Monday, May 14

(We were able to Skype with Kara on Mother's Day.  The video worked for a minute, then crashed.  When we re-placed the call, we could see her, but she couldn't see us.)

It was really good to talk to you yesterday! It was too bad that the video wasn't working incredibly well, but it's alright.

My companion and I forgot to tell our families this story--it probably isn't as funny in writing, but it will have to do. A while back we were talking to a less active member and a member of our bishopric. The less active was talking about how when she prays to God she feels his answers and hears His voice and she said, "I imagine His voice to be really low like this...'really low and deep' ", and the member of the bishopric said, "Well, yeah, it would just seem a bit ridiculous if it wasn't, do you think?" He went into a really high pitched voice and said, "Joseph..." And now Sister Hoffman and I can never think of the first vision the same again. Haha! It was pretty funny!

We have decided we need to make a cake for the family that let us skype at their home. It was really great of them to let us do that!

We had a phone call the other day from a young man who had met the elders when they used to be in the area. He said that he has demons following him and that he wants to meet with us to see if we can help him. We have an appointment to see him tomorrow, and we are desperately trying to find priesthood to come with us just in case. We may have our District Leader and his companion come if they are able.

Tuesday, May 8

This country has the weirdest placed holidays. Yesterday was a bank holiday apparently and so the library was closed so that's why I hadn't emailed! Why was it a bank holiday? no one knows... they happen quite a bit though.

We still don't know what is happening for calling on Mother's Day! We are trying to find people to let us call but it was a bit hard because we had stake conference this past weekend and it was hard to find members to ask. So we are still working it out, sorry to keep you up in the air on that!

Stake Conference was really good for us though. It was down in Wrexham (down in Wales). I wish I would have brought my camera to take pictures of all the road signs in Welch! We had Elder Reina of the... area seventy?... I think... He was really funny and a really great speaker. He is from Spain. Also, President and Sister Preston spoke. So that was good.

Tomorrow is "Sports Day" So 3 of the zones plus all the sisters are meeting in Manchester to play sports. I'm not so sure how I feel about it, but I am supposed to be in an interview with President for a bit of it anyway.

Life's been good. I am very tired. I slept for 3 hours of my PDay yesterday. Everyone says that the one thing that a missionary really can look forward to is sleeping for a week straight once they get back home. That is quite a ways away still. But time has flown by hasn't it? I've almost been out 4 months! It is flying!

We had an interesting experience last night. We were getting on the train and it is like the tube in London with it being underground. We got to the platform and it was us, a drunk man, and a young girl (about 17 maybe). We were at the other end from the young girl and the drunk and he was just talking to her and acting really weird and I just had a thought of We need to move down by her. I leaned over to Sister Hoffman and said, "I think he is drunk." To which she said, "I think we need to move down by her." And I was like Yup! So we went and stood by her. Nothing happened, but the drunk did walk away. I don't know if something would have happened had we not gone over by her, but I'm glad we were there.

I don't have much else to talk about. I'm just grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost, not just for my well being but for others as well.

Thursday, May 3

Kara had to e-mail late this week, and I have totally gotten out of wack with my posting!  So sorry!

Dear Madre and Padre,

We weren't sure we were even going to have time to write this week, but we are able to squeeze some time in now! Nothing really changed with Transfers except we lost Sister Spencer... and the car... I personally may be a bit more upset about the second. So Sister Hoffman and I are staying together in Birkenhead still... minus the car. They gave the car to another set of sisters who just got whitewashed into an area bigger than ours... but still. ha!

So it is back to walking and bus-ing and train-ing.

But I'm officially done being trained! two transfers are through and I am a fully trained missionary now! woot!

I was able to make it back to Liverpool last Saturday for the baptism of Mary. It was great! I actually went on splits to go! I discussed it with my companions and we had decided that maybe it would be better for Sister Hoffman and Spencer to stay in Birkenhead while I went to Liverpool. So we arranged for me to go with a member for a companion. I asked the member if we could go to Liverpool a wee bit early and we did, so I went and saw Ben and his mom. They were so happy to see me show up on their doorstep! So I had a little lesson with Ben before heading off to the baptism. It was really a great baptism! Mary was so happy to be getting baptised!

As for skyping on mother's day, we are supposed to find people in our area to allow us to use skype or the phone. Because our ward is more elderly people, there are not many who have skype and from what I hear it is really hard to get it to work well in this area, so it may just be a phone call but I am not yet sure.

I spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I spoke about Matthew 18 and the parable of the lost sheep. I talked about how verse 14 really took on new meaning for me on my mission, "it is not the will of your Father, which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." I talked about how yes, in the foot notes, it is talking about small children, but in the greater scheme of things aren't we all just little children? So I talked about how everyone that we meet we should see in this way. We wouldn't want God's children to dwindle and perish in unbelief just because we weren't willing to share the happiness that we find in the gospel. Apparently, I made people cry, or so I'm told.

Hmmm what else to say... I am tired, but life is good.

Monday, April 23

We had a baptism (British spelling) this last week! Bill was baptised and what a great day it was (also very stressful). Bill lost his leg to polio as a child and has an artificial leg. Well, that leg isn't waterproof naturally and so it had to come off. We couldn't really practice the baptism with him in advance with his one leg so as everyone looked on we had to have Bill enter the font and we could only pray for the best. He was struggling immensely as they tried to figure out the best way to perform it and I was so worried he was going to be miserable and embarassed. Also, his nonmember wife, June, was there and I thought she would think we were torturing him. In general everything that could go wrong did go wrong and I was so worried that he was
going to regret his decision.

As I talked to Brother Worthington after the baptism, however, he told me that once Bill came out of the water and the doors were closed, he just sat on the steps of the font in absolute awe and wonder and kept saying, "That was amazing." He really is an incredible man and such a sweetheart. June, his wife, who is wants absolute nothing to do with the church currently, has said for weeks that she wouldn't come to the Sunday service to see Bill receive the Holy Ghost, but after the baptism she asked me what time it would be happening and the next day we saw her seated in Sacrament meeting! It was so great! President Preston came to the baptism and apparently he said it was one of the most emotional baptisms he had eer been to.  It was good!

I received a call from the missionaries in Liverpool yesterday informing me that my investigator, Mary, is being baptised this coming Saturday. I immediately called President and asked for permission to go and he said he would be disappointed in me if I didn't go! So I am very excited about that as well!

It has been an interesting week. Sister Spencer finally took off her boot on her foot. So she is doing well and progressively getting better.

We helped with a service project on Saturday. It was set up by the ward to paint the toys at a local park. We arrived and there were maybe 8 people there helping. Two little boys who had come to the park to play volunteered to help paint (they were more of a hinderance than a help as we followed behind them repainting) but it was great of them to have that desire to help. They couldn't have been older than 11. They were nice.

Oh, one last random note. In Liverpool, apparently whenever there is something worth celebrating they have made a tradition to have a "giant's parade." they build these huge marionette/mechanical dolls that wander around the city for a few weeks.... weird? yes. So over in Liverpool right now there is a 100 foot tall man in scuba gear searching for his neice who is a 50 foot little girl with her dog who is just taller than the traffic lights. google it. it's wierd, yet intriguing....