Best Week of my Mission (Until Week of February 9)

Well one of the most amazing weeks of my mission for sure folks! We had exchanges and some really good lessons and a surprise Baptism!!

ALSO BREAKING NEWS, some of yall may remember my BFF Libby! Well she came to Whitefield today and told me that she is getting BAPTISED. February 9th is the day, I can't believe it, when she told me I was bouncing off the walls. Ahhhh I'm so excited!!!

So we were calling and texting people in the phone to see if anyone was still interested in learning from us and we came across a man named Walled. He's from Sudan and he is probably the kindest, most genuine man I've ever met. We were able to meet with him in McDonald's and share the message of the Restoration with him. He loved it! We are seeing him again this week.

We had exchanges in Chorely this week so I got to go back to my ol stompin ground. I got to work with Sister Schulze (from Germany). I was reminded of how it was one of the most difficult times of my mission. Rough area, not a lot of people to teach, and I had a hard time loving the people around me. We would go and stand in Chorley Town Centre on numerous occasions trying to talk to people about the gospel. Someone I talked to one of those days was a Romanian man named Gavril. He was so prepared but not in our area so the zone leaders taught him. He was taught and came to church every week and when I saw him, I would stop and have a chat with him. I didn't tell him I got transferred because I didn't think he'd really care. Fast forward 5 months to my exchange this week. I was informed that Gavril would be getting baptised the following Saturday. He had gone back to Romania to marry his partner so he could get baptised. The zone leader also told me that Gavril asked if I would give a talk at his baptism. He remembered me! It was just a wonderful reminder that this really truly is the lords work and no effort is wasted. And even though things were so rough during that particular time on my mission, it was all worth it because Gavril was baptised. In my mission, you can't attend a baptism unless you have an investigator with ya (even if you're giving a talk lol). So we invited a family of 4 we are teaching and our bishop offered to drive us so we were able to go and it was amazing! They loved the baptism and we were able to show them around the temple afterwards as well.

Not much else happened this week, I got asked to speak in church 5 minutes before Sacrament meeting started. Totally winged a talk on temples. Lol missions are greatttt.

Apologies if I shared this before but one of my companions shared this with me and I just thought a lot about it this week. D&C 123: 17 "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."
I've loved this scripture for some time now. It's just a promise to us that everything truly happens at exactly the right time. God really is in charge. He is in the details of our lives. He knows us perfectly. As a missionary, I've come to know that he knows the people we teach perfectly. I know this is his work and I'm grateful every day to be apart if it.

I feel so blessed! I love you all, have a good week!

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

Gavrils baptism
Me n sis cook
Throwback with Libby n sis mcchicken

Hujamba Everyone!

Well we can add swahili to the list of languages I can say hello in. It's been an amazing week in good ole Whitefield. We saw SO MANY miracles.

We had Zone Conference on Tuesday in Chorley and it was super uplifting. The general themes were "Lord Increase Our Faith" and "Becoming A Consecrated Missionary" We were invited to change two things by the end of the week to help us become better, more faithful, consecrated missionaries and more fixed on our purpose.

Well one miracle came on Friday. We felt like we should go by this Recent Convert, Bill. Unfortunately, Bill didn't answer but on his street, we met someone from... take a guess... CONGO. He was so prepared, he met missionaries before that gave him a book of Mormon and he said he's been reading! So we are seeing him this week. After meeting him, we decided to go by a man named Sergio in the area. When we got to his house, a man named Valdemiro answered and said he was Sergio step son but he let us in!! And we met his cute wife and baby. They're from Cape Verde but speak really good English. It was honestly like they were just waiting for us. We talked about the Book of Mormon and he said he had one and he'd read it. His wife is pregnant and actually due today! So we will go and visit in a week or so.

So we have been teaching Christina's children. Her daughter Amina is on date for February 9th and we were able to put her son Espoir on date on Thursday! We taught him the restoration and he really felt like it could be true. He asks such good questions. Honestly it's the highlight of my week teaching that family. So Espoir feels like he will be ready by March 2nd. We're so excited!

Well that was pretty much my week! One of the things we talked about in zone conference was a parable of the unprofitable servant in Luke 17:7-10
7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

This totally went over my head when I first read it. But upon studying it further, I actually learned a lot. Sometimes I feel like the servant. I might well feel that after a day’s work in the field I'm entitled to rest but when I get home at the end of a long day, I see that there's still lots I have to do. As a missionary, the master (Christ) has a right to my time and attention. Just like the apostles, who had given themselves entirely up to their Master’s service could not hesitate whatever the effort or sacrifice required. And at the end of the day, the best they could do would be no more than their duty required.

I invite yall to study this parable and to look for additional ways you can serve others around you! Christ deserves our very best!!

Love you all, have a wonderful week!

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

Sweet 16! (Months)

I'm happy to announce now that after 16 months as a missionary, I am finally teaching A FAMILY! Christine (the girl who got baptised last week) has 5 kids age 7 to 19. The kids speak pretty good English. We've been seeing them multiple times a week teaching Christine her recent convert lessons. Amina (age 9) is getting baptised on the 9th of of February. The other ones, we are still working on and we are also teaching their cousins. Christine can't read or write in English or swahili so we use Google translate on the phone but the person sounds kinda robotic so I listen to the translator and then repeat it to Christine in swahili and she understands! The gift of tongues is REAL.

On Friday, we had a miracle! We went to call by this person the sisters met a few months ago. Turns out he had moved and the person living there wasn't interested so we were like "K now what?". Well I got this super strong feeling that we needed to stay and Tract on this street we were on. This never happens because I do not like tracting. But we followed the prompting and we met this man named Carl! He's our age and from the Philippines originally. He was super nice and we chatted a while and gave him a card and went on our way. About 15 minutes later, he called us asking if we could meet up with him the next day! Unfortunately... He stood us up! But we are still in contact with him and we are planning on seeing him this week.

Well for the spiritual thought this week, I thought I'd share
1 Nephi 13:37 "And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."
I know that as we try to bring forth Zion and to do good to others, we will indeed have the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Even though life is hard and gets harder every day, we are promised that in the last day, we will be lifted up. I'm so grateful for the gospel and that I've been able to see so many people change because of it.

Love you all! Have a good week!


Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission

The FIELD is WHITE

Well transfers happened and I've been booted out of St Helen's to the wonderful Whitefield Ward (Ashton zone) where the field is white and ready to harvest (&everyone that serves here makes that joke lollll). I will most likely finish my last two transfers here which is crazy to wrap my head around. Leaving St Helen's was incredibly difficult. I really feel like I grew a lot there and I'm so sad to leave it behind. The hardest bit was leaving Libby. It's crazy how close you can get to someone in such a short amount of time. There were lots of tears. Seems like every area gets more and more hard to leave from. On to more heart break!

I arrived to Whitefield on Thursday. My new companion is Sister Cook, from Moscow, Russia! Jk lol she's from Moscow, Idaho. She's been out for 8 months and she's been in Whitefield for 5 of them so she's teaching me lots. Every single missionary that has served here has said that they loved it and I can already see why. So far, I love it here!

We had a baptism on Saturday! So I got here just in time. Her name is Christine and she is from the Democratic Republic of Congo! I got to teach her twice before the big day. The rest of her family should be baptised in the next few weeks too so that's exciting! They all speak swahili. The kids speak a bit of English. The baptism started at 3 and we went to go pick up Christine and turns out 9 of her friends and family wanted to come as well. So we all got on a bus and got to church... Only 15 min late. Oops. It was an amazing day though!

Well I've re started Book of Mormon and I've made it a goal to summarize each chapter in my own words and write it in a journal. So this week has been great. I read about how Lehi made his whole family move and laman and lemuel were murmuring and I likened it to my current situation moving areas. My whole mission I've struggled with change and on a mission you experience a lot of it. It's uncomfortable, it's difficult, it's emotional. But I know it's all the lords plan. I know that transfers are inspired and even though it sucks now, God's purposes are revealed in time. I've seen that as I've moved from area to area. A scripture I read this morning was 1Nephi 7: 13 "And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled..."

I'm grateful to be here and I know there are miracles coming soon! Love and miss you all!

Sister Gilland
England Manchester Mission 🇬🇧