and asked a question I've heard from many of my companions who assume that my silence is due to some deep pondering:
"What are you thinking, Elder Gates?"
To his dismay, my reply was not the usual "Why is there no squirrel-based superhero?" or "Bunny rabbits sure do make horrible pets." Instead, I responded with a thoughtful "About how much I want to be consecrated."
Silence. Neither Elder Unsicker nor I have been bad missionaries, but we have had some things that we could be better on in order to be the best missionaries we could be. After about a minute, he drilled deeper. "How badly do you want it?"
"Bad."
"How bad?"
"Really bad."
He then began an inner struggle. His lifelong pursuit of doing what he wanted started to give way to his mission-long dream of being consecrated. By the time we arrived back at the house, he had acquiesced. Elder Unsicker is the first companion in a very long time that I knew I could strive to achieve this with once more. So, on Sunday, we began it all with a fast, and we're changing ourselves and giving up everything that we need to. We're sacrificing not only the little things we'd do, or the little laziness that might creep in, but, more importantly, our heart and soul, to the work. I only have 3.5 months left and I want to sprint it. Not my usual way of ending endurance races, as I tend more to say "Bah, I'm tired, when can I get my Sunny-D?" but I know this is how I have to do it.
As for the work this week, it's been incredible. On Wednesday alone, we set 2 baptismal dates, got 2 new investigators, committed both of those investigators to be baptized, had three member presents, and all of them were Marshallese. All in all we have 6 Marshallese investigators now, 5 committed to baptism, 2 with a date, and 1 should have a date as of last night. She, Justina, was going to be meeting with a member of the Relief Society about wedding plans. She apparently wants to get married and then walk right down into the font, so I'm not about to complain. The first lesson we taught on Wednesday was with a new investigator, Mary. Mary is the pregnant girlfriend of a member and knows very little english. That whole lesson had to be translated into Marshallese for her. But she understood well and excepted a baptismal invitation. Her less-active-due-to-work boyfriend did a great job translating, teaching some, and testifying throughout. We then met with Janie, a new investigator as well, and sister of Justina. She, too, has a boyfriend that is a member, but understands english pretty well. She, also, accepted a baptismal invitation. After that we tried to go see a less active with the two Marshallese Priests we had with us, Ronnie and Mike, but that lesson fell through (she's not Marshallese). So, instead, we went to what I think of as my mountain. It's a hilltop park overlooking the city where I go when I really need to pray. There we knelt and prayed about what date we should commit Ejmi and Mailalyne, our next appointments, to be baptized on. We felt that May 14th was the date God wanted them baptized on. So, for that lesson with Ejmi and Mailalyne, we had Ronnie and Mike teach it all with Elder Unsicker's visual aides (I have a whole plan of salvation as well but I had left it at home). They both did a fantastic job explaining everything and, when we asked her how she felt, she said she could feel the Holy Ghost come on her, telling her it was true. So, I confirmed what she felt, as Elder Unsicker and I had been feeling it, too, even though we couldn't understand what was being said, and then informed her of God's plan for her to be baptized on May 14th and asked her how she felt about that. She thought for a minute, and then agreed. Her biggest concern was whether or not her boyfriend that lives elsewhere could get baptized, too, when he arrived and they got married. It was a hard decision, but we agreed to it. Mailalyne, who had been sitting there as well, ended up being 8 and not 7.5 as I had thought, so we invited her to be baptized on that day as well, which she excitedly accepted. As her mother lives in Seattle and is not a member, she falls into our hands for being baptized. We left that appointment exhausted. Although we had driven everywhere that day, we felt as if we had biked from one end of town to the other. We could feel that same sort of exhaustion that has always overcome God's servants after marvelous revelations. We had a short coordination that night with our ward mission leader, and neither of us could hardly believe what all had happened that day and struggled to remember it all as we also fought off complete surrender to our exhaustion. That was a good day. We had other good days through the rest of the week, as we kept teaching our investigators. One, Branton, we thought was going to drop us, but instead just wants a Marshallese Book of Mormon. We're running out. I only have two left, and after I deliver that one to him, only one left. We told our ward mission leader about our dilemma, to which he responded "Well, there's about twenty in the missionary closet at the church." Elder Unsicker and I laughed a little and informed him that we have handed them all out. Anyway, when we went to meet up with Mary for a second lesson, Branton sat in on it. Again, Mike and Ronnie taught it, doing a great job. This time, Steve, Mary's boyfriend, asked a question about baptisms for the dead. Branton also asked for further explanation on the Spirit World and the Three Kingdoms of Glory, which, because he understands english, I was able to explain with the New Testament. After that he seemed more drawn into learning more. We also taught another couple of lessons to Janie, and more to Justina. Justina is already living the Word of Wisdom and paying tithing. She already has a strong testimony in the latter, as Jemity, her boyfriend, has always told her that they would be living it, and when they moved to the states and into their current apartment, the price was dropped from $700 a month to $100 a month, and she knows it was all due to them paying their tithing, and God allowing them to have the money to do so. So, we're not teaching Justina, we're simply checking it all off of the teaching record so we knows she knows it before baptism.
I only bother with the nonMarshallese investigators if they're in Galena.
Well, that's about it! Mother's Day is coming up!! I'll get to talk to yall in Worshington in pertinear a couple three days, yet! Bah, my Iowa-talk is leaving, as I'm switching over to Marshallese talk. During our appointments I speak really slow, pronouncing everything clearly (imagine that, me not mumbling), and so I've realized a lot of times I accidentally pick up the Marshallese accent during the lessons.
We also are working a lot with members, and the members are starting to really love us. We're rebuilding trusts that were lost by former missionaries and building even stronger the trusts we had. God is blessing us so much, he's even sent a member here that wants to take us golfing. I know it's not your thing, dad, but I enjoy it. I just haven't gone on my mission because it's not the cheapest of things, especially when you don't have a set of clubs.
Life is great. I really can't think of anything to complain about, and even if I could, I can't anymore, because I'm become the ideal missionary.
Love you all like a Marshallese teenager loves socks with flip flops! (I didn't even know that was physically possible.)
--
Love,
Elder Gates
"Complete conversion comes after many trials and much testing." Bible Dictionary
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter: The Source of All Joy
Mom said in her latest email that she is thinking about forwarding my last email to President Miles because he might be interested in the Marshallese work going on here. If the last email hasn't been sent yet, don't bother, this one will be much more informative. So, last sunday, as I mentioned, we started teaching a lady named Justina, who is living with a member. She knew it was all true before we went over. We've gone with a couple of Marshallese Priests (as in, Priests of our church that are Marshallese. Sometimes when I say this in the district, other missionaries get confused what a Marshallese Priest is), Mike and Ronnie. Mike is a recent convert and Ronnie is preparing to go on a mission as soon as he graduates. Both are incredible young men and priesthood holders. We've taught Justina a few times this week, and she is understanding everything very well so far. I'm learning how to teach very simply in simple words and to annunciate clearly. You never know, I might not even mumble anymore when I get home. Doubt it. She knows she needs to get married before baptism and is planning on getting married very soon. We don't know quite when yet, but the Relief Society will be helping with that. We are also trying to pick back up a Marshallese investigator who had had a baptismal date not that long ago, Eddy. He is sixteen and apparently has still been going to mutual, just not to church. We had heard that it might be that his parents haven't been terribly supportive of him being taught, but I'm texting him now so we hope that he will be taught more here soon. We've also extended soft baptismal invites (when you know this is true, will you...) to two new investigators this week, Mike's aunt and cousin, Ejmi and Lalailyne, respectively. Both have been going to church for about a month. They also seemed to understand what was being taught. The Mike's cousin is 7.5 and her mom is living in Seattle. The way Marshallese families work is that they are very tightknit and a lot of times it just doesn't matter to them if the parents are the ones raising the child or if it is the aunt and/or uncle. We taught those two yesterday and will be seeing them again soon. We also started meeting with another one of Mike and Ronnie's friends, Branton. When we were walking around with Mike in a predominately Marshallese neighborhood, we ran into a lot of the Marshallese youth and Branton. They all surrounded Branton and told us to start teaching him. If only all of the church was this onto missionary work. So, letting Branton know we weren't going to force him to do anything, even to be taught, we invited him to take the lessons and he agreed. He's been to a few activities as well. He's kind of a shy kid but cool, nevertheless. Marshallese people have the best sense of humor. And the youth attack anybody that starts swearing. They know their standards and they are not afraid to stand up for them. We also gained two new referrals yesterday. One is the sister of Justina who was referred to us by a member. The other one was obtained while coming out of an appointment with Justina. It basically was obtained by Mike pointing across the street at a guy and saying "He wants his girlfriend to be taught," and us asking the guy, who is Ronnie's less active brother if this was true. All in all, we'll soon have about 7 Marshallese investigators, with more on the way I'm sure. It's funny, because they are far more solid than any of our nonMarshallese investigators, who all have dropped off the map. Basically, if they end up bringing another set of missionaries here for some reason, Elder Unsicker and I will take all of the Marshallese people and they can have everybody else. I don't know if they will bring other missionaries here, but, if a Marshallese branch is started here soon like the plan is, it may be necessary. I would not mind ending my mission as a Marshallese missionary. Actually, I have some news on finishing my mission. This week the entire district except for Elder Roberts and me went to Des Moines for one of those Leadership Conferences, as they are trying to have everybody that has never gone to one go. I think I mentioned that last week. Anyway, I was stuck in Savanna for two whole days. I never realized just how depressing that area is. But I survived and received some news from Elder Unsicker. He talked to President as we had planned and asked him if we could stay together for a little bit. President responded that that is the plan, to leave us together in Dubuque till the end of my mission. Let's hope so. Great things are going to happen here. Now it's just up to us to prove to God that we can accomplish these great things. Elder Unsicker was also able to obtain from one of his previous areas a Roomba that they had been given while he was there. So now we no longer need to vacuum, just merely set his robotic vacuum named Chloe in the middle of the floor and press on. Yeah, life is good. We're very booked on appointments this week, it's really not allowing time for anything besides teaching, which is exactly how it should be. Oh, and a realization I had before another appointment this past friday with our investigator in Friday who is attempting to drink herself to death is that everything in life is a blessing. Yep, everything. It's up to us to make sure it blesses us or not, but God doesn't allow anything to happen to us unless it will bless us in some way, either by giving us a learning experience or just flat out making our lives better. I don't know if this is new to any of you, i really doubt it is to me, I just haven't realized it in this way before. Sometimes, people have a lot more complicated learning experiences than others, but all in all, we can learn from everyone. I know, you might be thinking I'm oversimplifying it, but I doubt it. So whether it's a stubbed toe, wrecked car, dead cat, accidental deleting of an email, stain on a tie, or whatever, it's a blessing. Or, at least, if you have that mindset that it is, and that you need to make it such, it will be. Anyway, whatever.
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Blindsided by Blessings
Sometimes I wonder if God just likes to hit us with blessings from a direction we didn't fully expect when our attention is elsewhere, like a cheapshot ball to the face in dodgeball. Or water polo.
Anyway, as I was saying last week, or should have been saying last week, we've been getting a lot of referrals. Some of them have been for Marshallese people who are already going to church. One of these people we went and saw yesterday. As my companion was committing her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, I got an impression I followed through on.
"Have you already read from and prayed about the Book of Mormon?"
"Yes."
"How did you feel?"
"That it's true."
I asked her the same thing about Joseph Smith, receiving the same response. Blessing smack to the face! I invited her to be baptized, and she agreed. My companion, either unaware or else having forgotten her current story, invited her to pray about a date to be baptized and that whatever that date was we'd make sure she was able to be baptized on that day. He asked when she would be able to pray about it and when we could meet next. She said she'd pray that night and would be ready to meet with us today. I later informed my companion that she is living with a man that is a member whom she is not married to and would kind of need to have that taken care of before baptism. I would have brought it up in the lesson but didn't feel a need to, letting him give the promise and see what may come. We had taken a couple of Marshallese Young Men with us to the appointment to help them prep for their missions. We let them know afterwards just how rare such a thing is. We've been meeting a lot with those two young men this week, preparing them to teach the lessons to the aunt and cousin of one of those young men. Once they are prepared we'll start teaching them, I'm thinking that will give nearly the same results. I LOVE MARSHALLESE PEOPLE! One of the young men made a really good point, however, that, despite her good english and insistence that she didn't have any questions, probably didn't understand a good portion of the lessons. We may need to have them translate a lot from now on. While one of those young men has only been a member for a few months and was on the wildside before then, both of these young men have the deepest respect from Elder Unsicker and me. They are probably a couple of the most stalwart Aaronic Priesthood holders we've seen on our missions. We're also finding more ways to work with the members, using a concept Elder Unsicker brought from his last zone which is GREAT. We shared it with a family last night and, as Elder Unsicker informs me is the norm, there were tears shed. The major point of the spiritual thought is to have the members set a baptismal goal of their own for the year. In order to double baptisms, all of the members just have to invite 1.2 more people. It's really just that simple. Remember everyone, you're the finders, we're the teachers. Don't you dare, however, try to find without the Spirit. Pray about it and God will direct you. And don't think us missionaries simply assume that it's easy to talk to your friends and that it's simple to refer people to us to teach. Remember, I tried to talk to my friends back at home, too, but I also got missionary experiences because I was praying for them. They didn't come the way I though they would, but they came.
Anyway.
We also followed up with a referral from a member in Bettendorf. It was for her uncle. He has some pretty interesting ideas that revolve mostly around agnosticism. We're trying to focus on just how cut and dry and scientific the experimentation of the truth is: try it out, pray about it, and the Spirit will tell you it's true. Simple as that. I don't know if he will just consider himself too old to change or something, we'll see. We also are still meeting with people in Galena, including a man who is praying about baptism. That was a great and spiritual lesson on just how important the Gift of the Holy Ghost is and how the little flashes of light he gets when we come will be a constant sunlight when he receives that gift. We also taught another investigator in Galena. A good portion of that is more or less convincing her not to drink herself to death. Luckily she did keep her promise and was sober for this lesson.
Some of the investigators that Elder Noel and I were trying to follow up with all last transfer are either sort of dropping us or else I'm just saying forget it about. We're getting enough better stuff in this area that I don't need to keep wasting the Lord's time trying to meet up with people that won't even call us back.
I've also been happy to do a lot of bike riding. A good portion of the week was in the car, however, it slipped back and forth from Death by Storm to Death by Cold. I was pretty proud of myself yesterday in that I biked all of the hills except one without walking. My asthma didn't like it much, so I took my inhaler, just to discover that I had chosen the one that had been expired for over a year. That was fun.
Also it seems that we're on better terms with our landlords. We met them in person and they were much nicer. I think that Elder Jahn, who is over the apartments in the office, worked his magic when he called them. We're still keeping our eyes open, though, for apartments just in case.
Sadly, however, with all of this stuff going on, we are going to be out of town for a couple days due to a meeting Elder Unsicker has to go to. It's one of the leadership meetings I've been to in the past, but now they're inviting everyone who's never gone before, too. And since I have no leadership and have been before, I get to stay... but not in Dubuque. Due to mileage conditions, I'll be staying in Savanna, a small-town area with little going for it and a branch that is so small, the missionaries are basically the first and second counselors. It seems odd that while there is a branch that is on the verge of collapse there, we're working on starting a Marshallese Branch, here. I'm hoping it's created before I leave. Anyway, we just found this out last night, so we have to cancel some stuff and refigure it all out. Great stuff is going to go down, I know it. I love this area, I love this ward, I love the Marshallese, and I love the work.
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
Anyway, as I was saying last week, or should have been saying last week, we've been getting a lot of referrals. Some of them have been for Marshallese people who are already going to church. One of these people we went and saw yesterday. As my companion was committing her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, I got an impression I followed through on.
"Have you already read from and prayed about the Book of Mormon?"
"Yes."
"How did you feel?"
"That it's true."
I asked her the same thing about Joseph Smith, receiving the same response. Blessing smack to the face! I invited her to be baptized, and she agreed. My companion, either unaware or else having forgotten her current story, invited her to pray about a date to be baptized and that whatever that date was we'd make sure she was able to be baptized on that day. He asked when she would be able to pray about it and when we could meet next. She said she'd pray that night and would be ready to meet with us today. I later informed my companion that she is living with a man that is a member whom she is not married to and would kind of need to have that taken care of before baptism. I would have brought it up in the lesson but didn't feel a need to, letting him give the promise and see what may come. We had taken a couple of Marshallese Young Men with us to the appointment to help them prep for their missions. We let them know afterwards just how rare such a thing is. We've been meeting a lot with those two young men this week, preparing them to teach the lessons to the aunt and cousin of one of those young men. Once they are prepared we'll start teaching them, I'm thinking that will give nearly the same results. I LOVE MARSHALLESE PEOPLE! One of the young men made a really good point, however, that, despite her good english and insistence that she didn't have any questions, probably didn't understand a good portion of the lessons. We may need to have them translate a lot from now on. While one of those young men has only been a member for a few months and was on the wildside before then, both of these young men have the deepest respect from Elder Unsicker and me. They are probably a couple of the most stalwart Aaronic Priesthood holders we've seen on our missions. We're also finding more ways to work with the members, using a concept Elder Unsicker brought from his last zone which is GREAT. We shared it with a family last night and, as Elder Unsicker informs me is the norm, there were tears shed. The major point of the spiritual thought is to have the members set a baptismal goal of their own for the year. In order to double baptisms, all of the members just have to invite 1.2 more people. It's really just that simple. Remember everyone, you're the finders, we're the teachers. Don't you dare, however, try to find without the Spirit. Pray about it and God will direct you. And don't think us missionaries simply assume that it's easy to talk to your friends and that it's simple to refer people to us to teach. Remember, I tried to talk to my friends back at home, too, but I also got missionary experiences because I was praying for them. They didn't come the way I though they would, but they came.
Anyway.
We also followed up with a referral from a member in Bettendorf. It was for her uncle. He has some pretty interesting ideas that revolve mostly around agnosticism. We're trying to focus on just how cut and dry and scientific the experimentation of the truth is: try it out, pray about it, and the Spirit will tell you it's true. Simple as that. I don't know if he will just consider himself too old to change or something, we'll see. We also are still meeting with people in Galena, including a man who is praying about baptism. That was a great and spiritual lesson on just how important the Gift of the Holy Ghost is and how the little flashes of light he gets when we come will be a constant sunlight when he receives that gift. We also taught another investigator in Galena. A good portion of that is more or less convincing her not to drink herself to death. Luckily she did keep her promise and was sober for this lesson.
Some of the investigators that Elder Noel and I were trying to follow up with all last transfer are either sort of dropping us or else I'm just saying forget it about. We're getting enough better stuff in this area that I don't need to keep wasting the Lord's time trying to meet up with people that won't even call us back.
I've also been happy to do a lot of bike riding. A good portion of the week was in the car, however, it slipped back and forth from Death by Storm to Death by Cold. I was pretty proud of myself yesterday in that I biked all of the hills except one without walking. My asthma didn't like it much, so I took my inhaler, just to discover that I had chosen the one that had been expired for over a year. That was fun.
Also it seems that we're on better terms with our landlords. We met them in person and they were much nicer. I think that Elder Jahn, who is over the apartments in the office, worked his magic when he called them. We're still keeping our eyes open, though, for apartments just in case.
Sadly, however, with all of this stuff going on, we are going to be out of town for a couple days due to a meeting Elder Unsicker has to go to. It's one of the leadership meetings I've been to in the past, but now they're inviting everyone who's never gone before, too. And since I have no leadership and have been before, I get to stay... but not in Dubuque. Due to mileage conditions, I'll be staying in Savanna, a small-town area with little going for it and a branch that is so small, the missionaries are basically the first and second counselors. It seems odd that while there is a branch that is on the verge of collapse there, we're working on starting a Marshallese Branch, here. I'm hoping it's created before I leave. Anyway, we just found this out last night, so we have to cancel some stuff and refigure it all out. Great stuff is going to go down, I know it. I love this area, I love this ward, I love the Marshallese, and I love the work.
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Four Seasons of the Mid-West: Death by Cold, Death by Storm, Death by Heat, and Fall
Sadly, by the time Autumn comes around, you are triple dead so it doesn't matter.
Welcome, everybody, to the Death by Storm Season of Iowa, a delightful season referred to in many English-speaking parts of the world as "Spring." The birds are back, in all of their chirping glory. The bugs have returned, in all of their...whatever it is, I refuse to call it glory. And yet, for some odd reason that seems to be the case in nearly every instance, the worst of places attracts the best of people. The Palestinian Desert where the Israelites always gathered. The Salt Lake Valley, which the Saints were rightly told not to settle by people who knew not the will God. And the Midwest, which is really just God's Greenhouse and where people only really live because somebody has to tend God's Greenhouse. I don't wish to complain, I just don't know how to convey to those who have never been in the midwest what the midwest is like without a little sarcasm. I love the midwest. I've wanted my whole mission to be in a city; and now that I am in a city, I keep dying to see the countryside. I love being able to see forever and all of the farms as far as the eye can see, which, strangely enough, is also a unit of measure referred to as a "farsee" (after a farsee take a left, and then after about a half-a-farsee take a right. Half as far as I can see?).
Anyway, you want an update I bet. I am now serving with Elder Unsicker from Richfield, UT. His grandparents, however, are from Iowa City, and his uncle used to be in the mission presidency here. Which means....Drum Roll please...that's right, his uncle was President Hartley. Cari's mission companion, Sister Megan Hartley, is his cousin. We're practically related. We expect congratulatory packages. He's really a good kid and I think this will work out great. We get along really well and he's hilarious. I only say that because his sense of humor is much like mine, so of course he's hilarious. While I feel better in some ways, in others I've been far more stressed.
One stressor is that I got a call from our landlord this week saying that she had gotten an email from our downstairs neighbor with a noise complaint. She was very terse no matter how congenial I tried to be (even using the phrase "you people" like one would if rats had somehow started walking on hindlegs and gained nametags), said that the last neighbor downstairs had moved out a year ago because of the noise, and said that if there is no dramatic change in the next three weeks that she would not renew the lease. Scared to death that I had completely, and singlehandedly, ruined our apartment deal, I called President. He told me to talk to the neighbors and get back to him. I did so, and they were very nice, warm, and friendly, understanding that the noise is mostly because it's a new building and just asked us to be quieter when walking up the stairs and in the room above their child's room. Completely different than what I was expecting from the landlord's call. With her curt treatment of me on the phone, I called back President and informed him of our conversation with the neighbors downstairs and related my belief that the problem resided more with the landlord and that I could see her looking for reasons to boot us. He said to talk to her again and let her know we're in contact with our neighbors and doing all we can to be courteous. "Just win her over, Elder Gates," he said. "I know you're good at that." Ah freak, no pressure. Sometimes people who are usually happy get more responsibility. Maybe the real answer lies in being happy but hiding it from those who may come to always expect it out of you. In the meantime, we got in contact with the ward, letting them know of the situation and to see if there are members we could stay with if need be.
That's a lot of information with very little in the way of a missionary update. These last few days haven't really been terribly interesting in the way of missionary work. One of our people that we've committed to baptism (as I think I've mentioned, we've committed four people to baptism, all of whom promptly jumped off of the face of the earth. I really wonder sometimes if the gravitational pull in the Midwest is weaker or something. Or maybe it's just that aliens abduct them all) we've found out is probably going to be held back by his parents. Another is actually wanting to date a member, so maybe she'll drag him into stuff. Not that I condone "flirt to convert," but maybe it will just give him a reason to get more into it? Let's hope so. And then the third and fourth ones are a couple that like to say they'll call but not and don't show up to appointments. That basically describes most of our investigators, actually. Over in Galena, we have an investigator who is praying about baptism but got sick this past week and couldn't make the appointment, one who is a sweet old lady who I could see going somewhere as long as the weather's good, one who is drunk constantly, and one who is the wife of a member who doesn't attend all of the time because of other members. I'm not allowed to invite investigators or anybody from there to Dubuque, I tell them to go to Galena, but I do let them know that they wouldn't be turned away. I just want people going to church at this point. It's going to be an interesting transfer covering both areas. I like Galena, though, it's a nice little town.
We have good plans for this area. Things will go well here. The new district is taking some time getting used to, I miss my support group I had in the last one and it's almost driven me to break my commitment of not writing letters, but I'm holding strong.
I love this work and I love working! I hope you all don't think I hate it or something if I sound dejected about the work. You want updates and I give you updates. It's not my fault it's a depressing report. Things will work out, though, no worries. We'll be working a lot with members, getting referrals. Remember, you all are how we find people to teach. Pray that you will find people for us to teach. That would be an even better support to me than money or candy.
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2
Welcome, everybody, to the Death by Storm Season of Iowa, a delightful season referred to in many English-speaking parts of the world as "Spring." The birds are back, in all of their chirping glory. The bugs have returned, in all of their...whatever it is, I refuse to call it glory. And yet, for some odd reason that seems to be the case in nearly every instance, the worst of places attracts the best of people. The Palestinian Desert where the Israelites always gathered. The Salt Lake Valley, which the Saints were rightly told not to settle by people who knew not the will God. And the Midwest, which is really just God's Greenhouse and where people only really live because somebody has to tend God's Greenhouse. I don't wish to complain, I just don't know how to convey to those who have never been in the midwest what the midwest is like without a little sarcasm. I love the midwest. I've wanted my whole mission to be in a city; and now that I am in a city, I keep dying to see the countryside. I love being able to see forever and all of the farms as far as the eye can see, which, strangely enough, is also a unit of measure referred to as a "farsee" (after a farsee take a left, and then after about a half-a-farsee take a right. Half as far as I can see?).
Anyway, you want an update I bet. I am now serving with Elder Unsicker from Richfield, UT. His grandparents, however, are from Iowa City, and his uncle used to be in the mission presidency here. Which means....Drum Roll please...that's right, his uncle was President Hartley. Cari's mission companion, Sister Megan Hartley, is his cousin. We're practically related. We expect congratulatory packages. He's really a good kid and I think this will work out great. We get along really well and he's hilarious. I only say that because his sense of humor is much like mine, so of course he's hilarious. While I feel better in some ways, in others I've been far more stressed.
One stressor is that I got a call from our landlord this week saying that she had gotten an email from our downstairs neighbor with a noise complaint. She was very terse no matter how congenial I tried to be (even using the phrase "you people" like one would if rats had somehow started walking on hindlegs and gained nametags), said that the last neighbor downstairs had moved out a year ago because of the noise, and said that if there is no dramatic change in the next three weeks that she would not renew the lease. Scared to death that I had completely, and singlehandedly, ruined our apartment deal, I called President. He told me to talk to the neighbors and get back to him. I did so, and they were very nice, warm, and friendly, understanding that the noise is mostly because it's a new building and just asked us to be quieter when walking up the stairs and in the room above their child's room. Completely different than what I was expecting from the landlord's call. With her curt treatment of me on the phone, I called back President and informed him of our conversation with the neighbors downstairs and related my belief that the problem resided more with the landlord and that I could see her looking for reasons to boot us. He said to talk to her again and let her know we're in contact with our neighbors and doing all we can to be courteous. "Just win her over, Elder Gates," he said. "I know you're good at that." Ah freak, no pressure. Sometimes people who are usually happy get more responsibility. Maybe the real answer lies in being happy but hiding it from those who may come to always expect it out of you. In the meantime, we got in contact with the ward, letting them know of the situation and to see if there are members we could stay with if need be.
That's a lot of information with very little in the way of a missionary update. These last few days haven't really been terribly interesting in the way of missionary work. One of our people that we've committed to baptism (as I think I've mentioned, we've committed four people to baptism, all of whom promptly jumped off of the face of the earth. I really wonder sometimes if the gravitational pull in the Midwest is weaker or something. Or maybe it's just that aliens abduct them all) we've found out is probably going to be held back by his parents. Another is actually wanting to date a member, so maybe she'll drag him into stuff. Not that I condone "flirt to convert," but maybe it will just give him a reason to get more into it? Let's hope so. And then the third and fourth ones are a couple that like to say they'll call but not and don't show up to appointments. That basically describes most of our investigators, actually. Over in Galena, we have an investigator who is praying about baptism but got sick this past week and couldn't make the appointment, one who is a sweet old lady who I could see going somewhere as long as the weather's good, one who is drunk constantly, and one who is the wife of a member who doesn't attend all of the time because of other members. I'm not allowed to invite investigators or anybody from there to Dubuque, I tell them to go to Galena, but I do let them know that they wouldn't be turned away. I just want people going to church at this point. It's going to be an interesting transfer covering both areas. I like Galena, though, it's a nice little town.
We have good plans for this area. Things will go well here. The new district is taking some time getting used to, I miss my support group I had in the last one and it's almost driven me to break my commitment of not writing letters, but I'm holding strong.
I love this work and I love working! I hope you all don't think I hate it or something if I sound dejected about the work. You want updates and I give you updates. It's not my fault it's a depressing report. Things will work out, though, no worries. We'll be working a lot with members, getting referrals. Remember, you all are how we find people to teach. Pray that you will find people for us to teach. That would be an even better support to me than money or candy.
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Sun Never Sets on the Cool
This subject was a quote Elder Noel shared with me just hours before the quote in conference by Neil L. Anderson about the sun never setting on missionaries. There's extremely little to report on this week. Another exchange went on until this morning from Sunday night to ensure no deaths happened in Galena. Galena will actually be closing this next transfer and me and whoever I'm getting will cover it as well as our own area. Here is transfers: The Galena Elders are both leaving, one to go home and Elder Poulson to go somewhere else, one elder is going home from Savanna for severe depression, both of the sisters are whitewashing out, and Elder Noel is going home, of course. So out of our district of 8 missionaries, 6 are leaving, 3 are going home, and 2 are staying. That's a pretty big turn around. Elder Medina, the other elder in Savanna that is staying, is going to be our district leader, which I think will be great. I've been promised a good companion, which is hard for me to grasp. We'll see tomorrow. Going to Galena was good but it was mostly just visiting with people to say goodbye and to show me people I need to see since I'll be covering that area.
Conference was great! But all of you should have seen it anyway. If you haven't, see it! Just like if you haven't set up a Mormon.org account, do it! Anyway, I really felt like what was said was what I needed right now. Except for the marriage talks, but, hey, I can look those up later when I need them. I get the point, though: Don't waste time after the mission, get married! Whatever.
Speaking of which, this less active in Galena who's about 68 said I have reddish hair and that redheads are hot. Then when I was getting a picture with her, she went to put her arm around me, realized my hand was at my side, so she grabbed it, with full-on interdigitation, and then realized that was weird and resorted to putting her harm around me. Flip! What's with old people liking me??? Apparently if I was born 70 years ago I'd have all the looks necessary to have the girls throw themselves at me like some Tag Bodyspray commercial. Ugh....
Anyway.
I'm excited for the mission calls that are coming in! Congratulations to Mike, Jr!!
Love you all! Love this area!
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
Conference was great! But all of you should have seen it anyway. If you haven't, see it! Just like if you haven't set up a Mormon.org account, do it! Anyway, I really felt like what was said was what I needed right now. Except for the marriage talks, but, hey, I can look those up later when I need them. I get the point, though: Don't waste time after the mission, get married! Whatever.
Speaking of which, this less active in Galena who's about 68 said I have reddish hair and that redheads are hot. Then when I was getting a picture with her, she went to put her arm around me, realized my hand was at my side, so she grabbed it, with full-on interdigitation, and then realized that was weird and resorted to putting her harm around me. Flip! What's with old people liking me??? Apparently if I was born 70 years ago I'd have all the looks necessary to have the girls throw themselves at me like some Tag Bodyspray commercial. Ugh....
Anyway.
I'm excited for the mission calls that are coming in! Congratulations to Mike, Jr!!
Love you all! Love this area!
--
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine and Covenants 137:2)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Mini Emergency Transfer to Galena
This week was mostly spent in Galena. The Elders there are having a hard time getting along, and since President would rather not have to ET anybody, he's allowing for two day mid-week exchanges. So I got to chill with Elder Poulson for a couple days, which was fun. Elder Poulson's the Elder I'm the closest to from my MTC group and we have had pretty much the same mission experience. It was great being able to talk to somebody that could relate to it all. Since the Spirit is not present between him and his companion, who has a history of having a hard time with his companions (what's that word that means "doing the same thing expecting different results?"), Elder Poulson saves their teaching appointments for exchanges. So I got to see a lot of the people they're teaching. We also briefly stopped by this antique store in Galena that has some amazing ties. I picked out a few and walked up to the counter, asking how much they were. "Well," said the man on the other side, "I usually charge 5 bucks a tie." My heart sunk a little, knowing that, no matter how amazing the ties were, I had made a commitment not to waste money and fifteen dollars was more than I was willing to pay. "But are you guys the missionaries from the Latter-Day Saint Church?" We responded in the affirmative. "Did you help my mom clean up dog crap in her yard a little bit ago?" I hesitated, as I had not, but Elder Poulson responded that he had with another companion. "Well, it sounds like you two just earned yourself a couple free ties." At this point, the love of God was made manifest to me and I just stood there, dumbstruck, staring at the saint of a store owner. "Do you mind if I grab a couple of ties, too?" Elder Poulson asked, breaking me out of my trance and allowing me to close my mouth before any drool came out. The store owner graciously and readily acquiesced and Elder Poulson grabbed a couple incredible ties of his own. Having legally robbed the man, we left, spewing out our thanks. Missionary blessings CAN be temporal. Sometimes. It was a good big exchange. It really felt like a really short emergency transfer more than an exchange. We also had interviews with President Jergensen on Friday, which was great. He informed me that I will most likely be staying in Dubuque until I go home! I hope that goes through! It's really a great area. He also thanked me for all I did in Quincy and said that I had done a great job there with paving the way for the next elders. This sort of surprised me, as I had thought I had failed for sure there. But sure enough, Saturday night I got a phone call from the Elders in Quincy informing me that Emily was being baptized the next day!!! I tried to congratulate them on it but Elder Curtis deflected the praise back to myself as Elder Cooper and I were apparently the ones that finally got her to really want to be baptized. So that was way exciting! Anyway, that's about it!
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine & Covenants 137:2)
Love,
The Transcendentally Beautiful Elder Gates
(Doctrine & Covenants 137:2)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Double the Temples, Double the Fun
Hello there everybody!
So I think I forgot to mention this last week, but I got permission to go to the Nauvoo Temple this last Tuesday! It was, of course, incredible. It's been so long since I last went, I think it was October 2009 or so. So it was no problem getting permission to go. Plus it was great doing a session in such a historic temple. I was reminded of so much and learned so much. I LOVE temples altogether, but Nauvoo, both the town and the temple, will always have a special place in my heart. I remember watching the webcam that used to be set up, showing the building of the Nauvoo Temple, and how excited I would be to check up on the progress. So, yeah. I especially like going to Nauvoo from the south, along the River Road, being able to see the temple perched atop the hill for miles before getting there. It's beautiful. The members that took us were even nice enough to pay for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even some fudge from the Fudge Factory and small souvenirs. They really didn't have to do all that, and I wasn't expecting them to, but they did. Oh, speaking of small souvenirs, unless you don't have one already, Mom and Dad, one of those Nauvoo Bricks is yours to keep.
Later in the week, however, I got the chance to tour a Masonic Temple. That was fascinating! I had always wanted to see what people had always talked about when they said things about how things in the temple were taken from the Masons. Now that I've been given a tour, and had some things explained to me from the Masonic symbols, I can see how there are a few similarities, but oh, what a difference! Comparing the feeling between the two of them was the biggest testifier. While I could see that there was good in the Masons, and that what they do and all they stand for is interesting, the Spirit wasn't there. Not that the Spirit was absent, it was just no more present than any normal building. At one point, in a large lodge room, I played "Come Thou Fount" on the organ, and immediately there was a difference. While the building had me in awe, I didn't feel the Spirit until I played that song and felt the Spirit come in. Those of you who have been through an LDS Temple know, on the other hand, that in there the Spirit is so very strongly testifying of its truthfulness. Being able to compare and contrast the two locations was a wonderful way to grow my testimony in the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I also had the fun chance to show our guide, a less active member, how to work the player piano in one of the other lodge rooms. He had never seen it work, and didn't think it could, but after doing some looking around and finding the hidden peddles, I soon had the thing running. I love the little things you learn on your mission, like all that I learned about player pianos from one of my favorite members in Mason City. I was also amazed to hear, as I began pumping the peddles, the hymn "Lead Kindly Light" play back at me, and feel the Spirit once again change the vast building. The Masons generally only require their members to believe in some higher power, and some smaller auxiliaries within the group do get more specific on Christ, and thus there is a slight religious tint to the organization, but is not a church, the Spirit's just not in that building like it is in ours. As missionaries who visit other religions always say, seeing other churches rebuilds your testimony in the Church, the same happened here with temples. Gotta love it!
We also set another baptismal date this week! This one is with a 16-year-old kid named Hunter. He's a good kid who used to be taught but got really busy for awhile but wants to be taught again and still wants to be baptized! He didn't come to church this week, due to work, but he's looking for another job and we're praying for him.
Ok, so for a little extra bit of news, in my efforts to refocus myself and rededicate myself to the work, and allowing the mission to change me, I have felt impressed to, and have decided to, stop writing letters. I'll only write my emails home for family and this blog and my already rare snail mail letters to family. You may all still write me, but I won't reply. Now, in extenuating circumstances, such as a marriage or whatnot, I'll send you something as a congratulatory thing or whatever, but otherwise, I feel that this is what I must do. So, keep updated on my blog here and you'll know everything basically that I would have sent to you otherwise! I hope you all understand! And remember, Mom, Dad, Cari and James, this doesn't include you, you'll still hear from me.
Well, that's about it!
--
"Don't Sell Yourself Short." -President Crabtree
Love, Elder Charlie Gates
So I think I forgot to mention this last week, but I got permission to go to the Nauvoo Temple this last Tuesday! It was, of course, incredible. It's been so long since I last went, I think it was October 2009 or so. So it was no problem getting permission to go. Plus it was great doing a session in such a historic temple. I was reminded of so much and learned so much. I LOVE temples altogether, but Nauvoo, both the town and the temple, will always have a special place in my heart. I remember watching the webcam that used to be set up, showing the building of the Nauvoo Temple, and how excited I would be to check up on the progress. So, yeah. I especially like going to Nauvoo from the south, along the River Road, being able to see the temple perched atop the hill for miles before getting there. It's beautiful. The members that took us were even nice enough to pay for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even some fudge from the Fudge Factory and small souvenirs. They really didn't have to do all that, and I wasn't expecting them to, but they did. Oh, speaking of small souvenirs, unless you don't have one already, Mom and Dad, one of those Nauvoo Bricks is yours to keep.
Later in the week, however, I got the chance to tour a Masonic Temple. That was fascinating! I had always wanted to see what people had always talked about when they said things about how things in the temple were taken from the Masons. Now that I've been given a tour, and had some things explained to me from the Masonic symbols, I can see how there are a few similarities, but oh, what a difference! Comparing the feeling between the two of them was the biggest testifier. While I could see that there was good in the Masons, and that what they do and all they stand for is interesting, the Spirit wasn't there. Not that the Spirit was absent, it was just no more present than any normal building. At one point, in a large lodge room, I played "Come Thou Fount" on the organ, and immediately there was a difference. While the building had me in awe, I didn't feel the Spirit until I played that song and felt the Spirit come in. Those of you who have been through an LDS Temple know, on the other hand, that in there the Spirit is so very strongly testifying of its truthfulness. Being able to compare and contrast the two locations was a wonderful way to grow my testimony in the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I also had the fun chance to show our guide, a less active member, how to work the player piano in one of the other lodge rooms. He had never seen it work, and didn't think it could, but after doing some looking around and finding the hidden peddles, I soon had the thing running. I love the little things you learn on your mission, like all that I learned about player pianos from one of my favorite members in Mason City. I was also amazed to hear, as I began pumping the peddles, the hymn "Lead Kindly Light" play back at me, and feel the Spirit once again change the vast building. The Masons generally only require their members to believe in some higher power, and some smaller auxiliaries within the group do get more specific on Christ, and thus there is a slight religious tint to the organization, but is not a church, the Spirit's just not in that building like it is in ours. As missionaries who visit other religions always say, seeing other churches rebuilds your testimony in the Church, the same happened here with temples. Gotta love it!
We also set another baptismal date this week! This one is with a 16-year-old kid named Hunter. He's a good kid who used to be taught but got really busy for awhile but wants to be taught again and still wants to be baptized! He didn't come to church this week, due to work, but he's looking for another job and we're praying for him.
Ok, so for a little extra bit of news, in my efforts to refocus myself and rededicate myself to the work, and allowing the mission to change me, I have felt impressed to, and have decided to, stop writing letters. I'll only write my emails home for family and this blog and my already rare snail mail letters to family. You may all still write me, but I won't reply. Now, in extenuating circumstances, such as a marriage or whatnot, I'll send you something as a congratulatory thing or whatever, but otherwise, I feel that this is what I must do. So, keep updated on my blog here and you'll know everything basically that I would have sent to you otherwise! I hope you all understand! And remember, Mom, Dad, Cari and James, this doesn't include you, you'll still hear from me.
Well, that's about it!
--
"Don't Sell Yourself Short." -President Crabtree
Love, Elder Charlie Gates
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