TWO VISITORS

This past week we had two very different visitors, one very unexpected and the other much anticipated.

Wednesday night, actually it was about 1 am on Thursday, I (Russell) was woke by the sound of a knocking on out front door.  I was not sure if it was our door or that of a neighbor’s door, so I just stood in the front room waiting to see if another knock.  While I waited, I checked Eileen’s phone to see if she happened to have received a message from one of the missionaries, but there was nothing since earlier in the evening.  Then another knock, and it was on our door.Fortunately, Eileen was still sleeping through it all.  Independence may have wonderful things planned for it with  Christ’s second coming, but for now it is not one of America’s safer cities.  We hear police sirens often at night.  Then I saw to the side of our front room where the small patio is, the shadow of someone up close to the windows.  We have blinds so he couldn’t see in or me watching him.  I could see his outline clearly enough to see that his baseball cap was on backwards.  Then he moved back towards the front door.  When I heard him try the door handle, I decided I had no choice but to try and scare him off.  I pounded hard on the door and told him that if he didn’t leave that I would call the cops.  I heard him say he was just trying to bring some food to a woman’s name.  I told him he had the wrong apartment and to leave. While my pounding on the door did wake Eileen, she was able to go back asleep.  I however spent the rest of the night waiting to see if the person returned.

Thursday morning, when I left for the gym, I saw a $10 bill slid under the front door.  I figured our visitor must have been a food delivery guy with a bad address and that he had tried to make things better with us by putting some of his tip money under our door.

Thursday evening I went out on the patio to water our hanging plants.  To my surprise I found a plastic bag on our patio floor.  Inside was a carefully prepared meal of homemade tacos.  The plate, small bowl and glass cup were not the kind you would expect the recipient to throw away. Clearly someone was trying to do something nice for a friend, yet whoever delivered the meal didn’t know where the friend lived.

We put the $10 and a note from us into the bag with the food just as it had been delivered, exactly where it had been left behind a short fence, hoping that perhaps the delivery person would recognize their mistake and come back the next night an maybe pick up the food they had mistakenly dropped off at the wrong apartment. Unfortunately, the bag was never picked up.

Yesterday, our mission had a visit from Elder Gong.  Elder Gong was in town for a stake conference and spent Saturday morning meeting with our entire mission.  Between our young full-time missionaries, our young service missionaries, and the full-time senior missionaries we had about 240 missionaries in one chapel.  With Elder and Sister Gong were Elder Bennett (G.A. Seventy and Area President) and Elder Morgan (Area Seventy from the Kansas City metropolitan area).  Elder Morgan was a convert to the Church at age 18 in Independence.  Prior to his conversion he was a member of the RLDS church.

In Elder Gong’s message to us were several points that stood out to me. First, Elder Gong told us we were fulfilling prophecy.  He referenced Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith-History 1:33 which states, “that my name [Joseph Smith] should be had for good and evil amount all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of amount all people.”Elder Gong reminded us that we are part of the missionary effort that is spreading the prophecies message of the restoration, through Joseph Smith, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Elder Gong then reminded us that obedience is the key to freedom (from sin and error).  As I thought about what he was saying, it occurred to me that many times a lack of obedience is due to pride and/or a lack in faith of the source of the commandments/rules.  If one had complete faith in the giver of the commandments, then one would eagerly follow the advice/commandment/rule.  Without full faith in the source of the advice/commandment/rule, we trust in our own understanding or that of the world. 

Elder Gong promised us that “willing” obedience (to God and his commandments) brings joy, that God wants us to be a joyful people, and that joyful obedience brings miracles.  He then pointed out the difference between mere compliance and joyful obedience.  It was a good reminder to me that my compliance with God’s commandments is not all that He wants for me.  God wants me to be happy in my obedience, but to do that I need to abandon my pride and turn my will over to His will.

Kansas City Temple early in the morning as the sun was coming up.

Elder and Sister Elsmore are assigned to the Historic Sites Mission as facility management missionaries. Their grandson was assigned to our mission and arrived this past week. He was put in the apartment right next door to theirs!  Sounds a little too coincidental.  Some shuffling occurred so that he is now at least in a different apartment complex. 

Wednesday night at 1 a.m. Russell heard knocking on the door, then saw the silhouette of someone peering through our blinds. We thought someone was trying to break into our apartment.  Turned out the individual was bringing a meal to someone.  We left it outside for a few days hoping they would come back and pick it up their food and dishes but they never did. It was actually a meal made with a lot of love and care.

This elder's wallet is duct taped together. It only needs to last one more transfer and then he will go home and throw it away.

Newly arrived missionaries this past week. It is sad  to see seasoned missionaries go home, but wonderful to have new arrivals come in. . 

It was tricky to get 245 missionaries all settled for a photo with Elder Gong, but thanks to Sister Sheffield it worked!

Elder Gong visiting with each missionary. It truly left an impression on our missionaries as he ministered to the one. It was a reminder to me (Eileen) of the Savior ministering to the one as he visited the people on the American continent after his resurrection. 

Elder Gong spent quite a while visiting with people in the congregation at our stake conference prior to it starting. It has been 11 years since an apostle came to the Independence stake to visit. Everyone was so excited to see him. People were lined up at the door at 7am. for a 10a.m. meeting. Russell and I watched the meeting remotely from another building.