In The Beginning...

   "So just what is a day in the life of a mormon missionary like?" you might wonder. Well, for me, it's an adventure. Every day is different and you can never predict what might happen. Such was yesterday: loosing a dear friend, hiding in a Wal Mart during a tornado watch, teaching the Gospel in a power outage...
   I am currently stationed in Nashville, Tennessee, where the trees are green and the people park on their lawns- a practice rarely seen in my hometown in California. For the last two weeks I've been with two other fantastic missionaries- Elder Waltman and Elder Vasquez.
   Elder Vasquez was originally called to serve in Brazil for his mission, but had trouble getting his visa, so he was sent here with us for a while instead. Late last week Elder Vasquez finally received his visa and was told he would leave Monday morning. He was bothe sad to leave, and excited to go, and we felt the same way. We're glad he's finally going to where God wants him to go, but we're sad to see him leave. Monday morning we dropped him off with the other missionaries also leaving for Brazil and said our goodbyes.
   Our trio was down to two. Elder Waltman and I went about our day as planned from that point-- going to email, go shopping, etc. As we pulled into Wal Mart's parking lot and got out we heard a tornado siren and figured we'd be okay in the building. Not a few minutes after we walked in, we, along with every one in the store- customers and employees alike- were asked to go to the center of the store for safety! When the winds got louder and the lights flickered, some people ducked and others joked about what they would do if a tornado actually hit the building. We tried to text and call other missionaries from our cell phone, to let them know what was going on and that we were okay, but there was no reception.We stayed there for around twenty minutes, before it was announced the storm had passed and we were free to shop.
   As we left the Wal Mart and drove down the street, we saw a MacDonald's sign broken from the wind and branches from the trees strewn across the roads.
   We finally received word that all missionaries in our area had been ordered to stay in there apartments, so we did. We knew the storm was bad, so we called as many people as we knew to make sure they were safe and well. Luckily each of them were, and no damage had been done to their properties either.
   When the lock-down finally ended we left to go teach people we knew about the Gospel of Jesus Christ- finally some more common missionary work. We were able to find a lady Elder Waltman knew from a different part of Tennessee who had moved here. She was so excited to see him and get to talk with us. We talked for about an hour and then headed back toward our apartment for another apointment.
   As we got close we noticed all the lights were out for several blocks. Our apointment was in one that area, and when we knocked on the door the husband answered and told us, "I don't think we can read the word tonight- we have no light." We told him to wait as we went to our apartment to grab flash lights for them to borrow.
   Upon our return we read from the scriptures with this family using flash lights in the power outage. It was a very unique and special experience for each of us. After talking for a while and inviting them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about our message, we left the family with our flash lights and with a prayer and hoped the best for them as we went back home to go to sleep.
   That is just a taste of what it is like being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is full of ups and downs, happiness and heartache, great adventure and simple conversations. There's nothing quite like the opportunity to serve the Lord full-time for two years.
   To those of you reading this, I hope I can help you see what being a mormon missionary is like, and moreso I hope that through your reading of this blog you'll be pricked in your hearts to learn more of Jesus Christ and learn of the Book of Mormon, which testifies that He is, and that He lives. I hope you will come closer to your Savior, and to your Father in Heaven. I hope you will feel a deeper conviction of the truth in your hearts. I invite you to learn more about the unique message we- as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints- share. A message which will improve your life and help you come closer to God in immeasurable ways!