November 23, 1996
We ate super chicken and it was really good. It was Peruvian food. Yum Yum
Then we had a branch activity for Ladia de Garcia it was nice. We got the girls [converts] and cousins of a family we are teaching to go. […] There was a lot of dancing merengue but I couldn’t watch because this girl Maria was out dancing. NOT GOOD for missionaries to watch. […] I went with [Elder] to Rego Park with a convert. He was getting the priesthood, […] President Bailey was there. He looked pissed. We also told our recent converts [Elder] was leaving. Tony, she said, “No!” “You guys said if we prayed and asked God he would give us what we want. I prayed and asked God to keep [Elder] here.” […]
November 24, 1996, Sunday
We had a district conference today. It was good. But boring. Then we went to the home of our converts and waited 4 hours for them to cook. […] We taught our family and watched a video. They’re pretty cool. I found out the member with the patch on his ear at the branch party had been shot the night before in a shootout where a person died. Dang. It was one avenue from my house on the same road […]
[Elder] and [Elder] pulled me into a room and said, “Guess what?” We got you the DL call. I didn’t know how to react. […] I’ve only got 8 months left so I must do my best. I’m going to be a good DL [District Leader]. And, a better ZL [Zone Leader]. […] No Fear.
November 25, 1996, Monday
President Baily called this morning and talked to me. He said wow, It’s been a long time. But we’re excited to make you one of our new District Leaders. You’re one of the hardest-working missionaries in the mission. You’ll do good. Are you ready? Are you ready to do it, to lead by example, and lead the people in your district? […] [Elder,] he’s going to be an AP this month and I’ve gotten to be good friends with him. […]
Tomorrow starts the last 1/3rd of my mission. I believe my dream and I know it will be the best 8 months ever.
November 26, 1996, Tuesday
We had transfers and I had a meeting with President Bailey and the AP’s. It was cool. They turned over some mission leadership. Weird. It was all chill. The other night we had big fight [at our pad]. [Elder 1] and [Elder 2] were in a companionship. They scrapped and [Elder 2] was dropping the F-Bomb ouch. So now they [don’t want to] talk to each other. So [Elder 1] has become my companion. […]
November 27, 1996
We had a street sweep and it was the bomb [different kind of “the bomb”]. It failed miserably. Nothing but a few referrals. […]
November 28, 1996, Thanksgiving Day
I went LIRR to Long Island with [Elder] and [Elder]. I got to visit Gisela, Guliana, and Mirella. Wow, I missed them a lot. […]
November 29, 1996, Friday
We had a zone Meeting and […] I gave a talk and directed the meeting. Nice. It was very nice. I did a good job. It’s just weird. I can never remember what I want to say. […] It’s not easy for me to babble up there off the top of my head. […] we only taught one discussion. We really need the help of God right now. Every Friday we go help the branch visit inactives but that was a little slow. […]
November 30, 1996, Saturday
This morning we took Toni on a split with us. She liked it a lot. We went for about 5 hours. We walked around for 3 then sat at a member’s home for 2 because they wanted to feed us. Oh well. It was cool. […] The whole night was visiting members. […] Gad our investigator isn’t reliable. […]
NOTE: I had really wanted to receive a leadership call at that time. It was something I wanted to experience. I was grateful that those missionaries, the mission president, and the Lord trusted me enough to extend that call. I do believe those calls are given by inspiration. That inspiration may also include the president asking my Zone Leader an District Leader if I was ready. There was a little joke I heard on my mission. Each missionary was on a card with a magnet arranged in a large cabinet with swinging doors in the mission president’s office. The missionaries were each grouped into companionships, districts, and zones inside the cabinet. The joke was that at transfer time, President Bailey slammed the cabinet doors closed and whichever missionary’s magnet came loose and fell, those were the missionaries being transferred. It probably felt that way for a few missionaries at times. ha ha ha.
As for President Bailey looking pissed off… 30 years later, realizing all the difficulties of life. I don’t blame President Bailey for having a day where he looked upset. He could have been going through just about anything. We had a number of punks who were missionaries. On top of the 200+ missionaries he was leading. A few I am aware of caused him some real heartache. He had a family with teenage and adult children at the time. He had a business back home in Australia. Then there were all of the mission and community relationships. That is one tough calling. I’m sure bad days happen.
Almost all of my experiences with President Bailey were very positive. We all look up to our mission presidents. I am no different. President Bailey is one of the best people I have known in my life. He is a man of God who is full of inspiration and wisdom. I see him as someone who had sought the guidance of the Lord throughout his life and was doing so as our mission president. I always felt his love and compassion for me as one of his missionaries. I will forever be grateful for these memories and experiences, for him and his family, and for his leadership.