Emma with her last companion and an elder from the district
16 May 2011
10 May 2011
11 January 2011
Update on letters
Sorry friends of Emma, I just posted a lot of letters and pictures I've been hoarding due to a combination of laziness and lack of time. I hope you get a chance to read some of the letters. There are a few pictures posted as well and if you don't have a lot of time I suggest you read letters #15 (she's training), #13 (funny English ward). Or look through the pictures posted.
Missionary Letter #15 (January 6, 2011)
so biggest news of the week!!!!
there are two new sisters coming in.
sis g--she's only been out for six months-- is training one! AND opening a new area!!! and sis k and i are training the other one!!!! what the heck?? how cool is that? we're the only ones training this transfer and we were all together! we had president's interviews yesterday, and he was just like, "yeah, i really trust you guys." isn't that so cool?? and sis k has only been out eight months, so it's not normal that she would train. and guess what? ours is from burma!!! she only speaks a little bit of english, comes from a tiny village and has never been in weather below like 85 degrees. haha! wow! can you believe that?
so we have to go to a training meeting on wednesday, and then, i get to be the one walking into that room singing the second verse of called to serve! good thing sis k will be doing pretty much everything and i just have to speak the best english and know the area.
i went into london on thursday and friday to switch and then switch back. isn't that crazy how much we go in? i went to ilford, which is in east london, and it is just full of people from india, and other places too, and english people as well. but it's the highest baptising area in the mission, and so it was fun. it was cool to go to a new area and see how different things can be. people weren't only in a rush all the time, but they'd stop and talk to us. people were willing to come and meet with us so easily! i couldn't even believe it. like 9 out of 10 people would talk to us, while here in canterbury it's like 1 out of 10 or 15 people that will talk to us. i'm glad i'm in canterbury though where we can go out into the country as well. i did feel like i would serve there sometime though. it would be nice. then i'd get to teach so much. i felt that way when i went into london centre though too, so i think i just get excited when i visit an area. haha.
well, i've been thinking a lot this week about how jesus teaches in the new testament. and about that one part, where he's teaching people from a boat in the sea of galilee. and his disciples come and ask why he teaches in parables, and he says, "he that hath ears to hear let him hear" and about how some people are listening, really listening, and some people just are not. i feel like that's how it is here, too. we tell hundreds of people the same thing and most of them aren't listening, at least not listening to hear, but a few of them do understand. a few can see beyond the parable, beyond what we teach and see why it's important. and then what do we do? well, all we do is invite them to "come and see" just as the saviour did. i like that. just that we're saying to come and see. we're not trying to force them to watch something, but to just come with us, and they can see for themselves. i think it's interesting too that i feel like it's like, first you hear--that's our job, to say something they can hear--then we give them the choice--come--and they have the choice to see for themselves. anyway, some things i liked.
Missionary Letter #14 (January 3, 2011)
so mom asked me about english people and their accents and if you just forget. and that is how it's been like the whole time, that i don't even recognise that they're saying funny things because it all already seems normal! haha. so i have to kind of watch for it and then think, "okay, that is NOT normal." like the congregation all having their input in sacrament meeting? i had to remind myself that that wasn't normal. haha! and i wrote another one yesterday from church. the bishop was giving the lesson in relief society, and he talked about goals and things, but he started off with a story that elder ballard gives about a husband and wife who want to get a divorce, and the story starts out with the judge saying, "what are the grounds of divorce?" and as soon as he said that, this old, hilarious lady in the ward who is always telling us the gossip in the ward and things burst in through the doors (we were in the chapel) and she just walks in and says, "men" and doesn't even smile and just goes and sits down. sis g and i were laughing so hard!! haha! and the american students. and then the english people just laugh a little quieter. it's like they love being clever, but they don't just laugh at what someone says, the goal is to up them after kind of, instead of in our family where we laugh for a while and then think of something else to say. haha!
on friday there was a memorial service for this 97 year-old woman from the ward. i had to play piano again because no one is in town that usually plays! but i knew what the hymns would be before hand so i practiced. the closing was nearer my god to thee, and since it's an easy one, i played it an octave higher and added some little frills on the top hand and some arpeggio type things on the bottom hand and played that for the last verse, and like everyone there told me how pretty it was! "it was like she was just going off into the stars" people said. and some of them started crying. it was cute.
well, we got half the day on new year's eve off and new year's too. sis g rented TEN movies and we watched all of them. haha! it was out of control. including hannah montana and camp rock 2. we watched the climb like seven times. haha!
well, yesterday, it was cool because we had two investigators at church. literally it feels like a miracle anytime an investigator comes to church. ever. yesterday this guy that we taught for like two months but we haven't heard from him this entire transfer came. he would never come before. we couldn't figure out why. he just wouldn't come. but then yesterday he was riding his bike to the train station, which is near church, and he just felt like he needed to go to church! so he just showed up!! what in the world??? it was so cool! so anyway. that was kind of a huge miracle.
anyway, this friday, i'm doing a workover in ilford! yay! so that's like the highest baptising area in the mission (it's full of immigrants--especially africans) and so that should be fun. just for a day. and then transfers is a week from wednesday! i'm gonna be so sad if sister g leaves. we're already making up a handshake for when we see each other later. it's to the justin bieber song. haha! oh man.
love you all so much!
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