- Storyline of Gleaners
Elder Doggett
This handsome Elder is me, Elder Doggett, although none of the missionaries are named in the strip, and only two people, to my knowledge, are ever named by name: Arlon Holland and the Migovich family. As an Elder he is known to knock on doors, share a great message, and draw the antics of many other missionaries.
The Companions
Elder Sinex
Hailing to us from Blanding, Utah, Elder Sinex was my companion during the three weeks at the MTC. He was a nice guy with a very willing heart. He may have need to learn a few skills, but, upon meeting with him at the end of the mission, he had really grown into a fine individual... even if he still doesn't know how the strip on a charge card works. (His head also always looks different; I hadn't settled on making people look like they really do quite yet.)
Elder Whitehead
This guy from Cache Valley, the Provo of the North, was my trainer - the guy who showed me the ropes of life "in the field". He was a crazy, fun-loving, hard worker, which was great for me, because I was gung-ho ready to do the same. We had a fun time, and he did a lot of things that became part of my own routine and style. A great individual, though crazy.
Elder Mower
Elder Mower was my companion for only two weeks, but it was a fun two weeks, indeed! He's actually from my home stake (a collection of congregations) and we had been in the same Physics class in high school. It was nice to be with an old friend. He's a great clogger, if you know him. A very easy-going, quiet, mild-mannered guy who just did a great job.
Elder Dyslin
This Elder was crazy (and I don't think he'd mind if I told the world that). We were in a threesome for two weeks with Elder Mower, and two weeks just us, then two weeks with Elder Cowley, and then six weeks of just us, in the same apartment with Elder Cowley, and his comp, Elder Bingham. Elder Dyslin was from Shnecksville, PA, and had a great sense of humor. His greatest weakness was also his greatest strength: a subtle apathy for everything. He kept a cheerful attitude, even in the face of overwhelming despair. That helped a lot. I bugged him a lot, however, as he is a neat-freak, and I am NOT. Still, I look back on him as one of my good friends. And, yes, he was always thinking about girls. (Kinda crazy to hear from him after he got home that, after two years of not dating or hanging out with girls, it was as nerve-racking to be with them as it was in junior high!)
Elder Cowley 
Elder Cowley was from Arizona, and came to help out Dyslin and me in Tigard. He was a lot of fun, too. We had a good time together, with some wacky adventures that shall never be spoken of here! :-) Times were good. I've lost track of Cowley, and have heard many rumors of him, some good, some bad. Here's hoping good things have come his way!
Elder Farnsworth
Elder Sam Farnsworth was with me for only six weeks, but we had a great time together. We've hung out a bit after the mission; he's a good friend. He lives all the way up in Logan, Utah, which makes it hard to visit, but we try to every few months it seems. He's cool, and has a great attitude.
Elder Humphries
This guy came to the Portland Mission after the switch occurred between Portland, Eugene, and Kennewick. Being a Eugene-r, we had some rough goings, especially with differing rules, but things soon got sorted out, and we had a great time (aided by the fact that I was in a CAR for a good long time). He taught me lot of jokes, and a lot of how to deal with people. He is an instant leader; he has that character that just draws people to him, and causes them to shut up when he talks. A habit I tried to imitate, but couldn't.
Elder Brady
Dang, but this is a cool kid! After Humphries was transferred, I was made District Leader (in charge of four-six other Elders), and had the opportunity to finish training Elder Brady. He broke me into the role of leader, and it hurt both of us, but, looking back on it, he was probably one of my favorite companions. We worked hard, I think, and got a lot done. I hope he's doing well. He'll be home July 2004, just in time for Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man is his hobby and fanaticism.
Elder Lepetich 
This guy, from the same MTC group and same home-town as Elder Brady showed a marked contrast. We had both started our missions in the same area of North Portland, and had a lot of fun comparing times and people (a lot can change in a year). We had a lot of fun, perhaps too much, but they were times that I still look back fondly on. This guy really knew how to take it easy on Preparation Day. I'll never forget his salsas (he made them almost every week) or his dare to eat whole habanero peppers (nor the ten full minutes of pain that followed). A very cool guy, also coming home soon.
Elder Bock
This was my first time to train somebody straight from the MTC, and, to put it bluntly, I totally screwed it up. This guy was fresh and new, and I treated him just like any other guy who had some hardening experiences, and it wasn't good. I'm still feeling bad for the crap I put him through. He later forgave me, but all in all, I'm glad that he's been doing well there. I should write him, and let him know who much he helped me out. He was stubborn, but, darn it, he was usually right, too! A good guy who just wanted to get the job done because it was the right thing to do, and nobody was gonna stop him. I should've been more like that.
Elder Patey
World-knowing globetrotter and smart guy, Elder Patey made a good companion for three months. He was from the same MTC group as Elder Bock, so I technically finished training, but the kid was top-notch and already had scriptures memorized, and knew what he was talking about. He knew a LOT about cool subjects, too, like science fiction, fantasy, and anime. It bugged me sometimes that he only wanted to have conversations about the gospel or our investigators, even casual conversations, but he meant well, and I was just as stubborn. He was probably right (there! I said it!), but I didn't want to lose my grasp on talking normal. We had fun, too, being in the rough area of North Portland (right next-door to where I started my mission; cool!). He'll go far.
Elder Egbert
I had slacked on drawing the journal by this time (about a month before I went home) so I actually don't have a design for Egbert yet, though I have the strips already scripted. Elder Egbert was a GREAT guy to hang out with: he was, in my view, very similar to me in attitude: let's do the job and have fun. Of course, by that time, I probably appeared more along the lines of "let's not do the job, let's just have fun, I've only got a few weeks left, woohoo!" which isn't good. Thankfully, he endured my "trunkiness" (the adjective describing the attitude of having your bagged packed mentally) and we had a great time.