Week 23

This week has been a different type of animal. In retrospect it has been very fun and full of miracles , but brought me to my knees in humble prayer. I don't know what the Lord is trying to teach me but I really am excited to figure that one out.

Long story short: this week I could tell the lord was trying to teach me something, I prayed at every opportunity possible and asked many of my leaders for guidance; from president to assistants to the president to my district leader. I went on many exchanges and studied 2 Nephi the Isaiah chapters ( that is what my studies are going to be focused on this year, along with of course PMG) to maybe get a better understanding of how to be a better missionary. We have been working very hard to find investigators and we found 2 but the standard is 3 per week. It has been a very humbling week with plans being made and falling through; people coming closer to Christ and further from him. In retrospect I learned a lot about how the lord just wants to refine me to be a better priesthood holder and man for not just my life time but the eternities. Turns out I'm the only one who cleans the flat, because I'm the only one who doesn't like to live in a pig sty. Who would have thought 

Weird stories: when I was on exchange with my district leader, and every one of his investigators asked about gay marriage and our stance on homosexuality. Every time answered quoting Elders Holland's answer in the World wide YSA broadcast: which is about chastity and everyone has to keep it despite age, sex, or sexual preference. It was just interesting because non of them have those feelings.

We stopped a guy on the exhibition road and we said we lived around the corner (we live in a very posh neighborhood) he took it that we were filthy rich. then he wanted some business advice and wanted my financial connections 

Funny stories: Elder Mora and I were talking to people on the street and you can definitely tell when they lie to you and give you a horrible excuse on why they can't stop. Elder mora said this about their lies " we are just asking people to lie to us, every day we try to stop people and they bear false witness. We are causing sin!"

Frustrating stories: our flat mates bought £17 of groceries on p day (lasted them 3 days) we bought £60 of food. And some how I ran out of food on the 5th day......wonder who ate all my food. And someone didn't put the cap on my milk and poured it all over the fridge, but my companion and I didn't eat breakfast. Now everything has my name on it. 

Short story long: This week has been described for me by my district leader as " the week the Lord tested Elder Massey". Tuesday we had a packed full day of finding. In central London you have no tracting, no less active work (because if they are less active it's because they moved or because of finals are due), no members to visit ( because they are all students and live in dorms), all you have is the street and you. So on Tuesday we had a jam packed day of me and my trainee walking around the streets of London talking to strictly YSA aged people. It is an interesting challenge to do that because they are much more open to communicate than a regular adult, and they are basically the same age. But as they are YSA university students all going to posh schools and majoring in every science known that means a lot are very much agnostic and atheist. Which leads to them trying to debate on certain points in the street. I myself am a very good debater; but don't worry mom im here to declare the word, second of all I'm kind of tired of the same questions over and over again with "well how did you know it was an answer to your prayer" or "how can you know there is an after life". Hear that one about 15 times a day. But the little ray of sunshine I get every day is the Chinese students here, they come over here to study and they are so pure and innocent. I need to learn mandarin with these guys, but they are very hard to approach and talk to. No new Chinese student has social skills due to the culture of only going to school and studying, so when you see them they are either going to school or going to study. You need to stop them in a very careful way or they will get scared and literally run away, but if you get them talking that's when it gets interesting. So on that Tuesday I was talking about we were going to find then we planned on going a temporary blitz exchange with the zone leaders and then have an appointment at 5:00pm. Well obviously none of that happened. The appointment canceled, the zone leaders also canceled after I got the phone call about the appointment canceling, and the train that we were going to use to travel got canceled...so that was an interesting experience. I said to my companion "can't even trust missionaries to keep there appointments" Wednesday we had interviews where we talked a lot about my trainee elder Mora who has had a very rough back round, and turns out is in many senses an investigator himself. It's always nice talking to president and sister Stevens. Immediately after words we had a blitz with the AP's, they are hard core and bold. I little too pushy for my taste, but I think they have a perfect understanding on how important this message is and they declare it with haste. It was very fun being with them. The missionary broadcast was shown live at Hyde park and it was just some highlights of last years, but they changed the missionary schedule a lot, I'll send a copy in the email. I get more sleep now and more time to exercise so watch of Jacob you aren't the only one grinding now🏽 Thursday I went on exchange with my district leader ( he his also my flat mate) and we taught all day! The area is kind of dead right now due to the college and university schedules starting new terms and having exams, even the attendance at church is dying down. Anyways it was nice teaching. Friday's are always rough for me because weekly planning takes it out of me and I can't seem to find that same enthusiasm as if I just went out and talked to the first person I saw at 10am in the morning. We also play basket ball . Saturday was Chinese New Year and since most of our church population is Chinese we celebrated with them. It was hard core, we prepared a lot of food and we had an investigator there and she got fellow shipped to the max! Sunday was interesting because we taught our investigator Polly, who came to the Chinese New Year party. And she is just silly the way she thinks about commandments. Anyways that was my week 

Week 22

Well, this week was something else. Starting off the week with last
P-day we went everywhere we could with china town to Lego land.
Tuesday my companion elder mora (also my trainee) needed to go to the
hospital. He has been having problems adjusting to the missionary life
and has had a lot of problems with his mentality of the mission. He is
a good missionary in terms of opening his mouth and working, but he
does it when he feels like it not when he is supposed to, I have
learned a lot from him in that. Being a trainer is harder than I
expected, trying to be loving yet firm. Elder mora has an interesting
story to tell, but let's just say he doesn't know anything really
about the gospel and that the first time he heard the first vision was
in the MTC. So we have to start from scratch, teaching him the basic
about the gospel and definitely the Book of Mormon. But what he learns
he has a powerful testimony in and he gives it to anyone that will
hear. I live in a four-man flat and it seems like I'm doing all the
cooking and cleaning if this is how Savannah and my mom felt when she
took care of me she is a true saint sent from heaven. It is my quest
to completely have that flat clean this p day.
Getting into the good stuff, my studies have been truly centered on
teaching like Christ taught, Especially on how I ask questions. It's a
silly thing missionary work, you will literally ask any question to
get someone to stop and talk to you. "What is the favorite part of
your coat?" Or "on a scale of 1-10 tell me how happy you are?".
Everyone seems to give the same answer for both which is "sorry I have
no time", and I found myself getting cynical towards the people I was
talking to. Because I realized you can literally ask anyone anything
and they will not listen or process what you said through their
brains. So you have to focus on not what you ask but how you ask it.
Since we work only with YSA ages we have to really hand pick who we
talk to, not just everyone which was a really big adjustment for me.
Usually, we aim for families or couples, but now if we stop them you
basically get ex-communicated because of how strict it is to just talk
to YSA. Elder mora and I have had some funny miscommunications and
conversations with these curious minds of the YSA, with interesting
theories of the origins of religion to our accents. Like I said we
will do anything for a fulfilling conversation. I will share one funny
story of one of my own conversations. We were traveling back to the
flat after a hard days work and I usually love to talk to people on
the train because they have nowhere to go (can't preach on the train
because I only work with YSA). I started talking with this young lady
and in trying to start a conversation I noticed she had headphones
on, I asked what she was listening to and in response, she put her
headphones in my ear and we listened and talked for a while. Turns out
she is just a tourist and we gave her our number and card, but it
turned into a pretty funny picture

Brittana, YSA Ward

 

Doctor Who 

Harry Potter

 
Brother and Sister Prentice

 

Week 21

The first week of being a trainer is pretty hard work let me tell you, but also rubbing shoulders with the greatest missionaries in the mission. I''m regularly talking to the AP's and playing basketball with them almost every morning (wish I took basketball more seriously back at home). I see president and sister Stevens every day now which was very strange for me. I think the biggest change and blessing for me is that every day I enter into the walls of Zion. Every day I get to go to the
chapel, resource center, talk with other missionaries. That is the biggest blessing for me, to be in an environment where the spirit constantly dwells. As missionaries we most of the time bring the spirit with us where we go. When we talk with people on the streets, when we enter their homes, when we sit on a bus; the spirit is with us. But there is something different about a THE chapel and especially
Hyde park chapel that when you enter you feel the spirit testify that the  Lord loves you, and will take you as you are and make you better.
Elder Mora is a Boss. His last trainer was Elder smith, I sat with him on the flight over actually. He is a little rough around the edges but we will, like Christ, take him how he is and make him better. Here we teach mostly Chinese. They are the most humble and most diligent in their scripture studies. But when you first get them they have no understanding who or why God is. In the beginning, we start with how prayer works. We liken it unto a letter that you write to heaven. You
are sending it to your father in Heaven. The post man is Jesus Christ.
When the father gets the letter he responds through the Holy Ghost, who communicates to our spirit that he got our letter. You have to treat them so gently because honestly, they are all on the edge of snapping
due to the stress of their studies. Their parent at home pressure them so hard, and a lot of Chinese here have severe depression and anxiety issues. So when they come to church that is really where their friends
are. There is also a Chinese hero of mine, her name is Helen.

She is also a recent convert of a few years and she actually is a mother hen to these recent converts. Because when these Chinese students go home
they need to go to church, and due to such severe enforcement of religious laws there the church is not able to be as well organized.
So Helen finds these Chinese students branches to attend when they go home. Which are usually in basements or someone's home. She is the master fellow shipper and a pioneer of the east, such an honor to serve with her. This week has been an enthusiastic one with going out with full power every minute of every day, with me now being the
senior companion a lot of pressure rides on me. I know we can get through it with the spirit, though. I've been praying a lot! 

Whenever I get the chance really. In stairwells, in empty rooms, in the bathroom; always trying to communicate with my Heavenly Father on what
I should do. I know that I can do what the lord has commanded of me and I hope I can do it the way he would have me do it. I love you guys
so so much.

Elder Massey

Week 20

Yesterday we found out where we would be serving the Lord for the next transfer, and I have been blessed to serve in Central London in Britannia YSA ward. I will be follow up TRAINING Elder Mora in this
area. Let's be honest here even I'm surprised at this. This transfer has been very teachable to me in many ways, but in the biggest way for myself is that we are all beggars in the sight of the Lord. Every prayer I have offered up to the Lord is to help my investigators and help me help them, I have seen many miracles in South End in all shapes and sizes. In retro spect this area has made a missionary out of me. I love the people here and the ward has become my family in
many senses of the word. I will miss them and I will definitely come back to this blessed land of south end. My trainer elder kalabanko is ending his mission this very day and be either be going into surgery
(tore his Acl on the mission)  or back to Ukraine and leaving abruptly to America or he will be stolen into the night to be forced to join the military. So if any one hears about or sees a Oleg Kalabanko he is
part of the family now. I love all your words of advice which are probably needed right now because this is a lot for me to be honest. It is the biggest opportunity for growth and I can expect to see many blessings from it, but it would be nice to hear from everyone! I apologize for the shortness of these letters, I will write better
letters in this coming week