June 17, 2012

Hey, 

Happy Fathers Day!

Ya usually we don't go in boats or anything, but the AP's just let it go because we were with the Branch President and the only young man in the branch. I have a feeling though that the new mission president will crack down and there will be no more fun things like that going on. 

It is like 830 now and I don't think we really have a long time. We are just at the mission office with the AP's. We had an awesome day. We played football with a bunch of missionaries from one of the zones in London. And they brought all their young men from their wards and their young men all brought friends, and we had like a 10v10 football match. It was English people against americans and everyone else. They were way more skilled than us, but they didn't pass. We started off down 3-0 but ended up beating them 10-8. And then played some american football afterwards. Really no one there had ever played football before, even the americans, except for Simmons. Every fourth I would just hail mary down the side line and he would throw a bomb. Touchdown. No one had any idea how to play. It was actually a great day.

 I am amazed that you finished the race. I don't think I would ever be able to do any one of those 3 things on its own, let alone in a row. I can barely make it this big hill, to get to where all our investigators live, on a bike.

I think that branch presidency doesn't have to be a high priest. But I'm not sure. One of our guys I don't think is even endowed. You just wouldn't expect England to be one of the places where Elder's need to play that big of a role. 

That semi accident sounds crazy. Thanks for the photos. 

And thanks for the updates on BLC every week. I am going to have some big plans for when I get home. We will take that business to the next level next summer. We will get some good things going for Riley for when he gets home. 

This was an amazing week. Holly's baptism went so well. It was just 9 people there, but what was really nice was that her father and his new wife also came and supported her. Me and Elder Martins sang a duet, and we gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was like 500 degrees in this pool house and the wind was gusting like crazy outside as we confirmed her. It was just like the first couple of verses in Acts ch. 2. I thought it was a really spiritual service and experience.
And tomorrow is President Shamo's final zone conference. So he is having half the mission tuesday and the other half wednesday. I am going to be really sad to see him go. And then a month later Simmons leaves. And then 3 months after that, White leaves. And then all of my really good missionary friends will have gone home. I'm the oldest missionary in our district right now. It is really strange to see so many new young missionaries who I don't know. Does it feel like a year already to you guys?

I sent you something for fathers day. Just a small package. But I sent it this week so it is more than likely going to arrive to you a bit late. 

I thought it was cool that you were using that waterbottle finally. And also, in one of those photos you but onto my ipod at Christmas had you wearing that Expos hat I got you a long time ago and then you never wore it once. haha I'm glad those things are getting at least a little bit of use.

The missionary work in Guernsey is weird right now. We have a ton of investigators. But they all have issues, whether it is word of wisdom, or not being married, or having community service from growing drugs on sunday mornings. We have found a really cool family last week that we had knocked on their door a few weeks earlier. It is a mom with 3 kids, two teenage boys who like us and are pretty cool. They asked us to go cliff jumping and playing football with them and stuff (we told them no...). But it just seems like we are finding a bunch of people who aren't really interested in religion or the gospel but who just like to have us over and feed us dinner once a week. We have like 4 families that just like us to come over and eat with them. I have never really had this before. It is nice because we are getting to know more people, and they are introducing us to their friends and stuff, but it is also frustrating that we aren't finding anyone who is really prepared. I think that one thing I have learned on my mission is that there are always things you can find to do to just fill the time but that isn't really that productive. I just want people who are ready to hear this gospel and who recognize the truth of it. This gospel is just so true when you really look into it. If people would just give it a chance. Maybe I'm just being lazy. I don't know.
Other good news is that Ken and Toni are doing great. In a couple months, the relief society president in Helston is going on a mission. i am going to guess that Toni is going to be in the presidency when it is reorganzied. And Ken is having a lot of success with his own buisness he has started, and is hoping he will eventually be able to quit working the door and work more normal hours. And make a lot more money. The things that have happened with Ken the last couple of weeks have just been filled with miracle after miracle. It has strengthened my faith seeing everything unfold the way it has. I will tell you guys about it sometime. They are going to the temple on the 17th this month... which just happens to be moves day. So I am hoping that one of us gets transferred just for the sole reason that it means I would most likely be able to go do baptisms in the temple with them. How cool would that be.

 The Baral's are also doing great. The Baptists have been annoying but it seems they have mostly just given up now. It is good I wasn't in Slough, for this whole baptist thing. Pettersen is a lot more passive. I probably would have killed someone. 

Holly has introduced us to one of her friends, a lady named Samara. She was cool, she didn't think we were weird or anything. And on wednesday night Holly is having like 3 or 4 of her friends and us over to her house for Chinese food and just to meet them and stuff. I am hoping that there can be a chance to start to teach some of them. New converts are gold mines for new solid investigators. 

I can't really think of what else has happened this week. Not too much. Pretty normal. The weather is getting better. It has just rained and rained non stop for like a month. I have been so sick of it. I cut my own hair this morning as I was sick of it being long. Next monday is 'black monday.' But I should still be able to email on monday. I have a feeling that one of us will move. Elder Martins is a good missionary, but is just a bit boring. In the sense that he is really textbook. He doesn't think about anything he is doing, he just does things in the only way he knows how. It works for us though. 

It is getting late. Tell mom I am sorry I can't send her an email as well. But to be fair, it is fathers day. 

Love Elder Steed