October 3, 2016

A Sad Farewell to my Beloved Ireland

Hello everybody! This week began with one of the saddest moments of my life, and then it got better! This week was just some real power! It has been so great! I have loved it!

So, on Monday, Elder Cropper and I went and emailed, and then we went and got our last Chequers together! (Chequers is a fantastic Fish and Chips restaurant) Twas intense! I am gonna miss that place! And then the rest of Monday, I was packing after we looked around town a bit, and then we didn't even get to go to FHE since we had to be in Belfast earlier than usual! So that was a bummer!  We left for Belfast that night and stayed with the ZL's at their flat.

 

Inside the Ferry to Scotland

Then, on Tuesday, I got up at 4 in the morning and got ready and dressed since we had to leave the flat at 5:00am to get to the ferry terminal on time.  Well we left, and it turns out that the terminal didn't even open until 6:00, and the actual ferry didn't leave until 730!! So, I arrived 2 hours early. Plus, I am traveling by myself, so that was bit odd. The ZL's and Elder Cropper waited for the terminal to open and then we said goodbye and I was left to my lonesome. So, I just wrote in my journal while I waited for the ferry and then wrote some more once I got on the ferry. I also snagged some breakfast at the restaurant that they have on board.

 

Got me a delicious chocolate shake to ease the emotional pain!!

One of the saddest things that I went through that morning, was waving goodbye to Ireland. I love Ireland so much! It killed to leave! I had learned so much and grown so much there that I couldn't believe I was leaving! It was killer! I looked out the window, and to make things more dramatic, it was a really foggy day and the window had rain dropping down it and there was a very blue over tone. I was like, "dang... there it goes..."

Hopefully I can serve there again before I am done!

 

Arrived at the Scottish port town of Helensburgh and waited to meet my new Companion

The ferry ride was nice, and then I took a bus from Stranraer, which was great, too. It was quite relaxing being by myself, but also kind of weird. I was alone for 8 hours! When I finally arrived in Glasgow, there wasn't anybody to pick me up, so I just sat down and waited on a bench until the missionaries arrived.

We spent the day in Glasgow, and I had to carry my luggage all over that flipping city again. (I invite you to read my first email, in the which I chronicle my hectic journey to the Emerald Isle, and a main focus is literally running through Glasgow with all my luggage.) Ahhhhhh, memories! Am I right!!! Haha! Then we headed to Dumbarton in the evening, and unpacked our stuff.   My companion, Elder Milburn, and I are whitewashing. So we both have no idea about the area. He has only been out for 12 weeks, and he is English. He's from London, so that is fun! The whole situation is crazy because we are starting fresh in this area!

 

Elder Milburn and I having an ice cream in Helensburgh

The rest of the week was pretty similar. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we were GQing in the different towns of the area. Wednesday we also went home teaching with a member, so that was pretty fun.

Saturday, we headed over to a members house for dinner and General Conference, which was really awesome! It was a really nice family that loves missionaries!

And then on Sunday, we spent the entire day in the Glasgow Stake Center watching General Conference! It was like the super bowl for us! It was awesome! Then a member from Dumbarton fed all the missionaries in the Zone and it was awesome! So good! Lots of leftovers and yummy snacks! So great! Plus, conference was really solid! I loved it! My favorite talk was President Uchtdorf on the Saturday Morning session on the Plan of Salvation! It was so good! The Bretheren are putting a huge focus on the Book of Mormon, and enduring to the end! I would invite each of you to apply the Book of Mormon more in your life! Whatever role it has played so far, make it play a bigger one! It is a Book that can truly change your life and outlook on the world. It is inspired of God! 

This week has been nuts, but I have loved every moment of it! I love this Gospel and I love Jesus Christ! And I love you all as well!

--

Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen

September 26, 2016

Elder McDaniel and Elder Mickelsen
We just met this week during exchanges and are both
from Idaho and live only 10 miles apart!

I apologize for the fans of the earlier system of writing the email, but I am just going to switch over to a highlight reel type email. At least, for a little while.

Most of the time, I just state the highlights and then the rest of the time would be finding and sleeping. So, with that in mind, I will begin to enlighten your minds on the current state of Coleraine, after another week with the Elders of Israel laboring within her boundaries.

So, this week was actually really good. It was moves call week, so there was something to look forward to at the end of the week. It is a really fun time. I really enjoy it. So we taught Lauraine on Monday evening, and then went over to FHE. Where we dominated the quiz! Woo! But Lauraine's lesson was alright. She is a bit closed off and it takes a minute to get her to open up, but we committed her to read the Book of Mormon, and she agreed! So that was awesome!

We also had DM which was actually really good! We had a really big focus on the Book of Mormon, so that was awesome! We had everyone bear testimony of the Book of Mormon, and it ended up being a really powerful meeting! Then we came back to Coleraine and taught Isobel, and that lesson went really well actually. We just talked about the church and her BoM reading and it was pretty solid! She is progressing well!

The next day we got flu shots, and that was interesting. The flappin thing got me sick! But then that evening we went over and saw Trevor, and read, that's right, the Book of Mormon with him. It was really good! We are just finishing 2 Nephi, so that is solid!

Thursday we had BoM class, (see what I mean by having a BoM week?) and that went well. It was just Alwyn, so we only read one chapter, but it was still good. It was Mosiah 4. There are some really powerful things in Mosiah 4. I would invite all of you to give it another read! It is so good!

 Afterwards, we went over and had some hot chocolate with a guy named James, not the investigator James, but the James that just takes us out occasionally. So that was awesome! Had some really baller hot chocolate. It is starting to get cold here, so it's a bonus! 

The next day, we had exchanges with the Derry Elders, and I was with Elder McDaniel. He is from Menan! I can’t believe he lives 10 miles from my house in Idaho! So that was really awesome to have someone that knows the terminology and the area! We had a really good time! Elder McDaniel just finished his first transfer, so he is brand new!

So we taught Isobel, and then we spent the remainder of the day finding! It was awesome! Rained all day! Woo! Rainy season is coming!

The next day we went and saw Katrina and she committed to come to church! So that was some progress, and then we had burgers with her. So that was awesome! 

Sunday, we had church, and that was solid! Katrina came! So that was awesome! She did really well! And then after church we went finding and then we went and saw a lady named Isabel. And while we were there, we got moves call!

I am going to Dumbarton in Scotland!!! It is just outside Glasgow! So I am going to Scotland! It is really exciting! I am really sad to leave Ireland behind, but I am excited to see some more bits of the mission!

But after that, we went over and saw Trevor and read some more of the Book of Mormon and said goodbye! I really have loved this area! Definitely coming back soon! 

But that was my week! It was pretty awesome!! I am excited for my adventurous week this week! It should be really good! Love you all!

-Till the Work is Done!

-Elder Mickelsen

September 20, 2016

Wearing my birthday tie my mom sent:)

Sweet Sister Dunn made this awesome cake!

This week was great!

I don't really want to type out a big long play-by-play this week, mostly because it was basically the same thing every day. But we did teach our investigators and really get down to the nitty gritty of conversion. We are working to resolve James' concerns, and as well as working with Isobel to continue strengthening her testimony so she will be ready to be baptized!

So that was the awesome parts of this week! We had a few run-in's with some really ‘anti’ people on the street and it was quite annoying. It was stupid really. But people will be people. The work will continue! The week ended with my birthday, (thanks to everybody who wished me a happy birthday!) So this week was really good! But I would like to share something from my study this week!

It is from Alma 34:8-17

8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true.  Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

These verses really describe to us the necessity of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through no other person or name can we get to the Celestial Kingdom of God and live for eternity with our families. It is the most important event to transpire in the history of ever. For the inhabitants of the universe, the Atonement stands as the "Great and Last Sacrifice" and Christ stands with open arms to receive all those that repent and come unto Him.

In Him we will find Light, Life, and Truth. In Him we will find Salvation and Exaltation. In Him we shall inherit all that the Father has and have Eternal Life and Happiness.

I love you all! I thank you for your support! I love my mission and I love the Lord! Sorry for the lacking content of the letter! I will do better next week! Talk to you all soon!!!

Painting Sister Dunn's shed

Elder Cropper working' hard!

Out in the Town Centre preaching the Word!

-Til the Work is Done

-Elder Mickelsen

September 12, 2016

So, this week was pretty good. We had Zone Conference and some lessons, it was a bit slower as pertaining to the normal pace of the work here, but still progressing in many ways. So, I will just get right to it.

MONDAY - We had P-Day! It was really great! We first went up to Ballycastle, and then we did the coastal drive back to Coleraine! It was really a sight to see! There is some beautiful coast here in Northern Ireland! So we did the drive, and then we went back to town to teach Franky, and he had to cancel since his friend was in the hospital. But after that we went to FHE and had a pretty great time. FHE is like, one of the best ways to spend a Monday night.

TUESDAY - We had exchanges, and the Derry Elders came to Coleraine to do some work. I spent the day with Elder Scholz. He is pretty cool. We had a great time! We taught some on the spot lessons and we got some new investigators. We had a pretty solid day, and taught Isobel as well. That was a pretty good lesson. We talked about the talk from President Uchtdorf called, "Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth" It was pretty good.

WEDNESDAY - We had Zone Conference. Which was really good. We talked about having urgency in the work and making sure that we are utilizing every single moment! It was really good. The Belfast Zone is killing it right now, and so now we are focusing on moving to the next level! So that was a really good conference! And some other bad news... WE LOST THE CAR! (Actually really funny story on losing the car).

So, while I was with the Portadown missionary over moves week while we were waiting for our companions. So on our phones there is a fake call setting, and you can record a voice to talk to you on the fake call. So, a while ago, someone recorded a fake call saying that the car goes to Coleraine. So The Portadown Elder accidentally activated the fake call and had a perfect conversation with the recording and turned the car over to us. Well then, two weeks later, he accidentally fake calls himself again, and hears the same message. So they called us and said they got the car back. Turns out we were never supposed to have it in the first place. Haha! It was great while it lasted though. So we took the train back with the Derry Elders and called it a day.

THURSDAY - Nothing much to report on Thursday. We went finding all day and then taught a really good Book of Mormon class that evening.

FRIDAY - We went finding again all day, and met up with Isobel. We had a good lesson there, so that was great! And then later in the day we went and visited John Donaghy. He returned from his trip to Scotland, so we went over to see how he is doing. It felt like old times being back in John's house. It was really great! After that, we went over to a ward activity. It was pretty fun. Then we headed home for the night.

SATURDAY - We spent another day finding. It was pretty great!

SUNDAY - We had a really uplifting sacrament meeting. I really enjoyed it! I was one of the speakers, but I really enjoyed those who spoke other than me.  After church, we did some finding and then we taught James. That was an interesting lesson. He found this weird anti video and he showed us and we addressed some of the things that it talks about in there. So we had an okay lesson. The good thing about James is that he believes us over the Internet. So that was good. Then we went over to Katrina's and had a lesson there, which was good. We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and she really enjoyed it. Then we headed home for the night!

Well, another week down! It was actually a good week now that I look back on it!

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, and by no other name can we be saved! For Strait is the Gate and Narrow the way that leads to eternal life! Love you all!

-- Till the Work is Done

- Elder Mickelsen