JUNE 5, 2017

What a week! Absolutely flew by! If I am completely honest with you, I don't really remember a thing other than the sunshine and talking to people. It seems as if I leave the Library on Monday afternoon, and the very next day I am writing an update from the next week - Just a complete and total blur. Mind boggling.

But I do know this week was good!!! The sun was out and everyone was super nice and friendly! We spent most of our time just street contacting, and it was fun. Taught a few recent convert lessons, and we are just enjoying this time of year in general. The town centre was a bit congested this week since the General Elections are coming up, so all the politicians were talking to people in the street as well, so that was weird. Stranraer is not big enough to have that many people trying to stop people in the streets.

Lemme paint a picture for you, It is a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. My freshly applied sunscreen shines brightly in the sun. It's warm. We are making our way to our usual spot in Castle Green. When we arrive, we discover that we have indeed been beaten to our place. A quick scan revealed that not only 1, but 2 political parties were out today in full force. "We can't compete with balloons." I think to myself. Continue scanning. The museum staff are out talking people into visiting the castle that sits in the town centre. "Well that is just peachy." Another look reveals that the market is being set up where people can buy dog treats and assorted shrubs. "They take up too much space." And finally I come to the last party of people stoppers in town. The Jehovah's Witnesses. "And that's great too!" So we decided to go to the park. And it was empty. So we bucked up, pulled out the Book of Mormon and started going to town in the town centre as well.

It ended up being a really good day! This past week I had a really good experience fasting as well. Just a super powerful fast. I have always felt "good" while fasting, but this week I wanted answers. Not just good feelings. I needed to feel something different. And as I prayed and tried to pay full attention to the Spirit, I received them. Clear, definite answers. So that is what the Spiritual thought is this week. Fasting has some serious power behind it. We just have to be willing to access it. It's not enough to simply pray and not eat. We need to ask in faith, believing that we can receive answers and we need to actively pay attention to the working of the Spirit in our lives during the fast. For in this we find results. In this we find truth.

Love you all!!!

-Till the work is done

-Elder Mickelsen

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