The sisters of the Wandsworth Zone
this area, with lots and lots of sunshine. There were moments where I
thought, "It is getting super hot." A week ago though, you would not
have heard those words coming from my lips. I guess that is the
typical England weather though. We never know the outcome of weather.
I think that it probably why weather is one of the most commonly
talked about topics among the people here. I reflect back on this week
and think about the things that happened. The first thing that comes
to my mind is finding. We are currently in the midst of doing lots and
lots of finding but thinking more and more about it, there were lots
of many adventures throughout the week and many tender mercies of the
Lord. At the beginning of the week, Sister Fromgren and I were blessed
to be able to go to MLC (mission leadership conference) and hear a
member of the seventy come and speak to us. It was Elder Herbertson
(who is originally from Scotland). He's a great guy and he has such an
enthusiastic way of presenting things. He is very funny and it's great
to hear his Scottish accent too. Elder Herbertson and the rest of us
first did a study council about a few verses in 3 Nephi and then we
discussed as a mission what we could do to further the work along.
Afterwards, Sister Herbertson and Elder Herbertson spoke to us to
conclude. Something that really stood out to me was when Elder
Herbertson said, "Our lives will be but a second to live but we will
have forever to look back on them." It is so true. Our lives are so
short compared to eternity and it helped me to ponder about how
precious our time is here on the earth. Are we living it the way that
Heavenly Father intended for us to live it or do we overlook the time
we have and later come to regret those opportunities that we missed?
Overall, MLC was very spiritual and I really enjoyed it. The following
day, Sister Fromgren and I were waking up, getting ready, and doing
our studies. We need to organise some things in the morning for a
council meeting so we didn't finish getting completely ready with our
hair and all but we figured during lunch after Sister Fromgren's
language study, we could use some time to finish getting ready. Well
we thought wrong. :) Just as companion study was finishing, we got a
call from Sally, our recent convert, saying that this particular
morning was the only morning she could meet with us this week. Sister
Fromgren and I looked at each other, back at the phone, and then back
at each other. We agreed to meet with Sally but let's just say that we
almost looked like we had just rolled out of our beds. Luckily Sally
didn't take too much notice and after the lesson, we had lunch and
finished getting ready. It taught us a good lesson to always be ready
for the unexpected opportunities to teach and it was quite the
adventure to have. That evening, after a long day of street contacting
and finding, Sister Fromgren and I were heading to go and contact a
less-active. I had saved the map and address in my iPad but as I went
to go grab the iPad out of my bag, I realized I had forgotten it. We
were wondering what we could do at this time because without the
address, we didn't know where to go. We bowed our heads and said a
prayer for guidance and direction and felt impressed to knock some
doors. Throughout this week, we had been praying to find someone who
would be intererested in the message and so as we prayed to ask where
we should knock, we also prayed that we could find someone who would
be prepared or ready to receive this message. As we started to knock,
the few first doors remained closed with no one either home or willing
to open the door. Sister Fromgren and I had a few doors knocked and
then knocked on the next door. Georgia, a lady from Dorset, opened up
her door, smiled, and we introduced ourselves. As she listened to what
we had to say, she seemed to nod in agreement. She mentioned to us
that she had been looking for a church to go to and that she was
interested in learning more. After we said a prayer with her and said
goodbye, Sister Fromgren and I walked towards the tube station beaming
and smiling. God truly does provide. Of course, there will be times
where things don't work out the way we want them to but if we trust,
if we do what He wants done, then it's in the hands of Him who knows
what is best for us. I was blessed to be able to speak to my family
this weekend through Skype on Mother's Day and had a wonderful time
seeing them and seeing how they are doing. It's amazing how much can
change but yet how much can remain the same. To end, I'll share this
story with you... so towards the end of the week, Sister Fromgren and
I were to go on a teach with a member, Brother Cooke, (He's in the
Mormon Message: A Book of Mormon Story) but the appointment fell
through. Unsure of what to do at that moment, we asked Brother Cooke
if he'd be willing to come knock on some doors with us. The three of
us prayed for inspiration to where we needed to be and started along a
long road. After knocking on the first few doors, a man opened up the
door and as soon as he saw who we were, he mentioned to us that he
wasn't too interested. Brother Cooke with his great attitude and
enthusiasm for missionary work introduced himself and asked this man
what would hold him back from knowing God. This man replied saying
that there wasn't evidence to prove this. Brother Cooke in return
said, "What if I were to tell you that God spoke to me?" Brother Cooke
meaning through the Holy Ghost but to this guy, it sounded like we
were all crazy. With his thick English accent, he stated: "I think
your completely mental....I think your completely insane." Well,
that's not the first time that someone has said that to us. Brother
Cooke took it well, smiled, shook this guy's hand, and said, "It's
great to meet you." There will be people who oppose our views, there
will be those who continue to say things against us but hey, it just
takes a smile, a "thank you for your time", and a skip and Spring In
your step to continue to make your day a good one. It's a great lesson
that I learned from this member. The work is hastening. Sister
Fromgren and I are determined to find those who are prepared and we
know that the Lord is walking with us. I love you all! Have a great
week!
Love,
Sister Burtis
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