I want to live like a kid always.‏

My companion wanted a hair cut in walmart today, I borrowed the clippers from the Alpena Elders but he didn't want to do it him self and didn't want me to do it. When we got there we had to wait a half hour so of course we went to the toy section.=p OH MY GOODNESS! The STARWARS toys are SOOOO cool! I have been in a transe all day since then, All I want to do is buy a million star wars toys and play with kids all day long. As we were walking around I saw "Frozen" cheese sticks with olaf on them and I mocked them "people would have to be dumb to buy those, They are no different...." And then my companion pointed out my Star Wars Gogurts in the shopping cart that I kept because the box was so interesting to me.=p

I have openly been coming out to my companion that I've been brainwashing him to do things our whole time together that I didn't want to have to do. A previous companion never washed any dish so I really drove how we need to clean as we go and it's been a habit he's kept this whole time and I Love it =p.

We were with some recent converts reading where they were in the Book of Mormon since they haven't been reading. They are all under the age of 13. Turns out they were in 1ne 13 or 14 one of the two. And by the time we were done they knew a new word that I was not proud of a  word which is used to describe the great and abominable church, the w. of the whole earth. When ever they would hit that word (it's used like 13 times) I kept my nose in the book and let them really struggle to sound it out themselves because I wasn't going to teach them that or allow the chance for them to ask what that means.  my zoneleader was fighting so hard to not laugh during the lesson.

During church T T told me "E. Crockett make sure you don't fall asleep today, your snoring is distracting." he has autism and is ALWAYS 100% honest, It is SOOO funny! His Mom had to make sure I wasn't offended I was just dying on the inside though. Latter we were over there for dinner "Here E. Crockett I got this Iron Man sticker for you because hes lazy too." ha ha ha!

One of our top investigators dropped us this week. It was the one whose kids always say the pledge of Allegiance when the word prayer is brought up. She went on her own accord to talk to her husband about them joining our church together, and after a really long discussion he didn't want to become a mormon. So she dropped us to stay true to her husband. That one got me, I have dropped 21 people in this area in my almost 4.5 months here, but that one hit me harder than a punch. I couldn't hold it, I cried when I read the long texts. 

In a better light our investigator (who is still missing for INSANE reasons, Went to the hospital saturday night) has been talking to her friend about the church alot and her friend keeps asking questions. She gave her one of her Book of Mormons and her friend accepted it and was really excited for her trip down south because she would have time to read it. She told us that in her head she thought "GOTCHYA!".=p

Last P-day I went to a members house to learn some of his wrestling moves. It ended him showing me how a wrestler plays the game so I could figure out how to fight them better. While on his carpet after he couldn't break my guard and stopped out of fear that his wife would walk in and yell at him for destroying the carpet, well so he said anyways (jk he taps brown belts I got nothin on him) he started talking about his mission. 

He had loads of good stories and principles to all of the things he brought up so i kept hitting him with follow up questions like I love to do. And he eventually broke and gave me info that was useful in my teaching. He had me sit down at the couch by my companion (who has been sitting there for like a hour bored out of his brains, his idea of a sport is croquette). And using Acts 2, 7 he taught me about how the spirit Pricks people in the heart. 

I had read over those verses several times for the 12 week missionary training program but they explained to me something different. He taught me things that Elder White talks about but he explained it so it was useful. In the verses an apostle teaches about  the prophet, God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost and it caused the the holy ghost to prick every one in the area's hearts at the same time so peter points it out and those who aren't "cut to the heart" (see acts 7) joyfully accept every commitment.  

I love the foot note for "fear" some where around there it says "courage". So he explained to me that when ever you feel the spirit stop the lesson and help them recognize thats what they felt . He would normally like to preface the lesson with a few verses from the chapter so they knew that they were going to get their heart pricked when they are taught truth so when it happens you don't have to explain. (see also Alma 12:3,7-8)

So That was awesome to me and I LOVE when people use the scriptures like that to teach me about the small things that make a big difference and actually can be applied in life and ISN"T Stipulation. I thought about it and applied it to the stories E. White told me and it made sense. 

We get into one of our investigators houses who I once got to recognize the spirit but was kinda denying it. We taught him and he brought up how he was baptized as a baby catholic and went on... I then used the scriptures to resolve his concern. Then I felt the spirit, I knew it pricked his heart. And I stopped right then and there and said... I know you know these things are true, and I know that you know it too because he is teaching you that right now (or something like that, super bold), I know you feel it.... He just started to cry and then looked at me and said " you feel that too? Right..." and then at the exact same time we pointed to the same place of our chest "...here....   ." and then it got stronger. 

He committed to every thing I dished out. And he told us he was going to talk to his significant other so they could join together. His significant other dropped us once and I don't think shes too fond of the idea of changing what she grew up with, But that experience was WAY COOL! Alma has been some one who has fascinated me for quite some time now. Just because when he taught people they either loved him or hated him because none of them could deny what he told them, because they all knew it was true. I was proud, I felt like him for a second. 

Thanksgiving our rules was "door knock from 10-12 and then act as much like a normal human as you can for the rest of the day. No turkey bowls though!" It was nice, we got into the Sr. Missionaries apartment and got all of the Christmas Decorations and Tree to set up and then we played games with members for most of the day. And finished our night with a feast with 2 families and the Brutally Honest kid who likes to sit by me =p.

  

Well I gotta go 

It's hard to keep a dinner appointment when a different member sets up an appointment for you to teach a friend who now wants to be baptized. We rescheduled for 8pm tonight ha ha!

I gotta go Bye I love you have a good day!

Don't get shot!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

"YOUR A FORIGNER! I AM NOT LETTING A TERRORIST___ ___ __ IN MY NEIBORHOOD!"‏

I was in a Zone training this week, and that was the first I heard about that policy change thing so I asked all about it. But it was good because that very day some Former Investigator asked about it and set up a lesson. But the only reason why I bring that zone training up is for 2 reasons.
 
1. I don't know if you can see in that pic on facebook But I am in a grey suit that I got for 8 bucks at goodwill. I am really proud of it because it fit my body so good, I liked it alot, but it was just to small. So I took a exacto knife to the seams around the waist, the sleeves, the hem and I resized it needle and thread to fit me. I let out the waist 1.5 inches, the pant legs until they were perfect and then re hemmed them, and same with the sleeves. I did it like 10 minutes at a time during my dinner breaks that we didn't have members feeding us. It took me for ever to get it done I bought it like my last week in Holt. I really only worked on it once every 2 weeks or so, if that. I realized I forgot to sew a button on the sleeve though, DOUGH! BTW I love not having the lint on my suit being SUPER obvious. 

 
2.We practice taught at the Zone training and I was in a trio and a Sister and a Elder taught me and I thought it was super cute, and I would just like to say that there should be young couple missionaries too. =p

 

I have been thinking, it's a dangerous pass time I know... But I realized how much being on a mission has encouraged my love to learn. I would say before my mission I loved to learning skills and hobbies. But now I LOVE learning. I have loved being around Sr. Missionaries, and I blame them for this love to learn because It is my favorite to ask them about their lives and learn all the things from them that I can to see how I can use that in my life. It has gotten to a point where I have purposely looked for people who are full of knowledge and like to share it so I can question them about their lives and then hit them with a million follow up questions to understand, organize and then ponder on the principles they talked about. And I have learned so much from so many more people around me because I look for all of the truth in what they say even if it might be a grain or half truth to filter through and understand and greater develop that truth (tends to be a grain with people who you Door knock into). I even have desires to learn Math now, math that isn't Geometry, But I put a disclaimer on that because I have no clue how I will like my college math classes. 

I was in Alpena and we stopped by a potentials house, I answered a text, and then we said a prayer and while we said that prayer the potential drove away without us knowing. Since we were out in the car so long this lady came out and knocked on our window really prying to see what we were doing, we answered questions and got her to leave and then we tried the potential. She wasn't there of course so we returned to the car to move to the street we were going to knock. The Lady came back out holding a pen and paper and talking on the phone......*sigh*. Walked behind the jeep wrote down our plate number and had us roll down the window to tell us the cops were coming.  

I again didn't have my proselyting license on me because I left it in my jeep. She held onto the Jeep and swore up a storm at us saying how there is terrorists every where and that she wasn't going to let go of the jeep until the cops came. ("can you run 60 MPH" is what Elder W suggested after ha ha). She wanted proof we weren't terrorists and I had to keep tapping the Elder I was with to get him to stop arguing with her, and to drop it. I tried to be way nice and I found out about her and she has been way paranoid about terrorists since Paris and the plane and kidnappers and..... and even though no one would come to that neck of the woods for that. 

She flipped a biscuit HARD on me for that and wanted my identification accusing me that I was from Australia (because of my "accent" =p) and when I flashed it she went off on how I can't be from Arizona. She called the cops again to learn that they thought she was crazy and wasn't going to send a officer, She put another biscuit on the frying pan and went off and then hung up on the operator. A cop showed up several minutes later and when he saw the lady his head went back and eyes rolled and took a deep breath. ha ha She asked for him to check us and go through all info and...... he looked at our name tags and said "ya lady I see these guys around, their legit...". 

She tried flipping but he went off on her and she marched into her house and demanded he come after hes done with us. We talked to him and thanked him, he asked us to pray for him because she was going to chew him out. He gave us a referral to teach her because "she REALLY needs some guys like you to help her in her life", But I wasn't to fond of following up on that referral.=p GUYS who knew I am not a terrorist from Australia! I always thought Rojer City was a tough crowd though. Cop, Gun, Cop all in about 7 days, I have some major persecution points racking up, I am waiting for a special deal to cash them in.

We tried a "Former Investigator" Turns out he actually was another less active not on the directory. His wife has Altimers and was a basically a inanimate being. I was really touched by that visit. He explained to us that he does everything for her, feeds her, puts her to bed, bathes her, she doesn't have a catheter, spends 24/7 with her to care for her. We talked to him and he told us how she rarely "comes to life" and how she doesn't speak anymore. 

We talked to him and then he would snap and look at her, stop mid sentence and grab her hand and recognize she was listening to him and ask for a kiss and she would perk her lips but nothing else not even move her head. He then would go off on a gander rant and ask her if she remembered it and you could see her eyes come to life and answer even though she couldn't hardly blink and he would converse with her like that. I was so touched by the love that he had for his wife, this old man had his limitations but his love was so powerful he did everything for her. 

He told of how she would make him anything and everything because how madly in love she was with him no matter what time of night, and he told later not relating the two stories that one time she came to life at 2 am and he woke up she wanted cake so he spent the whole rest of the night making her cake so he could feed it to her. She said 4 words in our time there all separate and he marveled at how rare that was and was off that walls excited hugging her and kissing her and rubbing her hand. It brought the spirit so strong after the T.V. went off that it felt like being in the temple. 

I have had alot of examples of real love in my life but this was a example I marveled at, his love was far greater than personality, far more than her mind, or body, or heart; It was her soul, it reached far beyond what was there in his life, I would even say before his life too. My companion and I left there and my companion commented "that was the most sacred thing I have ever seen" while crying. I was too busy trying to keep my cool to agree, even though I felt that same thing he did.  I can't even express what happened and give that moment it's justice that it deserves.

It was hard core.

I gotta go Don't get shot!

Be nice to Cops!

Love you!

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Don't get shot

I talked about us contacting every less active but one in my last email, as I left the library and turned a corner I heard my name called and there he was! It made it pretty easy.

I got Suzie's letter, Suz your nothing but a bully, calling me a weirdo. DO you know who I think I am!

I miss the Birch boys!

Hamilton I got the journal, it is Makob! Other than that all I can say is...
L. to the I. to the N. to the K....

We had some pretty awesome miracles this week!

But before I get into that I have to tell you of the Major persecution points that we racked up. Door knocking over In Alpena. I was enjoying the cute little houses with the steps up to the front doors and being able to see green grass unlike the snow tundra it was when I left there. Knock on a house and the guy sounds pretty gruff.... And then my eyes caught hold of the Hand Gun he had in his hand.

My criminal mind started racing through the out comes that I could do if it was moved, all of which was run, no way was I gonna get a move on him, even if he did raise it a little more, the storm door in between us. Instead of my instincts to run like a girl and vault the metal railing of the porch I invited him to learn without out anything else said and then walked away calmly. Basically every door after that we picked up a potential ha ha.

We got into a less actives house who lives WAY out in the boonies to the point no GPS can help you and you need 4 wheel drive In between East Jorden and Boyne city. We teach the restoration to this part member family and then get to the book of mormon and teach about it. It was such a hard lesson for some reason I felt almost embarrassed the whole time but tried hard to not let it effect me. The Less actives non member husband chimed in.. 'well this is my beef with the book of Mormon'..... I then calmly did my best to resolve the concern and explain it to him, he actually accepted my explanations and then I got way shocked.

His wife without any prodding, without the table being set up for it in any way Bore her testimony of Joseph Smith being called as a Prophet. She shared a personal experience from sunday school where she felt the spirit and we were blown away! It was SWEET to see her testify to her whole family who is not members and has different beliefs that these things are true. Elder Miles shot out a invitation to church and then all of the kids got excited and they all agreed to come to church.

This sunday they came all 5 of them and they talked to their less active sister (who we have tried working on for some time) and they and her family also came to church. We also was very surprised to see the Less active who I met outside of the library there, and the 2 that got a calling last week, and some former investigators who Showed up with our resent convert, and a nonmember that a member brought.... Moral of the story there was 15 people at church who aren't normally there. It was WAY cool! It's not hard to see that it wasn't all because of us.

But when the Active father and mother of the two less active daughters came in and saw them, and their grand kids =p.

I love to share the miracles that I see on a mission but I also don't like doing that, it's so easy to share the awesome experience and then all the sudden crazy stuff happens and there is a major set back. Dude I hate satan, for realzies if only people would have a stable life where no crazy work schedule or any other garbage could come up, but I guess thats life.

My camera Tapped out for good this week, so I picked up a new one for 50 bucks that I like a whole lot, Probably even better than the last.

I have given like 8 blessing this week

Well I gotta go Bye I love you have a good day!

Don't Get SHOT! Make sure you hop the rail!

love you

--

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

    

Everyone has trials of their faith, especially on a mission....

Dennim, I have been doing good, I have had a way good day today.  I made home made pizza which was AH REEEAAL nice, and then I went to walmart and spent like 20 minutes looking at all of the StarWars toys. Love you too! Take A Bath you hippy!

Susie, I haven't got your letter yet but I am really excited to get it!

Dad, when you said "Excellent!" in your letter, without thinking I threw my arms up and did a air guitar like Bill and Ted.
Ella, Congrats on turning 16 I hope it was Refreshing. Party hard, circles at dances is one of the last legal forms of Communism. They are only good if you got a good "crowd pleaser" to go Hard core on.

Every one has trials of their faith, especially on a mission. The fact that I can't buy a million starwars bionicles and play with them and kids all day long was one for me today ha ha. I LOVE all of the starwars stuff thats out.

So we have our investigator S, she is so funny, she has been dissing HARD on my companion the last few lessons because he's 18 and shes almost 80. "That young buck....The Nerve he has thinking he can walk around being 18!...When the car's full, strap him to the hood of the jeep for more space, I mean he has the nerve to be 18!". Some people in Michigan physically can not stop talking I swear, But I love her "Gander Rants" (as missionaries call them) on Hating on how Elder M is 18. She thinks I am 21 so I am not gonna do anything to make her think differently because It's hard enough to teach her when she's dissing only on him.

I woke up. It was august 2k15 in Holt Michigan. I had this guy on my mind from my very first weeks of a mission. I have no clue how I would contact him, all I knew was he was a less active in Hiding out in the boonies of Ossinike with a son who wanted to be baptized. No clue why This guy even got on my mind. Transfer calls come, I still can't get him off my mind, no clue where he lived I was so discombobulated at the time and unaware of my location other than in a endless sea of trees. I got called To serve In Gaylord where I am now able to go to Alpena the area where he lives. I spent ages on LDS maps trying to find the place. Thank you Facebook, after all that time all it took was a quick message to my trainer who is now out in Uoootah, And then I was able to give the info where he lives (minus now they have to knock like 40 doors to find which one is his, so I am going over on a trade off this week to find it for them).

I have been super pumped about Less Active work because of the fast. It bothers me how I have no records of any less active work at all. I made several really good points about it talking to the zone leaders and they called back a few days later saying we have a zone goal and they based it off of what I told them ha ha. Because of that we had a goal to try and contact every less active in the area, There is only 1 I haven't left a message or talked to yet. Our week is stacked!

We had a less active come without our help to church again. They were called by the executive secretary and they showed up and were given a calling. She left saying to her husband "Ya, our break time is over." =p We had several others there as well.

I got to experience all 4 forms of Precipitation on Thursday. It was way cool! It all happened while we were door knocking, It made me break out the thermals but I loved it after that. It was sweet seeing the rain come and hit my knitted sweater and then freeze seconds later leaving little puffs of snow and ice on me. 

I would say we actually had like 5 types of precipitation, snow, rain, hail, sleet; and my companions sweat from when the cop car slammed on the breaks, popped into reverse, and then turned onto our street straight towards us, window came down, car came to a stop. 

Don't worry apparently I have a clean record, wasn't a surprise when my companions was clean (mine either though ha ha). I worried for a half a second when I realized I didn't have my proselyting license on me though. No big deal though we just racked up loads of persecution points. 

When we walked by the house that called the cops on us "My doctor is a Mormon and hes a good guy, But you guys are MORONS!". The Cop wouldn't spend the time with me and answer all of my questions about his gadgets and different laws though =(. Basically got the cops called on us because I am tall and did a quick step over a dog gate to knock on a door, to which they didn't even answer... But I learned a lesson quick that cops frown upon stepping over small dog gates. I got fed poppy seeds yesterday so when the cops stop us again we wont pass our drug test... thanks, but the bread was good!=p

I would say we cashed in all of those persecution points though, the 4 hours of non stop precipitation, cops, ornery old folks, for the miracles at church and today. We sacrificed part of our P-day to teach a lesson to a investigator who told us he got answers to his prayers and took sunday off of work, and will live the Word of wisdom so he can be baptized. And i'm like Yes! Please! We have 3 LA lessons today as well.

I gotta go!

Bye I love you have a good day,

have a Most Excellent day

EXCELLENT!

Don't get shot!

Love,

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

"Crockett & Miles! Is that your attorney?!?"‏

Our investigator, the one who has a million and a half crazy things happen to her to prevent her from coming to church loves to talk to people about us. Shes in her 80's I think or late 70's and she was on a hospital bed talking to a doctor and she started telling him about how she meets with "Crockett and Miles" and it's been helping her. The subject title is what his response was. She has since suggested that we start a small Law office.

T-Calls came and we are staying the same. I assume I am going to kick the bucket in this area after this next transfer and I have a whole lot I still want to do and arrange so the missionaries who come after me have greater things to do then I did. I say that Because Alpena is still in some of the habits my trainer had me do with him. And it's interesting because this whole time one of the Elders over there has had some of the same thoughts I had when I was there that I never acted on, I have really been encouraging him starting now to change that. 

We had a Halloween party here as a Branch, it was pretty sweet, loads of people invited non members to come over and to join us for the trunk or treat/chili cook off. I didn't even trick or treat and people just kept giving me candy, And then they asked me to be the first person to try all of the different types of Chili and be the judge them. Dude my life is SOOOOO hard! I then after ward with all of my candy keeled on the ground and traded with the kids of the branch, making sure I got the better end of the bargain ha ha =p.

Mommy I need that S.D. Card back, preferably before Ella asks some one to winter formal. I have a surprise and It will be healthy for you all.

I decided this week to build upon what I want done at my Funeral. I want every one to be in knitted sweaters, whether ugly or not, and there needs to be a dance competition (without circles) to win Stella. 

I almost started crying this week, I was door knocking and people kept slamming their doors. The wind was brutal, even with ear muffs my ears were cold, it was raining, I was soaked, my gloves were probably actually just making matters worse because of their wetness but I didn't take them off because of the rain and wind. 

But that actually has nothing to do why I almost cried, I walked up to a door that had it's snow room door open and I saw some one I haven't seen in a LONG TIME! They hadn't grown or changed, in fact they wore what they normally wore still. They still had the lime green kicks that I loved so much, And the build was almost unmistakable. When some one came to the door I immediate asked if I could see the long board that they had propped against the wall. They brought it to me and turned out It actually wasn't some one I knew It was just some long board that stank. =( I have missed the trashy hippy van, lawn chairs, and beer cans on the back of Stella. =p

Our Branch has had what they call "the 40 day fast", It was a fast where there was some one in the branch fasting and they would pass it on to some one else who would then start their fast and that continued for 40 days. They have been fasting and praying for Missionary Stuff like : Less actives to come back to church, new investigators, Active members to move in to strengthen the district, missionary opportunities; all so the Traverse City District can become a stake and we can do our part. Yesterday the 40 day fast ended and we had 8 less actives at church, we had only worked on 4 of them, one  less active couple even brought their 4 kids too =p. 

One of the ones We helped get to church recently got offended and stopped coming like the week I got here. We called to set up a appointment to see them and continued on with my day. They live on a Golf course and it was night time when we were heading over there on our car fast day. They way I have always gone there was driving but I wasn't that fond of the Idea of crossing M32 on bikes at night that had few reflectors on them and a light. 

That day I actually saw another entrance to the golf course that I had never seen before. I presented it to my companion, without realizing it I way talked down the M32 way and so obliviously he chose the way I said "all I know about that is it will be a adventure". 

Dang straight that was a adventure! We had time to kill and ended up 40 minutes late. We entered the new way and went through a fancy neighbor hood to realize the turn we took was a wrong on because of the dead end it led us to we then went on a dirt road trail that was the only other option to take, which led us to the heart of the golf courses, we Bombed huge hills, had to take different trails, walked down steep inclines, was rained on, my companion crashed his bike one one of the hills, took wrong turns, ended up on top of a hill that ski lifts bring people to (that was cool!) to learn we went the wrong way..... 

All until I saw the light of a building which I soon recognized. My I wasn't sure If we'd get busted for the ride we just went on but I told my companion jokingly (him being very innocent)  "if we get busted it's gonna be because they see your light", While climbing the hill I now notice his light is no longer on behind me =p. Psh there wasn't even a thing to worry about, I think they let people romp all over the place. We had a good lesson and talk about our adventure, "Hey I said it was the adventure way". We took M32 on the way back and there was like 4 cars on the road and it was like 3 minutes long ha ha ha!

Well I gotta Go Bye I Love you!

Have a good day!

Love you!

Send the S.D Card

-Elder Truman Rex Crockett