Elder Jackson and Elder Mattu

This will be a short one from me because it was transfer week but...

Yesterday we had an amazing miracle, whilst walking down the street we hear "are you God's people?" It was a guy who's life was running in to the ground and he said that he felt someone was different about us, he was attracted to us spiritually, he felt like we had what he needed. He was a man who was planning to commit suicide and he happened to come in to our path and we are able to teach him about faith and the atonement on a park bench, he's meeting with us this evening. It's not by chance that these people come in to our paths and I think it's incredible that I'm able to emanate the light of Christ to the point that people can approach me when they long for hope !

My new companion is called Elder Mattu. He's from Coventry and I'm so glad I am able to train him..he's an awesome guy, I've never seen anyone with so much faith ! 

Turns out I'll be staying here for another 3 months, I'm going to be training a new missionary! I'm excited for it, I think it'll be another experience that will help me so much as a person and missionary.I will have spent literally half of my mission in the 12 weeks programme which is crazy! I'm excited to be helping a new missionary again.... so I'm staying in Hull for General conference and Halloween . I'll post next week who my new companion is !  

This week was strange, I thought I'd be moving so we saw some of our investigators, some came to church, they're doing super well and the good thing is, now that I'm staying I will hopefully be here for a baptism. So I'm happy!  

We had a lot of finding this week, I feel so comfortable talking to people now, it's so strange but so awesome because I know that without the powers of heaven I wouldn't be where I am. !

Anyway here is a small thought for the week. Because of the grace and mercy of the Savior, we don't have to be what we have been..You can move past any situation, any problem or any struggle.. But only by relying on the Savior, we can draw on the powers of heaven to change and to move forward.. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved, it is only by letting him guide us to eternal life that we can get there.

It's been a great week for Elder Dobbs and I . We had 3 people at church with us . We found a couple of new people to teach, we've scheduled another of our investigators but we also got rained on a lot too! 

Yesterday we were knocking and a guy came to the door and spoke to us, he rejected us, (obviously..other wise this story wouldn't be so funny )but then the door to his living room closed super hard and crushed his fingers.. moral of the story, don't reject God! haha

I was thinking this week about the heart.. The heart is always the most important thing to have in the right place, if the heart isn't in the right place we will not be focusing on God and the blessings which he gives us. In the scriptures it's always when people harden their HEART when they cannot see God's influence in their lives and which stops them from progressing, it's the same in missionary work.. If we're not focusing on God and all that he's doing and done for us, we will eventually be relying on ourselves and put him aside, we won't get the blessings he has to offer because we won't be willing to open up to them. So I'm always striving to keep my heart in the work and those whom I'm privileged to be working with!:)

I think the topic that I've been reflecting on the most the past few weeks is repentance, I've taught it many times and I've been speaking to people about it, the church is also releasing some videos called "12 steps to change" today talking about 12 peoples personal experiences with overcoming addiction and there was one powerful powerful video which is Step 1, which says a quote:

"because of the love and grace of the savior, you do not have to be what you have been." I have come to love repentance and I used to think that it was always a bad thing to do, he wants to make us become what we want to become.. We can draw on the powers of heaven to change, if we rely on him.. We don't even need to do something bad to apply repentance to our life or the effects that repentance has.. We can become the best selves that we can be, we can improve constantly for the better, we can ask for our problems to be removed, we can ask for our weaknesses to be changed and I have seen that so much especially this past week. I was never the best at finding people on the street, I would do it, but I was never the best.. even whilst knocking, I will admit, I struggled.. But we went on exchange with the AP's this weekend and I was doing both knocking and street contacted with one of them and I just flowed.. I had improved in that very moment, I don't know what I did differently, I don't know how.. But I know that I changed the way I was finding, I know something had changed within me, I remember praying that night and asking for my finding to be as it was that one day.. Ever since it has been better than ever, I have been a good finder and I know that's because of the strength and promises that the savior has given to us.

I have found as well that I have no problem writing down my faults on to paper as well, I found it very hard to find what I was good at, I tried to think so hard at what I was good at, but realized that I always have more in my faults than I do in my strengths, it's always so easy to find our faults, but as I repent of them faults, as I say to my God, I'm sorry for not doing this today, or I'm sorry for not talking to everyone, I'm sorry for being irritated and repenting of them things and then asking for strength to overcome them faults, I have found strength, it's easier to move past them, God had removed them short comings which were stopping me from becoming the best missionary I can be.

I just want to say thank you to everyone that wrote emails and sent cards and gifts to me for my birthday. It was a strange birthday... I missed being around everyone.. normally I don't want to do anything that's birthday related, so I guess I got what I wanted, but it felt so strange! Even receiving and opening the cards it didn't feel like my birthday.. I didn't really tell anyone either, but it was a humbling experience for me, it really made me realize just how much I've changed as a person.. I didn't actually think of myself the whole day.. I could've easily have slacked in the work due to it being my birthday, but I worked and we received miracles from the work that we did! Hard work really does pay off!  I really feel so much love reflecting on the experience and I feel God's arms around me as I think of just how little I thought about myself . 

I've learnt a lot in the past week.. I think I always worried about how others saw me.. I worry way too much on people thinking I'm cool, or thinking I'm funny and pride was and still kinda is a huge issue for me.. I decided to focus my whole week studying pride every single day.. I have felt a HUGE difference in the way that I act towards others. Praying for me has gotten significantly better and it's all because I've been applying humility, I'm so more thankful for the blessings I have and I never realized just how blind I was until I evaluated myself.. Crazy times!

The highlights from my humility studies are:

Pain brings you to a humility that allows you to ponder

Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up, humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless or of little value, nor does it mean denying ourselves or withholding talents God had given us. We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellow men.

Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to heavenly father's purposes. Pride does the opposite. Pride draws it's energy and strength from deep wells of selfishness. The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die.

Well it's transfer week and im staying in Hull with my companion Elder Dobbs. We both have our 19 th birthday in the next few weeks so we will get to celebrate together. 

Stay safe and well :D 

Before the soaking 

After the soaking

Yes it's England ...it's been wet this week.

Nothing else to say :D