Finally Up & Going in Gloucester C!

From 17 February 2014

Dear Everyone,

This week has been pretty good. We had our challenges and out setbacks and this upcoming week will be a bit tougher but it was alright and we saw many miracles. I think that things are finally up and going in Gloucester C. We have a lot of work and improvement to do and many many people to follow up with so there's yet much room for improvement but that's ok. It's a good thing that things are moving because the other teams in the District had really really rough weeks (illness, flogging, etc.). We have such wonderful missionaries in our District. It's great. They are the best and they are such good examples.

Some Miracles this week:

We found this middle-aged Polish man a few weeks ago. He said that he was going to Poland so we would have to make an appointment for after his return after he had to cancel our original appointment. I was thinking: "ya right!" and that it would just be another one of those people who is nice on the street but then just doesn't have the commitment to actually show up to a lesson. So, anyhow, I wrote a reminder to call him which I totally forgot about until the day that he got back and I saw the reminder. We called and set up an appointment but he lives out of our area (bummer!) but we had to go anyway because we made the appointment and the other team couldn't make it. Turns out that he had slipped on the ice in Poland and broken his ankle so he's basically immobile in his home until it heals=he can be taught all the time and isn't super busy like everyone else we meet. So, I was on exchange with Elder Orr from Gloucester A and we taught him a most solid and amazing first lesson. He was really receptive and open and wonderful and it was great. He committed to be baptised when he finds out it's true. It was great but then I think he had to go into Hospital and we couldn't get back in touch yet. Prayers that he answers the phone today please!

Like I said earlier, this week has been a bit tougher but it's been good. Today we were planning on having District P day after Emails and going to the Gloucester Cathedral and then getting food somewhere but we will see as one of the teams can't make it due to that illness. We shall see...

We've been trying to get member missionary work going in Gloucester. As in just about every area I've served in, there has been a bit of a disconnect between members and missionaries. So, we're trying to fix that and help the members trust and love us. It's really hard actually. Elder Decaudin is having to get a French Recipe for one lady in the ward among other things that we're doing. One of those things is to try to get into every member's home in our area to teach the PMG chapter 5 lesson to every member family in our area. It's about how to use the Book of Mormon to answer the Questions of the Soul that everyone has. So far, we've only been able to teach it once in our area-to the Bishop- but it went well and we have a few opportunities to teach it soon. I'm excited because other missionaries have seen great success from sharing the lesson and helping members share the Book of Mormon.

Gloucester Cathedral and flooding

Newent

The weather has improved slightly this past week. We had a beautiful almost spring day yesterday for a nice Sunday. Basically, Gloucester is on the verge of floods right now. Going out of the city to Newent feels like a tour of a big open swamp instead of a pleasant drive through the English country side. There are huge areas on the city boundaries that are under quite a few feet of water and the Severn is really really high.

Random cool thing:

Gloucester and London were the two options for the Capital of England a long time ago. They only chose London because the docks are wider there.

Time for Missionary Alphabet!

A is an Investigator who we found via M, his wife.

Beales. A family in the ward who all gave talks on Sunday (Mom, Dad and oldest daughter). Their talks were really really great and we're teaching them the PMG ch. 5 lesson later this week.

C is a Chinese lady found in Gloucester but lived in Cheltenham but then sort of lives in Gloucester so we are officially teaching her now. It's really confusing and weird. Word of Wisdom went well on Saturday but then she didn't come to church...

Decaudin, Elder. He is my amazing and wonderful companion. He is great and his English is getting better each day!

E (also in Coventry). A less active member we were working with. He's being ordained to be a priest on Sunday. Woot Woot!
F family-a really nice family in the ward who we are helping out. They're great!
Gloucester is the place to be!
H
I (in Coventry). I got word from Elder DeHaan that he's now super solid and would be baptised if he could be granted asylum. They're working on that.
J is an Investigator from Rwanda who is awesome and really intelligent. Great questions but the complicated answers take a lot of time so it's hard to teach him but he's great.
K is a LA man we're teaching. He's awesome and is working really hard to learn and grow in the gospel.
L is now in YW after her baptism on Saturday. She was taught by the sisters
M is from Sri Lanka via France. Elder Decaudin saw the French License plate. Long story short, we're teaching them in French. Well actually, Elder Decaudin is teaching them in French with a returned missionary who served in France and I occasionally pipe in with an incorrectly phrased question that they sort of understand. We have an appointment to teach tomorrow and we're going to read the Book of Mormon in both English and French so that they can improve their English (which is why they moved to England).
N, the father of a Hindu family that we got to teach once but they're very busy. Pray that they'll have time and we'll come at the right moment!
O
P

Q

R is the Polish guy from above.

S is an Investigator. She's awesome!
T
U
V
Williams, Elder. One of our awesome Zone Leaders. He's great and funny.
X
Y
Z, a white Muslim guy that we found and we're trying to teach.

Sorry not all the letters are filled in. I could find more but I don't have much time and ya, we still are going to need to do some work. There are more that I could include, it's just that they have the same first letters to their names as other people.

Anyhow, missionary work is hard and I'm learning a lot and trying to be more diligent. The Lord is really blessing us but that doesn't make things magically easy as we might like.

This week my study has been all over the place but I got some great insight and help from Heavenly Father on improving my skills and abilities and also helping the Gloucester District be amazing. It was good. Heavenly Father is really helping me and us. Elder Decaudin is great. We're learning a lot together. We don't have much time though so with that, have a lovely week everyone, you are great and I love you!

Elder Houghton