Week 9 - Dreadfully Hot and Looking Pretty

Missionaries currently serving in my district

Hiya! You alright? (That's a pretty common phrase over here)

Someone really loves garden gnomes!

So as of  today, it has been a great week. Most of our friends have either moved (because they are university students here and they move back home for the summer), or dropped us. But that is okay because that means that we have had plenty of time to find new friends to teach. We have found quite a few people this past week, and have made appointments to meet and teach them about how Jesus Christ can help them in their lives. We also have a lot of service opportunities planned.

Really cool door bell - old fashioned pull handle

It's been really sunny this past week and I've gotten a nice tan (you can see where my watch was on my wrist). It was dreadfully hot on Saturday with temperature of 29°C while feeling like 34°C. I heard it got up to 43°C in some places in France. Let me just say, Saturday was wayyyy too hot! I feel bad for missionaries that are serving in really hot exotic places and wear the same thing. I was sweating while standing in the shade!

This Friday we had exchanges with the zone leaders, and we were able to go inviting in the city centre of Bristol again. This time, we were inviting by the River Avon. Bristol is such a nice place. The people here are great too. We talked to a guy who served in the military and saw a lot of nasty things, so we decided to share with him a message about the Plan of Salvation. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon, but he refused it. We offered a Plan of Salvation pamphlet instead and he took it.

 The River Avon

The zone leader I was on exchange with is actually an assigned Mandarin speaking missionary, so he was talking to some Chinese people while I was just standing there looking pretty...Haven't felt like that since my first day in the mission field! Haha! But it's all good. The Chinese people seem to really be ready to hear a message about the restored gospel. I can't wait till all of China can be opened to hearing the gospel someday!

Today we ended up going to a candy shop, and let me tell you, there was a lot of candy! I ended up getting a piece of candy called the "candy cable." It was probably 2 1/2 feet long. I don't think that I have ever seen so much candy all at once. I might be making some stops at the candy shop later on....

 This was just one of many walls filled with candy!

Candy cable

I came across this quote by Elder D. Todd Christoffersen:

"We do not strive for conversion to the Church but to Christ and His gospel."

There are a lot of people that we come across saying, "We are already Christian," or "Ah, you trying to get people to go to your church". Honestly, we're not here to switch people's religion or just to get an increase of members. All that we are trying to do is to help others come unto Christ, and to receive the ordinances-- done with proper authority-- that enables us to return to our Father in heaven again someday, and to see and be with our families forever in the next life. It is only through Christ that this is possible, through the way that He taught us, and it is only by being more converted to Christ and His gospel that we can truly endure to the end.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Redeemer. He is the way back, and that by really having the desire and following Him, we can get through anything in life as taught in Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

But remember, faith must lead to action. It is only through action that we can receive. We will receive the help and strength that we need when we act in faith. I know this to be true as I have seen this principle in action numerous time in my life. I know that we can all receive the strength to do so, as God loves all of children unconditionally. You just need to ask for it in faith.

Take care, all of you. You are always in my prayers!

Cheers,

Elder Jakob

 Beautiful view

Found this giant ugly spider. It was the size of a couple of toonies!