5 General Authorities and 206 Missionaries -- October 24, 2016

Whoa. This week went entirely too quickly! We spent PDay in Louth which was good because we barely got all the emailing, cleaning, and shopping done. We decided to deep clean the flat a little bit each week because that's what we're supposed to do all Halloween night and we determined if we do a little every day and week, we will be able to party all evening. But let's face it, that just means we'll probably go to bed around seven...anyways, we had planned to meet with someone at a members house on Monday, but the member cancelled. Then he cancelled. So we walked around for two hours. It would've been three, but sister Manning had a cold and had taken some theraflu and was getting really drowsy and couldn't walk in a very straight line. So we went in and went through the area book and made plans to contact formers. So that was loads of fun!

Tuesday we tried by a few people in the morning and then went to try a few community service organisations to see if there was anything we could do. There wasn't. So we had lunch and then went to do street contacting to our lesson. About halfway there I realised I had forgotten the phone at home and so we turned around and got it and still made the lesson on time! Tender mercy! We went over the restoration with him and it went pretty well. He just doesn't want to go to church because he feels we don't need churches to be able to do good things. And I told him church isn't a service opportunity. I was going to finish with why we go to church, but sister Scott, the member who came with us cut me off because I think she was afraid it sounded offensive. Don't think he took it offensively...but we'll see next time I guess! So then we tried by a few more people and had a lesson with one of the formers we had contacted. She still wasn't interested, but we talked for quite a bit, so that was good! Then we went to Ben's and read 1 Nephi 3:5-8 with him and went over the importance of looking for Gods way to do things. He seemed to really enjoy it and was excited to read the rest of the chapter to see how it ended! So that was way cool! Then we had tea at the O'Grams and did 12 weeks! Then I made cocoa cookies because I was really wanting them. It was about 10 o'clock when I started them, but I was still in bed by 10:30!

Wednesday was pretty long. We woke up early to get to district meeting on time. Had district meeting. Then took lunch in town and got some very nice fleece lined tights that I'm sure will be well worn when winter hits hard! Then we had a lesson with Jackie and went over the Priesthood and Auxiliaries with her. Then we got back on the bus to go to the Scott's house for tea. Then they took us to the chapel for missionary coordination and branch council. We almost got in trouble because we are supposed to be in at 9, 9:30 at the latest, and we got in at 9:25. Another tender mercy!

Thursday was quite interesting. We went to the library to make Jackie's baptismal program and then had lunch and then went to Sister Stephenson's house to meet a guy named Dene. Dene had found our card and asked if we could meet up so we were beyond excited. Unfortunately he wanted to meet up because he's basically a debt councillor and wanted to know if we could get him in touch with any clients...it was good though because we talked about prophets and how the prophet councils us to stay out of debt and we showed him the self reliance manuals and the Book of  Mormon. He seemed interested and said he'd be in touch! So we shall see what comes of that. Then we popped by a few people and then had tea at the Fox's. They're such a funny family. Brother Fox dished me up and he had been telling me earlier that my coat makes me look smaller than I already am since it's so long. So he kept calling me a midget, which of course I'm used to anyways. But then he dished me up and gave me one leaf of cabbage, one carrot slice, two peas, and a sliver of meat. Then said "there that should tide a midget over!" It was really funny. After tea with them we went to have a lesson with Jane and Andy. We decided the best way to determine their commitment was to teach them something they'd really have to act on. So we taught word of wisdom. It actually went really well and they said they'd start cutting down and try to live it! So that's really good!

Friday seemed so short! We had a long weekly planning trying to get things ready for the baptism and inviting people to it. Then we had lunch and went out. Jackie forgot we were coming and was in town, so we went to see Josephine and talked with her for a little bit. Then we grabbed our suitcases and headed to the bus station. We travelled to Grimsby and then caught the bus to Hull. So that was a long trip. When we got to Hull, we visited a member. Thank goodness Sister Manning served there before because she knew them already! Then we helped ourselves to the Hull Sister's food and had tea. Then we went straight to bed because we had an early morning to get ready for!

Saturday! Oh Saturday! So we had an all-mission conference with President Nelson presiding. What a crazy day. We woke up around 3:30 this morning and got ready. A taxi came and picked us up at 5:15 and then we went to the chapel and got a coach to Huddersfield. It was great! We had about an hour to catch up with all the other missionaries. It was so good seeing everyone again! Then the spirituality came in. We sat in the chapel listening to prelude music for about half an hour and they all came in. We had five General Authorities and their wives and we all got to shake their hands. It was such a great meeting. Most of them talked about becoming true disciples of Christ and how we could and should apply that to our missionary work. It was really powerful and President Nelson blessed each of us and our families as we give our all to  this work. It was such a powerful blessing and most people were in tears. Anyways, they had packed lunches for each of us, so we each took a bag and ate on the coach back to Hull. We got to Hull and caught the bus back to Grimsby. Then we waited 45 minutes and caught the bus back to Louth. We dropped our stuff off and had thirty minutes left to proselyte until tea and 12 weeks. So it was a great day but felt like it spanned about two or three days.

Sunday was a special Stake Conference with President Hallstrom presiding. It was such a great meeting as well. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too well and so I didn't get a ton out of it, but the Spirit was strong and that's what's important! So Jackie was supposed to have her interview on Sunday, but her foot had swollen to about twice its size and they have no idea why. So she couldn't walk very well and decided not to go to the conference. So we went and visited her after lunch and talked to her about callings and service in the church. She will have her interview on Tuesday now and didn't want to mover her baptism date, so we should be still having a baptism this weekend! It'll just be short notice for some of the members...but she said she's been looking forward to it too long and counting down the days, so she didn't want to move it a week. Then we were going to have a lesson with Ben, but he wound up having some things he needed to take care of, so we had a lesson with Josephine instead.

My spiritual thought comes from my notes on our Saturday Meeting. "The first spoken word in this dispensation was "Joseph" it was a name" I love that thought! The first thing Heavenly Father said, the first thing He showed, was that He knows us by name. We aren't just creation #626 or something, we are His children and He knows us individually and He knows us by name.

Love you all!

Sister Hope

What A Week -- October 31, 2016

Hello all! I had a great week and hope you did as well! Sister Manning and I have been working really hard and had a fabulous week! Stressful. But fabulous.

So after pday on Monday, we went over the area plan with Brother Stocks. For those of you who don't know, the Europe Area 70 put together action points for all the members in the area to focus on. They are: invite a friend, become physically and spiritually self reliant, and to find an ancestor. So basically to develop friendships that can eventually be led to either fellowshipping or missionary work, being self reliant, and doing family history and temple work. So we have been asked to visit every active member and go over this area plan with them. Oh and that's every month...so anyways, we are busily working at trying to do that. Then we had a lesson with Jane and Andy on the importance of church and the sacrament. We were going to go over prayers and scriptures as well, but we ran out of time and had to run home. 

Tuesday we did 12 Weeks and lunch right away and then street contacted in and around town and waited for the elders. Then we picked them up and walked with them to Jackie's house for her baptismal interview. SHE PASSED!!!!!!! So we spent the next few hours street contacting and calling auxiliary leaders to make sure as many people as possible knew about and would be able to attend the service. We were supposed to have a lesson right after but when we got there and knocked she started screaming and crying. So we decided it wasn't a good lesson and continued to street contact. Then we had another lesson with Jane and Andy since we didn't finish yesterday. We talked to them about the power of prayer and scripture study. It was another great lesson that went way too long, but it was good!

Wednesday started out with district meeting and then we caught another bus afterwards to Mablethorpe and visited a less active lady. She is so sweet and welcomed us in immediately! So we were there for about an hour getting to know her story and then we had to catch the bus back to have a lesson with Jackie. Our Branch President, President Whall, came with us and we talked about teaching and learning in the church and enduring to the end with him there. She was pretty distracted because it was the first time he'd been in her house...so that was a little embarrassing, but she didn't seem to notice and he didn't seem to mind too much.

Thursday we started trying to sort through more of the area book in the morning and then our lesson cancelled, so we went and contacted a few formers before heading to the library to finalise Jackie's baptismal program. Then we did what Sister Manning calls "wandering Finding" where we just wandered around town and looked for people to talk to. So basically street contacting without a final destination in mind. It was actually really neat, and we even found a nice, quiet park we could teach lessons if we needed to! Except it's getting really cold, so we're not sure how often that'll be utilised...but it was good anyways! Then we had a lesson with Neil. We had to talk to him on the stairs to his flat because sister Stephenson got held up at an appointment, but it was still good. We talked about the plan of salvation and temples with him and then headed out to try by a few more people and then went to the Elliot's for them to print the program. Just as we were about to hit print, we got a call from one of the speakers that he just remembered they were going out of town. So brother Elliot voluntold sister Elliot to speak instead. It was pretty funny. But then we went back to the flat for tea and 12 weeks.

Friday went so super fast it was like blinking and it was over. We had weekly planning and lunch in the morning and then had a lesson with Jackie about temples. Then we walked back to the flat and waited for Sister Harvey and we went visiting teaching with her since she visit teaches a less active family. So we basically just went for moral support. It was hard though because we found out their concern was a misconception of doctrine. And they wouldn't listen to us explain the real doctrine. So that was quite heartbreaking. But hen we had tea with the Harvey's and then had to walk around town for an hour afterwards until 9. So that was interesting. It was funny because sister Harvey didn't believe us that nobody would be out to talk to and while she was driving us home she kept saying "wow, there really is nobody, are you sure you have to stay out another hour?" It was pretty funny!

Saturday was stressful but AMAZING! We started out the day by doing Mormon.org time. I tried to figure out family search. But didn't get too far in an hour. Next time maybe. Then we had lunch and went out to try by a bunch of formers. Then we did some baptismal shopping (we bought cookies...) and then got on the bus. I woke up about thirty minutes later and then we got off and went to the chapel. The Grimsby Elders and Sisters were there trying to figure out how to fill the font. So sister Manning and I began cleaning and making sure everything was ready. Then we went back to check on the font and couldn't figure out why the water wasn't raising. Well long story short, we realised that Elder Omondi put the drain stop upside down, so it wasn't sealed and therefore the water was going right down the drain. And yes, I did just throw him under the bus. But we got it fixed and the water was at an ok level by the time the service started. It was so lovely. Jackie turned around just before she got in the font and we were afraid she was backing out, but she looked at us and said "say goodbye to the old Jackie" and gave us a hug. It was so great! She is absolutely amazing. She did have to be baptised twice though because her leg came out of the water, but she didn't complain! So that was good!

Sunday. Well Jackie got confirmed as the newest member of the Louth Branch and it was so wonderful. She said she didn't like being the centre of attention, but she feels like a brand new person and that she has a new family. It was so great. We had a lesson with her after church and then went to talk with Josephine and try to see Ben, but he was asleep already (it was 5...oh to be 15 again!) then we had tea and 12 weeks again. Only one more week! Hard to believe that transfers are already next week...

So in other news, we are safe, despite this happening to our neighbor's flat:

We think it got broken into. The police were here for a few days to make sure nobody came back, but we are safe!

And we started deep cleaning our flat this morning and found a surprise. I'm guessing it's from when elders lived here:

Oh and I finally found a Welcome to Louth sign to take a picture in front of. It was just down the road from us, who knew? Nobody I had asked in the street...

 

So my spiritual thought is from Elder Hale's talk: "Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ" "the light of belief is within you, waiting to be awakened and intensified by the Spirit of God." No matter where we are on our path of discipleship, whether we were just baptised this weekend or 100 years ago, we all have things we can learn and things to study. This is a Gospel of change and a gospel of learning. We're never done. So keep listening to that still, small voice telling you what to learn!

Sister Hope

Even More Bussess -- October 17, 2016

Busy week this week! As Always! So Monday after we finished emailing, we went shopping for Sister Manning to get a good winter coat, ate a quick meal, no then caught the bus to Hull. We started our exchange almost immediately because a less active had invited the missionaries over, but they had to go to the FHE activity...so they were thankful for the two extra missionaries. So Sister Blair and I went to visit this lady. We felt so bad because we got lost, so we didn't get there until pretty late, and we woke her son up by knocking. But she was really nice about it and we just set a better time to try by since it was late for both of us. Then we went back to their flat and did planning and talked.

Tuesday was the exchange. Sister Blair and I got right to work. We went to visit these two members. And just as we got there, they were leaving to go do shopping. So we got to do some knocking in the area instead. A few people were in, but none wanted anything to do with religion. So we went to a community service center instead. Such a miracle! They're only open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-1:30, and we got there right at 1. They didn't need any help right away, but were really excited to take their number and said they'd call if anything came up. Then we caught a bus and went to teach an investigator the Word of Wisdom. He didn't want to live it. But hey, neither did Jackie at first either. Now he just needs to have a good talk with the Holy Ghost and see where that takes him! Then we went to the fair and got some food. There was a guy working one of the candy stands who was LDS, but from a different stake, and he gave us free candy. So that was a bonus! Then Sister Manning and I got back together and caught the bus back to Grimsby. A member came and picked us up and we went back to their house for dinner. Then they dropped us off at our flat at 8:55. So we dropped our suitcases off and went back out until 9:00 reminding ourselves that exact obedience brings miracles because we literally just had time to leave, and walk around to the other gate and go in again. Felt a little like a Chinese Fire Drill back home...but all was good!

Wednesday started off slow. We got to district meeting and our district leader usually lets us in an hour early because of bus times and such and so then we do comp study at the chapel, he forgot. So he finally gets there, lets us in, and realises he forgot his flash drive at his flat. So they had to turn around and get it. So we started super late, which meant we ended super late and therefore we missed our bus home. So we grabbed a bit to eat there and then caught a bus back to Louth. We had a lesson with Jackie when we got to town and long story short, it didn't go as planned. So it was a short lesson and then we had tea with Sister Stephenson. It was really funny because she had accidentally fallen asleep, and so we had to wake her up. But we got to help her cook. Tip: mix cream cheese with your pasta sauce to make it creamier and thicker. Learned something new :) 

Thursday was long. All our lessons fell through, so we knocked. And knocked. And knocked some more. We had one person willing to take a card, but that was it. We had tea at the Elliot's house and talked about how the missionary work was going. After that appointment, we went to have a lesson with Jane. We read Elder Bednar's talk "If Ye Had Known Me" from this last conference with her about how we get to know who Christ is and therefore who God is. It was such a good talk! I think she agreed with it and hope she learned a lot from it!

Friday we had planning all morning and then went to the hospital to see if we could put our names on a volunteer list to give someone religious guidance if they request it. They didn't have a list. So we went to Jackie's and talked about Gods love with her. After our lesson with her, we rushed into town to set an appointment with a former who had been taught just before I got here and then we had to rush back to have a lesson with Ben. We talked about The Tree of Life with him and it went so good! I think he really enjoyed it and he seemed to understand it well. His favorite thing so far has been the seed of faith growing into a tree. So he likes trees. It's pretty funny. Then we had tea at the Harvey's. They're so great! She brought us halfway home and then we walked the rest of the way since we still had half an hour before we could be in. So that was good!

Saturday was basically the longest day ever. We had no lessons planned because everyone seemed to be busy. So we cracked open the area book and chose a bunch of formers to try by. So we knocked and talked for like six hours straight with no luck. But that's ok! We tried and are doing our best! We stopped by a few members in the evening to see how they were doing and so that was good. Then we came in and ate and did 12 weeks.

Sunday was busy though! We had church. Sister Elliot brought Jackie and Bethany and her mom to church. So she had a full car of investigators! That was such a blessing! Then we rushed home for a quick lunch and out to Jackie's. We answered questions and went over the interview questions! Then we went to Josephine's and had a lesson with her about patriarchal blessings since Ben had school work. We read a talk with her and it was so good! Then we went to visit Michael and talked about eternal families and temple work. Then we went to the chapel and went over the branch list with Brother Elliot while the choir was practicing. So that was good! We found out who would be open to missionaries and who totally isn't. Then we came in for tea and 12 weeks.

So yeah that was my week! My spiritual thought for the week comes from President Hunter, chapter 19 "Our Commitment to God" " we should decide now in the light of the morning, how we will act when the darkness of night and when the storms of temptation arrive."

Love you all!

Sister Hope

I think I live on a Bus.. -- October 10, 2016

Hello everybody!

So this week seems to have been another tale of missed busses. They seem to waste so much time! For what should only take thirty minutes, it took us nearly two hours to get back to Louth on Monday, just simply because of how Thetis tables overlapped. But that's ok. We came back and did shopping. Then I took a nap and Sister Manning worked on getting some letters caught up on. Then our lesson got cancelled because he never set an actual place to meet...so that was annoying. But it was really dark and we don't personally like knocking in the dark because people tend to be more angry if you're interrupting bed time...so we stopped by a few people we already know. And they were still a little upset we were interrupting. So we decided to basically just walk around for an hour and hope to find people we could stop. But we didn't. But we were obediently trying and that's what's important!

Tuesday we walked around again because the member we were going to stop by wasn't in like she normally is (she's one who prefers we just drop in than set an appointment...) but we did a little knocking with no luck. Then we had a lesson with a lady named Mary. Mary is so sweet. She's smaller than me! Which makes me feel weird, but it's all good. She's super sweet and really loved the message of the Restoration, but isn't sure she wants to get baptised because she was just baptised into another church a few years ago. But she's not active and can't remember which church...oh well! We'll work on it with her. Then a member came and installed a new smoke alarm into our flat. Which is funny, because he installed it just about a foot away from the other one. The mission has decided each flat needs two working smoke alarms, but we can't have one in the kitchen because it would always be going off, so it's just a foot away from the other one. Then we had a lesson with Jackie on the Word of Wisdom. She wasn't too thrilled with giving up coffee since she basically only drinks coffee, no water or milk or anything. But we told her we'd find a coffee substitute she could try and she said she's willing to. Then we had a really powerful lesson with Ben. He's decided he wants to slow down a little because of school. So we are going to try and do a 15-20 minute lesson one day during the week going over scripture promises and passages. So we went over Moroni 10:30-34 where Moroni gives his final words and his final wishes before he buries the record. And how his final wish was to meet US. to meet us in the Celestial Kingdom because we came into Christ and were perfected in Him. We had asked Ben to think about what he would've put in a last letter to his mom and how he would feel if she didn't read it because she couldn't find the time to fit it in. Then how the prophets feel when we have their final words, wishes, and wisdom and we don't take the time to read it. It was really powerful and I think it really hit home how important the scriptures really are. Then we had a quick dinner and headed out to the bus station to go to Grimsby.

Wednesday was a travelling whirlwind adventure ride. We woke up early and got to the bus stop early, just for it to be twenty minutes late. But we got on the bus and made it to zone training just in time. Zone training was really good and on the importance of remembering who we are and where we came from and where the people here came from. That we are so much more capable of doing more than what we are. The theme was Lion King because of when Mufasa speaks to Simba and what he says. It was really great! But then we missed our bus back by about two minutes. Again. So we got a well-rounded lunch of bagels and donuts because Sister Manning still had a coupon. So we got Krispy Kreme donuts! And they were Nutella filled. Win for England! Then we caught the bus back, got back to Louth and set return appointments and talked to people for about an hour and then got back on the bus to Grimsby. We took the Grimsby Sisters' keys because they stayed in Hull for exchange, but we had to spend the night there so we could make it to Hull in time the next morning for our interviews.

Thursday was interviews. Our bus from Grimsby never showed up. We got there early and were walking the route the bus comes. So unless it was more than five minutes early (doubtful) it never showed up. So we were at the bus stop for an hour before the next one came. So we were only an hour late to interviews. Not too bad. President had just rearranged since we were able to call early enough to let them know. So yeah, we had interviews and it was really good! I just love President Turvey. He is so good to us! Even though we only have fifteen minutes each, I just know he listens to our concerns and cares about them. It is such a great feeling! Then we turned around and travelled back to Grimsby and back to Louth. We dropped our stuff off at home and then went to a lesson we had with Loretta and Peter. Loretta taught us how to meditate and we taught her how we pray. So it was interesting and felt a little weird but it was basically just allowing yourself to fall half asleep. Then we walked around a little bit more and headed up to see Jane and Andy! Jane's chest infection has finally passed, so we were able to see them again! We taught them the 10 commandments and they loved it because we taught them the finger play way to remember them. Jane even sent us a text the next day saying she taught all her co-workers the trick to remembering the 10 commandments and they were very impressed!

Friday was pretty slow. We had weekly planning and lunch and then went out. Our service activity fell through, so we walked to go visit John and talk to him on his doorstep for a little bit. Then we walked back and had our lesson with Jackie. She is so amazing. We had gotten a little sample of the coffee substitute and she surprised us because she had already bough ten her own and donated her 12 cans to the local cafe so she can give it up. Holy Smokes! It was crazy. I almost started crying I was so happy for her and her new found commitment to God. So we went over prayer and scripture study and she asked for a large print Book of Mormon. The same large print Book of Mormon she had refused just two months ago. What miraculous changes she is making. Then we went to visit this girl who told us to stop by. But her step dad told us to go away. So we did knocking in the area and tried by a few people.

Saturday went really quickly. We went to the library first thing in the morning and then went to Market Rasen with Sister Elliot to visit Andy and Bethany. Bethany is the nine year old. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and talked to her about church again. Her mom said she can come next week but they'll need a lift. Sister Elliot was such a sweet heart to offer one. So we will be doing musical cars next week to try and find a way to get everyone to church. But I guess that's a good problem to have! Then we went to give Jackie the large print Book of Mormon and talked to her about the Restoration and Thomas S. Monson. We shared "Dare To Stand Alone" with her and it really touched her. Then we solidified a baptism date. So Jackie should be entering the waters of baptism on the 29th of this month! Then we had tea and walked around afterwards, visiting a few members and asking for their help with some things. Then we met up with Josephine and went to visit this guy named Chris. He talked a lot. We talked little. It was interesting, to say the least.

Sunday was the BEST DAY EVER!!!! We had an amazing testimony meeting, a lesson in Gospel Principles about Obedience, and then a Relief Society lesson on our commitment to God. Then, after lunch, we literally had the best lesson with Ben EVER!!! We had a testimony meeting with him and when he shared his testimony, it was just so powerful. He's been having a lot of missionary experiences with his friends at school and when he ended he was like "so I think it's true" and I just looked at him and said "Ben, you're going to be a great missionary in a few years." And he just kinda smiled and so I said "And Ben, you can't tell people what you don't know. You may say something you don't know you know, but you know it and it's true. So if you're having these great missionary experiences, you know it's true." And he was like "yeah, I know. But I still have a lot to learn." Anyways, long story short, he decided on a baptism date. I'm a little frustrated because it's so far away, but he chose it and is committed, so that's important! He is set for the 26 of November! Then we went to town for a lesson that stood us up, so we walked around again and talked to people, with no luck of return appointments, but still good finding.

Today we have just done shopping and had lunch. We are in Grimsby now and then heading to Hull tonight for exchange. I love you all and can hardly wait to hear what amazing things you have been up to this week! My spiritual thought for this week is from conference again. "Look to the Book, Look to the Lord" it is simple but profound. The Book of Mormon truly testifies of Christ and truly has His restored Gospel in its pages. I am so thankful for this gospel and how much it has changed me and my life and the opportunity I have to share this with the people of England. Look to the Book. Look to the Lord. I love you all! Until next week

Sister Hope

A Tale of Missed Busses and General Conference -- October 3, 2016

Hey family and friends!

Another week has flown by in the England Leeds Mission! We have had a crazy and exciting week that started with a lot of tears from Sister Calles. We spent all day Monday saying goodbye to members and investigators and she got a beautiful blessing and we came to Grimsby to spend the night with about 200 pounds of suitcases.

Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early to push Sisters Calles' and Rigby's suitcases to the train station. Some really nice guy helped us a little bit which was nice. Then Sister Jäger left to go to
Leeds and get her new trainee! So the three of us were in the bus station and Sister Manning's train arrived. But Sister Manning didn't. So Sister Rigby got her train and then the next train came but no
Sister Manning. So I called Sister Blair and she said she thought she caught the train but wasn't sure...so Sister Calles caught her train...and I was left all alone. For about an hour. Finally the next train came and there was Sister Manning! She had apparently been told the wrong bus time to go to the train station on time and missed her train by like two minutes and had to wait two hours for the next one to come. My district leader got upset because that was my one chance to do something dodgy on my mission like go to a movie or something and I didn't take it! I know he was joking, so it was funny. But anyways, then we were taking her luggage to the bus station and just as we turned the corner, our bus left. So we called a member and they were actually on their way to Grimsby for an errand, but it would take about an hour. So we figured since the next bus wasn't for another hour, we would do our grocery shopping and then go back to Louth with them. So we did and it was quite hilarious pushing her luggage through the mall and trying to find a place to buy milk and eggs. But we did and then got back to Louth. We had a lunch/clean/unpack break and went through all the clothes Sister Calles left. I got a few new coats and skirts which is always a plus! Then we went out and had a lesson with Jackie and met a few other members. So we had a good day and it was a pretty slow pace but still good!

Wednesday was a whirlwind adventure! We usually have district meeting in the morning but the Zone Leaders wanted to come, so it got moved to two hours later. Which meant we got no real lunch break. But all was good because we missed our bus by a few minutes again. So far my streak of leading the area wasn't going really well. But that made it so we could buy a quick lunch. Then the bus came, but it was one that didn't go all the way to Louth (I did know that one beforehand though) so we called the member who was going to meet us for a lesson when we got back and asked her to meet us there. So she did and we went to the lesson. It was great! It was with this little old man named John. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and he seemed intrigued. So we shall see how that goes! Then we went back in to drop off the box of Books of Mormon we got from district meeting and then went to pop by a few people. One of them is named Mary. I felt prompted to share "Because of Him" and then we asked her if she was interested in building her relationship with Christ. She said every time she tried, she always failed. So we told her we had some different tools she hadn't tried before and that we could share them with her later. She was really excited! But we had to rush off to be on time to a tea appointment. We got there and had a delicious meal and then a really good discussion about the Restoration with them. It was so powerful!

Thursday we got stood up most of the day. But that was ok. We talked to a lot of people who weren't interested and then met up with Sister Harvey to go teach Jackie. It was such a great lesson! We re-emphasised the importance of the Sabbath Day and committed her to come to church every Sunday. AND SHE SAID YES!!!!! She couldn't come to General Conference though because that was too far and too long, so we're going to watch a few talks with her later in the week. But oh my goodness! She has had such a mighty change of heart and it is just glorious to behold! So excited for her! Sister Harvey invited her to the Relief Society activity that night and she went to that too! So crazy!!! Then we went to have a lesson with Michael on the temple. It was so good! Unfortunately though I thought the bus back came at half past the hour. But it came at five past the hour after a time. So we were stranded for about 45 minutes. So we popped by a potential and then sat on a bench and ate the sack lunch Jackie made for us. She is just so sweet! Then we had a proper tea break at home and I finished cleaning the flat. Then we had a short door step lesson with a man named Chris who has been avoiding us for ages. We felt bad though because of the relief society activity, we couldn't find someone to go with us and so we couldn't go in...the first time he actually is home for the appointment and doesn't cancel....whoops!

Friday we had planning all morning again. Sister Manning is so good though! She stayed completely focused the whole time kept me on track, so we actually finished on time! We had a really quick lunch hour that even though my watch said it was an hour, I'm convinced was 20 minutes. Our friend Lin wasn't in, so we went knocking and then Maria cancelled, so we did some more knocking to find a referral. We found him and then went to a different street. We were exhausted and so went in to do some area book work, which basically just means we went in and looked to see if we felt prompted to try by any formers. Then we headed off to have a lesson with Ben, but he cancelled. So we talked with his mom instead and tried to resolve some concerns. So that was good! Then we had tea with the Stocks. It was a huge fish! Then we went in for 12 weeks and after 15 minutes I realized it was Friday and were not supposed to do 12 weeks on Friday. So we quickly repented and got out shoes and coats back on to go out for 45 more minutes. We tried by Lin again and scared her half to death because we were walking up just as she was walking out. So we walked with her to town and talked with her and then came in for planning for the night.

Saturday was much more laid back. We travelled to Hull for women's conference activity. Sister Manning wasn't feeling well, so we didn't participate as much as I would've liked to, but it was good. I loved conference and learned so much! So many great ideas and great inspiration both for myself as a missionary and to help specific people we are teaching at this time! After women's conference, we went to watch the Saturday morning session at Sister Harvey's house. It's cool because we got to watch it live! I mean it was in the evening, but still live. So despite the time difference, I still saw it at the same time as everyone back home! Then she drove us to Grimsby to spend the night.

Sunday was another relaxed and spiritual day. We woke up and after our studies had about an hour of finding in Grimsby and then we met up with the other sisters at the bus station and caught a bus to the chapel. There a loving member from the Grimsby ward provided food for all ten of the missionaries who were at the chapel. It was so good! Then conference (Saturday Afternoon) started and it was absolutely amazing! In between sessions, we had some iPad training we had to do because we're going to be getting a new app which will put our area book and planner on our iPad. So that should be interesting. Then we watched the Sunday morning session live. So we literally spent all day at the chapel. We walked home and had dinner and then went to bed. So all in all, it was a good day and I learned so much!

My favorite talk was President Russell M. Nelson's where he talked about the secret to joy: "Joy isn't found in our circumstances, but in our focus" I don't know if that was the exact quote, but that's the gist of it for sure! It is so true though. We tell people on the street all the time that when we focus on Jesus Christ, we won't hallways have happy times, but we will always be at peace in our life. Peace comes from focusing on The Savior. Joy comes from focusing on The Savior. So I hope and pray we can all focus on Him and find that peace and joy despite our circumstances. I love you all! Hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did! And I look forward to watching the Sunday Afternoon session later this week. Should be good too!

Sister Hope

Transfers! -- September 26, 2016

What a crazy tiring week...
Monday we got picked up from a recent convert and member from one of Sister Calles' previous areas and they took us to Cleethorpes which is a sea side town. It wasn't sunny, so we didn't go play on the beach. But we did do some fun activities around including eating at Taco Bell since those are rare here in England and Sister Calles wanted to try it. Then we got on a bus to Hull with the Grimsby Sisters. We got
there around 8 o'clock and Sister Blair left us some finding challenges for the rest of the night. They were

1. Testify of the Law of Chastity
2. Tell someone how you feel the Spirit
3. Contact a former (she gave us the name and address and some info)
4. And find someone with blue hair to compliment

So we tried. We found an 18 year old boy to testify of chastity to. Which was really awkward because for some reason when I looked at the page, I thought it was word of wisdom. So I was way confused why she
was telling him about chastity and wasn't prepared to jump in because I was so lost...then we found some really nice Muslims and talked to them about how we connect to God and the importance of feeling faith
in our life. Then we contacted the former. Who said he wasn't the same person but the background he gave us was the same, just a different name...so we're pretty sure he just wasn't interested. But we didn't find anyone with blue hair. So sad times. We found someone with a blue hoodie on, but Sister Calles wouldn't let me count it, even though it was kinda his replacement hair...

Tuesday was so spectacular! So we woke up and had a Sisters Meeting as the zone. So all eight sisters in our zone went to have a great meeting and Sister Turvey Skyped in. So that was really fun! Then we had the shortest exchange ever. I was with Sister Manning this time. She just came out this transfer, so we did 12 Weeks training together which was a little awkward because I didn't know how Sister Blair normally does it. But then we went to teach a less active named Carol. It was so cool! We were planning on talking to her about the Word of Wisdom and relating it to the temple. Before we started, we were following up on her reading and she said the phrase "turn their tents towards the temple" kept sticking out to her so she thought Heavenly Father was trying to tell her something. We looked at each other and said "yes He is." So we had a great lesson and The Spirit was so strong! Then we went back to the flat and I packed both mine and Sister Calles' things and we met them at the train station. So yeah, it was a great day and we learned a lot!

Wednesday was INTERESTING! So we had district meeting as we do every week and it was really good. It was on asking for referrals and using The Book of Mormon more in finding. Then we barely missed our bus back and had no money to buy lunch, so we had to wait an hour and do finding and then go. We were going to have to skip lunch because of a lesson, but she texted while we were on the bus that she was ill, so while we were sad we couldn't see her, we were glad that we got lunch! Then we went out street contacting and ran into Josephine! We talked to her a little bit about her family and how Ben is doing. She's so funny. She's starting to read sections of For the Strength of Youth to him to wake him up. We cracked up at that! Then we went to wait for a ride to this guys house and while we were waiting, we saw him come walking up. So obviously he forgot and wasn't in. But that's ok. We went to his neighbourhood anyways because we had run into some other people knocking his street so we tried by them and none of them were in. So we walked back to town and had a lesson with Jackie. She's doing so good! She's changing so much and it is just the most amazing thing to see!

Thursday was interesting. Everyone in the morning dropped us. So we walked around and did some finding. We found this lady with ten kids. She likes the idea of eternal families and asked what she has to do to have that. Well long story short, were teaching her now and we made a deal to do some service for her in her garden and house and then have a lesson. We just didn't get a phone number because she lost her phone, but we left it that we'd pop by later to get her number. Then we went to try and find Georgina. She wasn't in, so we came back for lunch. After lunch we had a lesson with a guy named Sam. He's 20 and so excited to learn something new! He even sent us a text after that he really enjoyed the first session and was looking forward to more! Then we went finding some more and had a really awkward encounter in town that still makes me mad! So we asked this guy where he got his jacket and he was talking to us quite a bit and then he saw our badges and got upset. We could tell, so we didn't transition into the gospel, we just kept talking about his jacket. Then he got even more mad and was like you shouldn't ask about jackets if you really just wants to talk about Jesus Christ. And I don't want to talk about Jesus Christ. Well, I had left my jacket in the flat after lunch since it wasn't too cold. So I said "no I really am looking for a jacket. I'm from a desert in America and so I'm going to be needing a new jacket soon" anyways he just left after that. We were going the other way, so we kept going and stopped another lady. She was asking us if we could go help her mom and we were explaining how missionaries work when this guy comes back and just stands there. The lady got really uncomfortable and was like "hi" and he says "they liked my jacket, did they like your blouse? (Which was actually the approach we had used, so that was more annoying) they seem like nice girls but they don't really care. They're just devious and are trying to recruit people" Sister Calles and I just kept looking at each other and we asked him "I'm sorry, did we offend you by liking your jacket?" And he said no he just wanted to protect this nice lady. She got mad at that point and told him she could handle herself and it was time for him to leave. She took our card and told us she had to go because her car meter had almost run out. So we were mad because he was just really rude and we hadn't even tried teaching him anything! Anyways, then we went to our next lesson, but they weren't home. So we left to go to Ben and Josephine's. We got there a little early, so we jumped on the trampoline for a little bit. Which woke us up and then we had a great lesson with Ben on Sabbath Day Holy and Obedience. He said he wants to review the Word of Wisdom next time. So we're excited he's asking questions and really wanting to learn the most he can! Then we were going to go home for dinner, but Josephine wouldn't have that, so we ate with them!

Friday was great though! We had weekly planning all morning and then when we went to an appointment, the ladys name is Lin and she wasn't in. She rents a room out to some guy though and his friend answered the door. So we talked with him for about twenty minutes. He really felt the Spirit and wants us to keep teaching him! So that was a miracle! Then we decided to try by Georgina again. She was actually in! So we set a time to go back since she was cooking dinner for her kids. Then we had a dinner appointment with a couple in the branch and they took us to go visit Michael. We taught him some more about the Priesthood and are trying to help prepare him for the Melchizedek Priesthood! That's so way exciting! Michael is so great and such an inspiration. He first met the missionaries about twenty years ago and kept turning them away which gives me hope for some of the people we're meeting now that they'll accept in twenty years!

Saturday was miraculous! We had Mormon.org time first thing and then went to try by a lady we felt prompted to. Well she wasn't in, but her husband was. His mom had just died and he was still mourning and had a lot of questions. We answered the best we could in the short time we had and are definitely going to go back! Then we came back for a quick lunch and popped by a few people. We went back to !aria and got her phone number and then started her garden a little with the promise to go back and finish when we can teach her a lesson. Then we went to Jackies to go to the branch activity. Poor Ben thought we had a lesson at 3:30, but it was actually Sunday at 3:30, so we kidnapped him to the activity as well. He couldn't stay long but he enjoyed it while he was there! And Jackie loved it! She made a lot of friends and when we took her home, we were planning on watching The Restoration video with her. So we did and then she asked if she could come to church. So we ran to the members house who takes us to church and asked him. He said of course! Miracles happen!

We went to Jackies early to help her get ready for church and sorting her animals. Well she surprised us and was all ready! She asked us to do her eyebrows and make up for her! So Sister Calles plucked and I colored them in. It is so great to see she really wanted to go and look her best! She really enjoyed church, was beaming the whole time, and even sang the hymns with us! Then we came in for a quick lunch. We were supposed to meet Sam, but he wasn't there. So we tried by Lin. She was in and showed us all around her house. She draws a lot and covers all her walls and ceilings with her artwork. We shared a message with her and committed her to keep meeting with us. Then we went to have a lesson with Ben at the O'Grams house. It was so fun! We were going over the Word of Wisdom again and had a fun object lesson on peer pressure with him. We took him out into the garden and had Sister O'Gram point out her favorite plant. So she did and we asked her if it needed to be watered. She said it did. So we handed Ben a juice bottle and told him to water the plant. He was so confused. I got to play the tempter :D and so I was sitting there like Ben it's ok, I do it. It won't hurt the plant. If you're scared, just try it once. You'll see. While Sister O'Gram was like No! Don't ruin my favorite plant! Juice is bad for it! He was pretty confused and then he looked at me confused and I burst end out laughing and he goes "oh I get it, peer pressure" so we talked about how we know what's right and we know what we should do and we shouldn't let other people talk us into something else. Then we watched the Mormon Message "A Shower of Heavenly Blessings" and talked about how disobedience is like putting an umbrella up to Heavenly Fathers blessings but repentance is when we close the umbrella. It was such a good lesson and he left pretty determined to not give in to peer pressure! Then we ran to meet Sister Elliot and have a lesson with Jackie. We talked about repentance and how we've never gone too far to be out of reach of His love. It was really powerful! We're not sure how much she believed us, but she accepted it! That's good! Then we went in and awaited transfer calls. The big news is: I am staying in Louth and second half training Sister Manning (which means she has been out one transfer and since training is two transfers, I will finish training her) and Sister Calles is moving to Selby in York.

"The Lord honors and favors those who need prophetic direction" -Carol F. McConkie, "live according to the words of the prophets" With General Conference coming up, I really hope we are all preparing ourselves to hear the words of our living prophet and apostles. It really is a bold claim to say we have a prophet leading our church and a claim I am so grateful to have a testimony of! Hope everyone has a great week and does prepare to be taught and edifices by our prophet. I love you all!

Sister Hope

Another Long Week of Lessons! -- September 19, 2016

This week has been absolutely spectacular! As I mentioned last week we had a fun p day at the St. James church in Louth and climbed to the top and then I got to play the organ when we came back down! Still a highlight of the week :) then Sister Harvey came and picked us up. We spent the p day at her house watching movies and then had tea and family home evening with them. It was a blast but took too long, so we didn't have time for anything else by the time she drove us back to town...so that was a very short day!

Tuesday was a day full of knocking doors, talking to people in the street, and being rejected. We spent the entire day finding and then had tea at the O'Grams and family home evening with Ben and Josephine. We taught the Plan of Salvation to them and they taught us a song on the drums! We're so excited for Ben! He told Sister Calles that he thinks he'll be ready in three weeks for baptism if we keep seeing him and read more from the Book of Mormon with him during lessons. So that is totally something we're willing to do!

Wednesday was super busy. We had district meeting in the morning and it was pretty good. The APS came. Which was a little awkward cause Sister Calles and I brought the leftover cheesecake from our tea appointment last night, but we didn't know they were coming until we got there. So instead of cutting it six ways, we had to cut it nine. So everyone got a very small sliver of cake. It was funny! But a little weird. Anyways, then Sister Harvey came and picked us up so we did service at her house. We painted her fence! She was extremely thankful which is always good! And we were glad we didn't have to wear skirts for a few hours! That was also good! Then she dropped us off for tea at another members house and they took us to Branch Coordination which was good because it's the first one we've had since I've been in Louth! Then we went to teach Jane and Andy. So we got at least one lesson in! That was really good! We finished the Plan of Salvation with them and Jane said she'll for sure come to church! So I jumped on that and asked her to give us a ride! The members who usually do are going out of town this week and so we were going to have to call around. And she said yes! So now she can't back out. 😁

Thursday was another day of finding. Georgina wasn't in, so we knocked her street and then popped by a lady named Kate who is a former investigator. She let us in and is so excited to learn. However, she just finished her master’s dissertation and is so stressed from it she got sick. So we will have to come back next week when she's feeling better. Then after lunch, a member picked us up to go see Michael! Then we did a few more hours of finding because our next two lessons fell through. We had tea at a member’s house. It was funny because they forgot we were coming even though we had called them. It was good we had called and asked if we could come a little early because then they remembered again. It was awkward because they had already eaten, so we just ate and talked while they watched. Fun times!

Friday was short as always. But it was so good because the rain stopped just as we finished weekly planning so we didn't get super wet! Tender mercies! We did a lot of street contacting to Jackies house. We had a great lesson with her about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. We have decided to teach her in order of the baptismal interview questions, so it's more focused and a little slower. Then we did more street contacting to Ben and Josephine's. But BEN STOOD US UP! So we were a little sad. We had just had weekly planning and had a really good plan on how to have him prepared and KNOW he's prepared completely by next Sunday...but that's ok. We had a lesson with Josephine instead. She's doing so well! We gave her a personal progress book and whenever we have a lesson with her now, we're going to work on an experience with her. They told us she won't be able to get a medallion since she's not a youth, but we'll see if we ask really nicely...but it would still be awhile anyways. When I told my district leader we got stood up, he said "Sister Hope, Heavenly Father is just preparing you for when you go home, it's ok" thanks. -.-

Saturday was really good too! We got a lift to Market Rasen to teach Bethany again. It's been so long! But it was really good. Her mom sat in this time and she said she's interested to know, but she's just curious what her daughter is learning not to be converted. But she's going to bring her to church. Not this week or the next due to work, but yeah. We'll see :) then we had a lesson with Neil, who is a member, about the Holy Ghost and then we rushed off to see Jackie again. We had such a great lesson about how Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Such a great lesson! Then we did even more finding until tea time and had tea at the Wilsons house.

Sunday was really good! Jane came and picked us up for church! And we had a really great time! Sister Calles and I both spoke in sacrament Metin on missionary work and the importance of referrals. I'm just
going to put one part in because I thought it was really funny and creative of me:

"An example in the scriptures of giving referrals is Alma 20. King Lamoni has just been converted to the gospel and now they're going to save Ammon's brothers. While travelling they meet Lamoni's dad. He's pretty angry, but his heart is softened as they speak. In verses
26-27, it reads:
26 And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more--
27 And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
If we change the scripture to apply to us we get:
    1. And when our friends saw that The Mormons weren't really as weird or as scary as they originally thought, and when they also saw they great love and testimony we have of this gospel, they were astonished exceedingly and said: "because you only want an hour of my time to explain your beliefs, that I may feel joy like you do, behold I will go to my friends house and meet you there that we may learn together.
    2. And I will also come to church for I greatly desire to see what it's all about. For our friends were greatly astonished at the feeling of the Holy Ghost which did reside in their heart as we spoke and they are desirous to learn."

Then we had Gospel Principles about missionary work. So she probably thinks or church just talks about missionaries and nothing else...except Relief Society was on honesty. So that was good! She said she really enjoyed it and she'll try to keep coming, but she's not sure. We told her its her choice, but we loved seeing here there! Then we had lunch and then went to see Ben! He had a bike accident Friday night which we told him was because he stood us up...but it probably had more to do it was past midnight and he was on a narrow road and the car only had one working headlight. Anyways, he's ok, just a little bump on the hip from falling off the bike, but I don't think he'll stand us up again! We taught a big lesson of follow the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, word of wisdom, and chastity. It was funny because when we transitioned to chastity his mom said, "do you want me to leave the room while you talk about this" which totally made it more awkward than it needed to be. But it was still funny! Then we had an hour walk with an atheist named Collin. It was interesting because he promised to read the Book of Mormon every day but he promised he won't find anything. Like that's possible! Oh and he said he'll get baptized. So we're excited to keep meeting with him!

So my Spiritual Thought is from Elder D. Todd Christofferson's "Why the Church" talk and it says: "it is important to recognize that God's ultimate purpose is our progress. His desire is that we continue 'from grace to grace, until (we receive) a fullness' of all He can give." I love that thought! We aren't supposed to be perfect in this life. But as we keep being perfect at trying, we can live with Him again. These are such wonderful blessings and I'm so grateful I get to be blessed to share them with others. Just keep trying. Don't you quit. God is always with you. It's such a powerful message and sharing it brings so much joy!

I love you all and hope you've had a great week as well. Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers.

Sister Hope