Week 17: Swansea is the promised land

Well well well... another week has come and gone! Man. So much has happened. 

First things first.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Now I guess we'll start from the beginning. So it turns out, it actually does rain in the UK. For the past week it has actually rained EVERY day! Who knew? So naturally, we put on our coats and go to work! I am so glad that I brought a coat with me.. otherwise I might have put on every article of clothing I had and looked like a proper rainbow marshmallow. 

This week we got to have a zone meeting. I think it was one of the most inspired meetings I've ever been to! Everyone that went definitely got something new out of it, and knew how to change their own ways to become better missionaries and people. After we walked home through the rain, the zone leaders dropped off some supplies we needed and they included a Polish Book of Mormon. You never know when you'll need one of those! That same day we went out to talk to more people, and the third guy is... you guessed it. Polish! He walked us all the way to his house, and introduced us to his house mates. Turns out one of his house mates is studying chemical engineering (woot woot) and so then we were able to invite them all to learn more. Definitely a cool day. 

That same day we actually got to teach our first Chinese investigator!! Liu Yizhang! He is such a cool guy, and listening to him pray was an experience I'll always remember. Even though it was all in Chinese, it was awesome to hear him speak to his Father in Heaven for the first time. Prayer is definitely a powerful tool. 

On friday we got to teach an investigator that came to general conference. Everything in the lesson seemed to be going great, until I looked at the clock at the end and realized that we had been talking with him for two and a half HOURS. So much time. But it was ok, he just had lots of questions. As we introduced the Book of Mormon to him and we asked him if he would read it and pray about it, he responded with "Ummm.... DUUUH!" Ok man. I think he is headed in the right direction. 

So because Sister Lambert and I were whitewashed into Swansea, we also inherited the responsibility of throwing a ward party that the previous sisters had been planning. Turns out those things take up A LOT of time! Man. But we made it happen! It took place on Saturday night, and we had to entertain the ward for about an hour and a half while we waited for the bishop to bring back the food... But he brought back chips (Fries) so it was worth it! I don't know why, but I've developed a love for fried potatoes over my lifetime. They were delicious of course!

Yesterday we got to teach our 2nd Chinese investigator, and we also taught him to pray. We asked him if he would like to end with a prayer. He folded his hands, closed his eyes, and we waited. And waited. And waited... Sister Lambert and I looked at each other and realized that he was praying, but in his mind! Which was grand and dandy, except he prayed for 5 minutes straight!! We wondered if he had accidentally fallen asleep or something...So we sat in dead silence in the cafe and waited. After he awoke from his prayer, it turns out he just talked to God about his life. He told God what he needed, and was looking for feelings of an answer. How neat is that?

One thing that a member said in church yesterday really stood out to me. She said "The most important thing people can know about me is that I know the church is true." Deep stuff. I think we should remember that the gospel is truly the most important thing in our lives. When things get tough, when life gets stressful, the gospel is always there as a comfort. Maybe not all of the people that are members, but the head of our church, Jesus Christ, is always here to help us out. 

Keep dry and warm!

Love,

Sister Slack

flooding outside our flat

sometimes you wear weird things inside your flat when you practice singing

eating famous Joe's Ice cream