IPhones and other "devilish" devices

October 17, 2014

We arrived to a mission that wasn’t “completely” keeping the rules.  90% of our missionaries are the most amazing Elders and Sisters in the world.  However, some of the rest were having a little too much fun!

Now I am always for fun.  No one enjoys a good laugh more than I!  However, when there is one set of parents for 210 children, there has to be some pretty good controls to keep them all safe!

One of the rules of our missionaries is to not have electronic devices that connect to the internet.  Electronic devices are a huge distraction to missionary work and also allow some unwelcome behaviors with the internet. Each companionship is supplied with a phone so we do have contact.  However the phone model is about 1932.

We have worked hard at changing a little bit of the culture of our missionaries.  IPhones and IPads are cheap at the local flea markets.  Therefore, many would like to have them.  They have also found out that they can take the sim card out of the 1932 model and make it work in there new (probably stolen) IPhones.

Tomorrow is Amnesty Day!  All IPhones, etc. can be turned into us with no adverse consequences.  After Saturday, there will be a price to pay!  There is a meeting of all of us tomorrow morning.  We hope to gather all the “loot.”

So our missionaries have been having a good laugh at this.  Most don’t own an IPhone or even know the meaning of the word “amnesty.”   But all want to see who does have these “devilish” devices!

Today we were doing interviews in Los Reyes.  Elder Hixon, always the jokester, decided to play a prank on “President.”  Just before going in for an interview, he borrowed my IPhone and arranged for Elder Gomez to call him in 5 minutes.  The interview started and the phone went off in his pocket.

Elder Hixon pulling the phone out of his pocket and answering: “Listen, I can’t talk right now.  I’m with the President.”  He hangs up and puts the IPhone back in his pocket.

President, looking strongly at the Elder: “Elder Hixon, was that an IPhone I just saw?”

Hixon: “Yes President it was.”

President: “Why do you have an IPhone Elder Hixon?  Don’t you know they are against the rules?”

Hixon: “I thought I would just use it until you take it away tomorrow.”

Seeing the shocked look of the President, Elder Hixon started to laugh.  The prank went off perfectly!