High on a Mountain (hill) top!

May 16 2016

My awesome Zone! 

Hello lads and lasses you alright!? I am doing just splendid here in England the sun was shining most of the week and the people here are wearing less and less clothes and well that makes for exciting missionary work. But this week was an awesome week for us we were able to find 7 new investigators!!!! LIKE WHAT!!!!!!!!!!???????????? We don't know what happened even the Zone leaders were calling us like "what is going on there?" but we had loads of success this week, it made me feel like I was down in Columbia with my mate Elder Ferre. But lots of fun things happened so let’s get into the week shall we.

First off on p-day we decided as all the elders in the zone to go and do a little hike in the peak districts here in Sheffield so we pilled in some cars and had an adventurous day with the elders, it felt like a day back at home chilling with the homies but it wasn't. So that was really cool. But we were able to hike some hills, and see some fields and that was a great start off for the week. But now we will get into the missionary work, I will tell you about some of the people that we have met this past week.

So first off update with our recent convert C......... She is doing so well, she is now teaching her friends about the church, she goes online and tells people who the Mormons really are, and she defends the church more than ever which is soo awesome!! She is just doing so well, I love seeing here at church with her two little kids, that has made the entire mission worth it!

Now for D...... So we were knocking on a road where an investigator lived and we knocked on his door and he opens up and says! "Can I get a picture with you guys?" I mean I know I am good looking but come on not that good! J.K.! But so we said yeah, so he went and got his phone and took a selfie with us and then explained how he just moved up from London and saw the Book of Mormon play, and now he had two Mormon missionaries at his door -  "coincidence I think not!!!" so we started to chat about that and Elder Cottrell has seen some of the play so he started to sing some of the songs, which really made the guy laugh and open up to us. But he accepted a book of Mormon and now we are going to teach him about what our church is really like! But hey look at that! The play really does help out the church!

Then we met these 3 people while walking and they told us to teach them as they walked so we ended up walking with them to a park, they sat down and elder Cottrell took one named C.... and I took this couple S.... and T...... and we sat and taught them separately but it was really awesome because all of them were interested and now we are going back to teach them some more hopefully. So that was awesome as well.

Then on Saturday! Wow what an experience. There is a professional soccer team right down the road from us, that had a huge game the other day, and me and elder Cottrell were on the tram at the wrong time. Because no joke hundreds and hundreds of fans got on and the entire 30 min tram ride, were chanting at the top of their lungs, all their chants, which don't always have the best of words in them, but chanted forever! And it was such a fun experience I wish I could have taken a picture but there was so many people in there I could get my camera out of my pocket. But for a kid who has played soccer his whole life it was awesome!!!!!!

So there are some good things so let’s share something that was bad shall we, we can’t be too happy over here, or people think we are crazy. Which brings me to this story. We had just tried by some potentials with no luck but then as we were walking this lady called over to us and started shouting at us and for a solid 20 min me and Elder Cottrell sat there while this lady told us how we are brainwashed and then nothing good will come from believing, and that there is no god and how our lives are ruined and how we are ruining other peoples lives! It was the roughest 20 min of my life!

But let me tell you this!

We are not brainwashed! There is a Father in Heaven who loves each and every single one of us. This gospel does change lives, it brings about good, it brings about perfection in us. Good things do come from this gospel because this is Christ's church, he blesses us for our efforts. God is real, and he is watching out for us, I can promise you this. I know that this is the true church, that joseph smith is a prophet that the book of Mormon is true and teaches us how to be good, how to stay good, and how we can be eternally good. I know it to be true! And I hope you all can feel of its truthfulness as well. I am so grateful for that opportunity, which solidified my testimony! I love this church and I love being a missionary!!

Love Elder Hanks