April 27, 1988
Can you believe April is over already? Almost 4 months of my mission is behind me -- time really flies. But the work is going just as slow as usual.
Not much happened on Thursday. It rained again on Friday, but in the afternoon we made it out to the library, the bank, the Stanford clinic, and the Stanford bookstore.
On Saturday, I had the opportunity of observing Elder Lima teach a first discussion in Chinese. I know it went well because I felt the spirit. In the afternoon, Lima and I went checking on referrals. We also stopped by to see Leslie who is doing well. She seems very interested in the Book of Mormon. If we can baptize her, maybe we can baptize her whole family; the situation looks good.
On Sunday there was a regional conference in Maples Pavilion on the Stanford campus. President Thomas S. Monson, Elder Joseph E. Wirthlin and Elder Ted E. Brewerton spoke to us. It was a great meeting.
I saw Elder Golf today at the conference and paid him back the money he lent me for pizza. He is now with Elder Delta who came out with me. Golf recently had another bike accident, and this one was worse than the first one. It seems that he was following Delta when he blacked out. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground with a lot of scrapes and bruises. Ouch. On the other hand, he and Delta are having success down there in Santa Clara.
In the afternoon I went with Elder Lima to a baptism. The zone leaders were baptizing a Stanford student; it was very inspirational.
On Monday I went out with Elder Able. We did follow-up in the morning and tracted a street in the afternoon.
Tuesday was the day that transfer calls went out. The four of us in the flat sat around that morning talking, and after some discussion, we decided that it would be a good idea to put Lima and I together in the Palo Alto First Ward and Lake and Able in the Palo Alto Second Ward; in other words, we wanted to switch companions. Lake and Able get a long better and Lima and I do as well. Then we had the brilliant idea to call President Douglas and suggest this arrangement to him.
The absurdity should be obvious. Transfer call day is the busiest day of the month at the mission office, very nerve racking. So it would make sense for the mission president to be more than a little edgy. He was, and he chewed out Lake and Able and then hung up on Lake.
Later, when the actual transfer call came, we learned that no one was being moved. So I am to be stuck here at least another month.
Shortly after the call, the zone leaders came down for a chat. It was a rather big discussion about rules and calling the mission president on transfer call day. Another big issue was weightlifting, which some of the other missionaries want to do, but which is against the mission rules. We also found out that Elder Whopper is our new district leader.
Speaking of weightlifting, a member of the Palo Alto First Ward, who lives close to our apartment, has a home gym and invited us to use it whenever we wanted. One night, recently, Lima, Able and Lake decided that they were going to start going to this home gym every night after our 9:30 check in call.
They also decided that I would be the one to make the phone call to the zone leaders to report that we were in for the night. So, on this particular night, I made the call and then we all went over to the member’s home gym. I went only because I could not be at the apartment alone.
Unbeknownst to us, while we were out, the zone leaders called back, and when we got back to the apartment they were there waiting for us. While I believed I was in a position where I had had little choice, I still had to admit to Elder Baker that I had lied. Then, of course, we also got a lecture on obeying mission rules.
It's been a crazy week, but otherwise, all is well here.
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May 5, 1988
On Thursday and Friday we had to deal with a clogged kitchen sink. In fact, on Friday morning we woke up to find that the sink had backed up, leaving us a nice mess to clean.
On Friday, the zone leaders came down for another chat. Elder Baker talked with Elder Lake and then sat down with me; I guess he knew that things haven’t been too great with me. I told him how I felt, that I was discouraged and had a confidence problem. I said that I had come into the mission field with an inferiority complex because I had grown up with heavy persecution in school and in the neighborhood, and even at home. I said that I didn’t know who I was.
Baker said that he had faced a lot of persecution, too, and that everyone comes out not knowing who they are. He said that the best thing I could do is share my feelings with others, particularly my companion. He said that I would learn more just talking about myself with them.
After that we went out to the living room and talked with Lake and Elder Beach. We had a good discussion, particularly Baker and I, and we learned a lot about each other as I repeated what I had told Baker. Lake, Baker and Beach each made some comments, presented some good ideas, and even paid me some compliments. They said I have a good jump shot, and if I have enough time I usually make it. Baker also complimented my mind; he said I was a good thinker and had a good memory. I didn’t think anybody noticed such things. I also found out Baker is a photographer like me.
Baker then told me something about his previous companion, Elder Sierra. When he came out, Sierra was extremely shy and during his two month training period probably said no more than five words. But Sierra set a goal to change and did a lot of soul searching. Sierra is now an assistant to the president.
On Saturday, Elder Lake went down to the mission office with Elder Lima for an interview with President Douglas. When they came back they said that President Douglas now has a better understanding of the situation. They also said that I should be leaving the next transfer for sure. Also, Lima will be going to the office to replace Elder Studebaker who is going home soon. President Douglas is thinking about leaving only two elders to cover both of the Palo Alto wards, but it is not definite yet.
On Tuesday, President Douglas spoke with Elder Whopper at the monthly leadership meeting. Later in the day, Whopper told me that he is going to try and get me teaching on team-ups so I can get some experience. The sentiment is great, but it is not the experience that is important. I’m not sure how much it will help my confidence to teach someone else’s investigators.
On Tuesday night, Elder Able and I had a discussion about mission rules. I remained firm in my position about living the rules. He said that he doesn’t care much about “our” rules because they are not “his” rules. In the Fresno mission he was allowed to do some things, like weightlifting, that he is not allowed to do here in the San Jose mission.
On Wednesday morning, we played some basketball with the zone leaders and the Menlo Park elders, followed by some football in the afternoon. A couple of months ago, when we played some football up at Woodland Hills, I couldn't catch the ball to save my life; today I made a few catches, which means that I am getting better.
We were in for some big surprises when we got back to the flat. Instead of finding Elder Lima waiting for us with Elder Able, we found an Elder Milo. Lima had been transferred to the office to get some training from Studebaker before he goes home.
But wait, there’s more. At first Elder Lake and I were going to be moved over to cover the Palo Alto First Ward. After our zone meeting tonight, however, Lake risked calling President Douglas to suggest that he and Able take the First Ward while making Milo my companion. President Douglas agreed to this arrangement, probably because it was a little less radical than swapping wards.
So, I've got another new companion! Milo is going home to Shreveport, Louisiana in three weeks -- on the twenty-fifth -- less than twenty days, really. I am beginning to feel like the mission orphan, like no one wants me. I am getting juggled around like crazy, in the same apartment, in the same ward.
I am badly discouraged and things do not look to be getting better. One year ago I started attending missionary prep, so I had eight months of prep and now I have been out four months. I have yet to teach a real discussion to a real investigator, and I am certainly not actively teaching anyone anything. I’m foundering as if I have gone aground on a coral reef.
Well, that's about all that is going on out here.
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As it would turn out, my new companion would be a breath of fresh air, and the change was probably one of the best things that could have happened.
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