--Inghamtism! (+ new address)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Hola todos!

In case you didn't get the earlier email about my new address, here it is:

900 Discovery Blvd. #5307
Cedar Park, TX 78613

I'm not gonna lie--most of this week completely sucked. Tuesday morning we got a phone call from the mission office informing us of a mix-up that resulted in us having to move to another apartment. Per their request I told them we could be out by the following day, and after a few minutes of letting the shock pass, we called up the Vista Ridge and Cedar Park elders to come to our aid. Pflugerville also came to help clean up afterward, and after three wasted days, the work was finally done.

The rest of our week was spent picking up the pieces of our missionary work. Because of the whirlwind of moving, we hadn't been able to keep in contact with our investigators, and even now we haven't found all of them again. Please everyone, be praying this week that we can get back on our feet!

I'll tell you what was good, though. Saturday made the entire week worth it. Vina was baptized, and the Spirit was stronger there than at any other baptismal service I'd yet been to. There was an abundance of ward members present, and they helped so much in the program that all Elder Bingham and I had to do was baptize, play the piano, and put on a video. Everything else was taken care of--filling the font, making the program, even holding a reception afterward!

I said it before, and I'll say it again: I love this ward. Vina has transformed since we first met her, and her new ward family has taken her in so well. When she came up out of the water she said, "Finally!" We could see that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She has a testimony of the Gospel, and it's growing.

But the spiritual growth didn't end there. Later in the afternoon we visited a less-active friend of ours, David. I guess I can't really call him less-active so much now as I could earlier, but we'll go with it for ease in writing. Anyway, David told us that he really needed something to do that night to keep himself from going out and getting into trouble. My companion and I weren't originally planning on going, but at that moment we were impressed to invite David to the adult session of stake conference that night. He thought for a moment about it, then responded, "That's where I'm supposed to be."

So we rode with him, and it was a good meeting. We sat clear in the back, and it wasn't too exciting--but still a good meeting. David got a lot out of conference. On the way back home he expressed to us his deep gratitude for our inviting him, and for our support through his troubled times. The next time we visit him, we're taking two copies of the Book of Mormon; he wants to give them away.

It's times like these that truly make my mission. Sometimes it's easy to wonder if I'm really making a difference, but I am, and it means so much to me because I can see it in the lives of the people I serve.

And sometimes they remember me. This past week marked a year since I arrived in Texas and got assigned to Boerne. How appropriate, then, that I ran into a family I knew in Boerne on Friday! My companion and I went up and sat in the Eagles' Nest at a Court of Honor (ah, I've missed that!), and a man who sat next to me shook my hand and said it was good to see me. It took me a moment to make the connection, but as I glanced at him again then at his family, I realized--it was the Robinsons! They recognized me before I recognized them, and that was the turning point in my week.

It's an interesting feeling, now being able to look back an entire year and have a mission area in that memory. Fourteen months have passed since I started my mission. The growth has been gradual--unnoticable at first--but it's there, and I realized how much there was when I got to talk with these members from my first area. For any of you considering a mission (or even not considering it), do it. You will love the people like your own family, and you will become more like the person God wants you to be. It will change your life.

Elder Cunningham
Alma 56:54-56

"This army is the only army on the face of the earth that will bring peace to the world." --President Cutler

SURPRISE ADDRESS CHANGE

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Family,

As of today, my address has changed to:

900 Discovery Blvd. #5307
Cedar Park, TX 78613

We got a phone call this morning informing us that when the Vista Ridge elders moved out, we were supposed to take their apartment because ours was the one on which the lease would be expiring. But there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line, so we've found ourselves spending today moving in order to be out of our apartment by tomorrow. It's all very sudden, so don't worry if you've already sent something in the mail this week; my companion and I are stopping by the post office later today to arrange for forwarding.

Hope all of you are well; talk to you more on Monday!

Love,

Elder Cunningham

Frick and Frack attack!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Hola todos!

I suppose I should begin this email with an explanation of the subject line. Last Sunday night we were contacting in an apartment complex, and found several people in the laundry room. One declared that he'd been done with religion for some time already, and took it upon himself to make the situation as chaotic as possible. A friend that was with him, however--his name was Howard--chatted with us for a few minutes. He'd recently moved from Vermont, and I'd fallen in love with the place the summer before my mission. He liked the Joseph Smith monument in Sharon at Christmastime. We left him with a pass-along card for the "Joy to the World" DVD and disappeared into the night.

We returned to that apartment complex several times during the week, and nearly every time ran into the religionless friend, who took to calling us "Frick and Frack." "Look, they're attacking again!" he'd call out to people we'd be contacting. "They attacked you, too?!"

One of the many people we met during this time proved to be a neat new investigator (about whom there may be more information in a future letter), and she pointed us to an apartment where she knew of someone who might be interested in hearing our message. There was no answer when we tried that door, but we left a pass-along card for the "Joy to the World" DVD.

On Thursday we received a text message from Church headquarters with a media referral. Someone in that apartment complex had ordered the "Joy to the World" DVD and requested for us to deliver it. Within hours we were back at that apartment door where no one had answered previously... and no one answered again.

Rather than continue on to someplace else, we stuck around and contacted some more in the complex until we reached our daily goal of ten people outside. It was after we reached that goal that a car pulled up--and there was Howard, home from work, and asking for his DVD.

It was his apartment we'd been trying to get into all along, and we had a great lesson with him that night. We watched the Glenn Beck conversion story (an awesome new missionary tool, we've discovered), and he happily accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and a return appointment. Woo!

Did I ever mention how much I love this area? The work here is picking up so much! Vina passed her baptismal interview with flying colors on Wednesday, and she and the whole ward are SO excited for the baptism next Saturday. We watched "The Testaments" with her yesterday, and the Spirit came so strong. Vina is truly and deeply converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; this is what a mission is all about!

To make the interview possible, I had to spend the night in Pflugerville so Elder Hertig could come up here and meet with Vina. That proved to be another good learning experience for me. I was excited to spend a day with Elder Halversen, a young missionary of only a transfer-and-a-half; we'd become good buddies since he came out to the mission field. But more than just hanging out and having a good time, he ended up teaching me a lot about truly being excited for and engaged in the work. He had the energy of a puppy as he worked the streets and taught lessons! It was the same kind of energy I'd had at his age, but which had worn off a bit over the course of the mission. What a wake-up call! Since then I've strived to get ahold of that excitement again, and I'm happier and we're finding more success. This stuff really works!

I am now brought to a story about boldness. The Pistorius family invited us to a block party in their neighborhood, as it showed some good potential for missionary work. So we went, had a great lunch, and did what missionaries do (naturally, no one wanted to sit with the Pistoriuses until my companion and I had left the table). Of the eight or nine families there, we maybe got to preach to six of them, and we left happy.

Brother Pistorius later found out that this party was a function sponsored by the Palm Valley Church of Christ. It was just like if the Jehovah's Witnesses had shown up to one of our church activities!

Bold.

Of so many other stories I could tell about this week, I'll leave y'all with just one more. This time MY bladder was inspired, and we stopped by the church to use the restroom Saturday afternoon. There was a car parked behind the church, and we stopped our truck some distance away (members were always meeting there for different things). But this time the Spirit strongly urged us to go over and talk to the woman in the car, so we went and introduced ourselves.

She smiled back and told us her name, and we talked for a moment. She said that she sometimes came because it was a quiet place where she could think and pray. She'd gotten a babysitter, and was able to come this day.

"Are you a member here?" we asked.

"No," she answered. "But I love how peaceful it is."

When we invited her to church she thought for a moment and replied, "You know, I'm not working tomorrow... I think I'll come!"

At that point she noticed the time and said she had to get back home. As quickly as the conversation began, she thanked us for introducing ourselves and drove off.

What a quietly bizarre, good experience. She didn't make it to church yesterday, but I'm grateful that we followed the Spirit. We passed our test this weekend.

And now I'm off. My love goes to all, and I hope you have a great week. Frick and Frack, attack!

Elder Cunningham
D&C 8:2-3

Pic 1: Elder Halversen. He's still young enough to live for mail.
Pic 2: My goal is to eventually get the truck reeeeeeeally muddy.
Pic 3: The crew at lunch. There's Sister Green, Elder Peterson, Elder Bingham...
Pic 4: ... Elder Goss, me, and Sister John!
Pic 5: After the mission, I'm gonna bring real barbecue back to Utah and build a smoker.

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

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.