Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
E-mail from Neal - Received 9/28/09
Hello Hello Hello!!!!!
Well the crazy weekend is over and I survived….. Just! It was crazy and in the end the Zone Leaders had to give us a lift back to Wigan from Liverpool. It all worked out in the end though. Elder Erickson got to come back for Camelia’s baptism, and that was great as well.
Dave’s Baptism was amazing. They are such a great family! Allison, Dave’s wife, was so happy the whole time. She was baptised a year ago and now she is not alone in her family. The same night that Dave was baptised his 8 year old son Cavan was also Baptised, and that was amazing. Next year their younger daughter is going to be getting baptised, and then the temple is the next stop for the whole family. This gospel is so incredible!!! I love it so much! The baptism was really great. I got to give a talk about the Holy Ghost, and I really talked more about the “Mighty Change.” I used a really cool analogy I thought. I talked about a controlled Burn that the Forrest service often does in the National Forests. They come in and burn a chunk of the forest to help the growth. The Holy Ghost truly is the same way. It comes though and burns away all of the bad stuff and leaves us clean and pure. I thought that it was quite good personally. Anyways at the actually baptism it was way funny, cause Dave basically Jumped in!! He is so cool, a hope that you get to meet him some day!
Camelia’s baptism was a dream. It was so good, and it was my first time doing the actual ordinance. It was a really special experience. One that I will never forget! She really enjoyed the service, and the best part is that she is not stopping with her own baptism. On Tuesday she is going to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead. That was way quick, but so cool!! She has been a dream to teach. She was so prepared to do all that the lord asked of her. She is going to be a great strength to the ward, and to Romania if she ever goes back!
All three of them got confirmed on Sunday and I was in the circle for all 3! It was another incredible experience! I am so blessed to have the chance to do all these amazing things!!!!!!! I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!
As for the rest of life there really isn’t much to report. I just wrote you on Thursday and nothing but baptisms have happened since then. Elder Boahene is doing really great. He is so kind and friendly to everyone that he meets and talks to. He is very confident once he gets going into a conversation. He has no fear! He is working on beginning conversations in a comfortable way, so that everyone feels good about it. I have always been good at that, I can make anyone feel comfortable when I talk to them. He is going to be a rock star of a missionary. He has so much potential, and I am not the only one to have noticed that. He is going to do amazing things! I am so grateful for the chance that I have to train him and to help him fulfil that potential. I think back to Elder Garcia, and I think about how much respect that I have for him and how much I love him. I really hope that my sons feel the same way about me. All I can do is do my best and leave the rest to the Lord. I guess that is a common theme in the gospel. I am excited and happy about everything!
Anyways I am doing well as always. I really don’t think that I have anything to complain about. The mission has been amazing so far and it is only going to keep on getting better.
I love you all So much,
Elder Neal
Pic – all the Missionaries at Camelia’s Baptism. If you look closely I am wearing my new Suit, and a new belt that I bought!!!!!
Well the crazy weekend is over and I survived….. Just! It was crazy and in the end the Zone Leaders had to give us a lift back to Wigan from Liverpool. It all worked out in the end though. Elder Erickson got to come back for Camelia’s baptism, and that was great as well.
Dave’s Baptism was amazing. They are such a great family! Allison, Dave’s wife, was so happy the whole time. She was baptised a year ago and now she is not alone in her family. The same night that Dave was baptised his 8 year old son Cavan was also Baptised, and that was amazing. Next year their younger daughter is going to be getting baptised, and then the temple is the next stop for the whole family. This gospel is so incredible!!! I love it so much! The baptism was really great. I got to give a talk about the Holy Ghost, and I really talked more about the “Mighty Change.” I used a really cool analogy I thought. I talked about a controlled Burn that the Forrest service often does in the National Forests. They come in and burn a chunk of the forest to help the growth. The Holy Ghost truly is the same way. It comes though and burns away all of the bad stuff and leaves us clean and pure. I thought that it was quite good personally. Anyways at the actually baptism it was way funny, cause Dave basically Jumped in!! He is so cool, a hope that you get to meet him some day!
Camelia’s baptism was a dream. It was so good, and it was my first time doing the actual ordinance. It was a really special experience. One that I will never forget! She really enjoyed the service, and the best part is that she is not stopping with her own baptism. On Tuesday she is going to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead. That was way quick, but so cool!! She has been a dream to teach. She was so prepared to do all that the lord asked of her. She is going to be a great strength to the ward, and to Romania if she ever goes back!
All three of them got confirmed on Sunday and I was in the circle for all 3! It was another incredible experience! I am so blessed to have the chance to do all these amazing things!!!!!!! I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!
As for the rest of life there really isn’t much to report. I just wrote you on Thursday and nothing but baptisms have happened since then. Elder Boahene is doing really great. He is so kind and friendly to everyone that he meets and talks to. He is very confident once he gets going into a conversation. He has no fear! He is working on beginning conversations in a comfortable way, so that everyone feels good about it. I have always been good at that, I can make anyone feel comfortable when I talk to them. He is going to be a rock star of a missionary. He has so much potential, and I am not the only one to have noticed that. He is going to do amazing things! I am so grateful for the chance that I have to train him and to help him fulfil that potential. I think back to Elder Garcia, and I think about how much respect that I have for him and how much I love him. I really hope that my sons feel the same way about me. All I can do is do my best and leave the rest to the Lord. I guess that is a common theme in the gospel. I am excited and happy about everything!
Anyways I am doing well as always. I really don’t think that I have anything to complain about. The mission has been amazing so far and it is only going to keep on getting better.
I love you all So much,
Elder Neal
Pic – all the Missionaries at Camelia’s Baptism. If you look closely I am wearing my new Suit, and a new belt that I bought!!!!!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
E-mail from Neal - Received 9/24/09
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THIS!!!!!!
This might just be the most amazing letter you have gotten my whole mission, and that is no joke!!! These past few days have been one for the record books!!! I don’t even know where to start. I guess I will just start at the beginning!
SUN – A good day at church, but the crazy thing happened later…. At about 6:45 pm I got a call from the mission home (it was leadership call night). President called me to be a trainer!!! I am going to be training for the second time! I had been feeling all transfer that that could have been coming, but it actually did! I was so excited and unlike last time I was very calm and cool about it. Last time I was very scared and nervous, but this time I was way relaxed! It was a good next couple of days until I got to Manchester yesterday.
TUES – I got a call from E. Llaguno with some amazing news!!!!!!!! He told me that Jenna and Karen Riley in Blackburn want me to baptise them!!!! I about fell over! I was so excited. They are getting baptised on the 10th so I will get to go back for that!
WED – I get to Manchester not knowing who was going to train. Come to find out I have a lot of former comps that were training as well. E. McIntosh, E. Driscoll, and the real surprise….. E. LLOYD!!!!!!!!! My son is training! I have a grandson, and better yet on the last day of E. Garcia’s mission he gets a new grandson, and his first Great Grandson!!!! He was Beaming! He was so happy, and I gave him such a big hug at the end. We hugged for a long time, and it was great. I am going to miss him so much!!!! He was such a good example and friend to me, and his influence will be with me for the rest of my life!!! I love him, and owe so much to him. He made me into the missionary that I am now.
Sitting there yesterday though next to E. Lloyd was amazing. All I had was 3 John 1:4 going through my mind. I now know that I did a good job training. I had worried about that my whole time since I had left, but I got confirmation that all was well yesterday. It was a great day for sure. There was only 2 Americans that came out in this new group, and they are both sisters! How funny is that!
My new Comp and son is named Elder Boahene. He is from Germany, but his parents are from Ghana. They were baptised in France a long time ago. He is really, really good! He is very excited and very confident! His English is flawless. He knows why he is out here and he is really ready to go. I am going to have a blast training him! I am really excited to train again, and I know that the blessings are going to come and they already have….
We taught a new investigator last night. The daughter of a recent convert who went to her mom and asked to get baptised. That really makes our job easy. She is 13, and she is a really amazing. We did the first vision with her, and we do it a special way in the EMM to really bring in the spirit. It is called the Spirit Formula, and it works!! I was a bit worried about doing it cause she is so young, but then I remembered that the Spirit is the same no matter how old you are. After I recited the first vision I paused for a long time. As she was wiping away her tears I asked her what she was feeling. She said that she felt like her Faith has just been lifted even more! THAT IS THE SPIRIT!!!!!! I told her that, and she knew! She is going to be getting baptised sometime this transfer that is a promise! I was so glad that E. Boahene first lesson was a great one like that! He was really great in it. We got to teach a member the Restoration right before that, and it was a bit shaky, but he improved so much between the lessons. He was great and he is going to be amazing!
I hope that you enjoyed the crazyness of that, but it gets better….
The baptisms for this Friday and Saturday are still going ahead on full!!! Both Dave and Camelia passed their interviews on Tuesday (which was another cool thing about Tuesday), and they are excited. Camelia went to the temple on Saturday to have a look around, and came home with a brand new Quad! She is going to do great things in the church, both here and in Romania! She asked me to baptise her, so that is going to be my first! Dave is doing well! It is going to be a really busy weekend, cause I have to go to Liverpool on Saturday for a District Leader Council, and then get back to Wigan for 6! TOO MUCH TRAVEL!! I think that that answers your question about the car. Trust me you will know when I get a car. It will really only be if I ever go Zone Leader. I am always on busses and trains. I don’t mind trains too much though they calm me down (sometimes).
The gospel is so true and I absolulty love everything about it. You are right that I have forgotten myself, cause I totally forgot about International Talk like a Pirate Day until I got Angela’s package on the Tuesday. I know that I am going to have to get beaten for that later, but I am going to claim that I am a district leader and that I was in Liverpool most of the day!!!! I hope that I will be forgiven!
Well I am going on really long, and I need to go and teach some lessons tonight, so I will bid you all farewell. I will be writing you all on Monday, and I will send pictures from the Baptisms. I love you all so much, and I am so thankful for your support. My cup runneth over as well. I have been blessed so much on my mission, and I am so very grateful. I talked to president this morning, and he told me that after the good job that I did helping Elder Erickson get back into gear I really deserved a good and strong missionary to train. I got that, I really did!! I am so excited to jump into training again! Keep praying though cause last time I trained I was not a DL, this is going to be a ton harder. I love you all so much!!!! You are my super fan club!!!!
Talk to you Soon,
Elder Neal
This might just be the most amazing letter you have gotten my whole mission, and that is no joke!!! These past few days have been one for the record books!!! I don’t even know where to start. I guess I will just start at the beginning!
SUN – A good day at church, but the crazy thing happened later…. At about 6:45 pm I got a call from the mission home (it was leadership call night). President called me to be a trainer!!! I am going to be training for the second time! I had been feeling all transfer that that could have been coming, but it actually did! I was so excited and unlike last time I was very calm and cool about it. Last time I was very scared and nervous, but this time I was way relaxed! It was a good next couple of days until I got to Manchester yesterday.
TUES – I got a call from E. Llaguno with some amazing news!!!!!!!! He told me that Jenna and Karen Riley in Blackburn want me to baptise them!!!! I about fell over! I was so excited. They are getting baptised on the 10th so I will get to go back for that!
WED – I get to Manchester not knowing who was going to train. Come to find out I have a lot of former comps that were training as well. E. McIntosh, E. Driscoll, and the real surprise….. E. LLOYD!!!!!!!!! My son is training! I have a grandson, and better yet on the last day of E. Garcia’s mission he gets a new grandson, and his first Great Grandson!!!! He was Beaming! He was so happy, and I gave him such a big hug at the end. We hugged for a long time, and it was great. I am going to miss him so much!!!! He was such a good example and friend to me, and his influence will be with me for the rest of my life!!! I love him, and owe so much to him. He made me into the missionary that I am now.
Sitting there yesterday though next to E. Lloyd was amazing. All I had was 3 John 1:4 going through my mind. I now know that I did a good job training. I had worried about that my whole time since I had left, but I got confirmation that all was well yesterday. It was a great day for sure. There was only 2 Americans that came out in this new group, and they are both sisters! How funny is that!
My new Comp and son is named Elder Boahene. He is from Germany, but his parents are from Ghana. They were baptised in France a long time ago. He is really, really good! He is very excited and very confident! His English is flawless. He knows why he is out here and he is really ready to go. I am going to have a blast training him! I am really excited to train again, and I know that the blessings are going to come and they already have….
We taught a new investigator last night. The daughter of a recent convert who went to her mom and asked to get baptised. That really makes our job easy. She is 13, and she is a really amazing. We did the first vision with her, and we do it a special way in the EMM to really bring in the spirit. It is called the Spirit Formula, and it works!! I was a bit worried about doing it cause she is so young, but then I remembered that the Spirit is the same no matter how old you are. After I recited the first vision I paused for a long time. As she was wiping away her tears I asked her what she was feeling. She said that she felt like her Faith has just been lifted even more! THAT IS THE SPIRIT!!!!!! I told her that, and she knew! She is going to be getting baptised sometime this transfer that is a promise! I was so glad that E. Boahene first lesson was a great one like that! He was really great in it. We got to teach a member the Restoration right before that, and it was a bit shaky, but he improved so much between the lessons. He was great and he is going to be amazing!
I hope that you enjoyed the crazyness of that, but it gets better….
The baptisms for this Friday and Saturday are still going ahead on full!!! Both Dave and Camelia passed their interviews on Tuesday (which was another cool thing about Tuesday), and they are excited. Camelia went to the temple on Saturday to have a look around, and came home with a brand new Quad! She is going to do great things in the church, both here and in Romania! She asked me to baptise her, so that is going to be my first! Dave is doing well! It is going to be a really busy weekend, cause I have to go to Liverpool on Saturday for a District Leader Council, and then get back to Wigan for 6! TOO MUCH TRAVEL!! I think that that answers your question about the car. Trust me you will know when I get a car. It will really only be if I ever go Zone Leader. I am always on busses and trains. I don’t mind trains too much though they calm me down (sometimes).
The gospel is so true and I absolulty love everything about it. You are right that I have forgotten myself, cause I totally forgot about International Talk like a Pirate Day until I got Angela’s package on the Tuesday. I know that I am going to have to get beaten for that later, but I am going to claim that I am a district leader and that I was in Liverpool most of the day!!!! I hope that I will be forgiven!
Well I am going on really long, and I need to go and teach some lessons tonight, so I will bid you all farewell. I will be writing you all on Monday, and I will send pictures from the Baptisms. I love you all so much, and I am so thankful for your support. My cup runneth over as well. I have been blessed so much on my mission, and I am so very grateful. I talked to president this morning, and he told me that after the good job that I did helping Elder Erickson get back into gear I really deserved a good and strong missionary to train. I got that, I really did!! I am so excited to jump into training again! Keep praying though cause last time I trained I was not a DL, this is going to be a ton harder. I love you all so much!!!! You are my super fan club!!!!
Talk to you Soon,
Elder Neal
Monday, September 14, 2009
E-mail from Neal - Received 9/14/09
Hello to my Crazy Party Family!!!!!
Sounds like I missed quite the celebration this past weekend, but its ok cause my weekend was amazing as well!!! It was just one amazing thing after another. Actually this whole week was way good, and I am way excited to be here right now.
To start out with I was on exchanges in Crosby on Tuesday and Wednesday. Crosby is part of Liverpool, and it is really an amazing place. Everyone is so nice, and willing to talk to you, it's great. I was able to help a companionship that has been having some struggles to get going and they haven’t been working as hard as they could be. It was really good, and I feel that I helped out quite a bit.
On Wednesday night the missionaries from the Isle of Man (E. Shull and Driscoll (not the Driscoll I served with)) came and stayed with us for a few days. E. Shull is a former Zone Leader of mine in Manchester and now he is out on the isle. They came over a few days early so that they could go to interviews and then the Elder Bednar. They stayed with us, and we went on exchanges with them on Wednesday night and Thursday. They are amazing missionaries, and it was a blast serving with them. I went out with E. Driscoll and he is a beast. He is like 6’6” at least, and built like a football star. I had no fear when I was with him. We had a great day.
On Friday we went to Elder Bednar, and there are really not too many words to express how amazing he is. He did a very, very different thing than I have ever seen before. He did not just get up and talk at us. He is very keen on letting the spirit do the teaching, and he is very good at allowing that. We were all participating the entire time! I got to talk directly too him and that was really funny! He is very different when he is not in conference. He is actually a very funny man!!! He told us that he really didn’t want us to listen to what he was saying, but listen to the spirit. Well I stood up and answered a question. After I answered the question he looked at me, and said….. “So do you mean to tell me that you were not listening to the words that I was saying???” I said Yes, cause I told him what the spirit had taught me. He smiled and said GOOD!!!!! It was so funny. He did that with several other people as well. I have seriously never learned so much in my entire life. He talked a lot about what the true definition of agency is….. It is the right to Independent Action. He talked about how we are all agents not objects. We all have the right to choose, and that makes us objects. The amount of things that the spirit has taught me about “agents and objects” since then is amazing!
- We cannot turn our investigators into objects.
- When you use your agency to do something stupid with an object (alcohol for instance) you then become an object to an object.
- It is better to accept the gospel now while we are agents, because when we pass away we automatically become objects and we have to wait for someone else to help us.
The list could really go on and on, but I will save that for later. The conference was amazing. We got a picture with him, so that will be added to my collection. We didn’t get to shake his hand though, and that was kinda sad, but I will live. I got to see a lot of my old friends, and I even got to see Karen Riley from Blackburn. She was at the temple with some members. Because of some complications her and Jenna are getting baptised on the 10th of October, but I already received permission to go back for it. Karen started to cry when she saw me. She was already loving the temple, but I made her day better. It really was an amazing day, and you will see in the picture that the weather was amazing. Elder Bednar actually let us take our coats off, and that was way funny as well. He was quite laid back, but still very powerful. He really helped us learn a lot from the Holy Ghost. He had us read two talks before he came…. Ask in Faith from conference, and another one called Seek Learning by Faith. Go and read those, and you will have a good idea of what we talked about. We also talked about how to really learn something we have to “Jump out of the Boat!” You don’t know that you can walk on water until you jump out and try it! Wow, it was an amazing conference, and I am so grateful that I have had all these amazing opportunities. Elder Causse from the area presidency was there as well, and he was a powerhouse too! He just answered questions when invited by Elder Bednar, but he taught some amazing things as well. I wish that I could tell you all that I learned and experienced, but there just isn’t time. It was amazing…… that’s about the gist of it.
Yes, my interviews went really well, and I was guided by the spirit. It’s amazing how much confidence I have when the spirit is strong with me. I have to do another interview this week to a man that speaks no English, so that should be way fun! It will be ok, cause we should have a translator.
Yesterday was amazing as well. I got to stand in the circle to confirm someone, stand in the circle to give someone the priesthood, and I personally got to give the priesthood to someone else!! It was a power packed day. It was really cool cause we gave the priesthood to a recent convert named Goodyear, then right after, I gave the priesthood to Andrew the Brother of Rachel who just got baptised and confirmed. The way cool part is that Andrew was just receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, so he had newly ordained Goodyear stand in the circle, and I did the ordination by the power of the Aaronic Priesthood. This gospel is so amazing! Andrew loved it, and Goodyear was on cloud 9! I have gotten to do some amazing things on my mission, and I know that they are just going to keep on coming and coming.
Our two people dated for baptism are doing amazing. Dave Smith is getting baptised on the 25th with his 8 year old son Cavin, and he is really doing well. Camelia Jurcut (the one from Romania) is getting baptised on the 26th, and she is being so well fellowshipped. We are taking her to our ward mission leaders house tonight so that should be good! We are really seeing some good things happen over here, and I am loving it. Transfers are next week if you can believe that. This transfer has gone by so fast, and I think that it was because of my leadership position. If the rest of my time goes this fast I am going to be home in like a day or two, or at least it will feel like that!!!!
Well I think that I have successfully written you a novel, so I going to get going. I hope that you all have an amazing week, and that you can feel the prayers that I say for you. I love you all so much, and I am so grateful for all the support that you give to me! Take care, and know that I am working hard and doing good things!!!
Love,
Elder Neal
Sounds like I missed quite the celebration this past weekend, but its ok cause my weekend was amazing as well!!! It was just one amazing thing after another. Actually this whole week was way good, and I am way excited to be here right now.
To start out with I was on exchanges in Crosby on Tuesday and Wednesday. Crosby is part of Liverpool, and it is really an amazing place. Everyone is so nice, and willing to talk to you, it's great. I was able to help a companionship that has been having some struggles to get going and they haven’t been working as hard as they could be. It was really good, and I feel that I helped out quite a bit.
On Wednesday night the missionaries from the Isle of Man (E. Shull and Driscoll (not the Driscoll I served with)) came and stayed with us for a few days. E. Shull is a former Zone Leader of mine in Manchester and now he is out on the isle. They came over a few days early so that they could go to interviews and then the Elder Bednar. They stayed with us, and we went on exchanges with them on Wednesday night and Thursday. They are amazing missionaries, and it was a blast serving with them. I went out with E. Driscoll and he is a beast. He is like 6’6” at least, and built like a football star. I had no fear when I was with him. We had a great day.
On Friday we went to Elder Bednar, and there are really not too many words to express how amazing he is. He did a very, very different thing than I have ever seen before. He did not just get up and talk at us. He is very keen on letting the spirit do the teaching, and he is very good at allowing that. We were all participating the entire time! I got to talk directly too him and that was really funny! He is very different when he is not in conference. He is actually a very funny man!!! He told us that he really didn’t want us to listen to what he was saying, but listen to the spirit. Well I stood up and answered a question. After I answered the question he looked at me, and said….. “So do you mean to tell me that you were not listening to the words that I was saying???” I said Yes, cause I told him what the spirit had taught me. He smiled and said GOOD!!!!! It was so funny. He did that with several other people as well. I have seriously never learned so much in my entire life. He talked a lot about what the true definition of agency is….. It is the right to Independent Action. He talked about how we are all agents not objects. We all have the right to choose, and that makes us objects. The amount of things that the spirit has taught me about “agents and objects” since then is amazing!
- We cannot turn our investigators into objects.
- When you use your agency to do something stupid with an object (alcohol for instance) you then become an object to an object.
- It is better to accept the gospel now while we are agents, because when we pass away we automatically become objects and we have to wait for someone else to help us.
The list could really go on and on, but I will save that for later. The conference was amazing. We got a picture with him, so that will be added to my collection. We didn’t get to shake his hand though, and that was kinda sad, but I will live. I got to see a lot of my old friends, and I even got to see Karen Riley from Blackburn. She was at the temple with some members. Because of some complications her and Jenna are getting baptised on the 10th of October, but I already received permission to go back for it. Karen started to cry when she saw me. She was already loving the temple, but I made her day better. It really was an amazing day, and you will see in the picture that the weather was amazing. Elder Bednar actually let us take our coats off, and that was way funny as well. He was quite laid back, but still very powerful. He really helped us learn a lot from the Holy Ghost. He had us read two talks before he came…. Ask in Faith from conference, and another one called Seek Learning by Faith. Go and read those, and you will have a good idea of what we talked about. We also talked about how to really learn something we have to “Jump out of the Boat!” You don’t know that you can walk on water until you jump out and try it! Wow, it was an amazing conference, and I am so grateful that I have had all these amazing opportunities. Elder Causse from the area presidency was there as well, and he was a powerhouse too! He just answered questions when invited by Elder Bednar, but he taught some amazing things as well. I wish that I could tell you all that I learned and experienced, but there just isn’t time. It was amazing…… that’s about the gist of it.
Yes, my interviews went really well, and I was guided by the spirit. It’s amazing how much confidence I have when the spirit is strong with me. I have to do another interview this week to a man that speaks no English, so that should be way fun! It will be ok, cause we should have a translator.
Yesterday was amazing as well. I got to stand in the circle to confirm someone, stand in the circle to give someone the priesthood, and I personally got to give the priesthood to someone else!! It was a power packed day. It was really cool cause we gave the priesthood to a recent convert named Goodyear, then right after, I gave the priesthood to Andrew the Brother of Rachel who just got baptised and confirmed. The way cool part is that Andrew was just receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, so he had newly ordained Goodyear stand in the circle, and I did the ordination by the power of the Aaronic Priesthood. This gospel is so amazing! Andrew loved it, and Goodyear was on cloud 9! I have gotten to do some amazing things on my mission, and I know that they are just going to keep on coming and coming.
Our two people dated for baptism are doing amazing. Dave Smith is getting baptised on the 25th with his 8 year old son Cavin, and he is really doing well. Camelia Jurcut (the one from Romania) is getting baptised on the 26th, and she is being so well fellowshipped. We are taking her to our ward mission leaders house tonight so that should be good! We are really seeing some good things happen over here, and I am loving it. Transfers are next week if you can believe that. This transfer has gone by so fast, and I think that it was because of my leadership position. If the rest of my time goes this fast I am going to be home in like a day or two, or at least it will feel like that!!!!
Well I think that I have successfully written you a novel, so I going to get going. I hope that you all have an amazing week, and that you can feel the prayers that I say for you. I love you all so much, and I am so grateful for all the support that you give to me! Take care, and know that I am working hard and doing good things!!!
Love,
Elder Neal
Me and Karen and Bro Cross and Sister Alty at the Temple
my MTC group minus 3 (the sisters go home next transfer so this was the last chance)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Pictures from Neal - Received 9/7/09
Picture 1: PREACHER JOHNSON
Pictures 2: Elders Garcia and Llaguno (my crazy spanish companions) THEY ARE NUTS!!!! E. Garcia goes home this transfer, that is really sad!!!!!!!
E-mail from Neal - Received 9/7/09
HEY HEY HEY!!!!!!!
You are all amazing! Thank you so much for all the support that you give me. I really can feel your love, and I hope that you can feel mine. I pray every single night that you can feel the love that I have for you, and
according to that last email, you have felt that! You are all amazing, and I am so grateful that I was given to you. I love you all so much.
This week has been a good one. A lot of things improved this week. We still had some rough days, but in the end everything was all smoothed out. We taught quite a bit this week, and that really helped out everything. We also had interviews and training on Friday, and that always helps. President is absolutely amazing!!! I think that that was the best interview that I have ever had with him. I think that it is because my spiritual state is in a much better condition that it has been in the past. I have really felt my soul come alive in the past 3 weeks. I have felt the spirit so much more, my heart has been pricked to the things that I need to do better, and I am just much happier!!!! I am loving every second of this, and the time is showing that. This transfer has disappeared!!!!!!! Its scary! Anyways that is my personal report about me, now I will address some of your questions.
DOWNHAM - That is a place that Heber C. Kimball felt prompted to go. I think that Alma 26 explains it all perfectly. Everyone said that they were hard hearted and that he should go. He baptised 25 the first night
HA HA HA. Chatburn is right next to it and he baptised a ton there as well. As he was about to go back to the states he went up and visited the people that he loved so much, and on the walk from Chatburn to Downham all the children followed him holding hands and singing. The parents all watched from the windows and called down blessings upon his head. He took his hat off, and almost his shoes because he felt as though he was on sacred ground! When he got back he told the Prophet Joseph about what happened, and Joseph told him that he was walking where ancient prophets and apostles had walked and blessed the land, and their blessing fell upon his head! Walking though that town was incredible! I hope that that answered your question about Downham. I have a ton of info about it that you will get to see when I get home. As for President Bullock.. he was about the same size as the guy, but the guy was standing more forward. There was no contest as to who won that battle. That is a memory that I will never EVER forget.
It sounds like home is not getting any quieter. You might be as busy as me. Wait NAH!! I never believed people when they say that when you are in leadership you have no time. Yea, its true. From 9:30 pm onward I have a phone glued to my ear! Every single night. As soon as that phone rings E. Erickson can basically go to bed if he wants to. Its crazy, but fun, I like it. I get to talk to the Zone Leaders all the time, and I love that as well. One thing that I am very happy about, and you can be proud about too is that I have kept my journal very well, even through the past 3 weeks. For some reason I have not been like other missionaries and let that slip, I am very thankful for that. My journal is just as good as the one that I sent home, actually it is probably better! There is not all the useless babble about certain home situations, that seemed to plague the last one, and thank heavens for that. This one is much more spiritual, and interesting in my opinion!
I am quite scared right now because tonight I have to give my first baptism interview. If that is not enough I have to do another one tomorrow! I am scared cause I have never done this before. Please pray for me to be super in tune with the spirit, and that I will be able to have a gift of discernment. I was blessed with that gift in my patriarchal blessing, so I am been praying very hard to be worthy of it! I have faith that I will be ok. Its not quite over yet though. I have to give another interview to someone next week, and he is from Brazil. He speaks virtually no English! Yea so please pray that I can receive the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, please that would be great. I am scared about that one, but I am really taking the attitude of all right Lord, here I go!!!!! I know that it will all work out fine. I should be getting a translator for that one though.
We are all in preparation to see Elder Bednar this Friday. I am really excited and really cannot wait. It is going to be a great day!! I will let you all know how good it was next week.
Well, I really have to get going. The day is short and I have a ton to do today. I love you all so so so so so much, and I thank you all for the support that you give. Tell everyone this weekend that I say HI!!!!
I love you all!
Elder Neal
P.s. Fall is definitely in the air over here. The days are getting colder and colder and it is so nice! I really love this time of year over here!
EDITOR'S NOTE: PICTURES TO FOLLOW
You are all amazing! Thank you so much for all the support that you give me. I really can feel your love, and I hope that you can feel mine. I pray every single night that you can feel the love that I have for you, and
according to that last email, you have felt that! You are all amazing, and I am so grateful that I was given to you. I love you all so much.
This week has been a good one. A lot of things improved this week. We still had some rough days, but in the end everything was all smoothed out. We taught quite a bit this week, and that really helped out everything. We also had interviews and training on Friday, and that always helps. President is absolutely amazing!!! I think that that was the best interview that I have ever had with him. I think that it is because my spiritual state is in a much better condition that it has been in the past. I have really felt my soul come alive in the past 3 weeks. I have felt the spirit so much more, my heart has been pricked to the things that I need to do better, and I am just much happier!!!! I am loving every second of this, and the time is showing that. This transfer has disappeared!!!!!!! Its scary! Anyways that is my personal report about me, now I will address some of your questions.
DOWNHAM - That is a place that Heber C. Kimball felt prompted to go. I think that Alma 26 explains it all perfectly. Everyone said that they were hard hearted and that he should go. He baptised 25 the first night
HA HA HA. Chatburn is right next to it and he baptised a ton there as well. As he was about to go back to the states he went up and visited the people that he loved so much, and on the walk from Chatburn to Downham all the children followed him holding hands and singing. The parents all watched from the windows and called down blessings upon his head. He took his hat off, and almost his shoes because he felt as though he was on sacred ground! When he got back he told the Prophet Joseph about what happened, and Joseph told him that he was walking where ancient prophets and apostles had walked and blessed the land, and their blessing fell upon his head! Walking though that town was incredible! I hope that that answered your question about Downham. I have a ton of info about it that you will get to see when I get home. As for President Bullock.. he was about the same size as the guy, but the guy was standing more forward. There was no contest as to who won that battle. That is a memory that I will never EVER forget.
It sounds like home is not getting any quieter. You might be as busy as me. Wait NAH!! I never believed people when they say that when you are in leadership you have no time. Yea, its true. From 9:30 pm onward I have a phone glued to my ear! Every single night. As soon as that phone rings E. Erickson can basically go to bed if he wants to. Its crazy, but fun, I like it. I get to talk to the Zone Leaders all the time, and I love that as well. One thing that I am very happy about, and you can be proud about too is that I have kept my journal very well, even through the past 3 weeks. For some reason I have not been like other missionaries and let that slip, I am very thankful for that. My journal is just as good as the one that I sent home, actually it is probably better! There is not all the useless babble about certain home situations, that seemed to plague the last one, and thank heavens for that. This one is much more spiritual, and interesting in my opinion!
I am quite scared right now because tonight I have to give my first baptism interview. If that is not enough I have to do another one tomorrow! I am scared cause I have never done this before. Please pray for me to be super in tune with the spirit, and that I will be able to have a gift of discernment. I was blessed with that gift in my patriarchal blessing, so I am been praying very hard to be worthy of it! I have faith that I will be ok. Its not quite over yet though. I have to give another interview to someone next week, and he is from Brazil. He speaks virtually no English! Yea so please pray that I can receive the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, please that would be great. I am scared about that one, but I am really taking the attitude of all right Lord, here I go!!!!! I know that it will all work out fine. I should be getting a translator for that one though.
We are all in preparation to see Elder Bednar this Friday. I am really excited and really cannot wait. It is going to be a great day!! I will let you all know how good it was next week.
Well, I really have to get going. The day is short and I have a ton to do today. I love you all so so so so so much, and I thank you all for the support that you give. Tell everyone this weekend that I say HI!!!!
I love you all!
Elder Neal
P.s. Fall is definitely in the air over here. The days are getting colder and colder and it is so nice! I really love this time of year over here!
EDITOR'S NOTE: PICTURES TO FOLLOW
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
More Pictures from Neal - Received 9/1/09
Picture 1: Me and my daddy (Elder Garcia) at the Liverpool Memorial
Picture 2: The Biggest Anchor EVER!!!!!
Picture 3: Out to sea from Liverpool
Picture 4: DOWNHAM!!!!!!
Picture 5: Today....we got soaked (you may have to zoom in to see how wet we are!!!!!)
Picture 2: The Biggest Anchor EVER!!!!!
Picture 3: Out to sea from Liverpool
Picture 4: DOWNHAM!!!!!!
Picture 5: Today....we got soaked (you may have to zoom in to see how wet we are!!!!!)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Pictures from Neal - Received 9/1/09
Editor's Note: Apparently there were supposed to be pictures with his e-mail, but we didn't get them. Here are the ones he sent in a separate e-mail:
Pic 1: Pres. Hinkleys House in Preston!!!!
Pic 2: This guy try to tell us that there is no God..... President Took Care of him!!!!!!! This picture is absolutely priceless!!!!!!
Pic 3: CRAZY PHONE BOOTH!!!!!
Pic 1: Pres. Hinkleys House in Preston!!!!
Pic 2: This guy try to tell us that there is no God..... President Took Care of him!!!!!!! This picture is absolutely priceless!!!!!!
Pic 3: CRAZY PHONE BOOTH!!!!!
E-mail from Neal - Received 9/1/09
FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am writing this to you absolutely dripping wet right now!!!!!
I am writing this to you absolutely dripping wet right now!!!!!
You are all amazing, and I miss you all soooooooo much!!!! It sounds like you are all having a blast back home.
Well while you are all having fun I am here doing some crazy cool things as well. Like you said we did go to the Temple yesterday and that was absolutely incredible. I actually stayed awake for the whole thing. I know that that is a bad thing to say, but its true! There is really nothing else to talk about there, except that it was AWESOME!!!
Last Wednesday we went on the church history Tour. You have probably seen all the pictures by now, but it was really cool. I took a ton of pictures, and really want to show you all of the cool things that we saw. We started in Liverpool (which is just an absolutely amazing town, one of my favourites). We went to the docks and to the Maritime Museum! That was really cool. Several things about pirates so I was all a flutter. The Missionaries that know me well were laughing their heads off. We then went to Preston and saw the Town Centre, the old Temperance hall, the house of Spirits, the river ribble, and Pres. Hinkley’s house! That was way awesome. The best part was in town centre when a guy tried to contend with 50 missionaries. He did it right in front of president, and he took care of him really quick. From there we went to Downham which was incredible! The town was so cool!!!!!! We got to have a meeting in the Church of England Church, and we actually sang “We thank thee of God for a Prophet,” we thought that it was very appropriate!! It was an amazing day! We were on a bus most of the day, so that was fun as well.
The rest of the week has been a bit more tough. My Comp has been having some really tough struggles with some things and so we have been talking a lot about how to get him more excited into the work. We have spent a lot of time with the Zone Leaders, and they have helped a ton. Things are starting to improve though, and things are really starting to look up! I am still on fire, and I have really decided that no one is going to bring me down. I have too much responsibility to let myself drop! I have really been doing a lot of studying and a ton of praying, and I have found a lot of strength in that. My study and prayers have improved so much since I have come to this area!
I am sorry that this is so fast and not very informative, but I am running out of time really fast. I wish that I could write more, but this will have to do. One last thing that I will tell you is that the Woman that came to church last week is now dated for baptism on the 26th of September. She is really really good!!! That and David A. Bednar is coming to the mission on the 11th of September. We are really blessed ha ha ha I love it!!!!
Well I really have to run! I love you all so so so so so so so so Much!!!! Thank you for all that you do for me!
Elder Neal
Elder Neal
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