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| View across the Severn River into the Forrest of Dean (of Harry Potter fame) |
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| Elder Houghton's new English "ensemble" including skinny purple tie and English suit |
This week has been... I don't know. Good news is that the weather has been
back to the English normal so it's been fresh, clean, wet, etc. I love it. It's
great to wake up to it raining just enough that it clears the air and lowers
the temperature so you can have a beautiful sunny day! Being out in the rain
isn't the best though. I'd better get used to it though. Being here during one
of the hottest and driest summers on record hasn't really helped me acclimatize
to normal English weather.
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| Kool-aid winnings from a contest at Zone Conference-- needless to say, they have no Kool-aid in England |
One thing that actually happened last week that you'll find funny is that I
drank my first caffeinated Soda. Ever! And also my second (I think). The first
was at a dinner appointment with an awesome recent convert and her nonmember
husband. They served us what is I guess Tesco brand diet Dr. Pepper. Or
something like that. I didn't even think about the fact that it was probably
caffeinated until after I'd drunk it and I didn't get a chance to check but I
think it was. Later that week, another awesome recent convert wanted to get us
something to drink before our meeting in a nearby park. He got a big case of
Coke. It being my first Coke, I thought it was actually a bit bland. I probably
wouldn't drink Coke even if it didn't have caffeine now that I know what it tastes
like.
This Sunday,
our ward was super small for a number of reasons. We only had 34 people there
which was a bit sad. However, the testimonies for Fast and Testimony
Meeting were great. It was inspiring to see and hear some really amazing and
wonderful people testify of what they know to be true. Testimonies are
strengthened when testimonies are shared and my testimony was definitely
strengthened. The Gospel of Jesus Christ really does change lives. Our loving
Heavenly Father really wants us to be happy now and in the eternities.
Sometimes it's difficult but we just have to let him work in our lives to make
that happen.
Today I get to find out who my next companion will be and if/where I'm moving
areas. I've learned to love Stroud and my sweet trainer Elder Wood but I am
looking forward to a fresh start and a change. I've learned so much about what
I need to do to become the effective and capable missionary that I want to be.
Now, I just want to go out and do it. One thing I've seen is that there's
always room to improve and we constantly need to be learning and striving to do
our best in order to receive the revelation and direction that our Heavenly
Father is sending to us. As we step forward with faith, he illuminates the path
for us. Periodically, he lets us see a glimpse of the distant
future but most of the time we just have to accept that what we're
experiencing will be the best for us.
Also this week, I finished reading "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage. It's
800 pages of amazing information. I've learned so much about the life and
ministry of the Saviour. One thing tha struck me that I hadn't noticed before
involves Christ's death. Elder Talmage explains something that I did not know
or think of before; that Jesus Christ literally died of broken heart. The
extreme physical, spiritual, and emotional stress his body went through as he
prepared to sacrifice himself for us and as he hung on the cross caused his
heart to rupture. In Psalms somewhere, it prophecies that his heart will break
for us. It's interesting that we talk about heartbreak the way we do now as
sadness over the loss of a relationship or something like that. Our Redeemer's
heart broke as he suffered and mourned for us. He loves us so much and wants us
all to come unto him. I hope that as a missionary, I can be a tool in the
Lord's hands to help others do that and receive of his love and the peace that
comes through living his gospel.
I'm out of time. The
Lord keeps doing His work.
Elder Houghton
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