At this time, I was in Sunnyside / Woodside Queens. I talk about the airplanes making their approach to LaGuardia over Queens. I mentioned the trains in Brooklyn. My first area in East New York, our chapel was an old gas station converted into the equivalent of a storefront church. The train would pass by and it would be so loud they would need to pause sacrament meeting. That on top of the adjustable microphone that made loud screeching noises each time it was adjusted or moved. And every person who talked needed to adjust the mic.
Personal History
I’m going to categorize my life history here.
A Candle Dream
I was interviewing or had just started with a guy when he needed to step out for some reason. I stood and started walking looking around. I came across the weird candle. It was like a short tapered vase with lots of sticks coming out the top, then a big match head on top. It was almost like they took half a box of matches and combined them as one big match head. Stuffed them inside a funny shaped candle vase.
Yes, but I am clean.
Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first words he said: ‘Joseph, you are late.’ Yet I took confidence and [replied]:
“‘Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!’
How did I do this week? December 10, 2023
So, I have felt mostly in tune with things spiritual, but I did have one strange experience this week. My wife struggles with a condition called trigeminal neuralgia. She developed it after a second bout with shingles. I remember when it first developed. Wow, talk about a difficult time. She was in so much pain she basically closed off the world including me and the kids. This condition started about 10 years ago. Over the last few weeks, she has been expressing that the condition has been “firing.” Firing is her term for it because it relates to how it feels. Sharp bursts of electrical shocks in her face.
NYNYS Mission July 1 to 14, 1996
I turned to my comp and said, there is someone prepared here. It’s either this house on the corner 50-69 or the house with the red-head sitting on the porch. Choose. He chose the red-head . Wow was she prepared. It was so cool.
A Bitter Cold Blessing
Let me expound. It was between 1 AM and 2 AM. It is 25 degrees outside. He was barefoot, in a t-shirt, and outside his wide-open bedroom window. He was stuck outside our locked house. I snowed 2 inches the night before. I asked him to climb back in. He couldn’t. He asked to be let in the front door. I walked out the front door. He was stuck standing on his tiptoes on top of the hose reel while clinging to his widow seal, which again was too high for him to climb through. As I let him in, I asked what he was thinking. Why did he do that? He said he was thirsty and wanted to get snow to eat for water
How did I do this week? November 22, 2023
I have a broken pelvis from a bike accident when I was in my early 20’s. I have increasingly been less and less active over the last five years as a result of increase pain and lack of mobility with that leg. After consulting with a few doctors, I have determined I need total hip replacement. Not a big deal these days. But I need to lose some weight and get myself healthier to do this.
NYNYS Mission June 23-25, 1996
This is the lady we were never able to teach long ago. 3 months ago. Anyhow, she’s interesting. She couldn’t have children and drank a lot, smoked a lot, and did a lot of cocaine. One day she prayed to God and told him if she could have a child, she would quit all that stuff. 2 weeks later she was pregnant. We happened to come by the first time just after she had the baby. Now she is a lot more comfortable with it. This is a very good time for her to get baptized.
NYNYS Mission June 17-22, 1996
So, a few things. I didn’t write about it, but I remember the baptism at Rockaway Beach. It was the only baptism I went to at the beach. I remember there being a dozen missionaries there and the beach was loaded with hundreds of people if not more, all in their swimming attire. After the person was baptized, everyone on the beach started clapping. Yes, we did have pagers. I had one. I thought I was cool beans.
NYNYS Mission June 12-16, 1996
Self-righteous what? Where are you? [You’re on a mission] Things [that] remind us of what we need to do to be blessed [are not self-righteous.] Some missionaries are prideful, and they call those who try to do their best self-righteous. […] I’ve noticed Nephi in my reading was so humble. He didn’t want to be that way to his brothers. But God commanded him and he followed. They thought he was self-righteous.