Speaking of Hogwarts....

President Turvey posted this picture of Sister Turvey (jeans and dark hair) on Facebook today.  I sent it to Tyson and he said he so wishes that was him!

One of the first thing we noticed after Tyson received his call was that the Harry Potter castle etc was in his mission boundaries (although I believe it's at the very northernmost border).  Tyson is a big Harry Potter fan!  If he doesn't get this chance while he's there I know it will be on the list when we go back to visit!

Week 58: Miracles

This week as we tried our best to be obedient and to pray for help to meet people who will be ready, we had two miracles that I want to talk about. 

The first one is when we met Saimanta (pronounced Samantha).  She is from Lithuania. We met her on a bus a solid month ago. She told us that she was interested and she wanted to learn, but she had no time. She said she would text us when she got time and could meet. I don't think you all understand how many times we hear that. No one has ever called us back. Saimanta texted us this week and said she had time! It was so cool. We managed to set up a time to meet at the Chapel and show her around because she had met other missionaries the day before, but they did nothing to answer her questions. We met with her and as we showed her the baptismal font, she told us she felt this super strong good feeling, like this was all true and she couldn't explain it. She came to church and we explained to her how God can answer our questions as we sincerely pray during the sacrament (when they pass around he bread and water to remember Christ). As the trays were being passed, she simply bowed her head and asked God her questions. She told us afterwards, that all throughout the meeting she was filled with this electric like energy helping her feel it was right. And she had an image come to her mind of being baptized and feeling all the bad wash away. She knows that this is the path for
her. She is so excited to keep progressing and to be baptized on the 9th of September. Saimanta is 20 and is a university student. She is
super cool and Elder Leavitt and I both felt like this is someone we would be friends with for the rest of our lives. She loves to mountain bike and is generally super nice. The one problem we have, is she lives in a different ward. So we have to explain to her that some other missionaries will come to visit her and help her along. It made us super sad, but we are still excited for her to get the blessings God has in store for her.

The second is a lady named Paula. We met her while knocking. She told us that she lost her faith when her mother died. We shared with her how the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon had comforted us in times that we felt alone. She read a bit with us and wouldn't let us take a turn to read. She was so excited that she just kept on reading.  She read the chapter and then told us hat it helped her feel better already and she would like to read it all. It was such a strange experience for knocking on doors, since that usually is very intrusive and people don't like it.

I know the Lord helps us as we seek His help in prayer. He loves us so much and wants our happiness.

Other things this week, I passed the first part of my driving test in Scarborough. It is one of he most picturesque places I have been. I
will attach the photos I grabbed. We even saw a train that looks like the Hogwarts Express. Even though transfers happened this week, nothing changed for me. However, we have two new Sisters in our district.

Love you all,
Elder Pace

WEEK 57: Brownies!

I've finally found a reliable source of Brownies in this country.  Luckily, one of the Sisters in my district loves to make brownies and they are proper thick and so good. She made several pans of them this week and I loved them.

One of the other highlights was interviews with President Turvey. He shared with us some advice on following the promptings that God gives us. This is His work, and He is fully engaged in helping us to find the people who will try out the gospel. It was so inspiring and I loved feeling God's approval as we were there together.

We are bowling and I just scored 177! That is so crazy! I have never been that good!

This Sunday, we tried our best to follow the Spirit of God as we searched for people to speak with. It was inspiring as we prayed about where to go and who to speak with. We saw so many people that were willing to talk and ty to find out if this is true. I am super excited to meet with them again and follow up on how it has gone.

Love you all,
Elder Pace

WEEK 56: Small Pleasures

This week we had a visit from Elder Ballard. He was so inspiring. The
whole mission got to gather together. I loved seeing all my old companions and saying goodbye to the people that are leaving. The overall vibe of the meeting was to encourage us by sharing their love and support for us. We had all fasted the day before so we all were open to receive answers to our questions. I'm always amazed to see how the Lord answers our questions even if the topic is never discussed.  He answers us through the subtle impressions in our mind and the strong, but clear feelings in our hearts. If we are willing to listen
and follow, He is always willing to talk. I love it.

The other miracle of this week was this new family. The man is named
Calvin. The dad and kids are not members. We had met the dad on the
street a week previously and he said that they would come next time.
We thought he was a just saying that to get us to leave him alone like
everyone else. The following week, he was at he local Catholic Church
where he approached the Piano player, who happens to be a member of our church that volunteers his talents there. They thought he was a
pastor and asked him a question saying, "Vicar, where..." He stopped
them saying he holds the priesthood, yes, but in a different church so
he is not a Vicar. They asked what church. He told them it was ours
and the wife said that she was a member. She had moved and couldn't
find the church. She was recently baptized and didn't know how to find
the new building to go to. They remembered our invitation and asked
for directions to the Church. They were excited to come and loved it
on Sunday. They can't wait to keep coming and learn more about it so
their family can be sealed for eternity by the priesthood authority of
God.

I was so grateful for everything that happened this week. Our American
family in the ward brought some ranch to the Munch and mingle. We were all in Heaven. Ranch is SOOO good.

Love you all,
Elder Pace

Elder Ballard

Elder Ballard and other general authorities visit the Leeds Mission.  The above picture is of the entire mission!  Tyson is on the left top row in a coral tie!

The Turvey's posted random pictures of the missionaries mingling together and I spotted Tyson in three of them!