The sabbath, Who knew‏

I don't have alot to talk about this week, I had 1 member present lesson that wasn't at church, and 14.5 hours of door knocking even with missing 2 days of working. We got a boat load of potentials that we have lessons set up for that are all falling through ha ha.

I don't know if I have gotten mail since before Christmas, the dang wafer lock on the mail box broke our key. I went to go pick it with one of my auto Jigglers to find out that the lock it's self was broken and I couldn't even fit that in the key hole. So I am really grateful for all of the Christmas letters I have been getting but I may or may not have some more waiting for me.

I was reading the General Conference ensign and started freaking out when I saw The Ellingson Boys in it! 

Why does the virgin Mary always wear Blue? I have only seen one statue of her where she isn't in blue.

The note book that I carry around in my shirt pocket finally got filled up and I no longer have room in it. I have been carrying that around since before I graduated Highschool! I got a new red one in my pocket now.

It's been a few weeks so I can share this now. Church was a wreck! I honestly can say I didn't feel the spirit after the sacrament was passed up until 3rd hour. During the talks in Sacrament meeting the fire alarm was pulled... I wasn't able to get back into listening after that happened and after the while of trying to get it shut off. 

During gospel principals the teacher for that day came in 100 percent unprepared and wanted to mix two lessons together since Christmas was coming up. So we had a Gospel of Jesus Christ lesson and then with out explaining anything going straight into the millennium, and just as swiftly back into the Gospel /life of Jesus Christ/ word of wisdom. For once I was glad not to have investigators at church haha. I was super confused, I was!!!!! 

I wonder how the Resent Converts where thinking about that lesson! No scriptures were used, no Manual was used (except for one paragraph to start us), No testimony,  questions being asked that required specific answers (that I couldn't answer)..... I was seriously wanting to walk out of the class. 

This might be rude to say but I don't think it is, But it's easy to see how that can lead to not being able to retain members and people going less active. I say that because people go all week long being beaten by Satan with a baseball bat, being sad, miserable, having hard things happen, being tempted,..... and they look with hope for the opportunity to go to church because they were promised by the missionaries that it will help them with that it will sooth them, heal them, strengthen them... And they show up and they get a experience like that and they leave church not feeling any better than when they came. There is no way they are gonna want to come back to church! 

They aren't going to believe that what the missionaries taught is true because they don't experience it. I can see why it's such a big deal with The Apostles and Prophet to make the sabbath day more special of a day, Because that could make a world of a difference in peoples lives.

In my case for that week I was going through garbage and then I get to church and have that and am not rejuvenated at all from that I start searching for something to relieve my stress like p-day, jamming to music in my head, taking naps... It's so easy to see How Less actives and Investigators do the exact same thing causing them to relapse on Word of Wisdom things...... 

Yah thats basically all I have to talk about this week. Who knew the sabbath was such a crazy thing! It really is important to keep it holy and to prepare for it!

I gotta go Bye I love you have a good day

Don't get shot!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Are Green Christmas's even Legal here?‏

So You don't have to worry I will probably not be a popsicle this Christmas, we hare having a thaw and all the snow will be gone says every one (but no one is ever right when it comes to the weather, Dang lake effect!) Something about El Nino what ever that means. =p

Thank you every one for all of the Christmas Cards and what not I have been getting, I really appreciate them all. I opened up Miyas and the glitter dumped on my church clothes...... I do accept your apology though. I made sure to tape the front cover of the card up before I put it in the letter journal so that glitter doesn't continue to get every where. AGL!

Those Beatle Boot snow boots are nice! they aren't as warm as my other pair, but it is so nice to just be able to unzip a zipper and take them off and have them still be water proof! It makes it easy when you go to a house where people want you to take off your shoes before you come in.

This Christmas We are going down to Mt. Pleasant for a Christmas party again, and they asked that when we return home we spend the rest of the day with members and do no proselyting for that day and Christmas day. Which is nice because it doesn't matter what time of day it is no one wants to be door knocked on Christmas day. So that will be loads of fun, I am excited to show off to Elder H that I actually finished the suit that I bought with him. I am also really excited to chill and play board games and have fun. Every Day is pretty much shot, or super booked. Which is nice, no complaining there.

There is so much posts on facebook about starwars! I feel like I need to stop trying to contact people on it for like 3 months until it dies down. I am so excited about it and I can't do anything about it! I got a message from Will that I would like to share today about it "So I haven't seen Star Wars yet but I thought about waiting to see it with you so we can enjoy that together!" Oh my goodness I am honored, it is almost just as much commitment to keep that promise as it is for a person to wait for a missionary! That is if he can stand that heat, I probably couldn't ha ha! For realzies though every post see while I contact is about that or a marriage or engagement.

We have a sweet investigator who is progressing to his baptismal date, I actually think he is going to make it which is a nice change for once. We meet with him twice a week, every lesson in a members home, goes to church, reads the Book of mormon with members when we aren't there. Has been getting really good answers to prayers, witnesses from Holy Ghost. What more can we ask for! I think we are gonna have a lot of success this transfer. S didn't come to church this week because another one of her friends died and had a funeral on sunday, and is out of town this next week (this is the 3rd friend who has died and had a funeral on sunday, I guess she has to run out of them eventually... and will be able to come to church weekly ha ha jk thats horrible).

We got hit hard by the snow this week it was snowing basically non stop all day long and night. We were way out in the boonies too and we just kept getting inches. The roads were way slick and as I SLOWLY turned the corner I calmly looked to my right and thought " I wasn't looking at my right blindspot" realizing I was basically going sideways at that point. Good thing they taught me how to stop that in drivers ed... Oh wait they didn't ha ha, But it was totally natural to pull out of it. I just took up the whole road to do it ha ha, good thing no one was coming at me =p.

I have been going easier on my companion now that we have to stay together, but in other ways I am planning on being harder on him to make him stretch. But hey isn't that the whole point of being "leader" of some sort.

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

Don't get Shot!

Happy Christmas!

CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT!!!!!!!!!! I WIN (since I wont be there Christmas eve I am saying it early)

Elder Truman Rex Crockett

I had a dream... yup‏

Well I didn't get the cops called on me but I ended up in court today... yup!

One thing I heard this week that I liked a whole lot is how with our beliefs we should be like a compass (one of the ones for a ship in pirate movies, it's an old quote) We should always have our one foot planted firmly on our beliefs and never stray from it, but use the other to look around and learn and to greater know what direction to take.

We got Transfer calls and I am staying here with Elder M. I am glad because I  definitely think we will see good things happen this transfer.

Oh i forgot to wish Mommy and Robby a Merry Birthday!

Ella I hope you enjoyed the dance, and I hope my videos gave you inspiration for WinterFormal. I really hope you didn't do the Magicarp because every one thinks it's lame ha ha, It's the best though!

OUR INVESTIGATOR CAME TO CHURCH!!! OH YAHHH! After all of the Crazy things that has happened, Car accidents, immature adults ditching her, devilish phone and T.V. disruption, Sicknesses, Crazy Medication...,...,...,...,...,...,... She made it! I saw her take 3 pages of notes from it too. Our Recent Convert Sheila gave a talk in church this week and she SLAYED it! She had us review it twice before she felt comfortable reading it to the branch, but it was WAY good. It blew the socks off people.

Yesterday was the first time I ever Backed down from a dog. I have had a pair german shepards that looked pretty bad charge us, and all I did was stand still let them smell me and then keep walking, and Most cases thats all that was necessary. But the Dog yesterday was hard core. Most pitbulls aren't even bad But this one was ticked at us when we were 200 ft. away from him. 

 

I walked up to the door and he got louder and scarier showing his sharp teeth. He was chained right next to the steps of the door I walked into his circle and he got worse. My companion stopped, I kept walking it ran away to the top of the steps and then it got in a fighting stance and would no longer move, all teeth ready. I went to the side of the steps not wanting to be by his face and tried to reach to knock and as I reached, it jumped and bit inches away from my raised arm and jerked his head from side to side. After he missed he went for it again I quick stepped back (I finally got the message) and he missed the second attempt. I am pretty sure there was some divine intervention there. I am now going to give up for once when it is a scary dog, because a ITL isn't worth it.

We were out door knocking on Tuesday and we did it forever, all day long. We were walking to the next house and then I knew this is the one where we are gonna get a new investigator. We knock on the door and she lets us in, I saw the little scroll thing that Jewish people put on their door frame as I stepped in. We sat down at her kitchen table while she informed her Husband we were there and then went to the counter to get us banana bread. 

 

I started learning her religious background while she did that, even though I already knew, I wanted my companion to know. While she spoke I had a "flash" of memory happen and a big wave of the spirit hit me strong, I knew this moment... I saw it in a dream 2 weeks ago. She said what she said and did what she did in the dream and then gave us the bread. Things got real. 

 

She showed us e-sword some free thing that shows the Hebrew words of the bible and how it really should translate and it was actually really cool. She knew nothing about our beliefs from what she said, We started to teach and it turned way bad. She was trying to catch us in our words to disprove us, and would ask questions that would be bash no matter what we said and she knowing nothing Assumed so much about us that wasn't true and tried to throw down on us. 

 

I tried as HARD as I could to change the situation to actually teach her to help her feel the spirit. I created needs, I bore my whole soul out in testimony... she wouldn't commit to anything. She Hard core Gander Ranted (talking FOREVER!!!!!! So many people in Michigan do it) on how there could have been Christ as a false prophet. My companion couldn't stand it and he tried to get us out of the house. 

 

I tried so hard. I refused to stand up and I bore testimony to her over and over again, it changed nothing. I eventually stood and left. I got out side and I couldn't take it. We got to the Jeep and I started crying hard core. It was uncontrollable, my whole body was shaking, I think the last time I ever came close to crying that much was in Elementary school. It went on for like 7 minutes, I just wept and gasped for air. I just couldn't handle it. It knew I saw her in that dream, I tried everything I had and she refused, it broke my soul. I had to fight so hard to stop crying and even to get music in my mind so I could move on and keep knocking.

I was basically Tapped for the day after that. Every door we hit people came out trying as hard as they could to bash us, and every one went on gander rants. Every door. I jumped for joy when the regular catholic slammed the door because I didn't have to talk to him unlike every one else. after 2 hours of that it was finally dark and we started teaching our investigators. I got enough persecution points for 3 weeks all in like 4 hours. I went to bed early unlike usual.

I think one of the most touching things that I heard this week was a prayer Shirley gave after we had thanksgiving-gratitude to the elders meal that she spent all day preparing. She said "thank you for sending me these two pure boys. Please bless them to be like a Snowflake, as my mother would always say. So that they will continue to always make a mark and never leave a stain where ever they go."

This is probably the best weeks lesson and finding wise that I have had here in this area though.

We had a awesome miracle where we went to Taco Bell with a member and ate lunch. While we door knocked we had the cashier open up the door! We were tight immediately and had alot to talk about and picked him and his girlfriend as a investigator ha ha. I was even more grateful for my XXL Chicken burrito after that.=p

Well I gotta go

Bye I love you have a good day

Sleep good and have nice dreams

Stay away from super fast vicious pitbulls

Don't get Shot!

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Cut to the Heart

So To break the bad news the Christmas present I really wanted to send home was way to expensive to ship =(. The Elder that I replaced left a (I think it's called a ) Drifting Trike. This 15 lb aluminum scooter for adults , equipped with hand breaks. The thing is SO COOL! I found it in the apartment and then went to a park and bombed some hills just like I would on a long board. The next day i found out that that was actually against the rules..... so I decided I would just send it home, to keep the missionaries more obedient you know =p. So I brought it there and it would have been $140 to ship it. I thought it was cool but sorry not that cool. But to be fair I labeled the address to be a present for me ha ha. It was nice being able to go down a hill and slow down when you were unsure of a turn though. I don' t know how much it's worth but I don't suspect that buying it would be to much less than that. 

Thanks for the new shoes, I like them a whole lot, I can't believe my old shoes used to look like the ones you sent me! comparing them is really funny.

On Thanks giving day we were door knocking and a lady answered and when I reached to shake her hand  I saw a little star of David tattooed to her hand. After we left, we talked about how interesting it would be to teach a Jewish person, we fantasized about it for a while. We got a referral way out to the southernmost part of out area, WAY out in the Boonies. The guy requested both a Bible and Book of Mormon. We got there Turns out he was Jewish! That was a really interesting lesson, It was up 
there with the time I taught a Buddhist. We picked him up as a investigator so we'll see what happens.

Or not, Transfer calls are this week. I am not putting my money on the idea that I could be staying here. Since my comp will be done training I would be shocked if they kept me here and shipped him away.

I came back from district meeting and started to set up our church house for the branch Christmas party like we were asked to. A member from the Family History center came out to talk with us and watch us work. I caught on immediately what he was doing. He comes in "Whats your favorite Starwars figures?" the way that was put made me super suspicious, I shot a lame answer and he walked back to the center. I then realized what I just did, I am gonna get some starwars action figures for Christmas and he wanted to know what to buy me. We stumbled into him again and I changed my answer =p. He then came back in a few minutes later... "wait when is transfer calls?" He wasn't even cleaver about it ha ha.

This sunday I swear was Missionary appreciation week in testimony meeting. several people testified of how we helped them, how we brought the spirit into their homes/lives, taught them things. A member who comes out with us just about every week said "If these boys worked out like they did missionary work they would look like Arnold Schwarzenegger" ha ha.

Last week we came to email and when we did every computer except 2 were taken, there was one computer separating the two of them, and because of time we emailed anyways even though you need to be able to see your companions screen because if I leaned back I could see his. That went well until people left and my companion got feeling really guilty and asked me to get a new computer pass so we could sit together... I begrudgingly went to do it after like 2 minutes and then I was actually really impressed how I was blessed for being obedient immediately. I went up to the table and a guy said "are you the new missionary here" I said I was and he told me that he was almost baptized a year ago but had to cancel a few days before, I got his info=p. I then no longer was irritated that I had to pause my emailing ha ha.

I have been going hard on my companion this past two weeks to prepare him to not have me as a companion. I haven't told him I have been doing it on purpose, I just slyly put more and more pressure on him one day at a time. I have been basically having him be Sr. companion and leading out in everything. I don't ever suggest we start comp study I just sit there patiently, I had him do all of weekly planning and I listened but I pretended I was to busy updating records (which I was but...) and would only help when he asked my opinion, He's led all of daily planning, and starting up lessons and teaching. I basically have played like a district leader would when he comes to a area that's not his for a trade off. But because of that the only things I have been writing in my planner are the appointments we set up with people.

So last week I talked about us teaching a guy and him being "pricked" in the heart by the spirit and got him to commit to everything, This week we tried it again. We tried it on one of our investigators who was baptized but never confirmed a member of our church. He has been giving us every lame excuse he could think of, he was super afraid of what his family would think If he did join, and we wanted to have basically a do or die lesson with him. 

We went in there and I didn't write anything down in my planner and I had no clue what we planned ha ha. I caught on when my companion led out with that acts chapter 2 verse that says pricked in the heart and said "today we are planning on you having that experience" I popped the restoration video into his DVD player and watched it until we both felt the spirit. We then stopped the video right then and pointed out that we all felt it. He seemed a little shocked but didn't deny it, he couldn't. We had him. I then invited him to be baptized again. He thought about it and battled within his mind and then vocally contemplated it.  

Eventually he turned though and said "I can relate to what you guys are feeling....but" and then started sharing why he feels like he doesn't need to change and how God will allow him to stay the same person, and then said "I have all of these problems with your church, but I don't want to ruin this feeling so I won't tell you". After he reacted a bit more unfavorably to the spirit. 

I then told him I only have 9 months left on my mission so I intend to spend it on people who will actually progress, and we followed the example of Snoop Dog and  dropped him like he was hot. He said he would call us still, thats what every one says though. 

We have now dropped 23 investigators in the last 3 months. For some reason I still have 11 people on my board! But those ones are ones we wanna keep. It was cool though I now got to see both reactions to the "Pricked in the heart" deal  the ones who gain courage from it and those who get "cut to the heart" when they feel it. I am glad I didn't have to go through what Stephen did though; luckily I was not bit, or hit by rocks.

We have zero snow at all, infact I didn't even wear my thermals a few days ago, the rest of the state is getting it though from what I have heard.

Well I gotta go 
Bye I love you have a good day!
Don't get shot!

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett