It's what we call a Missionary Christmas in April...!

April 3 2016

Well everyone I hope that you all had a wonder weekend, I know that I did, because well it was General Conference. However for us as missionaries it’s known as MISSSIONARY CHIRSTMAS hence the name of the email. It’s what we are all looking for, and I wish so badly that all the people in England and everywhere - could hear it.  There is a major concern with families. Families here & everywhere really struggle, because "families" don't exist. There are too many instances where people don't have spouses, they have "partners" or the dad is gone, or the mom is gone or all the family is split up. I know that this is exactly what many countries need to hear, I just hope that I can be a tool in the lords hand to help some of them hear this amazing message!! Before I go into the highlights of Conference first let’s tell you a little bit about the week first.

We had zone training on Wednesday and that was really good, because president and the Assistants ran the training. We learned so much on the importance of members in the work and also how valuable the area book is! It was amazing I learned so much from it!

                                          

This week we were also able to find some really great Investigators. The first being a 65 yr old Jamaican man named I.......... He was super Jamaican to say the least and we had a really great conversation with him and then set up an appointment to come by later in the week. When we came back we brought a member and we had a lesson outside of his garden gate, because he said he didn't have time to talk but we started to talk to him anyways, and then next thing we knew- we were in the book of Mormon, and he accepted a copy, and said that he would read it with his bible. That was a first for me, but I have grown to love the Jamaican people they really love God, I wish more people had their outlook on life, of course without the Rastafarian beliefs. Then we also found this little couple who stopped us on the street actually it was quite cool- their names are S.......& S.......... They stopped us because we were American at first, and asked us a bunch of questions about America, then we told him what we were doing here and they let us come back. They have such amazing backgrounds, S........ the guy, has had a really rough past, but  you can already see the change in him. He said his number one goal is to marry  S........ and to start their own family. This gospel is going to be such a blessing to them, the only thing now is we got to get them married. Both of them accepted to be baptized and now we are working towards their marriage and baptism! It was awesome!!

                          

It was a really good week for us!

Alright so for conference this week, well I will just share some of the highlights that I had, because we only got to watch the morning sessions over here, so I have to go read the rest of it later this week. But for what I did here these are the impressions that I had, so they are not direct quotes:

This one was so good because of me trying to learn Chinese in England!

Mary R. Durham,

"Just like learning a new language, in order for us to learn the language of the spirit we must be completely immersed in the influence of the spirit, and not just every once in a while."

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom,

"Sometimes the gospel can seem so simple that it seems to be ordinary. However to those who TRULY know it, know it to be Extraordinary."                          OOH man so good!

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not I cannot desert to his foes.

That soul though all hell should endeavor to shake,

 I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,

I’ll never, no never no never forsake!!"                     I love this song so much!

Gary E Stevenson

"without the keys to a car, the car is just a giant piece of plastic and metal. Just like how we are locked out of the car without the keys, so are we locked out of the blessings of salvation without the keys to the priesthood."

"God can do more with our lives than we could ever imagine to do on our own. He will increase our opportunities, maximize our privileges, and improve our potential, and give us the strength that we need that we never could gain on our own!"  This one is just so powerful, turning our lives over to him is so important!

Elder Dale G. Renlund,

"If life was fair we all would need to be crucified. We would not be able to be resurrected without it, and we wouldn't return to live in the presence of god again, because that's not fair to Christ. However because life is unfair we get the better end. Oh how lucky we are to line in an unfair world, because without it we would have a whole lot more to do."  

                                                                          Think of that next time you go to say life is not fair!!                                                                                 Especially all you younger people out there!

              

President Nelson

" we hold the same priesthood that Christ himself holds, the same power that he uses to govern the heavens, create worlds on end, and provide the healing aid to us."

Good questions that we could all ask ourselves.

"How would your families and friends say you are doing in developing chirstlike attributes?"

"Are the earthquakes testified in the scriptures, spiritual earthquakes happening in our own homes?"

Stephen W. Owen,

"Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a leader, by being a perfect example of a follower of God." That is so amazing, to be a good leader, we must first be a good follower, and of course a follower of Jesus Christ.

President Uchtdorf - He had so many good ones

"Brethren if there really was such thing as a perfect woman, do you really think that she would be interested in you?"                      hahahahahahahaha sooooo funny! We all died at that one!

"Marriage and relationships require effort, and charity, brick by brick, building up a foundation adding pebbles of kindness, selflessness, service, love, and humility, then it will last."

"We may share the same gene pool, but we are spiritually different, and we have something to share. We should be celebrating our differences not calculating them!" 

                                                                         That last line is sooo good, I love that!

                                                                       

I have run out of time but the last thing that I can share with you all today is that,

"Christ will lift you up, place you on his shoulders and Carry you home to your Father in Heaven."

I know that this church is true and that families are so important, please do whatever it is that you can to help improve the relationships in your family. I love this Gospel and Jesus Christ truly is at the head of this church!

Love you all, and sorry for no pictures this week but conference is just too important to not talk about. I hope that we all can go back and reread and study the things we have learned this past weekend!

Love Elder Hanks