There and Back Again, A missionary's Tale By Elder Bradford
Hey everyone, as a lot of you may know I am home right now because of corona virus. In this post I'm going to first update you on the days leading up to me leaving, when and how I left, and what the future looks like right now. So without any further ado, let's get to it.
Mar 17, 2020 Tues
Today was very rough. Every person that we tried to go see was busy, all the goals we had for the day fell through, and the worst of it all was I wasn't feeling the spirit. I noticed an absence of some kind as we want about the day and after all our visits fell through I knew I needed to do something. We went back to the apartment through a rain storm, I went to our study room, and I prayed for what must've been 20 mins. As I prayed I noticed that the storm outside slowed. After my prayer I felt impressed to read "The Living Christ" and as I did so the rain stopped and I felt the quiet and gentle peace that the spirit brings. I spent over an hour studying to see what needed to change. I realized I didn't need to change what I was doing, but how I was doing it. Not to work harder, but smarter. To invite the spirit in ALL things I do.
Mar 18, 2020 Wed
Today we went back in Naminya today and we were able to meet w/ someone we met last week and taught a lesson w/ some new, but the lesson was very rough. Something I like about Naminya is the people seem much more genuine and truthful than in other places in the area.
Mar 19, 2020 Thurs
Today was my Mission B-Day! It was a really good day we had 2 great lessons with a couple of awesome investigators who are progressing very nicely. We had a very powerful lesson w/ and investigator who is very interested and even accepted a Baptismal invitation! Today was great!
THERE AND BACK AGAIN, A MISSIONARY'S TALE
By Elder Bradford
CHAPTER 1
THE NEWS
Mar 20, 2020 Fri
Today was a vanilla kind of day, not much different occurred. We had a really great lesson w/ an investigator who should be getting baptized next week. Other than that we walked, tried to find, and Failed. I think that we had little success because our mind set on finding is pretty trash. I think changing it will help. Also we found out that all the missionaries in the areas in Ethiopia and Rwanda have been brought back to Uganda. It'll be interesting to see how this changes the mission.
Mar 21, 2020 Sat
Today was supposed to be exchanges with Ikai and it was for morning studies until we received a call from from our office Elders asking what airport we'd like to go home to. This was the most shocking and scary question I'd heard in my entire life. They explained that this was just a precaution in case we had to get evacuated. Not one hour later we got a call from our Zone Leaders who told us we weren't proselyting today and that we were to spend all day packing because in the next few days we'd be going home. I was more than shocked. After frantically freaking out I began to sulk and be disappointed and sad, I didn't want to go home. I had to pray to gain some sort of comfort or personal knowledge that this was what I needed to do. I knew after reading a couple verses in 2 Nephi 2;
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
From those two verses I got that even though I will be put through opposition it is my choice how I will react to it. I slowly began to accept the fact I was going home. I packed and we had one last District Activity. We went out to eat, saw investigators and members, and bought a ton of food for a feast in the evening, and played cards as well. The plan for tomorrow is meet at the Zone's main chapel at 3:30 and then head to the Entebe Chapel close to the entebe airport, wait there for hours, then fly out at like 2:00 am. Oh boy!
CHAPTER 2
THE ESCAPE FROM UGANDA
Mar 22, 2020 Sun
Today was insane. It started with a slow morning we were gonna have Sacrament at 10:00, it was going to be nice, then at 8:00 we get a call from Zone Leaders saying, "Get ready to go, we need all missionaries at the Jinja Chapel ASAP. The President announced that he would close the boarders at 4:00." So immediately there was a rush to finish packing, get a taxi to take our stuff and us to the chapel, and then at the chapel everyone was weighing their things and then they rushed us into cars and drove us like lightning to the Entebe Airport which was about 2-3 hours away. We got to the airport at about 3:30ish and waited there, and didn't fly out till like 9:00. Only the South African and American Missionaries flew out and we flew to Ethiopia.
CHAPTER 3
THE ETHIOPIAN DELAY
Mar 23, 2020 Mon
Our flight to Ethiopia was only 2 hours but our stay in Ethiopia was almost the whole day. We stayed in a super nice hotel, nicer than most American Hotels. We had a free Breakfast and lunch which was very nice. We were there from like 12:00 am-2:00 pm then we were in the airport until 8:00 pm. Were supposed to fly out much earlier, but delay after delay after delay. Hooray.
CHAPTER 3
DAYS ON A PLANE
Mar 23-24, 2020 Mon-Tues
We Flew down to South Africa (6 hours), dropped off South African Missionaries and picked up all the American missionaries from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and some from South Africa (2 hours). Flew to Togo (6 hours), refueled and got permission to land in our next stop (4 hours), flew to Washington D.C. (11 hours), refueled (1 hour), flew to Salt Lake City (4 hours), landed and ended up spending the night in Salt Lake before my return flight home.
CHAPTER 4
HOME IN THE VALLEY OF CALI
Mar 25, 2020 Wed
So today was finally the glorious return to Quarantine and isolation. I flew out of Salt Lake at 11:30 landed around 12:20, and was happily greeted by my parents in the airport. I went on to ask the first question of which I'm sure they expected, "Can we get In'N'Out?" So we got In'N'Out, came home to a socially distanced welcome home party. Unpacked and relaxed.
CHAPTER 5
EPILOGUE
So at the moment I am still set apart as a missionary, so I still live by most of the rules, but Stake Pres Johnson (who is now acting as my mission Pres) has told me that I can call anybody I want, watch PG and G rated movies, and I am not required to do missionary work at this time. So I am quarantined, and waiting for my reassignment. Pres Johnson told me it would come in the next 3-4 weeks and I won't be released, but the Office Elders, while we were in Ethiopia, were told we would be released and not receive our reassignment for a month to 3 months. So For me I'm not sure what to expect, I don't know when I will get reassigned, I'm confident I will be reassigned to somewhere in the states, but as for the meantime I will be home and if you wanna give my a call please do so.
Love you all and remember that it is important to rely on god during these odd, panic filled, and confusing times. He will help us through it.
-Love, Still Elder Bradford
Mar 17, 2020 Tues
Today was very rough. Every person that we tried to go see was busy, all the goals we had for the day fell through, and the worst of it all was I wasn't feeling the spirit. I noticed an absence of some kind as we want about the day and after all our visits fell through I knew I needed to do something. We went back to the apartment through a rain storm, I went to our study room, and I prayed for what must've been 20 mins. As I prayed I noticed that the storm outside slowed. After my prayer I felt impressed to read "The Living Christ" and as I did so the rain stopped and I felt the quiet and gentle peace that the spirit brings. I spent over an hour studying to see what needed to change. I realized I didn't need to change what I was doing, but how I was doing it. Not to work harder, but smarter. To invite the spirit in ALL things I do.
Mar 18, 2020 Wed
Today we went back in Naminya today and we were able to meet w/ someone we met last week and taught a lesson w/ some new, but the lesson was very rough. Something I like about Naminya is the people seem much more genuine and truthful than in other places in the area.
Mar 19, 2020 Thurs
Today was my Mission B-Day! It was a really good day we had 2 great lessons with a couple of awesome investigators who are progressing very nicely. We had a very powerful lesson w/ and investigator who is very interested and even accepted a Baptismal invitation! Today was great!
THERE AND BACK AGAIN, A MISSIONARY'S TALE
By Elder Bradford
CHAPTER 1
THE NEWS
Mar 20, 2020 Fri
Today was a vanilla kind of day, not much different occurred. We had a really great lesson w/ an investigator who should be getting baptized next week. Other than that we walked, tried to find, and Failed. I think that we had little success because our mind set on finding is pretty trash. I think changing it will help. Also we found out that all the missionaries in the areas in Ethiopia and Rwanda have been brought back to Uganda. It'll be interesting to see how this changes the mission.
Mar 21, 2020 Sat
Today was supposed to be exchanges with Ikai and it was for morning studies until we received a call from from our office Elders asking what airport we'd like to go home to. This was the most shocking and scary question I'd heard in my entire life. They explained that this was just a precaution in case we had to get evacuated. Not one hour later we got a call from our Zone Leaders who told us we weren't proselyting today and that we were to spend all day packing because in the next few days we'd be going home. I was more than shocked. After frantically freaking out I began to sulk and be disappointed and sad, I didn't want to go home. I had to pray to gain some sort of comfort or personal knowledge that this was what I needed to do. I knew after reading a couple verses in 2 Nephi 2;
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
From those two verses I got that even though I will be put through opposition it is my choice how I will react to it. I slowly began to accept the fact I was going home. I packed and we had one last District Activity. We went out to eat, saw investigators and members, and bought a ton of food for a feast in the evening, and played cards as well. The plan for tomorrow is meet at the Zone's main chapel at 3:30 and then head to the Entebe Chapel close to the entebe airport, wait there for hours, then fly out at like 2:00 am. Oh boy!
CHAPTER 2
THE ESCAPE FROM UGANDA
Mar 22, 2020 Sun
Today was insane. It started with a slow morning we were gonna have Sacrament at 10:00, it was going to be nice, then at 8:00 we get a call from Zone Leaders saying, "Get ready to go, we need all missionaries at the Jinja Chapel ASAP. The President announced that he would close the boarders at 4:00." So immediately there was a rush to finish packing, get a taxi to take our stuff and us to the chapel, and then at the chapel everyone was weighing their things and then they rushed us into cars and drove us like lightning to the Entebe Airport which was about 2-3 hours away. We got to the airport at about 3:30ish and waited there, and didn't fly out till like 9:00. Only the South African and American Missionaries flew out and we flew to Ethiopia.
CHAPTER 3
THE ETHIOPIAN DELAY
Mar 23, 2020 Mon
Our flight to Ethiopia was only 2 hours but our stay in Ethiopia was almost the whole day. We stayed in a super nice hotel, nicer than most American Hotels. We had a free Breakfast and lunch which was very nice. We were there from like 12:00 am-2:00 pm then we were in the airport until 8:00 pm. Were supposed to fly out much earlier, but delay after delay after delay. Hooray.
CHAPTER 3
DAYS ON A PLANE
Mar 23-24, 2020 Mon-Tues
We Flew down to South Africa (6 hours), dropped off South African Missionaries and picked up all the American missionaries from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and some from South Africa (2 hours). Flew to Togo (6 hours), refueled and got permission to land in our next stop (4 hours), flew to Washington D.C. (11 hours), refueled (1 hour), flew to Salt Lake City (4 hours), landed and ended up spending the night in Salt Lake before my return flight home.
HOME IN THE VALLEY OF CALI
Mar 25, 2020 Wed
So today was finally the glorious return to Quarantine and isolation. I flew out of Salt Lake at 11:30 landed around 12:20, and was happily greeted by my parents in the airport. I went on to ask the first question of which I'm sure they expected, "Can we get In'N'Out?" So we got In'N'Out, came home to a socially distanced welcome home party. Unpacked and relaxed.
EPILOGUE
So at the moment I am still set apart as a missionary, so I still live by most of the rules, but Stake Pres Johnson (who is now acting as my mission Pres) has told me that I can call anybody I want, watch PG and G rated movies, and I am not required to do missionary work at this time. So I am quarantined, and waiting for my reassignment. Pres Johnson told me it would come in the next 3-4 weeks and I won't be released, but the Office Elders, while we were in Ethiopia, were told we would be released and not receive our reassignment for a month to 3 months. So For me I'm not sure what to expect, I don't know when I will get reassigned, I'm confident I will be reassigned to somewhere in the states, but as for the meantime I will be home and if you wanna give my a call please do so.
Love you all and remember that it is important to rely on god during these odd, panic filled, and confusing times. He will help us through it.
-Love, Still Elder Bradford
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