Hello from beautiful, sunny England!
It's a bit weird
saying that because of all the rain that we have had the past few
months, but the last week-ish has been so beautiful here! There have
been several times when we have gone out without coats on because the
weather is so nice! So, I will start by answering the questions that you
have. I already told you about the weather, so on to General
Conference. Yes, we do get to watch General Conference but we usually
only get to watch 3 sessions of it because of the timing. It makes it a
bit harder because you guys are having a session at 1pm, and that session for us is at 10pm.
So, we just have to wait for the Ensign to come out and read up some
more. Sister Laineenkare has been trying to teach me some
Finnish (that is her native language), but it is a hard one to learn.
But her English is great! She doesn't always know how to pronounce some
words or what some things mean, but they have to start learning English
in school when they are seven, so she sounds proper American when she
speaks English (seriously, everyone always thinks she's from the States,
lol). Yes, I did have a good chat with President Millar about things. I
won't be needing a sling or anything as my shoulder is doing much
better now. (not lying) I followed his advice directly and I am doing
much better with it. So no worries.
Congrats to Adam about the basketball game and the
piglets! That is so exciting! Have fun! The
Time Out sounds like it was a lot of fun. I look forward to being able
to go in the future, and I'll have to listen to that new CD when I get
back. Now, Sam, I'm sorry that you have been rejected so much about
prom. The great thing is that you still have next year, but don't give
up hope now! Chin up kid! I get my offers to people
rejected every day! Maybe this is a way that the Lord is preparing you
for your mission. lol. :) That's great that you guys are going out teaching with the
missionaries! They really appreciate it! Trust me, you guys have no idea
how much we appreciate when members come on teaches with us! Keep up
the good work!
So, this week has been so good! We really feel like
this has been a good week for us! We still have our four investigators with
baptismal dates and two of those came to church yesterday! We had a total
of three people at church that we are teaching, and as a district we had a
total of six at church. It has been a really good week for that! We are so
happy and excited when people get to come to church and feel the Spirit
that is there! I love the opportunity that I have every week to go
there, to feel the Spirit and partake of the Sacrament. We too have had a
main topic for this month be the Atonement in our classes and such. I
have actually been studying a lot about this topic, and as you said,
"this precious gift". We meet people every day who ask us questions
about sins and how could God forgive people of certain sins. We tell
them that no matter how great or how small the sin may be, we all make
mistakes-every single one of us. Missionaries are here to help others
know how we can all be cleansed from our mistakes. Only through Jesus
Christ can that happen. He came to the Earth and suffered
incomprehensible amounts of pain on our behalf so that we can have the
opportunity to return to live with Heavenly Father again. When we make
mistakes we have to face the consequences for them. That is justice.
However, when the Saviour, performed the Atonement, He satisfied the
demands of justice. In Mosiah 15:9, it says, "Having ascended into
heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards
the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken
the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their
transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of
justice." Because of what He did, Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity
to receive mercy from them (Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ), and they
can forgive us of our sins. We can only be forgiven if we accept Jesus
Christ and what He has done for us, repent, obey the commandments, and
live the gospel of Jesus Christ (which is: having faith in Him,
repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring
to the end). But mercy cannot rob justice (see Alma 42: 22-25), so we
have to do our part by doing the things previously mentioned. Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ want to forgive us of our sins, and we can be
forgiven. There are big sins and little sins, and Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ can forgive whomever they want (see D&C 64:10). We
cannot get to the celestial kingdom alone. Only through the merits of
Jesus Christ can we get there. Repentance is a process, and it isn't
easy, but it is possible, and it is worth it in the end.
That was my sermon for this week. :) I hope that you
guys have another good week, or that things go better for those who
haven't had such a good week. Stay strong, and press on! (hey, that was
almost like 'Keep Calm and Carry On' haha!) Anyway, have a great week
guys! Love you!!!
Love,
Sister Connery
Monday, March 17, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Looking Through Windows
Hi guys!
Congratulations Sam on the Court of Honour! Good for you! That's really cool! In fact, today we are actually going to help one of the young men in our ward to do his Eagle project (He is American and they are living here so he is just doing it here). Maybe then I will feel somewhat part of this experience. It really does sound like you guys had a full house, but that is so cool! You all got together and I'm sure that you had a great time! I'm glad that everyone is doing so good, including Mudflap. I'm sure that she did enjoy her sleepover. And thanks for the sermon Mama. It's nice to be able to share the spiritual things that we are learning. :)
So, this week...I don't even know where to start. I guess I will just start at the beginning. Monday was the usual. Tuesday was just ridiculous! In the morning we had an appointment and we got flogged (person wasn't home/didn't show up,etc.), then my skirt ripped so we had to go home to change it, and on the bus on the way home, there was a bus on the opposite side of the road going the way we had just come, and a dog ran out into the street and it hit the dog! We watched the whole thing, and it was just awful! The windows of the bus were open so we could hear the poor dog just howling, and it was terrible! It was the saddest thing, and I cried (silently-no sobbing) for about the next two hours. We were on another bus ride later in the day, and this guy got on the bus and was just angry. He kept yelling and screaming and swearing, and it was awful as well! Unfortunately we were both not in such great spiritual moods by that point, and we went to the Orpington chapel for our interviews with our Mission President. He asked me how I was, and I nearly started crying again. I just told him everything, and after I finished it just left. It all left me, and I felt so much better. Telling other missionaries about it didn't help, but being able to let my feelings show to President helped so much. The interview was great, and the rest of the day was just fine. Missionaries have bad days too, but then the next few days are the best! That's why I'm telling you all this because we had such great miracles, and had a really good rest of the week! We went on exchanges with the Sisters in Hastings, and Sister Ross and I came back to Purley. It was a great exchange, and I learned a lot. We switched back the next day, and I spent a total of eight hours in the car in two days and I have to say that I loved it. I miss road trips, but I was so tired the rest of the week. It's the sitting and travelling that takes the most out of you. Anyway, so we also have a total of 4 baptismal dates now! We have this fantastic family that we are teaching, and they are so great! Heavenly Father is truly blessing us in this area! The week started off pretty rough, but the end result was amazing and completely worth it! :)
I'm sorry to hear about the lack of confidence in yourselves. I was in your shoes once, though. A few times I have stood before judges and sang for them. It is scary, but you do it, and afterwards you can at least say that you did it. But I understand. You will get used to it soon enough. I have been forced to get used to it on my mission with the many solos that I have had to sing. I'm mostly over being shy about it now because when we are riding on the bus, or at a bus stop, or on the street, or wherever, I am usually singing something. I've just come to get used it and not care what others think. I actually studied something similar to this topic this morning in my personal study. So, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon), Jesus commands: "Judge not..." (see Matt, 7:1; and 3 Nephi 14:1). He continues on to say, "And why beholdest thou the mot that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (see Matt. 7:3; and 3 Nephi 14:3). There is a Mormon Message based on a talk by President Monson, entitled "Looking Through Windows", and it talks about this subject. (the link is: http://www.mormonchannel.
Kind of a long email for you guys today, but this week has been one for learning and growing and I wanted to share all the new knowledge that I have with you guys. I hope you continue to stay safe, and that there will be no more mishaps to report next week! Have a great week you guys! Love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery :D
Congratulations Sam on the Court of Honour! Good for you! That's really cool! In fact, today we are actually going to help one of the young men in our ward to do his Eagle project (He is American and they are living here so he is just doing it here). Maybe then I will feel somewhat part of this experience. It really does sound like you guys had a full house, but that is so cool! You all got together and I'm sure that you had a great time! I'm glad that everyone is doing so good, including Mudflap. I'm sure that she did enjoy her sleepover. And thanks for the sermon Mama. It's nice to be able to share the spiritual things that we are learning. :)
So, this week...I don't even know where to start. I guess I will just start at the beginning. Monday was the usual. Tuesday was just ridiculous! In the morning we had an appointment and we got flogged (person wasn't home/didn't show up,etc.), then my skirt ripped so we had to go home to change it, and on the bus on the way home, there was a bus on the opposite side of the road going the way we had just come, and a dog ran out into the street and it hit the dog! We watched the whole thing, and it was just awful! The windows of the bus were open so we could hear the poor dog just howling, and it was terrible! It was the saddest thing, and I cried (silently-no sobbing) for about the next two hours. We were on another bus ride later in the day, and this guy got on the bus and was just angry. He kept yelling and screaming and swearing, and it was awful as well! Unfortunately we were both not in such great spiritual moods by that point, and we went to the Orpington chapel for our interviews with our Mission President. He asked me how I was, and I nearly started crying again. I just told him everything, and after I finished it just left. It all left me, and I felt so much better. Telling other missionaries about it didn't help, but being able to let my feelings show to President helped so much. The interview was great, and the rest of the day was just fine. Missionaries have bad days too, but then the next few days are the best! That's why I'm telling you all this because we had such great miracles, and had a really good rest of the week! We went on exchanges with the Sisters in Hastings, and Sister Ross and I came back to Purley. It was a great exchange, and I learned a lot. We switched back the next day, and I spent a total of eight hours in the car in two days and I have to say that I loved it. I miss road trips, but I was so tired the rest of the week. It's the sitting and travelling that takes the most out of you. Anyway, so we also have a total of 4 baptismal dates now! We have this fantastic family that we are teaching, and they are so great! Heavenly Father is truly blessing us in this area! The week started off pretty rough, but the end result was amazing and completely worth it! :)
I'm sorry to hear about the lack of confidence in yourselves. I was in your shoes once, though. A few times I have stood before judges and sang for them. It is scary, but you do it, and afterwards you can at least say that you did it. But I understand. You will get used to it soon enough. I have been forced to get used to it on my mission with the many solos that I have had to sing. I'm mostly over being shy about it now because when we are riding on the bus, or at a bus stop, or on the street, or wherever, I am usually singing something. I've just come to get used it and not care what others think. I actually studied something similar to this topic this morning in my personal study. So, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon), Jesus commands: "Judge not..." (see Matt, 7:1; and 3 Nephi 14:1). He continues on to say, "And why beholdest thou the mot that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (see Matt. 7:3; and 3 Nephi 14:3). There is a Mormon Message based on a talk by President Monson, entitled "Looking Through Windows", and it talks about this subject. (the link is: http://www.mormonchannel.
Kind of a long email for you guys today, but this week has been one for learning and growing and I wanted to share all the new knowledge that I have with you guys. I hope you continue to stay safe, and that there will be no more mishaps to report next week! Have a great week you guys! Love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery :D
Monday, March 3, 2014
Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet
Hiya!
I'm so sorry to hear about the missionary experience that went downhill. Unfortunately there are always times like that, but we just have to keep trying! Heavenly Father will help us! He and the Saviour are always there for us, and the Holy Ghost is there as well when we speak the truth. Look at the story in the February Ensign in the "Latter-Day Saints Voices" section, particularly the story entitled, "I Defended My Faith". :)
I'm glad to hear that all is well otherwise. :) The musical sounds like it was loads of fun! It's the first one in a long time that I actually haven't been able to see. It's kinda weird. Anyway, I think that it could be possible for me to be transferred soon. I have been here for five months now, and I've spent two transfers with Sister Laineenkare, so usually it seems that President would probably move me pretty soon, but you never know! We'll have to wait and see! The church buildings here look pretty similar to the ones back home. Our current ward building doesn't look like a church at all. It's like a big box with a spire. But it kinda depends on the building. Some are new and built by the church and others were buildings that the church bought, so they're all different.
So we have had a really good week! We were able to find six new investigators, still have a baptismal date and taught a lot of lessons! It has been really good because we have really been struggling to find new investigators, but now we have some! We just have to keep it up and get them to progress! Another great thing this week was that we had fast and testimony meeting yesterday (since if was fast Sunday of course), and I really wanted to get up and bear my testimony (there wasn't enough time, but one of our investigators that was there got up and bore her testimony!). So I specifically wanted to bear my testimony of the scriptures. I LOVE the scriptures! The approved scriptures of the Church are: the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I am currently in the midst of reading the Bible, and I came across one of my favourite scriptures in the Old Testament. In Psalms 119:105, it says: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I love that scripture, and it is so true! Heavenly Father's word - the scriptures - light the way for us that we should go. In the Book of Mormon, in 2 Nephi 32:3, it says: "...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." The words written in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all contain the words of Christ. We should read them, treasure them, and live according to what they say. The scriptures are here for our profit and learning (see 1 Nephi 19:22-23), to testify of Christ that we might believe in Him, and then we can receive eternal life if we do the things that He says (see John 20:31). That is my testimony of the scriptures, that they are the word of God and through them we can learn the things that we need to know to be successful in this life.
That's it for me! Still doing good here, and I hope that all continues to go well at home. I pray that the blessings of Heavenly Father be upon all of you! Have a great week! I love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery
I'm so sorry to hear about the missionary experience that went downhill. Unfortunately there are always times like that, but we just have to keep trying! Heavenly Father will help us! He and the Saviour are always there for us, and the Holy Ghost is there as well when we speak the truth. Look at the story in the February Ensign in the "Latter-Day Saints Voices" section, particularly the story entitled, "I Defended My Faith". :)
I'm glad to hear that all is well otherwise. :) The musical sounds like it was loads of fun! It's the first one in a long time that I actually haven't been able to see. It's kinda weird. Anyway, I think that it could be possible for me to be transferred soon. I have been here for five months now, and I've spent two transfers with Sister Laineenkare, so usually it seems that President would probably move me pretty soon, but you never know! We'll have to wait and see! The church buildings here look pretty similar to the ones back home. Our current ward building doesn't look like a church at all. It's like a big box with a spire. But it kinda depends on the building. Some are new and built by the church and others were buildings that the church bought, so they're all different.
So we have had a really good week! We were able to find six new investigators, still have a baptismal date and taught a lot of lessons! It has been really good because we have really been struggling to find new investigators, but now we have some! We just have to keep it up and get them to progress! Another great thing this week was that we had fast and testimony meeting yesterday (since if was fast Sunday of course), and I really wanted to get up and bear my testimony (there wasn't enough time, but one of our investigators that was there got up and bore her testimony!). So I specifically wanted to bear my testimony of the scriptures. I LOVE the scriptures! The approved scriptures of the Church are: the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I am currently in the midst of reading the Bible, and I came across one of my favourite scriptures in the Old Testament. In Psalms 119:105, it says: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I love that scripture, and it is so true! Heavenly Father's word - the scriptures - light the way for us that we should go. In the Book of Mormon, in 2 Nephi 32:3, it says: "...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." The words written in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all contain the words of Christ. We should read them, treasure them, and live according to what they say. The scriptures are here for our profit and learning (see 1 Nephi 19:22-23), to testify of Christ that we might believe in Him, and then we can receive eternal life if we do the things that He says (see John 20:31). That is my testimony of the scriptures, that they are the word of God and through them we can learn the things that we need to know to be successful in this life.
That's it for me! Still doing good here, and I hope that all continues to go well at home. I pray that the blessings of Heavenly Father be upon all of you! Have a great week! I love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery
Monday, February 24, 2014
The Plan of Happiness
Hey guys!
How are you all? It seems like you guys are keeping busy which is good, and you're doing lots of cool stuff! Especially your missionary work! That's great that you took a friend to church Grace! Good job explaining that indeed we are Christians. I think it comes from being called 'Mormons' all the time instead of by the actual name of the Church. People have a lot of common misconceptions about the Church that we try our best to clear up, especially when people say that we aren't Christians. The name of the Church is The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints! Oh well, they'll come to that knowledge eventually, and with the good missionary work you guys are doing, it will be great!
Those flooding pictures were really cool, I must admit. The water does look kinda gross, but the lighting wasn't that good either. The weather this past week has actually been really nice! The sun is out today and there are no clouds! I love it! The bus is really cool. I technically live in South London right now, and the missionary play hasn't really had that much of an effect. No one has really heard much about it. Very few people have actually paid attention to it, so it's not a big deal for us.
So, we have another investigator with a baptismal date in early April. I may not be here to see it but that is okay, as long as it happens! And we had a few people that we are teaching come to church yesterday and also a few who just saw the church and walked right in! It was actually really cool! I've never seen that happen where people just see the building from the outside and feel the Spirit enough that they just walk in! It's great! :)
That's really funny that you mention the Plan of Salvation because I studied that this morning in my personal study and I have some things to share with you guys. So, yesterday in Sacrament Meeting it was all about families! The talks were all about families, and we sang hymn #300- "Families Can Be Together Forever". I was just thinking this morning about how truly blessed I am to have that knowledge! Heavenly Father has given us our families to bring happiness to all of His children on the Earth. Because Heavenly Father loves each of us so much, He has provided a way for us to live with Him and also with our families forever. This is only possible through the Saviour, Jesus Christ. If we have faith in Him, repent, are baptized by the proper priesthood authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, then we can have the opportunity to live with our families forever! Through the Prophet, Joseph Smith, the proper authority and power to bind families together was restored (see Matthew 16:19). When people get married, the person who marries them usually says something like, "...as long as you both shall live", or "...until death do you part". The Plan of Salvation and the priesthood authority allows family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave! How cool is that?! I love being able to share this knowledge with people! It helps them to know that Heavenly Father really does love every single one of us (regardless of what we do, He still loves us) and wants us to be happy. True happiness come from His plan - The Plan of Salvation, but also known as the Plan of Happiness! :D
I just love that and wanted to share it with you guys. So, that's it from this side of the world, and I hope that all is well over on your side. Have a great week, and continue to stay happy, healthy, and un-hurt! Love you guys!
Love,
Sister Connery
How are you all? It seems like you guys are keeping busy which is good, and you're doing lots of cool stuff! Especially your missionary work! That's great that you took a friend to church Grace! Good job explaining that indeed we are Christians. I think it comes from being called 'Mormons' all the time instead of by the actual name of the Church. People have a lot of common misconceptions about the Church that we try our best to clear up, especially when people say that we aren't Christians. The name of the Church is The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints! Oh well, they'll come to that knowledge eventually, and with the good missionary work you guys are doing, it will be great!
Those flooding pictures were really cool, I must admit. The water does look kinda gross, but the lighting wasn't that good either. The weather this past week has actually been really nice! The sun is out today and there are no clouds! I love it! The bus is really cool. I technically live in South London right now, and the missionary play hasn't really had that much of an effect. No one has really heard much about it. Very few people have actually paid attention to it, so it's not a big deal for us.
So, we have another investigator with a baptismal date in early April. I may not be here to see it but that is okay, as long as it happens! And we had a few people that we are teaching come to church yesterday and also a few who just saw the church and walked right in! It was actually really cool! I've never seen that happen where people just see the building from the outside and feel the Spirit enough that they just walk in! It's great! :)
That's really funny that you mention the Plan of Salvation because I studied that this morning in my personal study and I have some things to share with you guys. So, yesterday in Sacrament Meeting it was all about families! The talks were all about families, and we sang hymn #300- "Families Can Be Together Forever". I was just thinking this morning about how truly blessed I am to have that knowledge! Heavenly Father has given us our families to bring happiness to all of His children on the Earth. Because Heavenly Father loves each of us so much, He has provided a way for us to live with Him and also with our families forever. This is only possible through the Saviour, Jesus Christ. If we have faith in Him, repent, are baptized by the proper priesthood authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, then we can have the opportunity to live with our families forever! Through the Prophet, Joseph Smith, the proper authority and power to bind families together was restored (see Matthew 16:19). When people get married, the person who marries them usually says something like, "...as long as you both shall live", or "...until death do you part". The Plan of Salvation and the priesthood authority allows family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave! How cool is that?! I love being able to share this knowledge with people! It helps them to know that Heavenly Father really does love every single one of us (regardless of what we do, He still loves us) and wants us to be happy. True happiness come from His plan - The Plan of Salvation, but also known as the Plan of Happiness! :D
I just love that and wanted to share it with you guys. So, that's it from this side of the world, and I hope that all is well over on your side. Have a great week, and continue to stay happy, healthy, and un-hurt! Love you guys!
Love,
Sister Connery
Monday, February 17, 2014
He Will Come
Hi everyone!
It's great to hear how good you are all doing! Well, this week for us was pretty good. It has rained an absolute ton though (apparently the English people think it has rained a lot. Sister Laineenkare and I actually expected it to rain this much, haha!) This has been the wettest January that England has seen since the 1700's! There is flooding all over the place! There actually isn't much flooding where we are, so it doesn't really have an affect on us. There is one road that is blocked off for a good portion due to the flooding, but it doesn't hinder us much. They had to flood our underpass (just a walkway under the road) to get it off of the road. The underpass leads to our local Tesco (kinda like Super-1) but there are other ways to get to it, so it's not a big deal. It's just interesting. I have attached some pics of the underpass to show you what I'm talking about.
So, it sounds like you were well fed from the mission president (spiritually, I mean). He is absolutely right about the temple work and missionary work being one. I have heard that a few times, and it is obviously important and needs to be remembered if it is repeated. How exciting it is to be part of the great work of salvation!! Member or full time missionary, it doesn't matter, because we should all be missionaries. I really do love being a missionary! My calling is great! I love this opportunity that I have to serve the Lord and to invite others to come unto Christ. Unfortunately, not all the time do people want to listen to you and heed the call to come unto Christ. We meet people every day who basically tell us that we are foolish to believe in God and Jesus Christ. They try to tell us that they don't exist- that Jesus Christ never did come, and He never will come. BUT, we know better! We know that Jesus Christ did come to the Earth, that He ministered among the people in Jerusalem, and also (after His resurrection) to the Nephites. He has provided each of us with a way to return to live with Heavenly Father again by His suffering for all of us. He has come...and He WILL come AGAIN! I have been reading in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 6:7, 13 which says:
v.7- "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."
v. 13- "Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah."
The Messiah, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ will come, and we, the people of the Lord wait steadfastly for His return. We need not be ashamed of Him now, and we especially won't be ashamed of Him when He comes again.
That is my message for this week from my personal studies. I can feel my testimony of the gospel getting stronger and stronger every single day, and I know that I cannot deny the things that I know to be true. I LOVE the gospel, and my Saviour, Jesus Christ, and my Father in Heaven. :D
I hope you guys have another great week! May the Lord bless you! That is my prayer for each of you every day! I love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery
P.S.- Yes, because the driving is switched over here, so is the walking. We do walk on the left side of the footpath, just like the cars drive on the left side. :)
It's great to hear how good you are all doing! Well, this week for us was pretty good. It has rained an absolute ton though (apparently the English people think it has rained a lot. Sister Laineenkare and I actually expected it to rain this much, haha!) This has been the wettest January that England has seen since the 1700's! There is flooding all over the place! There actually isn't much flooding where we are, so it doesn't really have an affect on us. There is one road that is blocked off for a good portion due to the flooding, but it doesn't hinder us much. They had to flood our underpass (just a walkway under the road) to get it off of the road. The underpass leads to our local Tesco (kinda like Super-1) but there are other ways to get to it, so it's not a big deal. It's just interesting. I have attached some pics of the underpass to show you what I'm talking about.
So, it sounds like you were well fed from the mission president (spiritually, I mean). He is absolutely right about the temple work and missionary work being one. I have heard that a few times, and it is obviously important and needs to be remembered if it is repeated. How exciting it is to be part of the great work of salvation!! Member or full time missionary, it doesn't matter, because we should all be missionaries. I really do love being a missionary! My calling is great! I love this opportunity that I have to serve the Lord and to invite others to come unto Christ. Unfortunately, not all the time do people want to listen to you and heed the call to come unto Christ. We meet people every day who basically tell us that we are foolish to believe in God and Jesus Christ. They try to tell us that they don't exist- that Jesus Christ never did come, and He never will come. BUT, we know better! We know that Jesus Christ did come to the Earth, that He ministered among the people in Jerusalem, and also (after His resurrection) to the Nephites. He has provided each of us with a way to return to live with Heavenly Father again by His suffering for all of us. He has come...and He WILL come AGAIN! I have been reading in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 6:7, 13 which says:
v.7- "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."
v. 13- "Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah."
The Messiah, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ will come, and we, the people of the Lord wait steadfastly for His return. We need not be ashamed of Him now, and we especially won't be ashamed of Him when He comes again.
That is my message for this week from my personal studies. I can feel my testimony of the gospel getting stronger and stronger every single day, and I know that I cannot deny the things that I know to be true. I LOVE the gospel, and my Saviour, Jesus Christ, and my Father in Heaven. :D
I hope you guys have another great week! May the Lord bless you! That is my prayer for each of you every day! I love you all!
Love,
Sister Connery
P.S.- Yes, because the driving is switched over here, so is the walking. We do walk on the left side of the footpath, just like the cars drive on the left side. :)
This is a Book of Mormon Musical bus! The BOM Musical has been in London
for a bit now, and since I live in South London, we see and ride on the
buses that are advertising the musical, so here is one for you!
Here is the underpass and also a pic of the sign when you leave the
store so that should give you guys a good idea as to how high the water
was
Monday, February 10, 2014
Exciting News!
Hi guys!
So, I've got some really exciting news, but I will get to that in a minute. Don't worry about the money. I have enough to buy myself some new boots, which I will be doing today, so no worries. But thank you. :) That's really cool that you guys get to help out with the food and all that. We (missionaries) really appreciate all the hard work that the members put in for us. We are truly grateful for it. So thank you for your kind and loving service (to me, and the missionaries there). That's a great analogy for the Plan of Salvation! I really like it. Missionaries have all sorts of analogies and stuff for the lessons. It's makes them more personalized, and that way people can relate better to them. Sundays really are the best! I love it! I actually really miss getting to go to 6 hours of Church on Sundays (1 hour with Grandma, 2 hours with you guys, and 3 hours with Josh). I just love going to Church! :) It is really nice to feel that armour of God with us, because as a missionary you really need it. Your faith could be shaken so easily if you let your armour down, so you always have to be at the ready against the attacks of Satan. He's a cunning one, but Heavenly Father knows how to outsmart him. ;)
Well, the last few weeks have been pretty good. We went to the hospital again (NOT for me this time!). We went to visit a less active member that we are working with who just had her baby, so it was good news! Another child of God has come into the world!
So, for my exciting news! Nicholas got baptized on Saturday! :) We are so excited for him! It truly is great to be able to see someone make those steps to come closer to Jesus Christ. He taught that the only way we can enter into the kingdom of God is to be baptized. Most often, if you ever ask a missionary how many people they baptized on their mission or converted, or whatever, they won't tell you. Why? Because it doesn't matter. The numbers don't matter one bit to us. In the beginning of your mission, you really want to just get a bunch of baptisms to say you did, but that's gone as soon as you actually start talking to real people. These people are not just strangers, but they are all our brothers and sisters, and we should view them as such. We LOVE the people that we teach. Truly love them, because we are part of the same family of God. We know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought us so much happiness and joy and we want to share that with the people that we love. The gospel not only brings the greatest joy and happiness in this life, but also brings joy and happiness in the life to come. Because we love these people, we desire their salvation (see Mosiah 28:3). I love the people here in England, and the people throughout the whole world, and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do as well, which is why there are missionaries sent throughout the world, so that they can preach the gospel, and participate in bringing about the great work of salvation!
I love missionary work, I love being a missionary and being able to have the great opportunity and privilege to serve Heavenly Father and help bring souls unto Him so that they can return to live with him again. Thank you guys for everything! I love hearing from you and finding out what you guys have been doing. Keep up the great work in all things, and have a great week! I love you and pray for you (all of you!) always!
Love,
Sister Connery
So, I've got some really exciting news, but I will get to that in a minute. Don't worry about the money. I have enough to buy myself some new boots, which I will be doing today, so no worries. But thank you. :) That's really cool that you guys get to help out with the food and all that. We (missionaries) really appreciate all the hard work that the members put in for us. We are truly grateful for it. So thank you for your kind and loving service (to me, and the missionaries there). That's a great analogy for the Plan of Salvation! I really like it. Missionaries have all sorts of analogies and stuff for the lessons. It's makes them more personalized, and that way people can relate better to them. Sundays really are the best! I love it! I actually really miss getting to go to 6 hours of Church on Sundays (1 hour with Grandma, 2 hours with you guys, and 3 hours with Josh). I just love going to Church! :) It is really nice to feel that armour of God with us, because as a missionary you really need it. Your faith could be shaken so easily if you let your armour down, so you always have to be at the ready against the attacks of Satan. He's a cunning one, but Heavenly Father knows how to outsmart him. ;)
Well, the last few weeks have been pretty good. We went to the hospital again (NOT for me this time!). We went to visit a less active member that we are working with who just had her baby, so it was good news! Another child of God has come into the world!
So, for my exciting news! Nicholas got baptized on Saturday! :) We are so excited for him! It truly is great to be able to see someone make those steps to come closer to Jesus Christ. He taught that the only way we can enter into the kingdom of God is to be baptized. Most often, if you ever ask a missionary how many people they baptized on their mission or converted, or whatever, they won't tell you. Why? Because it doesn't matter. The numbers don't matter one bit to us. In the beginning of your mission, you really want to just get a bunch of baptisms to say you did, but that's gone as soon as you actually start talking to real people. These people are not just strangers, but they are all our brothers and sisters, and we should view them as such. We LOVE the people that we teach. Truly love them, because we are part of the same family of God. We know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought us so much happiness and joy and we want to share that with the people that we love. The gospel not only brings the greatest joy and happiness in this life, but also brings joy and happiness in the life to come. Because we love these people, we desire their salvation (see Mosiah 28:3). I love the people here in England, and the people throughout the whole world, and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do as well, which is why there are missionaries sent throughout the world, so that they can preach the gospel, and participate in bringing about the great work of salvation!
I love missionary work, I love being a missionary and being able to have the great opportunity and privilege to serve Heavenly Father and help bring souls unto Him so that they can return to live with him again. Thank you guys for everything! I love hearing from you and finding out what you guys have been doing. Keep up the great work in all things, and have a great week! I love you and pray for you (all of you!) always!
Love,
Sister Connery
Nicholas and Elder Douglas (an Elder in our ward who baptized Nicholas)
Sister Laineenkare and I with Nicholas!
Monday, February 3, 2014
A Two-Way Street
Hiya!
So, how are you guys doing? Thanks for the little spiritual thought Mama. It's nice to get one in return. I have decided to include one with every email that I send, from my personal studies (especially if nothing much happened in the last week, lol). I actually recently read Mosiah 4 and am now in Mosiah 25, and I'm loving it! I love being able to read the Book of Mormon over and over again and learn so many more new things every single time. I am also reading through the whole Bible at the moment as well. I just reached Psalms today, and my goal is to finish the whole Bible by the time I come home. If I can finish the Old Testament by my year mark, then I will have 6 months to read the New Testament, because I just started reading the Bible when I reached my 6 months, so I have to keep going to reach my goal!
Congratulations on the snow! We haven't had it yet, thankfully, but it has been really, really wet! Just rain almost every day! Which isn't that fun to do missionary work in, especially because my boots are falling apart, so my feet get soaked instantly! Oh well, that's life. Not much has really happened this last week. Just the usual missionary work. We still have an investigator with a baptismal date for this coming weekend, so I should have some baptism pics in the next email! Also, our entire mission has a great start to the new year with our baptisms! We had 26 in the month of January and already we have a total of 11 for the month of February! It's crazy! I love it! Something that Sister Laineenkare and I have been struggling with is finding people to teach. New investigators basically. We still teach a good amount of lessons, but we aren't really seeing the fruits of our labors. We have a lot of referrals for missionaries in other areas because it seems that all the people we talk to who are interested to learn more don't live in the area. So we get their contact details and give them to other missionaries. It doesn't matter who reaps, as long as it happens! Besides, I was reading today in Mosiah 23:21, and it says, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith." Our faith and patience are definitely being tried, but in the next verse (v. 22) it says, "Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day..." Our whole lives are a test, and this is part of the test for Sister L and I, but as we work hard, keep the faith, remain patient, and trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we are promised blessings. Heavenly Father will NEVER go back on a promise to us, unless we don't do our part. It's a two-way street, so we have to do our best to keep our end of it, and the blessings will come.
Thanks for the letter this week of love and encouragement and for keeping me updated on the goings on at home. I hope you guys have a fantastic week! I love you all, and pray for you always!
Love,
Sister Connery
So, how are you guys doing? Thanks for the little spiritual thought Mama. It's nice to get one in return. I have decided to include one with every email that I send, from my personal studies (especially if nothing much happened in the last week, lol). I actually recently read Mosiah 4 and am now in Mosiah 25, and I'm loving it! I love being able to read the Book of Mormon over and over again and learn so many more new things every single time. I am also reading through the whole Bible at the moment as well. I just reached Psalms today, and my goal is to finish the whole Bible by the time I come home. If I can finish the Old Testament by my year mark, then I will have 6 months to read the New Testament, because I just started reading the Bible when I reached my 6 months, so I have to keep going to reach my goal!
Congratulations on the snow! We haven't had it yet, thankfully, but it has been really, really wet! Just rain almost every day! Which isn't that fun to do missionary work in, especially because my boots are falling apart, so my feet get soaked instantly! Oh well, that's life. Not much has really happened this last week. Just the usual missionary work. We still have an investigator with a baptismal date for this coming weekend, so I should have some baptism pics in the next email! Also, our entire mission has a great start to the new year with our baptisms! We had 26 in the month of January and already we have a total of 11 for the month of February! It's crazy! I love it! Something that Sister Laineenkare and I have been struggling with is finding people to teach. New investigators basically. We still teach a good amount of lessons, but we aren't really seeing the fruits of our labors. We have a lot of referrals for missionaries in other areas because it seems that all the people we talk to who are interested to learn more don't live in the area. So we get their contact details and give them to other missionaries. It doesn't matter who reaps, as long as it happens! Besides, I was reading today in Mosiah 23:21, and it says, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith." Our faith and patience are definitely being tried, but in the next verse (v. 22) it says, "Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day..." Our whole lives are a test, and this is part of the test for Sister L and I, but as we work hard, keep the faith, remain patient, and trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we are promised blessings. Heavenly Father will NEVER go back on a promise to us, unless we don't do our part. It's a two-way street, so we have to do our best to keep our end of it, and the blessings will come.
Thanks for the letter this week of love and encouragement and for keeping me updated on the goings on at home. I hope you guys have a fantastic week! I love you all, and pray for you always!
Love,
Sister Connery
Sister L and I made cookies this week!
Here is a pic of Elder Nielson wearing my scarf. He was trying to show
me how to tie it "properly". He kinda looks like Santa Claus. lol.
We went to a Mexican place (called MexWay) for lunch last P-Day with our District and this is the burrito that Sis. L had
Our Zone Leaders were there as well because our District Leader goes
home on Wednesday, so this is pic of (from left to right) Elder Smith
(Bountiful, Utah-ZL), Elder Kopischke (Germany-ZL), and Elder Nielson
(Salina, Utah-DL)
Same as the last picture but Elder Nielson isn't hiding this time
The other Elders in our District (from left to right), Elder Douglas
(Nephi, Utah), Elder Caruso (Rome, Italy), and Elder Fisher (Canada)
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