It's a door knock life, for me....apparently

I went to Wolverine yesterday for a first time, we got a referral that seemed promising enough to go up there to try. And I thought I was out in the boonies, oh my goodness there is no need for any stop signs in that town. It was dead too, no cars at churches, no one answering any doors, infact I think I only saw snowmobilers going to cheboygan the whole time I was there. It was so red neck people left their fresh shot squirrel on their porch since it was cold enough for refrigeration... we had like 2 people answer their door in over a hour of knocking, all of which had huge crazy dogs that they had to fight to talk to us.

I got my transfer call this week and I will now be the district leader over in Kalamazoo, I will be serving in the Kalamazoo #2 area where they have 2 sets apparently.

In our mission we started as of two weeks ago a competition based on key indicators. I wont even tell you about the mission wide competition because I really only think that is the sprinkles on the top of the cake. The big thing about it is now they post every week the missions key indicators for us to see with our names attached to them. Which is SWEET! I had a zoneleader telling me all about how he got 17 less actives to church in a week, I looked at his key indicators.... 7 is still a lot for one week, but dude come on. I have been able to scope down my friends key indicators and email them with a "p.s. how is your hours of door knocking going" =p, but in that case he was getting over 15 every week, thats my boy! But why I bring this up is I just looked up my new areas key indicators, this last transfer they have had a total of 3 lessons with their door knocking hours averaging 9 per week. the only other key indicator they have is super high referrals but none of which pan out.

This week we had so many time consumers come up. We had to move 3 couches in one day (not all one place our apt, Sr. mish apt, and some members) two of which were hide a beds, one of which we had to carry up and down a stair case. All was too heavy for my companion to lift the other side so E. Wilson took one side up until he got it to the top step and couldn't hold it anymore I had to lift the dang thing over my head to get it over the railing so I could stand it up straight and rotate it into the apartment. 

 

We were then asked to shovel loads of snow for a less active who is really old and then we got the third couch, the second hide-a-bed we carried it out the back door of a dentist office, across the parking lot and into another building. I lost all of my grip strength as we got into the hallway a few feet before the room. So me and their landlord slid it in the room. Psh and I even worked out that morning on my arms because at the zone training they made me feel bad for not, terrible idea.ha ha

I can not believe the spiritual power that has been in our lessons this week, every lesson we had was great and every one could feel it and we got them all to recognize that spirit. But you wouldn't believe how many people called and canceled on us or dropped us this week, if only they all could have had a lesson like that this week. If only. 

 

I was asked to bear my testimony at the end of sacrament meeting yesterday, one of the speakers was terribly sick and couldn't make it so i had the mike for 20 minutes, I don't think I used all that time, but I took the luxury of it. I quickly said my thanks for the branch in like 20 second and then I moved on to the message that was being impressed on my heart the night before and that morning. I bore my testimony on my love for the prophet Moroni and what he said in ch 1 of his book and how he lived his life and taught in those few moments we have record of. 

 

I bore my testimony for my love for the Prophet Joseph Smith and how he reflected that same type of urgency in his last moments of life too, and how they are great examples of magnifying their callings far past what they planned even when they "were done for" and how greatly we have been impacted by them. I then bore testimony of the heroes in my life who have reflected those same desires like Grandpa Crockett and others. I kept breaking in my stature while testifying, totally ignoring any notes I took, there was a lot of people crying, myself included. E. Miles cried all the way until sunday school ha ha.

My biggest focus this week was to teach the Wilson's all of the important things that I thought sr. Missionaries should know, giving them the unwritten rules of the mission that are now written that they would have never received, teaching them about the gospel of Jesus Christ, records, members in the branch, and anything else that they recognized they did not know about or learn in the MTC. 

 

I only got to experience one lesson with them sadly, those lessons with Sr. Missionaries are my favorite. I was hoping to see their teaching skills so I might have the opportunity to strengthen those too but they will be fine. You don't know what I would give to have the opportunity to serve a mission as a family, to have that opportunity would be incredible. But aligning everything for that in this life would be really hard.

One of the greatest, most special things to me this week was to have seen the peace that the gospel brings!  I never have been able to see that in any area, I don't know if I will ever have that opportunity on a mission again. But it was the sweetest thing to me to sit with our recent convert J and to hear about what has happened since he received the gift of the Holy Ghost, how his whole perspective of life changed, how it changed him spiritually, mentally, and emotionally and how he bursts into tears at the slightest touch of the spirit, how a prompting makes the blood shoot through his body and gives him great energy to act, How he has been able to connect the dots of things mentally that he never would have done before to the point where we started the lesson in Sunday School and after we taught a little of the principal he started getting super excited. He started telling us what that means and connecting it to every other principal that he knew of, making analogies, and teaching us about the pre-earth life. (he talked the most ha ha) It was impressive to see how quickly he zipped through the scriptures and the things he learned from them since his baptism.

This wasn't all We also met with S and when we were teaching her kids about the gift of the holy ghost she started telling them about how much it has changed her. She used to get so irritated with her adult daughter she would yell and fight and walk away because she couldn't even stand to talk to her any more. But after her baptism when her daughter would try to confront her, she would be able to settle it and go on with life like nothing happened feeling peaceful. 

 

Its hard to imagine my life without the Gift of the Holy Ghost in the ways that they have talked about it helping them. But it's so exhilarating to them because they were at rock bottom low in life,  having suicidal thoughts and then having the gospel introduced to them by a friend, by door knocking; and all of that changed dramatically. Just like how in PMG it talks about darkening the Great apostasy to make the Restoration so much more brilliant, that's how it was in their lives. Now being able to have that shinning influence from the spirit continually.

I can hardly imagine that and the change that came just because I have grown so accustomed to that influence. It has brought a new meaning when the scriptures talk about repenting and being baptized that you might be Sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

I have to get to mount pleasant

Bye I love you have a good day

Don't get shot!

   

--

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Adult Supervision

Elder Elkins can probably now rest at night knowing that I and my companion now have "real adult supervision", I don't think in his books my " IM A ADULT!!!" thing would count. We got the Sr. Missionaries this week. They are The Wilsons from Texas. When we first met them Elder Wilson asked me " What type of apartment place is this?!? do they never shovel the snow here! I had to walk carry things from the car through like 6 inches of snow.", He then laughed at my remark "well... actually when we woke up this morning the walk ways were perfectly shoveled when we left.". 

They are a little in cold shock and I don't think they were prepared for this much snow.  Day two for them they saw my new beatle boot snow boots and Sister Wilson jumped up and said "Those are what you need to get!!!", Elder Wilson had to explain to me that he only bought "real missionary shoes" and because of that his socks keep getting soaked ha ha. Next day we had matching beatle boots =p. He keeps thanking me for telling about them, he loves them, and is super impressed that they stay so warm.

I Finally Made it down to Midland this week! Some one tell Brother N. We had a zone conference down there, But I passed out on the car ride since we now have Sr. Missionaries and I can have that luxuries. =p SO I have no clue what the place looks like other than the stake center.

I Got threatened by my mission president this week at that conference. He Said I have too much money in my MSF account and if I don't spend it he will take it all away... I didn't have time to defend myself, he walked away right after making that shot. But I sent him what I thought about that in my email to him this week to prove I am not a starving missionary.

We had a baptism!!!! We Prayed all week long that church wouldn't be canceled. we heard we were going to get another snow storm saturday night and we were freaking about it all week long. But it happened! 

Most people from other cities didn't come, because of the roads But we did get some one from the mission presidency show up for it. He was the concluding speaker and he asked J if he believed that that the spirit would give him the words to speak in the very moment ( he read the verse about that before hand) and he said he believes that the scriptures are true. Prez Hoover then said "Well, I am done talking (2 minutes in) you come up here and tell us your story and tell us your testimony." And J Slayed it! 

I wish I had more time I would tell you it in depth. But he was going through a crazy hard time. Drugs, loads of beer, had a kid (hes like 21), lost a belief in God, parents separated while he was young and because of that he stopped going to a church. One day he met a girl he used to go to church with and she said he looked horrible and asked if he had still been going to church and praying. He said no and then she told him that he needed to start doing it! 

A few nights later he couldn't get it off his mind so he prayed that he could be guided to a way to develop a relationship with God again to know if he was truly there. That week he went on a dating web site and found E, a member of the church here in Gaylord. They started dating. I saw them walking down the street holding hands while driving by (who's that??? is what I thought when I saw them) two weeks later they had a date where they went to the Branch Halloween party where I met him. 

She brought him all the way down to the Detroit temple to wait outside while she did baptisms. He was having really bad headaches from a car accident for forever and after her session they went out to the car to get him and took him into the front room. He there felt a great pressure on his head that he had never felt before, almost as if alot of hands were on top of his head. He no longer had any head aches after he left the temple that day. 

2 weeks later she got him to church. 2 weeks later he asked if he could be taught "Elders I wanna get baptized". When we got in her house for the first lesson he was now living the word of wisdom, had a quad the second lesson. Every lesson was either in a members home or at church. We worried about him taking the lessons for the wrong reasons for a while, but we resolved that and MADE SURE he had been getting spiritual witnesses and recognized them and what that meant, and really hit him with loads of questions to see how much he was learning and where his intent was. 

He passed my standards, passed the Zone leaders interview, Has been introducing himself as Bro C for weeks when we call him on the phone. We never have to call a million and a half times, he always responds. Has more friends than just his girlfriends family at the church, after a few lessons in their homes. Reads his scriptures, reads the gospel principals book, is doing Family history work now... What more can we ask for? I want like 3 more Investigators like this! Some one go do some member missionary work! haha

I am out of time, I would love to tell you how it's my companions fault that we ate crepes with un flavored Butter instead of Heavy whipping creme like it was supposed to be while on trade offs but I don't have time and it really isn't his fault. But it is since he convinced me out of the 1dollar cool whip and then didn't tell me how to make it.=p

Transferrss!!!!

Love you Have a good day!

I will pray for Grandpa!

Don't get shot!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

A Weekend in Hoth‏

I like this time of year here because you can declare what ever you want when you drive and people accept it. " I now declare this as the left turning lane" (since you cant see any lines on the streets), " This parking job is now in the lines" (When it would never be in the lines, But no one knows or will complain) =p.

S when she went to the hospital heard a lady say something about mormons and she turned to talk to her and told the lady all about the church in Gaylord and the lady had no clue, so she gave her a pass along card with the address of the church on it. Eh maybe breaking a rib wasn't so bad. The lady was also was wanting to know where the one in Houten lake was because she wants to start attending down there. After she told us about that over the phone she threatened to send people after me to beat me up and take my get out of jail free card when I am in a dark alley haha.

To be 100% honest I didn't blow all of my Christmas money on Starwars Toys. Just a majority...=p But I am glad I didn't. last P-day I spent all day mending and sewing and fixing the clothes that I have so they are more presentable. I sewed the knee in my thermals shut that ripped open on a trade off when I jumped off a sled because I was gonna hit a parked car. The dress pants that was ripped during that are past the point of repair, good thing It was just a pair I swiped from my trainer that he didn't want, after I fitted it to me they were one of my favorites. I woke up this week to find my calculator watch hanging by a thread around my wrist. I went fixed that with staples and Red Wax I swiped from Mr Yocums Jewelry Class. I went to walmart today and Died when I found out they will put replacement bands on for you, So I now have a permanent fix for that and it is invincible with a new metal band, I almost got the Gold one but I figured I didn't need that much bling. 

I couldn't get the rust stains out of my Khaki pants (even chemicals for that purpose weren't doing it) so Good will saved me for 4 bucks, and I didn't even have to sew the rip in the knee from service. I then Got my old Winter boots and worked on them. The tick tak toe thing in all shoes came through the sole and was killing me when I walked. so I cut up my Christmas package to make a new heel, put 2 u shaped things together and taped them up and then wrapped them up like a christmas present with a shopping bag to water proof them and then stuck them under my sole. Good as new! If not better! But I went 1 dollar over and accidentally took some money out of the account... Eh close enough right.=p

I tried to upload a pic of my watch but this computer wont recognize the pic files in my sd card. I look like a G with it.

Well we were forced to carfast 3 times this week as punishment for going 70 miles over. I don't even feel bad about it because I checked at the Zoneleaders apartment and the zone had plenty to help me out. But we were grounded for the time being and walked alot this week. We were informed the night before we started the carfast of a Dooms Day forecast. "what do you mean were getting 7-24 inches of snow tomorrow! Whats next Softball sized hail!" Yup it came. The wind was Wicked too and blew the snow into sand dunes! It was so bad I had to bust out my joggin pants under my dress ones to stop the wind for a first this winter. One night as we were walking home in the wicked snow and wind and car rolled down it's window and yelled "I like Star Wars!"=p. He must have recognized us, since every one has been wearing Star Wars shirts lately I talk to them about it on the door step to be personable. 

The wind was so bad It kept blowing up the stairs and hitting our door so hard it would open it up, We witnessed it, The handle was even locked! But after 3 times the dead bolt went on and that stopped it. 

But We got hammered Saturday night by the snow again. So church had to be canceled, but even more importantly than that THE BAPTISM WE WERE GOING TO HAVE HAD TO BE CANCELED!!!!!!    SATAAAAANNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!          Next Sunday it should happen though.

We spent ALL DAY in the cold yesterday and yesterday was even windier and colder than before. It was miserable especially because every single one of our plans couldn't happen because of the snow storm, we had to replan the day entirely 

I got to go to Alpena on a trade off during one of the carfast days (ended up being their carfast day though... didn't luck out). That trade off was sweet we basically door knocked and taught all day. One of the appointments canceled on our way over there and I started talking about one of the people I baptized in Alpena who went less active before I left, we both decided to drop our back ups and go try him. 

We have tried him basically every trade off I have done over there But has never answered the door. I picked him up as a investigator like my second week on a Mish and baptized him and watched him go Less active the week before I left. I was the missionary who related to him the most and was the closest to him out of any member of the branch or church. And he recently stopped responding got my facebook messages. 

Well we tried him and the door opened. After he had the "Return of the Jedi" Shock as I like to call it I took a chair and we started catching up on a whole bunch of things, went through his computer to show me he kept his baptism pictures and his program on the top shelf in his closet (so it wouldn't be damaged by anything). We had loads of fun I threatened him when he brought up the new StarWars and he got a kick out of that and respected it. We were laughing up a storm and talking about things while the other Elder just kinda sat there. 

After he knew that I missed him and love and cared about him, then I turned and went super bold. "Why did you stop going to church?!?" He squirmed in his seat and made up excuses until he gave up and went 100% honest told about his concerns and then he opened up and said he knows that his excuses were a horrible reason and that it was stupid to stop coming to church and said he would start again. It was sweet, he was super sincere about it. I don't know if he did but most people didn't go to Alpena this week because they got hit by the storm too. 

Sis White loved that story after I told her about it and she marveled at the example of Gods love in it. God loved him So much he sent me the person he was closest to in the church back up to Northern Michigan, on a trade off to my old area (Which is really unlikely as is), then at the right time where he could now be able to come back to church, we he had a appointment fall through so I could be there at that time in his life to invite him to come back and grow closer to God. Sis White said If that doesn't show God knows us personally and loves us I don't know what does.

Well I gotta go 

Bye I love you have a good day!

Don't Get Shot!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

When in the Promised land‏

So you know I took a pokemon snap of that recipe you wanted Miya so next time I send the card home you will have to check it out.

We had a pretty good week, we still are recovering from all of the Holiday stuff that happens here but we have gotten alot more lessons than we did last week.

We had to go Way over out mile limitation because of it though. On Tuesday we planned a day and nothing at all went the way we planned, none of the original plans or back ups were even applicable so we just kinda went and did. It was sweet because people kept calling us to have us shovel their snow or to come over for a lesson and we were busy all day long. Not even planning was done at the time we planned to do it because we were teaching unexpectedly we were out until 9:30pm so really the only thing that went as planned was personal study, where I planned nothing ha ha, SO i guess since I did study a whole lot that didn't even go as planned.

We had a lesson with S, This was it, there is nothing in her way to stop her from progressing is what we went into it thinking. We were right there was no more excuses that could happen we had it, we set her on date to be baptized and had a great lesson with her. She now jokes that I am gonna get arrested, she joked about it and I laughed it off, and dished my get out of jail free card out of my wallet at her (I got 4 of those as a Christmas present from a family here who is worried about me). "COPS GOT NUTHIN ON ME!!!". She died laughing at that. We then left and got a call later that day from her fellow shipper who called her after our lesson and she told us that She slipped on the ice and broke a rib...

Yup....I don't know if she can make her date now but I have been praying that she will. She told her Doctor "I don't care what I have to do I need to get to Church on the _____ , I will crawl in through the doors if I have to!". After all this time she has only come to church once though because of all the crazy stuff that happens.

You would think that after all of these years I would stop blowing all of my Christmas money on Starwars toys... eh maybe next year I will start. =p

I went over to Tranverse City on a Vacation (trade off). We started our trade off having lunch at the Olive Garden, Church is true with those bread sticks! On my lunch the next day we were taken out to Ruby Tuesdays for we to have salmon, endless salad bar, and fries. For realzies they live in the Promise land! ha ha. Me and Elder S (one of my former district leaders) went to door knock and while we were knocking i BURSTED into a bloody nose. It streamed down my face and winter coat and froze while talking to a lady on the door step. I jerked my head before she saw and I tapped on the door E. S turned to look at me and saw how much blood came and when the lady rejected us he said "do you have some tissues my friend could have? I punched him in the face and his bleeding hasn't stopped yet." i then turned and she ran to get me tissues. She was rather shocked that a missionary would punch some one I heard her mutter under her breath "and you teach about peace..." But I was choking on blood so I couldn't defend us and say he made something up on the spot. I washed it off of myself by rubbbing the fresh snow all over me and stopped the bleeding and kept knocking. I have gotten one of those every day this week because of me having to constantly blow my nose from being sick. I don't even know how many hanker-chiefs I have destroyed on my mission from blood.

We then went to teach a less active who hasn't been to church in years. I was shocked at how hard core and Bold E. S was being, it was intense! It pushed me into playing the role of Good cop to ease the tension of the lesson, and i never play good cop. =p He would bark repentance at the less active and help him recognize he needs to change and I would laugh and sway around and testify of Gods love. He then would raise his voice " I PROMISE YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST...(and then said what ever the spirit put in his mind, promising super bold blessings)" and I would use a scripture and share a experience of how I felt Gods love and how it can help him and relate to him. We had like a 25 minute lesson and then we left and E. S said "I'll see you at church!" and i played good cop all the way out. But hey turns out he went to church for the first time in years yesterday!

I then asked about it and the week before he got 17 Less actives to church (to be fair TC has 600 LA's) and i was amazed and asked him loads about his tactics and decided I wanted to act ticked off too ha ha. We went into a less actives home yesterday and applied the same principals minus acting ticked off, I was more of a medium cop. I didn't raise my voice (because that's stupid) but I made it known that they need to change to have God help more in their life. It was really funny how The less active responded... "...let me see what my mom says MOM!!!! MOM!!!! MOM!!! (she didn't get up she just yelled)
 "WHAT!!!! JUST FREAKIN TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED!",
 "CAN I GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY!",

"YOUR 18! DO WHAT EVER YOU WANT!"

It reminded me of the Corn field song by Julian smith how he asks his grandma if he can go into the corn field "you can do what ever you want, your like 21. I went in a corn field today!"

As punishment for going 70 miles over (even though the rest of the zone went under and we were way covered) I have to take 2 extra car fasts this week ha ha! Little do they know I enjoy that punishment! =p

One of our investigators came to church and told us that he has some friends coming with him who he felt like he should invite. Sweet! we didn't even have to prod at all and in came this couple who are about to have a kid and wants greater direction for their family....Um yes please! they stayed all 3 hours and we set up a return appointment and lesson in a members home (then rescheduled to the church). I wish it was always like that! Turns out that the couple that came recognized me from me door knocking into them, even though I was rejected the first time I guess they wanna learn now! =p

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

Don't get shot!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett