My most favorite part about being a missionary is the teaching. I love, love, love to teach people. It's just so great to walk into someones home, look them straight in the eye, and tell them there's a heavenly father who loves them. And he knows more about us than we could ever know about ourselves.
Telling people about our Heavenly Father is so rewarding. We know so much about him because of our prophet's visions. We know that he has a body of bones and flesh, like us, and that he lives on another planet, Kolob. On a side note, one of my favorite hymns is if you could hi to Kolob.
But when I get to sit down with an investigator and tell them that the creator of this planet, yay, the creator of all life that we know of is is a space alien from a distant planet in our universe. He made us, because he loved us. And that super loving space alien had normal men write a book, a book on how to serve men. It's the most wonderful book on earth, and the most perfect book on earth.
In it, we are taught by our loving space alien father how to serve men, how they should be, what they should eat in order to be healthy.
I can't wait till one day when our science can catch up with our heavenly father. Can you imagine in it? Lines and lines of people waiting to board the ships to go see the best space alien father we've ever had. Gosh, I can't wait to go to Kolob. My comp actually told me that one time he fasted for four days to find out if there were other planets like Kolob, and he received a spiritual confirmation that there is another planet, Zandor. And on Zandor is where our Heavenly Mother lives.
I think the best present our Father in Heaven ever gave us was the book on how to serve men. I know that if we live by it day by day, we'll be just what our heavenly father wants us to be. And when the mother ship finally arrives back on earth with heavenly father, we can all get aboard and finally go back home to Kolob, or Zandor, depending on whether or not we want to live with our space alien father or mother.
On a side note, we had a really wacky visit by an investigator the other day. He said he'd read our book given to us by heavenly father on how to serve our fellow man, but he said something so peculiar, he said the book was a cook book, and how to serve man was a recipe. Weird. I'm pretty sure he's got the case of the devils, but he may just be catholic or something.
Anyway, I got to get back to knocking on doors to tell more of our brothers and sisters about our heavenly father. He's alive!! And he loves us more than we could ever love ourselves in so many ways.
A CHRISTmas time
I'm so glad to be apart of the building of Zion. The gospel truly is going to every nation, kindred, and tongue, and religion!! I love being a missionary!!
Last Christmas there was a lot of attention on material things, this year there is nothing but the glow of a few lights, our study materials, and meals made for us by some of the members. This will be a very quiet Christmas.
I'm so, so, so lucky to be here on my mission during CHRISTmas, because really, my real family is my Heavenly Father, and my Heavenly brother, Jesus. That's it. My earth family is awesome, but let's face it, Jesus is truly awesomer.
I get a whole 10 minutes to talk to my earthly family. It's going to be awesome, awesome, great! A whole 10 minutes to tell them exactly how I feel about my super special brother, Jesus, and how he's done so, so, so much for us and we don't ever really thank him.
I'm going to tell my earthly father how much I've learned about my Heavenly Father, and how truly great Heavenly Father is in every single little tiny way, even in the invisible ways, and in the ways we wouldn't think he would be awesome, he is. That's him, that's our Heavenly Father. Gosh I wish I could hug him right now.
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This past week has been a little tough. We've been decorating our place with all kinds of CHRISTmas decorations, and at one time, we had the whole place lit up with lights, but then we couldn't sleep because it was so bright at night, and my companion was yelling at me, "Go unplug 'em, Gandy!"
It hurts sometimes when he calls me that, like I'm not an Elder, because I am, I'm an Elder in the church.
Anyways, I try to not let him get to me. I think tomorrow I'll shine his shoes to show him how much I truly love him. And then I'll swab the kitchen floors and make his breakfast just the way he wants it.
He has me make his breakfast almost every morning. He tells me its making me a good missionary. And then he has me go out and get the morning paper, and then to tie his shoes, make his bed, brush his teeth, and lay out his clothes. He told me that's just what Jesus did, and I want to be just like Jesus, so I'll do it. I'll do it.
Anyways, Merry Christmas!!! And don't forget the reason for the season. And don't forget to write your favorite missionary!!
Last Christmas there was a lot of attention on material things, this year there is nothing but the glow of a few lights, our study materials, and meals made for us by some of the members. This will be a very quiet Christmas.
I'm so, so, so lucky to be here on my mission during CHRISTmas, because really, my real family is my Heavenly Father, and my Heavenly brother, Jesus. That's it. My earth family is awesome, but let's face it, Jesus is truly awesomer.
I get a whole 10 minutes to talk to my earthly family. It's going to be awesome, awesome, great! A whole 10 minutes to tell them exactly how I feel about my super special brother, Jesus, and how he's done so, so, so much for us and we don't ever really thank him.
I'm going to tell my earthly father how much I've learned about my Heavenly Father, and how truly great Heavenly Father is in every single little tiny way, even in the invisible ways, and in the ways we wouldn't think he would be awesome, he is. That's him, that's our Heavenly Father. Gosh I wish I could hug him right now.
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This past week has been a little tough. We've been decorating our place with all kinds of CHRISTmas decorations, and at one time, we had the whole place lit up with lights, but then we couldn't sleep because it was so bright at night, and my companion was yelling at me, "Go unplug 'em, Gandy!"
It hurts sometimes when he calls me that, like I'm not an Elder, because I am, I'm an Elder in the church.
Anyways, I try to not let him get to me. I think tomorrow I'll shine his shoes to show him how much I truly love him. And then I'll swab the kitchen floors and make his breakfast just the way he wants it.
He has me make his breakfast almost every morning. He tells me its making me a good missionary. And then he has me go out and get the morning paper, and then to tie his shoes, make his bed, brush his teeth, and lay out his clothes. He told me that's just what Jesus did, and I want to be just like Jesus, so I'll do it. I'll do it.
Anyways, Merry Christmas!!! And don't forget the reason for the season. And don't forget to write your favorite missionary!!
Latest Adventures
One day we were tracting and we went to a door and Elder Rogers (my new companion) kinda froze and I was like knock on the door and he said look at the sticker on the door, then I looked and it said "NO RELIGIOUS SOLICITATIONS AT ANY TIME".
It was funny to see something like that, but we did knock anyway. We just had a district meeting yesturday and I had to train on patience. But I wasn't going to let some stupid little sign stop my brothers and sisters from getting the ONLY true and living church. It's alive. The church is Alive PEOPLE!!
You know that one show, I saw it along time ago on some cable channel, but there were these guys in space, and they were there in space, and the space ship was ALIVE! I think the spaceship's name was Hal. It would always say, "Hal, what are you doing?" and stuff.
So, yeah, the church is just alive and it's just like that spaceship. So when we don't do what the church says, it will say something like, "Elder Gandy, why aren't you paying your tithing?" or "Elder Gandy, what you doing? Why don't you go to my church?"
That's so true, I know it is. The church is alive and in charge.
Then today for p-day we are going to the TEMPLE YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA. We are really excited. We had 3 team-up, which are when we go with our District Leader or Zone Leader and then we also went with the APs.
Life is so good hear in the mission field. So full of opportunities to share the most important thing on earth, my testimony.
It was funny to see something like that, but we did knock anyway. We just had a district meeting yesturday and I had to train on patience. But I wasn't going to let some stupid little sign stop my brothers and sisters from getting the ONLY true and living church. It's alive. The church is Alive PEOPLE!!
You know that one show, I saw it along time ago on some cable channel, but there were these guys in space, and they were there in space, and the space ship was ALIVE! I think the spaceship's name was Hal. It would always say, "Hal, what are you doing?" and stuff.
So, yeah, the church is just alive and it's just like that spaceship. So when we don't do what the church says, it will say something like, "Elder Gandy, why aren't you paying your tithing?" or "Elder Gandy, what you doing? Why don't you go to my church?"
That's so true, I know it is. The church is alive and in charge.
Then today for p-day we are going to the TEMPLE YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA. We are really excited. We had 3 team-up, which are when we go with our District Leader or Zone Leader and then we also went with the APs.
Life is so good hear in the mission field. So full of opportunities to share the most important thing on earth, my testimony.
P-day journal entry
Ok... so last Saturday was Janet's baptism (she's another super spiritual 8 year old) and well... It was just amazing. Afterwards Elder Rogers and I were just feeling pumped and we headed off to an appointment with a university professor (which normal scare me to death).
But yeah... This appointment turned out to be AMAZING! We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and praying to know. Well... as my companion went to commit him, he commited himself. He saw the amazing possibilities that could come from praying and that we gave him what, as he called it, could be, the answer to all of his questions. Yeah for the spiritual boost of baptism and just totally prepared people!!
It was awesome.
Then... because I felt prompted by the Spirit, I started to share my experience of praying in the woods behind my father's house.
I was struggling with finding out about God and if he was real or not, and if the church was really, really, really true or not.
As I walked back into the deep woods... behind my dad's place, I found a quiet spot and got on my knees. I started praying really, really hard and then, as I sat there in a stupor of prayer, something happened. I was surrounded by darkness. And it smelled. It smelled bad.
My knees started getting wet, and as I reached down to feel them, they were covered in something. I slid my finger and scooped up some of the goop on my knees. I first smelt it as I put my finger close to my nose, and then I put it my finger in my mouth to make sure my hunches were correct.
And they were.
I was knee deep in the overflow of my dad's septic tank. The septic tank is where all the crap and filth go when we flush the toilets in our house. I realized that the goop on my knees was crap. Crap from the overflow.
And so... it was really a spiritual experience, but I did learn a valuable lesson: don't kneel where the sun don't shine.
In the name of my Jesus H. Christ. Amen.
But yeah... This appointment turned out to be AMAZING! We talked to him about the Book of Mormon and praying to know. Well... as my companion went to commit him, he commited himself. He saw the amazing possibilities that could come from praying and that we gave him what, as he called it, could be, the answer to all of his questions. Yeah for the spiritual boost of baptism and just totally prepared people!!
It was awesome.
Then... because I felt prompted by the Spirit, I started to share my experience of praying in the woods behind my father's house.
I was struggling with finding out about God and if he was real or not, and if the church was really, really, really true or not.
As I walked back into the deep woods... behind my dad's place, I found a quiet spot and got on my knees. I started praying really, really hard and then, as I sat there in a stupor of prayer, something happened. I was surrounded by darkness. And it smelled. It smelled bad.
My knees started getting wet, and as I reached down to feel them, they were covered in something. I slid my finger and scooped up some of the goop on my knees. I first smelt it as I put my finger close to my nose, and then I put it my finger in my mouth to make sure my hunches were correct.
And they were.
I was knee deep in the overflow of my dad's septic tank. The septic tank is where all the crap and filth go when we flush the toilets in our house. I realized that the goop on my knees was crap. Crap from the overflow.
And so... it was really a spiritual experience, but I did learn a valuable lesson: don't kneel where the sun don't shine.
In the name of my Jesus H. Christ. Amen.
Lessons from the Mission President
Missionary tactics that work!!!!
Before my mission president was called to his current calling, he owned a used car business in Orem, Utah. He had a very successful business, and he's helped us all improve our missionary abilities with some very successful strategy. Here's what he told us:
1. Have your investigator sit down across from you around the table. Make sure that your chair is always higher, so that you are looking down on them.
2. Once you have them in the right position, you can then move into the negotiating. He said to write down the date that you want the investigator to get baptized on a napkin, slide it to the investigator face down, and then look at them directly in the eye (the President said non-verbal communication is key)
3. Then make sure you hand them a pen from your own pocket, so it looks like you're giving them the ability to make the decision. Wait for them to write down their counter offer to the date of their baptism.
4. Look at the date they wrote down and shake your head like you can't do this date. Then tell the investigator that you'll have to go to the back room and talk to God to see if this date can work.
5. Leave the room and walk to into the back room, make sure you shut the door. After 10 minutes, come back out with the final offer on a new napkin. Make sure that the date is only a few days earlier than the initial offer you gave to the investigator. Tell them that's as far as God will allow us to go. And you really tried praying to him about it, but that's God's final offer.
This is such a miracle!!! It's worked 5 times already with my senior comp and I, and I can't wait to use it more!!!
The President is so inspired!!! I love my mission!!!
Before my mission president was called to his current calling, he owned a used car business in Orem, Utah. He had a very successful business, and he's helped us all improve our missionary abilities with some very successful strategy. Here's what he told us:
1. Have your investigator sit down across from you around the table. Make sure that your chair is always higher, so that you are looking down on them.
2. Once you have them in the right position, you can then move into the negotiating. He said to write down the date that you want the investigator to get baptized on a napkin, slide it to the investigator face down, and then look at them directly in the eye (the President said non-verbal communication is key)
3. Then make sure you hand them a pen from your own pocket, so it looks like you're giving them the ability to make the decision. Wait for them to write down their counter offer to the date of their baptism.
4. Look at the date they wrote down and shake your head like you can't do this date. Then tell the investigator that you'll have to go to the back room and talk to God to see if this date can work.
5. Leave the room and walk to into the back room, make sure you shut the door. After 10 minutes, come back out with the final offer on a new napkin. Make sure that the date is only a few days earlier than the initial offer you gave to the investigator. Tell them that's as far as God will allow us to go. And you really tried praying to him about it, but that's God's final offer.
This is such a miracle!!! It's worked 5 times already with my senior comp and I, and I can't wait to use it more!!!
The President is so inspired!!! I love my mission!!!
Monday - Day 21
Fun things that happened this past week:
Last thursday Elder Rogers, my senior companion, and I had a meeting with the President. I couldn't really tell what was going on so I just humbly followed what my senior companion did. He moved, I moved. He talked, I talked. He sat down, I sat down.
We showed up to his house and we waited a little while, we sit down and then President hands Elder Rogers and I a piece of paper that has nothing to do with teaching simply, which is why we thought we were there.
- He told us to stop contacting and only serve people. Find ways to serve and find people that way. Get referrals from people. Go to hospitals and tell them we are ordained ministers.
- Go to homeless shelters and work with people and DO NOT work with the homeless people themselves, we don't have time to work with them right now, instead work with the good people who work at these places.
- Only teach Males of leadership age and families. President gave us a perfect lesson about Gods plan for families. It was amazing and only about 10 minutes. Invite people to dinner.....do whatever the Lord prompts us to do but don't contact and harvest. Find new investigators by other means.
1. Find families that can be the leaders (He said in a few days there will be families found)
2. Find a place where we can have a "learning center". Where we can meet with people we find.
3.Then when there is enough members to form a branch we need to find a church building.
I'm sure happy the President said not to teach the bums. I've had a couple powerful experiences with them so far in my mission, but they are smelly. Also, they don't have very good manners.
One time my senior comp and I decided to take a bum home with us to clean him up. As we were disrobing him, I could not believe the foul stench coming from his nether regions. I almost had to put my arm to the square and rebuke the devilish smells in the name of Joseph Smith.
Anywhoo, we started talking to Michael (that's the bum's name) about the gospel, and when I got to the first vision, there was this spirit in the room. I asked Michael if he felt it, and he said yes. Then I committed him to being baptized by an official representative of Jesus H. Christ. He said that he wanted to be baptized.
So, my senior comp decided to baptize him in our bathtub. The only problem was that our bathtub wasn't very big, and Michael was there half-naked in the tub coming up and down for air. My comp just kept dunking him under, but as he would push his head down, Michael's feet would pop up.
Eventually, after holding his head under water for a good couple minutes, Michael (the bum) finally stopped fighting and was baptized.
The spirit was so strong. So, so, sooooooo strong.
I love my mission!!! I love the church!!!!!
Last thursday Elder Rogers, my senior companion, and I had a meeting with the President. I couldn't really tell what was going on so I just humbly followed what my senior companion did. He moved, I moved. He talked, I talked. He sat down, I sat down.
We showed up to his house and we waited a little while, we sit down and then President hands Elder Rogers and I a piece of paper that has nothing to do with teaching simply, which is why we thought we were there.
- He told us to stop contacting and only serve people. Find ways to serve and find people that way. Get referrals from people. Go to hospitals and tell them we are ordained ministers.
- Go to homeless shelters and work with people and DO NOT work with the homeless people themselves, we don't have time to work with them right now, instead work with the good people who work at these places.
- Only teach Males of leadership age and families. President gave us a perfect lesson about Gods plan for families. It was amazing and only about 10 minutes. Invite people to dinner.....do whatever the Lord prompts us to do but don't contact and harvest. Find new investigators by other means.
1. Find families that can be the leaders (He said in a few days there will be families found)
2. Find a place where we can have a "learning center". Where we can meet with people we find.
3.Then when there is enough members to form a branch we need to find a church building.
I'm sure happy the President said not to teach the bums. I've had a couple powerful experiences with them so far in my mission, but they are smelly. Also, they don't have very good manners.
One time my senior comp and I decided to take a bum home with us to clean him up. As we were disrobing him, I could not believe the foul stench coming from his nether regions. I almost had to put my arm to the square and rebuke the devilish smells in the name of Joseph Smith.
Anywhoo, we started talking to Michael (that's the bum's name) about the gospel, and when I got to the first vision, there was this spirit in the room. I asked Michael if he felt it, and he said yes. Then I committed him to being baptized by an official representative of Jesus H. Christ. He said that he wanted to be baptized.
So, my senior comp decided to baptize him in our bathtub. The only problem was that our bathtub wasn't very big, and Michael was there half-naked in the tub coming up and down for air. My comp just kept dunking him under, but as he would push his head down, Michael's feet would pop up.
Eventually, after holding his head under water for a good couple minutes, Michael (the bum) finally stopped fighting and was baptized.
The spirit was so strong. So, so, sooooooo strong.
I love my mission!!! I love the church!!!!!
MTC fireside
Favorite Daily Scripture: 2 Nephi 25:26 "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ..."
FlashBack MTC experience so I won't forget:
I was so excited to be attending a fireside talk by Elder Scott of the twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus H. Christ in the MTC.
There were so many missionaries and the spirit was sooooo strong. When Elder Scott entered the room, everyone stood. Some missionaries to my left also stretched out their hands in a salute, but I thought that wasn't very quiety dignity like, so I reported them to my AP later that night.
Anyway, we were sitting there listening to him go on and on about prayer. He was so awesome!!! The spirit was so strong!!! I felt it all the way in my chest down to my special place, and I almost cried.
Half-way through his talk, Elder Scott asked a question to everyone in the audience. He asked everyone that had calluses on their knees from praying so much to stand so he could acknowledge them.
I was surprised that he would ask such a thing, but I felt my knees, and even though I had been praying hours and hours every night, I didn't have any calluses. I did not stand. I thought I should have stood because I prayed so fervently and with such sanity, but because I prayed on my mattress (I slept on the top bunk) my knees never technically touched the ground.
What really got my Moroni was that my companion, Elder Allen, stood. Why did this get my Moroni? Well, because I know my comp didn't pray more than 5 secs. each night. He was a very disobedient missionary. And he hardly ever prayed.
I decided to write about it in my journal, and then to tell my AP about my comp, because he shouldn't have really stood and gotten the credit when he didn't really deserve it.
I'll write more next time about what the AP said.
Love,
Elder Gandy
FlashBack MTC experience so I won't forget:
I was so excited to be attending a fireside talk by Elder Scott of the twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus H. Christ in the MTC.
There were so many missionaries and the spirit was sooooo strong. When Elder Scott entered the room, everyone stood. Some missionaries to my left also stretched out their hands in a salute, but I thought that wasn't very quiety dignity like, so I reported them to my AP later that night.
Anyway, we were sitting there listening to him go on and on about prayer. He was so awesome!!! The spirit was so strong!!! I felt it all the way in my chest down to my special place, and I almost cried.
Half-way through his talk, Elder Scott asked a question to everyone in the audience. He asked everyone that had calluses on their knees from praying so much to stand so he could acknowledge them.
I was surprised that he would ask such a thing, but I felt my knees, and even though I had been praying hours and hours every night, I didn't have any calluses. I did not stand. I thought I should have stood because I prayed so fervently and with such sanity, but because I prayed on my mattress (I slept on the top bunk) my knees never technically touched the ground.
What really got my Moroni was that my companion, Elder Allen, stood. Why did this get my Moroni? Well, because I know my comp didn't pray more than 5 secs. each night. He was a very disobedient missionary. And he hardly ever prayed.
I decided to write about it in my journal, and then to tell my AP about my comp, because he shouldn't have really stood and gotten the credit when he didn't really deserve it.
I'll write more next time about what the AP said.
Love,
Elder Gandy
Another day, another soul saved
Sunday we gave Brother Johnson the Holy Ghost and baptized him on Saturday (he's just turned 8), the Sprit was awesome and a lot of people came out to see it, we also had some investigators come and now they are pretty interested as well.
The main lesson we teach to these 8 year olds is pretty simple. It's how we can choose to love the Lord and serve him.
We have three cups: 1 full of rice, 1 full of rocks, and 1 empty. Rocks are important priorities that the Lord wants us to do, rice is the trivial things. The empty one is our time here in this life.
If we put the rice in first, you can't fit in the rocks, and the Lord has said that if we don't have time for him here, why should he have time for us? But if we do it the opposite way, putting the rocks and important things in first, the rice falls around the rocks and everything fits. So, rice and rocks go together like socks, but rice and air makes you want to stare. Got it!!!
It's a simple lesson but has so much truth to it. The Lord has given us this alotted time on Earth, He will provide opportunities for us, I know it's true. I know the blessings that come from the temple. My family has been richly blessed because of the choices we've made.
PLEASE I love being a missionary, please write a comment as soon as you can!!!
The main lesson we teach to these 8 year olds is pretty simple. It's how we can choose to love the Lord and serve him.
We have three cups: 1 full of rice, 1 full of rocks, and 1 empty. Rocks are important priorities that the Lord wants us to do, rice is the trivial things. The empty one is our time here in this life.
If we put the rice in first, you can't fit in the rocks, and the Lord has said that if we don't have time for him here, why should he have time for us? But if we do it the opposite way, putting the rocks and important things in first, the rice falls around the rocks and everything fits. So, rice and rocks go together like socks, but rice and air makes you want to stare. Got it!!!
It's a simple lesson but has so much truth to it. The Lord has given us this alotted time on Earth, He will provide opportunities for us, I know it's true. I know the blessings that come from the temple. My family has been richly blessed because of the choices we've made.
PLEASE I love being a missionary, please write a comment as soon as you can!!!
Life in the field
I'm going to try and write some posts about when I was in the MTC. It wasn't too long ago, just a couple months, but now that I'm out in the field, I'm already starting to forget.
I was walking down the street with my companion today. I saw a bum sucking some water out of a puddle on the ground. He was half naked, sweating profusely, and he stunk worse then elvis' dirty under pants, but I had to help him.
So I got down on my knees next to him and started scooping up the water from my hand to his mouth, just like Jesus did with the lady of the lake.
The bum looked at me with misty eyes (at least I think they were misty, they could have been clogged from some type of fungus) and he said thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I came home happy that night, filled with the spirit of the Lord. If only my brothers and sisters would do the same thing, they too would feel this spirit. I love my mission!!
I was walking down the street with my companion today. I saw a bum sucking some water out of a puddle on the ground. He was half naked, sweating profusely, and he stunk worse then elvis' dirty under pants, but I had to help him.
So I got down on my knees next to him and started scooping up the water from my hand to his mouth, just like Jesus did with the lady of the lake.
The bum looked at me with misty eyes (at least I think they were misty, they could have been clogged from some type of fungus) and he said thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I came home happy that night, filled with the spirit of the Lord. If only my brothers and sisters would do the same thing, they too would feel this spirit. I love my mission!!
Life in the mission field
Life is good!! Serving the Lord every day is awesome!!!!!
I started this blog because I wanted to remember my days as a missionary for the church. I try to update the blog during every P-day, which in on Mondays.
I started this blog because I wanted to remember my days as a missionary for the church. I try to update the blog during every P-day, which in on Mondays.
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