Normal Life as a Missionary

I love reading about what’s going on at home.  But I sometimes don’t know what to write about things here.   It’s normal missionary things from day to day.

This week we had 11 appointments in a row that we showed up to their home and they were not home.  We call that getting hosed.  A rough couple of days.  We do have about 18 investigators that we are attempting to work with.  We are constantly trying to find people.  A lot of walking and searching for people to teach.  There was a good response from the ward after we offered the challenge to pray for missionary opportunities last week.  The Mission President is really pushing to get more member lessons.  To get the members more involved so that our investigators have more fellowship in the ward.  The challenge is to get 10 members present at lessons each week. The Bishop gave a talk about missionary work this week as well. He explained it should be the members’ responsibility to find the investigators and the missionaries’ responsibility to teach the investigators.  It was a wow moment- it was good.    This bishop is really cool.  His wife makes the most amazing desserts also.   A few members of the ward went to Burley 4 years ago to the Rodeo!   Amazing how small the world becomes at times.

Some great talks from this week.  “For Time and Trouble”  and “Wedding Feast “ by Jeffrey Holland.  There are both good and I like them.  Another good one by Dallin H Oaks in the August Ensign.  It talks about revelation, but it has a lot to do with patience too.  Doctrine and Covenants 88:68.  The Lord’s time, not ours.  It’s just what we have to go through while we are waiting that is hard and test our faith and struggles at times. 

Exciting to hear about Grant and Taylor’s engagement.

I know you need more rain at home, so I was praying for rain for home.  Then next 2 days it just poured in England, so I’m like okay I’m done.   This just shows the Lord has some humor.   It is getting a little colder here.  I am wearing my sweaters now, and this morning I could see my breath on the way to get groceries.    The grocery store is about ½ mile from the flat.  It’s an ASDA, just a branch of Walmart.  So we can get anything we want really, except for American meat.  British dairy products are amazing though. I actually drink milk everyday now.  Hope it’s not too late to build strong bones.

For P-days we walk into town about an hour so we can e-mail.   We have to go that far to e-mail, because we can’t prove we live in town to be able to use the library closer, until we get a letter from President Jordan.  So we shop here and then go into town about 11, email for an hour and a half.  Then we hang out with the other companionships in the area. About 5 we head back out to our area and tract from 6-9 in the evening.

Our apartment is pretty much set up and furnished now.  We do have a washer.   A sink, a smallllll fridge/freezer, stove, table with 2 chairs.  A shower and toilet and a closet.  A couch and two rock hard beds!  Furnished with 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 knives, forks, spoons, 2 pots and pans, 1 cooking sheet, and 1 cutting board.  That’s about all.   Sometimes I cook and sometimes my companion does. 

I miss the farm more and more every day.  Even moving hand lines and digging out pivots, it’s the physical work.  I don’t like anything else, so as of right now, that is still what I am wanting to do when I get back.  I wish I were there to dig beets at night, that’s all I have wanted to ever do.  Maybe I can do it when I get out of college.  There is still a lot of time to see what happens. 

Other than that, just normal life as a missionary!

Love, Elder Stevenson