Peanut Butter and Jelly

During a zone conference held in the Kievsky chapel in Donetsk, I was asked to comment on the commitment pattern exercise we had just observed. One Elder was challenged to commit his companion to slicing his bread thinner for his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After a few moments of BRTing and committing, the companion finally relented and made the commitment to slice his bread thinner. The Elders then turned to me and asked if they could have done anything better? I replied, “Yes, you needed to testify more about why the bread must be thin and not thick.” I could feel everyone looking at me trying to figure out how you could testify about bread and peanut butter. Then I launched into one of my best impromptu speeches. It went something like this: “Do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I mean do you really like them? If the answer is yes then you know that you must have a thin slice of bread for your sandwich. A thick slice of bread distracts from the true meaning of this sandwich which is to savor the flavors of peanuts and jelly and not just any peanut butter and jelly will do. You must use chunky peanut butter and grape jelly. Some people think you can use smooth peanut butter and honey or strawberry jam, but this is a false assumption and I will tell you why. You take your thin slice of bread and spread a thick helping of chunky peanut butter on it. You then add an equally thick helping of grape jelly – Welches grape jelly. As you bring the sandwich to your mouth your taste buds are anticipating the joy they are about to receive – you are already starting to salivate. As you sink your teeth into the grape jelly, you can actually feel your teeth slicing through the jelly and the jelly being smashed to the roof of your mouth. Your teeth continue through the jelly to the chunky peanut butter which adds a salty peanut buttery taste to the sweet jelly. Finally, your teeth reach the bread and you get a hint, just a small hint, of the bread flavor. It is not over powering but just the right amount of yeasty flavor to finish the sandwich. And, I testify that is how you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I got through, there were a couple of missionaries standing up and shaking their fists in approval. I asked if there were any Amen’s and I got a few Amen’s. Maybe even a hallelujah. I sat down and looked at my wife. I could tell I had done something different. I really think she thought I had gone crazy, but this is what I enjoyed most about the mission. I loved motivating missionaries. I might not have been the most spiritual mission president around (but there were moments, weren’t there), but I could tell a good story. I know our missionaries are the choicest souls that have ever walked the planet earth. My wife and I are so proud to have served with the few, the spiritual, the great ones who blessed our lives, in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission.