Mother's Day

Mother's Day was Elder Church's first call home. He was able to Skype Mom, Dad, Katie, Derek, and John in Mesa, and Eric and I in Thatcher. He kept saying over and over, "this is the happiest I have ever been in my life." It sure was good to see him doing so well!

I got a flash-drive full of pictures from him in the mail a few days later, and I've set up a Snapfish account so that we could share all of his pictures a little bit easier. The first album includes both MTC pictures, and just a few of his first area, Cardiff, Wales, and his first companion, Elder Hutchings. This week was his first transfer, but as he is still being trained, neither he nor Elder Hutchings are leaving Cardiff.

Click here for his Snapfish.

His e-mail this week was short and sweet:

"Anywho, my companion is NOT getting transferred as i still have 6 mor weeks of 'training', he may very well transfer after that and he and other insist that ill train after 3 months but id like to stick around here for a while with Elder Hutchings after we dont have an extra hour of companionship study everyday! If by Motherland you mean Russia, then no, if America, dont ask me, but if youre refering to Wales, i dont think you should use the term Motherland, 'Land of Many Sheep' would be for more appropriate in any further correspondence. Now as for excitement, we havent baptized anyone or anything but something cool happened yesterday. A chinese woman walked into church yesterday just because she saw tons of poeple walking in last week. This is significant because we have several inactives who dont speak english, only Chinese, and dont come because no one can translate for them. Later that day, on the way to a street to tract i blew out both tires, then i had to alk to Jaz's so we could give her a blessing of comfort and then we walked home. Heres the significant part, while walking i decided we should talk to one person before going home. So we did, a Chinese guy who has no religion. By the end he wanted a Book of Mormon in English AND Mandarin, and said he felt lucky to have met us! Another Chinese/English speaker! and if my tires hadnt have popped we wouldnt have met him!!
Love you!"

Peanut Butter

So a quick story. Katie told me last week she was going to send off a package full of Reese's to Jacob and it was more expensive she thought. She told me she wanted to send him some peanut butter, since he's been pining for it, but figured it'd be way to expensive for that. So, I did some research. I looked on Amazon.com for some peanut butter, and found a big jar for $3. Score! So I went through and got to the point where the shipping costs were calculated. $51. Not so good. So I got the brilliant idea, if I do say so myself, to look on Amazon UK. I found a pack of 3 big jars of Jif for $17, including free shipping within country! Now, that's a score! Here's Elder Jake's response:

"Thanks for the PB! it will go well with the tons of nutella that the ward members give us (ive started to stir them up in one jar for quick PBN sandwhiches, but i tend to eat it straight from the spoon, alas im trying to not get fat) In the future though, as I told Katie, it is probably better for everyones budgets to just send me some money through Dad ($10= about £7) except for things i cant find anywhere here (or reeses, those are just expensive!) You can however send me some music! I dont have music and i depend on my comps cd's. We have the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. Sooo awesome. Examples of songs i would like:

 

-A cool version of come thou fount
-A super cool version of If You Could Hie to Kolob, the one with the cool piano accompaniement

-The Prayer of the Children- Inside Out

- ANY Switchfoot songs that might be deemed mission appropriate, (i would exhort you to ponder this and enquire after the possibility, alas i understand if it cannot be done)

-The Prince of Egypt Soundtrack (I wont have Elder Hutchings forever)

- Any other songs that would be cool such as epic piano music, epic classical music (emphasis on epic), super good Motab, etc.

I love you! Thanks again for the package!"

In which Elder Church discovers American ties aren't cool to Englishmen

Jake to Dad:

"Im trying to be frugal! I didnt realize the number of things i would still need to buy when I got here! And things tend to be much more expensive here. I had to buy a bike, and waterproof trousers, bike lights, i still need to find some good mudguards, and waterproof boots, the ones i brought turned out to be a waste of space and weight as they are too rough in appearance, too clunky, and not waterproof enough. Im now faced with the challenge of what to do with them when i get transferred. Sending them home is very expensive and with the additional things ive had to buy i dont know that ill be able fit them in my bags when i have to move. I dont want to lose them but i may simply have to leave them in the flat and hope another Elder finds a use for them at some point. The other elders often tell me to get a British suit as soon as possible because ours look clunky and baggy in comparison, but i keep telling them i cant afford it and wont until my suits wear out completely, which they seem to think is an inevitability in this country. I hope not and i really dont want to ... spend any money i dont have to. I also decided that i wont buy a guitar (probably at any point) due to the unecessary cost, the distraction, and the fact that many elders and flats already have them. I have seen an unexpected answer to my patriarchal blessing though when it said I would use music on my mission! We frequently sing to the members! Elder Hutchings has been in choir since the 8th grade and has a crazy range (several notes deeper than me to severla notes higher!) The other Elders often join in as the member often offer to feed all 4 of us. I will try to find a sister who might be able to repair the long underwear but the ward simply isnt very strong or very large, or particularly excited about missionary work at this point. I will look! But ill need to clean the brown sweat stains from them a little more thoroughly first! Its funny getting extremely bundled up on a cold day because ward members keep ther homes much much warmer on those days! I was dripping sweat in one appointment! I need to figure out how to clean my collars as well because when its very rainy and im very bundled up a long bike ride means a lot of sweat and dirty water finds its way into my collar! My ties dont seem to be a problem though! they havent warped, and they dont seem to bleed (one did just a little but thats because it got completely rain soaked, washed out with cold water just fine). Another interesting thing about ties, the ties here are generally thinner than ours! The EQP and our WML like to tease me when i wear American ties (i did buy a few british ties for very cheap, even got my first skinny tie! Wearing it right now. Thats another interesting thing: ties, white shirts and suits here are actually a bit cheaper even though just about everything else is more expensive)

Im not sure how we call home yet, I believe I can Skype though i dont know where or how yet, Im sure Elder Hutchings knows. Im not sure where exactly hes from in Utah... Springville? hes not nearby at the moment (we have to take any computer we can get at the library) He is an interesting character! He can sing and beat box and stuff really well and I guess before he came out he played ALOT of Halo. Like, almost professionally. Hes been out for about a year and we get along really really well. He likes to hide when im in the bathroom and then make me look for him so he can jump out and scare me. I got him back pretty good last night though >:D Hes a great trainer and really encouraging. Ive gotten a lot of good encouragement! Elder Hutchings, Jaz(see LoraLynns email), and the Assistants! That was probably the coolest recent experience this week. We went on a short exchange with the Assistants right after Zone Conference (which was really good bytheway! The last one for President Ogden and im really bummed that a lot of his traditions might not carry over with the new Mission President e.g. Mision football, jars of peanut butter and nutella for missionaries with especially clean flats etc.) Elder Olson is one of Elder Hutchings old companions and so they went together and I went with Elder Tonga. Hes a big buff New Zealander and hes the man! He was nothing but encouraging and complimentary! Hes also a great missionary, we were driving in the Assistants transporter and we stopped just outside of a parking garage to check the map and he opened the window to speak to someone on the street corner! I guess that what it means to talk to everybody! I want to get that good!

Im not sure about Livingstone at this point, he doesnt read anything but the 4 Gospels and cant get over the need for additional scripture. We havent had much opportunity to bear strong testimony and in 2 lessons have only managed to talk about the apostasy and the sacrament.

Elder Tonga challenged me to be patient and to be myself and ive been trying. I desperately want to be the best missionary possible but sometimes I struggle with wanting to feel important. As soon as I can get over the need for recognition I think i will really start growing. Ive been praying for patience, diligence, and humility! I will keep you and the family in my prayers as well! President Ogden promised me that you would be blessed for my srevice! I memorized a few scriptures this week and I especially like the one in Proverbs "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. In all ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy paths."

I love you!"

Jake to LoraLynn:
"Ohhh Livingstone.... hes being difficult... he cant get over the fact theres more scripture, weve taught him the restoration twice and we havent been able to hit on any really spiritual points because he talks so much and keeps repeating it. We try to use the Bible and read from the Book of Mormon but he only reads the 4 gospels and wont let us read the BoM to him so far (not so much hes keeping us from reading to him as just deflecting and ranting again) My companion is feeling quite better! Hes been tired though as he hasnt been able to sleep. British poeple drink ALOT and sometimes that means loud late night parties downstairs. Speaking of drinking I think it was last week i saw a guy walking on the sidewalk COMPLETELY wasted! He was wobbling and swaying and everything :D


As for the name of my bike, we were with a recent convert (Jaz, ill tell you all about her, cuz shes seriously the coolest ever) I wanted to settle on a good name and so i thought it would be funny to pick an old testament name (as there are many of great variety contained therein) so i flipped to a random page and those names were there :P Not sure where it was, you can look it up or something! I have my flsh drive this week and I will prepare as many pictures on there as i can, but i cant remeber your address exactly its P.o. Box 19 right? or was it 1919? i dont remember! so send me the address ASAP! today! in the next 30 minutes! I will take more pictures of buildings and such, he clouds here are nuts! Big and tall and white and fluffy when its not rainy, and yes its pretty much overcast and cold everyday, ive had one sunny day since i came to wales, and lately its just been windy and rainy all the time. My flat was a bit claustrophobic at first, they have to be way more conservative with space here, and the space in our flat isnt distributed very well. Interestingly, the other missionaries in our ward have the nicest roomiest flat in the entire mission. I dont know about the long underwear, ill ask Elder Hutchings. 

Anyways I have to tell you about Jaz, cuz shes the best. She was baptized 9 months ago and when the missionaries gave her the Book Of Mormon she came to Shurch the first Sunday and read the Book of Mormon twice before her first lesson. She was originally Baptist so she knew her Bible front and back. Shes a serious insomniac so instead of sleeping she reads or works (shes a translator, Spanish) and she also has an insanely good memory. Shes British but her family is from India. Anyways, so she knows the scriptures insanely well and immediately knew the Church was true. She says having readt the Bible and The Book of Mormon several times that it all fits together perfectly and everyone would lknow that if they just read it. She prays for streets for us and we always hand out a Book of Mormon on those streets! She also loves the missionaries and feeds us (generously) every week. Most important of all though she really encourages me a lot and we became good friends immediately. She talks a lot about an Elder Siron (supposedly the best missionary President Ogden has ever had) and she talks to him about me and apparently he would like to meet me (probably not possible though)! She always tells me Im not even a greenie because im "so with it" So she always lifts my sirits and gives me really good advice on how to improve and stuff. Plus the steak fajitas she brings us are tasty. Shes just a great friend and a constant source of encouragement, streets to knock, and delicious deliciuos chocolate milk!

Im trying! (I wrote to him a bit about learning to be patient)
I love you! "