So, it's Moves Week. Sorry, I know Mom must have had a heart attack when no e-mail came on Monday--haha. I hope all is going well. It's good to see you're all busy and doing what you need to be doing!
Well, where to start? Many amazing things have happened and lots of miracles--we picked up 11 new investigators this week and we've been having a lot of success! It's been a very, very busy week--our schedule was running bus to bus, just trying to keep up, but I loved it.
Well, where to start? Many amazing things have happened and lots of miracles--we picked up 11 new investigators this week and we've been having a lot of success! It's been a very, very busy week--our schedule was running bus to bus, just trying to keep up, but I loved it.
Monday: this was P-day, and you heard from me that night. We went to FHE with the Delgados and taught the lesson about Lehi's vision. They have been struggling with getting their kids going to seminary and church, so we are taking a chance and starting to teach FHE to the less-actives and members who have kids (because we can relate to them!). We are also going to start teaching classes once a month at church to the youth, and try to help make the scriptures and church more interesting!
Tuesday: I went on exchanges with Elder Forbes. Literally, we were jumping back and forth from Battersea to Brixton all day (it's a twenty-five minute bus ride). All of our appointments were scattered out back and forth so we were running to buses.
Wednesday: Good ol' Wednesday--me and Elder Hanks were back together and ready to do some work! We went to a common, and there were about five college kids on a park bench, so we started to talk to them and they said "Yeah, but we've got to go to school." So, they invited us back to the park bench the next day, so we came back and they were there. We taught them all and gave them all a Book of Mormon! They accepted the challenge to read and pray. They all loved the book, and all of them have had questions and have read parts throughout the book-- they really enjoy it and really are interested, so this is very good!
Thursday: I was on exchanges with Barnwell. We had a busy day that fell into pieces--people cancelling, and people floggin' us like crazy, so we really had a stressful day. We tried to stay positive, though. We kept happy and played "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," (my personal favorite), and I sang while he played, so that calmed us down and gave us the ambition to push forward and to help out!
Tuesday: I went on exchanges with Elder Forbes. Literally, we were jumping back and forth from Battersea to Brixton all day (it's a twenty-five minute bus ride). All of our appointments were scattered out back and forth so we were running to buses.
Wednesday: Good ol' Wednesday--me and Elder Hanks were back together and ready to do some work! We went to a common, and there were about five college kids on a park bench, so we started to talk to them and they said "Yeah, but we've got to go to school." So, they invited us back to the park bench the next day, so we came back and they were there. We taught them all and gave them all a Book of Mormon! They accepted the challenge to read and pray. They all loved the book, and all of them have had questions and have read parts throughout the book-- they really enjoy it and really are interested, so this is very good!
Thursday: I was on exchanges with Barnwell. We had a busy day that fell into pieces--people cancelling, and people floggin' us like crazy, so we really had a stressful day. We tried to stay positive, though. We kept happy and played "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," (my personal favorite), and I sang while he played, so that calmed us down and gave us the ambition to push forward and to help out!
Friday: Super busy, wow. Me and Elder Hanks had a very good day of finding and of teaching. We met Stephen, and he is amazing. He's a serious a Bible scholar, but he backs all of the scriptures in the Book of Mormon with scriptures from the Bible--hilarious, huh? I love it! He is so amazing and really ready for baptism on the 27th. We've just got to keep helping him understand the importance of church!
Saturday: FINALLY! An amazing day in the history of us South Londoners! DIETER F. UCHTDORF AND NEIL L. ANDERSON came to England! (Here is an official church news story about their visit). We had a special missionary conference with them in MAIN LONDON, so we got to cross the river and go to HYDE PARK CHAPEL! It was a sweet experience--they taught us and helped us learn the greatest lessons! I love the counsel and stories--they have helped me so much to understand a lot.
Saturday: FINALLY! An amazing day in the history of us South Londoners! DIETER F. UCHTDORF AND NEIL L. ANDERSON came to England! (Here is an official church news story about their visit). We had a special missionary conference with them in MAIN LONDON, so we got to cross the river and go to HYDE PARK CHAPEL! It was a sweet experience--they taught us and helped us learn the greatest lessons! I love the counsel and stories--they have helped me so much to understand a lot.
The first lesson was about magnifying our callings, and how to lift ourselves up! President Uchtdorf said "Focus all your energy on the day. Remember, the sun will always rise every day no matter what, and so shall we rise and work all the day. As the sun battles the clouds, we battle the world and share the gospel light." Amazing analogy! Then he told us how critical we are and how we are an extended arm of the Apostles. I know that we as missionaries truly are, and we need to magnify our calling, because we need to bring people prepared unto the Lord! He said we are in an amazing time for England: baptisms are at their highest, the entire world will hear the message, and we are a part of the amazing shift of times!
Then Neil L. Anderson spoke. Remember, he is brand new--60 days he has been an apostle, but an amazing one at that. He has traveled with Uchtdorf for the last few weeks all over Europe. He taught us how we need to realize this is "NOT ABOUT US--IT'S ABOUT THEM" This talk was so powerful. Really, I learned so much about how we need to forget ourselves. Literally, this mission is not for me, it is for those I come in contact with--I am just the tool! This really hit home and gave me the strength I've needed to have that courage to go out and to teach people and open my mouth and talk and share the gospel! He told us that every person we see, we need to see them in the future--see what they will become in the church as a leader as a teacher, as all members in the church do. We need to envision what their future is and how great their joy will be!
Then President Uchtdorf spoke again. An amazing power and spirit is with this man. Seriously, you could feel it enter the room when he came in . He said, "Bless lives of many--not just those you find." It's so true. We should always have a smile, and always share the gospel--never be ashamed! He also said, "WORK YOUR HEELS OFF." He said it's okay to do, because you can buy a new pair.
Then he taught a valuable lesson that I felt was specifically for me. This is what he said: "Who cares if you're rejected? Are we better than Jesus or than Joseph Smith? No, we are not, so we need to accept it and move on. We will never have to go through what either of those two went through, so I ask all of you: are you better the JESUS or JOSEPH?" He followed by saying "You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage them." I was just blown away, really. It was so amazing! He also said that we all are called but we are not qualified--God does not call the qualified, he qualifies those he calls. I seriously felt a punch to my spirit on this subject, because I fear talking to people sometimes. But somehow I have had the power to accept the rejection and move past it! We have a sweet Brixton quote: "Offend many, save a few." Haha. Really think about that and really invite your friends to church.
So, that was our Saturday: packed with the Spirit of the Apostles. Try and top that one! :) Yeah, it was amazing and I loved it. They truly are called of God and are Apostles of the Lord, I know this without a doubt in my mind. I wish you all could feel that shiver and that feeling of light and peace and happiness I felt the whole time they were there! They are both amazing men, called of God, and are being qualified as he said! I love this work so much!
Then, on Saturday night we got back to the church, and something strange happened! All the missionaries had gone and we needed to lock up the church, but we found some bags just sitting there, so we knew someone was in the building! We searched the whole building and found no one, so we looked in the clerk's office and there was a man in there watching the priesthood broadcast. We all had a sick feeling and this kid was very strange--he said he just wanted to watch the broadcast, so we had to wait in the church during our prime time to find people. After he left, we called a few people. Come to find out, he has been trying to live in the church and is very strange, so it was a good thing we stayed and got him out of there!
Sunday: we had an amazing experience. It was stake conference with President Uchtdorf and Elder Anderson again. Their wives were with them, along with Thomas S. Monson's daughter, Ann M. Dibb from the General Young Women Presidency, and Cheryl C. Lant, the General Primary President. It was another amazing session and President Uchtdorf counseled the missionaries and members of the church--so, all of you!
He said we need to find one person every week and them to church. It can be a less-active member--invite them and encourage them. Especially if you know any inactive youth, invite one of them to church. He said there are a lot of missionaries out now (about 55,000), but it's not enough for every less-active member. We would need to have 3 times that many missionaries to reach all the inactives--so we need members to increase the outreach and to invite people to come to church!
Sister Dibb said there are three things all families should do:
1. We must look to the temple: hold a recommend, stay worthy, and go whenever possible. We have time and we are saving lives.
2. We must look to the prophet: listen to talks and counsel. This is all directly through the Lord and is given to us to listen and to heed.
3. We must look to Christ: this is self-explanatory, and we all should be following His example.
Sunday: we had an amazing experience. It was stake conference with President Uchtdorf and Elder Anderson again. Their wives were with them, along with Thomas S. Monson's daughter, Ann M. Dibb from the General Young Women Presidency, and Cheryl C. Lant, the General Primary President. It was another amazing session and President Uchtdorf counseled the missionaries and members of the church--so, all of you!
He said we need to find one person every week and them to church. It can be a less-active member--invite them and encourage them. Especially if you know any inactive youth, invite one of them to church. He said there are a lot of missionaries out now (about 55,000), but it's not enough for every less-active member. We would need to have 3 times that many missionaries to reach all the inactives--so we need members to increase the outreach and to invite people to come to church!
Sister Dibb said there are three things all families should do:
1. We must look to the temple: hold a recommend, stay worthy, and go whenever possible. We have time and we are saving lives.
2. We must look to the prophet: listen to talks and counsel. This is all directly through the Lord and is given to us to listen and to heed.
3. We must look to Christ: this is self-explanatory, and we all should be following His example.
Help the missionaries in the ward! Be kind, show others the love you have for them, and do all the work you can to help and to serve others as in Jacob 2. Read the chapter and learn how to develop the charity and kindness for others and accept our Savior's outstretched hand!
President Uchtdorf counseled everyone to hold Family Home Evening every week. Help your kids to listen! Do not let them leave! He said, "Is it easy? No. But important? Yes!" He said all our families will increase in vision and receive more blessings if we always have FHE, so keep it up! One more important thing he stressed: TO FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER. He said, "As you do this, you are developing your Christ-like attributes, and if they do not accept your forgiveness, at least you did the right thing!"
Well, sorry this email is so long, but I hope you all enjoyed hearing about my week. The work is going forward! I feel the Spirit more then ever before, and it feels so good to know that I can always have that constant companionship, as long as I strive to do my best and pray every day! Continue to develop your faith--this church is just as true as it was when Christ was on the Earth it has all the true doctrine! I know it's true.
President Uchtdorf counseled everyone to hold Family Home Evening every week. Help your kids to listen! Do not let them leave! He said, "Is it easy? No. But important? Yes!" He said all our families will increase in vision and receive more blessings if we always have FHE, so keep it up! One more important thing he stressed: TO FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER. He said, "As you do this, you are developing your Christ-like attributes, and if they do not accept your forgiveness, at least you did the right thing!"
Well, sorry this email is so long, but I hope you all enjoyed hearing about my week. The work is going forward! I feel the Spirit more then ever before, and it feels so good to know that I can always have that constant companionship, as long as I strive to do my best and pray every day! Continue to develop your faith--this church is just as true as it was when Christ was on the Earth it has all the true doctrine! I know it's true.
I invite you all to share this with someone in the next week, and invite them to church--you will see blessings, I promise. A servant of the Lord and an Apostle, President Uchtdorf, also promised it--so heed the counsel and do as he said, you will see blessings! I have a testimony of tithing: continue to pay it and see the blessings you receive.
I am so grateful for all the blessings I have received. I love you all so much, and I know without a doubt in my mind this is the Lord's work. No one can take that from me or you! Continue to read and pray and study. I love you all so much and miss you all, but know I am doing the right thing. I say these things and bear my testimony, humbly, in the name of my Lord and Saviour and Redemer, Jesus Christ. AMEN!
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