There were a few things about this batch of journal entries that had me cringing.
October 15, 1996 (Tuesday)
We saw our friendly preacher friend again, oh well… and we did a street sweep… and things just don’t seem effective. […] Oh ya, I don’t think I’ve told you about it. Is it a she or is it a he? And its name is S.E.X. Whatever it is; it’s 6’2” to 6’4” and has the face of a woman, then the body and voice of a man. It sits on a corner only after dark and is quite popular. It has lots of friends and people around it often. Weird. […]
NOTE: New York had it all. If it wasn’t a transvestite on the corner it would have been 100 people grinding each other in the middle of the street during a street party, homosexuals, bodega babes in on the store windows, or some other form of nudity or debauchery.
October 16, 1996 (Wednesday)
It was a good lazy day. Then we had our activity last night and [Elder] and [Elder] went and [Elder’s investigator] showed up. She wanted to get baptized. Rad. It probably will happen on Sunday. She’s really cool. Her name is Marcia. Then tonight, [Elder] AKA. Mr 29 ACT Score, Muscle Head, Egomaniac poured water all over my comps bed so he couldn’t sleep in it. I’m a little pissed off about that. He shouldn’t be acting like a baby.
NOTE: My comp and I were training Elder Ego’s greeny because he refused to.
October 17, 1996
I can’t remember
October 18, 1996
[…] Anyhow, we had a talent show last night. Not talent but a culture from all the different countries and they all did dances. Well, [Elder] and [Elder] dressed up as country women and played guitar to a country song. It was pretty funny. We had a good time.
NOTE: I’m not sure that would go over well today.
October 18, 1996 (Saturday)
[…] It rained […] the whole day. We got so wet. And the wussy greenies thought we were supposed to stay in or something. So we worked and took a break or two and got some hot chocolate that was nice. I like that stuff. But each time we went out we found prepared people. One funny thing about Friday was in the game there was a place where we made one comp kiss the other comp’s feet and [Elder Ego] the mission’s most “confident” Elder had to kiss his greenie’s feet […] He believes that the mission president really screwed up. He wasn’t supposed to be training. Obviously, he was. It’s too bad he threw it away a whole month of his mission. Literally in the garbage. […]
NOTE: This kissing feet thing is cringy. Apparently, I thought it was funny at the time. Not so much now.
October 20, 1996 (Sunday)
Well, we missed our church today but went to the English branch and our commitment for baptism didn’t show up. That was a bummer. Oh well, we got fed after church. That was nice.
October 21, 1996 (Monday)
[…]
October 23, 1996 (Wednesday)
We went shopping and I bought a Colombia jacket to keep me warm with all the snow. I got a Halloween package today. Good day.
NOTE: My fancy Colombia jacket got thrown away by Elders taking out the trash during a transfer a few months later. I lost my favorite Chupacabra t-shirt at the same time.
October 24, 1996 (Thursday)
We found and taught a man in the park and he committed to be baptized Saturday. We will see. He lives in Manhattan but is going to meet us there on Saturday at 3:00.[…]
October 25, 1996 (Friday)
Get this, the day before today I fearlessed a man who I ended up teaching in the park and I told the ZL’s I’ve got enough faith I’ll be at the park at 3:00 PM Saturday (He lives in Manhattan) I had to meet him to go for his baptism. Then today I told them I’ve got so much faith the girl I taught today will call me tomorrow to go to the dance [branch activity] that’s why I didn’t take her address or phone number.
October 26, 1996 (Saturday)
Well, I went to the dentist today. […] After eating then headed to the park for our 3:00 meeting. I bumped into Ivette who I had faith I would talk to and take to the dance. She went. Our 3:00 PM didn’t show up though. The dance was cool. She (I think) got scared, like we were pushing her to get baptized too hard and fell through. […]
October 27, 1996 (Sunday)
[…]
October 28, 1996 (Monday)
Another morning of Frisby Football. Then I took out the greenies and oooh. They wouldn’t follow me. They wanted me to follow them. So, I split and left them. Then came back later and told them they were in charge. Because they wouldn’t listen to me. So, they took me home and said they had to sleep. I say, if I ever have to work with a greeny again […] So, the day crashed […] We had another DA with the family Guzman.
Nobody had ever gone to visit them and so we happened by one day now they won’t stop feeding us. […] Saturday no Friday night we went there and they made us like 50 tacos to take home for all the missionaries who live with us. Dang that was nice of them. I was destroyed last night but it’s amazing how things can change. […]
NOTES: After my mission and as I began to get older. I realized how much members sacrificed to feed the missionaries. This was something I was never grateful enough for. I think of this Familia Guzman feeding us. No one we worked with had that much money. To think that they fed us and sent us away with 50 tacos is amazing. But it does break my heart that I was not more grateful for the kindness. I remember this family. And I remember them sending us away with the tacos that night. My impression was that they hoped the Lord would bless their family. I don’t remember but I can see myself sitting down starving and horking down a dozen tacos like a spoiled teenager at a buffet oblivious to any trials the family was facing. I hope I was better than that.
There is one last thing I wanted to add. By this point of my mission, I have been out for 15 months, from July 1994 to October 1996. I could see the writing on the wall. I was leaving in 9 months and the only leadership position I had held was a trainer for one month. I was a senior companion, but honestly, when neither of you are a leader you just work together. I really wanted a leadership opportunity. Many of the leaders had skills I wanted to develop. I also wanted to prove I could lead. I bring it up because many of the parts I omitted from this were lamenting because of my lack of opportunity. But, I kept trying. I kept trying to prove myself. When it came, it came big and fast. Even though I haven’t mentioned it much in my blog, I had a number of district leaders, zone leaders, and assistants to the president who were great examples to me. I can’t thank them enough.