This week was wild. haha On Monday, for preparation day, we were able to go to the craig miller castle with all the missionaries. we played hide n go seek in it. it was sick.
On tuesday we had the Scotland North Conference. so we drove up to Aberdeen and were able to help out and instruct at that. We didn't get back home until late that night. it was cool being able to see some friends up there:)
On Wednesday we actually had a normal day. There is this girl named Niamh who met with the missionaries a little while ago. but they said that when they taught her, their lessons didn't really go anywhere and she would never progress. then she just fell off the face of the earth and would never respond to them. but i texted her the other day and asked if she wanted to meet up and she said she would! so on Wednesday night we met with her, and oh my goodness she is so rad. So when she was 15 she ran away from home and lived in a buddhist monestary for a little while and has kind of just traveled around. now she is in Edinburgh. then she apologized for not contacting the missionaries for awhile and continued to tell us that in November her mom committed suicide and so she left the country for a while to cope. She continued to tell us that she decided that she knows that the book of mormon is true and wants to make the church more a part of her life and told us she wants to be baptised. She also said that she remembered the missionaries talking about doing baptisms for the dead and that she wanted to do that for her mom. my mind was blown! so we had such a good lesson on the plan of salvation and set her on date to be baptised next month:) it was so amazing.
On Thursday we had the Scotland South Conference and we did the same thing and instructed at that. it was in Edinburgh so we didn't have to travel which was nice haha.
me and my two kids that are still alive lol
On Friday we had exchanges with one of our sisters and it was sway cool we had some good lessons and found some cool people!
On Friday night the ward put together a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) or Burns Night, which is a social event with Scottish or Irish folk music, singing, traditional dancing, and storytelling. so they hired a scottish band to play and partner dance. all the missionaries just danced with their companion and made sure that we didn't get too close to each other. haha Our mission president rolled up in a kilt, so that was cool. everyone at the party was just dancing and having so much fun. at the beginning of the party they had some scottish story telling and then the cutting of the haggis. and oh my goodness, that was actually the best haggis i have ever had! it wont get better than that! (haggis’s main ingredients are sheep or calf organs, onion, oatmeal, suet & spices encased in a bag made from the animal’s stomach) we had neeps and tatties (yellow turnip or rutabaga & potatoes). but it was honestly one of the most fun times i have had on my mission.
Then today we got special permission by our mission president to hike Arthurs Seat, which has been banned for missionaries for the longest time. but there was a lunar eclipse early this morning and so he let us all get up at 4 to be able to go hike and be up there by 5:15 for it. it was so dang cold, but so fun. i'm gonna be so tired though haha . and it was way dark because, well, the sun wasn't out. lol so i tripped quit a few times but everything is good in the hood man.
We are teaching some really cool people right now. i never know what to write about the people we are teaching becasue i feel like it always sounds the same to you guys and you might get bored. haha but we are still teaching our friend Mung. she is a trooper because our chinese is not good and her english is okay. but we brought in an elder that is serving here who speaks chinese who was able to help us teach her and it went a little better. we also have exchanges with a sister who is serving in Belfast ireland who is coming in who speaks really good chinese who will be able to teach mung with me and it will help so much!
We have our friend Sarah who has been taught everything but is getting heavy pressure from family and friends not to get baptised. but she knows its true. I can't even comprehend how hard it would be to know something is true, but your friends and family wreck you for it. that would be such a hard decision to make. but she is amazing and she will do what is best. she has so much faith. it's awesome!
We have our friend kacper who has been taught the first three lessons. he is from poland and has come to every activity and every church service since we met him. he is way cool, he has lots of doubts and questions but his questions are good, he just wants to be sure about everything which is cool.
Those are like the main people we are teaching right now. we have others but those are the main ones and i dont want to write anymore. haha
But yeah, God is good and this work is amazing. i am so grateful for all of it, the good and the bad. it is great! Obviously we all have our doubts and questions, even as a missionary you do, which can be hard sometimes. but it is cool because i know that as we always turn to God and sincerely and humbly ask Him our questions, then they will be answered, and all will be well. I was talking to a sister this week and we were talking about the struggles that we face and how hard they can be sometimes. and its cool to look at, because sometimes we are comfortable where we are at and don't want to move, but God sees our true and full potential and knows what we need to do to get there. so he has to knock us down a little bit, or a lot sometimes (which sucks) but is so cool, because if we allow ourselves to get back up, we will get back up better and stronger. and it's just kind of an ongoing process which can totally be the worst or the best depending on the way you look at it. if that makes sense i don’t know. haha but that was my rant for the day. i love you guys all so much!!!
also i pulled my toe nail off...
i panicked a little bit...
