This week:
-exchange with Elder Reynolds (former comanion)
-exchange with Elder Rivera
-SHARD
-preachin in barber shops
-more sushi...kind of getting sick of it now
-got a new ward mission leader and he's a boss
-solid investigators--Olu came to church again!
-Sam's birthday
This week Elder McEwen and I literally begged for some solid people to teach...people that wouldn't just fizzle out. People who would survive until this email. And I'm here to tell you they were found! We have one investigator who works in a barber shop and he lets us come and teach him as he cuts hair. Since it's pretty hard to run away while getting a haircut, the customers are obliged to listen in and we've found a couple new investigators from that as well. One of the other barbers is interested as well. So I'd say we've got a pretty good setup over there! Hopefully we can baptize that place and rename it "the Mormon barbers". We've found a couple African families to teach this week as well! We didn't instantly become superstars or anything, but I feel that we were blessed with the Spirit in greater abundance. The Spirit is definitely the most important thing in this work...it just makes everything tick! The Spirit's just cool. The Lord will always pull through for us. When it comes to trusting Him, I've learned to abide by the Nike motto: Just Do It.
Not going to lie, being a Londoner is pretty cool! There's so much history and cool stuff to do here. Last P day was one of the greatest P days of all time. It was a mild and sunny day, so we couldn't let the opportunity pass us by. We assembled the district and together we ascended to great heights...that's right, we went all the way to the top of the Shard! 72 floors and about 800 feet above the ground proves for a really good view--you can see all of London from up there. I was surprised to see how small London actually is since everything is so packed together. I don't know if it's the same for any of you, but whenever I look out at the earth from such a high place, things just seem small. Not only do people and buildings and cars seem small, but my personal trials and setbacks do as well. Challenges and problems can often seem burdensome and overbearing as they loom over us day to day. Yeah, it would be nice if they would go away, but sometimes that's not God's will. We can't always control what problems come our way, but we can control how we view them. To see trials in their true light, we need to first see ourselves in our true light: as children of the most powerful Being in the entire universe. We have unlimited potential, but to reach it we must be tested with trials. He knows that if he can convince us to believe that we are just people and nothing special, then the rest of his job is smooth sailing. This is why it's so important to realize who we are. We've been chosen to be on earth at such a crucial time when the world and its values are beginning to "coast"--remember that you can only coast when you're going downhill. We've literally been reserved to prepare the world for the Savior's second coming. What a privilege! We are definitely choice spirits and we ARE special.
That's a lesson I've learned the hard way this week. There's a man here that has been coming to church lately. This man is a drug addict so he carries with him a smokey scent that fills up the entire chapel, he's not quite right in the head, and he's pretty disruptive! For lack of a better word, he is a crazy man! He's been taught by the sisters in the past, but for reasons we won't go into they decided to stop teaching him. Ever since, he's been our responsibility. Let me tell you: my charity, love, patience, humility, godliness, and brotherly kindness has really been tested by this man! He begs with us to meet with him but then listens to nothing we say to him. I've really struggled to not lose my rag with him! But through it all, he's a son of God. He and I are the same, so I have no reason to esteem myself as more than he is. The Spirit reminded me of this pretty strongly in sacrament meeting last week. Hit me like a slap in the face! Ever since I've really really tried to treat this man with the upmost kindness. We probably can't teach him, but we will always welcome him. After all, Christ's message has never been to go away. It's always been to come.
I know that Father in Heaven has a route in mind for all of us to reach our celestial potential and fulfill the measure of our creation. He can elevate our perspectives and He can teach us who we really are. He is a Man with a Plan and I love Him! And I love all of you! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Thomas
ELSM
-exchange with Elder Rivera
-SHARD
-preachin in barber shops
-more sushi...kind of getting sick of it now
-got a new ward mission leader and he's a boss
-solid investigators--Olu came to church again!
-Sam's birthday
This week Elder McEwen and I literally begged for some solid people to teach...people that wouldn't just fizzle out. People who would survive until this email. And I'm here to tell you they were found! We have one investigator who works in a barber shop and he lets us come and teach him as he cuts hair. Since it's pretty hard to run away while getting a haircut, the customers are obliged to listen in and we've found a couple new investigators from that as well. One of the other barbers is interested as well. So I'd say we've got a pretty good setup over there! Hopefully we can baptize that place and rename it "the Mormon barbers". We've found a couple African families to teach this week as well! We didn't instantly become superstars or anything, but I feel that we were blessed with the Spirit in greater abundance. The Spirit is definitely the most important thing in this work...it just makes everything tick! The Spirit's just cool. The Lord will always pull through for us. When it comes to trusting Him, I've learned to abide by the Nike motto: Just Do It.
Not going to lie, being a Londoner is pretty cool! There's so much history and cool stuff to do here. Last P day was one of the greatest P days of all time. It was a mild and sunny day, so we couldn't let the opportunity pass us by. We assembled the district and together we ascended to great heights...that's right, we went all the way to the top of the Shard! 72 floors and about 800 feet above the ground proves for a really good view--you can see all of London from up there. I was surprised to see how small London actually is since everything is so packed together. I don't know if it's the same for any of you, but whenever I look out at the earth from such a high place, things just seem small. Not only do people and buildings and cars seem small, but my personal trials and setbacks do as well. Challenges and problems can often seem burdensome and overbearing as they loom over us day to day. Yeah, it would be nice if they would go away, but sometimes that's not God's will. We can't always control what problems come our way, but we can control how we view them. To see trials in their true light, we need to first see ourselves in our true light: as children of the most powerful Being in the entire universe. We have unlimited potential, but to reach it we must be tested with trials. He knows that if he can convince us to believe that we are just people and nothing special, then the rest of his job is smooth sailing. This is why it's so important to realize who we are. We've been chosen to be on earth at such a crucial time when the world and its values are beginning to "coast"--remember that you can only coast when you're going downhill. We've literally been reserved to prepare the world for the Savior's second coming. What a privilege! We are definitely choice spirits and we ARE special.
That's a lesson I've learned the hard way this week. There's a man here that has been coming to church lately. This man is a drug addict so he carries with him a smokey scent that fills up the entire chapel, he's not quite right in the head, and he's pretty disruptive! For lack of a better word, he is a crazy man! He's been taught by the sisters in the past, but for reasons we won't go into they decided to stop teaching him. Ever since, he's been our responsibility. Let me tell you: my charity, love, patience, humility, godliness, and brotherly kindness has really been tested by this man! He begs with us to meet with him but then listens to nothing we say to him. I've really struggled to not lose my rag with him! But through it all, he's a son of God. He and I are the same, so I have no reason to esteem myself as more than he is. The Spirit reminded me of this pretty strongly in sacrament meeting last week. Hit me like a slap in the face! Ever since I've really really tried to treat this man with the upmost kindness. We probably can't teach him, but we will always welcome him. After all, Christ's message has never been to go away. It's always been to come.
I know that Father in Heaven has a route in mind for all of us to reach our celestial potential and fulfill the measure of our creation. He can elevate our perspectives and He can teach us who we really are. He is a Man with a Plan and I love Him! And I love all of you! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Thomas
ELSM
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| View from the top of the Shard |
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| Waffles :) |
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