David Mayberry Texas North (Dallas) Mission 1972-1974
I grew up in Ogden Utah. As a teen I was ok but not very motivated about the Gospel. I attended church and was generally a good kid, but that was it. I graduated from Ogden High in 1971 and went to Utah State for a year. I spent the summer before I turned 19 golfing, working a little, playing tennis and basketball with my best friend Bill, sleeping in until 11 everyday and thinking very little of a mission. Bill’s birthday was also in August so we did talk about maybe going. Obviously, not among the top 10 best ways to prepare for a mission. By the end of summer, Bill and I decided to “give it a try.” I talked to my Bishop, got the papers in and was off to Texas in September. Back in those days the “bar” was very low and I still had to pretty much crawl under it. By the way, my Farewell talk was pitiful! Now for the worst and most embarrassing part: My testimony was so weak that I was truly concerned that being in the Bible Belt, I could possibly run into a Preacher or someone that could tell me something that would prove to me that the church was not true. In 4 or 5 attempts to read the Book of Momon I never even got over the “Isaiah Wall.” But I decided “what the heck, I’ve got nothing better to do right now.” I did not really want to go back to school yet and I certainly did not want to get a job. Again, very embarrassing and not recommended. This method is only for a professional slacker, do not try this at home.
So I got to Texas (the Mission Home is Salt Lake was only 3 days) and had a great and patient Trainer, Elder Mack. But because my mission had a large turnover at the time, after only 5 weeks I was transferred to Mesquite (suburb of Dallas) with Elder Taylor who came out with me. We were co-senior companions. Neither one of us was ready for that. We did not know the discussions and I had just got past Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. I was making progress but not there yet. So during the first week or two we went on “splits” with the District Leader…Taylor with the DL and me with this 2 week old companion. So as Elder “Greeny” and I were tracting in the morning, we knocked on the door where an older guy, you know 40 or so, was home in the middle of the day. He said “sure, come on in, I was just studying the scriptures myself.” A few months later I would have spotted him a mile away, but I was clueless. Anyway, we sat at his kitchen table and started to butcher the first discussion. He was nice and very patient but finally said “hey Guys, couldn’t we just talk about the scriptures?” We were doing so badly I said sure.
We started talking about our concepts of heaven and hell and we told him about the Three Degrees of Glory. He responded by reading to us in Luke about Lazarus and the Rich Man and how they were clearly in heaven and hell. I explained that actually there were in the Spirit World before the resurrection and how the Savior had not yet opened the gulf between spirit prison and paradise and so on. The things I was telling him were so obviously clear and true to me. He remained unconvinced but it was a congenial discussion. And yes, he was one of those dreaded scary Bible Belt preachers I was so worried about. And there I was, in effect all alone in battle with him. Turns out we actually did convert someone that day.That was me.
As we left I thought, look, he is probably as good as they’ve got and I was sure that I was as bad as we’ve got and yet I totally thumped him. I’m sure he didn't realize he’d been thumped, but I knew that the things I was telling him were true. They were logical, simple and basic and really kind of obvious. During my years of barely listening in Sunday School and Seminary it appears that at least a few things got through. I also know the Spirit helped me that day. I still had a long way to go, like 400 more pages, but from that point forward I was no longer concerned that some preacher was going to prove the church wrong. From starting out as being the worse we had, I actually got pretty good. It was the Bible Belt and I was challenged often and learned a lot more. Most importantly, I soon learned to feel the Spirit, the key to a truly durable testimony.
The real significant life lesson I learned early in my mission was to be patient with my testimony. I learned that I don’t have to fully understand everything about this amazing mystery that is life in order to go ahead and do the right things. There are many things about the Gospel and our very existence that are as yet incomprehensible to me and yet I can hold onto the basics, the Book of Mormon, the fruits of living of the Gospel etc, and wait until I have more experiences and more knowledge to help me build on the testimony I have.
I know that the Gospel is true and I am so grateful that I took that leap of faith to serve a mission. It was one of the best 4 or 5 things I’ve done in my life and it has greatly blessed those other good things I’ve done. To these things I testify in the Name of Jesus Christ.
So I got to Texas (the Mission Home is Salt Lake was only 3 days) and had a great and patient Trainer, Elder Mack. But because my mission had a large turnover at the time, after only 5 weeks I was transferred to Mesquite (suburb of Dallas) with Elder Taylor who came out with me. We were co-senior companions. Neither one of us was ready for that. We did not know the discussions and I had just got past Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. I was making progress but not there yet. So during the first week or two we went on “splits” with the District Leader…Taylor with the DL and me with this 2 week old companion. So as Elder “Greeny” and I were tracting in the morning, we knocked on the door where an older guy, you know 40 or so, was home in the middle of the day. He said “sure, come on in, I was just studying the scriptures myself.” A few months later I would have spotted him a mile away, but I was clueless. Anyway, we sat at his kitchen table and started to butcher the first discussion. He was nice and very patient but finally said “hey Guys, couldn’t we just talk about the scriptures?” We were doing so badly I said sure.
We started talking about our concepts of heaven and hell and we told him about the Three Degrees of Glory. He responded by reading to us in Luke about Lazarus and the Rich Man and how they were clearly in heaven and hell. I explained that actually there were in the Spirit World before the resurrection and how the Savior had not yet opened the gulf between spirit prison and paradise and so on. The things I was telling him were so obviously clear and true to me. He remained unconvinced but it was a congenial discussion. And yes, he was one of those dreaded scary Bible Belt preachers I was so worried about. And there I was, in effect all alone in battle with him. Turns out we actually did convert someone that day.That was me.
As we left I thought, look, he is probably as good as they’ve got and I was sure that I was as bad as we’ve got and yet I totally thumped him. I’m sure he didn't realize he’d been thumped, but I knew that the things I was telling him were true. They were logical, simple and basic and really kind of obvious. During my years of barely listening in Sunday School and Seminary it appears that at least a few things got through. I also know the Spirit helped me that day. I still had a long way to go, like 400 more pages, but from that point forward I was no longer concerned that some preacher was going to prove the church wrong. From starting out as being the worse we had, I actually got pretty good. It was the Bible Belt and I was challenged often and learned a lot more. Most importantly, I soon learned to feel the Spirit, the key to a truly durable testimony.
The real significant life lesson I learned early in my mission was to be patient with my testimony. I learned that I don’t have to fully understand everything about this amazing mystery that is life in order to go ahead and do the right things. There are many things about the Gospel and our very existence that are as yet incomprehensible to me and yet I can hold onto the basics, the Book of Mormon, the fruits of living of the Gospel etc, and wait until I have more experiences and more knowledge to help me build on the testimony I have.
I know that the Gospel is true and I am so grateful that I took that leap of faith to serve a mission. It was one of the best 4 or 5 things I’ve done in my life and it has greatly blessed those other good things I’ve done. To these things I testify in the Name of Jesus Christ.
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