Week 53 in the Field: "Knee-High in a Lard Bucket"

On top of Stone Face (it looks like a Native American's face)

Monday, June 8, 2015

Hello everyone! The reason this is titled like it is, is because this is about the most redneck week I have ever had in my life. Let's go down the list.

So on Monday we went over to this place called Stone Face which is basically this series of cliffs and one rock that looks like a face jutting out of one particular cliff. It took forever to get to, but we finally found the correct trail. The paths were so poorly marked but we were able to find our way up to the base of the cliffs. We saw a path just above this small rock slant so we climbed the slant to get on this trail. The trail took us to Stone Face where we took many pictures. 

Exploring cliffs.

We figured we had found a short cut so we continued on the trail which took us alongside the cliff edge, messing around and certain spots. However as we continued to walk we noticed that we weren't going down. Just slightly slanting. We didn't think too much of it. Two miles later we emerged from the forest and had to ask directions for the way back. We found it thanks to a cattle farmer and made our way to our car.

Getting lost on trails.

Climbing around Garden of the Gods.

We headed over to Garden of the Gods using a road that is apparently supposed to be used for off-roaders mainly (thank you Illinois roads and signs). At Garden of the Gods we had fun going to places we hadn't gone before including Camel Rock, which is known for being in the shape of a camel. 

Elder Steed on the head of The Camel (see past pictures for what that is).

Elder Steed was able to climb up to the head of the camel (not too easy to do) but I was only able to get on the back. We also climbed other stuff like the Devil's Chimney and stuff before we headed back.

Elder Steed starting the climb up the Devil's Chimney

Elder Steed climbing up the Devil's Chimney at Garden of the Gods

Tuesday afternoon we headed over to see Carmelo, our former baptismal date, who had finally returned from the hospital after being in a medically induced coma for about six days. He is in much better shape now than before, and also has been given less responsibilities at his job which will allow him to come to church! We also had dinner at the BML's house and said goodbye to their foreign exchange student, Emil, who was returning to his home in Norway the next day. He was sad to say goodbye but appreciated us coming over all the time.

Wednesday we went down to district meeting in Paducah where we got to wish Elder Nez a happy birthday. Elder Steed trained on setting baptismal dates and knowing when to invite them. On the way back we got to see our investigator from Galatia at the library and invited him to come to church. He said he would need a ride, so we started preparing one for him. After teaching him the Restoration, he is very interested. We have a lot of high hopes for this guy.

On Thursday we were contacted by the First Baptist church to offer some assistance in tearing down a barn. From what I understand, people who own old barns that are starting to become unsafe are donated over to the Baptists, so they can tear it down and sell the wood for money so they can fund some of the things their church does. This was one of the barns they were working on.

The barn we were working on from the front

Apparently the barn surrounds an old schoolhouse built ages ago. You can still see math equations on the wall. We worked hard and had a few injuries.  A big barn door fell on my foot, and Elder Steed stepped into a deep hole and got scraped up.  We decided to stop though after a few hours.

The barn on the inside (this is the day after the hay and taking some of the walls apart. When we started there was a back wall and hay covered most of the floor).

In the evening we went over to one of the Primary counselor's for dinner. I accidentally let their dogs out of the pen but they were able to get them back.

The craziest thing though that happened on Thursday was right after dinner. As we were driving back, Elder Steed remembered that he needed to get something at the Dollar General so we stopped at the local store in Harrisburg. When we walked in the door, lo and behold, we saw the investigator who stole the wallet of the BML's daughter. She was with her husband and they were as surprised as we were that they were there. We played it cool and then got in line behind them with the item Elder Steed needed.

The guy in front of them was taking a while, so I had the time to ask how they were doing. Only the husband replied in short sentences. The man at the counter left his money and phone on the counter as he went to go get something from his car. The lady at the cash register looked at us and whispered "Sorry!" After a few more minutes of silence the lady took the money and phone and put it in a small cup looking thing and said "I want everyone to see that I am not taking this money or his phone." And then she uttered the best words of closure almost as if from the words of an angel, "God doesn't much like thieves. We know what happens to them."

Elder Steed and I felt the irony of the entire situation was killing us. We went home a lot happier that we were able to get some closure on that whole thing. The couple didn't say a word. They never apologized or explained what happened on their side. But that was the biggest chance they may have had. We felt as if God had led us there at that precise moment for that moment though. Hopefully they will want to change their lives for the better in the future.

Friday we went back to the tear-down barn. This time we had a scaffold to take down the boards on the outside. Yours truly got on the shaky scaffolding with two others as we went away at the outside of the barn 20 feet up. After a bit we climbed down and one of the guys said he didn't want to go back up.

 Back of the barn and the people we worked with from the First Baptist Church. I got on the scaffolding shown here. It was about 20 feet high.

So I climbed alone and it seemed even less safe. But we went away at the boards while Elder Steed worked on the inside. It was scary, but pretty fun.

Saturday we went over to this wing thing that was going on and got a lot of nasty faces before finally giving up and going over to the BML's (Brand Mission Leader’s) house to help with their yard. I cleaned their gutters on a “rigged” step stool that was made of a simple step stool on top of two benches. It was fun. We then had an awesome dinner while we talked about what we'd do the next day.

Elder Steed, the BML's foreign exchange student Emil, a friend of the BML's family, and me

Sunday we went to go pick up the investigator from Galatia. It was his first time at our church and he had a blast. He enjoyed fast and testimony meeting and almost got up and bore his own testimony. We talked to him about being baptized and he said he would definitely consider it. We even showed him the font; he was excited about that!

Later in the day we went over to Omaha...Illinois, that is, where we had dinner with an awesome member family. We don't head over there much but it was pretty cool.

This Saturday we learn whether we are getting transferred or not so it should be a lot of fun. I've enjoyed Eldorado even if it is hard a lot of the time. Without the BML's family I would definitely be knee high in a lard bucket. Hopefully it should be a great rest of the week. See y’all next week!

Elder Peery  

Week 52 in the Field: Paducah, Galatia, and Carrier Mills

Roasting marshmallows outside of our apartment in a small fire pit by the driveway.

Hey everybody! Got a lot of pictures, so prepare yourselves.  So this week was kinda stressful yet really fun--usually is for the most part.

I got a knee brace! I've been struggling with my left knee for the past few months and finally decided to get something for it.

On Monday we went down with some other elders to Paducah where we had a lot of fun playing basketball with the members and missionaries down there. I was getting ready to go on exchanges with the Spanish elders down there so everything was really busy. Too of the Paducah elders got in a head to head collision, so we had to take it easy after that. In the evening I went with Elder Senatore to go teach a few families in Spanish. That was an adventure.

On Tuesday we were still on exchanges and I noticed that their apartment wasn't in the best shape. So while Elder Senatore did some language study I spent that time cleaning dishes and making stuff look better. It felt really good to serve.  We ended up teaching only one lesson that day. In the evening we went over to the church where they were holding a basketball night.

Many investigators from Paducah came and it was a lot of fun. In the evening I was driving the car but I couldn't see very well due to the bad lights. So I had a "Jesus take the wheel" moment and missed the turn and drove onto someone's lawn. It was okay though cause I was able to fix the lights and narrowly drive in between a fire hydrant and a street sign. It wasn't noticeable in the morning. Elder Senatore still laughs about it to this day.

Wednesday we had district meeting in Eldorado where I reunited with Elder Steed. We did some unity exercises, which was a lot of fun. After that we didn't get to see really anyone all day until the evening.

Thursday was an interesting adventure. Not all that much happened up until we decided to go down to Carrier Mills where we had a great time talking with a few less actives down there--one of which was super nice and let us in, and we messed around with her dog that she had recently gotten from a shelter about half a year ago.

In the evening we headed up with the BML (Branch Mission Leader) to Galatia where they had this giant fair going on over there. It was a Gospel Music themed night so we kind of almost advertised our church by showing up. Our BML got lots of questions later on in the week, which was amazing.

"Southern Bluegrass 5" at the Galatia fair

Friday we said goodbye to our Long John Silver less active friend. He was moving down to Kentucky and out of our mission. Hopefully the missionaries will find him soon.

Food and games at Galatia

In the evening we went down with the first counselor in the branch presidency and walked around the fair in Galatia. This one guy came up to us and asked us who we were. After explaining ourselves and a few of the things of what we do, he told us that he lived in Galatia and had seen us walking around the day previously.

Fair in Galatia

He had been trying to get his life back together. We got his information and set up an appointment for the next day. The first counselor is a convert to the Church, and he bore his testimony to this guy which was also awesome. He called it a miracle.

The slides at the fair in Galatia

Saturday we met with the same guy and he unfolded his life story to us. We taught him a bit of the Restoration and then asked him if he knew that this church was true that he'd be baptized. He said "Definitely." He was really awesome. We saw a couple other families including one of the counselors in the Primary Presidency. She and I had a good conversation about life plans and such. I will also be helping the primary learn a new song by playing the piano for them, which is totally cool.

Sunday we had our Warriors of Christ investigator show up at church with his grandson. I taught a pretty powerful lesson on the Plan of Salvation using both the Bible and Book of Mormon as one unified source of material. The counselor and a stake high councilman sat in on the lesson and the two investigators loved it and had some good questions afterwards. I also gave a very quick talk in Primary about serving others.

Elder Steed's skill at art. He made this for his girlfriend back home.

He drew everything by looking at a picture.

Today was very busy, but that's for another week. Thank you all for reading this stuff and writing to me. It makes a big difference for sure in my week. I really appreciate all the love and support. Tomorrow will mark one year exactly since I've been in out the mission field (I arrived in Nashville, TN on June 2, 2014, though I go home less than a year from now. Thanks again!

Elder Peery

Elder Leavitt's old crutches!!

Week 51 in the Field -- One Year of Missionary Service!

 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to fast of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Alma 36:24

Hi everybody!

Okay--So this week was super stressful. I hit my year mark on Thursday, which has officially begun the countdown to when I come home less than a year from now. It has been super crazy but super worth it. Thanks for all the support!

Back-side of my shirt before we burned it.

On Monday we went to Garden of the Gods with a member from Foxcroft as well as the Foxcroft elders.

1. Garden of the Gods Wilderness

 It had been raining most of the morning so most of the rocks were very slippery and hard to climb on. However that didn't deter the Foxcroft elders from having some fun. There is one particular rock formation that has been nicknamed "The Camel" because of its resemblance. It is a challenge for tourists to get on top of the camel's head. It is difficult to attempt the feat when its dry alone, but Elder Smith, one of the Foxcroft elders, made the attempt by jumping a 6ft to 7ft gap from the back of the camel to the head. He was able to jump back but nearly fell off what would've been at least a 50ft-70ft fall. It was fun to watch but I will probably try a safer route next time we go.

2. Elder Smith's leap of faith (6ft-7ft gap)

Tuesday the member from Foxcroft came out with us as sort of a trial mission for returning to his own mission. He had come home due to a concussion. We decided to ask a member here to come out with us and so we did a double split. I went with the Foxcroft member and Elder Steed went with a member from Carrier Mills. We hit a lot of Harrisburg before meeting up again. The local First Baptist Church later contacted us asking us for some help so we went over and helped them with pulling out nails from a destroyed barn. While there, they talked to us about how the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention (Fred Luter) was coming to speak in Harrisburg that evening. We couldn't pass that up. We attended the meeting, which was held at the high school's gym. He talked about John 10 and how there are lost sheep out there who need to find the door, who is Jesus Christ. He spoke very quickly but very powerfully. My favorite part was when he started testifying of Jesus Christ and how he included the fact that Christ resurrected on the third day. To paraphrase what he said, "We all know that He died for us on the cross, but the story does not end there! Three days later! Back again from the grave! Bringing victory for every soul that believes on Him! What does that mean for us? We win! We win!" And he waved his handkerchief around with a huge smile on his face. It was a cool meeting for sure. 

Wednesday we had district meeting in Foxcroft area and had a fun time exploring afterwards. Later on in the day we got to see our investigator with the kid and she was doing okay. She was feeling sick though but we had a good conversation with her later on. We went over to the ex member that was returning to church for dinner which was a blast. She made us some really great omelets.

Thursday was rough. No one really was home/opened up to us till the evening when we went on another double split. Elder Steed went and had dinner with some recent converts and I went with the BML to go have a family home evening with an elderly member in a nursing home. We went with the BML's foreign exchange student who was from Norway. I read scriptures from the Book of Mormon in English and he read the same scriptures in Norwegian. It was a fun moment until the investigator with the kid called me saying she needed a lift to the hospital cause she was in so much pain. Loading her and her 2 year old in the car, we hauled them off to the hospital. An hour or so later we took them back in a very stressful car ride. But it turned into a miracle cause we found a less active at the hospital and he'd been looking for us for awhile. 

This was my shirt burning. All elders once they hit their year mark usually burn a shirt

(also happened in the Saratov Approach movie).

 It was great...until it burned a little too much...

Thursday was also the day I burned my shirt as missionary tradition states. It was a great moment for sure and we had a lot of fun. It's weird that the clock is ticking down now. But it has felt like a year that's for sure.

Here's the fun part two where everything went interesting.

Friday was also rough. Nothing happened till the evening when we got to see some less-actives and had a fun time with them.

Saturday was fun. The investigator with the kid invited us over and said she had found a Mormon movie on Netflix. That turned out to be the movie, “Meet the Mormons.” We decided to watch that, and she really teared up for the last part. She related to the mom of the missionary. It was a great experience all around.

Sunday we got a lot of stuff done. Elder Steed gave a talk on tithing as well as taught Gospel Principles on spiritual gifts. Less than 3 hours later after that class, one of our investigators had the same question he asked us about spiritual gifts and we were able to help him. Who was that investigator? Some of you may remember my "warriors of Christ" guy I found in the McDonald's. Well he called us on Wednesday and gave us his address. He remembered me and it was fun getting to talk to him and his grandson. He was a really nice guy for sure and was happy to see us again. We ended the night by watching Meet the Mormons for an FHE at the BML's house. 

It was a really rough week all around but we still were able to see a lot of people. I look forward to one more year of teaching and serving on my mission. It's been great. 

Talk to you later,

Elder Peery

3. Typical days work (Elder Steed)