Elder Bos

3/9/2015

Hello everyone!  

I was going to send you pictures of the District P-day that we had last week but I forgot my camera cord...But I will tell you right now that it was the most beautiful place I have ever been.  It is called Rhossili Bay.  I was blown away by how nice it was.  We had a really powerful testimony meeting out there.  I loved it.

On Tuesday Elder Lowe and I drove to Birmingham to receive training from President and Sister Rasmussen.  It was a great meeting.  It was focused on us making more detailed lesson plans and having more spiritually uplifting studies that focus on our investigators and their needs.  On Thursday we had Zone meeting and gave the same training to the missionaries in our Zone.  It went very well.  

We were also told this week that we would be moving flats so we have been packing up ours and getting ready to move everything.  We don't know where we are going yet but we hope that it's close.  We find out tonight if one of us leaves.  My prediction is that Elder Lowe will.  He has been here for 6 transfers which is just over 8 months.  I would be very surprised if he stayed.  

I was on an exchange with Elder Magda this week.  I went to their area which in a different part of Swansea.  It went well...except I think I broke my nose.  ha  So...I was jumped..just kidding.  That would have been a less embarrassing story.  I was doing pull ups on a bar that you hook onto the doorframe.  While pulling myself up, it unhooked itself, and all of the force that I was using to pull myself up came down and hit me right in the nose with the bar.  It hurt really bad and there was a lot of blood but I am okay!  ha  Elder Magda sure thought it was hilarious.  

It was Elder Thompson's and Elder Harris' last Sunday yesterday and the ward sang them a Welsh song called, "We'll keep a Welcome."  It was a beautiful song and I don't think I've ever heard anything like it.  What a great tradition!    I am going to miss serving with them.  They are fantastic missionaries. 

This week is going to be great.  I can feel it.  I hope that you have a great week as well!  I love all of you!  Zai Jian!

3/16/2015

I feel like a lot has happened this week.  On Monday night we got the call telling us what was going to happen for transfers.  Elder Lowe was sent to Harbourne which is near Birmingham.  And I was sent Elder Debeikes from Thousand Oaks, California.  I was sad to see Elder Lowe go but Elder Debeikes is an awesome missionary.  We get along great.  

The few days before transfers were crazy.  Elder Lowe and I had to wake up early for a few days just so that we could prepare our flat to close down.  We lost one team in Swansea and we were moved into their flat.  So on the actual transfer day I had to spend time with a couple of missionaries in the flat organizing and cleaning it. It was really hard because we had all of our stuff plus what was in the flat when we got there.  But for the most part it was ready for when Elder Debeikes came in.  

Shaun and Caitlin and doing better than ever.  We had a really good Family Home Evening with them on Monday.  They asked us to do the lesson so that they would know how it works.  We are going again tonight and this time Shaun will be teaching us.  I am very excited. 

On Thursday we were told by Shaun that his brother Jack wanted to speak with us.  Jack is 13 and was almost baptized when he was 9.  He ended up canceling it the day of the Baptism.  He brought a friend with him and both of them were asking some good questions.  Shaun brought them to Church on Sunday and they seemed to enjoy it.  Our goal is to get them involved in youth so that they have a good set of friends.  

We also did a lot of stop bys with investigators this week so that Elder Debeikes could meet them.  

There was really cool miracle in the District a few days ago.  The team that was sent out left an investigator with the other Elders.  On Friday while meeting with him they felt prompted and invited him to be baptized the next day.  And guess what?  He was! It was an amazing story and I'll have to tell you the rest of it another day.  

Here's my new address by the way!

65 Gelli Rhyden

Fforestfach

Swansea SA5 4BD

Wales

Ta for now!

4/3/2015

This past week may have been the most beautiful week I have seen on my mission.  It was sunny all week and I now have an awful neck tan.  Just what I have always wanted!  ha  

We had Mission Leadership Council in Birmingham on Tuesday.  It was a very uplifting and inspiring meeting.  It focused on our 3 main invitations.  Church, Prayer, and Reading the Scriptures.  

On Thursday we were going to have our Zone Meeting at the church but there were people there working on the Electric...Soooo we decided to change it up and have the meeting outside in the sunny weather.  It turned out great.  We pulled the tables, chairs, and whiteboard outside and then we had the piano in the doorway.  I'm pretty sure that half of the zone now has a sunburn but I have never seen so many happy missionaries.  It was great.  

After Zone Meeting I went on an exchange with Elder Kezele.  He stayed in Swansea with me while Elder DeBeikes and Elder Roundy went to Merthyr Tydfil.  I really enjoyed the exchange.  He is one of the most diligent missionaries in the mission.  He goes home in 3 months and is still very motivated.  I learned a lot from him.  

We have been meeting with Shaun and Caitlin everyday so that we can read through the whole Book of Mormon with them before she is baptized.  They have officially set the date for their wedding!  They are getting married on June 20th!   And the following weekend Caitlin will get baptized.  We are so excited!   

Janine has been doing really good.  She came to conference last week with a whole list of questions.  The first one that she had was about fear and why the scriptures always tell us to fear God.  She loved Elder Bwednar's talk!  It was perfect for her.  We even watched it again with her during a lesson and she told us that it helped even more the second time.  

We had our mini missionary aka Assistant Roberts with us all last week.  It was a lot of fun.  Hopefully he will be putting in his papers at the end of May.  

I can't think of anything else to talk about right now...I was planning on sending pictures but I grabbed the wrong camera cord.  Awkward right?   I'll just send them next week.  I love all of you and want all of you to know that I love my mission.  I love proclaiming God's simple truths.  The Church is true.  I know that and if you do not know that, today is the day to find out!  

With Love, 

Elder Bos

5/4/2015

This past week we went to a mission wide conference in Birmingham.  Two General Authorities came and talked with us.  It was a very powerful conference.  And it only strengthened my testimony that there are people here ready to hear about the Restored Gospel.  I know that with all of my heart and I want to promise all of you that I will do everything I can to find them.  These last 8 months will be my best yet.  

I also have a challenge for everyone.  That is to prayerfully identify someone that you can give a Book of Mormon to.  Not only that but include your testimony it.   

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I know that it was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith and that abiding by it we may gain a stronger testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The only way for people to come to know this for themselves is through study and prayer.  I encourage everyone to take up Moroni's challenge in Moroni 10: 3-5.  I promise that you and those you give this to will receive an answer.  

I love all of you.  Have a great week!  

6/8/2015

Hey Everyone!

I haven't sent a group email in a long time so there is a lot that I
need to catch up on.

I was moved a couple of weeks ago from Swansea, Wales.  I am currently
serving with an Elder Ross in Nottingham, England!  And before anyone
asks, No I have not seen or met Robin Hood... But he does have quite a
few people running around pretending to be him.

This week we drove to Birmingham for our monthly meeting with
President and Sister Rasmussen.  This was their last Mission
Leadership Council and it was very powerful.  It was definitely an
inspired meeting.  Sister Rasmussen gave a great training that was
based off of the Good Samaritan and "Talk With Everyone" from Preach
My Gospel.  I won't type out everything that she trained on but I will
tell you a couple of things that stuck out to me.

1.  We must all pray for the Spiritual sensitivity to recognise opportunities
to share the Gospel.  She gave the example of Sister Teixeira who was
found by missionaries on their P-Day.  Her Brother was baptised and
the missionaries went visit with him and to play a few games.  While
there they struck up a conversation with her and not long after she
was baptised.

2.  When we pray for missionary work, we should not pray for people to
be prepared, but pray that missionaries have the desire to find them.
The Lord already has people prepared.  We just have to have the desire
and faith to find them.  When Sister Rasmussen was training on this a
talk popped into my mind.  It's called, "Conversion of a Catholic" by
Bill Carpenter.  You'll know how it applies if you have heard the
talk.  If you haven't heard it then I suggest you listen to it because
it is fantastic.

 President Rasmussen gave some great training on helping our
investigators Open the Windows of Heaven.  Everything he spoke about
are principles that we have heard before but are also things that we
sometimes forget.  3 of the Principles that he spoke about are
attending church, reading the scriptures daily, and praying daily.  It
was fantastic but what stuck out to me most was the final scripture
that he shared with us which was, 3 Nephi 17.

On Thursday we had Zone Meeting which went well. The Zone here is very
focused and a lot of great things are happening.

On Sunday we had a Stake conference broadcast from Scotland. Elder
Holland was presiding. It was so amazing. He spoke on the Book of
Mormon and how he would die before denying the truthfulness of it.  It
has really pumped me up and I am so excited to see him this Thursday!
For those of you who don't know. Jeffrey R. Holland, who is a member
of the Twelve Apostles, will be coming to our mission to speak with
all of us. We will each have the opportunity to shake his hand and
speak with him. I am so excited!

Anyway, I am loving the work out here. I can see the Lord blessing me
left and right. Expectations are being raised and miracles are being
seen.

I love all of you and hope that you have a great week!

6/22/2015

Hey everyone!  

It has been one of the busiest weeks of my life this week!!! But it was absolutely amazing and worth every effort!!! We had loads of running around to do and we had one of our investigators have her wedding this last Saturday. She asked Elder Ross to play the Piano at the wedding and asked me to be an Usher.  I got to stand at the door and signal the Bishop and the piano for her entrance.  It was an honour to be able to help out with all of the things on their special day! We ended up being the catering service doing everything from Serving food to washing dishes to cleaning tables and just making things run smoothly. I had no idea we were going to be doing all of that so it was a nice surprise to be able to offer so much help! They were incredibly grateful for all the help we gave them and couldn't thank us enough so it was nice to be appreciated. It was my companion and I and the Sister missionaries helping for the afternoon with everything and we all made a great team!!! 

The downside to this week was that an Elder in our zone was in a bike wreck on Wednesday evening.  He hit his head pretty hard on a kerb and had memory loss for a couple of days.  He also had a few bones in his wrist go out of place and they pinched a nerve that was causing a lot of pain.  On Thursday, I went to the hospital and took his companions spot so that he could get some rest.  I was there all day.  It was the perfect time to just sit and read the scriptures while he rested.  Just to speed up this story, he had surgery on Saturday and was released from the hospital yesterday.  He is still in pain but is recovering well.  He is a huge Tongan and a Pro Rugby player.  I was on an exchange with him the day before it happened and he literally did 100 pushups in a row to warm up for our morning exercises.  I even got it on video.  He's a legend.  His companion is also Tongan and also a pro rugby player. Insane right?  

The work is getting better and better each week.  We have been seeing a lot of cool miracles within the zone.  The teams are really stepping up and working hard.  This last week we decided to go finding in a new area and it was great.  We went to a huge square that has fountains all around it and we would just walk over and sit next to people and teach them.  One person that we did talked to was from Italy and she used to meet with missionaries all the time!  She will be here for 2 more months and will meet with us as much as she can.  

I don't have much more to say for this week.  I love you all!  Bye!

8/3/2015

I am still smiling ear to ear because of what happened yesterday!  So
we have always struggled getting members out to help us teach
investigators.  But this last week we invited a Hungarian member to go
with us to visit a Polish family.  He did and unfortunately the lesson
didn't last long because one of the kids had to go to the doctor.  But
yesterday, during Testimony meeting, he got up and bore an extremely
powerful testimony.  He said, "I went out with the missionaries and I
saw the confidence that they have in their message, and I say
happiness.  But I also felt impressed that they need our help and that
we aren't doing enough.  It is just as much our responsibility as it
is theirs."  It was so amazing and he finished by bearing a simple but
powerful testimony.  Following his testimony, quite a few converts
stood up and bore their testimonies.  It has been one of the best
Testimony meetings I have ever been to.

Later we were in Priesthood and we were asked during opening exercises
if we had any announcements.  We just simply asked everyone to let us
know if they are available this week.  Right away a Member told us, so
that everyone could her, that he would make time this week to go with
us.  That is exactly what needed to happen because I really feel that
encouraged others to do the same.  By the end of church we had loads
of people approaching us, telling us when they are free, and how they
could help.  I am stoked to see where this week goes.  We needed this
sort of spark and it is finally here.

I also went on three exchanges this week.  It was a chaotic week.  I
was with Elder Lowe from Tuesday to Wednesday, Elder Lawson from
Wednesday to Thursday and Elder Magda from Friday to Saturday.   I
really enjoyed the time that I had with each one of them.

I really don't have much more to tell.  The rest of my week was good.
I had a really cool dinner appointment this week with a lady named
Priya.  She is from Sri Lanka.  We ate curry...with our hands!  ha  It
is a traditional thing in her country so we went with it.  It was
great.

Yeah...have a great week!  Love you!

Latest E-mails from Elder Bos

2/9/2015

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!

News from Ryan

8/4/2014

This week has been one of my best in Aber.  We have started to teach a guy by the name of Chen Gui.  He is a student from China and he is currently working on his phd.  We met him on Tuesday, taught him on Friday, and he came with us to church on sunday.  He really enjoyed it and he wants to come to church every week now!  The lessons are a lot harder to teach because he doesn't know a lot of English but we have a lot of Chinese materials.  So whenever we get stuck trying to explain a certain word we will just point at it in the leaflets and he usually gets it right away.  One of the words that we were trying to explain was Authority.  After about 5 minutes we find it in Chinese in the Restoration leaflet, show it to him, and he says, "Ohhh, like a right."  I definitely plan on using those leaflets more often.  ha 

The Family History Class that we put on last Thursday was a massive success!  We had around 18 people there and 6 of them were none members.  They were impressed and said that they were going to tell all of their friends about it.  There is a rumor going around saying that if we get enough people to consistantly come that they will build us a family history center! 

We lost our phone on Friday night.  We looked everywhere and it was no where to be found.  On Sunday morning at around 7 we got a knock on our window.  It was Brother MNountford with our phone.  I woke up that morning, walked outside and found it in a puddle.  It must have fallen out of the car when we were at his house the other day.  It actually worked for awhile and then it died .  We have had to do callins from a payphone for the past few days.  I fell like I'm living in the 60's! 

Well I hope that all of you have a fantastic week!  Love you!

8/11/2014

I don't even know where to start for this past week.  I don't think I have ever been so tired in my life.  We worked so hard this week and we were blessed to find two new investigators Shan and Gabriel. 

Shan in from Malaysia and we first met him 2 weeks and arranged to meet him last Tuesday.  But when we showed up at his flat no one was home.  We gave him a call and he felt so bad that he forgot that he insisted that we came over for lunch on Friday.  We showed up on Friday and he made us this really good Malaysian fried rice.  He was so interested in what we taught him after dinner that he invited us to come over the next day.  So we came back on Saturday and read from the Book of Mormon with him.  He is a really great guy and I can see the Spirit working on him. 

On Thursday every team in our zone was challenged by the zone leaders to find 2 new investigators each.  We took the challenge and on Friday we received Shan.  We only had two days left and so we planned to meet someone on Saturday morning that we could get a sameday return appointment with.  We had two hours on Sat morning to find and we told ourselves that we would go to any length to acheive that goal.  With ten minutes left we were getting desperate.  We started to walk back towards our flat when Elder Elsholz says, "Look!  Chinese!" (The Chinese are usually very open to the gospel so we tend to run after them when we see them).  Right when I looked I saw them round a corner so we took off running after him.  I round the corner first and started running up the hill he was now climbing.  I caught up half way up the hill, called to him, and while trying to catch my breath introduced myself.  It turns out that he wasn't Chinese, he was Spanish and named Gabriel.  But he was really cool.  I asked if we could meet with him and right away he says, "Sure, come over at 4:30."  I was surprised that I said,"Wait, Today?!"  haha  It was great experience. 

We are also still teaching Chen and he is doing great.  He has a hard time understanding everything that people say at church so during Sacrament we told him to pay attention to how he feels.  Afterwards he told us that he felt Peace. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings happiness.  It brings peace.  I know that to be true! 

8/18/2014

We were able to Skype Ryan this week because our sweet Grandma Fillerup passed away. His e-mail was brief, but it reassured us that Ryan was doing well. He wrote:

I don't have a lot to say today because I told you so much during Skype last night.  Just know that I love all of you and I am grateful for the strength that you have shown during this hard time.  I hope that this coming week will be better than the last.  I love you! 

9/1/2014

So many things have happened this week.  We are no longer teaching Chen or Shan.  Gabriel just got back from Poland a few days ago so we will start to teach him again in a few days.  We are also now teaching a really cool couple.  Their names are Jane and Tony.  They were being taught by the sister missionaries down in Newcastle Emilyn but they moved up into our area so we are now teaching them.  The Sisters taught them nearly everything and they really want to be baptized.  All we really have to do is teach them the last bit and prepare them for baptism. 

The Family History class is getting more and more people each week.  We aren't allowed to proselyte during the classes but we are allowed to answer any question that people have about the church.  We have already had quite a few and we are actually going to meet with a guy named Eric who we met from the class. 

I am being fed so much!  The members here are amazing and we are being fed almost everyday.  So don't worry about a thing mom!  ha  At one of our Dinner appointments, with the Richards, we played the Humility Game.  The objective is to have a normal conversation without using the words Me, I, Myself, Mine, or your own name.  Everyone starts out with 10 pieces of rice and every time you say one of those words you lose a piece.  The last rule is that you have to answer any question that is asked without lying.  It was a lot of fun. 

Things here are amazing.  I feel like I am learning something new everyday.  Only the Gospel can bring such Clarity and Happiness into someones life.  I know that to be true.  I love all of you!  Have a great week!

9/8/2014

We have officially began week 4 of the transfer.  Last week went by so quick and so many things have happened. 

We ran into Chen again last Monday and were able to teach him on Monday evening.  He told us that he was super busy with schill and unable to meet with us.  He also told us that one of his friends told him not to meet with us because he didn't think Chen should stop smoking.  It's sad what a bad influence friends can be on a person.  But I think that it got to him because after meeting with him on Monday he has done all that he can to avoid us.  One day we were walking back to our flat for lunch and saw him smoking.  When we got closer he saw us and hid behind a car.  It was completely obvious but we just kept going like nothing happened.  We were able to talk with him since then and he doesn't want to meet with us anymore.  I'm just glad that we left on good terms. 

Jane and Tony are still doing great.  We were able to meet with them 3 times this past week.  They are really excited to be baptized and are even planning on going to the temple to be sealed.  They are so amazing. 

It also loooks like a lot of people from our branch might be moving.  The Sitty family is moving south to Newcastle Emlyn next friday.  The Barneys will be moving at the end of December and the Jolliffes are looking to move as well.  That is 10% of our branch and we will definitely miss all of them. 

Oh and I almost forgot!  While waiting for Jane and Tony outside of their flat a guy approached Elder Elsholz and asked, "Are you guys working security?"  Elder Elsholz looks at him as if confused and said, "Uhhh..No."  The guy then immediately asks, "Do you know where I can buy some cocaine?"  haha  Elder Elsholz looked so freaked out and quickly told him no and tried to explain that we were teachers for our church.  Before Elder Elsholz could finish the guy interupts him by saying, "Come on!  Hook a brother up!"  Right after saying that he notices our badges and starts to walking away while barking at us. 

Well I had a great week and hope that all of you did too!  The Church is true! 

9/29/2014

Elder Elsholz and I will be staying in Aberystwyth together!  It was completely unexpected but that is what happened.  I am glad to be serving with him again.  He is a good missionary and we have set some high goals and expect to see miracles this transfer.  One of those goals is to beyond Exactly Obedient.  We want to go beyond of what is expected of us.  President Thomas S. Monson once said, "Obedience brings blessings, but Exact obedience brings Miracles." 

This past week has been a good example of how obedience can change everything.  We decided to start with our morning schedule.  Instead of waking up at 6:30 we decided to be exercising by 6:30.  That did require waking up earlier but it did give us more energy when we used the full 30 minutes that was given to us.  I have noticed that energy help carry me throughout the day.  And as a result, we taught more double the amount of lessons and were blessed with 5 new investigators.  The things that we changed may look small but at the end of the day they made a huge difference.  I would even say that this past week has been my most fulfilling and successful.  I love my mission.  I love serving the Lord.  I love seeing the gospel change others lives. 

I love all of you!  Have a great week!

10/20/2014

We were able to Skype Ryan again after the passing of our Grandpa Fillerup, and it was such a comfort to hear his voice. (And we love the English 'loads' word choice.) Here were his remarks:

I am hanging in there.  I know that Grandpa is in a better place with Grandma by his side.  That brings loads of comfort to me. I have already felt him and Grandma.

11/3/2014

I feel like I have a lot to catch up on and I don't even know where to start. I am still in Aberystwyth with Elder Elsholz and we have seen a lot of progress the last 4 months that we have served together.  We Whitewashed the area.  That means that we pretty much had to start with nothing when we came in.  We didn't know any members, we didn't know the area, I was driving with no idea what I was doing, and we had no investigators.  We went from teaching 17 lessons in our first transfer to teaching over 40 this transfer. 

This past week we were able to teach 4 New Investigators and one of them even made it to church!  Her name is Ruth and she is so awesome.  We met her last week while street contacting and told us that she has wanted to strengthen her relationship with God for a long time.  She said that church was a little different from what she is used to but she still enjoyed it. 

Calum is another one of our New Investigators.  He is at Aber University studying International Politics.  He told us the his friend lived in Canada with a Mormon family and that his friend couldn't say one bad thing about him.  He was the nicest guy and he invited us back to his flat for the next day.  We went by the next day and we startted talking about the Restoration.  He said that it all made sense and that he would read the Book of Mormon.  He then said, "It took me a long time to understand the Bible but the understanding came and so did it's truth.  I will not just toss this to the side because this can be true as well."  He is what we call the "dream Investigator" 

Another guy that we are working with is named Brandon. When talking with him he described his belief and faith in a very phycological and scientific way.  And everything that he said matches what we believe.  He just had a very roundabout way of saying it.  ha  His response to the Book of Mormon was really funny.  We usually commit people to read a little bit everyday and to Pray about it.  He just grabbed it and said I'll read it, you'll just have to give me a coulpe of weeks.  ha  He is so Elect. 

We are working with a few more but time is short.  I would just like to say that I love my Mission.  I love being able to share a message that helps people understand that God still speaks with us today.  That He loves us enough to call another prophet to the earth to clear up the confusion that man has brought into the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know this message to be true.  I have seen it bless my life and those that I have taught. 

I love all of you so much!  Have a great week! 

11/10/2014

It doesn't feel like the holidays at all.  I almost feel like it can't be without being home.  And it's just bizarre how fast they came.  We have quite a few Americans in our branch so hopefully we can get together for a nice Thanksgiving meal.  If not, I'll just go to KFC.  ha I miss you too.  I hate not being home for holidays.  It's not the same.  I did get a new companion.  His name is Elder Ruttan, he is 6 months out, he collects rocks, he sings jazz, and he's Canadian. Our heater has been broken for the last 2 weeks so it's very cold. Raining and freezing.

11/10/2014

Hello everyone!  How are you?  What has been going on in your lives? 

This week has been full of adventure.  We got the calls on Monday night telling us about transfers.  Elder Elsholz was moved to Rugby, England and I stayed here in Aberystwyth.  This will be my 4th transfer here and I am very happy to be staying.  My new companion is Elder Ruttan,he has been out for 6 months, and he is Canadian!  Not including the MTC, he is my first companion that isn't from Utah.  He is a great guy and we have worked well together so far.

On Thursday we picked up a new Investigator named Dominique.  She is from London and is here studying to become a teacher.  Elder Ruttan and I text her everyday to ask her how her reading and praying is going.  A few days ago she got really excited and said that for the first time since she has been here she has been able to have a full nights sleep.  She told us that she was excited and couldn't wait to meet with us again. 

Another one of investigators is named Tom.  Healso goes to Aber University and studies International Politics.  He doesn't have a belief in God but said that it was a topic that always interested him.  He asks us the best questions, he reads, and he even gave an amazing closing prayer the last time that we met with him. 

Oh, I also wanted to tell you a story!  On Wednesday Elder Esholz and I drove down to Swansea so that he could take the couch to the mission home.  I stayed behind and was paired up with Elder Eyanson until 6pm when the couch would return with my new companion. Elder Eyanson and I were walking around the town center for hours talking to people.  One of the people that we stopped was a less-active man.  We talked to him for a bit and was able to set up a time to meet with him later that evening in town center.  So the day went on and eventually we made our way into to town center.  We sat down with Andy andhad a pretty good lesson with him.  Afterwards, we went our separate ways and Elder Eyanson and I went back to another missionaries flat for dinner.  It was after dinner that I realized that my car and flat keys were missing and I couldn't find them anywhere!  We ran back to the spot where we had the appointment and they were no where to be found.  I was freaking out because with the keys I couldn't drive or get into our flat.  So we ran to our Zone leader, who was on a split with Elder Hern, and recruited them for the search.  But before we began Elder Lowe asked to say a prayer.  After the prayer we returned to where we taught the lesson and continued our search.  Out of no where, two girls that were ignoring us before asked us what we were looking for.  They were completely drunk but they were a huge help!  One of them started to tell us where and who had our keys while the other girl started to pet the top of Elder Hern's head.  haha He was freaking out and had no idea what to do.  So long story short, the two girls lead us through the city to a group of teenagers and we were able to get the keys back!  One of the girls even asked if she could meet with the missionaries because she has been wanting to change her life around.  How cool is that?  I know we wouldn't have found the keys without that Prayer. 

I keep forgetting to take pictures but I will this week and I'll send them next Monday!

Have a great week!  Love you!

11/17/2014

I'll be honest with you.  Right now I am sick and can't think straight.  I have been staring at the computer screen for ten minutes and I can't think of a whole lot to say.  ha 

Here are some bullet points that sum up the week:

-Ruth came to Church yesterday and really enjoyed it.  We recommited her to being baptised and she was all for it.  We are very excited for her. 

-We taught a high of 16 lessons and now have 4 New Investigators

-The Sisters down in Newcastle Emilyn have a baptism for this Saturday!

-We had Zone meeting down in Swansea.  The training was focused on getting members to go out teaching with us and getting investigators to church.

-The Barney's had a Baby girl this morning!

-And this one is for Mom. I am being fed a lot and the members have been taking good care of me. 

I hope that all of you have a great week.  I love you! 

11/17/2014

I miss seeing dogs.  Not as many people own them out here because you have to insure them.  You might as well have a kid if you do that. 

12/8/2014

Hello Everyone!  I hope that you are having a great week.  Sorry but I don't have a lot of time today.  We had a lesson earlier and it took a lot more time than we had planned. 

This past week has been amazing!  A couple of weeks ago we had a guy named Nathaniel just walk into Church and now he is getting baptized soon.  Isn't that just crazy?  Good things happen when you work hard.  I asked him yesterday how his reading and praying went and he said, "I guess you can say that I am convinced.  I have received an answer I know it's true."  I am so excited for him.  I will definitely have more time to talk next week. 

Mom, I didn't get hurt in my fall so don't worry.  haha Thank you for the money!  I was able to buy a camera.  I will definitely try not to fall on this one.  I love you all!  Have a great week! 

12/15/2014

I don't even know where to start when it comes to this week.  I feel like a million things have happened.  I'll just make a short list:

1.  I got my licence!  I was surprised that I was able to get it so fast but everything worked out perfectly.  There are two parts to the test.  The first one is the Theory test.  There wasn't one in Aberystwyth so we had to drive to Swansea to take it there.  After the test I was told that it might be a month or so until I could take the second part which is the Practical.  I was freaking out a bit in my mind because a month would put me past my year mark and I can't drive past my year mark without a licence.  But a miracle happened and there was a cancelation.  The problem was that it was 3 days after my theory.  I was freaking out but was able to pass it no problem!  Yay! 

2.  Our Investigator Nathaniel had a really cool experience while praying and now knows that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet on the earth today.  It was fantastic.  We watched the Christmas Devotional last night with him and he said that the Spirit was so strong.  We talked with him and if all goes well he will be ready to be baptized on the 27th of this month!  Wohoo!  He is so awesome! 

3.  With Christmas right around the corner we have been having a hard time finding more people to teach and 6 of our investigators are going home for the holidays!  It's a bummer but we are still doing what we can. 

4.  Transfers are this week!  I have been here 4 transfers and there is a slight possibility of me leaving.  I heard that not many people will be transferred this time around because Christmas is right around the corner but we shall see tonight.  I will have a member email you to let you know what happens.  I will most likely be Sister Barney.  The only transfer information that I know is about the Sisters in our district.  Sister Cook is going home and Sister Gaffney is training!  We have a lot of Sisters coming into the mission and all of the sisters, minus the Sister Traning Leaders and one other set, will be traing.  That's a lot! 

5.  I haven't received the package yet but will get in on Wednesday.  I am very excited!  My new camera is great!  I just got a case for it so hopefully it won't get destroyed like the last one. 

I don't know exactly what else to add.  Just know that I love all of you so much!  I hope that you have a great week!  Adios! 

12/26/2014

It was so great to be able to see all of you yesterday!  I love all of you so much and hope that you had a wonderful Christmas!  Have a great week!

1/19/2015

Hello Everyone!  How are you?  Having a good week?  What's new? 

I am doing well.  I was really sick yesterday and it may have been food poisoning.  I don't know but I felt aweful.  The rest of the week went alright though.  Mom will be happy to hear that we had a dinner appoiintment every single day this week! 

I did have a funny experience. We met with this guy who is Buhdist.  He wanted to meet with us because he didn't know anything about our faith and he wanted to have a better understanding of us.  So we met with him one day at the park .  Elder Ruttan and I sat down on either side of him on a park bench and we asked if we could start with a prayer.  He agreed but asked if he could meditate at the same time.  I have never had anyone ask me that before but said it was okay.  He got into his meditation position, and while he held his meditation beads, I said the opening prayer.  After finishing the prayer I look over and he was still meditating.  Elder Ruttan and I sat there quietly trying to be respectful.  He stayed in that position for 15 minutes without moving!  Then he opens his eyes and stares off in front of him for another 5.  After that, out of no where, he started to slowly move his hands out towards both of us. I stared at his hand that was stretched towards me and my first thought was, "I think he wants me to hold his hand."  Right when I thought that I looked up at Elder Ruttan and he was slowly grabbing the other guys hand.  While feeling very uncomfortable I held his hand with Elder Ruttan.  We sat there for another 5 minutes in complete silence.  He then let out a huge sigh and released our hands.  And started to talk like nothing happened.  It was really awkward but we were able to teach him and he really liked what we taught. 

I don't have much more to say.  This past week has gone by really fast but not much has happened.  I do want to bear my testimony though.  I know that this is Christ's true Church.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ.  I know that he was called to be a prophet to restore Christ's Church to the Earth. 

I love all of you!  Hope that you have a great week!

2/2/2015

This past week has been great.  I had an interesting call from President Rasmussen on Monday and he called me to be a Zone Leader.  It was a bit of a shock. I actually never told you guys this, but I have been a district leader for two transfers. haha. 

On Wednesday I moved from Aberystwyth to Swansea which is in Southern Wales.  It's about a 2 hour drive south of Aber.  Swansea is a nice area from what I can see.  It's a city of around 250,000 and there are 4 sets of missionaries here.  I am serving in a ward of around 120 and so far the ward is very friendly.  We even have some really cool Recent Converts that are always willing to go with us to appointments.  I love it.  Oh and I almost forgot to tell you who my new companion is!  I am now serving with Elder Lowe.  He is from Bendigo, Australia.  He knows how to get work done so I'm glad to be serving with him.  Elder Lowe has been in this area for the same amount of time that I was in Aber and he is staying one more.  Crazy right?  We are the only two left from our original Zone. 

I have only been here for 5 days and so much has happened.  Just one miracle after another.  I don't have very much time today to tell you but hopefully I will find time this week to write some of them down in a letter to send home next week.  I love all of you and hope that you have a great week!  Bye!