Mormon Missionary Attends A Baptist Church

I bear my witness that God the Father lives 
and that 

He gave us the gift of His Beloved Son 
out of love for us. 

I know as surely as I live 
that the resurrected Savior lives. 

He atoned for our sins.

 And I testify 
that He is the Light of the World and 

the sure source of 
comfort, hope, peace, and joy. 

I pray with all my heart 
that we all will draw closer to Him, 

to feel the warmth of His light and love. 

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, 

whom we worship and serve, amen.

--Pres. Henry B. Eyring, First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Dec. 2014

Monday, December 8, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday.

I did not watch the church's Christmas Devotional, because I was at the choir performance. Besides, they had the added stipulation that in order to watch the devotional, we needed a recent convert, less active, or an investigator in order to watch it. However, I may listen to it soon. It was an hour and seventeen minutes.

It sounds like you had a good week by keeping busy. And it sounds like California is still warm as ever.

As regards to personal funds and taking my companion out to a restaurant, I do agree with the idea. However, we have also obtained funds through members who know the rules, but find ways to go around them. I talk of not being allowed to receive money in reward for doing service. Members know that and I know that. What they do is say, "Here's some money; go out to lunch." We refuse and say, "No, it is alright. We cannot take it." Then, they refuse our refusal and eventually, we are stuck with the money.  We have obtained enough funds through this unfortunate trade to go out to dinner. My companion has chosen the place already and is dying to go.

Monday, we sailed across the river, hiked over hills, dashed through the forest, (fought creatures along the way) and came to the Enchanted Forest. Or rather, without such excitement, crossed the bridge to Warsaw and snaked our way to a piece of property that is so deemed the Enchanted Forest. Some person owns this piece of property. The reason it is called such, is that the person carves carvings into some of the trees and paints them. He carved simple things, such as horses, spiders, and flowers; and then, more complicated subjects, such as Dora the Explorer, Minnie Mouse, and other subjects. It is pretty awesome. After such an adventure, we retired to the basement, where we spent the rest of P-Day. We tried different people that night, one of them being our single mother investigator who has been investigating for the past year. She missed out on Fast Sunday and the awesome testimony meeting, so we wanted to make sure things were well. She had little gas, so she could not come. I will return to her later.

Tuesday, we spent part of the day tracting. We prayed to find somebody and we did. It, of course, happened to be the last house we knocked on one side of the street. We taught the Restoration and liked it. He was not interested in baptism, but knew we were definitely sent by God and there was a reason why we were there. Later that day, we went to the less active who wants us to just open our scriptures to see where God takes us. Out of a suggestion by the branch president, we put a marker on a place where we wanted to turn and so happened to open to the place. It was a good lesson. We saw our investigator who I worried about mental capacity. We gave him an enlarged portion of Mosiah 16, so that he can read. He enjoyed that. When we returned on Thursday, we discovered that he had read indeed and gave him another assignment. When we teach him, we blend in some previous lessons to help him understand principles. It works, so far.

Wednesday, we helped a member with cleaning the gutters of a elderly lady. I swept pine needles off the roof. It was not a bad thing to do with my back. If anything, it made my abdomen muscles sore the next day. It looked a lot nicer. And I did what I could do. It was funny, when I first started sweeping, the head of the broom flew off. During the day, we visited another elderly couple and read the scriptures. The man of the couple has dementia and we discuss the scriptures to help him understand. Later that night, we had dinner with a member at a Mexican restaurant. It was a really nice thing. Then, we saw an investigator, whose aunt had passed a few week ago. He told us that he is no longer going to his church (he even told his church that), because he realizes we can answer his questions, especially about the afterlife. He wants to know more in order to be ready for baptism. He is on date, which is exciting.

Thursday, other than planning, we had another member dinner. I was a small family with some crazy kids. The kids were obsessed with saying some weird word of some concoction of theirs. It was funny though. One kid bopped their little sister (who is about three) and she said it in response to the offense. Not much else happened on Thursday. Friday, we finally saw an investigator who we have not seen in a couple weeks, because she was cancelling her appointments. Her eyesight is bad, but she manages. We taught what was needed to be taught and it went well.

That night, we served at the Relief Society and Young Women Dinner. The Relief Society President had decorated the place and it was finely decorated. It was a night in Bethlehem indeed. In fact, I could consider myself a publican at that moment for I had to collect taxes, in order for people to attain their food. (The women were furnished with burlap bags with pennies in them to pay their taxes for the food. For example, ham was two cents.) It was excellent. My companion discovered that the new sister missionary (we have a set of sister missionaries in addition to the senior couple in the Branch) and him have a best friend in common. The words were well said, whoever said them, "Small world for Mormons."







Saturday, my companion did the progress record while I did family history. I have looking at the siblings of people who we are related to and look at their spouses (who some may or may not be Mormons). Sometimes, I can see where there is work to do, which makes me excited. I look at it to make sure that their work is done and if it is not, then I am excited, because there is great potential there. All the more reason to go to the temple on a consistent basis when I return home. If I do not do their work, then who will? Much excitement in that area of life.

We saw the single mother investigator. Her kids were there for opening prayer and quickly trickled out. . .  AND SHE FINALLY PRAYED! It was much needed one step forward with an additional three steps back, but it allowed us to see what was holding her back from committing to baptism. It was a true heart to heart. So, she prayed and her two friends were, of sorts, her answer. They both brought up a concern that related to the idea of truth and tolerance. (It is amazing to see how God prepares us for certain situations.) One of them is an ex-Mormon (I am sure he is less active) who did not have a great experience as a child growing up in the faith. There was a lack of tolerance towards others. The other mentioned a different issue, but it related back to the idea of truth and tolerance. I love Elder Dallin H. Oaks' CES Devotional (found on lds.org or speeches.byu.edu) called "Truth and Tolerance." There is a need to be tolerant and there is a way to hold to the truth while being tolerant. It is upsetting to see a lack of tolerance, because there is really good people in other faiths'. As Elder Oaks points out in his devotional, Jesus taught kindness in our communications (and I add our actions) while having firmness in the truth. That is some of the things I brought up. I do understand that there is a fear to bring up our religion, because of criticism. I mean, for quite a while I did not mention that I was a Mormon. In fifth grade, I did not mention where I went to church. I have no idea why. I was even afraid to say the name Christ. All of these things I helped her to understand, which she understands. Then, she mentioned the principle of the Word of Wisdom. She has no issues or problems with breaking the Word of Wisdom. She has an occasional drink of wine (her last drink was a year and a half), but she believes it is healthy. We began to realize that her saying that the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith is true is merely a head testimony. The idea that it is true makes sense to her, but there is no spiritual basis behind her claim of knowing it is true. We again invited her to read and pray. We finally have a concern we can work with.


I will combine Sunday with the rest of Saturday, because it involves stake conference. Stake conference was great. There were really good talks that I enjoyed. I really cannot speak much of it, because there are things I need to do beforehand. People remembered my birthday and people wished me a happy birthday. It was great. We did not do much on Sunday. Thanks for the shirt and tie. It was very much appreciated. I had a good birthday. It was simple.

And also
on Sunday, I went to a Baptist church. 
That was where the choir recital was. After a long choir practice, we headed off to the Baptist church. The church had a main floor and a balcony. We were sitting at the balcony. Many of the choirs sang to a track. There was a lot of pomp and cheer. It was quite interesting, because it is not the normal thing that I am used to. I am more of a traditional person, probably in part of the LDS culture that has been part of me. It was nice and rather loud. It was interesting to see the different music each church has. There were seven Baptist churches there, two Methodist churches, and us. Some of the music was quite nice. I mean, I am slightly interested in different church's music, because it is my curiosity in understanding different faiths.  This was to raise money for an Emergency Ministry, which goes about helping families in this one county that are in need. So, for the first time in my life, I put a dollar on the plate as it went around. The LDS choir members also did likewise. I was not alone in this different kind of offering.

So, we were not the worst choir there, but we were no means the best. That is being honest, because we did mess up during Gloria Patri. In the middle of the song, the different voices split. I am listening to each person to understand where we are at. Incidentally, we messed up that part. Other than that, our other song went well. We left with our ride after our song. It was close to curfew.

A bit of humor. Kind of how "they just can't get my nose right," they just can't get our name right. We were, according to the program, "The Church of Jesus Christ & Latter Day Saints." One choir member jokingly said, "It sounds like a band name: Jesus Christ & The Latter Day Saints." Talking to someone else later that night, "It makes us sound like we are Catholic."

It was a busy, busy week. And it went fast. I am actually quite surprised it has gone by. And a new transfer has officially begun.

Oh and we have a Christmas tree that is real. It is a humble Christmas tree, but it is a Christmas tree nonetheless.

All is well!

Shalom and Love,

Elder S. Todd

Virginia Richmond Mission: Prayers Answered

Monday, September 29, 2014

 Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

 Wait. In general conference, those of a foreign language get to speak in their language? Where did you hear that? I have heard nothing of that and it is probably too late to ask where you heard that. That honestly sounds exciting. That will be great. (Speakers spoke in several languages including Cantonese, Portuguese, and Spanish.)

About my back (pinched nerve), I guess you got some information from my letter to Mom, which I am glad that you did receive. I will reiterate it here as well. Honestly, I am a bit panicked about it, but not too much. It is quite obvious that God is aware of my plight. Like I wrote to Mom, after talking to the medical officer and hearing that I was managing (and I am), I felt confused whether or not I should see a doctor. I made up my mind with the medical officer that I would; however, I was still confused and if I was just rushing into it due to my emotions. Through prayer, I received my answer that I should see a doctor. Rather call right away, I took a nap for an hour until I was woken up by the phone. I ignored it until I thought it might have been important. Sure enough, it was the medical officer. She told me that Missionary Medical, the secondary insurance (it is not insurance but will pay any balance owed while a serving as a missionary only) I do have for the duration of the mission a green light for me to see a doctor. (She gave me a number to call, which I did and it was the number the doctor gave me back in August.) I am allowed to receive an MRI, which is to be covered by my primary and Missionary Medical. With a chiropractor, I understand that you would love me to see one, but we have to be sure of what it is, lest I have more damage. If you feel unsure, I recommend prayer for surely God will answer. (Regardless, I will ask the doctor if I should see a chiropractor.) I called the doctor and set up an appointment with Dr. Joseph S. Kim. (The people asked if my insurance wants me to see my primary care physician before I go see Dr. Kim and I was like, "I am unsure.") So, I have an appointment on October 17th at 9:00. It is a bit of a wait and I asked to be put on their cancellation list, wherein if someone cancels, I can take their spot. (I have not heard anything back on that.) From Monday, I have felt some kind of pressure on my spine that hurt. I did something I probably should not do, but I twisted my back in order to make it pop. That relieved the pressure and it was a blessing. It did not make anything worse. I have taken one of muscle relaxants thinking it would help. It did nothing, except make me dizzy and my mind fuzzy. I hate drugs that mess with my mind. I did stop taking ibuprofen for about a day on Thursday (in order to take the muscle relaxant so that I could be worry-free of mixing drugs and causing damage), in which case leg pain did return. And then, I fasted yesterday and I say this to make another point that God is watching over, not to be as the hypocrites. I knew that ibuprofen had been helping (at least in masking the pain) and if I wanted to take ibuprofen, I had to eat and drink water. I understand that fasting is not foregoing food and drink for a duration of hours, but a principle of sacrifice. Yet, I wanted to fast. I am not going to let something such as pain get in my way. So, I prayed that my pain would be, if anything, lessened that I may fast. My pain was lessened until about dinner time. Surely, God is aware of my plight as He is aware of your worries. Thank you for giving me the information I needed. Now I know that we are switching to Blue Cross, which is something I needed. And I hope I gave you enough information to know what is going on. Oh and I have a bunch of forms emailed to me, which I am so not looking forward to doing. But, they will get done.

Monday, we had received another referral that we tried to contact. We were not able to do it. Not much happened on Monday.

Tuesday, we tried seeing one of our less actives that we set up an appointment. But, it did not work out. So, we saw another less active, the less active who is stuck in Virginia, now permanently, which she is okay with staying. We talked of the Atonement and told her what she needs to do. We had lunch, then we set off to see our hospital patient. It was our last visit at the health care center. We watched a missionary video with him, which he enjoyed. Well, on Thursday, the day he was supposed to get out, he got sent back to the hospital for a blood issue. On Sunday, he finally arrived at home. Back to Tuesday, we saw one of our returning members. He has been working on the piano and trying to get back into it. He says that he makes a lot of mistakes. I can hardly tell.

Wednesday, we did our routine tasks and then saw our home bound less active (home bound due to his father, who was in his old age and not wanting to go anywhere). We talked to him for a while. Our investigator that usually comes stopped coming and has not been coming to meet us to be fellowshipped by this less active. The less active was feeling sick, so he went to rest. We had correlation that night and were able to discuss a few things. The bishop says that there are a lot of new subdivisions in Dinwiddie County. We live in Colonial Heights and Dinwiddie is far from us. I always felt right in my decision with living in Colonial Heights, but I have yet to see why. I have been holding on and I continue to seek out why. Surely, there must be a reason.

Thursday, it was fairly nice day. We had district meeting in Lawrenceville and had a nice lunch with a member (who took us to Lawrenceville). We had to weekly plan afterwards, so we went to the church to do so. In that time of going home and driving to the church, we received three calls, all of which were a huge blow. One was our hospital patient who at that time was sent to the hospital. Another was the home bound less active. His father had just passed an hour before. There was another call of which I cannot explain as to what it pertained. We planned until dinner. It was an excellent dinner with one of the recent converts and his wife. Friday, we finished planning. We went out with the elders' quorum president to see the home bound less active. Then, we saw our permanently stuck here in Virginia less active. We started to read the Book of Mormon with her in order to get her started.

Saturday, we read to ourselves the Book of Mormon. We read individually. My companion listens to the audio CDs and I turn on the A/C to drown out the CDs, so that I can focus. I closed the blinds, because I can only focus on one thing at a time. I did not want to be distracted. By Sunday, I got to Moroni 7 by 10:30 that night. 10 pages to go. So, this morning, I finished. I bear witness that the Book of Mormon is true. I had a lot of concerns and questions. By reading and being receptive to the Spirit, I gained the answers that I needed. I learned principles and I realized many things. I say that the Book of Mormon will answer our questions. It will bring peace to a hungry soul. I know the story that is contained in the Book, but every time I read, I learn something new that is pertinent to me at that time. The Book of Mormon directs me to God. By it, I know that Jesus is the Christ, that He is Our Savior and Redeemer, wherein if we believe on Him, we can be saved as we repent. I know of God and His mercies to His children. I have gained a more stronger witness of the divinity and truthfulness therein of the Book of Mormon. I know that God does answer our prayers as I have seen this week and when I have prayed to know of the truth. Seeing as God has answered my prayers, then surely He will answer our prayers, even as Joseph Smith, the prophet, who received the record that we now call the Book of Mormon and that was translated through the power and grace of God. I know this to be true and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 Love,
 Elder S. Todd