Look Not Behind Thee

Hiya everyone!

Gosh, it was so good to talk to you all last Wednesday! I can't believe that it's been almost a whole week since I spoke to you guys. It was so nice to hear your voices and to actually get to speak to you. Just think, next time I get to speak to you on the phone or Skype, it will be May, and I will have less than 6 months left on my mission! How crazy is that?! Time really goes by so fast! I'm sorry that I couldn't Skype with you guys last week. But, maybe on Mother's Day I will Skype with you guys. You could probably get Jen and Jordan, Chris and Wendy, and Matt and Peyton in on the Skype call too. I'll let you guys figure out that end of it. But, the most important thing was that I got to talk to you guys! That was my best Christmas present as well! Also, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the Christmas presents! You guys really didn't have to send me all that stuff, especially cuz it's expensive but I am very grateful for it all, so thank you!!! :)

So, lots more missionaries are preparing to go out now! Come join the army of 80,000+ Christian Soldiers! Honestly, you'll never regret going on a mission! Congrats to those who have gotten their calls! You'll love it! Not much has really gone on since I last talked with you guys. We've just been doing what we do, and loving it! I hope you guys enjoyed the video I sent you. We couldn't stop laughing! I think the end bit where I am standing on my head is my favorite part! lol. Hope it gave you guys a good laugh! :)

Now is the time for New Years Resolutions! Now is the time to look back, but just for a moment, on the regrets of 2013, and to make your resolutions. Once you have made your resolutions, don't look back anymore. The future is before you, so just like it says in Genesis 19:17, "...look not behind thee...". There is always room for improvement in everything. My advice is to set goals and make plans to accomplish your resolutions this year. It's great to have them, but unless you set goals and make plans to accomplish it, then it won't happen. Work hard for it, and you'll get it.

I hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you a Happy New Year! Bring it on 2014! Have a great week, and a great start to your new year! I love you all!!!

Love,
Sister Connery

P.S.-Here is a link to a Mormon Message that you guys should watch:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=910930409001&cid=HPTH122613304&im=true

Merry Christmas

Check this out! A member of the ward made this using an iPad app! It's my companion and I, and two of the Elders in the ward. Enjoy! It's hilarious! :)

Going to the Temple

Hiya everyone!

Oh my gosh, I am so excited for Christmas day! I can't wait to call you guys and tell you more about all the missionary work and to hear more about what's going on with you guys! Yes, I will call at 12pm your time, which will be 8pm my time. I figured that way you guys could have breakfast and open presents and stockings already. That way the kids won't be complaining and dying to open their presents! haha! Don't worry Mama, I won't forget to call. Please answer the phone this time! lol. I will call on your cell phone Mama, but if you don't answer then I will try Daddy's phone, Grandma's phone, Sam's phone, the house phone, etc. I will even call Jen or Chris and tell them to call you if need be. Hopefully we won't need to do that though. I'm so glad to hear that Daddy's home so I can talk to him as well! Just a few more days! :D

So, this week we taught 33 lessons, have a few new investigators and also had a referral from a member! She gave out a Book of Mormon to a co-worker and then brought the co-worker and her young family to church yesterday, where we met them and after church we were able to teach them about the Restoration! It was great! Sister Oriaku and I were so excited! We have received a few small gifts from members, but we both agreed that the best gifts that any member could ever give missionaries is to find someone for them to teach! The best part of my week was the opportunity that I had to attend the Temple on December 19th! Oh my gosh, how I loved it! It was such an amazing experience! I have missed the temple SOOOO much, and I was so happy to be back there again! In our mission we now have 300 missionaries total (including the 28 single sisters/couple missionaries), so it was VERY difficult to get all of the missionaries there. We were blessed though, because President Millar said that he had no idea how it was going to be done, but it worked out in the end, and everyone in the mission got to go. We had to go on a couple of different days, but at least we all made it there. I am actually very close to the temple. I am a half hour away by train or car. The temple is actually in my zone (a zone as a missionary is the stake boundaries-so a zone is just like a stake) It was one of the best days that I have had on my mission so far! :D

Congrats on the baptisms and all of the other missionary news! That's always a wonderful thing to hear about! The work truly is hastening, and it's a wonderful time to be a missionary! Don't worry about the White Christmas-we're not having one either. We're having a Wet Christmas instead of a White Christmas too! haha! Also, in other news, the entire fingernail on my broken little finger came off! It's kinda strange looking, but the new nail is growing, so by the time I come home next year, it will be fixed! :)

So, other than all of that, there's not much to share. But there will be loads to talk about on Wednesday I'm sure! Can't wait to talk to all of you! Have a great few days, and I will talk to you on Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone!

Love,
Sister Connery

Christmas Dinner at the London Temple

Sister Oriaku and I outside the temple

 Me outside the temple!

My Soap Box

Hi guys,

More missionaries for your ward huh? You guys better work harder to get them more people to teach. When I get home, I definitely want to be a better member-missionary because I know just how important it is now. Missionaries and members need to work together as one to bring about the work of salvation. These are our brothers and sisters! We should want to save them and help them to get their salvation. It does require a lot of hard work, but when the Savior was atoning for all of us, that was the hardest job that anyone could ever do so the least that we can do is to help bring souls unto Him.

I'll get off my soap box now. lol. So, to clarify, we get to go to the temple this coming Thursday the 19th. I am super excited! I have been waiting for this, and I can't wait! :D I am also so excited to be able to call you guys on Christmas. Please answer the phone this time! haha! 

So, all is going pretty well here in Purley. Ya know how I used to get all excited about teaching 14 lessons, then 20, then 25, then 30, and then 32? Well, this last week Sister Oriaku and I taught 44 lessons! :D It was crazy! We literally just tried to talk to everyone! As many people as we could, and it worked! We taught lots and lots of people, and have a few new investigators, lots of potential investigators, and a new baptismal date for one of our current investigators. Things are going pretty well here I would say. I'm still loving every minute that I get to serve the Lord. It is such a great privilege and it makes me so happy! I love it! I would encourage anyone and everyone to serve a mission, because it will be the best time of your life! (Especially if you serve in the England London South Mission!) By the way, did you know that the Bahama's and the England London South Mission are the two most expensive missions in the world?! It's a good thing they decided to have all of us pay a set amount each month. lol. But it's all for the Lord, and every single pence is worth it!

Well, there's not much else going on right now, but this week is gonna be a good one and I should have lots of pictures to send this next week. Have a great week everyone! I love you all, and pray for you each day! Have a good one!

Love,
Sister Connery

Bold As A Lion

Hiya guys!

It sounds like this last week has been pretty exciting for all of you. Congrats, Adam on going to Regionals for wrestling. That's really cool. And Happy (late) Birthday! I meant to put that in my email last week, but I think I was so excited to tell you guys about everything else that I forgot. Oops. Sorry! Love you though! :) That's really cool for Sam as well, that he is the 1st Assistant. It's interesting how all of these seemingly small callings that we get as youth really help us to prepare for missions. I've come to realize since I have been on my mission that the callings of President and counselor when I was in YW has helped me to prepare to be a leader on my mission. Maybe on your mission, Sam, you will be the Assistant to the President! :) I'm glad that Daddy will be home for Christmas so that I can talk to all of you guys! By the way, because the time difference is like 8 hours, so if I call at 12pm your time on Christmas day, will that work for you guys? I am so excited to be able to actually talk to all of you on the phone! After Christmas I will only get to do that one more time! It's crazy how fast the time goes by.

Anyway, so I can't wait to go to the temple! I am so excited! It's been so long, and I really miss going! Luckily, next Thursday is the day!!! :) Our flat in Purley is nice. It has carpet instead of laminate like the Bracknell flat. They are about the same size, but they were both good. This is a newer missionary flat, so it doesn't have loads of stuff in it from the previous missionaries, so that is really nice. Thanks for sending the Christmas package! It should be waiting for me at the temple by the time I get there next week, so I am excited! :)

So, this past week in Purley has been average. We had a good teaching week, but once again, no investigators at church and no one is progressing. We are working on finding new people to teach the gospel to who are prepared to hear it. We are praying every day that Heavenly Father will help us to find the people that he has prepared to receive the message that we share. Since Isaac was baptized, we have fallen into a rut, and we need to get out of it. So, we are making plans and setting goals to be better missionaries and to be more BOLD! In the Bible, in Proverbs 28:1 it says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." We have to be bold and talk to as many people as we possibly can every single day in order to make the work hasten here in this area. It is a good area with a lot of potential, we just have to find it! And we will! But that scripture not only applies to us as missionaries but to the member missionaries as well. Don't be afraid. The worst they can do is say no. That's it. So just do it. :)

Not much happened this last week, so there isn't a lot to talk about, but next week will hopefully be full of things to tell you guys! I'm glad that you are all doing well, and it's great to hear from you. I'm excited to find out what this week holds for all of you. I love you all, and pray for you every day! Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Connery

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everyone!

It sounds like you guys had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Everyone had a lot of fun it seems, and there were big parties going on! We did have a really good Thanksgiving with the Tucker's (the American family). It was a lot of fun, and the food was great as well! It was a first for my companion as she has never even heard of Thanksgiving, so it was fun for her too. So, Temple Square at Thanksgiving! That's fun too! I actually met someone the other day who served her mission at temple square, and she loved it! But being in the field is such a privilege as well. I don't know which one I would rather do. They are both great options. We got to go to the temple last night with some investigators because they were turning on the Christmas lights and the Nativity at the London Temple Visitor's Centre on the temple grounds, and it was so lovely! Seeing the temple lit up at night was just beautiful! I can't wait to go inside this month for our Christmas visit! Just like you said, the Spirit is so strong at the temple! It's nearly impossible not to feel it there! It brings tears of joy to your eyes, Mama. My eyes too! :)

So, yes, Isaac got baptized and he was confirmed yesterday! It was great, and we are really happy! So is he! As a missionary, you worry a little about how well your converts will do after you go. You worry about them staying active, and it's hard, but I am not worried about Isaac. He is doing great! He loves the Church, he loves the gospel, and most importantly, he loves the Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has lots of good friends in the Church, and he is doing so well already! He will be just fine.

To answer your questions, we get to see President Millar at least once every transfer. Every other transfer we have interviews with him for a few minutes, but we don't see him a lot necessarily. I've seen him a lot this last transfer and this transfer so far as well, but once all the hustle and bustle is over then it will become less frequent that we see him. We had zone conference the other day, and Elder Tiexeira, the Europe Area President, was there and he spoke to us and gave us some more training! It was such a great conference! He shook hands and talked with us afterwards as well, so it was a great privilege.

Yes, we have started teaching the couple that came to church, and they actually were the investigators that we took to the temple lights last night, so they are doing good. She was really interested in the idea of eternal marriage, so we hope and pray that there will be good progress there!

Sister Oriaku and I are doing okay. (I have to be careful what I write because she is sitting next to me, and we can see each others' screens!) We still have fights (sometimes we can't go one day without fighting about something), but we are getting better at working it out, and it all comes together in the end so it's not too bad right now. We are okay.

So, I've already told you what has pretty much happened this week. Isaac got confirmed and we had zone conference, and that is most of the exciting news this week. We had 0 investigators at church yesterday, but we had 10 less actives there that we are currently working with so that was great! Not much else to report on this week so we'll see about next week.

I hope you guys have a great week and that everything  goes well! I pray for you all (by name) every day, and I love and miss you all! Have a wonderful week! Love you!

Love,
Sister Connery

Thanksgiving at the Tuckers

This is Elder Nielson (our district leader) and Elder Douglas; they're both from Utah