Well, what to say about this week. We did ALOT of finding, the muscles on my legs felt sore at the end of every day this week. I mean we tore up the pavements all over Ayr, talking to people and then chapping some houses past the college. I think it was a great start to the transfer, and I hope that our sacrifice and hard work results in some blessings.
Soon P-day last week Sister Lawson wanted to go to some charity shops to find some clothes, I just kinda bored but it's all right. I hope that maybe today we can do something interesting, but it takes forever to go somewhere and there aren't any missionaries nearby that we can do activities with. We had a lesson with John and it fell through AGAIN, so the night we spent GQing on the streets.
Tuesday, we usually start out day walking to the college and university trying to catch some students who are arriving late to their class. The walk is pretty nice because there's a trail that runs beside the college and behind the college is the university, next to the trail is the river. Across the bank on the river, however, this morning was two boys drinking and throwing sticks into the water.... It wasn't even lunch yet.
Once we had our lunch we decided to chap some of the houses that are past the college and started knocking. The first door we knocked on was a really nice catholic woman and she spoke to us a while about life where we are from. The next few houses were people saying they're too busy and then a few we don't believe in that stuff. We got to this abandoned-looking home... We knocked and waited a moment, talking to each other. Suddenly the door opened slowly to a little crack and the man that opened the door exclaimed Oh My ***!! he jumped back as if he was shocked that someone who knocked on the door was there. He peered through the crack in the door again and looked at me, he couldn't see Sister Lawson because she was next to me and the door wasn't opened wide enough. The man had a bald head and curly black hair on the sides of his head. He smelt terrible. We told him that we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and were sharing a message about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked to him about prophets and basically taught the Restoration to him. He talked so much about the strangest things, like the Germans, Italians, Arabs, and Jews. He said to us that Jesus was a part of the Aryan Race and had blonde hair and blue eyes. And Said that in his world the only flag flying over the white house was the Union Jack, he spoke about Empire and stuff like that. In the middle of the conversation, his neighbor walked up to his own home and as the neighbor did so the man hid further in him home and peeped at his neighbor silently until he went inside. Then the man returned to his stream of words and ideas, In between it all I was trying to teach him the Restoration, in the end, we gave him the pamphlet and he stared at it like a child being given a new toy. He flicked through the pages commenting and admiring the different pictures, calling out what different races the men looked like in the pictures. After Several attempts to have him be quite enough for us to say a prayer, we eventually succeeded. I don't know if I want to go back again, but it was certainly an experience. We had a successful Co-ordination meeting this week and was able to make some decisions, ideas about what we can do.
Wednesday Had a lesson with Graham and Sister Cairns went with us, she was such a good joint teach and we talked to him about Temples and Family history. He wanted at the lesson to be baptized next week, I don't feel too sure about it, though. Sister Lawson had her Physico Appointment afterward, because her foot has been bothering her forever. They gave her a few stretches and stuff to do to help, she needs to come back next week to get checked on again. Our Mission President felt the need to come down and visit us. He took us out to lunch and spoke to us for a bit. He also checked out our flat because we have a few problems with it and the landlord is being very slack with us. President said that Sister Lawson and I will be staying together in Ayr for another transfer, I will try my best to make this transfer better than the last.
Thursday
That morning we watched the Missionary Broadcast, it was so inspiring. I really enjoyed the messages shared to us and the changes to the schedule is very interesting. We have 30mins extra time in the morning and 30 mins extra in the evening, I don't know how our mission is going to do the schedule, but I guess we'll find out this coming week at All Scotland. Guess what the rest of the day installed? you got it GQing!
Friday, Taught a guy named Andrew, who is doing research of his own into the Church. After the lesson with him, he's been texting us Anti-Mormon stuff, telling us that our faith is wrong and he was sent to help us know that. He asks us questions about Joseph Smith and the Bible vs. Book of Mormon and we answer his questions but the way the Anti-Mormon literature presents the information is so miss leading and out of context that none of our answers are good enough for him. We won't let us met up with him in person again and content now to be done with us. I run into this sort of junk for most of my mission. I know when people start reading it if they don't walk up the steps but instead try to skip some most of the time they fall and get confused. There would be so much more baptisms in this stuff wasn't online, yes people have the right to know a different point of view but it's like propaganda and not presented in a clear factual way, information and facts get manipulated by interpretation. None of the things I've learned from the anti-Mormon literature has weakened my faith because I know that the Church is true, from God is the only way be can understand and know these things of the Spirit.
Saturday did the usual and also got to help a member Paint her house. She's a single woman that lives alone. I painted her ceiling and it was pretty relaxing to just focus on one thing.
Sunday, I think it was one of the best Sunday of my mission, the church service was pretty good. During most of it I was texting Andrew a paper that a member gave me of his research to support the argument. But at the same time, I listened to the lessons, the first hour was about home and visiting teaching and the second about Joseph Smith his younger years, and the last was a really good sacrament meeting. After church we went GQing along the beach, it was an unusually sunny day. We spoke to two people for a really long time and it was really nice. Then had the Donaldson's (members in our ward) Brother Donaldson made a curry and they invited a less-active friend of their's to dinner and we had a good time getting to know her and will be visiting her and her family later next week.
Hope Everyone is doing well!
Pictures are of the crazy man's house, and of the river that we GQ along near the college and university
