Morning Exercise Adventures

Hope everyone has a great week! Thanks!
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Professional Chapel Tour Givers

I'm sorry this blog post will be a little short and maybe scatterbrained because we are doing our emails with a lot of other things going on with a lot of other people around.  But I'll do my best!

Wednesday was our miracle day this week!  We got to give Morgan a chapel tour with the McCoys and it went really well.  We are trying this new teaching technique called "teaching like angels" where we use the gospel art to help the investigators see, feel, and understand the lessons better.  It's amazing how the artwork in the pamphlets and in the chapels truly does invite the Spirit and we've definitely felt it this week as we've given a few tours. I am also really grateful to have a chapel in Chichester, since we didn't have one in Salisbury and there is definitely a special Spirit that the chapel houses. We were also able to give Ian a chapel tour and he came to church this week as well! We are really grateful for the people that we're working with and the people that Heavenly Father has prepared for us to teach.

Scripture of the week:

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given. Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's. And they shall overcome all things." -D&C 76:51,59-60

Fall Time at the Chichester Cathedral
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Last One! Crazy Hair on the Coast

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​HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYBODY!

This One's For You Cass!

We met 7 different Polish people in one day while contacting in Bognor! I love you so much! I tell everybody I meet that's Polish that my cousin is there too! :) I think they like to hear that and I love telling them. What really good Polish food should I buy from this shop?! :)

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This One's For You Dad! Finally Got to Ride In a Rolls Royce...scooter.

Thanks to a nice old man at the bus stop! Hahaha!!

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Salisbury Reunion at Zone Conference! And PRESIDENT MILLAR IS THE BEST!

I love these people! From left to right: Elder Robinson, Sister Smart, and President Millar)

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God's Pocket

The other day this lady told me that a nickname for Chichester is "God's pocket." How perfect is that?! She said the reason it gets its nickname is because this is one of the sunniest places in England. Don't quote me for fact on that one, because I'm pretty sure it's just hear-say, but I wholeheartedly agreed with her.  Not only is the weather nice here, but the people are too.  I loved hearing that comparison and it made me think just how many blessings we receive as we strive to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.  I'd love to think that when I have the Spirit I'm in "God's pocket," and that's where I want to spend my life. :)

We had an amazing week of miracles.  One of them being our new best friend Morgan!  We met her at the bus stop last week and had a first teach with her this week at Josie's (member) house. It went really well and we felt the Spirit.  She is really eager and excited to read the Book fo Mormon.  I'm grateful for these lovely people Heavenly Father places in our path that are truly open and want to understand how religion and the gospel can help them in their own life.  We just help them make the right decision.

Another miracle this week was Ian! We met him down in Selsey (down on the coast, just south of Chichester) We went to visit a person on the ward directory, but he said she didn't live there anymore, so we gave him a card and invitation to church and didn't think much more about it! He ended up calling us later that day and told us he actually wanted to come to church in Chichester because he'd been married there 4 years before. .....? Interesting. We told him about Stake Conference in Portsmouth instead and he decided he'd rather just wait til next week when church was back in Chichester.  Then, you won't believe what happened! Sunday morning we got a phone call during our personal study and it went like this: "Hi, this is Ian... I hope it's not too early to call but I was just thinking that I'd actually like to come to Portsmouth today for church..." We were thinking, "OH MY GOOOODNESS!!! THIS GUY'S AMAZING!! He didn't want to come on Thursday when we last talked to him!!!!" So then we said, "Oh great! That sounds really good! Do you need us to arrange a lift for you?!"  Ian: "No, that's fine, I'll just drive. What time does it start?! 10?" Us: "10:30" Ian: "Okay great, well I'll find a close parking space then." Whoa. Just blew my mind. I couldn't believe what just happened!  I had felt so sad that no one was able to come to stake conference with us and I was wondering what I could've done better to find someone that week, and then at the last moment, Ian called and Heavenly Father provided a way and a change of heart. I know it was a blessing for us as missionaries and it was a blessing for Ian because he really seemed to enjoy coming to Stake Conference. My heart was so full of gratitude that morning and my testimony was strengthened to know that Heavenly Father really does love us and is truly mindful of each of our situations and scenarios. What a tender mercy moment it was! I am so grateful for that!  We are planning to meet up with him again later this week!

Scripture of the week:  "7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

 8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?

 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" -3 Nephi 14:7-11

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​1st Temple Trip for John (baptized in June) :)

Last One - THE WEATHER!

The fine line between a beautiful sunny day and a monster of a rain storm. :) Hope you all have a great week!

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Waiting for the Bus After Callum's Teach!

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Ruth is the best for coming with us to teach Callum!! Never a dull moment.

I've Learned On My Mission....

​"The Lord is no respecter of [schools.]" :) Haha!

"The Last Melon"

This has officially been one of THE CRAZIEST weeks of my mission. Seriously. Sister Watt left last Monday, she actually went back to the Visitors Centre after all that! Another sister got assigned to Eastbourne.  I was with Sister Brown for 2 nights until Wednesday when we both got our new companions.  Sister Maddocks is my new companion but we hardly had any time to settle in and get to know each other because on Friday I was so blessed to go to MLC (mission leadership council) for the last time!  Two sisters from Bournemouth came and stayed at our flat Thursday evening and then Friday morning Sister McLeod and I went up to Staines for the meeting most of that day.  On top of that I've been battling a head cold!!!!!! So, yes, it's been a little wild around here, but we've finally settled in and I'm starting to feel better thanks to my Vitamin C drinks. :) Sister Maddocks and I are getting to know eachother much better now because I'm feeling more like myself and we've actually been able to spend some time together and she's gotten to know the ward a bit better since she came to church in Chi for the first time yesterday.

Despite all the movement among missionaries, we had a really great week! We were trying to get "No Zeroes" in our key indicators and the only zero we really had was investigators with a baptismal date! We had done well with everything else! So that was a really great miracle and now we're just doing our best to find someone who's prepared to be baptized! I'm really excited for the coming week! One of the best parts of the week was that our 18 year old investigator Callum came to church for the first time yesterday! He's been to a YSA activity once and we've invited a member to come teach us with him and so he finally agreed to come to church and he came!! Yay!!! And now he's been invited by the members to be a part of the "Roadshow" which is like a little skit competition they do in the stake and Callum is in drama so he's the perfect man for the job! :) We're really grateful and happy to be teaching him.

So today starts the beginning of my last transfer!! There is a lot of work to be done in 5 weeks and I'm really excited to keep working as hard as I can for as long as I have left. I got a letter from President Millar this week in the mail that's basically a "job well done" letter to all the missionaries going home.  I read it and thought, but I still have 5 weeks President, don't kill me off yet! :) I'm grateful to be spending it with Sister Maddocks in Chichester and I'm planning to enjoy every second of it.

Scripture of the week: "Hearken, O ye who have given your names to go forth to proclaim my gospel, and to prune my vineyard. 

3 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might—

 4 Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you.

 5 And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life." -D&C 75:2-5

This is Sister Maddocks!!! and this was the windiest day in Chi yet!! Time to bundle up!

This One's for You Daddio! :)

​Name that tractor. :)

I Just Love This Place

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The DRAMA!

Oh my goodness, I can totally hear my mom saying, this, "Oh the drama!" Haha! It has been one heck of a weekend because of moves this  coming Wednesday.  It's the end of the transfer and when your companion is leaving, it's always a bit of a circus. :) Keeps us on our toes I guess. 

So the update is that Sister Watt is leaving me to go finish her mission in Eastbourne.  It's been a bit of a mixup all weekend because we initially thought she was going to the VC, but some unforeseen events took place. I will miss her so much because it has been really fun working with her.  We have had some good times and seen some great miracles together. I will stay in Chichester to finish off and Sister Maddocks will be coming to join me on Wednesday.  I'm excited for her to get here so we can get back to work. :) I feel really good about the next few weeks. 

This past week I really loved listening to General Conference! That was definitely the highlight of the week.  I have a strong testimony that the leaders of our church are truly inspired men of God.  They lead our church in righteousness and give us the guidance we need at the right time, to help us progress further toward our Heavenly Father. I loved the testimony and insight Elder Nelson gave when he talked about how the leadership of the church protects us from the evils of the adversary.  I am so grateful to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in its fullness and because of that, we can be made clean and find true peace and happiness through our Saviour Jesus Christ. I hope you all had as great of a time listening to conference as I did.  As I read in the Ensign, "this is our new walk and talk for the next 6 months." :) 

Scripture of the week: "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." -D&C 50:24

​All gathered 'round for conference!  From left to right: Ruth, Fran, Elder Rife, Elder Hare, Stephen, and Sister Watt! :)