Been Caught Stealin'

A few days ago I said that I was cleaning out some of my old stuff and I came across a box with old VHS tapes. Now we don't have a VHS player, ours died a couple of years ago so I have no idea why I was keeping them. I honestly thought I threw them out a long time ago.

What I found were mostly old Church tapes along with a WCW event (the one that I attended live) and my Missionary Moments tape that I made on my mission. I didn't throw those out since I still want them and I will find a way to transfer those to DVD. As I chucked out the other tapes, I opened one of the tape cases and peered inside and found this:

Now I do remember taking this tape home from my mission but I thought I had bought my own. Guess not.

For those that have seen the video, On The Way Home, the kid who plays basketball served in the New York New York North Mission (I was in the South at the same time) and he really wasn't that good at playing basketball.

Mission Memoirs: Afterglow

It seems like I get melancholy every Christmas season and I like to go through my things and reminisce. I was cleaning out some old files in my filing cabinet and I came across a Bible that I used on my mission. It is marked up and banged up. I had this Bible since I took seminary in high school so it has been awhile. I also took this set with me on my mission, and I used this set out on the streets. I didn't want to take my nice leather ones out in case I get mugged and someone takes off with my scriptures.

I thumbed through the pages and out fell this note:

This note was written by Elder Buckner (one of the missionaries I lived with) when I served in Jamaica, Queens. His companion when he was getting ready would carry this portable tape player with him constantly and he would only play Afterglow. For those that are not familiar with Afterglow, they are an LDS duo that sings LDS material. Now I have nothing against them or their music, it is not my cup of tea (and I like cheesy music!). But Elder Buckner's companion listened to them non-stop for months and it was grating on all of our nerves. Elder Buckner passed this note to me when I was reading in bed right after his companion passed me singing and listening to Afterglow loudly.

I am totally hanging on to this keepsake. It is now a bookmark in my set of scriptures.

New York, New York

About a year or so after my return from my LDS mission to New York, I took a buddy of mine and we went back to New York City to spend some time in the Big City.

I made a few phone calls and I was able to find some accommodations in Queens with Pat and Christa. There was only two catches. We had to hit some clubs at night with Shirley and Christa and Joel and I unfortunately had to share a couch bed. But the less said about that, the better!

So Joel and I planned what we wanted to do and saved some money so we could go in the summer. My mom took Joel and I down to the airport (stopping first to grab some Stewart's sodas for the ride) and Kristy was to pick us up from the airport when we returned. Kristy and I were not married at the time, we were still dating and much to my surprise she met Joel and I at the airport before we took off. Right before I hopped the plane to New York, I stopped and turned back to Kristy and dropped to one knee and proposed.

Yes, this is how I proposed. Well, at least this is the official story we tell people. Kristy said "Yes" and I grabbed my bag and headed back down the terminal to catch my plane. I was excited to get back to the city and do some stuff that I couldn't as a missionary. I was also looking forward to seeing people I have not seen and spoken to for a long time. The plane lifted in the air and we were off.

We had a brief funny stopover in Dallas. Now I am not an avid flyer. I don't know how things go, I am not familiar with transferring and stuff like that. All I know is that we only had a brief window to get off our first plane and to grab our second flight. As Joel and I were speed walking to our second flight we came to the realization that we do not have our bags! So we ran back to the terminal baggage claim and waited and waited. But our bags did not show up! So we panicked and contacted the airport lost and found. And they were of absolute NO help. Little did we know that our bags are automatically sent to the new plane. Quit giggling folks. We had no clue how things went! So we ran back to our second flight and headed to New York.

We flew into LaGuardia airport in Queens and waited for Christa to come and pick us up. It was so good to see her. Christa and I really bonded when I served in the Jamaica area of Queens on my mission. We became fast friends and we always kept in touch when I served in other areas, in fact she probably knows more about my mission than anyone else. She was the first one to call me when I arrived home from my mission. So it was good to be around her again. We had a nice dinner with them that first night and it was a lot of fun to share my mission with my friend and to catch up.

The next few days were super busy. I do not remember how they all flowed together so here are some highlights of the trip.

• Most of the nights/early mornings were spent going to dance clubs. Now I am not a big dancer but I did want to experience some of the nightlife that New York has to offer. We stayed up way late, most nights mornings coming in around 4 or so. Usually we would grab some breakfast before going home to catch some sleep. We went to this four story dance house called Webster Hall and it was pretty amazing. Each floor had different music to it and it was packed. One of the floors which played a lot of metal had this one old grey-bearded gentleman wearing all leather on stilts dancing away. I had a good time but I think the club life is just not for me. One night is one thing, three nights in a row is another! The last night we were there I did have a girl come on to me which made everyone in our party laugh. I thought for sure that what I had felt was just incidental bumping. But when it happened again and again and I turned around to see the girl looking right at me, I knew there was more to this story!

Joel and I didn't have cool enough clothes to go so we had to borrow these very tight shirts to go. That is Shirley, Christa and me and Joel.

• Wednesdays are a great day to see a Broadway play. They have cheaper matinees on Wednesday and I wanted to see Rent. I ordered my ticket before I got to New York. Joel wanted to see something else so he went and saw Beauty and the Beast. I have to admit that it was fun to sit with a bunch of strangers and see a musical. The musical was fantastic, almost all of the original players were still there. So all of the voices I knew from the CD recording were live to see. It was great, there is nothing like seeing a Broadway play live and in person. It was well worth the money. 

• Joel got addicted to eating the nuts that vendors sell right on the street. He must have bought 3-4 of them on one Manhattan trip alone!
• Since we were poor we didn't eat out a lot at expensive places. We did eat at the restaurant right next to David Letterman's. We decided that we should eat out at a fancy known place at least once so we chose this spot. But boy was it expensive. We only ate (and could afford) the appetizers and they were not happy about it. As soon as we were done they asked us to leave. We thought about ordering one dish and sharing it but I am sure they would have physically thrown us out if we did.
• Since Joel and I are comic book geeks, we had to go see the offices of Marvel and DC. Marvel was a big disappointment aside from seeing Stan Lee's office. But DC really treated us well. They took us on an impromptu tour and let us take pictures. And of course we picked up some applications. And then we went to a few of the large comic shops and picked up some loot. 

Joel and Batman. And this was one of the actual costumes worn in the movie. DC had the coolest things to see.

• We also went to the top of the World Trade Centers. This is the second time I have been there and it still took my breath away. You really felt like you were at the top of the world there. You could see forever being up so high. And I warned Joel that the elevator took you up at an unbelievable pace. Seriously, in seconds you were up like fifty floors. 

You can see the tall shadows the WTC's leave.

• One evening Joel and I went out at about midnight or so it take Christa's dog out for a walk. As we were walking around the block we passed this guy in this dark hoodie. The dog about took his head off barking and growling at him. I yanked the dog back and walked past thinking about it. But then I got this funny feeling in my gut. I turned around and saw this guy coming back towards us. I grabbed Joel and we got back in the building and the dog went nuts again. I honestly think that this guy was coming back to mug us.
• I also had to stop at a sports shop to look for some Jets gear. I found an old shirt and a Keyshawn Johnson jersey so I snagged them both. 

• Christa allowed me to take her car and go visit people. So Joel and I spent Sunday going to see people. We first went to Rego Park and go to church there in my old branch. I recognized a few of the people and I was surprised when someone came in and sat beside me. The member had fallen away from the church and he had a bit of a falling out with me and my companion too. I didn't think I would see him again and in church no less. But it was great to see Auggie and catch up with him. After church we walked down to see John Libretto. I pressed the buzzer and told him that the missionaries were here and he told us to come up. He about died when he saw that it was me coming up. We had a great visit (and lunch of course) and then he gave us a ride down to Jamaica so I could see my old Richmond Hills branch. The Branch President recognized me in the audience and had me stand up. He said that I was a a missionary that would not give up on me and that is true. Kevin was very interested in joining the church but we could never get together although I called him at least every week or so. Now he is the Branch President of that branch. Afterwards we went into Brooklyn and saw Rose and then went to Jackson Heights and saw Ingrid, people I spent a lot of time with while on my mission. And it was great catching up with them. That evening Joel and I took the car and went to Staten Island and saw the Bowman's. They are a wonderful family that I absolutely loved. They treated us to one of Staten Island's famous pizza pies and we spent the evening with them. It made me miss my mission quite a bit. What I won't miss is the driving. It sure gets crazy there. 

Me, Linda and Steve with Tina and Jonathon Bowman

• I was going to show Joel some of the areas that I used to serve in. We stopped at a subway stop and we almost got out. But I have to admit that I didn't feel quite right, I didn't feel totally safe just walking in that area. So we stayed on the subway and headed into Manhattan. Funny how things can change when you are not protected as a missionary anymore. 
• Speaking of riding the subway, one of the funnest things that I like to do while in New York was taking the subway. I could spend hours just people watching. There are so many colorful characters that you will never get to see again anywhere that ride the trains. Joel had an experience that I don't think he will forget anytime soon. He was standing in the subway car when suddenly the car jerked a bit (which it does often) and Joel accidentally stepped on this guy's foot. The guy yelled at him and Joel said he was sorry but then it happened again and the Middle Eastern guy really let Joel have it. He was yelling at him to not stand so close to him and stuff like that. The look on Joel's face was priceless. Oh the joys of riding the subway. 
• Christa gave us a ride to the airport and it was sad to go. We only spent a few days in New York and barely was able to do what we wanted. There was just not enough time to do it all. But we had a fantastic time there. The plane ride home was something to remember as well. LaGuardia Airport has the shortest runway in the whole United States. During takeoff you would look down and see runway and then you would liftoff and suddenly you would see ocean! It was that quick and a bit nerve racking. But it was neat to see the city as you lift off from Queens. During the plane ride home we chatted and did some doodling. A stewardess noticed our artwork and asked if she could take them to the pilot so he could see them. She talked with us for quite a while on the plane ride home. It was on this plane trip that I first formed my ideas for my first novel, The Vessel.

Joel's cartoons

Mine

New York will always be a special place for me. It was a good experience while on my mission and it was a good experience going back with Joel. I wish I could go back again.

The Tie

Yesterday at church one of my friends complimented my tie. It is one of my favorite ties and I wear it most of the time. But what he didn't know if that this particular tie has a long-lived secret.

This pinkish tie is about eighteen years old. This is one of my few surviving mission ties that went to New York with me. This is the same tie that I wore home on the plane from New York. In fact, I was being a real bad missionary because I wore this tie home. Our Mission President (again, this is the guy that I didn't see eye-to-eye with) came up with this idea that all missionaries should wear the same tie in an effort to promote unity amongst us. While I do like and understand the idea, the way it was presented was what I disagreed with. When I left the mission I gave my identical tie to one of my closest friends and wore this tie home. My Mission President was not thrilled at all that I decided this and made sure that I was hidden in all the last pictures that were taken before I took off. He made such a big deal about it and I am very surprised that when I got to Utah that nobody here knew about this horrible mistake I had made.

But that is not what makes this tie special. 

Didja know that this tie has been in the same knot since the mission? I have never untied it (I am not good at tying ties) and my companion made such a great knot that I have kept it since!

The Lost Mission Pictures

This new scanner is very, very cool. I was plum happy the way it scanned in old slides and I was eager to see how it handled old negatives. So I dug out my old mission negatives and looked and found some that I have never seen before! One of them I knew I had (I gave my only copy to my companion) but the other ones were brand new! At least I don't remember them at all and they did not come home with me when I returned from my mission.

This is Elder Browning looking calm with a snake crawling up his arm.

I have no idea where this came from. I am kinda glad this photo really never existed since I have a goofy look on my face. I don't remember this at all.

Now I remember this one. I gave my only copy to my companion Elder Hardy. But I have never seen it since then!

This was taken in my first area right outside of our apartment in Bensonhurst.

This scanner is really paying off. It is so cool that it can rescue photos from negatives.

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.

Mission Memoirs: Count Chocula

I used to eat a lot of cereal while serving my LDS Mission in New York. It was easy to make, you could eat it for every meal and it was usually cheap. Most stores would have a buy-one-get-one-free deal on all the cereals and not just the crappy ones. My favorite by far was Count Chocula.

And then it all changed one horrible P-Day.

I was looking forward to this P-Day and I had some big plans.  C-Town, which is a local grocery store usually has some decent sales on cereal and as a missionary, cereals are the best! They can be eaten at any time and you do not have to have milk.  Lucky Charms are one my favorite but every once in awhile and usually around Halloween they would have Count Chocula on sale. I never thought I would like a chocolate cereal but after trying a bowl I was hooked.  For P-Day I was looking forward to digging into a huge bowl (usually from an empty CoolWhip container) for breakfast.  I got the cereal out and poured it in and doused it with milk.  I took the first bite and I was in heaven.  I eagerly took another bite and one of the pieces felt a little strange.  I looked at the box and it said that it had a new type of marshmallow so I thought that was it.  I took another bite and the marshmallow bit still felt strange so I looked into my bowl wanting to find one.

And instead I discovered a live cockroach climbing on the side of my bowl.  I was horrified, I stuck my spoon in the cereal and stirred it and found a couple of them bobbing up to the surface.  I wanted to barf, I looked inside of the cereal box and it was full of roaches.  Yuck!  I threw the box out and I couldn't bring myself to look at the other box.  I don't think that I will ever want to buy this cereal again!  

The ones I ate were not this big thankfully.

I don't think I ate that cereal for years. And even now when I treat myself to a bowl, I look inside the box. After eating a roach I have no fear of accidentally eating a bug. I have eaten the worst and the most gooiest of all bugs. If I can do that, I can do anything.

Snicker... I just had to post this when I was looking for Count Chocula pictures.

Alien in Repose

Yesterday I had a little more energy so I decided to do some cleaning. I targeted a bookshelf that Kristy's dad built for her (which I have taken over with my graphic novels) and my purpose was to throw out anything that I have not used or even looked.

Kristy and I have stored some of our old college notebooks and stuff like that in there. I left all of hers alone and I plowed through mine. Going through that stuff did bring a smile to my face but most of the time I was wondering why the heck I kept this stuff. And for some reason we have hoarded binders. Just plain empty binders. So I chucked them all out along with most of my college stuff. I did keep some things, like the perfect paper (as was told by my professor) I wrote for my Political Science class and newspaper articles I wrote for the Herald Journal. But everything else got chucked out.

While going through my books I found my Missionary Guide. For those that served around the time I did, you definitely know what this book is all about. While serving an LDS Mission, you are to study this guide everyday with your companion. Now it is a good book and does a very good job in educating a missionary in how to be a missionary but personally, you go only read it so much. By six months out it became more of a chore and we had to change things up.

I ended up doodling all throughout mine. Yeah I know, not very missionary like but there were times when your companion is reading in monotone and you have to do something to keep yourself awake.

Have you ever seen a one-legged Alien? (His other leg is right behind the leg you can see; I found it funny how many times I had to explain that to my companions)

So when my kid goes on his mission and I give him my Missionary Guide to look at and read before he goes, this is the first thing he will see as he opens the book. I am such a strange geek.

The Jets?

When it comes to the NFL the question I get asked the most is "Why the Jets?"

Now the Jets are not my first favorite football team, that would be the Green Bay Packers. I liked the Packers because of the old school uniforms, I liked them because of Sterling Sharpe, I liked them because they traded for a fun gunslinger named Brett Favre, I liked them because they traded for the Minister of Defense Reggie White, and I liked them because of the old ball coach Vince Lombardi.

So how did I end up being a Jets fan?

I have always liked voting for the underdog and the Jets were a horrible team back in the early nineties. But it was an experience on my LDS Mission to New York that solidified me into being a Jets fan. I was serving in the Flushing, Queens area. I was with my second companion Elder Nez and we were over at a member's home for dinner after church.

NOVEMBER 14th 1993

Afterwards we all (including Beyung) were invited to Mike’s house to eat and relax.  Mike’s dad did not want all of us over and he was kinda mad that all of us were there.  He did not want to be disturbed while watching the Giants/Jets game. This is not the first time we have been invited to Mike's house much to the chagrin of his dad. Usually I would peek into the living room to check out the scores but we always left Mike's dad alone.  He was very cranky when we all arrived so we all scurried to the kitchen for cover, except for me. I stayed momentarily to see the scores before hastily retreating into the kitchen.

Then we heard his dad yell and I knew I must have overstayed my brief welcome. Mike went into the living room to see what was the matter and come to find out,  Mike’s dad wanted to know where that one missionary was.  He wanted to know where I was!  Mike came and got me and we entered the living room to see what his dad wanted.  He looked over at me and said “Are you going to stand there or are you going sit here and watch the game with me?”  We were all flabbergasted!  A missionary was personally invited to sit on the same couch and watch the game with him. That was unbelievable!  I sat down next to him and I was nervous.

He looked over and said, “Who are you for?  The Giants or the Jets?” I did not know what to say so I looked over at the television and I saw that Ronnie Lott was on the Jets team. (I guess he was traded while I was on my mission.)  I replied “I like the Jets!”  I must have picked the right team because he muttered “Damn Giants.  I hate them!”  He looked over at me as if he wanted me to say the same thing so I did. From now on, I will always be a fan of the Jets.  Mike announced that dinner was ready and I was getting up when his dad yelled out "Hey bring us our plates. He is eating with me!" Mike was stunned.  Mike told me later that his dad has never spoken personally to a missionary and that this was a first time and that I should be flattered.  I was flattered and a bit frightened also.  After the game was over Mike’s dad left to go take a nap upstairs, before he wanted to know if I would watch the Jets game with him next Sunday.  I said sure out of respect and fear and a little bit of excitement!

And that is how I became a fan of the New York Jets. I have followed them ever since that day. No one can accuse me of jumping on the bandwagon because they were so horrible then.

Back in the Field

Last Friday night I went out with the missionaries. We were supposed to have dinner at my house with the family and then I was going out with them for the rest of the evening on a split with one of the missionaries.

Now I am not a fan of feeding the missionaries. Let me clarify this, I don't mind having them over for dinner but I will do it under my circumstances and under my invitation. I don't like being asked or having to sign up to feed the missionaries as a requirement. I had to work like a dog to get dinner appointments when I was on my mission. It was not handed to me on a golden platter like the missionaries here get.

But I swallowed my pride and had them come over. The funny thing is that no one told them that they were supposed to come over for dinner. All they knew is that I was going to go out with them later in the evening. So they were late and we ended up not having to feed them. So I guess I got my way. I made a few phone calls and they finally came over. And then I got a call from out of the blue. I got a phone call from my friend Damond! It was great to catch up with him. He really motivated me and inspired me to reach out to people more and get back into touch with those people that have meant a lot to me and my family. I really need to do that.

Here is Damond and I at the MTC the night before I left to New York

Afterwards I took off with Elder Brown and we went out and did some missionary work. Walking around and looking up people took me back to when I served an LDS mission. I forgot how fun and hard it was. I was beat by the time I was finished around 9:00 at night. We didn't get to teach any lessons, we were "sacked" (we called them jukes on my mission) most of the time. It felt good to dip my feet back into the missionary pool. It makes me thankful of the time I served and it makes me thankful for all those that are serving. I wouldn't mind going out with them again.

The Confessional: Mariah Carey and the Mission

Since I no longer blog on Sundays, I couldn't have a Sunday Confessional on a Friday. So instead of waiting till Sunday to blog I decided to rename my Sunday Confessional blog to just The Confessional.

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas lately. Gee, I wonder why? But I was thinking of past Christmas seasons and I remembered what it was like to have Christmas while serving on my mission. Christmas in New York was magical. It seemed like the Christmas season even penetrated the people of New York. People were friendlier, there was definitely a good feeling that overcame the city. There was a lot of lights, there was a lot of decorations. The city was absolutely gorgeous when the snow would come and blanket the city. I loved Christmas in New York. Sure, I was a little homesick and I missed being around my family but the city takes care of their own. And I was happy to be counted among them.

My second Christmas in the field was the best one. I was serving in the Rego Park area and my companion was Elder Powell. My best friend in the mission field. We served in a nice area and we knew a lot of fantastic people, people that I still think about all the time.

Now I also love Christmas music. I love all Christmas music in all of its forms. Elder Powell and I wanted to get some Christmas music to play at the apartment so we stopped by a music store and bought some CDs. And I found a CD that I really wanted.

I still have this CD

Now I like Mariah Carey. I don't care for her new stuff, I really liked her first and older material. You know when she was pretty and nice. Not when she went crazy and went thuggy. Her Christmas music was absolutely fun to listen to, her rendition of O Holy Night is still one of my all-time favorite covers of that song. We listened to that CD every chance we could.

And then I found out from my friend John that she was giving a free concert downtown.

Mariah Carey is giving a free concert at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. John invited us to go if we wanted to and we would have really good seats because of his connections and maybe even get to meet her. I really pondered this, when would I get another chance like this? The only bad part is that Saint Patrick's is located in Manhattan and out of our mission. If it was just out of our area, I wouldn't even think twice about it, I would go. But it is out of our whole mission and that could lead to trouble. The last thing that I would want to happen is something to go wrong while we were out of the mission boundaries. President Bailey would be so ticked! But our Branch Christmas Party is the same night too and I didn't want to miss that either. But Mariah Carey! Powell and I decided it would be best if we just went to the Branch Christmas Party instead. I think I would rather want to regret missing Mariah than regret being kicked out of the mission or something drastic as that! On the other hand I would love to have seen President Bailey's face when he found out.

We ended up taking John to the Branch Christmas Party with us. It was a fun evening and I am glad we made the decision to go to this instead of seeing Mariah Carey.

So I almost snuck out of the mission to go see Mariah Carey. A small part of me wishes that I did it anyway. Like I said, it was a chance in a million to go see her and perhaps even meet her. And a small part of me wanted to do it to spite my mission president. We did not see eye-to-eye on a great many things. Luckily wiser heads prevailed and I went to the party instead.

And we spent Christmas at John's house.

Mission Memoirs: Elder Abuse

Day 337

In my last area in Brooklyn Elder Nielson and I used to pass this bus stop all the time.

I just HAD to stop and take a picture. There are many forms of Elder abuse.

Mission Memoirs: Lost in New York City

Day 330

New York is a big city. I grew up in Edmonton, a large city in its own right, but New York is huge. I felt like I had an advantage when I was called to serve my LDS mission to New York City because I grew up in a city and I was used to the vast diversity living in a city offers.

It still surprised me how large this city was. My first area in New York City was in Brooklyn. I served in the Bensonhurst/Coney Island area and my trainer was Elder Neilson. It was a nice area of Brooklyn and it definitely was diverse but I felt comfortable there. Our area was so large that we had to have a good bike. So we went to this bike shop that caters to missionaries and I plunked down $388 for a Mongoose Alta bike. I do admit that it was fun to ride a bike again. This was the same bike that was I mugged for.

It was P-Day, my first one in the mission field. In the morning we did our wash and grocery shopping and went out and played some pool with some members. In the evening, Elder Neilson and I went out to do some work. We grabbed our bikes and headed out to our appointments and that was when the fun started. Elder Neilson is quite a large guy and when we started to ride our bikes he just took off! I tried to keep up but it was hard and then I soon lost sight of him. He never stopped to see where I was, he just kept going and going. Then I realized that I was lost.

Lost in Brooklyn and lost in New York City!

I decided to stop, thinking that he would come back. It didn’t make sense that I should keep going since I didn’t know where I was going in the first place. I waited for about an hour and no Neilson. So I walked with my bike and I noticed that I was on Norstrand Avenue right by the projects.

At least I knew where I was. Then another hour went by and still no sign of Neilson. I sat on my bike and just waited. A member of the Church just happened to walk by and he saw me and said “Hi”. I said “Hi” in return and he stopped because he noticed that my companion was no where near me. He asked me where my companion was and I told him I had absolutely no clue. He stayed with me for a little while and asked if my companion was tall and blonde and I told him he was. Apparently he has seen my companion blocks and blocks away. I decided then it might be best if I headed home. He asked me if I knew how to get home and I didn’t really know. I said that I would look for Avenue P and then go south until I got to my apartment building. He looked at his watch and it was 8:30 (I had been lost for almost 3 hours) and said I should go home and that this neighborhood would not be the best to hang around in. I got on my bike and found Avenue P and headed home.


View Larger Map
Where I am? I wish Google had been invented then!

At least I knew some of my area and I knew how to get home. I finally got home and I had no way to get inside of the building so I parked my bike and played with the neighborhood kids that were outside. They knew we were missionaries; I parked my bike in the inside of the building where it was safe and hung out with the kids. About twenty minutes later Elders Howard and Jeffries got home. I told them what had happened and Jeffries freaked out! Jeffries hopped on his bike yelling that we had to find Neilson now! Howard and I disagreed with him. Howard said that Neilson knew the area better than us and probably was heading home or going to the Dietze’s (a Senior couple) home so they can help look for me.

They argued about it and finally Jeffries just took off. Elder Howard looks over at me and says, “What an ***hole!” and walks up the stairs. Howard said we should just go upstairs and see if maybe Neilson called. We went upstairs and I was feeling so bad. Not only did I get lost, I also caused Jeffries and Howard to fight. There were no messages so we went downstairs to wait for both of our companions. Howard was so ticked off at Jeffries and went off on him. I was so uncomfortable. Another twenty minutes passed and Jeffries came back with no Neilson. Howard asked if I would go inside so he could speak to Jeffries and I knew the poop was going to hit the fan big time! I could hear the yelling and the cursing and around 10:15 Neilson strolls in with his bike and asked if I was okay. I said that I was just fine and then he asked what was up with Howard and Jeffries. We went upstairs and we laughed about it. Neilson said that he was sorry and I told him no harm was done. We called the Dietze’s to let them know that I was just fine. Sister Dietze was crying the whole time and Elder Dietze was making the whole thing like a secret war mission. I never felt like I was in danger, maybe it was because I am naïve but I think God was watching over me. They even called the cops to find me. The thought did cross my mind about calling President Child and ask for a transfer but we all ended up as friends. Even better than before.

Mission Memoirs: The Muffin Man

Day 316

On my mission I had all sorts of companions. Most of them I liked and got along with good. But there were a few that were a bit difficult to get along with. When I got to Staten Island I was paired up with a guy that was a very hard worker. I was not afraid of hard work at all, what I worried about was if the guy liked to have fun. I don't mind working hard just as long as we are having a good time doing it.

With this new companion, Elder Davidson, I was in for quite a ride. He did like to have fun but he was a strange person. He was not freaky or anything like that, he was just an odd duck.

April 25th, 1995

Today marked the 20th month that I have been on my mission! I cannot believe how the time really has flown. Today was DLZL so I was on a split with Elder Davis and Elder Anderson. We waited and waited for Davis to get ready so I called Reese and Powell (my former companions) and I got caught up with them. Reese was doing well in my old area but Powell was not having much fun out in Long Island. It seems like he has been taking a lot of flack from El' Presidente.

We finally left and went to our appointment with Angela and she juked us. This is not a good sign, she has been flaky the last couple of times we have seen, or at least tried to see her. Then we went and got some lunch at the mall and dropped in on the Mendez’s. Susan was not there, which is too bad because she was the one that was most interested but we spoke with Nilsa and Christina. After we looked up some referrals and we got back together with our companions around 7:00. Davidson and I saw Denine that evening for another long discussion.

 On the way home, my companion reminded me that he was such an odd duck. He was starving and after our appointment with Denine, I suggested we stop by and I’ll treat him to some muffins. (Sidenote: There was this bakery in Staten Island that made the best large muffins! They had all sorts of flavors like cherry crumb, chocolate chip, peach, apple and a ton more. They were baked fresh and they were 50 cents for two of them. We must have stopped in almost everyday.) Davidson was excited and so we headed over to grab some on the way home. I could tell he was tired as well so I was drove. We picked up some of those tasty muffins (I didn’t get any because I was not hungry) and we were driving home and he was digging into them. Then suddenly he asks me to roll down my window. I thought maybe he farted and was just being polite but I learned quickly that was not the case. Remember, this is Elder Odd Duck we are talking about here. I rolled my window down and he asked for me to roll it all the way down and so I did. Then he chucked the muffins out my window!

They looked like these. Only they were as large as your fist.

I turned to him shocked and he was smiling. “What did you do that for?” I asked him and he said he was just seeing if he had the willpower to throw them out. “I thought you were hungry?” I asked and he replied that he was really hungry but he had something to prove. I replied very sarcastically, “You proved something alright.” I don't know why that ticked me off but it did. I don't think that Davidson likes me anyway and here I am trying to be nice and he slaps me in the face. He then said that he was stronger for doing it. So I selfishly decided it would be best to make him feel guilty so I said, “You could have shared those muffins with the Spanish Elders or something. And are you going to eat something when you get home?” Davidson didn’t say anything so mission accomplished! What an odd, odd duck.

That was not the first time he did something strange nor was it his last time. I think I liked Davidson more than he liked me. He did things his way and I did things my way. Unfortunately at this time while on my mission, I did not see eye-to-eye with my Mission President and I got a bad reputation. Looking back I would not change a thing of how I worked. If Davidson contacted me out of the blue I would be happy to speak to him again.

Mission Memoirs: The Subway Ride Home

Day 302*

I still find it difficult to imagine that the World Trade Centers are gone. I was fortunate enough to visit the World Trade Centers before they were cowardly destroyed. I remember that day like it was just yesterday.

Dec 22nd 1993

Manhattan Day! Every three months we are allowed on a P-Day to go out of our mission and go to Manhattan and spend the day. This was my first one and I unfortunately was sick as a dog! But I could not let such a great opportunity pass me by so I forced myself to get my laundry and shopping down so we could run to Manhattan.

It is such a cool place to be! We first went to the World Trade Centers and we spent most of the morning there. It is cool and you are so high in the air. The wind was blowing strong so we did not get the chance to go to the roof and be outside. But it was amazing being up so high and seeing the city below. At the top floor we met Santa Clause and even though I was feeling so horrible, I had to sit on his lap. 

I am not completely sure but I believe that is Queens on the other side of the river.

That is upper Manhatten. You can kinda see the Empire State Building.

Ugh.. I can tell that I don't look so hot.

Elder Moyes in front of the World Trade Centers.

Merry Christmas '93!

Looking down...

I started to feel even worse than before so we stopped in at the Roy Rogers and had lunch. I felt a little bette so we explored the Village in search of this store called Discorama. We finally found it and we bought a couple of very cheap CDs but I could barely keep my head up, I was feeling so sick. We left the store and explored more and we had to stop in the McDonalds so Moyes could use the bathroom. While I was waiting he was nice enough to buy me a Sprite. The Sprite helped a little but as soon as we left McDonalds, I found the first wastebasket and dry-heaved for about ten minutes straight. Moyes must have sensed that I was really sick so we decided to go home.

The subway ride home was awful. We must have waited for what seemed eternity. We finally got on the train and we headed home. It was the middle of rush hour and the train was packed. Usually people will fight for a seat and we as missionaries would give up our seats (if we had them) for other people to sit. This time I was in the mood to fight for a seat. When one opened I quickly jumped for it and sank down feeling terrible. Moyes watched where I was and made sure that I was all right. I was feeling so sick that I was finding it difficult to stay awake. After a couple of stops I must have decided to stop fighting the sleep and I was gone. 

I guess I was really out of it because when I awoke my face was pretty much perched on top of this older ladies's chest who was sitting next to me! It startled me so bad that I jumped up and immediately apologized to her. Moyes was laughing his head off sitting across from me. The lady looked at me and said that I looked very sick and she did not want to disturb me when it looked like I was comfy! I am glad that there are real nice people out there! I do not know what I would have done if I were in her place. I was so embarrassed! We got home and I fell asleep right away.

Even today, many years after that happened, I still blush!

For those that live in the Salt Lake Valley or are familiar with Salt Lake City, this is what it would be like if the World Trade Centers existed in downtown SLC.

One day I will have to blog about 9/11. But not today. I am just thankful that no one I knew was hurt and I am also thankful that I was able to see the World Trade Centers twice. Once on my LDS Mission and the other when I went back to New York City with my friend Joel. I'll have to blog about that later too.

*thanks Andrea for making sure I get my days straight... That's two I owe you  junior!**

**Anyone get that reference? The saying is actually "That's two you owe me junior."

Sunday Confessional: My "2-Year" Mission

Day 295

The month of August will always be linked to when I served my LDS mission to New York City.

I left for my mission on August 25th 1993. That means it will be 17 years since I left for my mission which mean it will be 15 years since I have been home. That is hard to believe. It seems like it has only been a few years since I have been back.

They say that these 2 years are the best 2 years of your life. I don't think they were. They may be the most memorable but I have had happier years. But then I didn't serve a full two years.

I came home August 16th, 1995. A little more than a week earlier than my full two years. Sure, I could have extended my mission out another month but somehow I don't think my Mission President would have approved that. We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things but I'll blog about that sometime later.

On July 2nd, 1993 I received my mission call in the mail.

“WOW! My mission call finally came! I had a ten minute break from work (Pepperidge Farms) so I came home and called my mom and opened my call. After I told her where I was going, I called probably my best friend Damond. It was a little disappointing that I wasn’t going foreign but New York New York South is going to kick butt! I’m really excited!”

I was leaving on August 25th and that was just next month, I couldn’t believe it. I had also called my dad and asked him where he thought I was going. He said as long as it wasn't a big city like Los Angeles or New York he would be happy for me. Too funny.

I had actually prophesied that I would be in New York so it should not have come as a surprise. During my Freshmen year in Seminary (for those that don't know what Seminary is, it is basically church classes you could take every day like you would at a public school) I was posed the question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I wrote down "New York City." And sure enough, five years later I was in New York City. I thought I still had this piece of paper but I cannot find it anywhere for the life of me.

Anyway, I enjoyed my 2-year mission even through all the difficult times where I truly thought I was on my own. I'll save those maybe for another time.

Mission Memoirs: The MTC

Day 281

Seventeen years ago this month I began my 2-year LDS mission to the New York New York South Mission. It is hard to believe that it was that long ago that I left my family to go and serve the Lord.

I entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on August 25th, 1993. Here is an actual excerpt from my mission journal:

The drive to Provo was a long and quiet one. I really had nothing to say at all. In my mind I was contemplating what was ahead and what I was leaving behind. Was this the right decision for me? I don't know, and that is scary. My mom and I arrived at the MTC and we were ushered into this large room. After a very short presentation the parents were asked to leave, and the missionaries were instructed to follow someone else. That was it, time for my mission to begin. My mom went out one way and I went out a different way. I tried not to cry but I admit that I did. I found my room after being inspected from head to toe. I also got my dork dot (a large green sticker on my name tag) on my mission tag and it shined brightly to all other missionaries letting them all know that I was an idiot and a newbie.

After finding my room, I really didn’t know what to do next so I decided to go back downstairs and poke around, hopefully finding some sort of instruction. Coming down the stairs I met some guy coming up with his luggage. He had a goofy smile on his face and really long hair. “Please don’t let that guy be my companion.” I thought to myself. After I returned upstairs from a short jaunt that same guy was in my room and he asked if I was Elder Platis. Sure enough, this guy was my new companion, his name was Elder Powell. The first thing we did together was go get his haircut.

Elder Troy Daniel Powell is from Rexburg, Idaho. He was born just two days before I was. He seemed a little cocky at first but you really cannot judge someone that has been thrust into a new situation like this. One of the first pictures we took of us together was with the camera lying on the ground face-up and we would lean over it. This trick would happen a lot more times on the mission. This did break the ice pretty quickly.

Look how young we are!

I can’t believe that I have started my mission. Leaving my mom was sad but I can cope. There are a couple of other missionaries that lived close that were going to New York as well. We were put into a district with 6 other Elders, (4 of them going to NY) and 2 sisters with one of them going to New York too. Tomorrow we have a ton of meetings to attend and I hear is the hardest day for new missionaries.

Alphabetically Elder Powell and I were put together as a companionship. But it was inspiration. We served together in the MTC for a month and we were the only companionship that got along. Later on in my mission I got the opportunity to live with him even though we served in separate areas. Than we were lucky enough to be companions for a second time and I served 4 months with him. In total, we spent right about six months together.

Elder Powell was my best friend in the mission. We were extremely close and worked well with each other. We had a lot of things in common. Elder Powell influenced me quite a bit. I don't think I would be the same man as I am today without his influence. He taught me to be outgoing and to be friendly and to have fun. When I joined Facebook he was the first guy I looked up.

One of my favorite stories of Elder Powell was this one when we served together in Elmhurst.

After our meeting we called Judy and she came and picked us up and we had our usual dinner appointment with her. Elder Powell sure makes me laugh. I wish I could be as witty as he is. We went to Judy's for our dinner appointment and she was not in the mood to cook so Elder Powell said he would make dinner. I sat myself down on the couch and played poker with Judy and talked about her job. Powell called us in for dinner and Judy and I sat down to eat. Judy then asked Elder Powell to bless the food. You know how in some prayers you say the same things automatically? Well, Elder Powell did that tonight. He got to the part where he normally says "and bless the hands that prepare...". He got to that part and paused, knowing it would be silly to say that since he was the one that prepared the food. But that didn't stop him so he continued. "And please bless the hands that prepared this... ...bless them with strength, wisdom, courage, patience and love." I about died laughing, Judy was not pleased with it as much but she laughed anyway. After we said "amen" Judy reached over and slugged Powell in the arm. I sure hope God has a good sense of humor.

 

Sadly this was the last time I saw Troy when we left the mission field.

Thanks Troy for being a part of my mission and being an example for me. I still reflect and laugh when I think about serving those times with him. Good times indeed.

The Journals

Day 280

As I have mentioned before, I am very jealous impressed with my cousin Jeremy's drive to write in his journal. That was perhaps the biggest motivations for me to start this blog and to keep it going past the 365 mark.

I have never kept a steady journal except for my two year LDS mission to New York. I had a small Garfield journal that I kept for about two weeks in total that I still have. I still look through all these journals and I am happy that I kept some sort of journal. 

I got my first journal for Christmas from Santa Claus and I wrote some things in it that I would like to share.

Dec 23rd 1982

Today is the day I did it. I made it up which girlfriend I want. I want Tammy R + Carmen. I like Carmen better.

(*sigh* young love...)

Jan 8th 1983

Today I quit with Carmen. She is dumb very. I would like to have Tammy R.

(that didn't last too long... at least I am the one that broke it off with her)

June 22nd 1983

I love Olivia Newton John. I got her poster and tape. I can't wait for her to love me. She's cute, very cute.

(Okay... I didn't have her poster. I just took out the cover to the tape and hung it up on my wall next to a Star Wars card of Princess Leia. I still like Olivia Newton John)

(Yup... that's the one. I think I still have that tape lying around somewhere. Or hanging up somewhere...)

July 9th, 1983

This morning my sister's hamster died at 1:00AM. The hamster's name was Midnite. I cried. My dad held Midnite and put him under the bed. We are going to bury him (in the) backyard.

(I remember this pretty clearly. We did bury him in the backyard in our garden. My dad had him in a shoebox. Jennifer didn't want to cry because she had just put on her makeup. I tried to be strong and not cry so Jennifer wouldn't but I did anyway. My dad said a prayer and we buried him)

This was my next journal. My sister got it for me when I left for my mission and I am so glad that she did. I wrote daily the whole time I was on my mission. This was the first volume.

This was the last journal I wrote in. My second volume of my time spent in New York.

I am thankful for the many examples I have in my life that are writing in their journals and are doing a blog. I know that these writings will be valuable for our family and posterity.

Mission Memoirs

Day 260

Again I have been debating about including mission stories on the blog here. I included one about my mugging a few months ago but I have not shared much of my LDS mission here. I just don't want to flood this blog with a ton of mission stories.

But I am stuck. I have no clue what to blog about today and I am a little pressed for time. I have choir practice shortly and I won't have much time after church since I just want to hang back and relax. I am excellent at justification and since it is Sunday, maybe sharing a mission story would be alright. I promise I will do these in moderation!

I couldn't decide which mission story to share. This one was the only one that immediately came to mind.

MARCH 21st 1994

Something pretty funny happened today while Hardy and I were on one of our marathon tracting days. We were clear up to the northeast part of our area where there are a ton of apartment buildings. We were knocking on doors to some success and we got to this one door and it was my turn to knock.

This attractive young girl answers and I give my spill introducing us as missionaries and she says "Would you like something to eat?"

Now under normal situations this would be a strange thing to ask but after working for three months in this area I have found that most people are willing to share food or drink with missionaries. Most of the time we get orange juice or water and butter cookies and so this request was not strange at all. My companion Elder Hardy must have felt that this was strange because I could immediately tell he was not a fan of going inside. We had already been asked to come in and have something to drink a couple of floors above us so I was not sure why Hardy acted the way he did. I said sure and we entered her apartment.

I wanted to have a picture of us tracting (knocking door to door) so I quickly snagged this. I look horrible in this picture. Another missionary cut butchered my hair and I must have gained 15 pounds.

We chatted for a little while and I told her more of who we were and what we wanted to share with her. She finally said that she will be back with something and to wait just a sec. I had no problem with this but Elder Hardy was freaking out. He was saying stuff like "I cannot believe we are doing this" and "why are you doing this" and similar remarks much to my surprise. I guess Elder Hardy worked differently than I did. If the lady wants to feed us, I say we accept. It is a kind gesture and we should honor them for trying to honor us. I told him to relax and that I did this all the time. Hardy was incessant that we leave.
"We gotta get out of here!" He told me forcibly. But I was not having it; I thought it would be disrespectful to just leave.
"What is your problem?" I asked impatiently.
"I cannot be part of this." he said right back to me. I was getting a little hot under the collar. What was Hardy's big problem?
"This is how I do things. If you don't like it, that's too bad! If she wants to give us something to eat, we should respect that!" I whispered back.
"Eat?" Hardy replied.
"Yeah, she wants to feed us something and it is real nice of her to do so!" I about yelled back, I was soooo mad. Hardy looked at me with his eyes wide open.
"She didn't ask if we wanted something to eat!" He said with a tinge of panic in his voice.
"What did she say then?" I asked.
"She asked us if we wanted to smoke some weed!" He whispered angrily back. What? There is no way she said that.
"What?" I asked back.
"She asked us to smoke some weed with her and you said yes!" She came back in and sure enough, she had these two joints all rolled up nicely. I laughed, not just because it was funny but because I was a little nervous. She said 'smoke some weed' and I heard 'something to eat', how ridiculous. She looked at me because I was laughing and I explained to her what I thought she said and she quickly kicked us out. I swore she said 'something to eat'. No wonder Hardy was ticked. What did he think of me when I was saying that I did this all the time? He didn't think it was as funny as I did.

Looking back I feel a bit bad for Elder Hardy. What must have been going through his mind when I told him I did this all the time? Poor fella about had a heart attack.