No Nun-sense

One of the things we have had to adjust to in the mission field is that of being "visible". Because we wear Sunday clothes and nametags every day, all-day, we often forget that people are curious about our nametags. I still have to remind myself WHY people make "shoulder" contact instead of "eye" contact, and as I look down I remember, oh yeah, my nametag. While most are curious, few inquire. Instead they squint and try to decipher what the tag says and who and what we represent. Once they think they have it, I have been told "God bless you" on numerous occasions, been told to go to the head of the line at the grocery store, congratulated for the "good work" I was doing, and even been given extra discounts at the department store. But the best happened the other day. One store clerk after reading "Sister Doll" said: "My . . . nuns' habits have sure come a long ways over the years!" If she only knew - 6 children and nearly 11 grandchildren later and having frequent flyer miles at Macy's - I would be THE LAST to know anything about the latest in nuns' habits! I really need to develop a quick come-back to help steer people straight!

Fortunately, there have been others in Chicago who have seen our missionaries and wanted to know who and what they represent . . . Elders Bryner and Adams pictured above with Chuck and Marissa Chrome and their son J.R. .

Douglas Allen with Sisters Rogers and Tawzer . . .

Robert Sanchez (2nd from right in white) had an interesting story to tell. Elders Carroll and Brown knocked on his door when he wasn't at home. His mom told the missionaries that although she and her husband were happy in their Church, their SON could sure use some religion. They were invited back and began teaching Robert. The other young man in white is Sebastian. He was baptized himself just 2 months ago by these same missionaries, and was privileged to help teach and baptize Robert.

And finally, Lisa Polit and her daughter Katie, pictured with Sisters' Lyon and Durfee. Lisa and Katie were taught together by the missionaries, but Katie was ready for baptism before her mom. Lisa, although she attended Church and believed in the doctrine of the gospel, was unable to commit to baptism because of the lack of support of her boyfriend who lived with her at the time. It took great faith for Lisa to see that the relationship she was in was going no-where. She decided she needed to act on her new-found faith, and gave her boyfriend the boot. Lisa will be the first to tell you of the blessings that have poured out on her and her family as she has committed to living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Bigger Decision Than I Thought

The Doll Family - June 2009

36 years ago today I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has turned out to be a bigger decision than I thought at the time, impacting more lives than I could have imagined. Here is my story.

I was raised in a wonderful family. My mom was a strong Catholic and my dad Protestant, but we attended the Catholic Church together as a family. I attended Queen of All Saints Catholic Elementary School, went to mass most mornings before starting my school day, and loved being taught by the nuns. For many years during my youth I saw myself becoming a nun, my young heart yearning to dedicate myself to the service of God.

One of my earliest spiritual experiences as a child was going through the pictures in my mom's missal for Sunday mass and seeing the pictures of Jesus Christ being born in the manger, raised as the carpenter's Son by Mary and Joseph, and later in adulthood teaching the people, healing the sick and raising the dead. Most touching to me were the pictures of Him suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and later being crucified on the cross at Calvary. My heart ached at His suffering and I was confused WHY this had to happen to Him.

When I started college I began to ask serious questions about some of the tenets of the Catholic faith, and was most often patted on the head by the priests, being told it was one of the "mysteries" and that I just needed to have faith. The incomprehensible Trinity, the inconsistent answers about where we came from, what our purpose was on this earth and what happened to us when we died led me to start "church shopping" along with some of my college roommates. Every week we would go to a different church service . . . each one being interesting, but none filling the void or answering my questions to my satisfaction.

One day in the spring of 1973 I was sitting outside the door of my U.S. History class pondering such questions when a young man (not my husband) came along and asked what I was doing. I recognized him as being "that cute boy" that sat behind me in class. Being usually shy around young men, I was surprised when I found myself blurting out: "Have you ever wondered where we came from, what our purpose is here in this life and what happens to us when we die?" Not exactly a great come-on line to someone you hoped might show some interest in you. But I was surprised when his face lit up and he said: "Boy have I got some answers for you!" He invited me to go the LDS Institute of Religion across the street from campus the next day where he would introduce me to two young men who could answer all my questions. Well, needless to say, this young man in my history class was a newly returned missionary and he was about to introduce me to two more missionaries from the Church the next day.

I did meet with the missionaries the next day, and it did not culminate with my joining the Church. Although the missionaries shared many points of doctrine about the LDS faith, they did not address the questions which I had. They were tied to a set of "discussions" and the first discussion did not talk about what I wanted to know. Discouraged I turned down any further invitations to meet with the missionaries. Turns out, that would be just the beginning of my contact with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

That summer I was hired to work at Carmichael Park Pool as a swimming and diving instructor. (Sports I had competed in over the years while growing up.) Unknown to me at the time, Don Haws, the pool manager who hired me was a returned missionary and all of the other lifeguards or instructors were either returned missionaries or young men preparing to go on missions. I was the only female and the only non-LDS person on the staff.

That was THE BEST summer of my young life. I was invited out on more dates AND to more LDS Church functions imaginable. While having a good time, I couldn't help but notice the habits of these young men I was dating. They were neat in appearance, polite, never used profanity, and could have fun without drinking or using drugs. Their participation in Church was more than just a Sunday habit, it was a part of them and defined the very essence of who they were. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about what made them tick. The culminating moment came when I attended Church - a Stake Conference - and heard a General Authority (Paul Dunn) speak. When he spoke I felt something tell me - there's something to this Church and I need to find out more.

Once again I began meeting with the missionaries. A real turning point happened on the day my missionaries, Elders Bowers and Terris, were teaching me about the temple. Elder Bowers looked me in the eye and said that he knew through the ordinances performed in the temple it was possible for family ties to extend into the eternities - that people could be married for time AND eternity, not just until "death do you part". It was something I had felt was true all my life, and yet not taught by any other church I had come in contact with. His strong conviction of this principle touched me to my very soul.

The final pieces of the puzzle came together when the missionaries committed me to a serious reading of the Book of Mormon. It's origin as having come forth through the prophet Joseph Smith - being translated from gold plates through the gift and power of God - was a concept I struggled with. I can only say that it required diligent study, time, fasting and prayer to come to recognize it for what it is - real scripture. It was by reading the Book of Mormon that I found answers to the questions of where we came from, why we are here and where we are going. And, it was in this book that I came to realize with clarity WHY Jesus Christ lived and died as He did.

And so, on November 8, 1973 I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What has it meant? Everything. It affected my choice in the wonderful young man I married two years later. It affected our decision to have a large family, the standards with which our children were raised, and gave us the strength as parents to raise them. It has affected where we lived, how we spent our time and our money, and what we would do in our retirement years. In a nut-shell it has been the focus of our life for 36 years, the source of all joy and of every blessing.

Rising To The Occasion

On Thursday morning of this past week, President Doll and I were rising at the crack of dawn to begin the first of two days of Zone Conferences, one in Logan Square (downtown Chicago) and the other in Rockford - the middle of the cornfields. We always hit commute traffic going to Logan Square and a 40 minute drive without traffic became an hour and 40 minute drive in the traffic you see below (yes with the sun glaring in our eyes the entire way!) Although we left in plenty of time, we still arrived a mere 8 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.
In spite of the rough start, we had a wonderful conference with our missionaries and were impressed with their spirit, testimony, and love for missionary work.

On Friday we arose at the crack of dawn (again) and did the same thing, blessedly without traffic, and met for 6 hours with the other half of our missionaries in Rockford. Perhaps, because it was the end of two long days, perhaps it was the kid in me, but I asked the missionaries to pose for some new photos for the blog and this is what they came up with:

Elder Adams, (blonde center) is getting a "group hug" for his 20th birthday which he celebrated that very day . . . surrounding him from left to right are Elders Howe, Rainey, Beckstead, Bird, Hansen, Nowell, Johnson, Bryner, and McCleary.

Elder Adams also rose to the occasion as he topped the pyramid formed by Elders Beckstead, Bird, Layton, Bryner, Nowell, Nielsen, Johnson, Howe, and Rudd. Elders Gonzalez, Jenkins and Ross look on.

But to my shock and surprise, the Sisters were NOT to be outdone as Sisters Kaufusi, Cofer, Lyon, Bernet, Morris, Rogers, and Carmack, did their own pyramid with Sister Tawzer ending up on top!

Well, from there things were really on a roll, as Elders Beckstead, Layton and Jones helped Elder Rainey rise above the crowd . . .

And Elder Adams ended up on top once again thanks to Elders Beckstead, Layton and Bryner.

And that's what happens when you ask the missionaries in the Rockford Zones for new material for the Mission blog!

***** Disclaimer: No Elders or Sisters were harmed or maimed in the photographs taken for this blog post!

The Price We Paid

This is Elder Layton, one of our Zone Leaders and a capable and dedicated missionary. Elder Layton also has a creative side to him which got him to thinking of new ways he could share our gospel message besides going door to door. His brainstorm was to do a sidewalk chalk drawing showing the heart of our message: The Plan Of Salvation. The drawing is pictured below.

Elder Layton first drew the pre-earth life where we all lived as spirits with our Heavenly Father. Next he depicted "today" or our life on Earth - a period of testing - to see if we will do all that is required to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Next he drew the Spirit World where we all go when we die awaiting judgement upon which we will be assigned a Kingdom of Glory . . . Celestial (depicted as the sun), Terrestial (the moon) or Telestial (the stars). Central to this plan is Jesus Christ - our faith in Him, belief in His Atonement, and commitment in keeping His commandments making all the difference in how and where we will spend eternity. And of course, Elder Layton left his phone number where interested parties could reach him should they have questions.

The attention the drawing caused was not what Elder Layton had anticipated. The sidewalk where the drawing was done is in a prominent place in downtown Sycamore (in the "sticks" outside Chicago) . . . and the office of the City Manager a stone's throw away. When the City Manager saw the drawing, he also saw RED and was anything BUT converted. The result was a hefty $200 fine for "defacing public property" and city workers were called to wash away the art-work. To Elder Layton's credit, he remained calm during the verbal attack, respectful, and was more than willing to do the wash job himself. Even though a subsequent letter of apology was written and hand-delivered by Elder Layton to the City Manager, the fine remained. Somehow the price we paid just didn't seem to fit the "crime."

Falling For Chicago

Today I fell in love with Chicago . . . 70 degrees and colors only Fall in the Midwest can produce . . .

Now before all of you rush to move out here, let's wait for my December post . . . rumor has it that this paradise will disappear under a thick coating of white . . . hard to believe isn't it??

DEDMEAT

While stopped at a traffic light, we noticed the license plate on this hearse in front of us . . . clever, don't you think? Unwittingly it became the theme for this weeks' blog post . . .

These two sisters . . . hermanas Porter and Secrist were nearly DEDMEAT as I went out teaching with them recently. They know my timidity in speaking Spanish, and I think they secretly delight in making me squirm. If I was being too quiet (as I usually am in the Spanish teaching situations), they would call on me to comment or to share an experience about the gospel principle they were teaching. I would find myself staring them down before smiling and attempting a feeble response. Although I threatened them afterwards, you can see how "mad" I was, as they both got treated to lunch. Actually I am grateful to them both for helping me become braver in using my Spanish.

Juana Salgado is our oldest "new" member of the Church here. Well under 4 ft tall, nearly deaf and blind, she decided at 95 years of age that she wasn't going to wait until she was DEDMEAT to be baptized like her daughter. When she entered the baptismal font, the water that is waist deep for most, covered her shoulders. It was a simple process to dip her back and completely immerse her. Sisters' Horne and Mendoza were her missionaries and can attest to the fact that no one is too old to be baptized.

Below are the pictures from the Zone Conferences we held this past week as our visiting General Authority from Salt Lake, Spencer V. Jones and his wife, Joyce, conducted a Mission Tour. We had the pleasure of hosting them in the mission home and of being trained and taught by them. We appreciated their insights and support and came away with some great direction and counsel.

As this was the first time we have experienced a "Mission Tour", we (mostly me) worried about how the experience would playout. I was afraid that we would be DEDMEAT after the Jones' met with us. However it was soon apparent that there was no need to have worried. Elder and Sister Jones were the kindest of people and anything but critical. Having served as Mission President and wife, they well understood the nature of our calling and all that it entails. They were great listeners and helpful in their suggestions. AND, I could not have been more proud of our missionaries. They arrived 30 minutes before the Zone Conferences were scheduled to be begin, and were seated and reverent listening to the prelude music when we arrived. During the teaching sessions they were active participants, sharing insights, asking questions and taking notes. Elder and Sister Jones were warm in their praises of the missionaries of Illinois Chicago North Mission. President Doll and I could not have been more pleased.

This Weeks Highlights

Tuesday of this week found us hosting the monthly dinner for our Senior missionaries. There were twelve of us in all - too many for the dining room table - so we set up two big tables in the living room. My job was to create a festive table, the rest was a group effort as our two office sisters (Sister Heward and Sister Weekes) organized the food that arrived potluck style promptly at 6:00 pm.

After the dinner I was unsure what the activity of the night would be, but found that the gauntlet was soon dropped by Brother Taylor (sitting next to President Doll above) challenging my all-time high score of 287 in Wii bowling.

However, neither he nor Elder Child (above) nor . . .

Sister Babcock nor . . .

Sister Heward nor any other challenger could better my record. It should be noted, however, that Elder Taylor WAS the evenings high scorer.

On Wednesday, our Preparation Day, Elders Bowers and Williams returned to challenge President Doll in Wii bowling. But alas, they could not match President Doll AGAIN. Do note that he had his all-time best game . . . 11 strikes, 10 in a row!

Making for a total score of 280. Way to go!

Thursday morning found me doing planning, having lunch, and teaching an investigator named Julio with these two sisters - Hermana Goodman and Padilla. From 10:00 am until 3:30 pm we spoke mostly Spanish, including the lesson we did with Julio. I wish I could wow you with how wonderfully I spoke and taught, but I will be honest and say that having the vocabulary of a 3 year old makes expressing oneself both frustrating and challenging. These two good sisters have been out serving for 7 months and 6 months respectively and they do a wonderful job with both the language and their ability to teach. I was humbled, amazed and grateful to be able to work along side of them.