June 8, 2009

We have had a hard-working P-day. Elder Parker and I are a bit different than most companionships. We take care of things that other missionaries often look over, like keeping the house in good order, and taking good care of the back garden. It is good that we have done this, because the mission is going to stop renting the house that we live in after this transfer. This morning we spent about 4 hours in the front garden trimming bushes, mowing the lawn, and raking up all of the dead leaves. Time sure does fly, and it didn't feel like it took that long. That is how P-days usually go.

This week I have had some bad luck with my bicycle. Over here the brakes are switched around. The left brake does the back wheel here, but in America it does the front wheel. Well, I was braking and I pressed the front brake hard, thinking it was the back brake. I went up on the front wheel just a bit, but when landing on the back wheel, I bent it :( This is the second back wheel I have bent. I promise I can be trusted with a bike. It was so ridiculous, but it gave Elder Parker and I a laugh.

We have had a good week in finding some new people. We actually found some families this week!!!! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! This first woman is about to get divorced, but she has four young daughters, ages 10, 5, 4, 3. She came to Stake Conference yesterday -

Speaking of Stake Conference, President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen spoke to us from the Hyde Park Chapel. It was broadcast all over GB and Ireland. It was great to hear from them. They talked a lot about missionary work and reactivation. That seems to be the focus lately. Maybe I just notice because I am a missionary -

Back to our new investigator. Her name is C*****. She had investigated the church 7-8 years ago, but had been stopped by her husband. The elders here tracted into her a few months ago and she wasn't able to meet with them then. She was thinking about the church the same day that Elder Parker and I felt impressed to go back and try her again. She set up an appointment with us. She remembers a whole lot of what she was taught last time. It is amazing. She goes on lds.org and mormon.org all of the time. We have taught her twice and she has a baptismal date for the 18 of July. We went for later rather than sooner, because we went her to feel ready, but it does mean that Elder Parker and I probably will not be here. For that reason, we are making sure we get a lot of member involvement right from the beginning. It is cool, becuase her oldest daughter's teacher is a member of the ward, so they will have frequent contact. Her daughters are so cute! So that is C*****.

We also were able to try back on a lady that I had talked to about two weeks ago. She lives in a really nice house, and come to find out she and her husband own a law firm. She is the nicest lady and her three children are amazing. They seem to be a typical 'Mormon' family with all of the good ideals and trying to do more than they have time for. Despite all of the craziness, they are always happy to see us. We have seem them twice already. The father doesn't really listen, but we get along really well with N*** and her two kids. They have a very big garden, and we usually find N*** out in it. She also has long hair that is much like Mom's. I have found Mom's counterpart in Wales! They are very Christian, and we are not sure if they are just nice or actually interested, but they keep allowing us to come over so it is great! We will see how well they start to keep our commitments to see if they are interested. I am frequently thinking about the family and how we can help them to progress in different ways. I hope everything works out!

We were able to have a good lesson with R*** S***** this week. He is the investigator whose wife is a member. He looks like a member, and he comes to church more than most members, but something is holding him back. His family has a strong Catholic background and he doesn't want to ruin that, although his sister has joined the church. I don't know what to do, and my mind is frequently on him and his situation. I hate to lose touch with these people. It is impossible to describe, but this is no small thing we are helping them to grasp, and we only hope that everything will go smoothly if we leave.

We had a Zone Conference this week, which is always fun. There is usually a musical number, and I love being asked to sing in the choir. The choir spends about 5 minutes before the conference to prepare, so it usually isn't great, but it is a good experience. Zone Conference was about personal conversion and getting back to the basics of the Restoration.

We had tea again with R** S*****' family. I love having tea over there. They are so nice to us, but then again all of the members are so nice to us. We are well fed, generally, and we always have a good time.

We are trying to help two less-active families come back. One is the D****, and the others are the W*****'s. D*** W***** is Big D*** and he is very active, but he is having a hard time with his family. Both families were very attached to the missionaries that taught them, and they don't have much contact with the ward. We are helping the W*****'s to improve their relationship through having family prayer and companionship prayer. Also to take time once a week to have some sort of inventory or council with one another. They haven't been following our invitations, but we are determined to succeed. The D***'s want to come to church this week, which is great. They don't have many friends in the ward, and I don't know if their home teachers visit very often. I always wonder about some of those things. It must be very hard to stay active in the church without a lot of friends, let alone hardly any friends. We are working with the ward to get them involved in this reactivation process. It is the right way to do it.

That must have been one of my better e-mails lately. I hope it is sufficient. Just so you know, personally - I am great. I am healthy and happy(most of the time) and staying focused. I love all of you and hope to find you well next week as well. Good Luck to Taylor who gets to meet his new companion soon. We all know he will do amazing things. My love is with all of you to Eternity and Beyond . . . .

Elder Jo