Week 50 in the Field: Cave-in-Rock

Elder Peery and Elder Steed

Hi Everyone!  Here is my update:  We had a lot going on this week which was fun. 

On Monday we went over to the Saline County Pioneer Museum (see past updates for pictures) and we saw a stray puppy sleeping uncomfortably on the steps of the office. He was very timid but at the same time a little curious. We walked around with him and found out that the shelter was closed and would reopen the next day. So we had to ditch him temporarily. We went over to the park and Elder Steed went running while I made phone calls. We decided that we would try to find a home for it, even if we had to provide one ourselves.

When we returned, the puppy wasn't there, it was over in the projects playing with the children over there. One kid claimed him as his own, however his father wasn't too keen on the idea. Also technically, you aren't supposed to have pets in the projects. After all his excuses failed, he reluctantly gave us the stray so that we could find a home for it. We set up shop at our house and gave the puppy some food (we bought dog food for it) and then made a bed for him out of some old towels. He was disappointed at first that he couldn't stay with us in our room, but we didn't want to find any accidents in the morning. He was very well behaved even though he was a puppy. He was teething a bit so we came away with a couple small bite marks.

Tuesday we made many desperate attempts to find a home for him because we heard that the shelter in town usually puts down strays. After four hours of no luck, we finally went to the shelter and talked with the people there of his chances for survival. They assured us that they would send him to a rescue where they don't put down any pets. We were satisfied with their information and turned over the puppy to them. He was sad to see us go, but we are confident that he will find a better home.

Cave-in-Rock sunset

Wednesday evening was awesome. After a full day of not getting in too many doors, we finally were able to arrange a double split. Elder Steed went with the branch president and I went with the branch mission leader. It was the first time in a long time since one of these had happened in the branch. With the BML, we went down to Ozark, IL where we saw the former branch president and his wife who were relaxing on their back porch. We had a good lesson with them and then proceeded to Carrier Mills, IL where we tried a less active there who had essentially scared off the missionaries last time they had stopped by a year ago. We knocked on her door but there was no answer, using a trick I had picked up from the elders quorum president in the Smith Springs ward, we knocked on the neighbor's door and found out that she had moved a few doors down. When we knocked on the door one of her first questions was "How did you find me?" Because the BML was there and not another missionary, we were able to smooth this over. In a few minutes she changed from being a "Go away and never come back!" To "Y'know this made me feel a lot better actually. Come back when you're in the area again." It was great.

Thursday was an adventure for sure. We woke up at 5:00am to drive about 2.25 hours to Hopkinsville, KY for a meeting. We went down by way of this place called Cave-in-Rock. Thanks to the ferry that was down there, we were able to cut time in half by using that. 

Cave-in-Rock Ferry. We got to go across on the way to Hopkinsville.

 Cave-in-Rock Ferry in the evening.

Also it was the first time I had ever been on a boat on my mission before. It was really fun. The meeting was some of the same stuff. 

Some of the elders in the zone with President Andersen                                                                     (he is kneeling right next to me)

President trained us on how to work better with members which was good, but unfortunately I don't think it was geared towards the missionaries working in branches like ours where everyone is so spread out over the six counties. 

Looking up at the hole in the cave at Cave-in-Rock

On the way back we actually stopped by Cave-in-Rock and took a lot of pictures. There's a hole in the cave which has been nicknamed "Hole-in-Rock". It illuminates the cave a lot, but it was still pretty dark even still. We had a lot of fun there.

At the mouth of the Cave-in-Rock

Elder Steed outside Cave-in-Rock (walls are about 55 ft in diameter)

Just outside the cave.

Friday was pretty boring. Other than in the evening. We believe we may have ingested some food poisoning from a dinner we had which was not so good. We felt it the next night but Elder Steed had it worse since he ate more of the food that was possibly bad. The people we had dinner with were watching the movie "Noah" which was rather interesting. Might check it out when I go back.

Saturday was rough. We walked around for four hours and didn't get in any doors. Not even the shut ins were there. It was very frustrating. So much so, that our branch president saw us walking and picked us up for dinner. Afterwards, he took us to a play where the son of a part member was playing a leading role. It was an elementary school production of the Little Mermaid. It was so adorable. All the little voices were singing their hardest. We had to leave after intermission sadly though. It was a good pick me up. Later we stopped by our baptismal date and found out he was currently on a ventilator and in a medical coma in a hospital in St. Louis. We were very sad about this naturally. Hopefully he will get better.

Sunday we had a lot of visitors there including some people from some wards up north. Just to add a note, if you're from a big ward that happens to be doing really well and visit some other place that isn't, please don't accuse the missionaries or people around there. They are probably trying their best with what they have. Not all areas are the same. But I digress. I ended up teaching Gospel Doctrine again since not too many people stuck around after the first hour. I taught on Joseph Smith's First Vision which was a fun concept. I remember I stated five specific truths learned from this experience:

1. God's power is greater than Satan's power. When Joseph initially started his prayer, he was seized upon by the adversary to make him stop. But as he struggled to continue, he saw a pillar of light, exactly over his head, above the brightness of the sun. This light forced the darkness away, proving that God's power is stronger than anything.

2. Jesus Christ lives. The biggest truth we learn from the first vision, is a modern testimony that Jesus Christ does live. That He does still speak to man as He did in times of old. Joseph was able to communicate with both the Savior and our Heavenly Father. They were real tangible beings that had bodies of flesh and bones. And not only did Joseph testify that the Savior lives, but our Heavenly Father did as well, "This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him."

3. The heavens are opened. How amazing must it have been to realize that God still speaks to man today? How wonderful is the knowledge that there is a Supreme Creator? God still speaks to His prophets today. This event proves such truths.

4. God knows us personally. When They appeared to Joseph, Heavenly Father initiated the conversation by calling Joseph by name. No matter how insignificant or unimportant we may feel, the Creator of worlds and the universe knows us personally by name and desires to have personal conversations with us through prayer. 

5. The adversary is aware of our potential. Satan knew what Joseph's potential was. He knew that one of the last places he could stop him was right here. He knows how all of us have the potential to live with God again and it is his personal mission to stop that from happening by any means necessary. It is up to us to stay true to the faith and make sure we do not lose sight of the ultimate goal.

And that's just a piece on what I talked on. Hopefully there was some good stuff in there. You can write and ask me questions.  

You can also  read more information at:  http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/joseph-smith

Today we plan on making a trip to Garden of the Gods with some other missionaries which will be interesting since it has been raining the past three days. I'm excited but a little bit concerned about safety but we should be fine. 

Thanks again for all the letters I have received. I appreciate them all.

Elder Peery

Amish!

Week 49 in the Field: Happy Mother's Day!

 Garden of the Gods in Illinois

Hello!

First off, I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Ours was a little hectic but a little chill at the same time. A lot of big changes happened this week so I guess we should start off with Monday then.

Monday, Elder Stange and I went off to Garden of the Gods (Attempt #2), and this time we actually made it. Garden of the Gods is essentially a unique series of rock formations that was created millions of years ago apparently due to water. 

Garden of the Gods

You are permitted (at your own risk) to climb the cliffs and to walk out on the rocks. Most of the amazing pictures I was able to take came from rather risky climbing but totally worth it in the end. 

It was a blast. Afterwards we went over to Elder Stange's recent convert family and had dinner with them to say goodbye as well as for them to give me a delicious post-birthday cake.

Tuesday we owe a lot of what we were able to do, to the Branch Mission Leader's wife. She was able to drive us down to Franklin, TN where transfers were being held. We didn't have too much time to stay, but we were able to see a few missionaries give their final parting advice before they would go home the next day. 

Elder Daniel Perry's parting advice.

Among the missionaries who went home were some of my friends from my first district, Elder Perry and Sister Ellis (the last two remaining from the first district), also Sister Johnson went home (from my second district) as well as Elder Ackroyd, the missionary I replaced in Smith Springs.

It was also there where I picked up my new companion, Elder Steed. He's from Ogden, Utah and has been out for 19 months or so. I was grateful for another more seasoned missionary. He's really hilarious and yes, he's a ginger.

Welcome, Elder Steed!

We had to leave transfers early and I was only able to quickly scan the mail pile so I probably missed a lot of stuff that I will be getting soon for my birthday. The drive back seemed to take forever, but we at least had some fun stories. We were able to make it back to Harrisburg by the evening and got to see a couple of people.

Wednesday we went down to Paducah for district meeting. The district has changed dramatically. There are no longer Foxcroft sisters, but Foxcroft elders. Only three missionaries including myself stayed the same. The new district leader is Elder Spiker who is a pretty cool dude for sure. After that we went to Metropolis, so Elder Steed could see the giant Superman. We were able to contact a referral from an investigator which was great. 

 Old train in Paducah,KY.

Not much else happened that day. Same thing happened on Thursday when we struck out with multiple people--even shut ins. It was very depressing for sure. But we had a fun meeting in the evening with our branch mission leader.

The Brookport Bridge. It is terrifyingly unsafe. The grates are large enough to fit a soda can through.

Friday we spent most of the day helping the Waters move to a new house kind of near Equality, IL. It was fun getting to hang out with their family. We tried to fix the wifi at the church building which has been down for the past two months or so which is frustrating. Not being able to fix it, we decided to figure out other locations to skype home on Sunday.

Saturday was much better. Literally everyone we tried to see on Thursday we were able to see on Saturday. It was awesome getting to see so many people and have great lessons all around. One of the cooler things was we got to talk to one of our less active members who is suffering from several health issues. Apparently her maid/caretaker is relatively interested in the gospel which is good to hear.

Sunday was interesting. I taught gospel principles on scriptures which was a lot of fun. And then we were able to set up a lot of appointments for the upcoming week. In the middle of the day we were able to Skype our parents at the branch mission leader's home which was fun. I was happy to talk to as many as I could, including Bro and Sis Price, my grandpa—who is 92 years old, and of course parents.

Today it has been pouring down rain, so Elder Steed and I will be looking for stuff to do around here. We will be looking forward to this week since we have a fun trip to Hopkinsville planned for a Zone Conference, where I have been asked by the assistants to the President to be the pianist. I wasn't too thrilled about it—it’s nerve-wracking, but it will be an interesting experience playing for at least 100 missionaries or so.

Not much else has been going on here. I am grateful again for the letters I am slowly getting from my birthday. Thank you all so much again for all that you do for us.  Please pray for the work here in Eldorado.

Elder Peery

Another beautiful view from Garden of the Gods.

Week 48 in the Field: THANK YOU for all the Birthday Greetings!

Hello everyone!

First off, thank you so much for all the answers I received for my birthday request. I received multiple answers via packages, letters, and emails. I appreciated the many stories and have compiled them all into one giant collection which I will hang onto for the rest of my mission. I have really enjoyed reading them.  I'm sure a lot of you were wondering what was the point in me asking that?

Well for one, I hoped a lot of you realized the cool experience and feeling you get when you write down and have to think about a time when you did something good or witnessed the hand of God in your life.

A lot of you remarked about how you were grateful for the experience. Not only did this benefit me to see so many, members and non-members of our faith, doing good in the world, but it also allowed those who sent one to reflect on when they have truly been blessed. I encourage each of you to write down these experiences, big or small, whenever you can. Cherish those moments.

Well, now for the week.

Monday we went over to see our investigator who is trying to quit smoking. We studied D&C 89 super in depth with her and came away with a lot of inspiration. That's one thing I've been amazed about myself is the amount of knowledge I've gained of the scriptures and spiritual things. It's cool to be able to understand doctrine so deep and explain it so simply.  As I study and teach others, I am learning so much.

Tuesday was a bit rough cause most of our appointments fell through, however, we had a really good lesson with this lady who has a two year old son. We were able to get her the Book of Mormon Stories book (BoM with pictures) and she was able to understand that a lot better. We also found another less active at Long John Silvers, which was an amazing “coincidence.”  In the evening we had dinner and a meeting with the BML family (the Branch Mission Leader).

Wednesday was... Frustrating. But also fun. We went down to Paducah, KY for district meeting. It was the last of the transfer so we took pictures. 

The Paducah Spanish District 

(Front row left to right): Sister Hess, Sister Ellis, Sister Gates, and Sister Curtis. 

(Back row left to right): Elder Stange, Elder Senatore, Elder Nez, Elder Peery, Elder Van Valkenburg, and Elder Porter

The Foxcroft (Foxcroft, IL) sisters pranked the district leader by writing on their car. They wrote three different things: "Orlando Bloom stole my heart", "#Thug4Lyfe", and "Team Edward".

Elder Porter, Elder Stange, and Elder Senatore. Some people are Team Edward, but not Elder Porter.

It was hilarious. Unfortunately, Elder Stange forgot the phone in the district leader’s car and didn't realize it until we were 10 miles to Harrisburg, IL. After a very frustrating drive back down to Paducah, we got the phone, but weren't able to get much done after that.

Beautiful Eldorado skyline

Thursday we went over to see the lady with the baby again and she told us some of things that were kind of scary—mostly confessions and stuff like that. Her issue was that she could not forget what she did. Almost like it haunted her. We told her that through the atonement of Christ that she can be free of that guilt, but she still doesn't completely understand which is hard.

Friday we drove up to McLeansboro, IL where I helped out a member with their family history. I taught them how to scan and add their family photos to family history. It was a long and rather boring process, but it was good to be of help, so I didn't mind too much. We later went up to Carmi, IL where we got to see one of our investigators who turned himself in to the police for a drug charge. He's looking at 3-7 years but understands the point of repentance. He's also been reading the Book of Mormon in there which is great. He was really happy to see us.

Saturday we headed on down to Paducah again for stake conference. We were with the BML family again and had a fun time listening to the speakers. It felt like a long couple of meetings, but I didn't mind too much. The big focus was member missionary work. The stake president who is a convert from Japan is really focused on improving the work in Paducah, and it is very slowly increasing. We also received transfer calls and like I said before, I am very excited to get the chance to continue to work here. It will be fun.

Sunday (my birthday) we went down to stake conference again. For the most part I kept my birthday largely secret. I'm trying to be more humble. I got many text messages and emails responding to a birthday request that I had included in my blogs home. For dinner we went over to the BML's home again where we received ox tail... It's not as crazy as it sounds. It literally just tastes like a chewier and less meaty beef stew. They also gave me a birthday cupcake which was fun as well as a birthday card. They are a favorite family of my mission.

Ox Tail. (With potatoes and carrots)

Again I thank everyone for the birthday gifts. You all are awesome. I am looking forward to my new companion and another six weeks in this blessed state.

Elder Peery

Chicago Cubs cookie

Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thank you again for all the birthday wishes, whether you said it on Facebook or email. I am grateful for all the responses to my birthday request. I got about 12-15 of them by letter and email. I don't feel 21 at all and it's a weird feeling. I certainly don't look 21. Anyways I'm having fun out here and I appreciate all the members in this area for making my birthday so special.

Here's a video of me blowing out the candle on my birthday cupcake at the BML’s home (The Russell's). You can tell the members love us a lot and feed us a lot by how big I look in the video.