January 23, 2017

So this week was really good! We had some good times! Basically the highlight of this week was that a family agreed to start investigating the church! They have been living with a member and the member had been sharing things about the church for a while, and we had met them a few times and shared spiritual thoughts with them. Then we invited them to take the discussions and they agreed! And they also came to church this weekend! So that was really great! They really enjoyed gospel principles class, and we are going to see them this week. So that is definitely a blessing from Heavenly Father.

I have got a bit of an off the normal topic spiritual nugget for all of you. Last night, we watched the film, "The Mountain of the Lord". It tells about the construction of the Salt Lake Temple and all the events that went along with that. It was a really good movie! I mean, I have seen it about 6 times now, but this time a new bit stuck out to me. Towards the end, President Woodruff was talking to the reporter and telling him about the Temple, and more specifically, the work for the dead. While I was watching this, I felt the Spirit really strongly tell me that the dead are excited for this work, and that they rejoice when the living act as "saviors" if you will, to them. Without us, they cannot be made perfect, and without them, we cannot be made perfect.

I ask that we never take the Temple for granted. Being in a place where the Temple is not readily available has opened my eyes to that. If you go to the Temple here, you have to make about a week of it. It is quite a journey, and you don't get to go that often. Then there is me, who lives about 25 minutes from a Temple in just about every direction. I could go before school and not miss my first class, I could go in the evening, and still have time for all the things I would need to do.

I highly recommend the film to everybody who wants a renewed sense of the grand importance of temple work. For it is the greatest work that this dispensation will undertake.

Love you all! 

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Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

Delicious Meal after talking to people all day in the cold!

Yum!!!

Sister Browning, Our missionary mom

January 16, 2017

Well, this week was pretty good! It SNOWED this week! It was awesome! It made my entire day! It was so great! Especially since you don't see snow much here! It was some thick stuff! Sadly, it didn't stick around, but no bother! It was awesome nonetheless!

But this week we may have found some people to teach! One of our member's has a nonmember family living with them that are seriously thinking about investigating the church! And if they do, that would be so awesome! They are really prepared.

Also, one of our former investigators called us over last night so we could comfort one of his friends who was grieving the recent loss of his girlfriend. We went over and found out that his friend had met with missionaries before, and that he and I had had off and on texting conversations for pretty much the entire time that I have been here. So it was great to finally meet him. We taught a tad bit of the plan of salvation, and also gave him a blessing. He said he felt really good afterwards. He said he would like to come to church and get baptized! So that was really good to hear! We are going to try and see him this week. So hopefully that goes over well.

But this week has been good. It had its ups and downs, but it was all good in the end! Time keeps passing quicker and quicker. The weeks feel like days, and I feel a sense of urgency. This is truly a hastening work. I know it, and I love it!! 

Me with my mini snowman, Elder Snow! He held up a mormon.org card for us and people would take pictures of him and everything. He was a star! Sadly, he didn't survive the night. When we returned the next day, poor Elder Snow had lost a good fight with the raging arctic wind. But he was a good man. He fulfilled his purpose! 

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Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

January 9, 2017

Beautiful Dumbarton Sunsets

So this week was pretty good! We had a chance to rest on Monday and Tuesday, and then it was back to the grind on Wednesday! It was actually quite nice to get back to the regular schedule of things.

So on Wednesday we had a dinner appointment at the Gallachers, and then we went on splits for the evening. I was with Brother Gallacher and the people we tried to visit weren't in, so we ended up with about 15 minutes of free time. He said he had something he needed to grab from his house and so we headed over there quickly. While I was waiting in for him to come down from upstairs, he comes down and says, "Elder, are you good with birds?" My response was thus, "Sure." And he then informed me that a bird had gotten into his loft and he had no idea how to get it out.

So he gives me a towel and sends me up there to capture and then release it. So I get up there and open the windows, and then I start being all stealthy and strategic trying to catch this bird. So after a few minutes of me trying to use the towel as a net, I decide that I am just gonna try and shoo the bird out the window. And that was that. In the next 30 seconds, the bird was out, the windows were closed, and peace was restored to the Gallacher home. So that was my fun experience from this week.

Other than that, we had some good appointments with people, mostly members. So it was good. I also started to read the Old Testament this week and I just finished Genesis this morning. It's a good read. I'll vouch for it! We are still trying to find some people to teach, and this area has definitely taught me some good lessons about being diligent. It has been good here, in that respect! Well, that is about all! Love you all!

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Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

January 2, 2017

Helensburgh, Scotland at Christmas time

This week was really fun! We had a lot of stuff going on for the holidays, and we rested up for the upcoming year to push even harder than we did this year! It was great! So, we have missed a few updates since the libraries close for the holidays here, so this update will just cover from Boxing Day up to New Year’s Day, and then hopefully we'll be on track after that.

So, on Boxing Day, we just chilled out all day and then went over to a less active's house for dinner. It was a really relaxing day. Then on Tuesday we had a half P-Day since things were open again, and then we spent the day finding with a dinner appointment in the evening to finish off the day. We also saw a bit of the Church's Christmas Devotional, and the Queen's Annual Christmas Speech at this dinner appointment.

Then the next day we were back at it. And we were finding all day. Thursday was good because we had a service project in the morning, and that was really fun to mix things up a bit. It was awesome! We even got a new mirror for our bathroom from it! It is really nice to be using a nice mirror, as opposed to the half mirror that we had before! haha! So that was good! That was followed by a lunch appointment, and then some good finding in the area to finish off the day.

Friday we were finding all day, and then we went to see a part member couple in the evening. It was good. They are a really good couple. They enjoy some good banter! It's great! New Year's Eve was a snore for us. As we were finished with our day by 6pm, and we just decided to stay in a relax. It was quite nice! I think I went to bed at like, 9:45.

Happy New Year! haha! New Year's Day was great! We had church, with only a one hour service again. This meeting was nice! I have really enjoyed our meetings the past little while! They have spoken about really good things! Then afterwards, we went over to the Couper's house for dinner, and then we stayed a while, played some card games, and just hung out! Then we went over to the Gallacher's house to finish off the last 2 hours of the night. They are a good family. It was good to spend time with them. 

But that was my week! Sorry about it being so rapid fire! I am trying to finish this email before my timer runs out on the computer! Things have been good out here! It was kind of surreal to welcome in 2017, but I am excited for the months ahead of me. The mission has achieved great miracles, and I know that we can achieve even more this upcoming year! We finished the year with 367 baptisms as a mission, and we rejoice in that! The Work is good, but it's not done yet. Love you all!

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Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen