Homecoming

Elder Crockett will be speaking in Church at 9 a.m. September 11th!!

"I HATE TORNADOES!!! THE ONLY THING THATS WORSE IS MY MOM!"- R

I was let into some ones house this last week by using family history in finding, the guy was NOT interested in our religion but when I chained it to family history he opened the door and let us in, I then chained with a " SO what do you think happens to our Ancestors who died with out a knowledge of the Gospel".......GOTCHYA!!! He didn't know and he let us teach but he gander ranted way too much so eventually I made up a lame excuse so we could leave. 

We had a lesson with our investigator. We taught him the Law of Tithing since he had questions about it and he wants to be baptized and he knows he has to live it (minus he doesn't have a testimony so we arent gonna let that happen, till he gets a testimony at least.). before we taught it he told us he finally believes Jesus to be the savior of the world, but he only believes Joseph smith was "a teacher of Love".... So we taught him it after we tried to work that out. We tried to teach it like usual but he wigged out about it. He had a problem wanting to pay tithing because God wanted him to pay 10%; but he was totally fine with it if the church made up a random percentage of money to donate to build it.... Yah he has a lot of work still.

We keep getting soaked here recently, there has been a few huge storms this last week and we have been without the car both storms causing us to be drenched down all the way to the bone. All of the scriptures we carry with us are all water logged and our planners are destroyed because of the storms. I'll tell you about this last one.

We got out of a lesson with a man that only spoke some african language, we left because there was no way for us to communicate at all what we were trying to convey, but he invited us back when his son who could translate would be there since he referred himself. we got outside and the rain was coming down pretty good. We ran over to our bikes that we locked up to the speed limit sign and I put my camera and pocket book in a walmart plastic bag and then put that in my bikes saddle bag (my bag I used to carry I strapped to the Specialized so I don't have to carry anything and since it has a lock on it it's perfect! I am gonna leave it here when I go home because of how useful it is, and it's pretty beat up)

We rode to a couple's house to avoid the rain storm which started to pick up. We were pretty wet by then and we taught a quick principal to prepare her for her baptism. The rain had picked up even more though in our time there, and we had to leave to go to our appointment so we left. He is a man who is into the rougher things in life who I have only seen wear a shirt on 2 occasions told us to be careful in the rain; I thought that was a little too tender for him and not normal behavior so I told him "Don't tell me how to live my life" as I rode away he then burst a huge smile and started swearing at us like usual until He left my view. 

This rain storm was bad, it was worse than the one a few days back. As we rode my road bike started to loose traction on the road and I was hydroplaning as I would turn sharp to miss a huge puddle or a car, which is a unique experience on a bike! Thunder roared over head and the rain kept picking up, in less than 10 minutes we were drenched all the way through.

 We then heard it. The Tornado siren for the city went off. I didn't tell my companion what it meant but it freakin got real when that happened! I started pedaling faster and we tried a short cut so we could get there quicker. a good 5-9 minutes after taking that road the road ended and we ended up under a over pass covered in graffiti. 

We dismounted and took some "thug life" pictures while we could and then we hopped back on the bikes when the second siren went off. I told my companion what that meant the second time he asked. The rain was beating us pretty hard and the wind was picking up, i hit a bump and my back tire popped! We were in a unknown place but we back tracked to find the way back to the house. I said several prayers for protection. It was so hard with my bike not having a back tire or traction but we were faster on them so I worked my self super hard to keep pumping those pedals over hills and through intersections and down infamous steep hills in the city (which was terrifying with out traction and my bike rims soaked with water). 

We had one more steep hill and I popped the bike into first gear in the front and it wouldn't move!!!!! The third siren went off. The wind was picking up. I FIXED THAT STUPID DERAIL-ER PROBLEM THE DAY BEFORE! It never did shift down so I pumped the big hill in 2nd. We locked up the bikes and walked up to the house.

He rushed us in the house where we were there with several other random people who I had never met from the neighborhood before. Most of them were hiding in the basement. He pulled up on the phone and showed us where the Tornado was. It was 1 mile away from our apartment. 

He kept telling us where it was from the news updates and it just kept moving closer and closer to us. The random lady in the house was freaking out and getting all worked up. The others hid in the basement. I wanted to see it so I stayed up stairs with my helmet attached to my belt so I could put it on in a moments notice. The tornado grew closer and closer to us according to the news reports. I said another prayer for protection and then God touched my heart.

The rain out side just kept picking up it got so dense that there was almost a white veil that you couldn't see through because of the water coming down in such amounts. I was making puddles of water every where I sat or stood in his house. There is a small forest behind the house, and I looked again to see now unlike before all of the trees were in violent motion. Almost as if an adult was shaking a smaller new fruit tree to get an apple off it instead of plucking it; it was the same with these fully grown thick 60 foot trees. 


With every one else in the basement but us  and R after he had called every one he could think of, he looked outside and exclaimed  "I HATE TORNADOES!!!! I am so afraid of them! I am as afraid of them as I am Sharks, and Snakes.... And my MOTHER, and..." I busted out laughing at that, which cut him off he then explained that his mom is like all 3 of those combined though. We all died laughing about it! He then sat down with us and chilled and we joked around and told stories and talked. I kicked my leg ontop of my knee and a bucket of water spilled out into his carpet. The next time we looked outside light was coming through the clouds. Who knew even in a raging storm one could be at peace.

The tornado died off and the earth stood still.

We were in R's house for over 2 hours and we didn't teach anything in fact we never even followed up on any commitments, but it was obvious that it wasn't the time or the place for that. We went outside still leaving a trail of water behind us and we sat and waited for the next city bus, since there was no way we would be able to walk to our dinner appointment in time or ride my bike. We eventually caught on that it wasn't gonna happen and the zone leaders picked us up.

We drove around to see trees every where! no houses were effected too bad but the trees destroyed so much! they were all up rooted, on top of cars, and houses, and street signs, and electric poles. but all that damage stopped less than one mile away from the house where we hid. The Tornado stopped throwing trees around when it got within less than a mile of us until it died. I didn't get any good pictures of the damage but streets were shut off and over 27,000 people have been without electricity here because of that. I wish I could say more

Bye i love you have a good day!

Don't get shot!

EMAIL you on saturday!

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Does anyone else miss their Mom?

We were door knocking a street and me and my companion was joking around like I described to you last week. He saw a kid on a bike and said "Is that my bike?" I laughed and turned and looked at it. And then looked at it more, and started freaking out "THAT IS YOUR BIKE!!!!!!!!" I know that thing better than anyone after the work I put in on that thing, his comment was sad...but true. =p We almost chased him down but I figured the 12-14 year old needed it more than we did, and that the Jesus Sticker already probably gave him more guilt than he could bear. SO we stood and watched him ride away.

Yesterday we were coming home from dinner at a members house and there was a sign that said "free bikes", my prayers were answered! We were able to play with and test 3 different bikes to decide which ones we wanted. We took 2 of them, one of them for pieces and new tubes for the two bikes that we have, or to potentially give to the zone leaders so they can be more effective on car fast. The new bike we got is much nicer than broken down girls bike that was stolen. Has a amazing seat too!!! The church is true!

We had half mission p-day this week on thursday. As we drove there I almost burst in tears as I looked at the forests and the wavy land of fields and old barns and silos zip by me, knowing that I probably wont see that sight in a good while again.  

While at Half mission p-day I said good bye to many friends I wont see again. I also found out from Sis Burk, a sister who used to be a district leader for, she told me that while she was out and about she walked by a lady in the south part of Kalamazoo. The lady stopped her and told her she recognized sis burk. They thought for a while and connected that they met when I brought her to church. It was Marina! The lady who was in awe that me and Elder Medina was Glowing as we taught her, who came to church with all of her kids and her son wanted to join the scouting program, she was progressing towards baptism and then dropped off the map. Turns out she became Homeless and there was no room for her at her sisters and her mothers, so her and all of her kids (3) were homeless in kalamazoo. They set up a appointment after they talked about me and she is now being taught again.

My last part of my tale this week has not been a miraculous or enjoyable one. My 2 points of friction here is Satan, and the missionaries here, it's been like that since my first week here. I went from having 7 investigators progressing solidly towards baptism to now only having 2-3, Satan has been giving us a beating there; but those 2 are super solid. One is being forced to auction their house this wednesday. R is having the gates of hell rage against him too and I am not sure I will see him join the church soon enough, but I am sure he will in a few weeks.

I did just write for like 10 minutes about the missionaries in the area and my friction with them, but I will give you the cliff notes version, since I don't believe thee other version is appropriate for me to tell the world about.

 Basically number 1, I was stupid and prayed for humility, never do that unless you wanna get into a crazy fight with people. Number 2 I prayed for Charity for missionaries, because I have been having a hard time with these ones. Number 3, missionaries were being stupid and tried to boss me how to work my area and join their secret combination, and as you know I have big beef with people trying to tell me how to live me life if they aren't teaching me a correct principal. They wanted me to shun a member of the church who I invited to help me with my missionary work, for reasons that were the missionary's fault. 

Which led to me having huge debate with my zone leaders last night for like 12 minutes on the phone, and since I won on every point of the debate they had me call up the chain where I then had to contend with the assistants for 14 minutes until I bashed them to pieces on the argument and they had me call president even though all of my questions were answered and i now understood their point of view and was living accordingly to the rule, but since they couldn't beat me they had me call president where we debated for 20 minutes. 

That discussion then turned to him trying to debate with me as well and I destroyed his argument which ticked him off and caused him to go off on how I don't understand a topic I wasn't even talking about, and how I need to obey him anyways..... But he wouldn't listen, it was the way I presented it the first time that set him off. I ended that boss battle by shutting up and letting him rant for several minutes and then thanked him and told him to have a good night, since I am not guilty I just stopped and let him prove his point that I wasn't concerned about.

So yup I have successfully ticked off every one except my companion because he actually understands and gave me the time of day with out trying to debate with me unlike every one else. That night I realized it was my freakin prayers!!!!!!! I hate praying for Christlike attributes! I always pray for him to just give me the gift without the effort or pain, it never works! I wish all people could listen and understand like people who know and love me do. I am sick of missionaries! 

Does any one else miss their mom?

Bye I love you have a good day!

Don't worry I am not a demon child

Don't get shot!

Love

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

Is that my bike?

When sis p had me punch in your phone number to send you that picture, I accidentally did it wrong. We quickly got a text back " you got the wrong number, but im Mormon too, GO ELDERS!!!" ha ha. 

This week has been a week.

My companion likes to make fun of me, it's because I forgot how to tie a tie. My knots used to be really nice, but I forgot how to do that and now they are very one sided and awkward looking. You would think after two years of tieing a tie a person would never be able to forget how to do it well.... my life is so hard!

My companions bike got stolen. We on p-day changed in the zone leaders war-torn apartment that was damaged by the sprinklers from the fire alarm going off. While there, my companion lost our keys there and we left not knowing we didn't have them. It was easy enough for me to break into my apartment complex at the end of that night so we really had no need. The Zone leaders said they'd come over and give them to us in the morning... Yup the Zoneleaders never came, I guess it's in their job description because thats how it is with every zone leader ever. SO because of that I opened the garage with out a key so we could get out bikes out and we left. Yup... we also didn't have they key to the Disk Detainer bike lock, and there was no way I would be able to pick that so we didn't use it because we couldn't. Yup and his bike went missing eventually. Again they stole the broken down girls bike that could only use it's front breaks and half of it's gears; it also had a sticker of Jesus on the handle bars, I hope they can live with themselves as they continue to see that sticker. But yes they left the fully functional road bike, my pride, my joy, my ability to race cars was the only thing they took because now I had to walk with it so my companion could keep up.

Now every where we go there are two comments made when we see a bike. "Is that my (your) bike?' or when ever we see a bike without a owner "free bike?!!!". 

I don't think I can accomplish my goal anymore. The only way I could is if other people who I used to teach miraculously join the church in another area. But it all depended on one lesson this week, let me tell you about it:

We had been struggling to keep in contact with F since she got her new job. We always seem to contact her if we sit at a bus stop and call people. So we called all the people on our to do list while sitting at a bus stop. A bus pulled up and I said here she is.... nope. Not 30 seconds later did she walk around the corner and walk up to us ha ha! 80% of the time, it works! We got in contact and we set up a appointment at the library the next day. We called the lady who I wanted to be her fellowshipper and we got it arranged right then and there, It was a miracle! I have tried that for over a month now and it hasn't worked this whole time!!!!!! I was so excited I was thinking it through: we finally contacted her and she now has a schedule so we can learn it and meet regularly, she has a fellowshipper now who is going to bring her to the YSA activities like F wanted. and the lesson for her was perfect and would have helped her progress loads. THis was perfect, the deck was STACKED!!!! From there the only outcome I could see was her joining the church soon after I left if not before. 

So we showed up the next day and found her at a computer like usual. She was a little busy and so she had us go get the key to the study room. I did and we waited for her in the room. Like 15 minutes passed and we went out and asked her to join us, she snapped "give me privacy, I am busy!" as she was watching a youtube video of a guy singing and facebook messaging. 

Not wanting to make a public scene we went back into the room. We waited..... I went out and told her we only have a half hour before we have to go somewhere else and she could do that after our lesson, she told me she was busy and she could only do it now, as she continued to scroll on facebook. I went back and like 5 minutes later I was sick of it and went to invite her to the YSA pokemon dance that night and to leave the building to actually go do work. When I walked out she wasn't there anymore.

I was ticked. we left like we planned. I was so ticked. That was the lesson. that was the deal breaker. That was the one lesson that was a for sure we had in the bag to help her become converted. I was so ticked. I thought the whole rest of the day and ever since about that, it still frustrates me. Because of her inability to abstain for 30 minutes it ruined the lesson, it ruined her path to conversion, it ruined our contact again, it ruined my goal,.....But it taught me a valuable lesson that I had only had slight promptings to. 

Christ-like attributes are essential to some one becoming converted, and some one can't be converted if they do not exercise those attributes. Because of her inability to be Temperate she wasn't able to progress, same with every one because of their inability to be Humble they don't accept correct principals and they don't progress. Because of their lack of work Ethic they don't know How to be diligent enough to get a answer to a prayer.

That ran through my head the whole rest of the day.

That night Sis P took us out to one of her investigators she picked up when she was a ward missionary. ( a amazing example of a member missionary, not only did she know how to teach and what PMG says but she had her own teaching pool too!!! It was a Missionary present lesson, not a member present. I want that.). And I was able to get one of them to spit out his concerns, all of which were questions of the soul that he didn't understand that I slayed tactfully. '

But He got ticked (i didn't recognize this but Sis p did) because he didn't want to believe what I just expounded from the scriptures Sis P then helped him recognize he was being prideful and then taught him how to be humble and he then accepted my teaching that it could be true. I was in AWE! I had been thinking about that all day long and it was a perfect example of how to teach some one the Christlike attribute they needed so they can become converted. If F didn't create a need for that concept I probably wouldn't have learned from that at all, which would have been terrible because I have been studying that for over a year now.

My problem now is I am struggling to find out all of the attributes and their opposites and how they are expressed and I have been racking my mind about it all week since, and today I am in a bad mood because in my personal studies I thought I was gonna answer all of my questions, but no I kicked over like 30 more rocks and found endless tunnels when I thought I was reaching the bottom of it all. I just wish I had a smart phone, it would make it possible to find these things out and life would be so much easier! 

That same day we had a appointment with a Messianic Jew who we door knocked into in a Rich neighborhood. We got there and he was there, he let us in, he prayed that he could be Humble and receive our message, at the end of that lesson I determined he has all the attributes some one needs to be converted and If he gets a answer to his prayer I am pretty sure he will join the church in a matter of weeks. I haven't stopped knocking Rich neighborhoods ever since =p. We've been having good success there too which is funny because most missionaries hate knocking those places because they aren't compelled to be humble, but we've done pretty good and I believe all you need to do is understand correct principals of finding in order to have success there.

I have 6-7 p-days before I got home. 2 this week, 1 next week, and 2 my last week and then all the other time that after transfer calls take place I assume will be a p-day too.

Well I gotta go

Bye I love you have a good day!

Don't get shot!
 (I had a dream tonight that my companion shot some one, it was terrifyingly realistic! I was relived when I woke up) 

-- 

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett

But Stings like a Bee‏

I have gotten so serious about my goals now my companion prays vocally about my goals too.

I still don't know what to do with Atheists yet, I only knock into a small amount of them, any tips from online or your missions on what to do in that situation. Because I have never seen success from what I do (which I learned from other misisonaries) which is a good indication that I don't use a correct principal.

2 days ago I went and locked our bikes up to a stop sign I stepped back and a Bee attacked me stabbing me with it's stinger a millimeter from my eyeball...It was so close to hitting my eye. That thing got pretty swollen. I am so greatful it didn't get my eye though!

My companion points out every airplane we see, kinda funny because it's supposed to be the other way around where I make fun of him for how much more time he has left, but I aint about that life, so he tries to do that to me. SO it makes it kind of odd and doesn't work but... I swear we have seen like 15 planes in the last 3 days.

We have been riding bikes this week. When ever we are at a intersection I try and race the cars to see who can get to the other side of the intersection faster. The Specialized is a beast and I win some and loose some it greatly depends on what gear I am in and how fast I react to the light change. Those sports cars never loose though ha ha.

I have been reading the power of the everyday missionary alot this week. Our mission approved it and gave us all copies this week,  i am at pg 100 somethin. I like it alot because I have been trying to think of how I will continue missionary work back home and I could easily keep it up or even be  more effective of a missionary than I am now by living by those principals. Because one of the big things about me going on a mission was I knew there was no other place I would be able to learn missionary skills near as well as here and I have always had desires to do missionary work but never had the skill and because of that I had fears and hesitated to do so. That and as I have talked to a whole bunch of missionaries on my mission I have always heard them say " oh when I get home I will go out with the missionaries every week...Give them rides... feed them every month..." I just think, "Yah, what ever! you'll probably do that for like a month if that". So in my case I don't want to do that, I would much rather find people for the missionarys to teach, so they help me with my goal of helping as many people join the church as years I live. Thats one of the reasons why I am still seeking knowledge about missionary work that I don't have because these are the last few weeks where I can practice it for hours a day.

This week we had a lesson with our investigator. Turns out I caught all 151 pokemon, He caught all 151 pokemon, and my companion caught every pokemon that has been created (which all of which don't exist except the original 151 =p, but yet he caught all like 900). Who knew that 3 pokemon masters would have been brought together like that!

My zone leaders had breakfast and studied with us this morning since we are having a zone pday today. We got talking and one of them started to try and convince me that I shouldn't do Family History in Finding... Oh I flipped a biscuit hard! (People in this zone use "flip a biscuit" in their vocabulary and none of them heard it from me!!! One of my companions must have rubbed off on some one and it spread. I was shocked when I heard like 3 people use it in common conversations. None of them whipped out a frying pan like your saposed to but still!) I "bashed" him to pieces on that subject (only i didn't bash, I never bash, I instead taught him of how it is a correct principal every missionary needs to live, created a need for it,  and then showed him the blessings, and testifies of all the many miracles we've seen from it) there was no "putting me into my place" after that! =p 

My goal is going well. It's been hard because now all of my investigators are going through tribulation. One is loosing her house, I found out that they won't make her move for 6 months though so she will be here for her baptism. Another is being persecuted by family and coworkers, one of his friends died (it's scary how much I see that one come up when people are on the path to turning their testimony to being converted). One got a new job where she makes jewelry, and while she makes jewelry her company brings in preachers to speak to them all, she is kinda forced to listen to it all, her phone broke, work holds her late which keeps causing her to miss our appointments.

We have a investigator who really wants to be baptized but there is no way he will pass the interview... Doesn't believe in God consistantly, one appointment he will, the next he wont; doesn't believe In Jesus or joseph smith...... He has felt the spirit several times and I have helped him recognize it during lesson but he keeps forgetting it and almost pretending like he hasn't felt the spirit. He almost pretends to act nobel and says he will act in faith by being baptized so he can have a great spiritual witness after....I got so ticked off our last lesson, I kept telling him I wont baptize him and he wont pass his interview. He finished the whole book of mormon and has prayed to know if it was true the whole time. He just doesn't accept that he has felt the spirit. But forget my goal (in his case), I don't wanna be the shmeep that baptizes some who will never be active in their life just for a number.

Please pray for my goal and my investigators.

If I don't accomplish my goal now on my mission, I believe that it is still possible to accomplish it and probably will be accomplished by my companion. But i worry about that because I can't have influence on that.

Well I gotta go Bye i love you!

have a good day!

Don't get shot!

Or stung in the eye!

--

- Elder Truman Rex Crockett