LEEDS LANGUAGE MEETING

Sister Turvey posted pictures of the different missionaries serving in Leeds in a different language.  I am grateful Tyson was called to speak Slovak!  The Portuguese and Polish missionaries are even more limited in number!

The Portuguese speaking elders...

The Polish speaking elders (I'm pretty sure the red head was in the MTC with Tyson)...

The Slovak speaking elders....

The Mandarin speaking missionaries...

WEEK ELEVEN: Making Connections

His MTC teacher and MTC district  (?);  food; getting his shoes shined I think, the views around here; a "piece of cake"...not sure why it was picture worthy but....!

Just a heads up, I am typing on the iPad so I hop that the spelling
will be better. Usually I am on a computer and I am trying to type
without looking at the keyboard. This gives me tons more mistakes, but
in the iPad it will correct some of my mistakes.  (he remarked to me in a separate email that he realized after that he had a mistake in the very sentence he talked about spelling better--"the irony"!)

This week was great! We have three investigators who are going to be
baptised this week. There names are Jenny and Patricia and Justin.
Patricia is Justin's mom and Jenny is living in their house. They are
great and want to progress and come closer to Christ. The biggest
issue they have had so far is that they smoke. Justin doesn't. He is
only 8 right now. The others told us they stopped and we really hope
they did. They live with one of the most solid members in the branch.
He is named Dezider. He is the one with no teeth whatsoever. I am
starting to understand him which is a huge accomplishment in my eyes.
We are excited for them all. Also, I may get to go to the temple.
Dezider is preparing to go, but he only understands Czech, Slovak, and
Roma so he would need a translator at the temple. If nobody else is
found, Elder Buckhoff would be the translator so I would get to go as
well. We are crossing our fingers.

We found one family this week that I really love. We met them in the
city centre (sorry the iPad uses British spellings) and they were
really excited to hear that families can live together after death. We
went back and taught them and they are super excited and have tons of
questions. They want to meet with us each day and so we try. The dad,
Andre says that he has been searching for years to find the true way to lead his family to God. We invited him to be baptised if he finds
out this is true and he had one concern. The concern was that baptism is outward and we don't have to become converted to be baptised. He says he doesn't want to lie to God and be baptised if he hasn't truly changed himself. We told him that truly changing ourselves so we
become more like Christ is necessary. I really love this family and feel like I can connect with them. I don't always understand what they
say, but I really want them to find happiness. For me that is the best
blessing ever.

Our investigator Alex who we fasted for didn't fast for himself or go
to church like he said he would. He is still smoking and feeling
discouraged that he is not able to overcome the addiction. We are
always working with him.

One of the biggest problems we face here is that all of the people in
our church are new members and don't have super strong testimonies
yet. This means that they are not able to help the others who are
still learning. We are working on strengthening people so they can
help lead the branch and help it grow.

On a not as spiritual side, this week was a blast. I am trying to help
set up a branch (like a ward, but smaller) soccer game for this
weekend since our leaders asked us to promote branch activities. I am
so excited. Also, I have learned more about talking to English people.
The second I say that I am a missionary they tell me some nasty four letter words, but if I talk to them about the same stuff without
saying I am a missionary, they are just fine. I don't get why me
saying I am a missionary is so bad. They ask why I am here from
America so I tell them. They sounds really funny and I will try to
pick up on the accent. I love listening to Elder Buckhoff since he
puts on his best English accent when he starts talking to an English
person. I don't think he realizes he does it though. Last p-day we
looked at suits and they are the classic European style. I guess you
can get some high quality suits for about £70 that is way cheaper than
in America for he quality of suit you are buying. I might get one later on.

We found a store that sells American candy. It was the best until we
saw the price. A reese's costs £7 which is getting up close to 10 USD.
The prices were all ridiculous. The food here is really similar to in
he US, but it is smaller and healthier and less flavourful. I do enjoy
our dinners with the members though. They make good food. Also, Elder Rhea cooks really well and we ate lunch with him one day and he made chicken croissants. I was in heaven.

The best story I had this week was a guy named Fero who told us he
could read Russian. He showed us. He says all you do is just read the
Syrillic letters as is they were English letters but they are read
backwards. You start from the right and go left and if it looks like
an "n" you say the sound for that letter. It was hilarious. If the
letter doesn't look familiar, he says it has no sound. All the Slovaks
say they speak like 7 languages. But really, the speak Slovak with a
different accent and that is it. We can say some things in Polish and
we checked to see if our theory was right. It was.

That is it for this week. I was trying to keep it shorter, but it
didn't happen. Sorry!
Love you all,
Elder Pace

WEEK TEN: Adjusting!

Hey everyone,

I made it to England and it hasn't even rained on me yet! I love it here. The other missionaries in my zone and district are super cool and fun to be with. I sadly have not played futball here yet, but I will. Guaranteed.

I went shopping today and they don't have crackers or quality peanut butter. Besides that, the stuff was awesome and I got a weeks worth for £10. (He told me..."Also, don't worry, mom,we went shopping today and I made sure to get several kinds of fruits and a big bag of spinach as well as other frozen veggies. I didn't get just sweets. I did get some canned stuff and frozen since it was super cheap. But I will be pretty healthy for living on my own.")

My companion, Elder Buckhoff, is so great and he has helped me to feel at home here. I am so glad for the chance to be with him. We have had some good times already. I still see Elder Peck all the time and I am so glad. It would be weird not being with him after so long.

The food here has so far been just fine despite all I had heard. Our flat is pretty nice, by my standards. I will send pictures next week. 

I am working on the language. All the people here speak a combo of Czech, Slovak, and Roma (their own language that is a mix of all sorts of stuff). That is difficult. I don't get most of what is said. I love our branch. The people are great!

Love you all,

Elder Pace

I have more time now to email so I will go into some more detail of this week. I figured it would be appreciated.

We have taught tons of lessons which is good for my Slovak, but not as good for my self-esteem. I still haven't met all of our investigators. There are tons of people who meet with us and want to learn about this message. The biggest problem here is that they all have problems with the Word of Wisdom so they can't get baptized. Usually the issue is drinking or smoking, but a lot of the time it is both. The Slovaks here that are older don't know any English and therefore have trouble getting good work. The money they do have is wasted on cigarettes or beer. They live in really low quality flats and have tons of people living in each house. I have been to one house about 5 different times and I have yet to stop meeting people that live there. I meet at least 2 new ones each go. Its insane. 

I have some really great experiences in my personal studies every morning. It has really strengthened my knowledge that God hears and answers prayers and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I come to my studies with a specific question or concern. One example was I wanted to know how to help one of our investigators, Alex, stop smoking. He is great and is my favorite one we have met, but he can't kick the habit. He keeps trying and trying, but he needs help. As I read, I had the feeling that we needed to fast for him and he needed to with us. We told him about the idea. Elder Buckhoff and I fasted, I hope he did. I know that this will invite the power of God into his efforts to get over this temptation. He is my favorite since he is younger and doesn't like the culture he grew up in. He speaks super good English. Most of our lessons with him, he speaks English and we speak Slovak. Also, since he is our age 20ish, we can relate to him and have more fun. He has a job and doesn't drink and wants to learn more and more.

Another great experience I had was my first night here. I had been out most of the day after having been on a plane for 10 hours and teaching in a language I could barely say anything in and where I couldn't understand anything. I wasn't in a flat with anyone I had known for more than a few hours since it is only myself and my companion there. When he went to bed, I felt super alone. I was kneeling there in the dark by my bedside and just feeling overwhelmed and there was no way I could do this. I started to pray and just tell all of these things I had been feeling to my Heavenly Father. As I did, I felt this warming sense of love come over me and I started to feel a little better. I was helped to see the little things that people had done for me that day to help me feel at home and it was so good for me. After a while of this most amazing feeling of comfort, I ended my prayer and got in bed. Since then, it has been wonderful. I know that God knows us and our concerns and our fears. He wants so bad to help us and when we pray, he will reach out. I really needed that.

We had dinner with a family this week, the Nettleships. They are so amazing. They made a cake for me on my birthday before they had ever met me and it was because they had searched about me online and had found out through my mother on facebook that it was my birthday. I felt so welcomed. Brother Nettleship is in the branch presidency (a branch is like a ward) and he learned Slovak so he could communicate better with the Slovak members! How cool is that.

We ate lunch with a man by the name of Brother Whitehouse on the second day or so I was here. He was the first British person I had heard for a long time. He sounds so funny. I found out after that lots of people from this area talk like him. They say things like "init" instead of isn't it. The also don't say "the" They just pause slightly where the "the" would go. and if the last word before "the" is "in" the say "int" instead. They also have some weird pronunciation of vowels and have a few other words I don't know. He is hilarious. All of the missionaries in my district love him and he has some fun with us. We try to imitate his accent and see if he realizes.

The weirdest thing the first day was the cars on the wrong side of the road. I was especially freaked out by the roundabout. We entered what I thought was the wrong way and it scared me a little, not gonna lie. I am getting used to it.

For reals,

That is all I have for this week, I will be more organized and less wordy next week! Sorry it is so long!

Elder Pace

(He also told me they don't have a car; they walk or take the bus.  He sees Elder Peck and the other elders quite often since they eat dinner together at the Nettleships on Thursday, they have district meeting on Wednesday, they serve in the branch on Sunday and they go on splits throughout the week!  They will be a close-knit group!  He said the MTC was very controlled but it is very different in the field.  He said President Turvey is very kind and he thought he was the perfect president for him!)

Shoe Shine Box

This picture was posted on Facebook today...the Sheffield Branch missionaries with the branch president around a shoe shine box.  Hopefully Tyson's letter tomorrow will give more details!

First Zone Conference

Tyson was able to attend his first zone conference already and was able to meet with President Turvey and his wife.  Sister Turvey posted the picture of the Leeds Zone on Facebook and a secretary sent me the pictures with the mission president and his wife.  Hopefully Tyson's letter tells us all about it!

Birthday Celebration in the Field

Thanks to Facebook, Sister Nettleship knew it was Tyson's birthday on Wednesday so she prepared a chocolate cake for their dinner on Thursday.  She said they sang "Happy Birthday" to Tyson and then Elder Armstrong (one of the Polish called Elders who was switched to Slovak) wanted them to do their family tradition of running around the table but there wasn't enough room so "Elder Pace waa spared"!

I'm so grateful to good people everywhere and especially for those who watch over our missionaries!

Safe Arrival in England

On Monday I got a text of the first picture with the description "Elder Pace is ready and excited to go!"  Later we got to talk with Tyson at the airport and he explained the person taking the picture was Hermana Bahr, one of Brittany's MTC companions!  She was on the train going from Utah County up to Temple Square and saw his "Pace" name tag and asked if he by chance knew Brittany!  He said he also discovered on the train one of the sisters from his zone that was also leaving is best friends with Hermana Greer, Brittany's other MTC companion!  What a ridiculously small world!

Then this morning we received an email from President Turvey letting us know they arrived safely with pictures of he and Elder Peck and then with he and his new trainer, Elder Buckhoff!

Elder Buckhoff already reached out to Tyson in the MTC so I'm grateful he will be his trainer.  I think they will get along great.  Elder Rhea will be training ground Elder Peck (we met up with his mom over the summer) and I think he will be in good hands too!

Sister Nettleship (a wife of a member of the Sheffield Branch presidency) said on Facebook that she's feeding the missionaries on Thursday and it was good to know she would be feeding six instead of four because she doubts they would think to tell her! :)

It is amazing how interconnected I am already with Tyson's mission due to Facebook!

WEEK NINE: MTC Highlights

Another missionary was teaching him about his camera so his pictures this week are of his experimenting with the adjustments!  Plus, the picture of their skype lesson with the RM in Arizona that so impressed Tyson!

This week was one of my favorites at the MTC. Some highlights:

1. We had infield orientation which taught us about the things we would do out in the missionary field like how to approach strangers on the street and so forth. We talked a lot about having faith in Christ and being motivated to do all the work we can. After that meeting, I was so pumped. It was amazing the fire we all had to share the gospel.

2.TRC. This was our skype lesson with a member in Slovakia. Except this was a Return Missionary in Arizona. His name was Nathan Van De Graaf. He is so cool! I talked to him for 20 minutes over skype, but I think he is one of my favorite people ever. Talking to him made you feel good and like you wanted to go and help people and be more like him. He was different and was so Christlike it is amazing! I want to be that kind of a person for those in England and for the rest of my life! It is so worth it. He might even come see us in England. He is trying to find work there and if he does, he will stop by and say hi to Elder Peck and I. I can't wait.

3. Choir is always a hit. This was our last one. The director just shares motivating stories that help us all want to be better and work harder. It is great.  (He told me his favorite was learning the back story about Lead Kindly Light.  I looked it up and knowing that Tyson has been sick for two weeks and is about to leave for England, I can understand why hearing the background of this story made an impact on him.  I'm not sure what the choir director shared but this is what I learned about this hymn:  "In 1833, John Henry Newman had been traveling in Europe for his health.  But he became ill in Sicily because of heat and poor living conditions.  He recorded, "I sat sometimes by the bedside crying bitterly, and all I could say was that I was sure God had some work for me to do in England."  He decided to sail for England, thinking that his chances of recovery would be better at home.  But as he embarked on the first leg of his voyage, from Palermo to Marseilles, the breezes dropped, the fog closed in, and the ship was becalmed for a week.  He was homesick and seasick, frustrated at the delay.  And to make matters worse, he was seized by an attack of malaria.  These were the events that brought forth "Lead, Kindly Light".  During this miserable week, his longing for England became associated in his mind with longing for heavenly light and comfort.  In the past, pride and self-regard had destroyed his simple faith in divine guidance, but his hopes now rested in the Light, his secure protection until "the night is gone".)

4.I am feeling better which is a plus. I leave on Monday which is one of the coolest things ever! I am going out of the country for the first time ever.

5. I was playing soccer for my last time in the MTC because I love soccer, and I saw a guy in an English jersey. I asked if he was an English fan and he said that he was from England. Turns out, He is from the Leeds Mission and is going to France. His name is Elder Staintin and He lives in Hoodersville (I spelled it phonetically). He is super good at soccer and helped me to know about what to expect. He was so nice and had a cool accent. He told me to say hi to his family for him and to meet his brother. I am excited. It was super awesome to hear that!

Love you all,

Elder Pace

See you in England!

 

Tyson said he received a ton of birthday cards!  I'm sure he's waiting until September 7th to open them.  I also asked him about his favorite thing at the MTC that he'll miss the most and his least favorite thing at the MTC that he'll miss the least.  His favorite is his friends and the environment of the MTC and his least favorite is role-playing.  He said it's okay but all day, every day is a bit much! :)  He has enjoyed the MTC but I think he is excited and ready for his move to England!