Week 49-May 2, 2016

Week 49-May 2, 2016

Innit Bruv

The week before I get to see you all again! I am so excited. I feel as if you've all grown up too much and I wont recognise you all besides mom and dad. I cannot wait though. It still isn't real to me! I feel like Christmas was just yesterday... the time has literally just flown by. Colchester is good. and we had some miracles happen this week, including one of our investigators asking us if he could get baptised on the 14th at church. He has been coming for months and taught everything he was just working through his concerns. his name is Marcel and he's a university student from Nigeria! Good guy with a lot of faith. I hope that he is able to go through with it just fine. We reached some of our goals this week as a zone and our monthly baptismal goal which I am humbled by and really grateful to the Lord for. Dad, your story this week really hit me hard and I still don't really know what to think because I have been thinking a lot about that lately. we just work and work and if people aren't READY to be baptised within a few weeks, we are told to move on. we are here to harvest, and if people aren't ready to be harvested then we have to move on and find those that are. that's what we are told anyways. I'm not surprised theres some friction now with Yewei and Amanda. the missionaries may need to detatch themselves from the teaching until they are ready to be baptised... I don't know.. anyways, the wonderful thing about missionary work is that I am learning so much every day. and serving other missionaries as well just accelerates that learning and growth so much. for that I am very very grateful! although at times I worry that I am not making enough of a difference in helping the missionaries. dad.. any advice from your mission for me? I think the key to helping anyone is to love them- with charity, a.k.a. perfect love. if you pray and serve until you develop that charity, then you will 1) know and 2) be willing to do what is best for that person. that's why mom and dad are such wonderful parents- they love us and then because of that they know whats best for us and they aren't afraid of offending us so they tell us what we need to change! I appreciate your examples so much mom and dad. you guys are seriously the best and I love you so much. 

this week we had a few exchanges, which was fun! it also made us really busy and we worked our socks off all week. from 6:29 when elder withers and I are in the gym downstairs running and working out until 10:30 when we kneel to pray together before bed we are always busy. I struggle to write in my journal enough and it gets very tiring but so rewarding. I know that the Lord is helping missionaries because to do what we do day after day is impossible without some kind of help. I know personally that I couldn't do this without heaven's help. thank goodness! we need it.

Let's see... a few short experiences from the week. we taught some good lessons but best of all we found a few new people to teach! a guy named Nathan I stopped early in april- I called him up randomly and he picked up and was interested in meeting now and so elder withers and another missionary went to the appointment cause we were on an exchange and they said it went really well. I'm excited to see him this week. also, a former investigator guy named Edward elder withers called while I was sick met with us this week and hes good too. we're excited for these people. then yesterday we were fasting and we were really tired and hungry and feeling super weak and physically sore from running and playing football on Saturday but we persevered and sunday afternoon spent a few hours knocking the doors around former investigators and we tried the address of this one lady supposedly named carie. it was one of the complexes that have an intercom so when we asked through the microphone if it was carie, they let us in and we met these Romanians who weren't carie but had gone to an LDS church for a whole year in Romania and want to meet to learn English and come to church- it was a miracle. I'm glad we decided to keep working I think the Lord blessed us. by the way, elder withers and I ran 6 days of the week last week and worked out- we are trying to lose all the fat weve gained on our missions. 

I don't have too much time but it was so amazing to get those pictures and emails this week- I love to read each of your updates and know how everything is going. I am so excited to skype and love you all. have a fantastic week! ill send some pics from my ipad. I know that this gospel is true and it is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. The Saviour is the key to ultimate peace even though it is still not easy to have faith all the time. The church is such an amazing blessing!!! bring all your friends to church. its a good place for them to be. theres my missionary invitation to you guys this week.

Elder J

p.s. 

p.s. we are going to try to skype at 8 in the evening our time. that means for you guys, 1 oclock in the afternoon so you can get home from church. we cant do any later cause we get 40 minutes and we need to be home at 9. should be fine- let me know if theres an emergency or for some reason that wont work. thatll make it work with elder withers' family as well. 

p.p.s congrats on the award mom! I'm sending you a card today that will hopefully get there by sunday but us kids are the result of all your work and love! don't forget that we will do our best to be your awards. if you know what I mean. if youre pickin up what I'm putting down. if youre smellin what I'm steppin in. you da best. love you!