Yoyoyo

It's been a great first week in Inverness! It already feels like I've been here for ages though! Lucky lucky I am in a dank area. Aka we got the loch and we got the good castle. We've not done a whole lot, just meetings, lessons, lots of visits, lots of finding. Just a big full schedule of lots of work to do.

While I've been on my mission, I've been blessed with self worth. I understand how important it is to know who you are and where you fit in all this work. While at our zone leadership conference, we all talked about this. 

A lot of missionaries in our zone are new, and young. They havent figured themselves out, they still try to be someone they're not. We concluded that's going to be the biggest focus as leaders, teach them to learn to love themselves and their work. Figure out how to work while being themselves. Then I realised that I'm getting aged. I realised I'm now what others think of as "experienced". All it took was to listen to them over the last week. I realised I'm older than all 7 other people in my district, and tied with a sister (mtc group) and they ask me questions about how to do things. Being a leader is a strange thing. Elder Fabiano and I made this joke about replacing the word leader with peasant. There is a stereotype of big headed district and zone leaders so we just refer to them as district peasants and zone peasants. 

I guess it's just wierd to be called old. I still feel like I'm in my first few months.

So not much to report on. I've been in meetings constantly and I'll be in more meetings till tomorrow night.

We went to slains castle today and it was fantastic. We played capture the flag a few hours. It was a great great time. Happy to meet so many in the zone. 

Well dont know what to say apart from this for now. Cheers everyone!

Run for the hills!

Well the week came and went. Big news for me! I'm sent now to the beautiful land of Inverness to be a district leader! 

No idea what that's going to be like but I'm ready to see what happens next! 

It was pretty sad to say goodbye to everyone yesterday, I wish I could be around them more and more. However, the mission and life moves on and on. Time to be responsible I guess.

Not a whole lot else to say, it's a full day of travel.

Everyone I've talked to has been very jealous of my travel there, so I guess I'll be in for some very pretty pdays wont I? This will be exciting for sure.

Let me share with you a scripture I came across that I really like for this week.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:26 says this

26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

I really appreciate that truth. The purpose is to grow and make our own decisions. We should always rely on God to help us make our (important) decisions, but we shouldn't wait until he tells us to do good to do good. You should already know to do those things, so do them!

Inverness Castle

When pday makes life great

I feel like at this point I'm walking up every day to write a weekly update.

Well for news this last week I went to glasgow on Wednesday to have an operation on my foot. When I got there they mixed it up as a consultation and the doctor wasnt informed correctly, so she had to look at her schedule to see when it could happen, but she quickly realized she's on vacation for two weeks after this week, along with getting another doctor for the operation wont be available till July. So for now I'm just going to continue doing what I have been doing. Lots of resting, and when I work, I work full power. 

Amazing thing about this is we've had higher weekly numbers here with little work at 100% commitment than the infinite chapping and work we had the first few months. I wonder if that gives some insight on miracles preceding faith.

Today we went to dalquharran castle. Imagine one of the biggest castles you can find and keep it nearly completely intact, minus age turning it into more ruiny. And it has a dungeon with more square footage and rooms than most houses you'll find anywhere. It was so massive.

That's the castle we went to, and that's the castle I'm bringing my friends and family to. It's out in the middle of no where. It's a castle no one talks about, and no one goes to. And all 13 people in our district say this has been the best castle they've ever seen.

And we got exclusive access. We were by ourselves almost the entire time. The only other person that came was a photographer from west Virginia who has been all over Scotland and even he said this was his favorite one. It's so big!

I have many pictures of this place, and a lot of videos. Before we went there we went to the cannibal caves about 25 minutes away. The legend is a guy named sawney bean lived in this cave and would kill traveling merchants, take their things, pull the body into the cave for food, then throw the carcass into the ocean. After fee years of incest, his family grew to 40 people, who all had enough room to live in this cave (this cave is massive. The video I've got doesnt show you nearly anything, it's too dark for it to pick up)

It's the week we get moves calls! I'll be letting you all know what's happening next week! Will I stay in kilmarnock again? We'll see. It will be hard to leave. I've loved this area.

See you next week!

Back to Scotland weather

Its pday again.

How??

The British summer is over, back to rain and clouds again. Maybe. 

And now we are two weeks from transfers again. It's incredible how fast this year is going by.

I dont know if I have a lot to report on this week. On Sunday we had an elder who served here 5 years ago come visit the Allen's, the family we go to dinner every week. It was a great time to hear from him, he actually served in sligo and remembered a few ward members, so we talked about that good old area for a while. 

We started a self reliance class with a lot of our friends, and they are really enjoying it as of week 1. I've been part of it before, when I was in sligo, but it was one of the later weeks, i had never started from the beginning. I figure i wont be able to enjoy this for very long, but I'll enjoy it now!

I dont have many things to share this week, but I've got a thought I'll share with you

When you are seeking answers to your prayers, you won't always receive an answer for your decision, but you can always receive direction.

The work is very good. It's a joy to see people receive light and hope into their lives. It's a sign of the fruits of the gospel. If the gospel was fake, why does it bring real joy? Everlasting joy? 

Elder Fisk

💀

Great time in Kilmarnock this last week. Many of my less active friends came to church on Sunday. It's been nothing but busy busy work. Lots of appointments, and lots of spirit are a good thing.

    We had our all Scotland conference this week and it was amazing. I've got many notes taken, lots of insight gained. And overall it was just a bucket filler day. 

Today we went to kilburn castle and its surrounding estate. It's a beautiful area to go to. I've got many pictures and a 18 minute tour of the secret woods, a section of the estate that has been thoroughly developed into almost a theme park. I wont be sending it home due to size limit, but it will be something I can show people when I get home maybe. We did a remake of Monty python on a bridge close to the castle. It's the bridge of death scene. It's some good craic. Mostly because you can jump cut while recording  but can't edit it later so you have to do a full send once you start. 

I love my district. We all have such a good time. Every pday has basically felt like a vacation and I wish every pday was like that. Lunch time was amazing too. Just a really good set of minutes where we went round telling stories and having a laugh outside in perfect weather.

It's been a really chill and really nice day. But it's time to return to work. Throw on the shirt and tie, grab the book of mormon and head out the door.

That's me

Elder Fisk

Wowee

I think that's been a previous week title

It's been so great here. The last week has been really eventful, lots of teaching, lots of soul searching, lots of good jokes with the members, its really just been a super fast super solid time. I'm getting awful close to that one year mark aren't I?

I loved just chilling and talking with my family. The recent change really makes the conversation nice and mellow.

Today we went out to west kilbride, and to see the grounds near portencross castle. Lots of really cool things there. I dipped my phone into the ocean and got a few cool brief views of the ocean. It's super cool! I hope I can get those sent home soon. 

The district is so cool! I love all of them. 

The sun has been out for once and I've even gotten a sunburn on my neck! Last time I got some sun on me was when I was in Sligo last year. Its weird that that was a year ago. I read journal entries from back then and marvel at how time and things have changed. 

I suppose I'll marvel even more a year from now when I'm ending my mission at how different things ended up being. 

A year is really short. All I have to do is two more kilmarnocks, and that's me. I've spent 5 months here, once this transfer is over it will be almost 6. Doesnt feel like I've been here for that long. Time doesnt make sense anyway.

I'm sure I'll blink and another week will be gone. I'm just happy that life is going in the direction it is. I can feell that a great stumbling block is approaching, dont know what it is, or what its consequences will be, but I know if I'm applying the faith and conversion I've received due to my condition this last year and a few months, I'll top it just like the others that have come before it.

If these were my last words, as a missionary, and a child of God, on the earth here and now I would say that my heart and my purpose is full and fulfilled. I have not failed, nor will I fail. If my soul was required at the altar tonight, I'd go without regret, knowing I've done all I've been sent to do. 

 I wish I knew what details I wanted to share about my life in Scotland. I'm just not sure what to add to or mention. It's all just different here, and a good different for a lot of things. 

Alright, I'll be seeing you all later! I've got work to do!

Elder Fisk

Faster and stronger

I love missionary work. 

It's such a fine experience. 

This week we've seen many miracles entering the field. 

Honestly I dont know what to say about this week.

I've felt a very powerful spirit enter into the lives of multiple people this last week, it's something I haven't seen in a while. I look back and see just how big of a difference things are now compared to a few months ago. The ward is much happier, people are getting along, people have had a slow and steady change of heart, and I'm grateful I've been here long enough to see some of it.

Elder Fabiano and I are really starting to get along. Spending this much time with each other has been a very good blessing and insight for future relationships 😁

Today we went to a mini golf course by a nice pond. It's a free place to go, it's just a park that has all these holes you can sink but you need to bring your own clubs and balls. We had a great time with that. Our district is very powerful this time around, I'm really looking forward to the coming weeks, to see the kind of power God will grant us.

I wish I could take you all here so you can just get a view of what I'm looking at right now from this bus, green rolling hills and pastures, cows, horse, and lamb peppered for miles and miles. The wilderness of Scotland is just incredible.

I'm so happy to be a missionary, days like today are few and far between but they make the whole struggle, the down dark slow days, all worth it. I love my friends.

What goes up must come down, and this too shall pass. Unfortunately. Till the next great day!

Elder Fisk