Going Back to Brooklyn

Okay, I really didn't go back to Brooklyn but it sure felt like it yesterday.

Warning: Normally I don't get preachy-churchy on the blog but it looks like this one will be!

A few weeks ago I signed up to go on splits with the missionaries and I admit that I did it under less than spiritual circumstances. I signed up for Sunday (yesterday) for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason is that I didn't have to feed them. I am not a huge fan of being assigned to feed the missionaries, I didn't have that sort of luxury on my mission. I had to beg and scrape by to get dinner appointments. I also only had to go with them from 7-9 and that didn't seem so long and I knew that I wouldn't have to split with the missionaries the next time.

But when the time rolled around I was not in the mood. And then they called me and asked if I could go out an hour earlier! They came over at 6:00 and I spilt with Elder Mockey (I think that is how you spell his name) and we headed out. Elder Mockey is from South Africa and has a very cool English/Swedish/Austrailian accent and was a newbie. This was his first area and the end of his first month in the mission field. It was a lot of fun getting to know him and hearing how he speaks English. And we quickly bonded on how strange Americans are with their hard stance against the superior Metric system.

My bad attitude of going out with the missionaries changed quickly when we went to our first appointment. We taught a young mother named Misty and her friend Mason was there. Mason had just joined the Church and he was preparing to go on a mission and his conversion story was awesome. He had went through a lot in life and hit rock bottom and then one day he wanted something better in life. He was a tremendous example to Misty. I was able to share a few things with her and she committed to try out living the Gospel this week and see how she feels. After we left I was invigorated. It took me back to when I served my LDS mission in New York.

Then we went and visited and taught a kid named Diego. His aunt and uncle were members but he wasn't but he was highly interested in the Church. Elder Mockey was very excited to teach him since Diego had a huge State swimming competition and Elder Mockey wanted to share with him his experiences of playing nationally in rugby and he mixed in some scriptures with it. I was left speechless, I have been on a mission before and I felt like I knew what I should say but Elder Mockey just took and ran with the ball. I was impressed by his stories. I was also very impressed with Diego and his cousin who is the same age. They said that they would study the scriptures right before the big meet. The young folks today...  ...they are so much stronger than I am. The youth in my ward are inspirations and I look up to them and I wish I was like them. Some people are afraid of what the world will look like when the youth grow up and lead but I am not afraid. I think we will be in good shape.

After we visited them we went to our last appointment of the night. We visited a man named Rule (not sure how to spell his name either). Elder Mockey told me that this was the first time he had visited this man and that we should teach him about Joseph Smith and the restored Church. Rule was a neat man. He said that he had a lot of faith in God and he felt that he was always led around and protected by God even through the rough times. Five minutes into the our discussion he said "I think I have been baptized by the Spirit but I have not been baptized by water, like Jesus was." I turned to Elder Mockey and smiled. We continued to talk and teach with him and committed him to be baptized on the 19th. We were all very excited and happy.

This is what I have forgotten. I had forgotten what it was like to share the gospel with those that are looking and searching deep for guidance and for someone to show the way. I came home at 10 that night, I was with the missionaries for 4 hours and it seemed like it was only an hour. I had forgotten how rewarding missionary work is and I look forward to seeing these people again and going out with the missionaries.

So it did feel like I was in my last area in Brooklyn on my mission. I am so glad and thankful that I went out with the missionaries.