Let me explain. These thoughts all started during Priesthood Session of General Conference last week. I was listening to Elder Keith B. McMullin and while I can't remember exactly what he said, what I received through other means was a question: "What are the things that your mission companions taught you?" I stopped for a moment to consider the weight of that question. It occurred to me that after all these years since I came home I really hadn't stopped to ask myself that question. I might have lightly glazed over it in my mind at times, but never to the extent that I now felt I should. We are supposed to learn as much as we can in this life. Every nugget of intelligence is so important. By not writing all this down, I feel I have missed out on a lot. And I can't rely on my mission journals. I rarely touched on the subject of companions there, and for that: shame on me!
So since the nudging feeling came, I feel I need to do this now. LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT ONE THING: When you are reading what you think to be a negative comparison or portrait of one of my companions, delete the thought immediately. NOTHING I write here is meant to bring up old dirt or beefs with these men I served with. And whether the experience I cite will be good or bad, there was still a lesson in it that the Lord wanted me to learn and apply. I am not here to implicate ANY of my comps as bad in any way. I served with them, and whether we got along or not, I learned from all of them and they are all awesome people. Now! With that said, here we go!
A mission begins in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah and often a new missionary is scared to death of this first day (I sure was). But when I finally found my dorm and met Elder Chantry for the first time, things started to get a little better. There is not a whole lot to say here about Eric (since we were together only 3 weeks) but I will say more later. You will see why. This awesome guy taught me to be more easy going and open with everyone around me. He became very quickly, a great friend; and now later has become one of my best friends. This great man taught me the value of a friendship all over again. I would not have made it through the MTC without him.
Another thing that every missionary experiences is their trainer. Elder Fiefia was mine for 3 months. He had an excellent knowledge of our area and the people whom we worked with. It wasn't a cake walk, we had very different personalities and this made things rocky along the way. But he taught me well and let me take some falls so I could learn to pick myself back up. Because of him I picked up the lessons from Preach My Gospel very quickly. This was done because he knew very well how to make a teaching opportunity out of every visit, be it a member, non-member, or less active. Elder Fiefia in his own way taught me to be patient, and to rely on myself when no one else was there. He helped me find my inner missionary-voice. Even though we didn't have the best relationship, I would not have been able to train my first greenie if it wasn't for him. I owe him a lot and respect him for being willing to train me and start me on the path to being a great teacher.
Before I say anything let me apologize for this picture (and to you David if you are reading this). All my other pictures of Elder Johnston are actual prints and I couldn't find them to scan one. This was the best one I had. David was my first trainee, first born in the wilderness, first greenie. I was called to be a trainer immediately after I myself was trained. I was incredibly stressed at first, not knowing what the heck to do. But I relied on the Lord and my training to get into the groove of it. I became a better teacher because of training David. I had to teach him the lessons and by so doing I became more familiar with them. I also learned valuable leadership skills during the 4 and a half months I was with him. I wouldn't have learned them if I hadn't have had the opportunity to train so early in my mission. I also learned from serving alongside David, the priceless opportunity of bringing a new missionary into the fold, and how important it is to set the example and raise the bar. That experience was really my baptism by fire, and I became a stronger missionary because of it.
My first comp that wasn't a trainer or a trainee. Let me just say that from day 1 until he was transferred, serving with Elder Blauer was a blast. He was a great guy and just so much fun to work with. I learned from him, brotherly love and the importance of charity within a companionship. I also learned from him the value of working together as a unified team to accomplish goals. He taught me how to recognize strengths in me and my companion, and to overlook weaknesses. Blauer was easy going, simple, and fun, and that is all there is to say. I served with him for 3 months, and they are among my fondest memories when I remember my mission. P.S.-he also kicked me butt on a bike! Thanks to that I lost over 30 pounds. Thank you Josh!
Sometimes our dreams do come true! I was paired back up with my mtc comp Eric Chantry in March of 2006, much to our excitement. I still have that transfer meeting recorded. We spent our year mark serving together and it was a blast for all 4 and a half months. This time around, Eric taught me how to have a little, honest fun while in the service of the Lord. He also taught me to step back and to smell the roses, to always appreciate the NOW because it will never come again. He taught me the importance of memories and how to treasure them. Along with all this he also showed me how to make awesome food. This guy is a great chef and I had more then a few scrumptious goodies while we were together. What else is there to say? We were great friends and had a great area to serve in. It was a golden spring in the mission field.
Yes you are right. Josh Blau and Josh Blauer are very close together, aren't they? When I was paired with Elder Blau I also became a district leader. It was a time of re commitment and stepping up my effort as a missionary. Greenville was a rough area at times, but we sought out those who were hungry for the gospel. Elder Blau knew this area by the time I got there and was helpful in getting me on my feet. This guy taught me to how to be more long-suffering and patient; more understanding and humble. He also taught me in his own way how to be more bold as a missionary and preach without fear, even if it is right before the jaws of hell. I am so grateful to him for that lesson, and I grew so much in the 3 months we served together.
Elder Alex Junichi Boyle (Greenville, my 2nd greenie)
Elder Boyle was a fun kid to train, plain and simple. He had a great attitude and at times loved to insult me in Japanese, which was extremely advantageous because I don't speak a lick of Japanese. It was pretty hilarious though. And when Eric Chantry and I went back in the summer of 2008 to visit the mission, he was the only one of my companions that was still out in the field. I met up with him and also met my grandson! It was great. While training him, I once again became a better teacher, more sharpened and bold. I also became a better district leader with him since the need for more effective teaching became a bigger priority at that time. Elder Boyle was never afraid to teach a lesson, even when he was still new to the mission. He taught me by example to just press forward and do the best you can.
When I arrived in Canal Winchester I was paired up with not one, but two companions! It was a new experience to me and interesting having 3 guys instead of two. Sadly Elder VanOrden was only in that group for about 3 weeks. He had to leave his mission early but I still learned from serving with him and enjoyed the time we had to get to know each other. I learned more then I had before, the extreme importance of keeping the mission in perspective; and along with that the heavy responsibility of keeping the spirit of missionary work with you at all times. Elder VanOrden was a great guy and had a funny personality. Elder Walker and I were sad after he left. But I'm grateful that we were able to serve together.
Marshall Walker was the first companion I had since Elder Fiefia that had been out in the mission longer then me. And ironically, he happened to be the brother of my 10th grade World Civ teacher! Small world huh? Elder Walker and I pressed forward after Elder VanOrden's departure and I was glad to have him. He knew the area well and was a great worker. He was easy to work with and fun to work with in an awesome area that was on fire! Through him, I learned the importance of enduring to the end and the value of local members of the church. More specifically, he taught me how important it was that every investigator have an instant support system when they start coming to church. Work with the members of the Canal Winchester ward was the best out of all my areas because of this guy. He taught me this principle well.
End of February, 2007. The last 3 months of my mission are upon me. What I really wanted at that transfer meeting was a companion that would just work hard right along side me. I didn't want to leave the mission as a dud. And thankfully that didn't happen, because I was paired with the indomitable, amazing TRAVIS STANLEY! This experience is easy to sum up, I learned how to keep working hard even in the toughest times and the best of times, even when one is about to go home. Elder Stanley showed me how to hang on until the end. If the spring of 2006 was a golden spring, the spring of 2007 was a glorious spring! The two of us enjoyed great amounts of success in a fertile area of Ohio. We worked well together and got along just fine. It was a great fit. I owe a lot to Travis, A LOT. The Lord knew what I needed at that time and Elder Stanley was sent at the perfect time. He had a great sense of humor and a strong spirit of missionary work.
There is not a whole lot left to say. The end of my mission was bittersweet; I wanted to see family and friends again but more then that, I wanted to stay and preach the gospel. Alas, everyone's time comes and every story has an end. These 9 men are small, individual threads of sting that make up the tapestry of my mission. If I was to remove just one, the tapestry of my mission would be unraveled. Through happy times and difficult times, I learned valuable things from these 9 Elders. I will never forget the times I spent with them, and the wonderful influence they had on me.
Elders of Zion, thank you for your friendship and your sacrifice. Long live the Ohio Columbus Mission!
What about your current companion, eh???? ;) That was a very nice post. Good reading.
ReplyDelete