Amazing Day

Sunday December 22, 2013

We had the most AMAZING experience today. After church and dinner with the YSA’s (Sister Pew’s fabulous cheese enchiladas), Sister Pew and I went with 2 sister missionaries (Sisters Lyman and Maurnikova, from Ukraine) plus 4 elder missionaries (Bytheway, Peterson, Greenland and Chong, from Malaysia) street tracting.   Sister Pew and I were a bit nervous.  You just go up to everyone that will give you 20 seconds on the street to greet them and talk with them as much as you can about the Gospel.   We split up and the first person that Elders Bytheway, Peterson and I walked up to was a young (perhaps 20 years old) English girl.  We introduced ourselves and she said, “Are you Mormons”?  We said yes and she said she had been looking for a church but had not found the right one, had heard of us and was thinking of learning more.   I have to be honest, I was blown away.   The first person we walked up to on the streets of Manchester.   We gave her a pamphlet and the Elder’s phone number plus we got her name (Beth) and phone number.  The young Elders will follow up.   The Lord’s work is amazing.   As it says in the 123rd  Section of the Doctrine & Covenants, people are really looking for the truth but don’t know where to find it.   

A few minutes later, we spoke with a family (father, mother and 2 children) from Turkey as they waited for a bus.   They noticed our American accent and told us they loved Americans.   After a short discussion they asked if we had an Arabic Book of Mormon, which of course we did not have.  We got their name and phone number and will get an Arabic book for some Elders to take to them.   Then Sister Pew, with the 2 sister missionaries spoke with a Chinese gentleman that wanted to speak with the Chinese missionaries (Elders Chong and Greenland), so they are setting that up.  Finally, Elder Bytheway and a young adult member that had tagged along spoke to a Mongolian sister that, after being told the Manchester South Stake was holding a Christmas Chorale concert tonight, wanted to come along.  Her name is Nymka, she has a 4 year old son back in Mongolia living with her sister so she can get a law degree here in Manchester and return to Ulan Bator to work.  Sister Pew and I picked her up a few hours later, took her to a wonderful concert and introduced her to 2 other sister missionaries in the ward where her flat is located.  We gave her a Book of Mormon, the Apostles testimony of Christ and invited her to Christmas day dinner, which she accepted. 

This all happened within 75 minutes!!  Wow, this work is soooo true.   We decided that at least until next transfers, we would do this every Sunday afternoon after church.  

Yesterday (Dec 21), we went to the Preston temple.  It was a beautiful 30 minute drive through the English countryside to get there.   The session was small – only 9 of us, but the temple was beautiful, the interior mostly marble and dark wood, and the exterior appeared to be of granite.  It stands on a small hill right off the motorway and you can see it about 3 miles away.   Sister Pew noticed polka dot chairs in the celestial room, which made her day.  I noticed the incredible chandelier which hung in the middle of the room.   We were very happy we went and with permission from our mission president, can work there a 2-3 days a month as ordinance workers. 

  

On Saturday evening, we attended a YSA Bishopric Christmas dinner at Bishop Robert’s beautiful 80 year old home in the suburbs of Manchester.  It was a classic old English home that was warmly decorated and we got to know each other better, ate traditional English Christmas treats and they made us feel so welcome.  Another amazing experience occurred while driving to Bishop Robert’s home.  We got lost.  We did not even know what street we were on because it was so dark.  So we pulled over to call Bishop Roberts.  As we were doing so, one of the counselors drove up, rolled their window down and told us that we were here.  We had pulled over exactly in front of Bishop Robert’s home. 

Otherwise, the last few days has been grocery shopping – it seems we do a lot of that trying to plan dinners and things, driving around to learn the city and how to drive on the left side.  Sister Pew is beginning to feel a bit homesick, with Christmas coming and the stress of planning and preparing so many meals for the missionaries and kids.  It has also been frustrating to be without internet for 4 days – we’ve already forgotten what it was like 20 years ago (lol).  Hopefully that will be solved this coming week.   But once the holidays are over, it will be back to normal and our routine will (hopefully) settle down a bit.

The changing face of the Church

We are seeing before our eyes the changing face of the Church.  The first week we went to the Young Single Adult ward here, there were about 45 in attendance.  I’d estimate that 10 were black, another 4 or 5 eastern European, 4 Chinese and the remainder English or American.  Four of the people were investigators.  The 2^nd week (today), there were less in attendance as many had gone home for Christmas.  In priesthood meeting, there were 19 in attendance – 3 Englishmen that made up the Bishopric, 5 Elders (including me), 6 black men, 2 English YSA’s and 3 from China.  Of this group, 5 were investigators.  Some ask how the Church will eventually get into China.   We can tell you, there will in the coming years be many educated Chinese converts to the gospel moving back to China.  I believe that will make it easier for the government there to recognize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Additionally, we heard that in the neighboring Ashton Stake, they currently are teaching 50 Romanians.  That is an example of how the Church is expanding.  There are challenges; most are not the wealthiest people in Manchester.   They do not come with suits, white shirts and ties, or lovely dresses or jackets.  They come only with a thirst for the truth.   They will need to be nurtured and taught both the gospel and how to perform callings.   Many of the immigrants are prepared for change; they have already decided to change their lives by leaving their homelands in Africa, Asia or Eastern Europe to move to England to be educated or to be here permanently for better employment.  They want more and the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives them so much more.