Hey, It's your favourite missionary! Things are going great here in Oxfordshire. The last few weeks have been really warm and sunny for the most part, but this week it got really cold and really wet! Elder Raveneau and I are still living in Didcot because we are still trying to find a flat in Witney. Hopefully we will be able to find one and move in next week, but for now I'm still living out of my suitcase! Our flat is still super packed, but I'm getting better at Uno so I don't do the dishes every single day. The mission life is moving pretty fast though. My day consists mostly of studying, proselyting, and eating, so things are pretty good. I've had so many testimony building and faith confirming experiences lately so whenever I'm discouraged, I remember those experiences and all is well. I have set a personal goal to talk to everybody I see during contacting hours. And I mean everybody! I want to come home every night and know that I did my best to talk to every person that I crossed paths with because as scary as some people look, they might be waiting to hear the message. Most people think we're trying to sell something but when I tell them that we're giving what we have for free, people get interested! I've noticed that the English people are pretty firm in what they believe (even if it's nothing) and it's tough to get through to them. But I still talk to them. It's the African people and the Spanish people that are the most open to what we have to say. I haven't met one of these people that didn't listen to us! They all love God already, we just need to bring them to the gospel.
I haven't cut my hair for about two months now and it's getting pretty long. I really need a haircut but I don't want to spend 10 pounds on it! I decided that I'm just going to get one in Oxford today. Elder Raveneau is the hardest working person I've ever seen and he's so organised! I also love Elder Phelps. We've been buddies since the MTC and we are really good friends. I'm going to miss him when we go to Witney.
We did service for brother Sutton on Wednesday and then on Thursday we had zone training in Reading! It was a really long meeting, but we had a lunch break in the middle so that helped things go by faster. We also did a lot of awesome role plays and musical numbers so it was fun. The missionaries in my zone are so good! I can't believe how good they are. They're all such good speakers and teachers! I'm learning so much!
Things are going good though. I loved watching that video of Luke, I can't believe he can ride that thing! [He is referring to a video of Luke riding a unicycle.] The other Elders think it's awesome too. Elder Raveneau also thinks it's cool that Sam and Luke are learning French.
Funny stuff: I was really tired one day last week after working in Witney and then going back to Didcot. We had to switch busses in Oxford, and I was still tired. As I got off the bus, I said my usual "thank you sir!" To the bus driver. The reply I got was "what?!" I looked back and it was a lady! I told her I meant ma'am...whoops. Also, when we were going into the train station, I took too long to go through the gates and they closed on me so it took me a while to get out. Everybody was laughing and the other Elders pretended they didn't know me! It was kind of funny.
Spiritual thought of the week: you know how last week I lost my wallet and then found it again? I lost my name tag this week. I had no idea where it was. Our zone leader told me that if I prayed with real intent to find it that I would. I really had no idea where it was and it was almost impossible to find it...note that I said almost! The next morning we went out to look for it. I had prayed so hard to find it and I had faith that we would. We had looked for an hour with no luck and decided to go back to the flat. But I needed that badge! I was sad but I didn't let my faith down. As we were nearing the flat, I looked to the left of the path and guess what I saw?!? Nope, not my name tag: a bouncy house full of little children! Next to the bouncy house was a tree surrounded by some freshly mowed grass...I love that smell! Something caught my eye as I looked at that tree. I went over there and under a patch of grass was a taco! Haha I'm just kidding, it was my name tag. I have no idea how it got so far off the path! There really was a bouncy house though.
Talk to you next week!
Love, Elder Thomas
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| Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Bampton, Oxfordshire |
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| Panorama of the church of St. Mary |
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| At church |
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