Silly times!

Well it's been a really good week for trials!

I went into the podiatrist on tuesday, turns out I got problems with my toes! So long story short with all the details ripped out I've been in the flat most all the week getting my problems solved! Good thing about this is I've been through many trials like this before, so it was almost like meeting an old friend that you sort of wish you didn't have to meet again, but now that you've been acquainted with him, you are kind of stuck with it for the time being.

I've learned a lot about enduring through trials with a load on your back. I'm already sure this is just small pressure compared to the loads I'm likely going to be called to carry in my life one day. To learn to be happy no matter what situation you find yourself in while it's a small burden to overcome means when the time comes that you are called to bear heavy burdens you may more easily apply that principle to your load.

Honestly trials I find are way more interesting to me than the everyday normal life stuff. I often think to myself in a positive way that this means God is attempting to teach me a lesson I need to learn. It's not about me, I'm not given this trial so I can learn to sit in a flat for hours and let time go by. I'm given this because there are people on the earth either now or in the future that will be blessed by the wisdom that comes from prayerfully enduring what i'm called to pass through now.

When I look a trial, no matter how big, small, long, or short, it gives me courage to mightily press forward with faith hoping for better days to come, and opportunities to deliver the life lessons I've learned in a way that isn't preachy or overbearing. If there's one thing you shouldn't do with wisdom, it's cast it before swine, especially at the wrong time.

Forcing truth into someone who isn't capable of applying it is a sign they either don't need it and therefore can't do anything with it, or are unable to comprehend it's light, and reject it, either esteeming is as a thing of naught, and thus hardening themselves to it's power, or being unable to comprehend it, and applying that truth in ways it was not intended to, perversing the light, and making it dark. Classic example of that last bit would definitely be the patriarchal system of the church. Misinterpreted especially before the light of revelation can direct it's divine truth has lead to apostasy, unrightous dominion, and if you look out in the world today, a reversing polarity in the politcal pendulum about the family unit.

well that's enough rambling for now. Not exactly sure if that made a whole lot of sense but it's been on my mind lately and I figured I need to write it down somewhere.

I'll be getting my smartphone in the next week or two, so that's exciting!

Elder Fisk

Transfers are Good!

I'm staying for another transfer in Kilmarnock with Elder Fabiano! so that means my companion and I are going all in. 

I feel like i'm just constantly emailing, with little naps in between them the rest of the world calls weeks. I believe this one is a 5 week transfer so that means this ends at the end of april. strange thing to consider, it is going to go by really fast.

I haven't got a whole lot to update on. My health is great. I'm feeling good, my companion is doing just fine, the area is working well enough. The ward is getting super excited on getting people to church, we are going to be spending the majority of our transfer training members how to be missionaries, how to invite their friends, talk about the book of mormon, and get in touch with us, and we are already seeing loads of success both on our teaching pool, and the testimony of the members increasing, as they share the gospel with the people they love and care for.

It's a tiring work that's for sure. The work changes when you put your heart and soul into it. when it's no longer a job, but it's an extension of your character, and the works vitality is a reflection of your own, it's something I didn't learn when I came out the first time, but it's a skill I've been able to identify and hopefully carry with me after the mission. I was chatting with a member at dinner yesterday about it, and he was telling us about this experience he had when he was working in a pub, and how he took a small independant pub into a thriving and powerful one because he put everything he had into it, and it became his life, and as a result, MANY people recognized the unique change that had occured and flocked to his pub, because it was different from all the rest. It was a slow, but steady growth, that never stopped till the day he left. He left it thriving, and really well off, and within 18 months, it had shut down, because the people who took over the business couldn't do the same.

My hope for all future or current missionaries who end up reading this is to know that there is no possible thing as a bad area. Just bad missionaries. Now in the Book of Mormon we know it was Alma's lot to fall on a more stiffnecked people, but that should only indicate that Alma's original prosyliting approach, calling people to repentance and preaching, wasn't the way to do it, for those specific people, at that specific time. If we become adaptable, changeable according to the labor by which we are called, and the spirit which will teach us truth, we will find success in every possible area we serve in, even in your future callings in the church, and your callings in life.

$Peace$

St. Patty Party

Wow I can't believe it's already been 4 months since I left home for vegas. I've become so adjusted to how things work around here, it just feels normal.

I have a problem with shopping, I like it too much. Today we went to Ayr and went around all the shops finding nice new clothing and I was VERY tempted. But I ended up buying 5 tartan ties today, 4 of them being labeled from native clans, and one that was just really soft so I HAD to buy it. They come from Stewart Royal, Atholl, Thomson, and Macdonald Dress pattern. They are all really nice, but I am going to need a lot more money because they cost like 12-13 pounds each. I am willling to buy loads more if people want me to buy them here and sell them to you when I'm home.

This last week we helped our investigator family paint all their walls, and afterwards had dinner. Really good time with them. We've found a few potential investigators this week and honestly our schedule is already full of a lot of lessons, which is unique to the average week in the mission. Have to give credit to my Las Vegas trainer for showing me how to work really hard and really efficiently. We are pulling our weight here in Kilmarnock, and we can't wait to keep going hard here. Big teaching pools are really stressful but really fun too.

We learned today that we are getting smartphones soon! We received word that we have to take our smartphone training. Exciting times! That means I'll need to pull out some cash for a phone, but that will be fine!

Smartphones are going to elevate my mission work to a higher level, now that I know how powerful they can really be. If used incorrectly, they can be detrimental to the work, but used right, It's POWERFUL. so Excited.

That's me for the week I guess!

The Days Go By

Wow the weeks are starting to really go by fast now.

Not a whole lot has happened this week, just lots and lots of finding, and this week, lots of teaching! I'm excited to see what this upcoming week has in store. Our interviews with the Mission President are this week, and I'm excited to see him again. 

We are making leaps and bounds to turn every member into a missionary. We are helping the family we are teaching repaint their house this week in preparation for them receiving new floors this Friday.

We weren't able to go to the Isle of Arran today because we didn't get it approved in time to go. So we will try again next transfer. we only have two weeks left of this transfer now?? that's crazy!

I got a new coat that is REALLY comfy.  And I got me a haircut today, and it's good!

Also I went on exchanges this week with another elder just starting his mission, named Elder Cluff, from Idaho. 

Just a couple photos for this week.

That's me for now.

This Week is a Special Week

It's been a great week for sure. I've passed my year mark! YAY.. Well it's been a crazy year in review I'll tell you. This week, right on February 28 we had our Scotland South Conference, and all except for 2 of my mtc group were there, so it was almost a perfect reunion! We ate lunch together and talked about how crazy it was over the last year. What a good conference. Other highlights of the week were we were about to have exchanges, but the district leader got sick that morning so we had to come back. I also tried another super traditional British meal with some members on Sunday, Liver and Onions. I also learned that I'm not a big fan of Liver and Onions this week. It's okay... but I'd be fine if I never came in contact with it for the rest of my life. But that's one more thing I can say I've done on the Mission! It was Lamb Liver, supposedly much better than other forms, but still, I think It was fine.

The work all around is going really good. Excerpt from my letter to President this week since I don't have a lot of time:

Our ward mission leader got up in sacrament yesterday and told everyone just how well we are doing, about how we are teaching a whole family and how the work is just moving along really well, gave us a lot of credit. ( and we didn't even ask him to do it too) and after sacrament meeting we had a lot of members approach us and ask if they could feed us, meet with them this week. Very powerful moment where we are starting to get the members' trust, and I'm hoping this means they go all out in trying to assist us in the work. After all, it's their ward family they are working for, not mine. I'm just called to teach and administer the ordinances of the Gospel in whatever area/ward/branch I get called so it can flourish and sustain itself.

This ward is really good. They hold LOTS of potential. Amidst all my prayers and mediation over this ward, I really feel like the work here is about to explode. Like any moment now we are going to be up to our eyeballs in teaching.

One example of this is as we have gone chapping the last few weeks, I've noticed a few key differences with how these people respond to us, and the general answer as i've prayed about them, even as we talk to them, is that they are prepared. All I have to do is get over my fears, open my mouth, and let the spirit guide.

I don't know when this is going to happen but I truly believe this ward has FANTASTIC potential. As in I believe in our ward boundaries, we could baptize 15 times before I leave. I believe it can be done, I just need to get a grip of myself, repent, and go for it.

Training is a labor of Love.

Wow training is very different week to week. We are finally making progress on our companionship, and I am seeing him grow. It's really insightful to be on this side of missionary work. I see how well he's doing, when he doesn't at all. I also see where he needs to improve in places he doesn't see yet. It's a powerful tool, being in the position of a trainer.

This last week I was on exchanges with Elder O'Connor, one of our zone leaders, and my companion Elder Fabiano was over in Paisley for the day with Elder Palmer, the second Zone Leader. I was able to learn from a very seasoned and very talented missionary about how to talk to people, how to approach missionary work in general, and I've had such a good time doing so. 

Today I've spent a lot of time in Irvine just hanging out with the Elders here, This week we got a lot of travelling to do. Tomorrow I'll be in Ayr, and Thursday I'll be in Edinburgh for our Scotland South Conference.

I read the letter from the First Presidency about missionaries, and it seemed most people skipped over this pretty important extra detail.

  ''In addition to communicating weekly on preparation day, missionaries also are encouraged to communicate with their families on special occasions such as Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, their parents’ birthdays, and other holidays that are significant in the missionary’s home country or culture'' So that's exciting. 

We've got a crazy week ahead and lots of really good experience at the forefront.

This work is great. I'm loving it, even in the hard times.

See you next week!

The Grand Taste of Mexican Food

This last week has been a huge learning experience. Training is a whole new ball game. I've learned that I don't really know what i'm doing. It's made a huge difference going from a companion that's served for an entire mission, and he's got all this experience, to my current companion, who is finely pressed out of the MTC. 

Cool things that happened this week were we had Chicken Enchiladas at the Walker's flat yesterday for Dinner, which was SUPER nice, since she got a few things sent to her from back home. I missed some proper Mexican food, so it was really good. Also last week the walkers went to the Costco in Glasgow and bought us a big package of Krusteaz Pancake mix so we are living good at home. We visited with 3 less actives yesterday and all of them are super excited to come back.
So the story is this lady called us on thursday during weekly planning and told us she wanted to start coming back to church. When we went to her house last night, her mother was there as well as her husband, they hadn't been to church in a long time and they felt they needed to start their journey again. We talked to them about Come Follow Me, and our study group on wednesdays, and they thought that would be amazing, so they are going to be coming to that this week, as well as coming to church on Sunday.

I haven't taken any pictures this week, except for a picture of a contract that My companion and I made this week in order to focus our efforts and increase our capacity to follow the rules, and to inspire us to be missionaries. I picked this up from my Vegas missionary friends (Luv ya!) and it works really well. I'm going to continue this tradition my whole mission.

Not sure what i'm going to do for todays adventure, but I'll let you all know next week what went down. See you all later!