There is Sunshine in My Soul Today!

The sun has been shining all week long! I can’t even remember the last time I wore a jacket. Life is absolutely fantastic. It was pretty good to begin with, but it gets better with the sun. Let’s see how long it lasts.

An important part of our mission culture here in England is the idea of being a forever finder. A forever finder is someone that is always looking for more people to teach or share the gospel with. Since coming on my mission, I have come a long way. I was always sociable and friendly, but I quickly realized approaching strangers and speaking to them about the gospel was not as easy as I expected. More recently, I have been able to do a good job with knocking doors or talking to people in the streets. However, buses just were not my thing. This last week we had trainings. Let me tell you, two elders changed my mission! I love bus contacting now! I know it took me half of my mission, but it is fantastic. The simple phrase, “Do you know anyone else that would be interested?” at the end of a conversation works wonders. By adding this phrase, you let people know that this message is for everyone and you will continue on talking to people.

One example of this was a conversation I had with Julie, a Christian and retired philosophy professor, on the bus. Before I could ask her that simple phrase, she said to me, “Why don’t you speak to the other people on the bus?” To which I responded, “Thank you. I think I will.” At which point, I was able to move around and people were expecting me to speak to them. The invitation Julie gave me couldn’t have been more inspired, and I know it was a tender mercy of the Lord.

Finally, we had an exciting day on Saturday. We were able to witness the baptism of Anna Mouanda. I was reminded of the beauty of baptism. The most important thing of that whole night was the actual baptism. It didn’t matter what happened before or after, what mattered is that Anna entered into a covenant with God. The covenant is what mattered, not how many people showed up, what the musical item sounded like or what food we ate. Once again I was reminded about what matters most.

This week I was once again reading 2 Nephi 31, which talks about Christ's gospel. As I read, it talks about the plainness of the gospel. This time it struck me in a different way. I realized that the gospel is quite simple--faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. However, the reason the doctrine is plain here for Nephi is because he has the Spirit with him. When the Spirit is our companion, we are able to be guided and directed in all that we do.

 

I think that is all for now. I am continuing to work hard by serving with all my heart, might, mind and strength. Next week is transfers, so you will hear from me on Wednesday. Look forward to speaking to you then.

 

Love, Becca

  

p.s. Here is the explanation about the pictures:

1. A picture with Anna before her baptism. She is from the Congo. The sisters mostly taught her before I entered the area. She has three children (two of which are pictured). They are adorable! Their names are Jordy, Jenny and Jeanellia. It has been great to teach her a few times, but I don't feel I can take much credit for things.

2. Picture of Sister Beaty and me in Manchester before the zone activity.

3. Picture of Sister Howes and me. We did a photo scavenger hunt in Piccadilly (like downtown Manchester). Ugg Boots, check! It was fun and we definitely came in like 3rd place out of about 10 teams, but who is counting anyways?

Another Week in Swinton

Life is wonderful. I am enjoying each moment as it comes and learn something new every day. I truly feel blessed to be here: on a mission, in England, in Swinton. I don’t think life could get much better. 

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to go and serve with Sister Hanson (on an exchange). It was great to learn from her and be able to experience the true sense of forever finding (the idea in the mission that we are always looking for more people to speak with and teach). We literally talked to every person we saw, which is a bit easier in Macclesfield than it is in Swinton (Macclesfield is more like Whitefield, a smaller town, while Swinton is city). We taught amazing lessons and were able to see many miracles while we were together. I felt particularly inspired because one goal I had for the exchange was to review my previous study journals. Quickly after exchanging, I realized that Sister Hanson is experiencing similar things to what I experienced my third transfer (which is the transfer she is currently in). My recorded inspirations proved to be most valuable and helped me to better relate to her situation and offer advice. It went to show me that while each of our mission experiences are unique, they are similar. Some of us will go through the exact same challenges, joys and obstacles. I was happy to share my own experiences with her and hope she is able to learn and apply them into her own work. (I included a picture of the exchange. It was rainy/windy and we were going home in like 45 minutes, so we didn't use our umbrellas and this is what resulted.)

Recently I have been pondering endurance. Part of the gospel is to endure to the end and endurance is part of every aspect of our life. As I pondered, the phrase “What matters most?” came to my mind. My mind then recalled, 3 Nephi 13:33 which says “…seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” When we seek first for God’s kingdom, the rest falls into place. Endurance is really about priorities—knowing what is most important. Our lives are constantly filled with good, better and best decisions. It is as we focus on His kingdom and choose the best things to fill our time with, that we are able to endure. President Thomas S. Monson kindly reminds us, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” You can go ahead and watch the video it is from by clicking on this link:

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng&query=matters+most#mormon-messages-what-matters-most

 

Cherishing the relationships we have are part of what is most important. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, "Love is spelled T-I-M-E." As we spend time with those we love, we are blessed with a greater perspective and are able to endure whatever it is that lies ahead of us.

 

I am doing great! Today we are going into Manchester and doing a zone activity. They told us to bring a camera. I think we are going to do a photo scavenger hunt, but I am not sure. I will report more next week. Hope all is well! Keep up the good work.

 

Love, Becca

The Sun is Shining

Dear Family!
It was wonderful to speak to you all yesterday :) I am grateful you all were able to be there, no matter how big or small the sacrifice was (specifically James and Gugu waking up at 3 am). I enjoyed seeing each of your smiling faces and hearing your happy voices. I hope you found the conversation equally as enjoyable.

In my study of The Book of Mormon, I read Alma 7. As we all know this chapter describes beautifully the Atonement of Jesus Christ. However, this time I was particularly struck by Alma’s first words. He describes how he has come to speak to the people and only has time to do so because he has given up the judgement-seat (Alma 7:1-2). While it is necessary for us to be concerned with the world and government, it can distract from spiritual matters. We are often taught “to be in the world, but not of the world.” Applying this quote into our lives means we need to be aware of the world, but we cannot get caught up in its everyday matters. If we become too preoccupied with the world, then we forget about what matters most. We soon find that we do not have time to tell others how much we love and appreciate them or share our life experiences. I am grateful that Alma was able to realize this in his own life and give up those things of the world for something far greater—sharing about Jesus Christ and his Atonement. I too feel that I am able to do the same at this time in my life, specifically by being a missionary for the Savior himself, even Jesus Christ.

I don't feel like there is too much else to report since I just talked to you all yesterday. I am enjoying Swinton; the city life is growing on me. It is nice to have a larger ward and have people everywhere to talk to. Furthermore, since there are more people, it is just natural that you have a higher proportion of people who are interested or at least willing to talk to you. It is always better when you find people to talk to and help them find greater faith, hope and love in their own lives. I am sure there is more I have to report, but at the moment, I can't really recall so I guess this is all for today. I will be more thoughtful next week though and see what exciting stories, thoughts and details I may have to report.

Love, Becca

p.s. Here is the description about the photos:

We had sports day on Wednesday. Twice a year we get together as missionaries and simply play sports for the day. It is great fun! It is a nice opportunity to be able to relieve stress and simply do more or less whatever you want. The first photo is of all the sisters in the mission. A little bit a of different picture than normal (we are all girls and we are not in Sunday dress). 

Then the second and third photos are of the elders. President Preston had us break up into groups and gave us a few minutes to make the highest structure. As sisters, we tried making a pyramid, which eventually collapsed. It was good fun and luckily no one got hurt. The elders had a few different ideas and they mostly worked out well, so I thought you may enjoy seeing the pictures as well.

Let us all press on.

The sun is shining and we are enjoying all that we do. It has been an exciting past couple of days. Swinton is actually bordering my last area (Whitefield), but it is a lot larger since it is a city. There are a ton more people, so I am adjusting to the faster pace of missionary work. It is a good learning time for me, and I am constantly seeing miracles everywhere we go. Also, we have elders in the ward with us. Whitefield is the only area I have been in that didn't also have elders, so it is nice to once again see the elders around town as we travel to and fro.

 

To tell you a little bit about my companion... Sister Beaty is from Arizona. She is in the middle of 9 children, so there is a lot of excitement at her home. She was working before coming on a mission and is 23 years old. We get along really well. I know that we will both bless each other's lives this transfer, even if it is a 5-week transfer (usually transfers are 6 weeks, but once a year we have a 5-week transfer to compensate for when the temple and MTC are closed for cleaning). Sister Beaty is definitely a bit quieter than I am, but then again that is probably not saying much. She loves to laugh, so that is good and keeps us young. There is probably more, but I will tell you more as time goes along.

 

This week we attended district leader council on Saturday. (Now for those of you who don't know what district leader council is let me tell you because I didn't even know until I went on Saturday. It is where the zone leaders have a meeting with the district leaders and discuss what they want to happen during the transfer/month. We discussed business, had a few trainings and then talked about what we wanted to improve.) One thing that stuck out to me was the zone leaders' training called “Ma and Pa.” They talked about how each of us need parents—both a mother and father. For zone leaders it appears in every companionship, one is the ma while the other is the pa. However, as district leaders, senior companions or trainers, we have to be both. We need to be a parent, rather than just a ma or a pa. It is when a child has both a mother and a father, they are able to grow and progress. Without the role of both a mother and father, we are not able to grow to the fullest. I hadn't really ever thought about that in my own life, but I know that it applies to each of us. Growth really comes from being aware of how parents truly help us to reach our full potential.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to the temple since it was a bank holiday. Let me just say I love the temple. Once again I saw some members from Wigan. I think Wigan will always be my first love. There are some people there that I truly hold dear to my heart, so it was special to see them again. I also bumped into Sister Molly Davis (my trainer/first companion)! It was a wonderful surprise. She is back visiting the mission with both her mom and grandmother. It was a wonderful surprise and helped me to realize just how fortunate I am to be making so many great friends whose relationships will last at least a lifetime. The work you do as a missionary not only causes you to turn to the Lord for help and assistance, but it also causes you to make special bonds with the people you meet. Each one seems to influence your life in a different way, yet for the better.

 

Love always, Becca

 

p.s. The picture is of Sister Beaty and me :) It is from cinco de mayo--that is why we are so excited! Also, this marks a year from when I received my mission call (and my half way mark). Not that any of us are counting or anything...my math is staying with me (it is just something that I can't quite help).

Goodbye Whitefield​. Hello Swinton.

Yes that is correct, I am no longer in Whitefield. Not only that, but once again I whitewashed out of the area to elders. Does this seem to be a trend after training? We will see if it continues on. Anyway, I am happy to be of service and apparently I have a skill for preparing the way for elders. Sister Howell and I were joking it is because I am so organized. Hence, I can leave the area in a way for a smooth transition. It's great though and I am happy to be here in Swinton. I am now serving with Sister Beaty who is from Arizona. She also came out with Sister Howell. I did an exchange with her last transfer so I am looking forward to getting to know her better and learn from her. She is fantastic from what I know so far. Sister Howell was transferred to Congelton, where she is whitewashing into the area. Transfers are always exciting, and I know that they are done by the Lord.

Miracle! We went to visit Sid, our investigator whose son was in the hospital. The doctors told her that her son, Denzel, would be handicapped the rest of his life because his heart stopped for 30 minutes. However, when they did the brain scans, nothing appeared. To all the doctors’ amazement, he is perfectly healthy. I know that this is a faith-building experience for all those involved. Sid now has a desire to fully live the commandments, and she even wants to bear her testimony at church on Sunday.

Another miracle, yesterday (our last day in Whitefield), we went finding in Radcliffe town centre. It appeared we were facing a bit of opposition; no one wanted to listen to us. Then it all changed—we met Tina and set up an appointment for the elders to meet with her on Saturday. Next, we ran into a former investigator, David, who we had lost contact with. Unfortunately, he is not doing so well and did not want to have the elders come over. However, it was not a coincidence that we saw him. He needs the gospel and knows it. David told us he is continuing to say his prayers and read the pamphlet about Joseph Smith every so often. The Lord definitely works in mysterious ways, and I am grateful we had the opportunity to see him one last time before leaving the area.

I am sure that I have more to report, but my mind is a bit here, there and everywhere these last few days. Packing up and leaving everything in good condition for the elders definitely takes some work. Plus we have a few other things to do before p-day is over like grocery shopping. I hope all is going well at home. I will be sure to write again (hopefully a bit more detailed as well) on Tuesday (it is a Bank Holiday on Monday, so it will be a day delayed).

Love, Becca


The photos:
-This is my district. I just love them. Good old Bolton district :)

-This is Louisa and me. She is honestly my best friend, and I was the saddest to leave her, yet I know we will stay in touch.

-This is Sid and me. Her baby, Denzel, is also in the background.