4/24/2017

Well this will be a quicky!!!!!

It has been a lovely week this week. the weather has been alright, it seems to have its good moments during the day as well as the cloudier darker moments. but we are happy, the work is moving forward as president says and we are out enjoying every second of it. so life is good!!! The week, like every other week has consisted of lots of finding. it has been a very interesting experience learning how to talk to people on the street and sharing the message of the restoration. I’ve realized that more often than not, the most solid people that we find on the streets are the people that we stop with maybe not the best approaches but with faith that they will accept the invitation to meet and to learn about the restored gospel. It's the people that are searching for truth and hear even just a small part of what we share on the street and feel that whatever "small part" is can help improve the quality of their life. Those are the moments I have enjoyed most on my mission, when someone’s countenance changes on the street when we share and teach about the restoration. it is a testimony builder to me.

So the week was SOLID! we were able to teach a super super cool English lad named S. He walked into the Hyde Park chapel on Easter and felt the spirit very powerfully and was able to take a few tours in the VC about the restoration. I personally feel so grateful to have the greatest visitors centre in the whole world in my mission. It's the best haha. so we were able to commit him to come to church and he came! so that was sweet! 

We has stake sports on Saturday and we played lots of football. To be honest, I could not walk after. I was so tired. We were finding in town later and everyone though we were like 90 year olds. so that was very exciting haha. 

But life is good. The Lords Hand was in all aspects of the work this week. I saw the Lords Hand in J, the recent convert from Ghana. He came out teaching with us and was bearing his own personal testimony of the restored gospel, the Book of Mormon and the prophet Joseph Smith. It was such a sweet moment to be a part of.

I love you! You are the best!!! STOKED THAT EAST LAX BEAT DAVIS!!! Super happy hahaha!! I love you!!!

No short cuts 

Jacob 

4/17/2017 EASTER - Lots of Pictures

Easter Dinner at Flandro's

Well I just typed up a whole email and it deleted and I don't have much time at all. So that's a bummer hahaha. But it was a solid week overall! We had a delicious dinner at the flandros for Easter and it was a very powerful week. We had a few exchanges and we also had a very very powerful zone conference this week with president and sister Stevens. They were able to share their love for the Savior and their personal witness and testimony of him. It was such a powerful experience to be a part of. They are such wonderful people. I love them. They are called of God and are here for a very specific reason. And I am part of that reason. They have blessed my life in so many ways.

We were able to teach a really cool woman from Estonia this week and she loved the Book of Mormon. We are hoping to see her a few times this week and teach her more about the gospel. She  is very curious and willing learn for herself, she loves Moroni 10 and understands it very well. So we are very very excited for that. We are also visiting a referral we received last night from the Hyde park VC. So we are super super stoked about that!!!!

Lords Hand

I saw the Lords Hand this week In the knowledge that Christ lives today. He rose on the 3rd day so that we can rise again, so that we can overcome trials. So that I personally can overcome trials. He overcame death and suffered to know how to support and love me perfectly. I'm grateful for His mortal life and His example. He invites all of us to learn of Him to come to know Him. I know He lives. The Prince of Peace video is very powerful. We were able to share it on the street and it completely changed that countenance of those we stopped.  The gospel changes lives.

I love you! Have a good week.

No short cuts

Jake

Easter Egg hunt with Graciela

4/10/2017

Today will be short and sweet. So first things first. we had a stellar week this week weather wise! It was lovely. The sun was out all week and we got some nice tans going on. so we are stoked with the english weather right now haha, life is good. We have really just been out on the street this week like every other week haha, in the rebuilding stages. We found alot of really cool people this week but struggled to see them again at our return appointments. but we did meet some cool ghanaians from this church who gave us a bunch of milk to give away and we found this really funny jamaican guy who took it and was super super stoked about it so that was super super cool. we had a delicious dinner at the flandros and it was the best like always haha. the weather was perfect and we ate outside and it felt just like summer in utah. 

Eating outside at Flamdros

We were able to have a really cool conversation with a woman on the street this week named charity. she was super super interested in learning more about where it came from and how it could very personally help her in her life. we were not able to see her again but we were able to give her a book of mormon and commit her to read it.  We have also been able to see j quite a bit this week as well!!! he is doing super super well. he is sharing the gospel with all of his friends and family and is preparing to receive the priesthood in a few weeks!!! 

Lords Hand

we saw the Lords Hand in just helping us be happy and positive with the work this week. we didnt teach the lessons that we had planned or any of the solid people that we thought we had found but we were still able to find joy in establishing the church here in the blessed land of Watford. 

I love you, enjoy the beach this week and send it in the shore break. 

no short cuts 

Jake 

Graciela playing with Elder Parkin in church!!!

4/4/2017 General Conference Week

It was a solid week this week!!!! We have seen some sweet miracles with a few of our friends we have found on the street! It was a solid week of general conference and the talks were so great. I really felt that they answered the questions that I had and that I was able to receive a lot of personal revelation for myself as well as our area. I will be staying here in Watford with elder Williams for our second transfer!!!! We are so pumped!! Haha we were very happy when we got the call. Life is good! We are in the rebuilding stage like always haha but we are just out finding and contacting. It's the best. But overall it was a great week. We are enjoying the work and life is good.

We were in London this week and it was good to be with past companions and we were able to receive training from President and Sister Stevens. They are the best. President set some new visions and the whole mission is super super pumped so we are looking forward to it!

We were in town centre on Tuesday contacting and we stopped this group of Africans and they all walked away except for this one guy. His name is B. And he's a legend. B is from Nigeria and when we told him about the Book of Mormon he grabbed our arms, walked over to a bench and sat us down and said, "teach me about this book" so we did haha! His heart and mind were open to what we talked about and shared, the spirit was able to teach him very clearly what the message was. It was so lovely to see that as missionaries, all we can really do is bring the message unto the hearts of these people, and B in this situation, it is then the spirit that takes the message into their hearts. It was such a cool experience. B was referred to an area in the zone and he accepted a baptismal date for the end of April. He is a legend.

Lords Hand:

I saw the Lords Hand this week in B, I saw that really as missionaries we are only as ushers. The spirit is the teacher and it is up to us to teach correct principles that will allow the spirit to teach and bring the understanding of those principles. I also saw the Lords Hand in general conference. Elder Bednars talk In priesthood really just helped me feel that I am in England for a reason but most importantly that I have been called to serve.

I love you family. I hope hoy enjoy the beach next week! Get sendy at the wedge shorebreak for me haha. I love you!

No short cuts

Jake