This Nineteenth Year Did Pass Away (3 Nephi 4:15)

Hello everyone! This week was so crazy I don't even know where to begin! Well to start off, thanks for all the birthday wishes! I thought it was super funny when I read that scripture in 3 Nephi 4 #relatable. As gutted as I am not to be a teenager anymore, I'm grateful that I was able to celebrate it here in what has become my second home. I always worried what a birthday on the mission would be like, but in all honesty, there's really no other way I would've liked to spend it. My birthday fell on the Sabbath day so we did our usual 9-5 church routine and I got loads of sweets and birthday wishes. The Zone Leaders even surprised me with pancakes at church and put candles on them lol. We celebrated after church with some YSA Recent Converts whom I have come to love, Emma, Georgina, and Jess. They made me a gorgeous cake and we had really good pizza. What could've made this better!! 

TRANSFER NEWS! We got transfer calls Monday morning and Sister Hawkins and I are both staying in Chorley! Which is good because we have such work to do!

Josh came to church Sunday! He is absolutely amazing. We found out his Nan (Grandma) and Dad are actually members! Anyways on Friday, we taught him the Plan of Salvation on the temple grounds and explained to him the purpose of temples. He is really open minded and comes to all our activities. He loves church! We are hoping to put him on date this week. He's more than ready!
 
Some funny things that happened this week:
-ENGLAND MADE IT TO THE SEMIS! We weren't allowed to be out of the flat past 6pm on Wednesday because the England Croatia game. But the afternoon before the game we went into a pub to use their bathroom and then started low key teaching the first lesson to people at the pub. Unfortunately we lost:(
-Many British people are really scared of number 13 so on most streets there no #13. You can imagine how serious people take Friday the13th.
-On Friday the 13th, I locked the keys in the flat and a senior office missionary had to drive up our spare key from the mission office! Oops!

D&C 31:3 "Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation."
I'm so happy to be doing the Lord's work. 10 months has flown by out here and I can't even begin to tell yall how much I love it. It makes me so excited to see friends and relatives getting their mission calls! I know this is the Lords work!

Love you all! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

Birthday Celebration! Pancakes provided by the Zone Leaders, Elder Adams and Casadibari, a gorgeous cake from Emma, Georgina, and Jess, (Chorley YSA memebers) , and a beautiful drawing of the Chorley Temple done by my sweet companion!