Missionary Stories

It was a hot, miserable day to be a missionary in Tucson Arizona. In the middle of June the temperature peaked at one hundred fourteen degrees Fahrenheit. I had been in the field for about five months, and was on a bicycle with a companion who refused to be in the apartment for any reason between the hours of 9:30 am and 9:30 pm, except for a 55-minute lunch. When I complained about going door-to-door (tracting) in such conditions, he would give what seemed to be the standard Arizona reply, "But it's a dry heat," as if to imply that the lack of humidity made this heat better than a humid 95 degrees somewhere else. I would simply point out that if one put an egg on a frying pan or in a pot of water, it would still cook.



On most days, when tracting we could count on at least a few people feeling sorry for us. These kinds souls would let us in out of the heat for a few minutes and give us some water to drink, even if they did not want to hear what we had to say. On one particular day, however, my companion and I could not find a kind soul in 3 hours of tracting in the middle of the day. It was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We had no appointment, and every door we had knocked on had either not opened or had been slammed in our faces after generally unpleasant comments. My companion and I had decided that we had worked in this neighborhood enough, and were riding our bikes to the other end of our area (passing right by our cool, air-conditioned apartment, I noted to my companion).



At this point, on this day, I was feeling sorry for myself. I was mad at my companion. I wanted to go home. Not to the apartment, but HOME to my mom who would understand how hot it is and insist that I not go out into the heat. As I was thinking these thoughts, I realized that going home was not an option that I would seriously consider. I knew that "this too would pass," as my dad used to tell me. I just had to get through this rotten day.



When I began to realize these things, I decided to pray. I was riding my bike down the street; my companion was probably 30 yards ahead of me. I prayed in my heart that the Lord would help me get through the day. I told Him that if I had a better attitude, we would have more success. If it were not so miserable outside, then my attitude would be better. "So Heavenly Father," I silently prayed, "If you could just cool things off for me, I would be a better missionary."



These thoughts no more than crossed my mind when a convertible came speeding around the corner ahead of us. The next thing I knew, I was completely drenched from head to toe. The teenagers in the car had a fire hydrant filled with water that they emptied on me. My companion stopped to make sure I was all right. He was dry. Nothing else was wet, except my bike and me. My first reaction, of course, was anger. "Hey!" I yelled. "Come back here right now!" Then it hit me. This was the best that I had felt all day. "Come back right now and do that again!!!"



To illustrate that the Lord is merciful (and how dry it really is in Arizona), I was dry by the time we reached our destination, and got into some one's home to discuss the gospel.

Had pair of sisters decide to jump a fence at an apartment complex because no one would buzz them in through the gate. These were some stout sisters so they should have known better. One of them got half way up lost her footing and got hung upside down from the 10 foot iron fence by a combination of her jacket and bag. It left her completely exposed with her skirt draped over her very embarrassed face.



A few guys offered to help her down but she and her over zealous companion refused to be touched by men. They called us to help and when we got there a large crowd had gathered with the upside down sister crying her eyes out and her companion swinger her scriptures to keep the bystanders back.



We threatened to take a picture for the mission Christmas slide show but it elicited even more tears. After we helped her down we explained that she would have been safe getting help from the guys that were standing around watching as most of them were more interested in us Elders than the sisters....this happened in North Hollywood

When the Nauvoo temple was dedicated it brought back to me a remarkable incident that occurred in the then Northern States Mission. We taught and baptized a lady named Sister Brooks. She told us that her granddad had been in the Nauvoo Grays at the time of the martyrdom. With conviction she told us that he had told her that Joseph Smith was an honest man. Her granddad had a lot to do with her accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tracting one day in a run-down part of town with small apartment units--building with 10-12 apartments inside. As we approached one, we felt an overwhelming need to be elsewhere, but keep getting closer. As we got within about 30 feet, we tangibly felt the Spirit depart us. Without a word, we both turned and passed that building and moved on to the next. As we passed the lot, we could feel the Spirit return.



While we were going door to door inside the building we went to instead, we heard a terrible boom and the entire building shook to its foundation. We and the tenants all ran outside to see that a train engine had derailed and slid into the building we skipped, utterly flattening it. Luckily no one was inside, and the only injury was the engineer who survived.

One day, my companion and I were out tracting, trying to get some teaching in before reports were due for the week. His mobility had been hampered due to an ingrown toe-nail, so we were in dire need of teaching some discussions so our numbers wouldn't look too bad. We had a mission goal of how many discussions to teach each week minimum, and we weren't close that week.



Anyway, we found a man who seemed pleasant enough and was willing to hear the discussion. One of us usually taught the first, second, fifth and sixth principles of the first discussion. The other would teach the third and fourth.



I started out with the first and second principles, but felt a stupor of thought, this feeling I would almost describe like acid in my heart that we should not be teaching this man. As I was teaching, I wondered if it was Satan tempting me not to be diligent, or if it was the Spirit warning me. As my companion began teaching the third principle, I determined it must have been the spirit. When the opportunity presented itself, I was going to interject and let my companion know we needed to go. I didn't have to. After my companion had started teaching (I can't remember whether he finished the third or fourth principle) he ended the discussion. Without me saying a word to him, he had felt the exact same thing...for whatever reason, we either should not be teaching this man, or we should get out of there. So, we left before finishing teaching the discussion, sort of shaking our heads.



I will be interested to know why we needed to go some day. Maybe it wasn't the right time for this man, maybe something sinister was afoot, maybe two missionaries needed a faith promoting experience, or maybe all three.

Mars wrote:


There were two sisters in my mission on their way to teach a discussion. Well, before they got there their car ran out of gas, kind of in the middle of nowhere. They had no cell phone, and they had no fuel, but they did have a bucket... and their car had died near a body of water. So they did what any woman of faith would do when the ox was stuck in the mire; they filled the bucket of water, prayed over it, and poured it into the gas tank.



Our Mission President wasn't pleased to have to buy a new car for the fleet, but he had a hard time holding their faith against them. If you want it call it that.

Did you know an Elder Critchfield? He told me the same thing happened in his mission---so either there were two sets of sisters with the same bad idea or you two were in the same mission.

The only difference in his story was how upset the mission president was at the sisters. Perhaps that was kept behind closed doors though.

Sammich wrote:
Did you know an Elder Critchfield?

Did he serve in Michigan?



This could have happened in multiple missions. Or the story could have been so funny that other missions began to adopt it as a part of their "unverifiable legend" culture.

Mars wrote:

Did you know an Elder Critchfield?

Did he serve in Michigan?



This could have happened in multiple missions. Or the story could have been so funny that other missions began to adopt it as a part of their "unverifiable legend" culture.

I know it was stateside. He works at a different company now so I can't verify.