Shaking Hands and Saving Souls in a Different Century

                                                         October 28, 2013

 Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum the Twelve Apostles

Otherwise known as, Matthew's new BFF.

Hello Everyone,

            This was an awesome week in Gawwwja! So many things happened and I had a lot of cool experiences so I'll just tell you about a few! On Saturday, we had the amazing opportunity to drive to Atlanta and have a conference with Elder Oaks himself! That man is such a stud, to say the least. Plus, he is 6'3”. I got to shake his hand and he said, "How ya doin’ Elder Roderick?" So, you can say we're bros. Anyway, there was about an hour left in the conference when he stood up to speak, and I was thinking, “There's no way this guy is going to get up there and talk for an hour!” But sure enough, he pulled out a piece of paper and said, "Elders and Sisters, I've got about 6 hours worth of notes here, and I'm just going to go off what the Spirit tells me to say." Sure enough, that's exactly what he did. He bounced around from topic to topic and you could tell everyone was so inspired by the things he said. In the middle of it all, he stopped and told us "I hope you guys know that I have no idea why I'm speaking on the topics that I am, I just feel inspired to tell you about these things. It's not what I tell you that's important, it's what you hear." I thought that was so cool! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and it was truly amazing to listen to him so close! At the conference I got to see Sean Clark and Nathan Hogan who are serving in Atlanta. It was so fun to see them and we represented our Rams well!!

Elder Roderick, Elder Clark and Elder Hogan represent the Rams in Atlanta.

            This week we taught Stanley about the Word of Wisdom so that he can prepare to be baptized. It went awesome and Stanley has completely given up coffee! He's doing great and I hope he is able to get baptized on his set date. His physical conditions make it really hard for him to go to church and progress but he's doing great nonetheless.

            We had a really funny thing happen to us on Friday night. We were knocking doors in this apartment complex, and a Mexican man answered the door. When we finally found someone who spoke English, we spent 5 minutes trying to figure out what his name was then, we taught him about the gospel for 30 seconds. While literally chuckling to myself, I asked the guy to get baptized and he said, Yes.” This guy obviously has no idea what the heck he said yes to, but I thought that was funny. So, you could say we'll be following up with them.

            Earlier in the week, we found an old trailer park tucked behind the woods so we decided to knock doors within it. I don't even know how to explain the setting and conditions of the trailer park other than to say that this place was a different world. I literally felt like I was in a different century. We met the craziest people, to say the least.  There was even a toilet just chillin’ in the middle of the road. 

Have a great everyone! Love you all!!

Elder Roddy

Very convenient! 

A flag and trailer park in a different century.

  

Rain dance and a pet frog named Fred

Elder Roderick sent us home a few videos.....click on the link below:

Youtube video Elder Roderick Oct 2013

Hello my peeps!

Today marks the 2 month anniversary from the day I was dropped off at the MTC! I seriously can't believe it. When I look back to the day before I left, it seems like an eternity ago, but the last two months have flown by. When you're a missionary, you do the same stuff and follow the same schedule nearly every day, so the days all blend together. The days are long, but the weeks are fast, and the months are even faster. This whole experience so far has kind of felt like a dream...I only remember the most important parts and the rest blends together into one huge blob. Which is how it should be I guess! These two months have definitely been the hardest of my entire life, but they have been the most productive, inspiring, and life-changing as well!

It's been a great week in the Hickory Flats! It's been raining a little bit, so I went and bought a swaggy umbrella and walk around and dance like Marry Poppins. Just kidding. Or am I? When it's not raining, the weather has been perfect. Low 70s and not a cloud in the sky!

This week we've been meeting a lot with one our investigators named Stanley. Stanley is my man!! He's like 65 years old and has a long, gray beard, and walks around with a pimp cane. Well he actually needs the cane but that's what I think. Anyway, my man Stanley has agreed to get baptized on the 9th of November! So we're pretty stoked. But if there's anything I've learned with baptisms it's that nothing is guaranteed. Unfortunatley, Payton isn't going to be getting baptized this Saturday because he talked to his dad and his dad says there are still "more issues to resolve." It's stupid and sad, but it will happen eventually!

Every week I learn more and am more enlightened by the Southern people. For the most part, they're all so nice and love everyone they come in contact with. A couple times this week we were talking to people on the street, and these people will start talking with so much passion about the Bible and tell us how much they love us for what we're doing. They'll be telling us about "when they were saved back in '95" and then stop mid-sentence and say, "wait, can I pray for you boys???" I'm thinking, "Ya for sure! I'd love it if this guy would pray for me before he went to bed"...but oh no, they mean right then and right there. Before we can even answer, the person we are talking to is raising his hands in the air and yelling, "DEEEARRRR LAWWWD, PLEASE HELP THESE BOYS ON THEIR JOURNEY. HELP THEM SEEK THE TRUTH. WE LOVE YOU LAWD! IN JESUS NAME AMEN!!!" Hahaha it's so awesome. I always look around to see if people are staring at us, but it seems like it's just a normal thing here. I love it! They are so open to their beliefs and their passion is something that we can all learn from.

This week I tried teaching Elder Auaea the basics of football because back home he only plays rugby, and doesn't understand the rules of football or anything. So I thought teaching him through action would be good right? Basically I just ended up being his personal tackling dummy and now have two broken legs and tract in a wheel chair.

Hope you all have a great week!! Love you!

Roddy

Q&A with Elder Roddy!

1. What's the most shocking thing about Georgia?

What isn't shocking about Georgia? It's a different world over here! I would say the most shocking thing for a missionary is all the varieties of religion. There are hundreds of religions here. It makes it really hard as a missionary because asking someone to leave their church is like asking someone to leave their friends. For anyone, the most shocking thing about Georgia is probably the variety of people. Atlanta is a melting pot for the rest of the world. I'll knock on one door and it will be a nice, southern baptist African lady, then the very next door will be a drunk hick with his shirt off smoking who knows what.

2. What do normally eat for breakfast and lunch? I'm assuming your always have a member bring you dinner or are going to their home.

 

For breakfast I usually have cereal, pop tarts, waffles, and bananas. For lunch we'll either eat out or have pizza, top raman and chicken, sandwiches, or leftovers. We pretty much eat at a member's house for dinner every night. 

3. Is your apartment in a big apartment complex? 

Yes. 

4. Besides Pday, what is the thing you look forward to during your week?

Sleeping. Just kidding (but really...you're exhausted every night.) I would say the thing I look forward to the most is getting mail (haha) and teaching investigators. My persistent attitude makes it so I'm always wanting to teach people and make commitments with them at all times. 

5. What's the best teaching/spritual experience you've had up to this point in your mission?

The best experience(s) I've had by far have been teaching Susan. She's someone who God has literally prepared for the last 10 years for us to knock on her door, and she went from saying "there's no way in hell I'm turning Mormon" to saying "what exactly do I need to do to get baptized?". Every time we teach her she cries because of the Spirit and although she has a very long way to go, she has such a desire for baptism. Meeting her and teaching her has been my favorite thing. You learn to love people on your mission like nothing else...it's a different kind of love and I love that woman!!

6. What have you learned about the church (or the gospel)that you didn't know before? (Or maybe didn't have a great understanding of)

Everything....I never knew how much extra truth there was in the Book of Mormon until you actually have to sit down and study it every day. I learn new things from my companions every day too. I honestly have learned more about the church in these last two months than I have in my entire life. If I had to pick one thing that I've gotten a better understanding of, it would be the Atonement. I never really understood it before like I do now. 

7. Any advice for missionaries getting ready to serve?

Have a testimony that is unbreakable. Being in Georgia and being awakened to all these different types of religions has caused me at times to wonder if there really is only one true church. People will open the door for us and read pages and pages of Anti-Mormon things that unfortunately have caused me to think twice about the church I represent. But as I study it more I learn that our church really is undeniable and is the only one with the fullness. If you have a testimony that can't be broken, then you'll be really successful because missionary work is all about testifying what you know to be true. 

Investigating With a Twist – Using Scissor Hands and a Gun

Knock, Knock "It's the LDS Missionaries. Is anyone home?"

Hey y'all! I hope you're all having an awesome week! This Wednesday I'll be finishing up my first transfer in the field. These six weeks have gone by way too fast! I got a call this morning and found out that I'll be training to be a zone leader in my next area. I guess they want to start us early in the leadership positions around here, so we'll see how it goes!

            This week was awesome! Every day I think that there's no way I can get in another bashing feud with a crazy person but somehow I manage to nonetheless. I should probably stop being so persistent with all these people! Anyway, yesterday we were knocking on some trailers, and we approached a tiny little trailer that had spiders crawling all over the door. After I threw a few of them on my companion, a guy who was about 30 years old finally came to the door. I don't really know how else to say this, but he was as high as a kite. He was literally off in another world.  Before we could even say anything, he started yelling at us about all the things that are wrong with the Mormon Church. I still hadn't said one word before he went inside and came back out with 5 pages of anti-Mormon material that he printed from some random website. He kept saying, "Now let me ask you this!" and ask question after question after question. The problem was this guy was so far off in his world of drugs that we couldn't say more than three words before he told us we were wrong. I tried to ask him his name so we could better communicate with him, and he got mad at me for not answering his first question. I thought Elder Auaea was going to punch him square in the face. I have never laughed so hard on my mission, and I've also never been so mad. There's a reason why they tell us not to bash.  But, I love it because it makes for the best stories!

            Earlier in the week Elder Auaea and I went on an exchange with the District Leader in his area. We had an appointment with one of his investigators that they have been teaching for a while now. The lesson went awesome, and we ended up finally committing the couple to baptism. The next morning, I found Elder Auaea on the roof of the apartment just chillin’. I’m telling you, that kid is crazy. And, I love him! We also had one of our investigators come to church with us this weekend, and he should be getting baptized soon! I'm starting to get the hang of teaching. Sometimes I have no idea what to say so I just sit there and look at my companion until he saves me. But for the most part, I've been able to the hang of it. It may seem like we get baptisms all the time, but the South is dang hard and baptisms are rare. I've been lucky just to be on the tail end of a few of them!

            On Friday, we went and helped one of our investigators clean his basement. He had more crap than anyone I've ever met. In the mix of things, I found a battle-axe, two swords, a loaded gun, and these crazy wolverine knife things. He gave Elder Auaea a knife that he sleeps with now. So, I think we're safe from anyone or anything. I feel bad for the next person that bashes on the little Mormon boys!  

            By the way, I'm not really going to be a zone leader! I would have to take my pants to the dry cleaner if that was true. Today I found out (and this is real) that I'm actually the youngest missionary in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission...and ya probably the most immature too. HOLLA AT YA BOY.

Hope you all are doing well!  Thanks for everything! LOVE Y'ALL.

Elder Roddy

The Missionary Secret Service, a Promising Investigator and a Tender Mercy

Hellooo everyone!! Reporting week 5 here in Atlanta! I hope you all had a great week and that you’re off to a good start today!

            This week started off with a little apartment fix-up. I literally called the entire maintenance staff in our apartment to come to our place and fix everything because we had so many things that weren't working. So we had five guys chillin’ with their shirts off fixing our disposal, putting in new lights, etc. I wonder what they thought of all the pictures of Jesus everywhere and our charts of investigators on the wall. They probably think missionaries are part of a secret service who plan fatalities against these innocent people one day at a time. Oopsies.

            On Friday, we had an awesome experience with one of our investigators named Payton. Payton is a 15 year-old boy who wants to get baptized and is more than ready. His parents live in Alabama and don't really want him to get baptized. He lives with his less-active grandparents, who are now active because of Payton's desire to go to church. Missionaries have been teaching him for a while, and I've personally had about 8 lessons with him. Every time we teach, we talk to him about getting baptized, but his grandparents intervene and tell us that he needs to talk to his dad first, and that he's not ready. The bishop actually told us to not worry about Payton anymore because we've done all we can, and that he would take it into his own hands.

Anyway, on Friday we felt like we should go visit him and we didn't really know why. We sat down with him and had a great lesson, and at the end I felt like I should extend a baptism date to him instead of asking more questions. I told him we wanted to baptize him on the 26th of this month. He sat there for a second then said, "Ya! I would really like that!" He went on to explain that he is visiting his dad this week for his birthday and he is going to tell him he is getting baptized. Also, to our surprise, when his grandparents saw how excited their grandson was about getting baptized this month, they agreed to let it happen.  It was truly a miracle that everything went so swiftly that night, after it had been so tough for months and months. At the end of the lesson, Payton offered to pray, and he prayed about how he hopes his dad will allow him to get baptized. It was probably the sweetest thing in the world to hear this 15 year-old kid pray for his dad because he wants to get baptized so badly! I know that once his dad hears how bad he wants it, there is no way he'll be able to say no!

            This weekend we got the unique opportunity to listen to our prophet and apostles speak. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!! General Conference is like the Lord's tender mercy for missionaries. 10 hours of sitting on your butt watching TV is so nice! I loved all the talks that were given. As a missionary, they all seem to be speaking right to you. I'm sure it's been repeated over and over again, but I loved President Uchtdorf's quote, "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." I love that!! It's something everyone can remember.

            This week we also had a meeting with our mission president for all the new missionaries. In his lesson, he taught us about how us missionaries have direct influences on our family and friends back home even when we aren't communicating with them. He said that the more diligent we are, then the more blessings our family will receive back home. This has become my motivation as a missionary! To work as hard as I can so that each of you can feel the blessings that I receive for being a missionary every day!

            Thanks to all the love you show me! It carries me every day and keeps me going! If I couldn't get back to you today then I will as soon as I can.

Love you all!