11/29/2016

First things first! I'm staying in duston! So by the time I finish this transfer I will have served in the Northampton zone for 9 and half months of my mission hahaha. This is home!

What a week it has been! Hahaha a lot things going and and some crazy things happening. But we finished the week off on a high note and we are really happy. J AND K WERE BAPTISED ON SATURDAY! We were super super happy! It was a lovely service and the spirit was so strong. They both seriously expressed how good they felt. J was able to say that "he could not describe how he felt, they only way someone could find out would be to do if for themselves because it comes from inside" it was so powerful, K just expressed how pure and fresh he felt. He has come so far. He will be so committed and I am so happy for him. He is really going to never forget this day. We invited both of them to write it down so that they can always look back on it. So it was just a powerful weekend! 

K wearing Elder Parkin's name tag!

The week was a bit different than the weekend. We had a lot of lessons cancel and on Thursday morning we found out that our car had been broken into the night before. And the worst part is that a member who lives next to us also had their car broken into, our two cars were the only ones broken into on the whole street. We live in a dodgy area of town so we should have seen it coming. So that really was a bummer, I had left my bag in the car the night before because we were in a hurry to make some calls and I forgot to grab it. So that was stolen and my camera and usbs were in there. So I was pretty bummed. But we sorted it out and drove around for 3 days with one of our windows gone. I'll be honest, it was pretty dang cold. Haha I feel bad for elder Lindsey he was freezing. But we had the car fixed on Saturday, the guy showed up about 4 hours late right during the baptism, I walk out with all my white clothes on and this guy is pretty weirded out hahaha it was hilarious. But we got it fixed so that's all good. But when he fixed it, he put the panel on wrong so now elder Lindsey cannot open the door from the inside haha. So we will have to fix that. 

Elder Lindsey had a driving test out in Kettering so we drove out there to use a different mission car for the drive because ours wasn't allowed. The driving test went well, he didn't end up passing, just like me the first time. The instructor wasn't the nicest man on England to be honest, he didn't give much compliments, and he didn't like Americans and how we drive. So that didn't work out too well. So we both weren't too happy with him by the end of the drive to be honest. Some people learn languages on their missions and we learn how to drive in England. It's pretty difficult at time, but it's the best, it's a beautiful place to drive when the sun is out.

Lords Hand

I saw the Lords Hand this week in everything still working out. Our car was fixed during the baptism, the guy was suppose to come in the morning but showed up right when the baptism started, he was a bit weirded out seeing some of us all dressed in white haha but we kindly invited him to join and he wasn't interested but he was a nice guy, I saw the Lords Hand in elder Lindsey and I being able to find our destinations without directions. And I really saw the Lords Hand this week in J and K. I know that baptism is essential for us to return to our Heavenly Father, I know that the doctrine of Christ is what brings eternal salvation to us all. I love the simple and sweet truths of the gospel and the plan that is in store for us. I know that Repentance is real, it is a daily process of change and refinement. I have seen the conversion power of the Book of Mormon in myself and also in K and J, and that if anyone reads it wanting to know truth, they can find it. It answers all the questions we have. I love it. I've realised more than ever this week that the England London mission is where I am suppose to be, I am here to meet specific people. They have changed my life forever. 

I love you guys. Sad the Utes couldn't pull off the win, but, it is what is is. Life goes on. PAC 12 is still the greatest conference in college football. Haha I love you all and you're the best.

Jacob 

NO SHORT CUTS 

11/21/2016

Well family, It's going to be a short one! It was a solid week and we faced some major opposition but it's all good. We really saw the Lords Hand this week and my testimony had grown in that He is always mindful of us. K had his baptism moved to next week and has faced a lot of opposition from family and friends in India and he has been a bit worried but still is so committed. He knows it's what he needs to do and he is going to do it! So we are beyond excited for him. J is also doing super well. He and K will be having their baptisms on the same day and it'll just be way cool, they have kind of been on the journey together in a way and have sat by eachother at Church so they will really enjoy having it together. 

We had a solid Thanksgiving dinner this week at the Edwards and it was lovely. I'm sure Brother Edwards sent you some photos hahaha but they are the best. They always feed us and always support us. So we have a good time when we are over there. We are teaching quite a bit of Chinese students to be honest. Like 7 at the moment hahaha. It's funny because both Elder Lindsey and I served in Britannia and we are just super super in love with teaching Chinese people Haha so we find a lot of them up at the university. 

Teaching via Skype

We had quite a few exchanges this week which was super good. Hahaha It's funny because the elders get pretty sad when they find out they have to use buckets to shower hahaha but it's all good. We should get it fixed soon. It's super fun in the mornings too because we play football with everyone for exercise and it's just a good time. 

Lords Hand 

We had a really cool experience this week. So we had to buy some laundry detergent one night and while we were in the store I looked at this man and just felt deep down by looking at him that he was a good guy. He was with his Daughter and they just looked like a lovely family. It was interesting because it wasn't a prompting of "oh wait for this man and talk to him when he leaves the store!" It was just "he's a good man, he would love the gospel." Elder Lindsey and I left the store and I turned to him and asked him if he had felt the same as I did about the man and his daughter and he did! So we waited for him to come out with his daughter and we just talked to him! Turns out her had met a few missionaries in a different area but hadn't really done much, so we talked and talked and we set up a time to see him next week. His name is M and he is just brilliant. It was just a super cool experience to see that the spirit didn't give us a direct prompting until we asked eachother and it connected perfectly as companions. We really saw the Lords Hand in that! 

Well I love you guys. Sad the Utes lost. But it's alright. Sweet that the leopards won!!!!! I love you guys! 

No short cuts 

Jacob

11/16/2016

Well it has been a solid week!!!!! Of course first things first, L got baptized this Sunday and it was such a lovely experience. The whole family came together and was super super supportive. He is such a great kid and has such a solid future. He is going to be a killer missionary one day. The ward was super super supportive and it was a very spiritual experience. We were really able to see how the gospel brings families together no matter what. It felt so good to see the happiness and joy that L had as he was baptized and confirmed. It really has been so lovely teaching the family every week all together and really just learning together. The walker family is the best!

The cold weather has come and I think it's here for good now haha so that's nice. We are enjoying it though. It feels good haha. I'm happy not to be on bikes in Bedford though to be honest. That was a different story, but also tons of great memories haha. We have spent tons of time up at the University of Northampton teaching lessons and contacting. It's such a solid place. It's basically China up there haha. We have been able to meet some really cool Chinese friends and we are stoked to continue to teach them! J is looking super good for his baptism and so is K!!! K had his announced in church today so it will be happening next week on the 19th. K has been facing quite a bit of opposition but has really shown his faith by trusting that everything will work out. This is what he said," Everything happens for a reason I believe in it strongly and the church is  true and I will continue to follow my heart" he is just brilliant. We were able to watch the Joseph smith movie with him and it was so powerful. My testimony is strengthened so much every time we watch it. F is doing well. We think she is just taking more time, she has struggled a bit with more opposition but she can overcome it. We are just really praying and fasting for her. 

After that baptism there is a stake activity and it's like a musical night, and of course our ward out of the entire stake was assigned to do "High School Musical" hahahaha so that's going to be interesting. Not many people know I went to East High school so it should be okay hahaha. We were able to have some changes to the zone so we have a few new missionaries recently. We have 2 Elder Chongs in the zone now and they are the coolest haha, ones from Taiwan and the other is from Singapore. So we 

have tons of fun with them and they love missionary work so we are pumped!!!!! But over all it's been a solid week. We have found tons of cool Chinese students but also lost a ton because they either tell their friends about it or their family and they are then told that Christianity is crazy and that Chinese people only believe in Buda. So that has been sad for us as well because the friends we have found are really amazing. 

The Lords Hand 

I saw the Lords Hand this week in a cool experience we had on Saturday. So we were flipping through the area book converting some of it into our digital area Book. And we were scanning through I felt prompted to turn back to a teaching record that was very sloppy. As we did so we called the number and a little boy answered and said we could talk to his mother. The mothers name was N and she seemed a bit confused but was very kind. I asked where she was from and she said Peru! Ah haha it was so cool. So we chatted for quite a while and she expressed how she didn't really know what she believed anymore. But we are seeing her and her family on Thursday with some Colombian members in our ward! So we are sooo happy and excited. I really felt that the Lord was mindful of us and that he promoted us to call N, as she answered, we felt so good knowing that we were obedient to the promoting we had received. 

Well I love you family! Looks like the Utes are on a hot roll!!! Let's keep me going. Would be sweet if we could win the PAC 12 championship. Also sounds like East is going to state so that sick! I love you guys. You are all the best of the best, 

Love you!!!!!! 

Jacob 

NO SHORT CUTS 

11/6/2016

Wow, what a week it has been, it seems like every week gets faster and faster. The months start to blur together haha it's crazy. Cannot believe Christmas is next month. We've already received some training on the new initiative and it's going to be brilliant with the 25 days of service and also the "Light the World theme" so we are super super excited. Life is good. To be honest I don't have much time today to write, we have been running around with our heads cut off haha so I will share just a few highlights of the week. 

So first off, I don't know if I told you but we moved flats a few weeks ago and it has been quite a surprise adjusting from one council flat to another haha. But the new one has some sweet perks. It's smells like Ghanaian rice and weed haha. And our shower also doesn't work and hasn't since we moved in so we have been using a bucket, but it's all good hahaha we have gotten used to it so life is good. It's gotten pretty cold though so we will see what happens next. 

Building a shower curtain rod!

Success!  Now they just need the shower to actually work!

Next highlight is that K is doing super super well! So are J and L and F. L passed his baptismal interview this last week and he is super super ready. It has been so lovely to see the whole family come together to support him. K has really been experiencing a powerful conversion. When we first met him I'm pretty sure he had looked at every single anti church literature, he had told us a lot. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon intently a few weeks ago and instead of proving it wrong we invited him to prove it right! He is super super bright so he took the challenge. When he started reading he read up to 2 Nephi in just a few days and expressed how true he felt it was. He also expressed how not even the greatest author could write a book like the Book of Mormon because if how good it made him feel and how many questions it answered. He expressed how something so powerful had to have come from God. And that Jospeh smith has to be a prophet. It was so cool! My testimony was strengthened!!! He is looking very good for his baptism. It's so lovely to see that a man that has grown up Hindu has come to the knowledge of the restored gospel through the Book of Mormon. 

Lords Hand

I really saw the Lords Hand this week in K. He has shown so much commitment and has struggled a bit with the word of wisdom but the Lord has been so mindful of him and he has really been able to over come temptations. He really understand the principle of simply reading and praying. Because we really feel like that is what has kept him strong. 

I love you guys! Keep being the best. GO UTES!!!!! 

Love you!!! 

Jake 

NO SHORT CUTS