I'm with the Zone Leaders/Massive Boundary Changes received 9/24/2012

Hello people of planet Earth,

This week has been very crazy and so I’ll try my best to describe it.

Last Tuesday Elder Drexler (my greenie) and I were split up.  Elder Drexler went to Meadowbrook to be part of a biking trio companionship and I was put into a trio companionship with the Zone Leaders. The first few days were strange because Elder Caldwell (one of the Zone Leaders) was on exchanges for two different days.  We also jumped from place to place in the zone to go to zone meetings. In doing so I got to meet some fun people whom the Zone Leaders were teaching. One lady is named Kim - she just had her baptism last Saturday and it was awesome! Her family was there and they were really touched by the service.  However, one of her uncles and his family reacted negatively because he was offended by the statement that our church is the true church.  He also thinks that our church encourages dominion over women because Kim’s boyfriend performed the confirmation after the baptism. We had to stall for the confirmation since the boyfriend (Jared Rhodes) forgot a white shirt so his family had to go out to buy him one.  It ended up costing them $50. Crazy.

Another person I met with the Zone Leaders is Donald Carter.  His dad is a member and is just a powerhouse and knows the gospel is true. Donald is getting baptized this Saturday, which is amazing. He has a bunch of scary faces tattooed on his arms from his past. 

We also taught a lady named Desiree Divine (it sounds like a stripper name but she’s nothing like that).  We taught her about the Restoration.  The member who introduced us to her was bringing in all this deep doctrine (we were trying so hard to get back on subject) but in the end it all worked out for the good. 

The mission had some boundary changes last week:  the Meadowbrook area took half of Belmont and all of Oak Grove.  Now Belmont is half of Belmont and half of Chesterfield.  The Swift Creek area is the other half of Chesterfield and most of Colonial Heights.  I know that doesn’t make any sense unless you’re here, but trust me, it’s insane. Every missionary is still going to be working in his assigned area until transfers, though.  Elder Caldwell is leaving in a week and so we have to deal with that and Elder Coburn leaves very soon, as well. They are so fun and we are just focused on doing the work.

Well, other than that we went to a ward party and we played volleyball with some of the youth members and I totally spiked it and said, "Gird your loins" in doing so and it was hilarious.

Have a good week and I will get back to you on what will be happening in the future with transfers. 

Elder McClure

Less Actives, Less Actives, Less Actives. . .email received September 3, 2012

Hi Family!

Well, this week wasn’t all too exciting due to the fact that we just went by to see all the less active people on the ward roster to help out our bishop and we found that 33 different people plus spouse or kids have moved. Crazy!  We talked to two out of all the less actives and they were nice to us and two wanted their names removed from the records. It is just so sad to see these people deny the blessings and deny the Holy Ghost just to be lazy. They are promised so much more.  

We talked to the husband of one of the less actives and we bashed for 2 hours on their front porch while it was raining…and it was Fast Sunday, which killed us because we were so hungry. First they bashed on the picture of Jesus - in the Bible it talks about His ascended form but we were showing a picture of what he looked like before that. We then got into it about the Book of Mormon and the Apocrypha, which we were basically told is half true and half false, so not worth translating. We had to explain to them that Joseph Smith translated the gold plates into the Book of Mormon, not writing it himself, not riding in the boat with Nephi and Lehi, not being in Jerusalem, etc. Also they wanted to know what tribe Joseph Smith was from. Like I would know that, let alone share it with them.

The other part of the week was the same kind of thing, then coming home to talk with the other elders and then breaking out into a Nerf war that is two against one, me being the one. I got shot in the eye a lot and so I hid the guns.  Whenever they are talking all tall and whatever, I pull a gun out of a secret hiding place and shoot them.  Being with Elder Capson is getting better and I always try to treat him better since Elder Swanson is kind of a bully to him. Other than that just trying to stay busy and also I am the designated driver so I drive us everywhere.

Oh - got a cool letter from Rick Twelves from the MTC and he’s going to the California Arcadia Mission where they speak Armenian. Pretty cool!  Well I love you all and will keep you updated on my mission.

-Elder McClure

Small Email for Small Week - received August 27

Hi Family,

Well, as you may have guessed from the heading to this email, we didn’t do a whole lot. On Tuesday we were in Oak Grove and we had to fix Elder Canova’s tire like crazy because he buys the cheap tires and there is glass all over the streets in Oak Grove. We caught a giant spider in a jar and a giant moth and a wasp. We were watching them fight for most of the night but they all took a break and the next morning the wasp was killed and the giant moth also a few days later.

On Wednesday we taught a few lessons. First, we taught an older lady in Oak Grove and she hugged me and kissed my neck - weirdly enough. She just talked and talked while we were trying to teach her. The second was with Jordan Lee and we taught the law of chastity to him. He was really good about the lesson and accepted our commitment. We then had to pass him on to the Midlothian Zone Leaders due to the fact he is going to college and will be in their area. Then we taught a lesson to Sister Joseph because Jacquan told us that she thinks it’s okay to drink tea and all that. She just has a lot of weird things enter her mind like it’s okay to look at porn as long as your spouse is there and you’re watching together. Weird.

Thursday was transfers, so I had to go early to go into a training meeting where President Perry just told us to love the new elders and get them familiar with missionary work. Found out the Elders were getting taken out of Wakefield for a transfer so Sister Harter ran into President Perry at the airport with all the new elders and sisters there and chewed him out for taking the elders. Ouch!

So the rest of the week Elder Capson and I have just been meeting with the less active people in the area and trying to get more referrals. Elder Capson is a very intelligent guy with Aspergers Syndrome which is a form of autism. President Perry took me aside and said that he is not lazy; he just has a lot of medical issues like he doesn’t get a lot of sleep at night so he sleeps in, he is overweight and in bad health, and he carries a Nook
around with him. It is difficult for me to relate to him due to the fact that he relies heavily on knowledge to start up conversations instead of just talking to people and he is just one of those guys who try to be funny when it’s more awkward than funny. Well, President Perry said he trusted me to stay strong and get the most out of it. It'll only be 2 more whole weeks of him, so if I can be out for almost a year and not do anything stupid  then I can handle this.

I love you all!

PS:  The picture with all the cards in a display case is our ward mission leader’s man cave and I also forgot to mention that I got stung by the wasp we tried to catch for the spider.

Transfer Calls Came. . . email received on August 20, 2012

Hi Family,

Well, fun last week before transfer calls and I got one but you’ll have to read through my long email to get to it.

Fun time on Monday where we did nothing except teach a really cool lesson to this couple, Ashley and Ameall, on the Restoration which they are really interested in and Ameal has a lot of interesting questions. While we were teaching them the TV had that movie on where the bus has a bomb on it and they have to go over 50 miles an hour to keep it from exploding. Then we had dinner at the Dubon’s which is always a really good treat for us because Brother Dubon is really funny and is an RM.

On Tuesday I went on an exchange with Elder Jones in Meadowbrook. I had to use elder Harris's bike (Elder Jones's companion) which is really crappy on brakes and the chains suck. Most of the day everything fell thru and later we had a lesson with a recent convert named Katie and the member we brought with us kept going really deeply into her being tempted by Satan and how Katie will be tried. Crazy weird. Then we went to a member’s house for dinner and they fed us a lot of pie. Elder Jones leaves tomorrow. A lot of missionaries are leaving to go home and we are getting a lot of missionaries in return. Mostly sisters.

Wednesday we had a zone conference with President Perry speaking and he was really sick, but when he spoke to us he didn’t cough once. He talked to us about ward council and other things. I found out that President Perry knows how to juggle. I always help out the sisters with their trash which President Perry always appreciates from me. We spent the rest of the day in Oak Grove where we just biked and talked with some cool people. I really love biking in Oak Grove and being there because of all the cool graffiti and broken down buildings which are really interesting to bike around and the hills are not as big as in Meadowbrook.

Thursday we just taught S. Houn more English and she fed us rice and steak with the most sodium laced soy sauce ever. We also drove around after that and I was able to buy a butterfly knife from the flea market and it is so cool. I duct taped the blade so I can practice cool tricks. We had dinner at the home of the oldest daughter of our bishop and she is so talkative and also her roommate is pretty funny as well.  One of them is the Relief Society president and the other the Young Women’s president in Oak Grove and they are really annoyed with the branch presidency. It is so frustrating how people can get offended so fast and stuff like that.

The rest of the week wasn’t much to brag about since the three way is Elder Durrant and Elder Canova taking over everything and I’m in the background. Elder Durrant is what I would call a “knowledge missionary” which means he will not bear frequent testimony but he will pull things out of the scriptures. Oh well. Funny thing yesterday:  We got out of a lesson where the lady gave me a soda so I put it in my backpack and we were biking around Oak Grove and this lady down the street is like, “Can you wish me a happy birthday because I am having a bad birthday.”  Then she went on about that she didn’t even get a soda for her birthday so I said, “Weird thing is that I just happen to have a soda in my backpack.” Her face got so happy and she thanked me and then the other elders gave her a card and a pamphlet.

Well, on to transfer calls. Elder Canova is now district leader of Meadowbrook with Elder Harris as his companion. Elder Durrant is training in Oak Grove and I have the weirdest transfer ever. I am going to be with Elder Capson, an elder about to go home who is very lazy and uses his Kindle all night and sleeps in till 10.  I will be with him for 3 weeks, then I will either be training a newbie for three weeks if his knee surgery is successful or in a three way with Meadowbrook. So, fun stuff and I will be majorly stretched this transfer so send letters and candy for me to keep my sanity.

Well, love you all,

Elder McClure

Best of Both Areas: email received August 13, 2012

Hello Family,

Really fun week. Nothing much on Tuesday but we taught our investigator Jordan Lee, the Word of Wisdom and he has already been living most of it without knowing except the tea drinking part. We went around seeing other people and when we tracted a street called Coventry, we met a very British black woman. We knew that she wasn’t from around here by her accent and the fact that she knew that Coventry was in England and was not just the name of a convenience store around here. She asked us for a Bible, but what she meant was a Book of Mormon.  She then she asked us if we (Mormons, and elders) could have sex before marriage. When we gave our answer she said, “Well, I feel sorry for you.” Then she said she would pray for us when she gets home in England.

On Wednesday, we got Elder Coon's companion, Elder Durrant, because Elder Coon left for home two weeks early to do school so we are co-taking care of Belmont and Oak Grove. The rest of the day was pretty boring, just dealing with Elder Durrant.

On Thursday we got to do district meeting which was pretty fun and then we went to this Mexican restaurant that has weird paintings of South Americans and some with guys and girls and the girls were very immodest and nasty. We brought one of our members, Jacquan, to some lessons with less actives and recent converts. During our lesson with S. Moore, I almost fell asleep.  Then we had a weird lesson with a less active sister, Sister Thomas. We later had an appointment with Blaine Franklin at the church but he wasn’t there. I saw Brother Harter and he said everything in Wakefield is good and Matt (a guy I taught once then passed off to the senior couple) got baptized and is engaged to their daughter Emelia. Really cool!  I knew that Brother Harter was in my area because I saw his giant tree-hauling truck he had in the parking lot near all the little cars. Then we went to Oak Grove and we played air hockey until it was time to go to bed.

On Saturday, we did all Oak Grove work.  We taught a lot of lessons that were scheduled one on top of the other. First was an old lady they want to have a baptismal date with. She was scared of committing to baptism because she thinks the church might run her ragged with callings and stuff. During the second lesson we were talking and reading with a smoker lady named April and a guy named Persel which was 1 Nephi 16 and it was okay. Then we had a lesson with a do not contact member and she had gotten offended by the Branch President and a member of the branch presidency apologized for the Branch President who had made it clear he would not apologize. So she left the church.  Getting offended is really big out here. Then we taught a lesson with an investigator and then a referral who, upon contacting, wants to be baptized. Oh, and this was all on bikes so really sore butt afterward. Then we went to Belmont to have dinner with Sister Henry (Carribean lady) and the Josephs. Really funny and talked with her granddaughters and they are funny.

On Sunday we had meetings and had to teach a class on the Plan of Salvation. Then we went to the Oak Grove area and taught April again, reading 1 Nephi 18. Then we tried to have a lesson but went to a very less active member instead. His name was Scooter. Major white trash and really racist. He has a bunch of dogs and had his shirt off. He gave us watermelon and peppers.  I bit a pepper and really burnt my mouth. He was growing weed in his backyard and was just talking his head off about things and weird stories using cuss words every other word. Fun time.

Well, have a fun week and I’ll update you on how I be.

Love you,

Elder McClure

Email received August 4, 2012

Hi Family!

I had a fun week this week which was full of work and weird things.

Not much to brag about Monday and Tuesday because we kept trying to see less actives and people who had said they were interested, but Wednesday was the start of a fun week.

On Wednesday, we volunteered at the food pantry again because it was a slow day for us plus the Spanish elders weren’t there to help out. So there was this one white guy there that was so weird – he was speaking in a high voice and also quoting the Family Guy show.  We think he was on drugs (and had probably been on drugs all his life) and the TV shows he watches just burn into his frazzled brain. This black lady was there and she would always comment if someone got something too big or went through the line twice and just got upset about anything like that. A free-for-all happened at the end of the day where all the stuff that no one has taken is up for grabs.  This one hispanic lady took all of the potatoes and the black lady was like, "Why don’t you just take the whole table!" and "I can’t even reach that!” and “She’s taking all the food!" Funny. Then one of the volunteers sort of passed out, fell backwards, and sat on a step dazed.  The black lady grabbed the volunteer under her arms, trying to drag her up saying, "I’m just going to take her up so she can’t sit down.” and “I was a nurse. I know what I’m doing!"  Just out of control.

After lunch, we had a lesson with Jordan Lee who turned to seek God after a bad accident and stumbled upon the mormon.org videos on youtube. Really intelligent kid and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. After the lesson we tried committing him to baptism, but he wanted to learn more and there obviously was no desire for baptism yet either. That night we brought Jacquan Joseph (sister Joseph’s son) with us when we went to teach Katrina about obedience and the law of chastity. Teaching the Law of Chastity was awkward (I kept smiling because I was nervous) because of Katrina's question about how would she find out what she would be working with when she’s married. Weird.

Thursday we mowed the lawn and then got Slurpees.  I paid for mine with all pennies to get rid of them. Then we went to the most ghetto super store ever to see if we could set up a booth to hand out cards. Literally ghetto! We went for a second to look at hats and right under them was a pile of bras and this shop sells knives in every which way like a comb knife or pen knife. I found a butterfly knife and it’s really cool (not girly!). Then we taught a short lesson about the priesthood to Blaine Franklin.

Friday was fun.  After zone meeting we ate at Cici’s Pizza and got stuffed then did a few things to get paperwork done. Then a little later our less active members, the Ballards, took us to a Chinese buffet and I was so full. Then we did a First Friday lemonade stand.  A lot of people go shopping downtown on the first Friday of every month so we set up a stand to give out cards and lemonade. A street side DJ was playing music and Elder Canova got pumped by dancing a little.  Down the street was a guy with a microphone shouting at the people, telling them to repent and that they are going to hell. People walking by told us we were much nicer and this one girl we talked to was so annoyed with the guy with the microphone that she took one of his pamphlets, ripped it up, and ate it in front of him. When we walked by, he said, “You can’t be saved by the Mormon bible!” and gave his opinion that we are saved by grace, not by works. We talked to a lot of people with Elder Corey there.

Saturday we had interviews with President Perry and he says he is going to stretch me out again and has received a lot of promptings about me. He loves my endless positive attitude and said Elder Canova really respects me. He always wants to know where my positive attitude comes from and even I don’t know. He told me that fighting the good fight takes more than giving up and he says I show discipleship through not ever giving up.  Also he commented that I never complain. His conversation really made me feel good about the work I’m doing. Later, we did farm work, which was basically painting a few walls and sanding them, too. We got free crazy bread using a card that gives us 10 free crazy breads sometimes.

Sunday, none of our investigators came to church, but we went to mission prep to help out after a while in English class.  The class got weird after the lady was explaining facts about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War even though the people didn’t understand her. Our mission prep meeting was fun and I made a joke after the teacher was putting up questions to study.  One of them was about polygamy and said "Why did it start?" and I answered by asking, "Why was it taken away?" It was really funny but I need to hold off on that kind of humor, probably.

Well, that was my week and it was okay. I love you and have a fun week in the real world.

Love,

Elder McClure

Leadership! email received July 30, 2012

Hi Family!

I had a really fun week this week. Leadership training happened.  Elder Canova had to go but I didn't. So me and Elder Seegmiller  (another elder we live with and a zone leader) went out for most of the day and then we came back to the house to a group of 4 other missionaries that we had to take out and do missionary stuff with.

Tuesday I got to go over to fill out baptismal records for Josiya and Josetta Joseph to get them ready to be sent off. We also went to see a few other people for Elder Seegmiller but they weren’t home at the time. That night, me and another elder went to have dinner with the Denniss' while Elder Canova and another elder went tracting in the neighborhood around the house. They found a couple of people who were interested and later in the week we went to go see one of them.  The lady's husband came out and basically argued that by faith we are saved, works are not needed, only discipleship is needed.  He also thought that the purpose of the commandments is being saved through ourselves.  So, the guy was basically a moron due to all his self-contradiction and in the end I found him really annoying. 

We did service on a farm Wednesday and I fed apples to a pony named Elvis, mowed a lawn, and painted railing for a barn. That night, we went to the Hurley’s and they invited a friend named Big T.  Some of the elders we live with gave them the down low on us. He used Yokepants on Elder Canova and it was really funny. Brother Hurley told us all his stories about being in Australia and all the funny jokes they did.

Thursday was mostly me and Elder Seegmiller going down to VCU to see some potentials in these weird put together housing apartments and it was really fun.  We saw a couple of false churches that were really cool looking and awesomely designed but still false.  We happened to talk to a shirtless guy on the street and gave him a Book of Mormon which was really cool. We got back up with the other elders there and went down to the Campus sidewalk and offered free Tang to everyone. We got to talk to a lot of people and one of the elders Bible bashed with a few people. One guy came up and wanted to be baptized on the spot to save himself! I got rejected a lot of times by people when I tried to give them a card, but I did give a card to the minister of a church in view.

The coolest thing this week was having Josiya and Josetta baptized. It took Josetta 4 times because:  1. She didn’t go all the way under the water because she was scared, then 2. her arm, and then 4. done correctly. It was cool!  Afterward, we taught a guy named Jordan Lee and he is so cool and ready to learn. I’ll tell you more about him in a letter. We came back to see another baptism – a lady named Katie – by the other elders. When she came into the room she started crying.  It was cool.

Elder Canova and I were assigned talks to give in Sacrament Meeting on missionary work but Elder Canova took so much time giving his talk that I was only able to bear my testimony. I felt kind of bashed from that. However, Josiya's confirmation was really cool and it gave her knowledge and blessings for the future. We were also able to give Blaine Franklin the priesthood and we need to talk to him more on that later
this week.

Well, have a fun week and know that all the storms that come thru Virginia aren’t really serious and they are just a lot of thunder storms so no worries.

Love you all!

Elder McClure