Miracles May Happen

Good morning, everyone!

Yesterday was a fantastic P-Day. We went to the ZOO. The Little Rock Zoo, to be exact, which is not quite as popular as the Memphis Zoo. We had a fun time, nonetheless. Some members of the ward took us because they already had season passes. It was fun to see the penguins and the reptiles and the elephants and the monkeys. I took a lot of pictures and a few videos.

One crazy part was when we entered into the indoor exhibit where they let birds fly around freely around you. There was a large spoon-billed bird perched high above me, and as I was taking pictures of it, it swooped down right over my head! It came within two inches of hitting me. I got a picture of it closing in on my face.

Not much else happened for the remainder of the day since it was Labor Day, but I was very exhausted by the time I got to climb into bed.

So I've got news. I am now... a District Leader!

For my last transfer, I get to watch over two other companionships. Our district used to consist of Jacksonville, the Cabot Elders, the Cabot Sisters and Lonoke, but Lonoke has been pushed into a different district. Now it's just the two Cabot sets and us.

I'm giving my first district meeting today, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. It's easy to share two years-worth of experience to a bunch of relatively new missionaries. Sis. Jardine is training, as is Elder Chapman. I can tell their new greenies WHATEVER I WANT, and they'll automatically believe me! Think of the possibilities! Heh, kidding. It is interesting to note, however, that several of my missionary friends have asked me if I've made myself a throne or had my district members refer to me as Overlord or something like that. Awwww, where would they get the idea I'd even do that sorta stuff?

I'm excited to have two new missionaries in my district, though. One is Sis. Hubbard, 19, from Idaho, and the other is Elder Duron (pronounced dur-OWN), 18, from Arizona. They're both eager to be missionaries and do whatever they can to see miracles. I'll do what I can as a missionary to teach them what I've gained in my two years. I get to teach three district meetings this transfer, instead of only two that occur during a usual transfer. Don't remember how that played out exactly, but I'm excited for it.

I'm going on exchange with Elder Boyer today. Faith will be interviewed for her baptism this Saturday. She's excited to be baptized, but not too excited to be interviewed, especially by someone she doesn't know. Elder Boyer will warm up to her, though. He's chill like that (little oxymoron).

Elder Merrill and I are still striving to bring others into the gospel, but no one has been clinging on lately. Once Faith is baptized, we need someone else to really focus on, but we can't determine who. Faith's family has been the only family to even come to church since I've been here. I've gotta do some Preach My Gospel studies about inviting people.

Two Sundays ago, I gave a talk in church. The topic was on member missionary work. I shared my own missionary experience about Brianna, and again, I shared my dad's experience about his efforts as the ward mission leader in El Dorado Hills. I will just share here briefly what I shared in my talk, along with a few ideas I'm willing to flesh out now.

When I got to West Memphis, there was a girl, Katie, that had been baptized the month before I arrived. She was so gung-ho about the gospel. She loved every minute that she got to go to seminary, church, mutual and any other activity.

I'll honestly say that I was a bit jealous of Elder Kowalk; that he was able to find and baptize such a wonderful spirit. Miracles came about because of Katie's baptism. I hoped at the time that I would be able to find someone as prepared to hear the gospel as Katie was, as well as someone who needed the gospel as desperately as she did.

I have a testimony that God calls certain people to certain places at certain times for a reason. Otherwise, I would not wish to ever return to Pocahontas, Arkansas.

When I arrived in Pocahontas, the missionaries were in process of working with the Rasdon family to bring them into the gospel. Three of their six family members had been baptized at that point. After about four weeks of in my new area, we found out that a seventh family member would be returning home. Her name was Brianna, and she had her own share of problems and doubts.

One of the first things she told her parents when she got settled in at home was that she did not want to go to church and she did not want to learn about whatever religion they were studying.

Then Bro. and Sis. Musick happened. They went over and watched the Restoration DVD with the whole family. Brianna cried. She wanted to learn more.

I don't doubt that Brianna had found peace and comfort in her life as she took the missionary discussions, but most of her change did not come before her baptism. Elder Whetten and I asked and asked and asked before she finally agreed to give a closing prayer to one of our discussions. She had a panic attack after we left because of it. What she did have, though, was a willingness to listen to our message, a willingness to act for herself, and a willingness to understand that the Spirit was testifying to her that these things were true.

She and her younger brother, Zac, were baptized April 6.

As I said, Brianna felt the Spirit and was willing to change. A lot of it was more internal than external at the time. Her true change, though, came after her baptism.

She was playing around on her little iPod Touch one day. I think we were having dinner with the Rasdons, so there wasn't a formal discussion going on. But as she played with the iPod, I'm sure that it was an impression that came to me and said, "Tell her about the Gospel Library."

I helped her download it to her iPod right then and there. She spent the rest of the day reading the Book of Mormon. She spent hours the next day reading it. It took her only a few days to reach 2 Nephi. It was at that moment Brianna began to really be converted.

Now she uses her conversion to strengthen and bear testimony to others. Several of her friends are now taking discussions. She knows her purpose in life and her divine potential. She loves God, and has become a huge inspiration to me to know that no matter what happens in your life, you can always find God's love if you seek it. I found the person on my mission that received their own pearl of great price.

Brianna, of course, is one of many miracles I have seen as a missionary. I am so thankful that God has used me as an instrument in His hands. Eternal happiness does not come from personal achievements. For me, it comes by helping a brother or a sister home. It comes from the small smiles you bring to someone's face by showing them love. It comes from the knowledge that you have friends and God by your side to lift you up.

I think that we're called to lose our lives for Christ's sake because it requires us to become more Christ-like to those around us as we strive to serve them. That was one little piece of wisdom I picked up recently.

I hope y'all have a safe week, and don't neglect a person whose hands need to be lifted and whose spirits need to be strengthened. Miracles may happen.

-Elder Staib

Humbling Week

These last few days have been kind of... humbling, I suppose.

The short of it is, I'm staying in Jacksonville. So here's the long of it.

Like I said, at zone conference, we were told that Elder Merrill was training. Last Monday, I emailed President saying something very similar to the email I posted on my blog: that I was sad to leave Jacksonville, but I was willing to go wherever I needed to, preferably to an area I had served in before. President Petersen "heard my cries" and has allowed me to stay in Jacksonville. I'll accept the unexpected blessing and finish my mission in Jacksonville!

But another reason why I'm humbled is the fact that I just poisoned one of the poor Cabot sisters. We were sharing a drink with them that I've grown to love in the ghetto, and as Sis. Cooke took her first sip, I mentioned it had rose hips in it.

Sis. Cooke's eyes got big and she said, "I'm allergic to roses!"

We didn't believe her at first, but sure enough, her tongue became so swollen she couldn't speak, and her throat stung a bit. I felt horrible. The effects were severe for an hour, but she's recovering now. She could still breathe and everything. She was just miserable and everyone else was making her speak with her lisp and laughing.

This past week has been mostly a blur since I was expecting to leave for most of the days. We found a few new investigators and Faith's coming along nicely. I went on exchange with Elder Cassler on Tuesday. He graduated from Karl G. Maeser (my high school) this past year, I believe. Or the year before. In any case, we had a few things to talk about.

It wasn't until Saturday night that, as we had dinner with the Warnicks (the office missionaries), Sis. Warnick said, "Oh, Elder Staib, President told me to tell you that you're staying!"

Elder Merrill and I had many rejoicings, but lots of question marks as well. In the end -- that is, once all the transfer calls had been made this morning -- this seems to be the outcome.

So, at long last, this is my final "resting place" in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission. Jacksonville will be my missionary "grave". I will be well-fed and among friends, both missionary and otherwise, to the very end.

Our district for the transfer, excluding Zone Leaders.

Elder John Whitney from our ward left for his mission in Mexico City this past week.

The Sisters were doing a role play with Elder Draper. As he stretched his arms with the elastic band, he explained that he was training for the world's Unicycle race. We all busted up laughing.

By the way, when I say well-fed, I mean the fact that I've gained 5 pounds in the last week. I have decided to do many sit-ups each morning to get rid of this hideous gut that has sprung out of my core. It truly is an unexpected guest.

I'll continue to pray for y'all each night, because y'all are precious family and friends that I want to see in one piece in six weeks. I hope everyone's having a good start for school! Catch y'all next week!

-Elder Staib

Big Surprise for My Last Transfer

For some reason, I always seem to talk about the weather when I open these things. So I'll get that outta the way. It cooled down a ton and it's felt like California weather. It feels WONDERFUL. We've been walking around more.

I'm honestly not in an emailing mood today. We're making pink chocolate-chip waffles today for lunch with the Cabot Elders and Sisters. We have a date set with Faith: September 7. But y'know, I WON'T BE HERE, so I'm a bit bummed about that!

We had zone conference this past Tuesday, and before the meeting started, one of the assistants came up and told Elder Merrill he would be training this next transfer. I've only stayed in Jacksonville for a single transfer. Both Elder Merrill and I were stunned with disbelief. I don't want to leave a nerdy area, and Elder Merrill doesn't want to be left behind in a nerdy area. I don't want to leave Elder Merrill. But if I return to one of my previous areas, that'd be the bomb dot com! :D

On a more sober note, there have been several shootings around lately. One of our investigators that hadn't really been progressing was among the victims. His funeral is this Saturday. It really made me think of how short this life is, and how soon our calls home may come, but I also find comfort to know that he's met missionaries in the next world that will continue to teach him. He also won't be doing drug deals while the missionaries are around, so... There's an obstacle that's been removed.

We had stake conference yesterday, and a family that'd we've been trying to get to church finally came! She and her 5 kids only stayed for the first hour, but she seemed attentive and glad she came. We haven't had a chance to talk to her since, so we'll see how it turns out.

I made these little "Super Sister" pins for the sisters when they were feeling down.

Oh yeah, back to Faith. She has a few things to work on, but only small things, so we're really happy for her. She loves the feeling of the Spirit, and wants to be baptized so that she can have it with her all the time. The Book of Mormon really brings the Spirit into her life. That's one thing I've noticed about my investigators. I noticed it before, so hold on if you think I'm just figuring this out. BUT. The investigators that I've seen the most converted have done it through their consistent reading of the Book of Mormon. And Faith is a perfect example of that. So we're really excited for her! But Like I said, I'll be gone by the time she's baptized. We're working on Marty as well, but Faith is ready right now.

That's all the news I have this time around. Hope y'all are enjoying your first few days of school, and safe, and all those other things little kids pray for during their family prayers. I pray for my friends and family whenever I pray, and that's a lot of people!

-Elder Staib

Great Progress with Two Families, and Spiderman

This week was really hot. Really. Really. Hot. I guess, it wasn't so much hot as it was humid. We're not talking record-breaking highs here, but 95 degrees with 90% humidity is enough to make someone's shirt drenched after 4 hours.

I will begin with some serious news, and then I will discuss the humor that has occurred this past week. I find I have been lacking in the silliness department.

Good news is, Marty's court date has been pushed to October so that the lawyers can gather more evidence concerning the event. I was on exchange on Tuesday (AND WEDNESDAY. Talk about exhausting!), so I was informed that night after Elder Merrill talked to them. We're now taking this opportunity to allow the Spirit to mold their softened hearts. Faith and Marty have truly become humble. They came to church yesterday, and it seems like they're committed.

We're also working with a part-member family, the Garretts. Emily Garrett has been in the church her whole life, and her husband is a non-member. I get along with the Garretts extremely well. They consider us their friends and gladly have us over whenever we ask. They're getting back into reading the Book of Mormon and have grown a trust with us that I feel is the key to any progress occurring. Last night, we took a member family, the Dinkles (who I also have become very good friends with for nerdy reasons), to meet with the Garretts. Fantastic match-up. We're excited about the whole thing. Friends all around!

Now for the silly antics. We were stopped by a young African-American man that Elder Merrill knew in a previous area. He approached us as we walked down the road and was really friendly. He began to ask us questions. About spiders. This guy was anxiously engaged in hunting for spiders. We told him to look in gardens and stuff. He finally got to his point. He wants to be Spiderman. He seriously wanted to find a spider to bite him so that he could turn into Spiderman. We suggested he find a wolf spider. I taught him how to make a small ecosystem and everything. He wanted to catch a brown recluse spider at first, but those things eat away at your tissue when you get bitten. We also advised him to avoid black widows. He wondered if he should be bitten on the hand or the neck. We suggested the back of the arm. We spent a good half-hour discussing how this gentleman could actually acquire Spidey powers. It made me think of Elder Carter and the kind of conversations we had.

Elder Merrill had an interesting experience on exchanges, and the sisters in our district asked him to write a story about it. Then they asked me to illustrate his story. I'll type up the story when I get home, so I'll leave that story open for a couple months until I get home. But it was a very fun experience to draw up pictures for the story. I've had a couple chances these past two weeks to revive my creative abilities, and it makes me excited to unhinge them when I come home! Until then, I gotta work, work, work.

Love y'all! Have fun getting back into school!

-Elder Staib

I got to feed a bunch of really pretty goldfish! It was so much fun!

Elder Merrill and Jesse, from the Cabot ward, pretending to fly!

Elder Wheatley, who's in my district and was follow-up trained by Elder Kowalk, went to the same Tough Mudder my sister and brother-in-law went to!

Rebecca was Confirmed on Sunday

Let's see... This week was very simple. There were only a few important events that occurred, so I'll just fill in the rest of the details by saying that we drove everywhere and talked with a bunch of people. Those people made commitments and then didn't keep them. So that defines about 86% of our work this past week as far as time spent goes. But good things still happened, regardless.

The first good thing that happened was that I went GOLFING!

We went golfing last Monday! These are the zone leaders and some members from the Cabot ward, with whom we share a building.

Every missionary needs to golf at least once on their missions, and I finally got to do it. It was really freaky, though. The course is owned by a bunch of old people that live out in the country, and the moment we walked into the clubhouse, they started going through the rules and saying that the slightest deviation would mean being banned from the course. We went out to get our carts, and an older gentlemen got all of us to hear him say that any reckless driving would not be tolerated. He assured us that he would be mean if necessary as he rubbed the pocket that held his pistol. He was not shy about that pistol. Apparently, they'd never had a group of 20-year-olds come through that were Mormon before. I was a nervous wreck before we even made it to the first tee box, making sure that I wasn't breaking any rules or doing anything to get us yelled at.

It was a very fun time, though. I played decently and found strengths and weaknesses. Let's just say I'm good at popping the ball onto the green and getting it in the hole. I struggle at getting off the tee box, where I miserably shoot into the woods. Yup, I need practice.

Rebecca got confirmed yesterday. She is now completely Mormon, and she loves it. She's already come out with us to teach a neighbor of hers. I'll just say Rebecca is very eager to know that her baptism counted in heaven this time around. I was talking to Elder Merrill about Rebecca some time this week. Usually with missionaries, after someone is baptized into the church, you get really nervous that the ward will take good care of their new member and that there is a smooth transition from missionary to member. Elder Merrill and I aren't worried in the slightest about Rebecca. She's never leaving the fold.

Raccoon getting into some pet's water

And lastly, I'll talk about a family that's been visited by missionaries for a few months now. The parents' names are Faith and Marty, and they have an 8-year-old daughter named Maya that has some mental problems. Elder Carter and Elder Rushton found them in the spring. They're fun to be with and we love them a lot. This week, though, they need extra prayers.

I won't get into details, but the thing that is worrying the family the most is a court case coming up this Thursday. Marty is facing charges that might put him in jail for up to 6 years, even though he was only defending his family. We visited Faith and Marty on Friday and taught them how to fast, since it was fast Sunday yesterday. Marty had been hard-hearted since the missionaries had seen his family, but he has softened up so much these last few days. They're riding on faith right now, and any prayers on their behalf that the charges pressed against him will have minor consequences would be greatly appreciated by us and Faith and Marty.

We have another week ahead of us. We don't have too many solid people on our list, like I said, so we're still fishing for the elect. They'll come around soon, though.

-Elder Staib