Concert Crashers

Hello everyone! This week was great! We did lots of finding and not a lot of teaching but exams will be over soon and I'm pumped! Also, we already have transfer calls this coming Saturday/Sunday. I can't believe it. Everyone pray I stay in YSA!

On Tuesday we had the wonderful opportunity to go to a concert! There's a band called the Nashville Tribute that was visiting England because one of the band members served their mission here. So they offered us and our investigators a free concert. Only 3 zones in the mission were able to attend and I felt super lucky to get to go. It was really good and really spiritual. We took Diego and he loved it and at the end, President McReynolds came over and roasted him for still not being baptised. Oh! One of the band member's wives was actually a Springville Red Devil so of course we took a pic. #RDP

Also Ed Sheeran performed at Man United Stadium 10 min away from my flat but unfortunately we weren't able to crash that concert :(

Update on Paul with the lucky number "444" yall may remember, I mentioned him in my last email. He ran into the elders! He asked them "Hey do you two know a 'Loren'?" (lol we're on that first name basis thanks to Facebook) but he read page 444 in the book of Mormon and loved it and wants to meet with us!
We had someone unexpectedly come to church. Mauricio, a man from Mexico. We met him on the street and invited him to church last week and he came last week and yesterday! And he's started reading in the book of mormon. We set up a time to meet him this week.
We've spent the past few weeks doing loads of finding and it's starting to pay off! We have a couple people that are really interested and we will meet with them this week.

On a less happy note, Friday, we received a call from the elders serving in my previous area. They informed me that my recent convert, Pat is in the hospital with a brain tumor and undergoing a 7-hour surgery. It's been difficult to stay in touch with Pat. She doesn't have Facebook or even email. But the members have told me that she hasn't missed a Sunday and they are giving her lots of love and support. We got an update Sunday and she's doing well and recovering in a hospital in Liverpool.

That was my week:) love you all!


Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

Pics:
1- Bridge Pic
2- Nashville Tribute band lighting the cultural hall on fire
3-Red Devil Pride lol #Classof2006 #Classof2017

Two Missionaries Walk into a Pub........+ A Royal Wedding

What a week! Zone conference, some crazy stories and the royal wedding! In case any of yall were wondering, unfortunately nobody in Manchester cares about the royal wedding at all. I was really disappointed. Also this week marks 1 year since the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande Concert. Needless to say it was a crazy week.

Let me first explain the title of this email. So last Monday night, we were out finding in Piccadilly. As we walked, a man stopped us telling us he was a member! He was smoking a cigarette so we were a bit confused but but then he told us a bit of his story. Then he says, "I want to speak to you both some more. Can I buy you an orange juice or something?" so we thought that was innocent and that we'd go to like a McDonald's but NOPE. He led us into a straight up Pub. And there were so many people going nuts because of a football game on TV. He ordered us orange juice and then ordered himself a pint of beer! Not kidding! Well we talk to him more and found out he was baptised in France when he was 20. He got married in the temple and had 3 kids but lost it all because of drugs and alcohol. It was really sad. He was definitely drunk the entire time. It was one if the weirdest experiences on my mission so I had to take a photo. So yeah, good start to the week!

Tuesday we had Zone Conference and it was as usual really uplifting and edifying! Lots of trainings on finding and teaching. I had another embarrassing mission moment when I stood up to leave zone conference, the brand new smart phone on my lap fell to the floor. Zone leaders, Tech Elders, and several missionaries witnessed this and I got sooooo much crap for it. Lol the phone is fine tho. It only fell like a foot. On carpet. All is well.

We spent most of the week finding on good Ole Oxford road. It's crazy to think that 1/4 of my mission has been spent on one street! I love it tho! I started talking to this man named Paul. Paul unfortunately lives in Leeds but we had an amazing 30 min conversation about how there's no such thing as coincidence and God is in the details. He thinks the world has lost sight of what's really important. He said he has a luck number "444" and whilst we talked, he pointed out that a car drove by with the license plate "444". OK I know this sounds kinda crazy but he said he had a Book of Mormon at home and I invited him to open it and read page 444 and he said he would when he returned home! Now I had no idea what's on page 444 of the book of Mormon but the spirit told me to say it. As soon as he left I turned to page 444 in the book of Mormon and read for myself. It was 3 Nephi 18 and 19 when Christ ministers to the people and the disciples and teaches them to take the Sacrament and to always remember Him and then He ascends into heaven. It actually really fit with what we were talking about. I have no idea if I'll ever see Paul again but it was a really good experience that I'll never forget.

Well I hope you're all doing well! Have a good week! Email me! :)

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

1-Local underground pub called 'the Temple'. nice.
2-Me and my companion and the less active in the pub.
3-Zone Conference

Stealing Investigators + Smartphones + Happy Mother's Day

Hey yall! This week was really good! We were super busy so it totally flew by.

So like 2 months ago, I stopped a man named Matthew from Mauritius (lil country next to Madagascar). He is a Christian and was super nice and said he'd come to our church. He showed up to his lesson (which never happens) and then proceeded to tell us that he's actually been taught the first two lessons! He met with the Elders here in March and then went on Easter break and totally forgot about them and then coincidentally ran into me on the street days after! Isn't it great when God just places people in our path? Haha sorry elders... We taught him again on Friday the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it went really well and he wants to continue to learn.

We went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders and I went with Sister Liu from China. She's great and we found 3 investigators in an hour which was such a blessing. Sister Liu has been in YSA for 9 transfers so she knows her stuff. I learned lots!

THE EMM GOT SMARTPHONES! Ok, they've been saying we were getting smart phones for months but President McReynolds didn't think we were spiritually prepared enough til now haha! I was starting to think we would never get them! Only my zone has them right now and the rest of the zones will get them in a couple weeks #suckers. I couldn't care less about using internet or Facebook, I'm just sick of using T9 to text people. Surprisingly the phones are super posh. Galaxy A5, not bad.

Well on Thursday, we got to go to Institute because we had an investigator with us and it was so good. We talked about Moroni and the hard life he lived. He really went though a lot. He wandered by himself for decades trying to stay alive.  He watched all his friends get killed. If there was anyone that had the right to feel sorry for himself, it was him. But he still had hope and determination to write down his father, Mormon's record and his own. Before his famous promise to us, he instructs us to REMEMBER how merciful our lord is. How can HE of all people be saying that? His life has been so hard, yet he still has so much faith. My challenge to you (and to myself) is to have hope and stay positive even when things get hard!

Well I love yall! It was good to FaceTime the fam on Mother's Day. They haven't changed at all haha. As you can tell in the picture, they kept messing with the filters. Miss them every day! Have a good week everyone!

Xx

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

Pictures:
1 New phone who dis
2 Casually blending in with a bush
3 Mi Companga
4 Mother's Day ft fam