Aug 19, 1995
We did a street meeting, wow, crazy. One person stood up on a crate holding a Book of Mormon and pictures and preached and bore testimony as people walked by. Not a lot of people but enough. All the rest of the missionaries went up and fearlessed everyone who walked by trying to talk to every person. There were 9 of us. I took two turns up there, it was trippy. But we all busted it up for about one hour and then went on our ways. Doing the rest of the things we needed to. We might start doing it once a week. Fun. It truly is exciting work here. We also saw an investigator today and I got a cup OJ poured on me. Exciting. Then we took the subway train to the Dead Zone (Spiritually). It was a rush walking down the road. Some boys were on the sidewalk, and they all stared at us. Funny and as we passed by the said “Yo Brooklyn” man they looked hard. Seriously, the thing to do is walk with one arm inside your shirt? And cool is said, Mad Cool or Crazy Cool and funny said, Mad Funny. It’s trippy but the work of the Lord goes on. I saw a hooker get picked up in real life tonight. We walked by her as someone was going to pick her up and she started looking at the person and fluffing her hair, curving her back so her butt stuck out and licking her lips, but we passed her as he pulled up so he split. But we saw a member and stopped to talk. I was watching (the hooker, and I should not have because she got picked up) blaugh. But the point is as I passed her the first time watching her try to lure her catch in my stomach curled and I about spued. Oh I also learned today where I’m at is East New York. We saw a mural that aid Homicide Central ENY with a big skull and all written in blood. Trippy.
My thoughts:
I’ve learned I said “trippy” a lot.
My understanding was that the Dead Zone was an area that a General Authority had passed through on a visit and said the spirit was not there and that he didn’t want any missionaries going in there. So, no missionaries served in there. (I think it was Brownsville). In March of 97 I was transferred to Brownsville. I on my first day, my companion said, we go home by dark every day. That didn’t happen. In fact, we often got home way after curfew. It ended up being one of my favorite areas to serve and I one of my most amazing companions. (Adam Olsen)
As for the arm in the shirt. I saw a few trends like that. The one I laugh about the most was the pimp walk where you would tuck one of your pant legs in your sock, then slide one foot as you waked as though you were half handicap walking with a cane.
Later on, the cool thing to say would be Mad Phat (fat with a p) and all of its variations.
One other Sunday, we walked by one of these hookers again. I remember she was wearing a beautiful red dress, heals and carried a matching red purse. She looked lovely. We had stopped and talked to them a few times, so it was natural to be friendly to them. Anyhow, as we walked by I said hello and told her she looked very nice. She smiled the biggest smile you had ever seen. When she smiled all you could see was one rotten crooked tooth in her mouth) again my stomach curled, and I threw up a little bit in my mouth. It was a sight that still hasn’t left me.