Missionary Tales

Rick is gone again to Alabama and so I thought I'd pass the time remembering how cool he is and reading his mission diary. :) He was an amazing young man and I love to hear how excited he was and how committed to his mission and to serving the Lord. I found some funny stories in a book put together by his mission president. The missionaries wrote in weekly to the Pres to report and share what had happened that week. There were 80 some pages so I didn't read the whole thing but there were two that caught my eye as I was skimming:


Elder & Sis. Woodbury - Rockaway 1 - Dec 11, 1994 - "NEW CONVERT ADVERTISES - HAS 5 ATTEND HER FIRST FHE - We had just given Tina Jordan the second New Member Discussion, ending with the commitment invitation to "organize and conduct a family home evening next Monday."
Tina lives alone. She runs her real estate office from her home. Her only daughter, Debra, died at the age of 14. Tina's husband ran off with a woman from Japan. Bur fervent and imaginative Tina believes that if living Apostles ask her to do something, God will open the way for her. So last night as we reviewed, she casually apologized for mis-timing her first FHE, but resolved to do better next Monday evening. Puzzled, I asked if she had held it alone. "No" she said, "I just told the group that next week I would be better organized." I asked "which group is this and how many?" She said "Five!" "You mean you had five of your relatives come and share FHE with you?"
"Well, no," she apologized, "I just advertised and got only 5 people off the street, but next time I'll have more." Tina apparently not knowing that it wouldn't work, wrote with a crayon on the side of a cardboard box that each Monday night from 6 to 8, she was holding FHE, a gospel discussion, and that anyone wishing to share it with her was welcome to come. She taped it to her front window. She was late getting prepared, but right at 6 pm, a man from Trinidad, with his wife and teenage daughter, knocked on the door. When she was a little slow to open, he ran around the back and knocked again. He was anxious for FHE. After a brief introduction and planning for the following Monday, as they were leaving, two other young women knocked on her door. Now she has 5 for next Monday. How many more may come.
Next time any member says that they can't hold FHE, because it is too hard to get all the family together, I will relay this story and ask "Have you tried advertising?"


Elder Mavy/Nicklaus - DL - Uniondale 11 Sp - Oct 3, 1994 - "NO FEAR - BIKE ACCIDENT AND BIKE THIEVES - A car knocked my bike out from under me. Both myself and the bike were OK. Then about 30 minutes later, I was held up by a couple of teenagers with a knife, who wanted my bike. I started asking them "find out" questions and they eventually gave up saying "You ask too many questions!" and lost interest. I never once felt afraid for myself or for losing the bike, which I had no intention of ever giving over. I felt that the Lord protects us when we are obedient and hard working."


:)