MAY 29, 2017

MEMORIAL WEEKEND
               AND
MY LAST TRANSFER

Hello everybody! This was a lightning fast week! We had 2 exchanges, lots of travel, and moves call to top everything off! It was my last one! It was a bit of a surreal experience! But this week was really good.

The weather was BLAZING. So, naturally, people were really happy and nice and loved to talk. So we were in Kilmarnock on Tuesday for exchanges, and I was with Elder Cropper! So it was like old times! That was a pretty fun day.

We came back and then had a good solid day of finding on Wednesday and Thursday.

Then on Friday, the Kilmarnock Elders came down to do exchanges here and to help bolster our teaching pool. That was pretty fun. It was HOT on Friday. I'm talking like 80 degrees. It was wayyyyyy nice! So I got a tiny bit sunburned over the weekend, but not as bad as I did last year! So that is good!

Then on Saturday we had another day of finding and then we got our moves call! WE ARE BOTH STAYING IN STRANRAER! And I will be finishing my mission here! It's a bit surreal really... But it is exciting!

After that, we headed over to Steven's and taught him. Sunday was good as well! I blessed the Sacrament 3 different times! We had a few people not be able to make it, so we went and gave it to them! It was really cool! Also got to give a blessing as well! Sunday was a day full of ministering! A really good way to spend the Sabbath! 

Well, that was my week!!! I don't have any pictures from this week! Sorry, Mom! But I will take some this week! 

Love you all!

--

Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

May 22, 2017

Welp. This week went by faster than I had thought! I am not really sure what to write in this update because I feel like I just wrote the last update a yesterday, well, more like 10 minutes ago! I cannot believe how fast the time flies! 

But basically this week we just had finding! Talking to people on the streets all day every day! It's pretty good! Get to meet lots of people! I am starting to be a regular in the good ole town of Stranraer!!! I really love it here! It is a good place!

I had an experience this past week. I was asked to give an instruction at District Meeting this past week. Now, me being me, I forgot and prepared it the night before. I thought what I had was good. Now, on the train to District Meeting, I had an idea, which I thought would be better. So, I was trying to get my thoughts together but nothing really came. All I had was this basic idea and nothing else. So, me being me again, I winged it. And I'll tell you what, the thought that I had was definitely from the Spirit, because I don't think I could have come up with what I had with the aid of the Spirit. It was a good instruction, I felt, and it was weird that I hardly did any preparation for it. But it worked. Better than I believe my original plan would've. So through that, it was reaffirmed to me that the Spirit really does, "give unto us in the hour, yea, in the very moment" what we should say. So that was really good for me to experience this week!

I don't have a lot of time today, so sorry for the short update, but rest assured it was a good week! 

Love you all!

--

Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

May 15, 2017

MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND!

I think I am gonna try and start this letter with a word other than, "so"...

This week was pretty great! It was sunny and awesome and just a good week to be in the mission! Granted, we spent 3 days traveling this week, but it was to Edinburgh for a really good conference! The conferences are always awesome and uplifting! Always gives you the extra push to keep on pushing!

But, this is going to be a short letter since I called home yesterday! And the week felt like a blur! I always sit down to write this and I think, I have no idea what happened this week! 

Basically we spent the week finding. We didn’t see a lot of success, but like everyone always says, “It was sure building character! “ But we had a good week here in Stranraer.

This week I want to ask every one to read Mosiah 14 and think about the "stripes" with which we are healed. I have been looking at it recently and it has really helped build my testimony even more of the Savior and His mission. I know it can help all of you too!!! 

Love you all!!!

-Til the work is done.

-Elder Mickelsen

May 1-8, 2017

Hello everybody! Sorry for not writing last week! It was pretty hectic! There was a bank holiday and we had to wait a day to email and we barely made it back to have a tiny bit of time to email! But now I have some time! So I can write a proper one for the past two weeks! It feels like a blur, so I'll try my best to recollect as much as I can!

So last Monday (24 Apr) we taught a guy named Kevin. He was on the former investigator list and we had sent out a text to all our formers asking if they wanted to meet up again. Kevin was down for it, so we went to meet him! We will see where it goes. He is a nice guy. We just asked him about his investigation history. So we have a lesson for next Wednesday (17 May) Hopefully that goes well!

I made a cake last week! We had a Linger-Longer at church, and I didn't have anything to do while Elder Rodriguez was doing language study, so I made a cake! And lemme tell you, I was pretty chuffed with it. It was a strawberry Nutella cake. It has a strawberry jam and Nutella centre, and then it is coated in vanilla frosting and topped with some strawberries and a drizzle of Nutella! It was a vanilla sponge cake as well! So it was lush! I am pretty proud of myself!

This past week there hasn't been a cloud in the sky! It was so nice and warm and everything is starting to reach its peak greenness. Things here are always green, but in the summer, holy cow. You'd think the only color that existed here is green! So it has been awesome! My skin is finally starting to get some of its color back! I have to switch my watch back and forth though, so I don't have the horrid watch tan line, but I have one pretty bad on my left wrist, so now I am trying to even it out. 

Let's see....what else... Oh ya! Yesterday we went over to Steven’s for a bit since it was his son's birthday party. So we came to say hello, and it was great! And then after that, they started to paint a fence in the yard, and we offered our assistance. So we got to paint a fence! And then they had a BBQ for dinner! So it was a pretty baller day! Perfect weather for it as well! Plus, I loved smelling like fire! I have missed it! 

So ya! That was basically the highlights of the last few weeks! It has been a tremendous time for us, and it has been awesome! We have really felt the Spirit in our work, and in everything we do! This past week has really confirmed to me how the Spirit works, and how God leads and guides everything we do! If we involve Him in our lives, then we can never really go astray! He will lead us and guide us!!! Love you all!!!

-Til the work is done.

-Elder Mickelsen

April 24, 2017

Hello everybody! This week was awesome! It was a really good one! So to start off, moves were on Thursday this week, so we had a big chunk of the week to go around to members and say goodbye and everything. So the beginning of the week was really good! Then, on Thursday, we got up flippin early to get to Glasgow by 9:30, so that was awesome! We got a lift to the train station thank heavens! But we took the train the 2.5 hours up to Glasgow, I said goodbye to Elder Ritchie, and then I picked up Elder Rodriguez a few minutes later and got right back on the train to Stranraer.

That was quite a journey! But my companion is cool. He is from Bogota in Colombia and he has been on his mission for 3 months. He is also learning English, so it's definitely a learning experience for me to help him learn and teach. So that has been a learning curve for me!

But the highlight of the week would probably be that on Sunday, Steven was able to bless the Sacrament and he did great! Also! I forgot to fill the water cups before the meeting and they didn't notice, so I had to get up and stop everything to fill the cups! So that was awesome! Just a tad bit embarrassing! And then I played the piano for sacrament as well! Just played the right hand so they could have some accompaniment, so that was alright! Sight reading for the win! But it was a really good Sunday! I loved it! The weather was beautiful and everything was so nice! Just a good day! And I had a good week! 

Hey everyone!!!! The Church is true!!! Nuff said.

Love you all!!! 

--

Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen