"How to be a Super Missionary" by Dr. Benjamin Jeppsen

Last month I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Benjamin Jeppsen on our podcast about his experience as a Latter-day Saint geek and especially about his experience writing “How to be a Super Missionary”. I touched on the book’s content during our discussion, but to do the book justice I felt I needed to formally review it. If you want any specific background on Ben and his experience with missionary work, check out our podcast episode. Now for the book itself.

The basic premise of Dr. Jeppsen’s book is simple. It’s an anthology of superhero devotionals or parables, comparing DC and Marvel heroes to success in missionary work. Some of the lessons pull from superhero movies of recent decades, but some pull from the source material in the comics (some both). In the book, he teaches missionary lessons through the lens of Batman, Rogue, Hulk, the Flash, and many more popular heroes.

Like I told Ben on the podcast, one thing I loved about his book was that I didn’t have to read it all in one sitting (which is hard to do with two little kids begging for my attention). Each chapter took me about fifteen minutes to read and most of them were read by the proposed site of the McKinney Texas Temple when I needed a break from work. Even when I didn’t know the specific backstories of Batman or Rogue, he was able to summarize the important bits so that I could still learn what I needed from the analogy to become a better missionary. And actually a sign of how well he wrote them is that he made me want to grab some comics and explore some heroes I’ve never seen/watched before.

I’ve written before about my complicated history with formal missionary work and I addressed that on the podcast as well. The complexities aside, the book lifted me up and taught me lessons about being a “member missionary” in the church. On at least one occasion (the chapter about MCU’s Hulk) I was enlightened about my role as a father. And even though it took me months to read (again, because of kids begging for my attention) the bite-sized nature of the lessons and chapters made that doable in my stage of life. 

If you enjoy our gospel-centered blog posts, you’ll enjoy this book. Whether you lean towards Marvel comics or DC comics (like Ben), you’ll find a story and a lesson for yourself in this book. And as previously stated, these parables are written well enough to make me want to read the comics and see the movies that I’ve never experienced before. So go buy Dr. Jeppsen’s book for a wonderfully geeky Sunday afternoon (here it is on Amazon).

And don't forget to check out my discussion with Ben on the podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

LDS Geeks Podcast #36: Interview with a Super Missionary

I had the pleasure of reading "How to be a Super Missionary" by Dr Benjamin Jeppsen and I can't recommend it enough. I had Ben on the podcast to discuss geekiness and missionary work. 

--Spencer

That Person is a Child of God… Therefore What?

(Guest post by Spencer's dad)

Last month, I wrote an article called “I am a Child of God… Therefore What?” When we see ourselves and others as children of God, will we see them differently?  How would seeing them as children of God change how we interact?

At the conclusion of that article I wrote “Over the next ten days I will consider those questions. In two weeks I will write up some observations I made as I tried to see those around me ?”  Ten days was only the beginning of my re-visualizing the world. A month later I have three conclusions (so far):

1. We are all like the crooked tree we saw off the Old Alaska Highway.  As you look at the attached photo you can see that the top of the tree was bent at a 90 degree angle over the road. No other tree have this unique growth pattern.  No doubt a scientist could study “90 degree Tree” and conclude why this one is unique.   (It is already unique because I gave it a name)

Each of us (children of God) is as unique as 90 Degree Tree.  Our path of life has taken us to places we never imagined (both good and bad).   Our experiences and choices have brought us to where we  today.   It is easy to see how 90 Degree Tree is different than all of the other trees.  It is not as easy to see or accept how different we each are inside and outside.

2. Each child of God is as amazing as 90 Degree Tree. In the last month my eyes have been opened to how amazing each person is no matter where they are on the path.  God sees us as someone of worth. God does not define us by our current or life long challenge. The pine cone does not look much like a tree, but we know that each seed has the potential to become something much different.  We have potential to become something much different than what we have been if we allow God to nourish our seed of faith. 

3. Each child of God grows at different rates (in different seasons).  In our 16 months in the Yukon no one would have expected a tall pine tree to grow from seedling to tower over us. Steady long-term growth will bring that seedling to its towering potential. During spring and summer 2023 we saw flowers grow from seeds to full bloom.  Before we leave this month some flowers will begin their growth cycle. 

Our hope, as missionaries and as church members, is that we can help each other grow.  The gospel provides for us the spiritual nourishment to understand our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Church meetings allows us to learn from each other and grow our flower.  The programs of the church give us the structure where we can put theory into action.   As we serve children of God we feel the Lord’s love for them (and for us).  

Filling Your Tank with The Book of Mormon

(Guest post by Spencer's Dad)

Recently I was getting low on gas. When I went to fill it up a mechanical problem stopped me. The culprit in question is the cover that protects the round gas cap. I pulled the open button and it did not open. There was no way to fill the gas without this panel opening.

In reality I had over half a tank of fuel left. I could probably drive around Whitehorse for another week. But there would come a day that an empty gas tank was going to be a problem. Yes, one of you would come and ferry me and my wife home. (She might not be amused at running out of gas somewhere).

Experience has taught me that a low gas tank can be a problem too. When gas tank is low and weather is just right, condensation can make the gas seem dirty. You have power sometimes. But starting it and maintaining power does not work when condensation takes place.

Another time my gas tank still had about 2% of gas left. However, since I had parked on our upslope driveway the gas tank thought it was empty and would not start.

While driving the Yukon winter don’t drive anywhere near empty. Nothing is going to be better because you are closer to E (that means Empty not Extra) than to F (Full not Failure)

In our personal lives, let’s not run our spiritual gas tank near empty.

The Book of Mormon is a super fuel that can fill our tank and charge our battery. In this post (and next time) I will share with you some of the promises we have about how reading the Book of Mormon can bless your life.

In his second last talk - President Thomas Monson pleaded for us to read the Book of Mormon every day. He said:

“If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so.,,,

"I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.”

[Thomas Monson gave 249 General Conference talks in his time as an apostle. The final talk was a five minute encouragement entitled Kindness, Charity and Love. The second last, quoted above, is entitled "The Power of the Book of Mormon".]

At least one church member in the April 2017 conference took Pres. Monson’s talk to heart. Six months later, Russel Nelson (then 93 years old) described some of what he learned as he did what Pres. Monson asked.

“Since President Monson’s challenge six months ago, I have tried to follow his counsel. Among other things, I’ve made lists of what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals. Looking at the Book of Mormon through these lenses has been an insightful and inspiring exercise! I recommend it to each of you.”

("The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?") 

Our study of the Book of Mormon can bless us starting today. President Ezra Taft Benson (in his first conference as President of the church) gave this promise

“I promise you that from this moment forward, if we will daily sup from its pages and abide by its precepts, God will pour out upon each child of Zion and the Church a blessing hitherto unknown.” ("The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion")

“A blessing hitherto unknown” can help deal with any challenge you and I will face today in 2024.

Next time I will tell you how I fixed my gas cover. (Not the way I first thought). Fear not I am able to refill the gas tank on our mission vehicle long before it hits empty.

As you go forward you to can fill up your spiritual tank by reading The Book of Mormon daily, you can have the energy to go where you need to go.

LDS Geeks Podcast #1: Host Introductions

Welcome to episode one of the Latter-Day Saint Geeks Podcast! Get to know three of our hosts in the inaugural episode. Each podcast will have a combination of the three of us and maybe a guest. If you like this first episode, don't forget to subscribe for future episodes.

--Spencer

Why the New Preach My Gospel is Important

It's been almost 13 years since my mission (the first time) but I still have a great love for Preach My Gospel and an affinity for the missionaries--loved having our elders live in the apartment below us. In recent years, as phrasing like "the covenant path" and "gathering Israel" have been used more, it's only made my desire grow to share my testimony. So when the Church released an updated edition of Preach My Gospel (I'm calling it PMG 2.0 in my head), I was excited. But not for the obvious reason. 

In the last couple weeks, I'm sure there have been plenty of things written in the LDS blogosphere about the differences between the old edition and PMG 2.0 (I found this one from LDS Living, if you're curious). What I got excited for is how this tool for missionary work is evidence of ongoing revelation. Just like how For the Strength of Youth was updated to invite youth (and all of us) to follow the Spirit and get our own answers, instead of having rules prescribed for us.

We talk about having a living prophet and receiving the word of God, but I know for most of my life I haven't considered what that really means. Living in the South for the last two years, I've definitely been around a lot less members of the Church than I did in Utah. But I'm also around a lot more openly religious people than I was growing up in Canada. So to see these good Christians trying to get answers to prayer by personal revelation, I'm grateful for a prophet and that I have help with the answers.

Let me give you an example: Last year I was at a guys night with a mixed group of Protestant, Catholic, and Latter-Day Saint friends. Our host, a Protestant guy, offered refreshment including iced tea and snacks. When I turned down his iced tea (he was missing my preferred soda anyway), he questioned it, because he's read the Word of Wisdom and correctly quote that it says "hot drinks". It was a small exchange but it got me wondering over the months following. While there is still debate and speculation as to why coffee and tea, but not Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, we had clarification that "hot drinks" refers to tea and coffee. Why those two? I dunno. But it impressed upon me the importance of prophets.

Even when looking at modern-day scripture, like the Doctrine and Covenants, we still have prophets and apostles teaching us further from what Brother Joseph taught. I mean, to be fair, he lived 200 years ago; the world has changed significantly since them in technology, transportation, and temptation. The Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants never spoke of pornography, but even 20 years ago porn wasn't as prevalent as it is now.

As we look forward to move revelation (General Conference is only 3 months away), this is the message I want to share with everyone: there is a prophet on the Earth today. And, to bring things back to missionary work, he has called young men and women (and senior couples like my parents) to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

I want to finish off with a statement from the Prophet Joseph that I memorized when I was in the Hill Cumorah Pageant:

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

The Thing About Missionary Service

As I sat in the Mission President’s office, I could see out the window over the field that was across the parking lot. The sun was setting in the distance. It was so beautiful, yet I couldn’t enjoy it. I’d gone to two counseling sessions in the past three weeks and I still felt just as lost as ever about what to do. As I was lost in my sea of thought, my mission president returned to the office after returning from taking a phone call with my counselor.

“Elder Ficiur,” President said, sitting down. “With all this spiritual interference—” he was referring to my mental health problems, “—combined with your Asperger’s, we think that it would be best—” No! No! He couldn’t be saying what I think was about to say. “—for you to take a break from your service and for you to go home.”

The news hit me like a brick. Tears had started coming before President could even finish speaking. “No… no…” I muttered, “I can’t go home.”

Canada Toronto West Mission 2010

I came home from my mission after two transfers, about 3 months. I wanted so badly to be a missionary that I worked for a year after the story above to go back out–Only to come home again after another two transfers. Because of the heart break associated with my missionary service, I’ve developed some strong opinions on the subject. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to tune out or step out of Elders Quorum in order to avoid the tears when I heard the words “when I was on the mission”. But as much as I feel the heartbreak still at times almost 12 years later, I have a deep love for missionary work. So when President Nelson and President Ballard spoke about missionary work this past General Conference, I kind of knew this post would happen. 

A Priesthood Duty 

Shortly after General Conference, I saw a post on a Latter-day Saint Reddit page asking if missionary service is a commandment. Talking to a friend recently, I thought about how much pressure the phrase “priesthood duty” can put on young men. A dictionary definition of “duty” will use the words “obligation” and "responsibility" to describe someone’s actions. In contrast, the seminary Doctrinal Mastery document calls commandments “the laws and requirements that God gives to help us progress and become like Him.” A full-time mission is a marvelous and miraculous way for us to progress and become like God, but (as I was gratefully told as I prepared to come home) a mission is not a saving ordinance. I don’t know why this made such an impact on me as an early returned missionary. Maybe it reminded me that I hadn’t diverged from the gospel path? Maybe it was reassurance that the Lord wasn’t upset with me? Either way, missionary service is our duty as priesthood holders, as in our responsibility, but it's not what'll take you to the Celestial Kingdom.

Home from Toronto 2010

Prepare to Serve

I’ve seen the question posed a lot on social media about whether to serve or not serve. What if a person can’t? Preparation for a mission is preparation to consecrate our lives to God. If you are wondering whether you should prepare to serve a mission, prepare. Even if the answer is no, prepare. The spiritual and emotional preparation that goes into serving a mission will benefit you throughout the rest of your life. A testimony of the gospel and the Book of Mormon will strengthen your resolve to live the gospel, regardless of which turns it takes.

Service Missions

I made a friend recently who was honorably excused from full-time missionary service. But because he wanted to serve a mission, he went forward with a service mission. In preparation for this post, he told me that it bothers him when people speak about service missions as though they’re simply a backup plan or less than. No one ever said this to me about my mission, but it was very tempting to look at my short missionary service as a second-class mission. My friend was asked “Why didn’t you serve a real mission?” I’ll be honest, when I came home from my mission I was one of these people… I thought a service mission was beneath me. Looking back, I wish I’d given it more of a chance. I think I’d have learned a lot from a service mission. “Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni.” (Alma 48:19) Missionary service looks different for everyone. And they all matter.

Canada Calgary Mission 2011

A Desire to Serve

This last point is possibly my most important. The Lord told Joseph Smith, “if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work” (D&D 4:3). If you want to serve a mission, go for it! If you don’t have a desire to serve, figure out why that is. If something is holding you back, talk to your bishop or a counselor and figure out what’ll get you there. But like I said, missionary service looks different for everyone. I wanted to serve a 24-month mission… but instead I was blessed with two short missions and four mini-missions at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I’m grateful for the chance I had to serve, in Toronto, Calgary, and the Hill Cumorah. And someday, with my wife, somewhere new, I’ll serve again. 

Hill Cumorah Pageant 2001, my first mission

America's Witness for Christ

This past Friday the Church hosted a commemorative broadcast for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was a formative experience for Ryan and me when we were each young adults. We both said our piece when the church announced the end of Pageant (see Ryan’s post here and my post here), but I would feel incomplete if I didn’t say something now. 

It was a blessing to hear Pageant staff speak to us and reminisce and talk about the history of the Hill and their experiences at Pageant. Like any missionary work, it was a influential experience for all of us in the cast who loved it. Proselyting in the crowd each night gave us the opportunity to share our testimonies with member families from around the world and with non-members from the area.

But like Elder Christofferson said in the devotional, most members of the church and investigators will never visit church history sites. They’d never see the Pageant. So it makes sense to end the Pageant financially; the money and manpower that would have gone into rejuvenating Pageant can be put to use for full-time missionary work, temples, and other works of salvation. Even though the Pageant has ended, the work isn’t over.

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
--Joseph Smith

I remember memorizing the Standard of Truth when I was a ten-year-old boy at the Hill Cumorah, my first time in the cast. The words of the prophet Joseph are even more relevant now than any other time we said goodbye to the Hill. Each time, we said farewell to a Zion community and readied ourselves to return to the world.

Now, we’re back in the world and that Zion community won’t even be the same as it was at the Hill. Instead, it’s up to us to take what we felt at Pageant, as cast, crew, staff, or audience, to use them to help others to come unto Christ. As one Pageant cast alumni Andrea (in the cast 2017-2019) told me “It's our job to accurately document and share our experiences and how they strengthened our faith for future generations to read.”

We’ve left the Hill and Pageant has ended, but America’s Witness for Christ lives on in each of us (even if you don’t live in the United States). As members of the church, we are witnesses of Christ, just as the Pageant was for over 80 years. In a world that needs the light of the gospel more than ever, we have the privilege of being that light. Pageant testified on the truthfulness of the gospel and the Book of Mormon.

Now it's our turn.

For those who missed the Hill Cumorah Pageant devotional broadcast, the devotional will be available until July 23 and the recording of the Pageant will be available on the church's website.

I'll Make a Man Out of You

This blog post has been coming for a long time. It’s just been hard to put it into words. Many of my friends from Hill Cumorah Pageant will remember belting out “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” during karaoke on Hobart Day. There is also a Youtube video that Garrett showed me of him belting out this song (big mistake, buddy, haha). I also have memories of my friend, Michele Smith (who is now on her mission in Japan), playing this song whenever we (me, her, Melissa, and Eric) were going somewhere in Eric’s car. I absolutely love this song. It is such a goofy, weird, and strangely spiritually inspirational song.

The day my district left the MTC for Toronto, we were walking across the MTC campus in the early morning, this song was going through my head. Maybe it was because we were up so early… maybe it was because we’d spent three weeks straight trying to train ourselves to think spiritually… maybe it’s just because I’m weird… I started to analyze this song spiritually, in regards to a mission, so here we go:

The biggest point of this song, spiritually, that I saw came from a conversation I’d once had with Juliana about guys and missions. The point of the conversation had been that missions turn boys into men. In other words, the mission will “make a man out of you.” Get it? ;) A mission (hopefully) will teach a young man to follow the Spirit, to learn the gospel, and what is most important. Even after only the three and a half months I was out, people could see this in me.

I’m sure I could break down most of the lines of this song to have some spiritual meaning, but there’s one part that means something to me particularly right now as I come closer to finding out about returning to my mission (even if I don’t know exactly when I will find out): “You’re unsuited for the rage of war. So, pack up, go home. You’re through. How could I make a man out of you?” I mentioned the spiritual application of this part to Garrett in one of my letters. Oddly enough (or not oddly, for anyone who knows me and him) he had been thinking of a spiritual application to this song too and he’d gotten stuck on this line. My spiritual application that I told him was this: the line is Satan telling us we’re no good, we can’t make it the rest of the way, and we can’t do it. If you remember from the movie, though, this line in the song is said and Mulan is about to leave. She turns around, sees the pole, arrow, and medals from the original challenge that Shang had given them. She goes back and makes it up the pole.

Life seems to get hard just before something good happens (so I’m expecting something good pretty quick). Satan tells us we’re not good enough or strong enough to make it through the trial. If we give up when he tells us to though, we’ll miss out on the prize that our Heavenly Father has in store for us.  He will never ask us to do more than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Nephi 3:7). When Joseph Smith was in the Sacred Grove, the adversary attacked him. By his own account, Joseph Smith was just about to give up, when the light of Heaven began to appear (JS-H 1:16). He will rescue us in our darkest hour. That I know for certain.

The Lord Will Hasten His Work

I'm not one to really wax spiritual in blog posts.  I just have had some interesting discussions with co-workers and with my dad about how the Lord has hastened his work.  In D&C 88:73, the Lord said "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time."  Back when the church first started, the Lord used what technology that was available to spread the word.  There was the printing press, boats, and peoples legs.  Later on He introduced inventions like the train and planes so people could move around even faster.  Later, He introduced computers and the internet.  I was amazed at how powerful of a tool the modern computer is and how quickly information can be transmitted globally through the internet.  Why would the Lord put out such a wondrous invention?  To hasten His work.  Missionaries can now have "face-to-face" conversations with people who would normally feel too scared to let two strangers into their home.  Members can pull up genealogical records and see pictures of tombstones from the comfort of their living rooms.  They can also pull up scriptures on their smart phones and tablets.  It's incredible.

The best part?  We are probably just scratching the service.  What if there were programs/games that could help train new missionaries to preach?  What if there were games for helping new members learn about the church and about doctrine?  I could see ideas like that having a huge impact on the church's growth.  And who knows what marvelous inventions the Lord will be putting out to allow the work to spread even faster?

Keep your eyes open.  Great things are coming.

-Andrew

Geeky Ways To Build The Kingdom

I'd like to start off this post on a bit of a personal note.  I'm an introverted person (I'm sure some of you can relate).  I generally don't feel comfortable sharing things with complete strangers, especially something as personal and valuable as the gospel.  I've often felt ashamed about the fact that I don't 'share the gospel' or help build up the kingdom by giving out 100 pass along cards or a Book of Mormon a week.  I recently realized that there are ways for an introvert like me to help build up the kingdom.

Indexing

Indexing is something that I started doing about 4 years ago.  With indexing, someone has taken a digital picture of a document, and they want the information from it captured into text form.  For instance, Family Search Indexing is currently indexing the entire 1940 US Census.  They've taken the pictures, and all they need is an army of volunteers to come, read, and enter in the data that they want from the documents.

How does this help build up the kingdom? The information from these documents is then used for genealogical work.  People can use the information from the documents to learn more about their ancestors.  Personally, most of my genealogical work has been done.  Helping with indexing makes me feel like I'm helping other people find their ancestors.

And now for a totally shameless plug, Family Search Indexing needs a lot of help with that 1940 census!  Indexing isn't too terribly difficult nor does it require a super fast computer.  You can learn more about it by clicking here.

Mormon.org profile

Mormon.org is a website dedicated to helping people who aren't members of the LDS church to learn more about the church.  They've added the ability for members to create a profile about themselves, to share how the gospel has influenced their lives, and to answer questions about what they believe in.  Creating a profile can help another person feel like the church is made up of 'real' people rather than a bunch of crazy people.

Social Media

One other way that the gospel can be shared is through social media.  Articles on lds.org can be shared via Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.  By sharing about the church and its teachings, more people can be reached.  It also could help out another member who is struggling with their faith.

Blogging

Another option is to start a blog.  A blog can be a great way to share about a person's personal beliefs or their journey through life.  I've found that using Blogger was a rather easy way to start writing a blog.  Chances are that someone could be touched by personal experiences that you have to share.

All in all, helping build up the kingdom through technology is important.  It's also a good idea to balance sharing through technology with sharing in-person with other people.  Sometimes sharing the gospel is as simple as living it.

Geeks on the Mission

When you're called on a mission, you are told to leave the world behind and teach the gospel to the field you are called to serve in. But leaving the world behind doesn't mean you magically turn into a scripture spewing robot. Your still you, and the Lord needs you out there because you are you.

And if you happen to be a geek that means the Lord needs a geek.

I served in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, and while there I learned that, above everything else, the Lord loves me for who I am. At first I was nervous revealing my geekness outside the proverbial small apartment (Inside it was blatantly obvious, with my Superman workout shirts and my stuffed Stitch that I slept with), thinking for some reason that mentioning Batman or Darth Vader would detract from the Spirit.

And then there was Sam.

Samitha Lively had been referred to us from Church Headquarters after having a very enlightening conversation with an LDS friend in Canada. My companion and I had been teaching her for a couple weeks when it happened. She was very interested in the gospel and had quickly become the legendary golden contact, someone prepared by the Lord to receive our message. Now Sam at the time had two dogs, named Dharma and Dax, one named for the Buddhist philosophy of the path to inner peace, and the other I presumed at the time named after the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character.
So we're teaching a lesson and I had the feeling that Sam wasn't quite getting what we were saying. I don't even remember what the lesson was on now, but I dived in and said "It's like if Jadzia Dax from Star Trek..." and taught from there. My companion, Elder Bracken, face-palmed. Our male escort just tried not to laugh. Sam got the lesson.

Sam and I credit that moment as one of the points when we became dear friends (That and a comment about biting the heads off chickens, but that's another story). I was right, the dog was named after the Star Trek character. After that I was a little more comfortable with my geekdom in public.

The other thing it helped me with was with my companions. Most people have some level of geekiness to them, but true geeks can always recognize their own kind. This became extremely helpful in Bolivar Missouri during Christmas. Bolivar is a tiny town in Missouri, but our area stretched miles and encompassed about a dozen tiny towns. To make matters worse we only got a car every other week, and the rest of the time we only had the tiny town to work with (Little piece of information: Bolivar is mentioned in Max Brooks's book World War Z as being a militarized town after the zombie apocalypse). Nobody wanted to talk to us, it was cold with 100% moisture, and any time there'd be enough snow on the ground to form a footprint the entire town would shut down and contemplated cannibalism.

To stave off madness, my companion Elder Gotchy and I played a game where we would pretend to be super heroes and made comedic melodramas featuring them. Despite the cold, missing our families at Christmas and the total lack of interest from anyone in our area, our spirits stayed up. We'd be wandering the empty streets searching for contacts when one of us would put on a Batman gruff voice and go "Flowers suck" and make the other laugh. Don't get me wrong, we worked, but a lot of our work was repair work towards the missionaries and the church itself. The next transfer Gotchy left and the game stopped, but the area picked up as the members and town had been softened a little towards seeing missionaries laughing with each other.

So if you're a pre-missionary and you're nervous because your still in love with your Power Rangers pillowcase, or you're a post-missionary and your feeling guilty for that talk you gave in Brazil about Lord of the Rings, or even if your a current missionary and your companion can't see your screen at the library and you've found the most awesome geek site ever, first of all, ELDER GET BACK TO WORK! Second, don't feel bad. The Lord loves you for who you all, pointy ears and all, and there are geeks out there who are searching for the truth just as much as anyone else, and maybe your mutual love of Firefly will help reach them where nobody else could.

-JOE