8th (Eastwood)

Hi Everyone,

Finally a Monday Email.... (:

 

This week has been pretty great.  I sit here every Monday I think that there's so much to tell you but then again I can't really think of it.  Luckily I have all the stuff written down though. 

 

I got your post and I got another letter from Kelcy- I think I may be the most popular Elder in the mission.  haha I like it!  Just kidding but Keep it up!  I love getting mail. 

I think it's cool that my people are adding people you on Facebook!  Yeah I've thought that you and Jackie look a lot alike.  Funny that you said that.  The Stinsons are awesome.  They have us over almost every Sunday.  I love going to their house.  

 

That's so sick about American Football!  As long as the Saints, LSU and BYU are winning I'm happy!  Elder Harris and I talked a lot about American Football this week.  I wish we could watch a couple games!  Football (meaning soccer) is obviously the primary sport here.  Arsenal isn't doing too bad.  They just bought a pretty decent player so I'm excited to see how they do with him. 

 

The stop smoking program thing, we had to buy each of them things like vitamin c pills, grapefruit juice (which tastes like proper rubbish) and a lot of snacks.  And for an update for that... today we are taking them both out to Chinese for their VICTORY PARTY!! :D  Yesss.  They haven't had a 'fag' as they call it here in a week!  So that's awesome.  I'm so stoked for them.  Sean's baptism is this Saturday so we are super excited about that!  Keep him in your prayers though because you know how the adversary works the hardest right before we do something he doesn't want us to. 

 

After we emailed you last week we went to the Stinson's house for a Dinner appointment and we rode the train there so that was awesome!   That was a good day but everyone we planned on talking to before the Stinson's claimed that they were busy or they weren't home. 

 

Wednesday was probably the biggest day of my whole mission.  It was hard and very trying but great.  I'll go through the day. ......We first studied until 11.  Right at 11 we had an appointment set up with this lady named Rachel.  We got to her house and called her and we could hear her talking inside, saying that she was too busy.  We then just decided to eat lunch.  We went back to the flat and ate lunch.  After lunch we went to Ilkeston.  This time in Ilkeston we had to go up a huge hill alongside a busy road.  So we're going up the hill on the road and cars are flying by us.  This was the hottest day of my whole mission so far.  When we got to the top we were exhausted.  We finally made it to our second appointment, and the lady was outside.  She practically just turned us away.  It was annoying because both of those appointments were planned and not just random stop bys.  We just decided to keep going though and we went to a referral of a less active that bishop had given us.  We rode our bikes like 6 miles there and it was mostly uphill and she wasn't even home. We went and knocked on a couple more potential investigators doors and nobody was home. It was ridiculous.  Anyways we went to see Claire and Sean cause we had an appointment with them. This is when we started being blessed for our obedience and hard work.   We got there and had an amazing lesson.  Sean accepted all that we said and undoubtedly felt the spirit.  After the lesson we gave each of them a blessing for their smoking and stuff.  The spirit was insanely strong.  We had to leave right after that and ride as fast as we could to the church for ward counsel.  We got there then after that we taught a recent convert that Elder Harris Baptized named Susan.  We had an awesome lesson and discussion with her.  Then when we got to our flat last night Ruby texted us with 2 really solid referrals.  Anyways I learned that obedience and hard work leads to blessings.  It reminds me of Ether 12:6

 

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith.

 

We had our trial of faith throughout the day but we kept going with faith that God would lead us to where we needed to be and the witness came shortly after.

 

It was a great day.

 

We had district meeting the next day and not much happened.  I bought Elder Harris a Kebab that night as a late birthday present.  It was the first night we really didn't have a dinner appointment or something else going on.  He bought be dinner on my birthday so I was returning the favor.  We had a great time doing that. 

 

On Friday we had a trainers meeting in Birmingham so everyone who was training a new missionary and us new missionaries went.  We got to ride the train there which is fun.  I love the train.  It was extremely cold and rainy that morning though.  We got to Birmingham and it was so great to see all of the kids from my MTC group.  They seem to be doing great.  President Rasmussen talked to us for a while and then the meeting ended and we got post!  Something very interesting happened on the way back!  There was a large group of missionaries getting on the train and I got on and we're all having a good time.  The door starts to shut and people are pressing the open button but it keeps shutting and Elder Harris tries to put his foot in but it doesn't open back and Elder Harris is still on the outside of the train!  So The train starts going and Elder Harris and I are separated!  It was really weird but funny!  We were with a bunch of missionaries though so it was alright.  A few Elders were willing to stay with me until the next train made it back! 

We taught Sean and Claire that night and had such an amazing lesson on tithing.  We were nervous about it because its what most people struggle to accept.  Anyways literally like 80 seconds into the lesson Sean says  'yeah, I know I should be paying it'.  We shouldn't have been nervous because the spirit testifies of everything we say.  That night Sean asked me to be the one that baptized him and it made my week.  It made me so happy.  So next Saturday I should be gettingin the font (:

 

On Saturday we taught English again and that was fun!  A couple families always come.  We then cleaned the font for next Saturday!  We had to do our weekly planning that day though so not much else happened. 

 

Yesterday we had Stake Conference in Nottingham.  It was really so great.  President and Sister Rasmussen spoke at it.  The whole conference was on member missionary work.  Elder Harris and I had been praying for that!  It was such a good meeting.  We went to the Stinson's after for Lunch. 

 

This week has been awesome and full of blessings.  Sorry this email is so long.  Its just been a good week and things have been progressing so well.  Elder Harris and I have really been blessed and its amazing how the work is picking up.  If we can just get everyone to read the Book of Mormon they would all know that this church is true.  The Book of Mormon is the key to everything.  If someone says they didn't feel the spirit or don't believe the church is ONLY because they haven't read that book.  If the Book of Mormon is true than every aspect of this church is true.  It's just getting people to read it. 

 

I love and miss you all so much. 

-Elder Evan Pogue