3/27/2017 "Warm Days"

Well the last few days have actually been super warm!!! We are totally enjoying the sunshine and we are just happy. The week has gone by super fast and it has been super busy. It's crazy that this is the last week of the transfer. Time seems to by flying by each and every day. Elder Williams and I cannot believe how fast these last few weeks have gone. We have seen some cool things happen this week and we are excited for the up coming week and what it has to offer.

So first things first, there was the terrorist attack in Westminster. So that was quite crazy! We were traveling into the city on Thursday morning and it was sad to see the newspapers everywhere on the underground and everyone just seemed very sad. We were able to give out some pass along cards to as many people as were interested just to invite them to look at the church website. We were able to testify of the plan of salvation quite a bit this week and it was a special experience.

We were on an exchange this week and I was with an elder from Spain. He's a good man. We were out contacting all day and we were on our way back for dinner but felt prompted to stay out longer. We decided that we would skip dinner and contact a street that we hadn't hit during the day. It was late at night and it was a bit chilly. We were basically the only ones out just walking up and down this street lined with fish and chip shops, cheap chicken shops, and some polish markets. We felt a bit out of place but we pressed on and after a few minutes we were able to find a wonderful woman named L. She is from Ghana and she is super super interested in learning about the Book of Mormon. We are looking forward to seeing her! We felt super grateful for that prompting. We also found a less active man from Afghanistan and he wants to start coming back to church. He was baptised 10 years ago and he works at a fish and chips shop, and his fish and chips are the best I've had my whole mission!

Lords Hand

I saw the Lords Hand this week in finding L as well as D, the less active man. The Lord totally directed us, through the spirit. It was lovely to see the fruits of being obedient to small promoting. Promptings that in the moment don't even seem like promptings but really and truly are after we are obedient to even just small feelings that we have.

I love this work. England is great. I love the people, and the diversity. #prayforlondon

I love you! Happy birthday momma!

No short cuts

Jacob

3/20/2017

"Mi obone koko"

It was a solid week this week here in Watford!! The title means "I'm a white man" in Twi. Haha it's a joke we have with our good friend J. We have been able to witness his baptism Just this last Sunday! It was so brilliant. He is such a good man. The ward was supportive and he was so happy. Elder Williams and I feel very blessed to witness his decision. He really is amazing. He is already talking about the temple and sharing the gospel with his wife and two sons that aware living in Ghana right now.

Overall it was such a lovely week!!! One of the highlights was being on exchange in the city. We were able to teach a lot of Chinese students like always. We taught this student named M and she was so cool! We were able to teach the the simple truths of our Father in Heaven. That He lives, and that He love us. My testimony is strengthened each and every time we teach even just the simple truths of the gospel to the lovely Chinese people of London.

We were in town contacting and we stopped this older woman and she told us her name was S. She was calling us Elder like she totally knew missionaries. As we talked more she went on to tell us that she was a member and that she was baptized over 25 years ago in Portugal. It was such a cool experience. She was able to meet with us the next day and she even attended a relief society party this week as well! She talked about how she had been trying to get back into the faith that she once had and that she had been attending a lot of churches. She wasn't able to make it to church this week but we were able to really help her realize that she is loved and that the ward is supportive of her!

Lords Hand

I saw the Lords Hand this week in J getting baptized. He was so prepared and it was such a sweet spiritual experience. I also saw the Lords Hand in S. That we were able to find her in the street and bring her back into the fold. I felt in a very special and real way that we were fulfilling our purpose as we found her and talked to her. I know that the Lords work always moves along. No matter what comes in it's oath, I know that the Lord loves all of us. Those that are lost and those that have found the path and can only stay on it because of Him.

I love my mission. I love England. It is a lovely place and is so dear to me. The gospel of true. Christ lives. He loves us, and He invites all of us to repent and come unto Him.

I love you family! I hope you have a solid week!!!!

3/13/2017

"London days"

 

It was a solid week this week! We went into town 3 times so it was great. We have been super super busy and we don't have much time to write today. But it has been a lovely week full of miracles and cool experiences. The Lord is so mindful of us as missionaries. We were able to be very spiritually uplifted this week with meetings and other great experiences so it's been very special.

So first things first, we did some services this week and it was so good. We were able to get a bit muddy and it reminded me of the good old days in the yards around the neighbourhood just grinding haha. But it was nice. We have been able to form a great relationship with this less active man who we have helped. His wife is an active member but he has struggled. We have become friends with him and he came to church just this last week! It was brilliant!!!! When we walked in we were so stoked. So he's a legend haha.

We had a mission tour on Friday with Elder Phillips of the 70. He is such a great man. He was the Stake President of Hyde park when I was serving in the Stake last year so I did meet him a few times. He is a powerful man and has the classic posh Londoner accent haha. But it was a very special conference for me because I was able to have a lot of questions that I came to the tour answered. It was so cool to see how all of them were answered in such a simple real way. I've been able to really reflect a lot on the things that I learned.

We had a few meetings as well and it was good to catch up with some old companions. They all seem like they are doing well. It was also so great be with President and Sister Stevens. I love them.

Lords Hand

I saw the Lords Hand this week in J. Our good friend! He is incredible. We saw him a few times and he was able to watch The Prophet of theRestoration video. When we had our lesson with him after, he was bearing his own testimony of the prophet and how he know Joseph Smith was called of God. He lives with friends from other faiths who have been somewhat hard on him. He shared with us how he keeps strong to his faith. I saw the Lords Hand in him giving up alcohol within a day. He is an incredible man. And I love him very much.

Life is good out here. My birthday was so lovely. I love the Flandros. Haha they made it feel like home with their support. They are the best. They will be very special to me forever. Elder Williams and I are enjoying the work. It's goes faster and faster every day.

I love you! Sad East lax lost to Oly. Hope the next few games go well!!! I love you💙💙

No short cuts.

Jacob

P-Day walk with Graciela Flandro

3/6/2017

What a week it has been!!!!!!

Hahaha a lot of cool things have happened this week! It was busy and exciting. So first things first, we had interviews with President Stevens this week! It's always a lovely experience!!!! It's super nice now with the new missionary schedule we also have interviews and zone conference every transfer!!! So we are super super happy about that! But interviews were great and President is the best haha.

We had a cool experience earlier this week on Wednesday. I was with an elder from Uganda and we had such a good time. His name is Elder Muwanika and we just made tons of memories. We also shared a very very special experience together as well. It was the evening time and we were headed to the chapel for Ward Council and this car pulled into the car park with a flat tire. We went over to help them and they were super kind, they didn't have a spare so we told them they could park their car in the car park and come inside the church to wait for their cab. We talked to them for quite a while and they started opening up to us. They asked about our missions and eventually about the church in general. They expressed how they both had a belief in God but they didn't really know what to do about it. They shared that they had lost a very close family member just a year ago. They opened up and it was very emotional. We were able to very very simple testify of the plan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ and the happiness and comfort it brings.  They shared how they were driving down the road for quite a while and that the wife had been telling the husband to pull over several times. After driving a ways down the road, he pulled into the chapel car park. It was so lovely to see that they recognized that it happen for a reason. They left in their cab and we got their contact info. We contacted them but after a few days we couldn't get a hold of them. I realised that one of the greatest seeds had been planted on my mission, they experienced being in the chapel, they felt the spirit, and they learned about the simple plan that God has for us. I'm grateful for the experience Elder Muwanika and I had because my testimony of the plan of salvation was strengthened. I have never felt such love for 2 people I hardly knew.

That was the highlight of the week for sure. I will never forget that. But we are loving life here. Elder Williams and I are having a good time and working hard. We have taught J a few times and he is a legend. His commitment to the gospel is incredible, he has given up a lot prepare for his baptisms.

 

Today was a crazy day. We are both nackard!!! First thing this morning we locked ourselves out of the flat without our car keys too. so we called the land lady and she couldn't help so we booked it to the chapel like 3 miles away for call ins. We then got help from the senior couple but when they picked us up they got a flat tire so we fixed that. Then went and picked up a spare key where the land lady yelled at us haha. It was just very exciting.

Life is good. I love the mission!!!! I love Watford. It's a great place.

No short cuts!

Jake