Hey everyone!
So I don't know what is happening, my emails have been
really weird today, I've had emails bouncing back saying they haven't sent, but
then I have had a reply to them so I have no idea what is going on...
So this week has had ups and downs I guess. It has been a
good week teaching wise, we have worked hard and had a lot of teaches and met
some really nice people, but we have also had some disappointing news I guess
you could say.
So to run you through the people we are working with. Lucy
we were able to meet with again on friday, but we are really considering
dropping her now. We were on exchange and one of our Zone Leaders came on the
teach with me, and he said it might be an idea to drop her too. She says she is
open to listen to us, but she isn't. She has already made her mind up about
"mormonism" and just wants to bash with us, prove us wrong and
convert us. So we feel it is pretty pointless meeting with her again.
Rebecca, we have some sad news about too. She text us this
week and thanked us for visiting her, and being so friendly and everything, but
she said that she feels that being a mormon isn't the way for her, and that she
wants to stick with catholicism. We asked if we would be able to visit her one
last time but she didn't reply. So that was a really down part of our week.
Sonia we saw briefly on friday before she headed to an EFY
reunion dance in Reading. She is doing good, but has been really busy with
schoolwork so hasn't been able to meet with us. Hopefully we will be able to
see her at some point this week though.
We have some other people we are hoping to work with , but
it is still early days I guess.
It is also moves week this week, and I already know I am
getting a new area, so I shall tell you where, and who my new companion is and
my new address when I get to my new area, either on wednesday or probably
thursday.
I hope you all have a good week.
I love you all so much!!
Elder Mitchell
Livingston Ward had just sent another 2 missionaries to the London South Mission, and Elder and a Sister. This explains his next email.
Hey everyone,
this isn't my big email, that is why I am only sending it to
you guys.
So we normally don't get moves calls until monday evening,
but Leadership calls come out sunday evening now so... we already know what is
happening.
So.... Elder Davies, he is staying in Wandsworth, he is
staying as the District Leader, and he will be training! So what is happening
with me I hear you ask!
So President talked to me on the phone last night as well.
He is moving me to a new area. The ward is Aldershot, but I will be opening up
a new area in Woking. He also said that I will be whitewashing there, so
neither me or my companion will know the area. And that leads me onto my
companion.... He also said.... That I'm going to be training a new
missionary!!!
I am excited and nervous and just so grateful for the trust
the Lord has shown in me in calling me to train. One thing though, none of you
tell the Mackay's that I am training a new missionary, just because of who is
currently in the MTC.
Oh yeah, just a head's up, I may be sending a package (or
two...) home as I have a lot of stuff. We will see though.
I'll let you all know how my week has been in another email.
I love you all!!
Elder Mitchell
As you can imagine the suspense was killing us as we waited to learn if his new companion was to be Elder Mackay or someone else.
October 7th
Hey Everybody!
First of all, I am sorry that I am emailing so late, and
also I am so sorry that so many of you have emailed me and I haven't replied. I
am not ignoring you don't worry, it is just today has been a little bit rushed
and stressful. Hopefully next week we will have more time to email so I can
reply to all of you then. Thank you all anyway.
So, for the benifit of those who have not heard what
happened with moves (which I have a feeling is not many of you as the word
seems to have spread really quickly...) I will tell you what has happened. So,
I would say I got whitewashed to a new area, but that would only be partly
true. I have opened up a completely new area in Woking, part of the Addlestone
Ward in Staines Stake. The other half of that news is that I am training a new
missionary! His name is Elder Tidwell, he is from Kayesville Utah, he is 18
(makes me feel old).
So the new area is good. A few downsides are, there is not
really any public transport. There are trains and that is about it. So we
pretty much have to walk everywhere. Also, as it used to take so long for the
Addlestone missionaries so long to get to Woking, there was hardly any work
done here, so we are literally starting from scratch. Also, it takes us about
an hour to get to our chapel. We have to get a train to Weybridge, and from there
get another train to Addlestone. It only really trains like 15 minutes or so,
but what takes so long is makign the connections, if you miss a train you have
to wait half an hour. Also, I'm not being ungrateful for General Conference,
but we still haven't met the members yet, which makes it a little difficult.
On the plus side though, we have such a nice flat! It is
really nice and spacious (mainly because there isn't much in it) and the
members they gave us so much stuff! Our ward misison leader (one of the few
members we have met) dropped off at least 2 car loads full of food, and
cleaning supplies and just general stuff for our flat, including a study table
and chairs. Also one of the good things about being here is that Elder Holmes,
my first companion in Reading is one of my Zone Leaders, so I am happy to serve
around him again. And, one last thing I am happy about, McLaren HQ is in our
area. How cool is that???!? We passed it on the way to the flat, just passed a
massive sign saying McLaren. So I am happy :)
So there is not much to tell you about work wise, so I will
jsut tell you how much I enjoyed conference. It was so amazing to be able to
hear from our Prophets and Apostles. A lot of it was what we needed (or what I
needed) with our new area and the responsibilities we have. I loved both of
President Uchtdorf's talks, especially the one where he shared the skiing
story. I also loved Elder Holland's talk, and Elder Ballard's talk (not just
because he mentioned visiting missionarires in Europe, and I was there :P) they
were really inspiring and uplifting. Also President Monson's tlak in the sunday
morning session (I think) was really touching.
Well sorry this is not so long, we don't have too much time
to email. We were going to the library to email, but all the computers were
taken, then by the time we got shopping done, we had to head through to
Addlestone to the chapel to meet some of the missionaries in our district, and
so we are emailing at the chapel. Trouble is there is only one computer, so I
need to let Elder Tidwell on, so I better wrap this up.
I love all of you!
Elder Mitchell
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| Elder Tidwell and Elder Mitchell |
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| The Livingston Missionaries: Elder Mackay, Sister McKay and Elder Mitchell |
Hey everyone!
Am I really at 77 emails already? I hope I've just
miscounted, but I don't think I have...
Well this week has been quite good. We have worked hard, and
we are starting to build up our teaching pool.
We have mainly been trying by less-actives, and former
investigators, and then knocking houses either side if they weren't home. We
have seen some success and we have had quite a few people invite us to come
back. We had one of them flog on us, but never mind.
Church was good. We finally got to meet the members which
was nice. It is only a small ward but they were all so welcoming and friendly
towards us. One family even gave us a toaster (which Elder Tidwell had been
bugging me about getting one since we got here haha!). It was really good, and
hearing everyone's thoughts of general conference was wonderful.
I guess last week, as I wasn't able to share my thought on
conference due to time, I will share some this week. Everyone has of course
been talking about Jeffery R Holland's talk, which was wonderful don't get me
wrong, but I'm sure I cannot say anything about that talk that has not already been
said. My favourite talk I think was President (I'm going to butcher the name I
know) Utchdof. Both his talks in the saturday morning session and the
priesthood session were wonderful. Also I think it was Elder Oaks and Elder
Packer who both went through the Articles of Faith and the Ten Commandments was
really insightful.
Well I am running out of time so I had better wrap this up.
I will wrap it up with an interesting act, and then a scripture.
Interesting fact. Woking is where H. G. Wells (I think
that's his name) wrote or based War of the Worlds (there is a big silver
martian statue it town centre) which is pretty cool.
Scripture. Jacob 6:12 "O be wise, what can I say
more?"
You were expecting something really inspiring there weren't
you? fooled you! haha!
Love you all!
Elder Zach Mitchell
October 21st
Hey Everybody!!
So this week has been full of the usual... finding, finding,
finding. It has been quite good though, we have mainly be focusing on trying by
the former investigators in the area, and we have had quite some success. We
have found quite a few people from this.
Just to give you a quick overview of some people we are
working with:
There is kayleigh who is a fairly young mum with 2 kiddies
and a 3rd on the way. She is married though, but her husband Jamie doesn't seem
too interested. But Kayleigh's grandparents are members and just got back from
serving a temple mission in the london temple which is cool.
There is also a guy named dave. He is from Dumfermilne, so
it is good to hear an accent I recognize (and that sounds better then the weird
accent they have down here near london). He has a cousin who is a member in
Paisley, and invited us back because she was such an example to him and he was
facinated by it.
Also, another guy worth mentioning is Osa. He is from
Nigeria. He has seen the church and missionaries around in Nigeria and over
here, and has spoken to them, but never about the church. We found him by
trying by a former investigator, but they didn't live there anymore. He invited
us back and he asked a lot of good questions. He seemed amazed that the Prophet
Thomas S Monson is over 80 years old, and he also couldn't get over how Joseph
Smith And Hyrum Smith were killed for what they believe in. So he is getting
caught up a little bit on the details but there is some potential there.
So this sunday, all of the new missionaries in the ward (3
of us) were asked to share our favourite scripture in sacrament meeting and
talk about why they are our favourites. Well I found this a little difficult
narrowing it down to one. As I said in my talk, I felt like a little kid who
had just been taken to a cadbury's store and told "now you can only have
1!" So I started my picking a topic, and then narrowing it down from my
favourite 20 odd scriptures on that topic.
I spoke about the atonement, and how it can bless our lives.
I shared, 1 Nephi 8:10-12 and spoke about what the fruit was and why Lehi
desired to share it. Then I linked that to 2 Nephi 2:8 and how it is important
to share that fruit. Then I went on to talk about Jesus was able to save us an
extend us mercy and grace, and I went to Mosiah 3:7 and then my favourite (on
this topic anyway) Alma 7:11-13. I spoke about how no matter what we go through
in life, the savior knows, as he has experienced it for us, so that when we go
through those hard times, He can be there right beside us. Then I shared the
3rd verse of How firm a foundation, then just bore my testimony of the
atonement.
I think it went quite well, the members seemed to enjoy it
anyway, they enjoyed all of our talks. I just hope I was able to say what the
Lord needed me to say.
Well I am going to end this email on a funny note. I have
attached a photo, and with it I ask, "At what point does loose change become
just ridiculous?" There is £1.90 in 1p's, £2.30 in 2p's and £7.40 in 5p's
(this is what I have saved since Paignton by the way, not what I have got since
coming to Woking.
I love you all!
Elder Zach Mitchell
