November 9, 2015

The boys survived another transfer! Still in Lisburn!

Hello All!  This week has been fantastic! We spent pretty much all of it tracting, but hey, it is all worth it!  I have learned a lot this week, and we have met some solid opposition this week, but it doesn't matter.  The Lord's purposes will be fulfilled.

MONDAY- Monday was P-Day as it always is.  We spent it by emailing, shopping and spending a little bit of time playing a few rounds of snooker.  It was a pretty good P-Day.  Also, our Family Home Evening fell through for that night, so we got to go do more AUF's (Address Unknown File) Woo Hoo!! AUF's make me so happy! (With HEAVY sarcasm) But, we have been asked to do so, and we will continue on until we finish the task with which we have been assigned.  But time goes quickly when you're working so hard, so it was bedtime before we knew it!

Our Bus Stop in Lisburn

TUESDAY- Tuesday we had District Meeting.  It was a good one.  We had some people instruct on the Christlike attributes listed in Preach My Gospel.  And I was assigned to instruct on humility.  I had a very in depth study on humility that morning in preparation for my instruction, and I wanted to share one key phrase with you all:

    "Humility is a willingness to submit to the will of the Lord, and to give Him the glory for what you accomplish."

That is the missionary definition of humility.  And that opened up a whole new world of studies for me. But the District Meeting was bittersweet because our District Leader, Elder Thayne, would be leaving us.  As moves call was this week and he had been in the same area for 7 1/2 months.  But it was a great meeting.  After the meeting, we went to lunch with the Portadown Elders (our usual Subway run) and it was all good.  After lunch, we were privileged to do AUF's until 7:30 when we would be going out with the Ward Council to hand out Stake Conference invitations.  The Stake is really pushing for 1000 people at the Conference.  To show that the Irish Saints are willing to come to Church and take the work seriously.  That put a close on Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY- Nothing much to report on Wednesday.  Just AUF's.  We want to push forward with them so we don't have to worry about them.  We are making really great progress.  But Wednesday was just your average normal day.

THURSDAY- Thursday was okay.  We had a lesson fall through in the morning, so we just did an AUF to kill time.  Then we had another lesson fall through with a new investigator, but we got let in a few doors down so that made up the difference.  Then we had to head back to the flat at 5:00 because it was Guy Fawkes night and President Donaldson wanted us inside. (Guy Fawkes was a guy who tried to blow up Parliament a while back and he failed, so the Irish people here celebrate.)  So we saved the weekly planning meeting for the evening and made a turkey dinner and listened to the Joseph Smith Lectures.  Those were pretty dang good.  But I really did enjoy Thursday.  It was a nice break from AUF's!

FRIDAY- We started off the morning with our usual studies and then did some AUF's in the morning.  We then were supposed to have another lesson with 'S' and his girlfriend at the church but it fell through and now we can't get a hold of them.  It seems like every time we get an investigator with a baptismal date, they disappear off the face of the earth.  'S' makes 3 now! Ugh.  People and their agency are the worst.  I just want people to take us seriously and know that we are just trying to help.  Then we headed to another investigator who gave us the wrong address.  Woopity Doo.  Friday night, a guy driving into his neighborhood stopped us and started bashing us and telling us that we needed Jesus and that we were destroying his teachings by preaching a denomination.  Sucker Punch.  But he was not able to confound us.  He just straight up pulled over, turned his car off, and fought with us for a solid 40 minutes.  I just stood there fuming.  I wanted to hit him.  It was really aggravating to have someone tell you that what you believe is garbage.  That made me unrealistically angry.  We thought we were done with him when we turned around and left the area but more to that in a minute...

SATURDAY- Saturday it rained.  Nuff said.  But we did have a good Saturday.  We travelled up to 'T's house for his weekly lesson and showed him a really good Bible video called John the Beloved's witness.  I really encourage all of you to watch it.  It is really good.  We then invited 'T' to come to Stake Conference and he said he would try.  So we were content with that and off we went to do some AUF's.  We then had the good fortune of knocking on the same guy's door who yesterday pulled over to fight with us.  We didn't know he lived in the area but there he was and he started fighting with us again.  We left quicker that time.

Another delicious chippy's dinner

SUNDAY- Sunday was awesome.  We had Stake Conference at the Ulster Hall.  It was really great.  They had a giant organ and everything.  We had the Europe Area President, Elder Kearon, speak as well as President and Sister Donaldson.  It was a fantastic Conference.  Then we travelled home and started working on more AUF's until 7:00pm when we retired to our flat for 12 week evaluation and dinner, and to await moves call.  And the verdict is: Elder Allred and myself are staying in Lisburn for another transfer! Woo Hoo! So now I don't have to worry about moving for now!

Anyway, that is all I have for this week.  Talk to you soon! Here is my ponderizing scripture:

1 John 2:1-2;6

My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

He that saith he abideth in him ought to himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

-Elder Mickelsen

More AUF's! Yay!!