March 28, 2016

Hello again, everybody! This week has gone by even quicker than the last and it's hard to believe that March is coming to a close! We had a really good week with Zone interview training and some good finding sessions, as well as teaching some less actives and finding a new investigator!!! Woo!!! I will just jump right into it then…

MONDAY- was fun.  We walked around Bray in the morning and just looked around at the shops and then we ate some lunch.  It was a pretty good morning.  Then, we headed up to Dun Laoghaire to do our usual emailing and then we went back to Bray to do our shopping as well as look at a music store that is right by LIDL's (which is where we shop). It was pretty fun.  Next we dropped our groceries off and headed out to do some tracting and GQing.  We were supposed to have a less active lesson with a lady named, 'S', today, but she got sick last minute and had to cancel.  So, we just did some good finding.  People are opening up here now! They actually talk to us! The only thing is that they are all tourists, so we will have to teach em quick! hahahaha! But this week started off on a good note.

TUESDAY- was pretty great! There was no District Meeting on account of having Zone Conference tomorrow, so we were able to spend another good day finding.  In case you haven't noticed, we spend a good chunk of our time finding! We don't really have anyone to teach.  Our only investigator is having some Visa problems, so we are trying to build up our teaching pool and keep this area alive! But we are finding like mad! So we spent a good amount of time knocking doors in the morning and then we went to go and teach 'P.F.'  He is a character.  He likes to have us over, but sometimes he doesn't really listen that well.  Lucky for us, we have struck a gold mine with the living scriptures cartoons! (Thanks Elder Allred!) So, he was really engaged in that.  We showed him the story of Helaman and the Stripling Warriors and it was really great.  We focused on the fact that if we know we are being righteous and we know God is on our side, we can never truly lose.  It was a great lesson.  

Afterwards, we went finding some more and then we went home to have some dinner.  Then we crashed hard because we have to get up early and head to Dublin for Zone Conference in the morning.

WEDNESDAY- So today we had Zone Conference.  It was pretty fun.  I always enjoy meeting up with the other missionaries in my zone, even though I don't really know most of them.  Being around other missionaries is just fun in general.  You are around people you can relate to and have a good time with.  It is great!  We learned a lot of good things in Zone Conference.  And although it felt a bit hasty and sped up at times, I came away knowing more than I did when I went in and also realized that my teaching style is the way that works for me and I don't need to change anything to conform to what every other missionary thinks I should do.  That is the main thing I learned.

I also had a good interview with President Donaldson.  He was able to guess my concerns without me even saying anything! It was crazy! He gave me some solutions on how I could work on improving my area and growing the church in Bray and I was very thankful for that!

After Zone Conference, we headed back to Bray and we did some GQing by the seafront and on a road that is just off the main street.  Afterwards, we headed home for some dinner and some wind down time.  Then we headed to bed.

THURSDAY- was good.  We did our weekly planning and then we had some lunch. Then we did some finding pretty much all day until we had our English class, which nobody showed up to, so we did some more finding and went home for dinner.  Thursday was definitely the low point of our week. But still good!

FRIDAY- was also just finding.  I don't really know what else to say.  We talked to a ton of people and also knocked on a ton of doors.  There were quite a few people in town because of Easter this weekend, so that was great.  But for the most part, Friday was a blur.

SATURDAY- was nice.  We went and set up the chairs and did the progress record first thing in the morning since we had a pretty booked evening.  We did that really quick and then we went out and GQed the main street.  Then we had some delicious lunch.  Afterwards, we made some paper eggs to put in the hymn books for the Branch on Easter.  We wrote little spiritual messages on the back and then added the church's new hashtag, #Hallelujah.  It was pretty fun to make those, then we went and visited with 'J.Mc.' We showed him the Hallelujah video and then a Mormon Message about God's constant shower of blessings on us.  It was a pretty good lesson.  I really felt the spirit when the Mormon Message was playing.  It is really a good one! Especially since the only thing the sky does over here is rain!! 

After that, we headed down to the new investigator appointment that we had scheduled but her husband hadn't arrived home yet, so we just shared some spiritual thoughts on the doorstep and we set up a return appointment to come back and teach her more.  It is very exciting!  Especially right before Easter! Bray might be seeing a "Resurrection" of it's own!  I hope so!  And then after the doorstep lesson, we headed home and had our dinner and then we went to bed.

SUNDAY- was really good. Church was the best part of the day.  We had so many people at church! We had 2 investigators and we were able to re-establish contact with the one when she came to church.  It was really good! Also, we had some less active members as well! Things at church were just great!  I also spoke in Sacrament Meeting.  I spoke on the Atonement of Jesus Christ as taught by the Book of Mormon Prophets, as well as the Nephite Easter.  I had never thought of 3rd Nephi 11 as the Nephite Easter before and it shined a whole new light on the chapter for me!  I would encourage you all to read that chapter and put yourself in the position of the people and really think what that was like!  I was a really amazing thing that happened! Ack, it was just so good!

Then after church, we went and did some more area book finding to clean it up a little bit and see if we could call anyone and wish them a Happy Easter.  Afterwards, we headed over to the Bunda's house and had some lasagna! It was awesome!  Then we taught Mathoni.  He is a typical 7 year old, but he is learning!  Then we headed home and went to bed.

On the cliffs of Bray at Sunset

Well, that was the week! It was really good!! Things are starting to look up here in Bray!  And I am getting excited!  The season is changing and what better time to change ourselves and celebrate this time of New Life!! This Gospel is True!! Love you all!!

Till the Work is Done.

-Elder Mickelsen