2nd Mission Story: The Closet

Elder Love and his companion John Lunt were in an investigator's home, teaching the first discussion. They ate some cake and drank some herbal tea, and then it was time to go. At the doorway entry, there was a closet just near the front door. When the elders were saying their goodbyes, Elder Lunt had his hand on the closet doorknob, thinking it was the front door. He opened it, completely expecting to go outside. Instead, he found himself in the closest. He came out, beet red, with a smile on his face. They had a good laugh about that one for a long time.

Scaring Eric

Eric is the oldest brother in the Love family. As a result of this, he could always get away with teasing all his younger siblings. He caused all sorts of mischief...he was the annoying brother who always picked on and tormented everyone. Aaron was one of his everyday victims. And he wanted to do something to get Eric back.

One day, Aaron discovered the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge. Eric was in the back bedroom, so Aaron meandered in the living room for a little while, waiting for Eric to come out to the kitchen. When Eric got to the kitchen, Aaron walked through the living room all the way around to the other side of the kitchen. It put him in the perfect position to sneak right up behind Eric, who was now simply standing, completely unaware, in the middle of the kitchen. With steps as light as feathers, and stealthy as the night, Aaron crept right up behind him and shouted rather abruptly. Eric jumped so high and screamed so loud, you've never seen anyone more startled in your life than he was just then.

Normally, Eric would have gotten back at Aaron and pounded on him. But to hear Aaron tell it, Eric was so impressed with Aaron's trickery that he didn't even touch a hair on his brother's head. Way to go, Aaron!

Wheat Balls

Have you ever been hit by a spit ball out of a straw? If you have, then you know what I'm talking about when I say it is one of the most gross and irritating things EVER, and you probably feel like slapping your attacker upside the head. Am I right? YES.

Now, imagine the spit being replaced by a little wheat granule. Maybe a bit less saliva-y and wet, true, but also harder and sharper. It would downright sting to get pelted by one of those babies, don't you think?

Aaron and his buddies, the Rosenhans, discovered a little trick of putting a handful of wheat into their mouths and transferring a single grain to one opening of the straw. From there, they'd take their aim and blow enough air through the straw to fire the wheat at a victim. Usually these victims were each other, but one day, they decided to make a game of it.

They were chillin like villains in the bed of someone's truck, and they found their new, unsuspecting victims in the form of drivers in other cars--drivers with their windows down. The boys were in pretty good practice by now, and they could usually hit their target each and every time. One car pulled up right next to them at a red light. This car's driver was a woman wearing a low-cut top, and her window was down. Aaron seized the perfect opportunity and fired his wheat at the lady.

And the wheat went down her shirt front. Aaron laughed his face off when the woman jumped, startled, looking around trying to figure out what on earth had just happened to her. Of course, he'd also ducked down to the floor of the truck bed so as not be been seen.

Oh, Aaron. What a trouble maker.

"Watch Out!"

A girl named Tricia Ortega had a HUGE crush on Aaron when he was in 4th or 5th grade. Aaron thought it was soooooo weird.

One day, after school got out, Aaron started walking home. He walked straight across the street, and made his way toward the crosswalk at the four-way stop. All of a sudden, he heard a boy screaming a couple hundred yards back. It didn't take too long for Aaron to realize that the boy was shouting Aaron's name!

 "Watch out!" the boy yelled. Watch out? For what?

Before he knew it, Tricia was running after Aaron at full speed. It all became clear, perhaps too late: Tricia was aiming to plant a kiss on Aaron, and Henry, her brother, was the one shouting warnings from the front of the school.

Now, he doesn't remember whether she succeeded or not, but one thing is for sure. Aaron was a hunk, and all the girls loved him.

Directly From The Journal Pt. 3: More Monopoly and some Motorcycling

June 20, 1981

"Today me Heidi Bryan Brad and Dustsin* played baseball at the community center.
After me and Heidi played monopoly wi while my brother Zachery watched. Then I went to my dad's house and planted some corn.
Then we went to my big brothers baseball play at the baberuth field."

*If you're confused, I think his name is actually Dustin, not Dustsin. :)

June 21, 1981

"Today we went to church and I had to say a scripture to the whole primary. I felt good about what I said. After church my step dad took are family and to so that each of us could take turns riding the motorcycle. After that me Heidi and my stepdad Bud rode the motorcycle to some of Bud's friend's."

I think it's so cool that Dad played with his sister Heidi a lot when they were kids. Zach too. They both are now a lovely aunt/uncle to me and my siblings.

Total Time Spent:

30mins

Directly From The Journal Pt. 2: Sports, Paper Route, Pizza

June 19th, 1981

"Today me Heidi and Zachery played baseball for about 1 hour. After that me and Heidi played monopoly* and then had lunch. Then about 4:00 me and my friend Bryan played soccer. After that we had to do the paper route with my brother Corey. Then, we watched my little sister Heidi play soft ball but the game is really called miny sox. Then we had my favorit dinner pizza. Then I went to bed."

*Dad still really likes monopoly. Don't ask me why. :)

Directly From The Journal Pt. 1: Crashing at the Overpass

(Taken word for word from Aaron's--I believe--first journal. Note: I have not edited punctuation or anything. I'm simply copying exactly what I see from the journal into this typed format.)

June 18, 1981

"To day me Heidi Zachery and Scott Weseman played baseball. And then we rode are bikes to the church and around it.
Me and my sister Heidi were riding bikes and while we we're riding we hit a bumb bump and we crashed on the rode. My sister got bumped on the head and scraped her arm and her leg and she hit her lip on the asphalt and got a big cut. I told her to get up so we could hurry and go, home. I had to hold her lip so it would stop bleeding when we got home nobody was home so we went to Rosenhans and there dad told me Heidi to go home and put a cold rag on it and we went home and put a rag on it. I didn't get hert to bad only a little scrape on my knee. So we took are baths and went to bed."

Today--33ish years later--Dad was telling me about a part of the story he'd omitted from his journal:
Apparently, right after the two had crashed, there were two or three kids who noticed what had happened. Instead of helping Aaron and Heidi, they chuckled and walked right past them.
Sort of like the story of the Good Samaritan, although there was no good Samaritan this time. Hmm, interesting.

Yay! Wasn't Aaron just the cutest little 9-year-old kid ever?!