Let me tell you about this week. It has been great. Elder Lowe and I get along really well. He has been my Zone leader for 7 months so we knew eachother really well before we started to serve together. It's a lot easier to work when you know the person that your serving with wants to work hard.
On Tuesday we drove 3 hours to Birmingham and received training from President and Sister Rasmussen. It was an amazing meeting! One story stuck out to me that Sister Rasmussen shared. She was talking about attitude and how it affects every aspect of the Lord's work. She then shared an experience that President Monson had while he was a mission president in Canada. Here it is:
Sometimes cities and nations bear special labels of identity. Such was a cold and very old city in eastern Canada. The missionaries called it “Stony Kingston.” There had been but one convert to the Church in six years, even though missionaries had been continuously assigned there during the entire interval. No one baptized in Kingston. Just ask any missionary who labored there. Time in Kingston was marked on the calendar like days in prison. A missionary transfer to another place—any place—would be uppermost in thoughts, even in dreams.
While I was praying about and pondering this sad dilemma, for my responsibility then as a mission president required that I pray and ponder about such things, my wife called to my attention an excerpt from the book, A Child’s Story of the Prophet Brigham Young, by Deta Petersen Neeley (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1959, p. 36). She read aloud that Brigham Young entered Kingston, Ontario, on a cold and snow-filled day. He labored there about thirty days and baptized forty-five souls. Here was the answer. If the missionary Brigham Young could accomplish this harvest, so could the missionaries of today.
Without providing an explanation, I withdrew the missionaries from Kingston, that the cycle of defeat might be broken. Then the carefully circulated word: “Soon a new city will be opened for missionary work, even the city where Brigham Young proselyted and baptized forty-five persons in thirty days.” The missionaries speculated as to the location. Their weekly letters pleaded for the assignment to this Shangri-la. More time passed. Then four carefully selected missionaries—two of them new, two of them experienced—were chosen for this high adventure. The members of the small branch pledged their support. The missionaries pledged their lives. The Lord honored both.
In the space of three months, Kingston became the most productive city of the Canadian Mission. The grey limestone buildings still stood, the city had not altered its appearance, the population remained constant. The change was one of attitude. The label of doubt yielded to the label of faith.
I liked that so much because it applies to everything, not just missionary work. Think about that and tell me how your attitude may have improved or ruined an experience that has occured this past week.
I also wanted to mention a few miracles that have happened the last couple of weeks.
So Janene is an investigator that is going to Swansea University. She is from Ireland and was raised Catholic. On Saturday night we were talking to her and she was expressing to us how hard life is, how hard it is to keep the commandments, and how she hasn't been receiving answers to her prayers. She said that she feels the Catholic church is right for her. We explained how the Adversary will try to do what he can to stop people from knowing that the message we share is true. We taught her about how life seems hard because of the temptations that are being sent her way. We promised her that if she kept reading and praying that she would receive an answer. The Spirit was so strong and it was incredible to see her open up like that because usually she is quite. It was a powerful lesson and at the end she commited to go to church. On Sunday, she never showed up to church so we stopped by later that evening and started to talk with her about why. She started to tell us that she was up really late thinking about the church and what we told her. She feel asleep thinking about it and had a dream. In the dream she was praying specifically if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. She felt an overpowering warm feeling that fill her with happiness. She also described it as pins and needles. Out of no where her nose started to bleed and the she saw a shadow and heard a voice that said, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true." She was so afraid from what happened that she didn't want to go to church anymore. We left her with 1 Nephi 1 and 2 and asked her to look for How Lehi recognized that it was God communicating with him and what he did as a result of his dream.
Another miracle came will talking to people in city center. Elder Lowe and I usually stand within 20 feet of eachother so that we can talk with more people but still stay within sight and sound. While we were talking to seperate people, Elder Lowe noticed a group of three that kept looking at him. He said that it was obvious they wanted to talk but didn't know how to approach him. So Elder Lowe went over to talk with them. It turns out One of them,whose name is Shaun, is less-active and wants to go back to church. He has been listening to general conference and wants to change. We were supposed to meet with him and his girlfriend last week but she was sick. While leaving his house his friend Conor asked to come along to listen and guess what? Conor now wants to be baptized. Want to know what else is great? We met with Shaun's girlfriend Caitlin wants to get baptized. Apparently the other day Shaun and Caitlin were at home watching tv and a Jehovah Witness knock on the door. Caitlin answered and said, "Sorry but this is a Mormon household." and then she closed the door. So we have been really excited about teaching them.
I have been loving it out here. Wales is awesome. I hope that all of you have a great week! I love you!
2/16/2015
Shaun, and Caitlin were able to go. They absolutely loved it as well. We asked them to come with questions and Janine had some cool answers.
This past week was InterFaith week at Swansea university and we were able to set up a booth. We weren't allowed to proselyte but we were allowed to answer questions if anyone had any. We also had a sign up sheet for people to request free material. Throughout the whole week only two people signed up. One of them requested a Pearl of Great Price...We didn't even have one on the table...ha I'm glad that them members were there most of the time because it turned out not to be as effective as we were hoping.
This coming week will be a lot of fun. We have a Matthew Roberts from the Swansea ward with us for the whole week. He is doing a mini mission to decide whether or not he wants to go this summer or in a couple of years. I am very excited because it feels like we are training. He is a great kid so it should be great.
Well I don't have much time this week. I love all of you! Have agreat week!
2/23/2015
Hello Everyone! This last week was been a good one. We had a mini missionary for the whole week! Our goal was to help him become more confident when it comes to speaking with people. We feel that he did quiet well. On Tuesday he even committed two people to be Baptized. I was impressed with that.
Shaun and Caitlin have had a lot of cool experiences this last week that has given them so much energy. Shaun lost his job a couple of weeks ago and was praying really hard to either get it back or find a new one. Guess what? They called him one morning and asked him to return! But that's not all. They were both living at their friends home and on Thursday they were told that they have to be out by Monday. They were stressing out because they had no where to go. They said a prayer and asked for guidance. They then called us up for help and we referred them to the bishop. 3 minutes after talking with us on the phone they got a call telling them that they would be given a home by the local council(government). They were jumping up and down. It was a huge miracle because they have been waiting for the council to give them a place for months! Caitlin gave Shaun strict orders that he had to put the picture of the temple up in the house the second he stepped in. ha They are awesome. Oh and did I mention that they are going to get married? They have been praying about a date and they feel June would be best. It is so excited to see them accepting the Gospel. I reminds me of a quote by Jeffry R. Holland that says, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."
Seeing all of their experiences testifies to me of that simple truth.
We also had a Zone Conference on Tuesday and it was all about using our time more effectively. It was a great conference. At each one there is time set aside for all of the missionaries that will be leaving to bear their testimonies. I have been thinking a lot about what I saw and heard from those experienced missionaries. And I have come to realize that the experience we get is the experience we create. I saw missionaries get up that had no desire to be out, that came just to have fun, and that only learned how to cook for themselves. On the other hand I also saw missionaries that knew their purpose, that pushed themselves, that gave it their all, and that learned something more valuable. They learned who they were. They learned the importance of the Atonement. They learned to be patient, loving, diligent, faithful. They set their goal and that was Heaven. They made it an experience to be proud of. I am grateful for their dedicated service and example. I hope to do the same. To apply everything that I learn now so that I am more prepared for tomorrow.
I love all of you and hope that you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Bos
3/2/2015
Overall I would say that this week was good. Elder Lowe was sick so we were in for part of the week. But we were still able to have some cool experiences. My all time favorite was seeing Shaun get up yesterday to bear his testimony. It was so powerful. If that didn't motivate everyone then I don't know what will. We were also excited to hear that Shaun and Caitlin will be getting married on June 20th. Which means that Caitlin will be Baptized on the June 27th! Exciting stuff!
We were also able to meet with a really cool lady named Karen. She met missionaries a really long time ago and really liked them. They would always go around to her house and offer to help her. She said that they always showed her so much love, even when they were telling her to quit smoking. At the time she was Church of Wales and had no interest. But later in her life she went through a lot of hard times. She had to really rely on God but always felt like she wasn't in the right church. She started to feel uncomfortable there and now she is on a search for a place to feel welcome and at home. Karen also has two kids that she wants to raise in a good environment with good morals. She remembered the two missionaries and referred herself online. We met with her on Tuesday and she is so excited to learn. She even went online and bought a Book of Mormon, New Testament, and Old Testament study guides. I was surprised when I first met her because everything in her life has prepared her for this time. She is so prepared to receive the Gospel. It just testifies to me of what it says in Preach My Gospel, "The Lord is preparing people to receive you and the restored gospel. He will lead you to them or he will lead them to you." I have been so blessed lately because I feel like everyone is being lead to us.
I hope that all of you have a great week! Love you!
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