Sunday, April 14, 2019

Abril, avril (4/13/09)

There are a few times I don't like being a missionary, since being a missionary involves going and seeing many people. Superbowl Sunday is a bad day because everyone has their idolatrous parties. Easter also is not the best day. We didn't do too much yesterday, and the only person who wasn't an active member who answered yesterday didn't seem too happy we were there. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the Fourth of July are all OK because those are non-proselyting days, but we received no such instructions for Easter. In my first area an investigator asked us accusingly, "You don't knock on doors on Christmas or Easter, do you?" Therefore, I was absolutely not going straight tracting yesterday, and was hesitant to see anyone else. We had dinner with members and watched To This End Was I Born (the non-investigator version of The Lamb of God) with them. I was glad when they gave us a big basket of Easter candy. It was raining pretty hard yesterday, and much of our time walking down the road we saved worms from venturing too far in the street. It always amazes me how many worms there are.

When it hasn't been raining this week we got to shed our suitcoats. It's weird to go back to this attire. This year I think I look a lot better with my pants since I actually have pants that fit now.

We've met a lot of weird people this week. I'd rather not go into it all. But in Elders Quorum yesterday we read the lesson on persecution from the manual. It just seems so obvious to me that we must be the correct church, or else why should everyone care so much to hate us? Like Paul, I take pleasure in persecutions (see 2 Cor. 12:10[1]). One particularly hilarious anecdote happened after district meeting when we went to lunch with two other elders. It is a missionary rule that when a missionary is backing the car another missionary must stand behind and back him. Usually the missionary doesn't really do anything but stand there but it's the rule nonetheless. In the parking lot was some skater who said something inappropriate to the missionary and made fun of him for backing. Immediately he totally biffed it on his skateboard. So the elder just got in the car and we drove away, the kid still on the ground, humiliated.

Along those lines, there's a house in our area that in November the missionaries knocked on the door. The lady was a real jerk. A week later, the missionaries walked by, and the house was burned to the ground.[2]

And of course this happens, because of the scripture you discovered about the commission to teach all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.[3]

Also, the last verse of the next gospel, Mark 16:20:
 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
The next time you send something, could you also send me some black socks? Most of mine have holes. Usually thick ones are the most comfortable and the most durable.

That's all I can think of for now. Have fun in Vegas. That's where my companion, Elder K., is from.

Love,

Elder Melville



[1] “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
[2] This was hearsay (my companion heard it from his previous companion), so it could just be legend, but I did see the burned house for myself.
[3] While on a vacation, my mom wrote, “We ended up not going to church today because your dad is sick and we  forgot one of the suitcases, the one with Sunday shoes.  We are going to try to buy some cheap ones before we leave so we can go to the temple this week. 
Since we didn't go to church we read the last week of Christ's life in Matthew. I didn't realize that the thing he told the apostles after his resurrection was to go to all nations and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. How cool that my own son is out doing that at this Easter time.”

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