Letter 68 - Nov 10

Hey everyone!  So this week has been really quite good!  It's been busy but really rewarding and fun even.  A lot of exciting things have happened. So last week I emailed y'all saying that it was dodge night.  Well we got the call and yes, I'm still here in Loughborough with Elder Harris.  I'm excited about that.  Some really cool things was that Sister Stone was training.  Sister Cook is gone and Elder Hunter just went to Peterborough so he's still in the zone.  
Tuesday came along and we expected to be pretty busty with transfers.  Not a lot really came up though.  Tuesday night we had a really cool lesson with our investigator named Zoe.  Zoe is from China and is really busy with class and things like that so we just met her outside in a park.  and it was really cold outside.  She's been going through a hard time with her family back home and we're just trying to help her.   So we taught her and the spirit was strong and after the lesson we asked her if she was cold.  She responded, 'my body is cold but your words have warmed my heart.  That was a really cool moment that we had. Zoe is awesome.

Wednesday we had transfers so of course we were pretty busy.  In the morning we met up with the sisters and ate at a place called muffin break then we drove them to Leicester.  we drove back from Leicester and helped the Elders out, and drove them to Leicester and did some other errands in between.  The start of the transfers all went pretty well.  In between that time we did mostly finding.  At half 4 we had to be back in Leicester for the new teams to come in.  One thing that's just great is that Sister Stones new companion is from Taiwan and she's amazing.  Her name is Sister Chen.  Also, Elder Matheus is Elder Haynies new companion.  He's from Kayesville Utah but he's a mandarin speaking missionary so thats really cool too.  So basically Elder Harris and I have a huge disadvantage here with not knowing Chinese ahaha.  Really it'd be my dream to learn it.

Thursday morning Elder Harris and I had MLC so we were pretty excited about that.  I always love going to see President and all the other missionaries that are on the council.  The training was good and it was all about church attendance.  We were there for a while.  The meeting was good.  We went home after and met with a new investigator named David.  David is english and we went in and just taught him a regular how to begin teaching lesson but it was amazing as the spirit directed what we were saying.  We found many times we would say just exactly what the other person was about to say.  It was a great lesson and he said we could come back the next day.Right after that as well we met a girl named Lucy that was really cool.  Then right after that, Elder Harris had a great lesson with Joey and I GQed a girl from China.  She said her name was Ivy and she was really really cool too!  We were able to teach her to pray and it was great.

On Friday morning we set some time aside to do some weekly planning, then we had a district meeting.  So the morning was very uneventful. The district meeting was good though.  So i just told the Sisters that you want them to send pictures of me so maybe they will soon.  They actually said that they can't send pictures from this computer.  Sorry.  So on Friday evening we went to see David again.  So actually the first time we saw David was on Wednesday.  But we saw David again and taugh him the first parts of the Plan of Salvation and talked a lot about Agency and the lesson was just incredible and completely run by the spirit as well.  I talked a lot about how prayer is a two way conversation and how sometimes it's good to just pause for a while after you pray.  So we knelt down at the end of the lesson and prayed.  After the prayer we were just in silence for probably 3 minutes and the spirit was so strong.  David then said, ' I feel like something is uprising in his chest and that he felt really great.  Then he smiled and said 'I want some more of that!'  I was so happy.  Really it's times like that on the mission that things are so great and it makes you want to keep doing it.   We met up with Ivy again right after that and talked a lot about different things.  She said how she feels like she has a lot of friends in England and one moment I really thought was funny was she said 'I was just wondering if... we could be friends?'  I love these people (:   

So Saturday I woke up and I was feeling way sick with a cold and it was freezing outside but I really didn't want to stay in the flat all day, so I just layered up as much as I could and decided I would go and teach but try to stay in the car most of the day.  So we went first things and taught Lizzy in the Sainsbury Cafe and had a good lesson with her.  We're excited for Lizzy, she's way cool.  Then, we went and taught our Chinese investigator named Chu.  We taught him in the Doner Master and we had a really good time.  The sisters actually came in and talked with us too.  I really enjoyed that time because it was nice just to have a casual lesson but at the same time we taught the whole Joseph Smith story and it went really well.  Then right after that we taught another David (chinese) in McDonalds.   felt like the lesson was good and the spirit was there but we just didn't have much time with David.  Then after David we went over to see Jill and Alex.  Jill and Alex are so great.  The spirit is always strong in their house and I really like going to visit them.  After we saw Jill we went again to teach the English David.  We had another great lesson with him where the spirit was strong and he said he'd make it a goal to be baptized on the 29th of November.  It was really just a day full of really spiritually powerful lessons and tons of blessings.  Saturday was great.  

Sunday morning unfortunately nobody was able to come to church because of Sickness and school and who knows.  So we were sad about that.  There was a baby blessing in the ward so there were a ton of people visiting.  It was weird when I saw the Wilkins family walk in from Eastwood.  I can't believe how long ago that was.  It was great to talk to them for a little while.  We didnt have any investigators at church, so we just sat towards the back with the Sisters and their investigators.  It was also remembrance Sunday so a lot of people were talking about the great war and all these things.  Sunday was really good though.  I still wasn't feeling the best after church.  We had a really great dinner appointment with a funny miracle.  So remember what my least favorite food is?  Mushrooms.  So she comes out with this massive soup looking thing with only mushrooms (I didn't see the chicken) in it.  I was thinking... great....  So i take a big scoop and poured it on my plate and there was only chicken on my plate.  ahaha it was great!  After that dinner we went to see Jill again and then we had to head home for our weekly calls and to plan for our Zone meeting.  

I finally feel like we have a pretty good teaching pool and are having great times in the lessons and things like that.  I'm so excited for this transfer in Loughborough and for everything that will be happening.  It'll be really exciting as well to see how the chinese speaking missionaries do here. 

So hopefully things will just keep going well (: 

Love,
Elder Pogue

 

Letter 67 - Nov 3

Hey!  
I really don't have much to say today unfortunately.  And also, I'm in a massive rush.  I don't know why it's been so crazy lately.  We're just always traveling to different places to help people out and to just run assignments.  Things are going pretty good though.  

Last monday, was a pretty crazy day.  We went to Birmingham and literally ran around Leicester all day.  We intended to be back by 6 but we didn't end up getting back by 9.  We got everyone the things that they needed though and had a good time doing it.  One thing that was pretty funny was before we went to Birmingham we were playing American Football with one of the teams and Elder Harris ripped his trousers way bad.  We got to the mission home and he was so embarrassed because the first person he saw was President.  On the way home he had to sit just sewing his trousers in the car.  

Tuesday morning Elder Harris had some driving instruction to prepare for his test on Friday.  We went up to Burton upon Trent to drive.  That took a while and when we got back we had a great lesson with this girl named Charlene who is studying Drama and English here at Loughborough Uni.  I felt like it was the best teaching we've had in a while and it was a great meeting.  We were also finally able to see Alex and Ariel again that night which was good.  Unfortunately they were feeling quite sick and we haven't been able to see them in a while.  We also on Tuesday got a call from Jeff (Ivy's fiance) so it was great to hear from him!  We helped him move all of his luggage out of his 
flat finally so he could bring it to Birmingham.  Ivy is now officially back in the UK so hopefully we'll talk to her soon!

Wednesday morning we woke up and drove to Demontfort for their district meeting.  Right after that we went on exchange and Elder Packer came with me to Loughborough.  We had a good time together but it was honestly quite a rough day.  Sometimes as a missionary it just seems like either everyone is okay with seeing you or everyone is mad to see you.  It's strange.  Finding was just really hard on Wednesday.  I had a good time with Elder Packer though.  We had an awesome DA with the Mattsons as well that night which was great.  <-- sometimes I feel stupid writing stuff like that because you have no idea who all these people are...

Thursday morning we had to leave early to exchange back with Westcotes and then go to our own district meeting.  We had a really really fun district meeting.  So there is a TV show called The District about missionaries serving in San Antonio and in San Diego and we watch them for training I guess, what we should do in certain situations.  So we had a district meeting where we made videos of what not to do.  So it was just extremely hilarious videos of when an investigator didn't keep a commitment we got way mad and threw a chair and cried and then another one was just trying to establish our purpose with an investigator and did a terrible job.  It was just a lot of fun and then we all carved pumpkins together.  Our district is sick.  Right after district meeting we went on exchange again.  I brought Elder McCray to Loughborough this time so that was great to hang out with him again.  He's been in a tough situation this past transfer.  We went around and saw some people that he taught while he was here and things like that.  It was good.  

Friday morning Elder McCray and I had a lesson with a new guy named Jack and I was kind of nervous for it.  I just really thought it'd be hard to connect with him I guess but then first thing he says, yeah I lived in Bahrain for a few years.  I was so excited to hear that and told him I lived in Saudi and he said no way? I was born and raised in Saudi before I moved to Bahrain.  He said he lived in Khobar.  That was really a cool way to start our lesson.  The lesson went well and he's a way cool guy.  Right after that lesson we had to run back to the car to get to Leicester to exchange back to make sure we made it to Burton in time for Elder Harris' driving test.  We got there and Elder Harris drove like a champion.  He for some reason was certain that he failed but he passed so that's good.  We made some hilarious videos going home of us just freaking out. (don't put this next part on the blog because some people could think it was disobedient???)  So Friday night was Halloween and we had an awesome dinner appointment.  They made a big fire and sat around it playing the guitar and things like that!  We had a great time.  We played a game at the end where you pick up a hot coal and toss it around in your hands so it doesn't burn you and you toss it to the next person.  ahahaha.  I was a little nervous at first but it was actually pretty cool.  My hands only got a couple little burns on them.  It was a great Halloween (:  We went on exchange with the other elders after that.

Saturday morning came and we had to stand in town centre with a banner for a WWI commemoration thing that the church was having.  There's a lady named Nicky Morgan and she's like a cabinet head of parliament or something.  She's supposed to be pretty important but she was in town centre and she's going to the event so I got to meet her and talk to her for a while.  She was cool.  We were out there for a while so that frankly, sucked.  After that though Elder Hunter and I went around and ate lunch.  Met some funny people and really just did some finding.  We exchanged back later that night and Elder Harris and I went to different people trying to get them to church.  Saturday night we had bought some pizzas then went home to cook them and realized that we forgot the milk so what we did was we had a race.  We put the pizza in and it would be done in ten minutes so we ran to the car drove to the store bought some milk and more pizzas and drove back and made it before the pizza burnt.    We made it!

Sunday Church was good, our Chinese investigator named Joey came and a lot of other people from the other missionaries came.  After church we went to the other Elders to eat dinner before the WWI commemoration.  Elder Harris and Hunter went to teach a lesson while Haynie and I cooked.  It was pretty good and then we had the WWI commemoration.  I loved that event.  Nicky Morgan made it and Elder Harris thought it was pretty cool that she remembered me.  I was expecting this posh car with a driver and everything (thats what they told me it would be like) then she comes up driving a car that reminds me of our ford explorer and she's just driving herself.  That made me think that she's a pretty cool politician.  The commemoration thing had a lot of music like Greensleeves played on the Harp and Gabriels Oboe solo and some really great singing things.  It was just a great event.  

This week should be really good as well.  Its transfer week and we'll get the call tonight. Elder Harris and I are almost certainly staying together though so that should be good.  We'll just have to wait and see.

And I dodge the Christmas question because I have no idea.  ...


Love,
Elder Pogue

Letter 66 - October 27

Hey everyone!

This email will probably be quite short because I don't have my planner with me but I do have some exciting things to tell you!  This week has been pretty good over all.  That's so exciting that Taylor Z's getting married!  Especially right after Alex ahaha, they'll have a busy few months of weddings.  

So last Monday we had a good time, after we emailed we just went and played some baseball in the park which was a lot of fun.  It was weird how much I missed it even though I haven't played in years.  Sometimes on the mission you just don't even realise what you miss. And one thing I've definitely noticed is you don't realise how long it's been since you've done some of these things.  After baseball we cycled right down to the train station to meet up with the Prices!  It was so good to see them!  I really enjoyed hanging out with them for a little bit.  We went and ate at a place called Revolution.  The food was good but just like every where else in England they don't give you very much.  It didn't even cross my mind that the Price's might have thought that.  I guess I'm just used to that.  We talked a lot about Saudi and all of that.  Elder Harris really liked meeting them as well.  And they're right, I am doing well and I do get on really well with Elder Harris!  It was just super nice of them to take the time to find me. We were supposed to have an appointment right after that, but we got flogged.  One thing was really cool though, I started talking to this Chinese guy and we really connected immediately and the spirit was so strong there.  We set a return appointment for the next day and he's just such an awesome guy.  His name is Joey and it was definitely the best street contact I've ever had.  He sent us a text saying that we were like his brothers.  He's not really open to the gospel yet but he's getting there.

Tuesday morning we met with Joey at Costa Coffee and it was just the most cold, rainy, windy day ever and we really wished we had a car.  Meeting with Joey went really well.  The hot chocolate wasn't the best but it was good.  We talked to Joey for a while and one thing that was really funny was that there was a young English kid and a young Japanese girl just making out like nobody's business on one of the couches just at the coffee shop.  It was hilarious and kind of awkward.  After Joey we went with Steve for driving instruction to Burton.  It was a good drive but I didn't really feel more prepared for the test or anything.  I'm just ready for all of that to be over with.  We got back a little later then went to a DA to the Hoope's house.  They're one of my favorite families here in Loughborough!  We got on the bus to go out there and who walks on but the same kid that was making out at Costa Coffee.  We laughed so hard just at the sight of him.  We had a really great meal at the DA then afterwards we were given a lift back to teach Crane.  Crane gave us a call and said it was too cold... so that sucked.  By this time it was just time to go home so we did.  

Wednesday morning we had our district meeting as usual. Honestly, I know you probably hate to hear this but I can not remember what we did for the rest of that day to save my life.  I bet we just spent most of it finding...?  I know we found a few cool people.  We weren't really able to teach very many people though this week.  I think we had about 8 lessons.  Which compared to my time in Sheldon is incredible but we hope that in the next couple of weeks we are teaching about 20 lessons.  So hopefully we'll get there!

Thursday was a day a lot like Wednesday, just not really much to do.  All of our investigators were way busy with course work so that really sucked.  We were able to teach a girl named Zoe that we met last week!  We just kind of ran into her on the street and we saw an opportunity to teach her again right there and then.  One thing that's been really great about this transfer is our district here in Loughborough.  It's such a great group of people.  I'll just list them off really quick.  Elder Ammon Harris from Kayesville Utah.  Elder Truman Hunter from Alberta.  Elder Nick Haynie from Utah.  Sister Jessica Stone from Cedar City Utah, and Sister Cook from Idaho.  We had ward coordination that night and had a great time afterwards just laughing and talking all together as a district.

Friday was my driving test and the worst part was that it wasn't until the afternoon.  We tried to do some weekly planning before but we didn't really get too much done to be honest.  We headed to the chapel to make it there by 1.  So Steve came and met us, then I drove to Burton on Trent to warm up, and then I took my test.  So this time, I finally passed!  It honestly was the best feeling!  That was easily the most stressful thing I've had to do on my mission and I felt like so much pressure was just taken off.  Honestly, I drove way to perfectly for it to have been me.  I was definitely being helped.  Right after the test I drove to Peterborough and we exchanged with Elder Lee and Elder Jones.  Elder Jones came with me and we went straight to interview the Elders investigator named Joey for baptism.  She was extremely ready and I was happy to do that interview.  

Saturday morning we had a service project but weren't really able to help too much.  It was one of those events where there are far too many people there to help.  Which I guess is a good problem to have.  After the service Elder Jones and I went for lunch then we had to exchange back so I drove to Peterborough and picked up Elder Harris then we got back just in time for Joeys baptism.  It was a great service and we are excited for her!  (It's a chinese girl who thought that Joey was like the name Joy... we just call her Joy.)  Right after the baptism we had a trunk or treat activity and our new investigator, Joey (another Joey) came!  We were kind of nervous for him to come to an activity like that but it went great!  Brother Hoopes (served in Taiwan)  at one point came up and spoke mandarin to him and he was buzzin for it!    He really really enjoyed the activity and at one point was even walking around with a tray of donuts giving them out to people.  That was really such a fun night!  Saturday night to Sunday morning was the night that we got an extra hour of sleep so that was great!  Much needed.  

Sunday morning came along and we were hoping that Joey would come but he was busy.  We had a little miracle because a guy named Chu did come to church.  We had talked to him on the street the other day about the Utah Jazz and then his bus came and he left.  We never invited him to church or even mentioned it but he showed up somehow!  That was great!  Lizzy also came.  She is a really really cool new investigator that we're excited for!  After church we had lunch with Joey and his friend Andrew.  He made us some fried rice so that was good.  Then we went to teach lizzy and had a great lesson with her.  After that we had to  go do our Sunday night call ins... I was so tired that night.

This morning has been pretty fun.  After our call ins to the Assistants we headed off to the mission home to pick up supplies for the zone.  We met up with some missionaries to help them with their district p day then went to the mission home.  I got to see Elder Harris and President and Sister Rasmussen so that was good.  We didn't stay too long but we had a good time on the trip.  We're in Leicester right now emailing.  We really dont have much time though... 

So this week has been pretty good over all!  I'm really excited for this upcoming week though.  It should be great.  I hope that you're all doing well!  Sorry, no pictures again.....  I dont have a camera with me or anything.  Next time we're emailing at the same time and place as the sisters, I'll get some pictures from Sister Stone to send y'all.  So hopefully next week, maybe.  Hope you all have a great week!  

Love,
Elder Pogue

Letter 65 - October 20

Hey everyone!  This week has been pretty good as always.  Really my mission the past few weeks has been really interesting.  It's been really quite a challenge but it's been all good at the same time.  Some of the main challenges has been trying to get the drivers license.  That's seriously been one of the most stressful situations of my whole mission.  I'll just start going through the week though.  

Okay, So last Monday I already mentioned in last weeks email.  We did work in the sister's area all day and it was great.  Elder Harris was taking his theory driving test and passed so that's great!  So after that we went to try to book a practical test for Elder Harris and got one for that Thursday so we were pretty excited about that.

Tuesday came along and we decided that the best thing to do would be to get driving instruction for Elder Harris so we did that all morning.  We drove out to Burton on Trent with the driving instructor and drove around then came back.  We were trying a new thing on Tuesday about trying to find more people to teach so we set the goal to get 30 potentials.  The goal was in all honesty way too high but it definitely motivated us to try to find more people.  At the end of the day we were able to teach a guy named Crane from China.  We had a good lesson with him except it was raining quite badly and we were meeting in a bus shelter next to a busy road.... England...  Crane was really cool and we are excited to see him some more.  

Wednesday we had district meeting in the morning which is good as always.  I think this district is my favorite I've had.  It's really great!  It's me and Elder Harris, Sister Stone and Cook, and Elder Hunter and Haynie and we're all pretty close and we always have a good time together.  Elder Haynie and Harris are both in my MTC group so we've known each other for a while.  After our District meeting we were supposed to teach a guy named Andrew but we couldn't get in contact with him.  We had a dinner appointment with a family called the Brack's.  I really hadn't met them before but I said I was Elder Pogueand he looked at his wife and said, do you remember the Elder Pogue from our mission?  My thought was there surely couldn't have been too many ElderPogue's.  But sure enough he served in Toulouse.  He said he didn't really remember Elder Pogue that well but that he was there you know?  I think they just served in the same district or something when Taylor was a greenie.  After that, we went to see Alex and Ariel because we hadn't heard from them in a while.  

Thursday was supposed to be such a busy day but really ended up just being disappointing.  So we went for Elder Harris driving test, all excited as to what was going to happen.  Unfortunately he failed.  In all honesty, it makes me feel a bit better about failing but I really wanted the car.  He drove like such a champion but then one little moment the tiniest little flaw failed him.  We were pretty upset with the situation after that.  I knew Elder Harris was really mad too.  Just because its such a scam.  Honestly it's just a money making ploy.  Anyways, we saw Anthony after, then were supposed to see Melanie but she had to cancel, then we were supposed to have correlation meeting but that cancelled. For that time we basically just hung around and chatted as a district for a while.  Then we went finding until it was time to go home.  

Friday was another supposed to be busy but turns out disappointing days.  So I had driving instruction planned but the guy texted us saying this:  'man, I have such a hang-over and feel like s**t, can we reschedule?'  ok.....so that wasted lots of our time, we ended up just doing weekly planning.  Then Melanie cancelled again, our investigator Monica never showed up to our lesson, then Crane never showed up to our lesson.  We ended up playing basketball that night so that was fun, and got our mind off of the flogs.

Saturday, was better!  We had service all morning at a newly wedded couple's house.  It was the whole district there and we just scrubbed walls and I mostly cleaned the windows and blinds.  We had a good time there and then we went and taught a girl named Lizzie, then right after Lizzie, we didn't even have to move benches, we taught Anthony, that was cool.  There was a point that from where each of us were sitting, we could see all 3 teams of missionaries teaching a lesson at the same time in the same park.  It was cool to see that great missionary work.  We were supposed to have one more lesson with a guy named David but he flogged, we were able to meet a pretty cool girl though in that time.  We did finding for the rest of the day and had a good time.  

Sunday, we had a good time at church.  Anthony came and we were excited for that but it really just didn't seem like he enjoyed it too much.  Not sure what was up with that.  Alex and Ariel didn't come either so we were disappointed like that.  After church we were able to teach a girl named Zoe and her friend Berryl though.  They're from China and we had a cool lesson with them.  I really enjoy teaching the first lessons.   That night we did some finding then had call ins.  

So it's interesting to say that I've had a good week, when we've been flogged so often and then there are quite a bit of terrible things that have happened in the zone this week as well, so just a lot of not cool things have happened.  I think that why I feel happy about the week though is the line in preach my gospel that says that Success is measured in the service you render and in the progress of others.  So I feel like we've done what we could have, we will try to do more this week anyways though.  

We're really pretty disappointed about the driving situation but I'm taking another test this Friday so hopefully I'll pass. 

I'm glad to hear everything's going well over there!  I hope you all have a great week!

Love you (:

-Elder Pogue