MONDAY DEC 9, 2013

So how is it going? We have had an amazing week here in Sheffield. Started out on Tuesday with a couples mission council with the president. Our main responsibility as couple missionaries is to help the younger missionary succeed. The president gave us many ideas on how to help them. The first one is helping them find new people to teach and second is to help them learn how to study. We are not in leadership positions at all nor do we want to take over leadership roles. We are more like a guide and a mentor. So this next week we will start working with individual teams to help them to be more successful. Your dad has many good ideas to share with them about knocking on doors and finding people. We want to help them make their study time come alive and be exciting for them. If you have any good ideas you can share them with me.

Working with Sheffield 4th branch is truly an amazing experience. On Friday we went over to Rotherham to teach a few Slovak families. The first family has been waiting for their passports for seven months. They need their passports so that they can get married so that they can finally get baptized. Patience is a virtue and they are truly learning that. Hopefully within the next couple weeks they can get their passports back. Evil man have charge them big bucks and then are deceitful on where their passports are. The Lord is mindful of their desire to follow Christ and it will all work out in the end. We are praying that their passports will come in the next few weeks. Once their passports arrive then they have to apply to get married which takes about three weeks. So probably sometime in January they can get married and then finally in the waters of baptism.

The family with the passport problem introduced us to another Slovak family. We have been teaching them for three weeks. Many times the Lord prepares people to be taught the gospel. This man stop smoking four years ago because he wanted better health. Him and his family are very humble and open to the message of the gospel. There are no word of wisdom problems for him.

Two weeks ago we stopped with the elders to get some dinner at a Kebab shop. For one pound you could get a two piece chicken dinner and chips. Chips referring to french fries. Potato chips are called "Crisps" here in England. It was a very good price.

When leaving the kebab shop we ran into a family that asked about our name tags. "I love Jesus" was the woman's Slovakian message and I understood what she was saying. Her eyes lit up and she just kept saying "Jesus Jesus Jesus." pointing to our name tags. The Elders took her address so we can go visit them later.  We finally got to teach her and her family last Friday. They accepted our message with open hearts. We talked about the Savior and started to teach them about the restoration. We try to keep teaching within an hour so we concluded our thoughts and prepared to leave. The father says to the elders "what does your church teach about baptism? And do you baptized by immersion?" "Yes, we baptized by immersion", was our answer. "That's what I want" he said, "to be baptized like Jesus was baptized." I'm telling you these people are amazing. They recognize the spirit and they want to follow Christ. His wife pipes up at this point and says "I want to be baptized too and what about my children?" He asked. "I have an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old. Can they get baptized too?" Hummmm I don't know, let me think about that.... OF COURSE THEY CAN! We gave the baptismal challenge and they are scheduled for January 11th.Their whole family came to church yesterday and they loved every minute of it. I'm telling you the Lord has prepares these people and loves them very much.

5 "And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness." (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 16)

Yesterday there was over 20 people that were investigators at church. A total of 85 people in the branch attending sacrament yesterday. Amazing amazing amazing amazing. We love being missionaries.

Sent from my iPad

SHERWOOD FOREST, CITY OF CAVES AND NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre is near the village of Edwinstowe and free to the public. There is a visitor centre, shop and short film to watch about Robin Hood. In a 10 to 15 minute walk you can go see the Major Oak Tree. It is a 1,000 year old tree. Everything was decorated for Christmas. 

An image of Robin hood displayed near many of the trees

They are ready for Christmas

Elder Allen has me right where he wants me. HELP!

Look who we saw in Sherwood forest.

1,000 year old Oak tree

Next we made it to Nottingham and to the City of Caves. A hidden world was beneath the City of Nottingham where the poorest of residents lived in Nottingham's smelliest slum and narrow marshes.  

They tanned the leather with human waste mushing it with their feet. The smell had to be unbearable. 

Here is the toilet they used. Yucky. 

The kitchen was much better. 

He is not so such he liked this tour. 

We found a red phone booth. I am practicing using the phone so I can call home in a few weeks for Christmas. 

Sister Wilson got this band to play "Joy to the World."

We found a big shoe. 

Streets of Nottingham

By time we got to the castle it was closed. This nice guide talked to us and gave us a history of the castle. In the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress and occasional royal residence. In decline by the 16th century, it was largely demolished in 1649, with the Duke of Newcastle later building a mansion on the site. This was burnt out by rioters in 1831 and left as a ruined shell by the Dukes; later being adapted to create an art gallery and museum, which the building is still used as today. Little of the original castle survives, but sufficient portions remain to give an impression of the layout of the site.

The Trip to Jerusalem Inn claims to be the oldest pub in Britain. It dates back to 1189 AD. The original castle at Nottingham was established on the rock in 1068 and the brew-house was one of the first additions. Water was unsafe for drinking so ale was drunk instead. The caves at the foot of the rock was ideal for brewing, providing a tailor-made air-conditioning system and a large chimneys to cope with fires of the brewing process. It is assume the brew-house was in operation by around 1070 and could have been use before 1070. 

 This is what the inside looks like right up against the rock. The place was crowded with people. 

It was a long day and there was lots to see. It was totally worth seeing Nottingham and Sherwood Forrest. It gave us a better idea what it was like back in the days of Robin hood. 

WAFFLES and SYRUP and COOL WEATHER

Elder Allen likes to spoil the missionaries. Many of the Elders like the waffles from Costco. So he will make syrup and deliver it along with the waffles. They love it!

The temperature here in England is in Celsius not Fahrenheit. The easiness way to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit is to double the number and add 30. So at 9:07 AM the car temperature reads 4'C. So double 4 and it becomes 8. Then add 30 to 8 and it becomes 38 degrees at 9:07 AM. BRRRRRR! At least it has not snowed as of yet. 

SHEFFIELD 1ST WARD CORRELATION MEETING

Sheffield 1st Ward correlation meeting with Brother Grant, Brother Stanton and Kim Wilson. Missionaries Sister Hedstrom and Staheli and Elder Vogli and Misselwitz.

COUPLES COUNSEL MEETING

Couples counsel meeting with the Mission President and his wife. The AP's slipped in for a minute.

P-DAY AND COSTCO RUN

Our p-days always require a trip to Costco. The elders like going with us to get some American food. Skippy, cereal and waffles are a big hit. We go to Sheffield 3 so the missionaries can play B-ball and watch movies. Elder DeShazer is catching up on his letter writing while others relax. They are getting into the Christmas spirit with their Santa hats. 

SISTER ALICE MAYNARD

Sister Alice Maynard from Doncaster is going to serve in the Arizona Mesa Mission. She has not got her visa yet. When we get home in August we will have to have her over for dinner. It blows me away how small the world is in the gospel of Christ.