An inspired bladder

Monday, November 2, 2009

Hola todos!

What a great week it has been. Lowell M. Snow of the Seventy presided over our zone conference on Tuesday, and that set a wonderful pace for us. I'm always a little anxious when general authorities come to visit, because I know there's always something I could be doing so much better. But when he stood at the door of the chapel and shook all our hands as we walked in, I knew he loved us, and the Spirit was strong as he spent the next three hours instructing us on how to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Elder Bingham and I went straight from the conference to an appointment with Vina, where we extended her a powerful invitation to be baptized on the 7th of November. She accepted gladly, and it was a most exciting time as after that we began to make plans for her upcoming baptism (I'm always reminded of that scene in "The Best Two Years," where their investigator tells them he wants to be baptized and, after a moment of excitement, the greenie says, "Now what?"). The program has put itself together very nicely, but both Vina and the ward council noticed that there are at least three other activities going on on the 7th. So yesterday we moved the baptismal date to the 14th, which works a lot better for everyone. Hooray for fellowship!

But the fun doesn't stop there--oh, no. Wednesday night we were working near the boundary of our area, where the Cedar Park chapel is located and the Anderson Mill Ward meets. As we drove past the church I noticed the cars parked outside for some activity, and I wondered to myself if my cousins in Anderson Mill might be there. But I drove on, until Elder Bingham said he had to pee anyway and convinced me to turn the truck around.

I'm glad my companion had to use the bathroom when he did, because it only took a minute or two of searching the halls before I ran into Lonnie and Alyssa. It was a surprise for all of us, but such an awesome reunion! We spent a few minutes talking about Austin and the family mostly, and they re-introduced me to their three kids (they'd grown so much; I remember when they were born!). It all happened so fast. Within minutes we were going our separate ways again, but it will always be a night of my mission to remember.

The food pantry gets more fun every week. On Friday Elder Goss took it upon himself to lock up a shed he thought would only lock from the inside on one set of doors, but he forgot to turn a light on in there. So as soon as he went in, Elder Peterson, Sister John, and I closed the latch on him, and soon we heard scared cries from inside as he banged on the other door. Turning the corner we discovered that a padlock was already in place there, and we nearly died laughing. Heh--sometimes I think our little group has too much fun.

And finally, how could I forget Halloween? That was a very ineffective day for missionary work, but even we enjoyed the holiday. The ward had a chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat activity, where after we so quickly ran out of candy to pass out to the kids, my companion and I resorted to giving everyone pamphlets and and pass-along cards. "All the happiness without the calories!"

I love our kids; upon receiving our literature, they would cheer, "Yeah! The Gospel!"

We weren't allowed to proselyte after seven that day, so Elder Goss and I hung out at the church and played piano the rest of the night while our companions went to play board games at another companionship's apartment. It was a nice, relaxing end to a fun day.

I hope everyone else's Halloween was a blast. According to the stores it's Christmas now, and I'm excited. So, Merry Christmas!

Elder Cunningham
3 Nephi 9:20

Just like old times

Monday, October 26, 2009

Hola todos!

We saw some sweet miracles this week. After about a month of teaching them, we really got through to Cody and his member girlfriend Anita, and Cody accepted a baptismal date for November 1st! Unfortunately, however, parental opposition has changed that, but we haven't given up. It was difficult to get ahold of Cody's parents on the phone, but when we got the sudden urge to go to the grocery store, his dad came walking up to us there and initiated a conversation. It really worked out; we were able to get on the same page with him about the baptism, and he approved of us coming over that night. I wish I could say the same about the mom, but to make it brief, she doesn't approve in the least. It really is sad, because Cody is ready. Prayers, please; this guy is awesome!

Massive encouragement came this week through another new investigator named Vina. Vina showed up at our ward last Sunday, but somebody not knowing the boundaries told her she had to go to the Cedar Park building. Yeah, sometimes it can be hard to love members... but not only did Vina move to the other building, she stayed for all three hours! Naturally the referral was returned to us, and on Wednesday we had our first lesson with her in the chapel. What an awesome lesson! You could cut the Spirit there with a knife. Vina told us about a book she'd been reading about the history of the Church, and how she knew Joseph Smith had to be a prophet because of all he went through without ever denying his testimony. She and the member fellowship, Sister Vasquez, were both moved to tears during the lesson, and at the end she said that part of her wanted to be baptized right then--but she didn't want to act on impulse.

So pretty much, Vina's amazing. We taught her the second lesson on Friday, and on Sunday she loved all three hours of church again. The Relief Society engulfed her! It was such a good day. We'll see Vina again on Tuesday, and are planning to extend an invitation to be baptized on the 6th of November.

Miracles were also seen with members this week. One special example was our dinner appointment with Sister Vasquez on Tuesday. Earlier that day we had helped someone move, so we were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. We had a few minutes to change before dinner, but we made an exception this time and chose not to. Little did we know, Sister Vasquez needed help in her yard that day, but didn't want to take advantage and so chose not to pray for it, though she had thought to. But the fact remained that she needed assistance, and when we showed up in service attire, it really struck her. "How did you know?!" she asked us. What a neat experience for her!

Having Elder Goss around again has been a lot of fun. Saturday was just like old times, when our old investigator David came up from San Antonio to visit us! David and his sister Marissa were both baptized after I left Stone Oak, and are strong members of the Church. It was so good to see my old friend again! David took us and our companions into Austin for lunch at an organic restaurant and grocery store called Whole Foods (which actually was really good), and it was awesome to catch up with him. Definitely an afternoon to remember!

So that's the week in a nutshell. We're planting a lot of seeds and harvesting those that have grown, and I'm reminded every day of just how much the Lord's hand is in this work. I hope y'all are well; thanks for your continued love and support. Happy Halloween!

Elder Cunningham
John 21:25

"If we were pregnant women, we would have all had our babies by now! ... Except [Elder Peterson]." --Elder Goss

Pic 1: I'm Texas. He's BYU. But it's okay, because I used a BYU blanket back home.
Pic 2: Aaaaaaah! I broke a freaking bowl!
Pic 3: My creepy companion. His response to this picture is found with the next picture:
Pic 4: "I was just so happy!"
Pic 5: What I could get of downtown Austin.
Pic 6: Old buddies!
Pic 7: Ms. Spider wants to play.

The two --inghams

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hola todos!

More and more I find my mission to be the most effective lesson on life I've ever had. This is largely due to the fact that a mission is, in a very real sense, a life within a life. In a previous email I described the family relationships we establish as missionaries. Our first area is called our birthplace, and thus we are "born" there. Likewise, our last area is where we "die," and we even refer to those who've gone home as "dead."

The older I get in the mission, the more friends I have who pass away. It's really sobering; we lost several more wonderful missionaries this past week, and in six weeks a few even closer friends are going home. It can be hard to deal with when you really sit down and think about it, but I'm learning a bit about that stage of life by living it in this removed reality. Actually it's the midlife blues you gotta look out for, but I think I got past those a week or two ago.

Of course, life is also full of joy, and this week's transfer meeting brought plenty of that. It was the happiest of reunions as I watched all the people come in from San Antonio on Thursday; President sent more than just a few of my old friends up here. Best of all, I was reunited with Elder Goss! He took Elder Redd's place in Vista Ridge, in which area my companion and I live. It's been so good to see him again! I've had him around ever since Helotes, and over the three months since I left Stone Oak I've had some burning questions about the people I left there. He's one of those people who has really contributed a lot in setting the pace for my mission, and it will be good to serve with him this transfer.

My new companion is Elder Bingham, from Vernal, Utah. We came out from the MTC together, though because he's an English elder he's still six weeks younger than me. Still, I've somehow known since then that we would be companions at some point, and he himself prophesied it two transfers ago just before I was assigned to San Marcos. The ward has been great in welcoming him, and they caught on quickly as they compared his badge to mine; thus we are now called "the two --inghams." We work well together so far, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how things turn out this transfer.

With half of our group changed, service at the food bank was extra fun on Friday. Sister John, just transferred in to Leander, went to retrieve some meat from the freezer room, and as I held the door open I saw that the box she was carrying back out seemed kind of heavy. Well, I had no idea how much of an understatement that was. Gratefully accepting my offer to help, the sister handed me the box, and I shouted impulsively "Oh shi--!" as it yanked me down. Thankfully I never made it to the last letter before I caught myself, but Sister John reports that it qualified for her journal that day. I've never seen her laugh so hard!

It would also seem that, were it a calling, I would likely have fun being a traveling musician for this mission. On Saturday I accompanied a musical number for Vista Ridge's baptism in Round Rock, which was very fun (and on quite short notice). The Saturday before, the Cedar Park elders somehow got the idea that I could sing, and I sang "Lead, Kindly Light" in Spanish as my first solo in front of people (forgot to put that in my last email home, sorry). It would have helped my nervousness if there weren't seven other missionaries present for that, but to my surprise the song was well-received, and I'm thinking of trying some more singing one of these days if the occasion comes up.

For P Day today we checked out a music store we've always passed by on our way to district meetings. Normally it seems like people are anxious to give us what we need and get us out of their stores, but this store was different. The piano salesman, Rev, greeted us most warmly, and declared that his pride and joy was that he was likely the only Methodist organist in Texas who knew all the songs in the LDS Primary Songbook. As we talked, another customer joined in the conversation, mentioning her LDS piano students and how she was curious about what they believed. She was excited to get a pass-along card with a reference to our website, and we feel good that we were able to proselyte a little in a music store--on a P Day, no less!

Rev wrote our names down and gave us a twenty-percent discount on music, and I played him a thank-you song on a nearby grand in return. Best store ever! But don't worry, Mom and Dad--I learned my purchasing lessons early on in the mission.

So that's what went down this week. Elder Bingham and I are fired up and ready to go, and now that we've got our feet on the ground after transfers, we're gonna be tearing it up. Your prayers continue to be appreciated and useful; I love you all and hope everyone is well. Have a great week!

Elder Cunningham
Moroni 7:20-22, 25

"'By night I play concerts!'" --Elder Scow in mocking

The two --inghams

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hola todos!

More and more I find my mission to be the most effective lesson on life I've ever had. This is largely due to the fact that a mission is, in a very real sense, a life within a life. In a previous email I described the family relationships we establish as missionaries. Our first area is called our birthplace, and thus we are "born" there. Likewise, our last area is where we "die," and we even refer to those who've gone home as "dead."

The older I get in the mission, the more friends I have who pass away. It's really sobering; we lost several more wonderful missionaries this past week, and in six weeks a few even closer friends are going home. It can be hard to deal with when you really sit down and think about it, but I'm learning a bit about that stage of life by living it in this removed reality. Actually it's the midlife blues you gotta look out for, but I think I got past those a week or two ago.

Of course, life is also full of joy, and this week's transfer meeting brought plenty of that. It was the happiest of reunions as I watched all the people come in from San Antonio on Thursday; President sent more than just a few of my old friends up here. Best of all, I was reunited with Elder Goss! He took Elder Redd's place in Vista Ridge, in which area my companion and I live. It's been so good to see him again! I've had him around ever since Helotes, and over the three months since I left Stone Oak I've had some burning questions about the people I left there. He's one of those people who has really contributed a lot in setting the pace for my mission, and it will be good to serve with him this transfer.

My new companion is Elder Bingham, from Vernal, Utah. We came out from the MTC together, though because he's an English elder he's still six weeks younger than me. Still, I've somehow known since then that we would be companions at some point, and he himself prophesied it two transfers ago just before I was assigned to San Marcos. The ward has been great in welcoming him, and they caught on quickly as they compared his badge to mine; thus we are now called "the two --inghams." We work well together so far, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how things turn out this transfer.

With half of our group changed, service at the food bank was extra fun on Friday. Sister John, just transferred in to Leander, went to retrieve some meat from the freezer room, and as I held the door open I saw that the box she was carrying back out seemed kind of heavy. Well, I had no idea how much of an understatement that was. Gratefully accepting my offer to help, the sister handed me the box, and I shouted impulsively "Oh shi--!" as it yanked me down. Thankfully I never made it to the last letter before I caught myself, but Sister John reports that it qualified for her journal that day. I've never seen her laugh so hard!

It would also seem that, were it a calling, I would likely have fun being a traveling musician for this mission. On Saturday I accompanied a musical number for Vista Ridge's baptism in Round Rock, which was very fun (and on quite short notice). The Saturday before, the Cedar Park elders somehow got the idea that I could sing, and I sang "Lead, Kindly Light" in Spanish as my first solo in front of people (forgot to put that in my last email home, sorry). It would have helped my nervousness if there weren't seven other missionaries present for that, but to my surprise the song was well-received, and I'm thinking of trying some more singing one of these days if the occasion comes up.

For P Day today we checked out a music store we've always passed by on our way to district meetings. Normally it seems like people are anxious to give us what we need and get us out of their stores, but this store was different. The piano salesman, Rev, greeted us most warmly, and declared that his pride and joy was that he was likely the only Methodist organist in Texas who knew all the songs in the LDS Primary Songbook. As we talked, another customer joined in the conversation, mentioning her LDS piano students and how she was curious about what they believed. She was excited to get a pass-along card with a reference to our website, and we feel good that we were able to proselyte a little in a music store--on a P Day, no less!

Rev wrote our names down and gave us a twenty-percent discount on music, and I played him a thank-you song on a nearby grand in return. Best store ever! But don't worry, Mom and Dad--I learned my purchasing lessons early on in the mission.

So that's what went down this week. Elder Bingham and I are fired up and ready to go, and now that we've got our feet on the ground after transfers, we're gonna be tearing it up. Your prayers continue to be appreciated and useful; I love you all and hope everyone is well. Have a great week!

Elder Cunningham
Moroni 7:20-22, 25

"'By night I play concerts!'" --Elder Scow in mocking

Beef tongue

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Hola todos!

Well, it's transfer time again, and finally I get to stay in my area! No address change, no shock of moving--good stuff. I'm still a little bit crushed, though, because Elder Scow is leaving and he's been my favorite companion so far. But it'll work out; I'm just hoping my new companion won't be a nazi, or something. I usually get along with my comps anyway, but still, I haven't been this nervous about a transfer since Helotes!

In any case, I'm already planning some fun to have with this companion. There's a family in our ward who gives a "special dinner" to the missionaries every time a new one is transferred in, and Elder Scow and I had that dinner on Saturday night. Before we dug in, the family read us Luke 10:8 (I'll let y'all look that one up), and then the platter of lengua was set before us.

For those of you not in the loop, "lengua" is the Spanish word for "tongue." I'd only had it once before, when I'd been tricked into trying a piece in my first area. The taste isn't all that bad, but it's the feeling that gets you--it's all chewy and wiggly. You need to get it past your eyes, too, because sometimes (at least the limited times I've had it) the little bumpy things will still be on it. Not exactly the most pleasant experience, but the tongue is actually pretty decent when bathed in barbecue sauce. Come and get it, new companion!

We're finishing off this transfer strong; the past week has been really productive, and we met four sweet new investigators! The first one was Cyndi. Elder Scow and I actually met her husband and her son in their yard one night at the start of the transfer, but they weren't interested. Little did we know, however, that Cyndi did want to talk to us, and when we passed by her house again a couple weeks ago and found her working in the garden, she told us she'd been hoping we'd come back. She'd really gotten into her family history but had hit a snag, and knew that the LDS Church had the most reliable records.

So we promised her that we'd find some information on the nearest family history center, and when we came back with it later this past week we made sure to sneak in some testimony as to why families are so important to us. Next thing we knew, we had a return appointment.

We taught the Restoration at that appointment, and Cyndi had the most golden questions. She'd gone to many different churches before, but none felt right, so she stopped going altogether and focused more on the teachings of the Bible rather than the interpretations of men. She knew from the Bible that there had to be more inspired books than just the Bible, and when we started teaching her about the Book of Mormon she got very excited and committed herself to read half the book that very night. "Is there someone writing things down today? There has to be, right?" And so we told her about General Conference and the Ensign. She also knew from the Bible that the Godhead had to be three separate beings, and she was elated to hear our agreement with that view. She knew from the Bible that God would prepare a way for proper authority to be restored to the earth--and I'm sure you can guess how that part of the lesson went. In her own words, the organization of the Church "blew her mind," and she expressed to us that no such worldwide organization could be so perfect being run by men alone. I still get excited just thinking about that lesson!

Two other investigators we met this week were found after we discovered a hidden apartment complex in our area. When we knocked on Aaron and Raneisha's door, they told us to come back on Saturday. To our surprise they were actually there when we returned! We had another good Restoration lesson with them, and once more their questions led into a natural flow of the lesson when they asked how we can know Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. Enter the Book of Mormon! No wonder it's the keystone of our religion. At the end of the lesson we gave each of them Priesthood blessings--Raneisha for illness, and Aaron because he wanted one after we explained what it was (such an awesome guy!)--and we left feeling really good.

Unfortunately our return appointments with all these amazing people fell through, and we haven't been able to get ahold of any of them since then. But there's no denying the Spirit left a lasting impression, and this week we're striving to get back in contact with our new investigators. Prayers, please!

The area's in better shape now than what we started with six weeks ago. It's been the fastest transfer of my mission, and I'm excited to be staying in Carriage Hills for at least one more. Thank you all for your prayers; they go a long way. Have a great week!

Elder Cunningham
Luke 10:8

"There is a difference between putting your finger in your nose and picking your nose. When you pick your nose, that's an active harvest." --me

Lesson learned this week: WD-40 is NOT a cooking spray.

Pic 1: Our district. All hail the Rudy's cup!
Pic 2: Us, the Vista Ridge elders, and the Leander sisters at the food bank.
Pic 3: The latest of my doodles for President.

Conference and crazy people!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Hola todos!

This week started with Elder Scow sustaining some serious trauma. When we were first assigned to be companions, I mentioned to him my observance of International Talk Like a Pirate Day (as it would be coming up soon), and he thought I was nuts. Well, we were sitting at dinner last Monday night with the Christman family, when all of a sudden Brother Christman asked, "Did you guys know it was International Talk Like a Pirate Day last week?"

The stunned look on Elder Scow's face was priceless. With all the words he could still muster, he pointed at me and said, "I thought he was the only one!" I'm pretty sure my companion still thinks it was only a dream.

Such was the start of a fun week. I'm really enjoying the Spanish in this area; there's more of it here than in any of the other areas I've served in, and my language skills are steadily improving. It's especially enjoyable to surprise those who would avoid us by denying they speak English (when they clearly do). We had one of those this past week. After we gave him the standard approach, he tried to go into Spanish on us. But we got him! I started talking to him in Spanish, and he gave Elder Scow a look that said, "He speaks Spanish?!"

Not all of our crazies are fun, though. That same day, we were walking down a street when Elder Scow waved hello to a guy sitting on his porch. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!" He screamed at us, and from there he continued to shout all sorts of profanities and twisted forms of our doctrine at us so the whole neighborhood could hear. We just kept walking, and he continued to yell until we had gotten a couple houses down from him. "GET OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD!"

The funny part was when we finally did reach the end of the street and were about to turn. He'd been watching us the whole way, and as if he was satisfied with himself that we'd gone away, we heard him shout one last time, "And STAY out!"

Yep. I'm pretty sure a lot of missionaries are still alive just 'cause it's illegal to hurt them.

We received some serious motivation on Friday, though, when the zone leaders called and said they'd brought us a truck from San Antonio. We would get the truck that night under certain conditions--which we met after that fire had been lit under us. It's probably not the best way to motivate a missionary, but hey, we're driving a super sweet pickup now, so I can't complain.

The truck's already come in handy, too. Storms are still coming through here, and coupled with one of the craziest lightning storms I've ever been in, there was also some flooding this weekend. In a couple places, dry flood basins had become raging rivers at least eight feet deep! This gave us the opportunity to chauffeur a couple of other companionships whose modes of transportation couldn't handle the flowing water on the roads. Fun stuff!

But of course, the highlight of the week was General Conference. What a great time! We had a couple investigators tune in at home, and we're excited to follow up with them. And as for us (or at least myself), we took a lot of great inspiration to apply into our own lives and missionary work. I especially liked Elder Bednar's talk on expressing more love at home, but everything said during Conference was awesome. During Elder Neilson's talk, it was exciting to see those film clips of missionaries; they were made in the Texas San Antonio Mission a couple years ago, and the sister missionaries were in the Stone Oak area at the time. I saw one person in those clips I had had dinner with! But my biggest congratulations go to Carli in Florida. You're getting a temple!!! I was so psyched when President Monson made the announcement; I can only imagine what it must have felt like over there!

Ah, President Monson. I love that man so much! Electric feelings of anticipation were immediately satisfied the moment he first got up to speak on Saturday. It was so refreshing; every six months simply is not enough! Thomas S. Monson truly is called of God to be a prophet. There is safety in following his counsel, as his words are the Lord's. I eagerly await the coming of the November Ensign, when I can study and enjoy those words more fully. I hope you're all doing well, and that you also got something out of Conference. Don't keep the faith--share it!

Elder Cunningham
Amos 3:7

"That's Elder Cunningham. He makes pianos explode." --Elder Scow

Pic 1: Lack of Lego has improved my drawing skills. This is my rendition of Lehi's dream, drawn on a weekly letter to President Cutler.

How the Fifty-miler prepared me

Monday, September 28, 2009

Hola todos!

We had a lot of long days this week, but at the same time, P Day yet again came much too quickly. A lot was accomplished, and we're doing well to meet our goals. It took some sacrifice, though; on Tuesday we ditched both the car and the bikes, walking what we estimate to be around eight miles in order to find more people. Wally would be proud! We also had a lot of help from our district leader, Elder Hertig, who came on exchanges with us and at the very least motivated me quite a bit. This is a tough area, but the work is picking up and after this week we have some solid investigators.

The fruits started blooming this weekend, when we went to our first appointment with Teresa, a woman we knocked into last week and taught a mini Restoration on her doorstep. Her husband, Paul, is terminally ill, and we were welcomed back on Saturday to give him a blessing. Paul was very talkative, and it wasn't hard to establish a bond with him. We invited the whole family into the living room to be present for the blessing, and the Spirit entered so strongly. Before leaving, we testified of the eternal nature of families, and it was so clear that this was something they wanted.

Then at church on Sunday we saw another miracle. A less-active member in the Leander Ward had brought her boyfriend Cody--who himself turned out to be from a part-member family in the Carriage Hills Ward--and we were pulled aside to teach a lesson right there. It was a good lesson, but there's not too much else I can say at this time before we meet with Cody again this week. However, he has great fellowship in both wards, and we look forward to working with him in the days to come.

Hmm.... I can't think of much else to report on at the moment, but I'm very excited for General Conference this weekend. It doesn't feel at all like six months have passed already, but I'm definitely ready for a spiritual banquet. I hope all of you get the opportunity to tune in; until then, have a great week!

Elder Cunningham
James 5:14-15