LDS Mission- Bluefield WV

My LDS Mission

Bluefield,
West Virginia and Virginia

September 1987-January 1988

My first four weeks in Bluefield I was with another lady missionary by the name of Sister Rowley. Our Mission President had transferred me from very hot and humid Edenton, NC to this "air conditioned" city in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains--halfway between the Smokies and the Blueridge Mountains of West Virginia.

Our apartment was in the attic of an old red two story house. We entered the house from the side of the house and climbed the stairs up to the attic. The landlord lived on the main floor and her daughter and family lived on the second floor.

At the beginning of the street was a "Dead End" sign. Just beyond our apartment at the other end of the street was a cemetery.

I spent most of the time just learning my way around the town. I knew that Sister Rowley would be moving on to another town in about a month and so it became my job to learn the area...real fast.

We lived in Bluefield, West Virginia but spent a lot of our time in Bluefield, Virginia. We crossed the State line so often that we often had no idea which State we were in.

After Sister Rowley left I was joined by a Sister Johnson. She and I would spend the next 3 1/2 months together--including Christmas. As a gift for our families back home that year we made a video with the help of one of the local LDS members. Our poor families got car sick watching as we whizzed from place to place.

On one very cold day Sister Johnson and I were out contacting people door to door. One nice gentleman had politely told us he was not interested in our message. After he closed the door we headed down his VERY steep driveway (many were that way in Bluefield, WV) when I slipped and fell. The gentleman saw my spill and came out to help. He invited us in to warm up by the fire and sooth my aches. While warming up we asked if we could tell him a little about ourselves and what we were doing. He ended up hearing our message.

On the way back down the same driveway, Sister Johnson said I should try falling more often. It would get us in more doors. I politely declined...saying she was next.

We were among a eight other sets of missionaries serving in the very south west corner of Virginia and into West Virginia. Three sets of Elders and two sets of Sister Missionaries. We all became good friends.

Sister Johnson was a very outgoing and strong missionary. She and I were able to meet and teach a lot of people while we were together. She taught me a lot of things about sharing the gospel and about me in general.

We shared the area with one Elders Gullino and Anderson. We helped them with the people they were teaching and visa versa. One woman they were teaching lived in the apartment below them. She was eventually baptized.

We had a lot of fun with those Elders. Their example gave me the courage to go on when it was difficult. Several months later as I arrived in Roanoke Elder Anderson also arrived in a neighboring area. He jokingly accused me of following him around the mission. This would turn out to be prophetic as he and I were among a large group of missionaries returning home on the same day.

Christmas in Bluefield was an very memorable. We were able to call our families for the first time since I entered the Mission Training Center. Missionaries are not allowed to call home except for Christmas Day and Mother's Day. Later on that day Sister Johnson, the Elders and I were invited to dinner with a local church member and her family.

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