Family,
To start off, listen to this...I wrote you last week about the McFearsons. Well on Sunday I had the opportunity to talk to Sister Evans who's maiden name is McFearson. She said that her father was in the Stake Presidency with Doc and she knows all of his kids. We talked for a good 10 minutes about the family. She said she always remembers her roots and said that our family played an important role in her life. What a small world!!!! I too remember my roots. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Mississippi and everyone I knew there. I promised myself I would never move back there, but if I could do anything to help gather that portion of Israel and the Lord told me to go, I would go back in a heart beat. I have only a handful of regrets in my life and one of those is not being the member-missionary I could have been in highschool. There would have been so much more happiness had I sought after my own testimony and been courageous enough to share that with others. I feel I'm making up for my missed opportunities as I serve here. God is pleased with my work. I know He is.
I've been thinking lately of how to make my letters home a bit more exciting. First, I thought I would pay attention to the questions that I am asked and do my best to respond to them. So, if my memory serves me right, here are some answers you all might be looking for: No I am not 'trunky', the thought of leaving this place crushes me. However, I do have some anxiety as to how I will handle private life when I get back. I am doing all I can to fortify my testimony so when I get back it remains strong. I love my companion, he and I have much in common and we love working. I am learning so much about myself, some of it I am trying to change. I hope that answers some of the lingering questions.
Let me give you an overview of a transfer and our goals. President Neider has a vision for this mission. He feels that we can baptize each month and over the course of the year enter into each members' home and teach them the message of the Restoration of the Gospel, our first lesson. As we begin each transfer we set goals and make plans to accomplish this vision. Transfers are 6 weeks long, a month is only 4, so depending on where the first day of the transfer lands we get anywhere from 2-4 weeks in any given month within a transfer. To illustrate all of this I will share with you how this transfer has panned out thus far. This transfer began on 20 Dec 2011. This gave us roughly 1.5 weeks to get prepared to baptize in January. To clarify, we do not seek numbers, the numbers simply demonstrate how hard and effective we are working. Each soul that is brought to Christ is a blessing to us. It gives us happiness to see others partaking of the blessings of this gospel that we have held dear in our lives. They are not just numbers. Back to the first week and a half.
Sometimes when you are transferred into an area there are already people being taught and close to baptism. This was not the case when I got here. The previous missionaries had baptized everyone in their teaching pool (not literal, figurative). This meant it was time to find someone to teach. Any other time of the year finding would have been fruitful but because it was the holidays we faced a lot of rejection and the vernacular that became commonplace from those we spoke to was 'Maybe after the holidays.' We talked to many people and asked every member we had contact with for a referral, someone they knew who could benefit from the gospel. We worked and we worked to find. Very little came of it. But we had faith in a few who shewed us away until after the holidays.
Now, there are 4 weeks in a month, and in order for someone to get baptized they have to attend church 3 times. So what this amounts to is a focus on finding and inviting people the last week of the month prior in order to maintain at least one baptism each month. That week was two weeks ago for us. And lucky for us it was 'after the holidays.' We went back to some people we had meet and started things up again. Success! We asked for return appointments and we got them. We taught by the Spirit, resolved their concerns, and invited them to be baptized, and they accepted! Currently we have 3 people set with dates to be baptized. It is amazing to watch all of this work together. I have a testimony that this is the Lord's work simply by seeing the success, in Sin City.
Part of missionary work is also exciting the members to get involved. Last week Elder Sparks and I were able to speak in sacrament meeting in the singles ward we cover. The singles ward is the sweetest kind of work! Different, but so stinkin cool! We spoke on the What, Why, How, and When of Member-Missionary work. One of the counselors from the Mission Presidency spoke with us.
I love the type of work that we do here. We build so many great relationships with the members. They become our family. Those that we teach play have a very special place in our hearts as well.
Another event, this one not quite so exciting. Friday night we came home at 9pm as usual. We were about to sit down and plan for the next day when I got a phone call from Sister Neider, the Mission President's wife. This is not uncommon. Her first question to me in a reserved tone showing a slight sense of urgency was, "Where are you right now." We told her we were at home then she very hastily and with purpose explained to us that one of the missionaries in our zone had just been shot in the face with a paintball gun and needed to be taken to the ER. When she told me this there was a slight pause after, "just been shot in the face..." and my heart sank. She completed her statement mentioning the paintball gun and some relief came. We ran to our car and drove to the park not but .5 miles from our home. In the parking lot sat the injured Elder and his Tongan companion who was pacing and fuming. We talked for just a moment and hopped into the car. This is what they said happened: some teenagers driving a car had stopped these two Elders who were walking to ask for directions, as they talked the Tongan elder noticed a gun of some sort on the lap of the backseat passenger. The Elder circled behind his companion to get a closer look. The teenager began to raise the gun. At this point the Tongan Elder, comparable to Nick's size, swung and hooked him right in the jaw. Just before he hit the kid, the kid fired twice, one glancing the other Elder's cheek and the other right in his left eye. The teenagers drove off a few hundred yards and began to taunt the Tongan elder to get revenge from his divinely guided right hook. The teenagers drove off and moments later we pulled up. As we left for the ER the kids had doubled back and passed us on the road. We turned around to tail them but lost them. We called the cops and gave a detailed description of the car. President and his wife met us at the hospital and we anxiously waited for a few hours as to the fate of this Elder's eye. In the mean time some officers from Henderson PD, which is 70% LDS (church members) interviewed the Tongan companion and the injured elder. The doctors received a call from our stake president who is the head surgeon for this particular hospital to pay full attention to this elder. He was taken back immediately and they began to asses his eye. The doctors there said there was little hope of saving it. And by the looks of it I silently agreed. After his evaluation the Tongan elder, President, and myself administered a blessing. He was transferred to a trauma clinic and when he arrived doctors were there waiting for him. When they took him in they said that the eye they saw then was not the eye described to them form the ER. He would keep his eye and vision. This happened two weeks ago and his vision had almost fully returned with prognosis of full recovery in the near future. No unhallowed hand will stop this work! They caught the kids and ended the 6 victim or so shooting spree they began. Their last target was this missionary. The trigger man is 18 years old and is incarcerated now awaiting trial. He also has a busted lip and a bruised jaw. This was a frightful night full of wondering and faith. I have a stronger testimony now of the protection the Lord offers his servants, the stupidity of delinquents, the love of Sister Neider, and the healing powers of the Atonement and the priesthood. The story made local news without much mention of the missionary.
I know this is Christ's Church. I know I am where the Lord wants me to be. I know that there exists a prophet of God on this Earth, Thomas S. Monson and I know the Book of Mormon is true and testifies of the Christ we all know and love. And, no unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing!
Love,
Elder Cronin
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