The Joke that Never Ends

Dear Friends,

Well, we had some crazy weather this past Thursday night/Friday morning also.  It got very very icy, so we couldn't drive the cars.  Anyway, I was on exchange and so we couldn't get back with our usual companions until Saturday morning.  Fine with me.

It just wasn't fun to work in that kind of weather because we figured if cars are no good, then probably bikes will be no good either (especially if one of you is rocking a road bike with super thin tires) so we were just hoofin' it.  It's always an adventurous trek with us though... slip sliding all over the sidewalk.

Needless to say, I was out of my area for a couple of days, so I don't really know what's going on with our investigators right now.  I will tell you that we met with our investigator Elijah on Saturday and it just didn't go well.  We had decided to drop him and he didn't take it very well, but he wasn't letting us teach him, so there was really no point for us to go back.  It was just really tough cause I love and care about him, but he just didn't care about what we had to say anymore.

So you can imagine the enormity of my surprise when he strolls into church on Sunday!  Well, everyone was very nice and welcoming as always (it may have helped that we didn't actually tell anyone that we had decided to stop meeting with him) and he was as well, so I was going to reconsider based on our experience that day.  Well, by the end of Gospel Principles he had been somewhat disruptive and afterward derailed the Elders Quorum lesson.  He wanted to meet with our bishop.  I talked to Bishop later about how it went and he confirmed that we should probably just stop seeing him because their meeting was also not a pleasant experience.

And that was our crazy weekend.  It was real tough for me though because Elijah just has so much faith and obviously loves the Lord, but somehow grew antagonistic towards our message.  You gotta do what you gotta do I suppose.

I share that because it's probably been my toughest experience yet with an investigator on my mission.  It's kinda emotionally stressful, but I'll make it through.  He supports me just as promised in Alma 36:3.

OMGoodness.  I had another TERRIFYING experience at sacrament meeting yesterday.  So about half an hour before the meeting I had set my bag down on a pew in the chapel and then went to greet people and wait for investigators.  Well, at 1 o'clock p.m. I walk into the chapel just before the meeting begins and who is sitting in my pew but the Eddy family.  Normally, not a problem but their daughter was on the outside next to my bag!!!  HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sis. Eddy would chop my head off if I sat down, so I had to nonchalantly grab my bag and sit behind them.  Well they noticed and rearranged so I could sit where I'd originally planned.  They just love me so much.  But not enough for me to be allowed to sit next to their daughter...  which is totally fine.  Elder Henriquez has put me in an extremely awkward position with them with that "Elder Grabinger LOVES daughters" comment...  It's real weird.

And now this whole letter is real awkward...

Well, transfers is next week and Sis. Eddy has said that she put in a word to President Irion that I need to leave the area for obvious reasons.  So.... fingers crossed!  (She hasn't really though, this is just a joke that has grown way too much and so my relationship with that family kinda revolves around it now.  Elder Henriquez...........)

Okay, well I watched the new mormon.org video this week for Lindsey Sterling and she seems INCREDIBLE at what she does.  That was pretty cool.

Last thing,  One thing I've learned this week is the importance of understanding and charity in this work.  D&C 12:8 is so true.  We met Bishop at an appointment with one of our investigators this week and she was just telling him how helpful we were because we actually sat and listened to her and tried to help her with the problems and challenges that she faces rather than just preach to her.  That was a real eye-opener because it is so easy to share what you know and just deliver a sermon, but real missionary work is about helping people with the real struggles they face in life and helping them increase their faith in Jesus Christ to do it.

I've learned so much on my mission and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity it has been.  There's no other experience like it.

I hope you all have a great week.  God bless you!

Love
Elder Grabinger


P.S.  If you had your package shipped to the mission office and it's not being shipped by USPS, I probably won't get it until transfers next week because they may not be able to forward it.

Crazy snowstorm, Awesome teaching moments and the difference between Bert and Elder Grabinger

Dear Friends,

Last week was crazy!  We had a this snowstorm on Thursday that brought like 5 inches in 5 hours (which is history in the making for Knoxville, TN).  Pics included.  It was really dangerous to drive around in the snow.  My companion was on exchange in another area and they have to travel on bicycles in that area so we were getting this sob story about how they had gotten drenched and frozen that day.  Well we were in a one ton vehicle slip-sliding all over the road at 5 mph while a huge pick-up comes careening around a bend at the life-threatening speed of 20 mph!  He was sliding right at us and I was certain that I was about to die!  What that pick-up truck didn't count on was the fact that Elder Norbert Andrew Grabinger had petitioned the Lord Almighty for safety on our perilous journey home just minutes before and the elements set that truck straight on its path for the time being in order to pass by us unharmed.

In other news, we probably bought the only two ice cream cones that Sonic sold that day...  They were delicious.

But seriously, we had to get home and just park the car for awhile because people were sliding off into ditches left and right.

I don't even remember who Bob and Bob2 are anymore, but one of our investigators is now committed to preparing for baptism on the 16 of February!!!  I'm so excited.  He's doing really well and has been studying and learning a lot and he just loves it.  So that's cool.

We went to teach our other awesome investigator yesterday and that was just cool.  She had stumbled upon an obviously anti-mormon website over the weekend and yesterday, before we could start, she was like "I have some questions I have to ask you."  So she starts telling us some stuff she read and she was like "1/3 of that I was like, well that's taught in the bible so that's not that weird and another 1/3 was just too crazy and totally opposite of what y'all had told me so I knew that wasn't true, but this other stuff..." and she starts asking us about things I can't even remember because they were just so wrong.  So we answered her questions and she looked at me and said "when I was saying that stuff, your face looked genuinely shocked, so I believe you."  She's just so awesome.

Okay, update on our investigator and his encounter with Bro. Howard.  Basically, Bro. Howard told him of such doctrines of a heavenly mother and other non-scriptural (yet true) things.  Not where I would've gone with the conversation... but cool.  I can work with that.  So that's where we are with that.

Yesterday, one investigator told me that I would make a great psychologist or doctor.  Like my coworkers at the bookstore, she says that I have to much of a personality to be involved in mathematics and computer science.  She says I have a way of making people feel good and useful.  That has me rethinking a career in medicine... on the other hand, I have to question whether that is Elder Grabinger or Bert Grabinger...  Because Elder Grabinger is kind and caring and thoughtful and showers you with love and compliments and encourages your growth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ whereas Bert Grabinger is sarcastic and critical and 'moreholierthanthou' and loves to correct your awful spelling on social media sites...  We'll see how things go over the next year.

I'm joking.

And that's why Josh tells me I should be a comedian.

Alright, I will share something spiritual now.

Mosiah 28:3 and Alma 37:32 have had special significance to me.  I try to envision myself as the sons of Mosiah, trembling at the very thought that anyone should endure everlasting torment and Alma exhorting Helaman to teach the people to have an "everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity."  I think if we could begin to experience that, then we might have an inkling of obtaining a truly deep and abiding and everlasting love for our Lord and our God.  I think those two would be equivalent.  If we could truly hate sin, then we might really be on the path to loving God.

No offense intended.

Okay, well, that's all I have to offer this week. I hope this is as entertaining to read as it was to write it.  Find out how to introduce your friends to the gospel, and then do it.  Mmmmk?  Thanks.

Love
Elder Grabinger

P.S.  I haven't gotten any post in weeks!!!

Progress in Tennessee

Dear Friends,

We were burning the shirt at a dinner appointment with some members.  It was on their driveway.  You're right, I don't know why people don't stop their cars to see what's going on when there's a fire outside after dark in a shady part of town.  Don't they care?

On New Year's Day, we went over to the Eddy family's home and had the most delicious pork and saurkraut ever.  Sister Eddy is a saint and is always making sure that we missionaries are taken care of.  She has this incredible sausage and potato dish that is just my favorite.  They just don't have us over for dinner enough.  When Elder Henriquez was here though, he was joking ALL THE TIME that I loved daughters...  needless to say that the relationship with that family is extremely awkward now.  But they're one of my favorite families here just the same and I love 'em to death... except for the daughter.

Anyways, this past week was pretty uneventful.  Most of the week I was just preoccupied with preparing for zone conference on Friday.  We had to make sure our apartments were clean and our assigned mission vehicles were spotless and there's usually a prize for the winner.  Of course, it was no challenge for someone of my cleanliness standards and my companion and I won in both cases.

In other news, our investigator, Bob (name changed for anonymity), came to church for the first time yesterday and he really enjoyed it.  His interest level is just skyrocketing and he is getting really excited to learn.

Also there was a lesson this week in which we took the 2nd Counselor in the bishopric (Bro. Howard) to visit with one of our investigators, Bob2 (name changed for anonymity; I'm not very creative) and it was CRAZY!!!!!!!!!  We started to read D&C 138 to talk more about the spirit world and about halfway through the lesson just DERAILED and Bro. Howard and Bob2 spent about and hour and a half arguing until we had to go do a baptismal interview.

The interview went splendidly and there was a baptism for them on Saturday in our district and it was just wonderful.  We were asked to fill the font, so Elder Rich and I went about an hour and a half early and started the water.  About 30 minutes later, no one else was at the building and nothing else was set up.  I assumed that they had in fact intended for us to actually prepare the cultural hall for the baptism and it was a good thing because no one else had arrived by a half hour before the service was scheduled.  But, I raided the Relief Society room and let me just tell you that that was probable the most well decorated baptismal service put on by a set of Elder missionaries that has ever been seen (the centerpiece looked like it belonged in the Celestial Room if I may say so myself).

Back to the lesson with Bro. Howard.... We had left for the baptismal interview and we got a call after the baptismal interview at about 830 that he had just left Bob2's home (which shocked me because I thought he had left right behind us).  So he was there for a total of 4 hours that day and it seems to have been a really good experience because now the Bob2 is studying harder than ever and wants to visit with us again tomorrow!

I was reading in Preach My Gospel this week and I found this quote by Harold B. Lee:

"May you stay with the context of the scripture and reduce it to understandable terms"

"Now you as teachers are not being sent out to teach new doctrine.  You're to teach the old doctrines, not so plain that they can just understand, but you must teach the doctrines of the Church so plainly that no one can misunderstand."

It may not apply to you all very much, but it really hit me and illustrated the fact that we are not living a new Gospel, but we are living the principles that have been taught and required of men since the days of Adam.  The circumstances and conditions of the world today, though different, are yet overcome by the simple truths of the Gospel.  And that is the very meaning of truth itself.  Elder Uchtdorf's CES fireside was very enlightening.

Well, gotta go.  Love you all!  God Bless!  Have a great week.

Love
Elder Grabinger

Oh, and some more info about that baptism... The family that was baptized were the ones that I had contacted on exchange with Elder Glazner about three months ago.  If you remember the story, it was the guy that we introduced the Book of Mormon to and he said "I am going to read every word of this book."  So that was cool.  Another interesting tidbit, the only reason we got into contact with them was because the wife (who was a less-active member) accidentally dialed a wrong number and it was the missionary's phone number that she had called.  How crazy is that!?

First Letter of the New Year!!

Dearest All,

First off, Happy New Year!!!

Second off, Happy Anniversary to Mitch & Ashley Hayashi (if they're still married.  I wouldn't know because... well you know why)!!!

This has been a crazy week, but also a really good week.

Our awesome investigator had a revelation in the middle of a lesson on Saturday.  He was like, "DUDE!!!  What you're saying is that there is a man that talks to Jesus Christ himself and he tells him what to do!?"  I said, "yes."  He replied, "MAN!!!  That means this book (he holds up the Bible) is IRRELEVANT, we've got the source?"  I told him, "In a manner of speaking, yes.  The scriptures are important, but dead prophets cannot compare with a living prophet."  He told me that "y'all should be writing a new Bible then!  Why don't they do that!?"

Fast forward to church yesterday.
He was there.
We went to Elders Quorum and they handed out the new manual for the year from Lorenzo Snow.
I told him, "enjoy."

lol

He's moving right along.  It's definitely going to take the Spirit to reveal to his heart that this is right and true though.  We shall see!  I'm excited!

We were tracting this week in the cold rain because I like to torture my companion who is new and also be diligent in serving the Lord.  Well, he forgot his umbrella.  Strike one.  Then we were walking down some steps and he just slipped and ate it on his back, it was so classic!  I wanted to laugh really bad, but I feel like he's really fragile right now and also I'm a minister of truth so I don't have a sense of humor when I'm out and about for the day.  I felt really bad for him that day.  Sometime's that refiner's fire we always hear about is actually 40 degree rain.  Who'd have thought!?

Seriously, this weekly email is my biggest comedic relief of the week.  I make things sound a lot more casual than they actually are.  Sorry.

Funny story, I was making this 'roast' last week out of various ingredients that we had on hand.  Well, I only had ground beef.  So I put a solid block of ground beef in the crock pot.  It wasn't until 5 hours later that I realized, that was really really dumb, you should brown the beef first and make a stew.  Well, I extracted the now cooked brains from the crock pot and put it in a frying pan and fixed it the best I could.  In the end, it wasn't done even in time for bed, so I just left it on all night.  Well, I had put an entire lemon in there, rind and all.  The next day's lunch was just a very lemony tasting stew.  I now know the secrets of crock pot cooking though, so it was a success in that sense.

Elder Eckery was a member in my district last transfer.  Anyway, we would leave voicemails when we had to call each other in different characters.  The best one was when we had to pick up he and his companion and he was calling us.  He left a voicemail pretending to be a crazy obsessive and over possessive girlfriend.  The voicemail said "GOOGLEMAPS SAYS THAT IT TAKES 7 MINUTES TO GET FROM YOUR APARTMENT TO MINE! IT'S BEEN 8 MINUTES! WHO IS SHE!?  I HATE HER!!!  but... I... I love you..."  I laughed a lot.

Every week I remember more things that I should tell you all and I try to write them down but I don't always remember, so forgive me for the enjoyment you could have, but I neglect to communicate to you.

This is the video of me burning a shirt for my year mark (I was on an exchange with Zone Leader Taggart and he's the one taking the video):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s7114f6mx2wq9n9/DSCN0700.AVI

Okay, I'll share some spiritual thought/insight now:

One of my favorite parables is in Luke 18:10-13.  It has touched me many a time and reminds to always look within and concern myself with cleansing the inner vessel and not to judge others.  As a missionary, I feel like I've been on a pride roller coaster over the past year and in the past it's been easy to think that I've been more choice than someone else because of my deeds.  Not so.  Each of us needs to worry about ourselves first and remember that no matter what we do, we cannot measure up to the stature of Christ on our own.  Thus, we are saved by grace and not works "lest any man should boast."  We have no room to boast, because nothing done in and of ourselves will exalt us in the Celestial Kingdom.  If we always remember our reliance on the Savior, Jesus Christ, we will be disposed to be humble and loving and not compare others to ourselves or vice versa.

The attached photos are a gift that my companion received for Christmas.  They're missionary action figures.  HILARIOUS!!!

Love,
Elder Grabinger

New Years Greetings from Tennessee

Dear Friends,

 

Christmas was GREAT! I got a bunch of SWEET ties and a Christmas album by Michael Buble and a Rubik's cube. Life is good.

 

This week we visited with that golden investigator I was telling you about last week. Well, turns out there's still a bumpy road ahead. He believe's the Bible is infallible and see's the BoM and Bible as clashing, but at the same time says that he can feel the Spirit stirring within him and feels Joseph Smith was definitely inspired by God, so it's just CRAZY! There's no doubt that he's sincerely seeking understanding though because he came to church with us yesterday and he's read just about the entire BoM in the less than two weeks that we've known him. I don't know what else to do besides just teaching true doctrine and giving him time.

Another of our investigators is progressing right along too. She loves when we come by and teach her and can feel the change that it's making in her life. These are seriously the two best investigators I've ever had which is why this has been the most frustrating/exciting/frightening/happy week of the mission. I just want for them to get baptized so bad and continue on in the straight and narrow path.

Fingers crossed.

I've felt kinda sick the past few days. I just have a head cold that consists of a mild cough that becomes exacerbated between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. Precisely when I'm trying to sleep!

Hooray!

But, in the infinite foresight of my parents, I've received a shipment of halls cough drops that consist of a delightful mixture of lemon, honey, and menthol! They taste great and soothe my throat, but didn't do anything for my cough and I still couldn't sleep until 11:30 last night. Such is life.

Well, I love and miss you all. Thanks to everyone that sent me Christmas greetings. I much appreciated them.

Happy New Year!

Love,

Elder Grabinger