The Snow Melted!!!

This week has been pretty odd. It started up with still loads of snow, and it kept snowing overnight but melting at the same time, really weird. Eventually almost all the snow melted. Now there' salt grit everywhere on the streets,kind of gross! But whats weirder is that its getting alot warmer yet I got a crazy bad flu just last weekend! I thought my life was in peril. I'm getting over it now though.

 

We saw a couple named Tina and Amos this week, I think I might've e-mailed about them ages ago, but we haven't seen them since then. Anyways, they let us in with open arms, with their 6 kids runnign around the entire house. Really quite nice people. 

We also went to go see a couple that we've been teaching alot, and instead of teaching them we found out their dog was having puppies! So we just stood there and watched their dog have 4 puppies. It was pretty gross!! HAHA!! And really weird because me and Elder McCook jsut go, "Uhh... what the heck was that!!!" Haha!

 

Anyways this week is kind fo weird because of transfers, and I think I'm leaving Haywards heath. I've not been to another area yet!!! So this is going to be really exciting if I leave, but also a little intimidating. Anyways, I hope everything back home is going well. Thank you for the e-mails everyone!!!

 

-Elder Blumenthal

 

Alma 5:26-29, My new favorite scriptures!

SNOW!!! SO MUCH SNOW!!

Hey everyone, This past week has been crazy!!!!

 

Well first of all, our bikes broke. Haha! Basically the bike was sounding really realy funny while I was riding it, so we jumped off and looked at it and my tire is super bent! Haha! So we've been on foot this week.

 

Also, it snowed! A lot!!! I have pictures :) And Elder McCook has sent me videos to send you guys. The e-mail system won't let me upload big video files so we put it on Imageshack, just follow the link to watch the videos.

 

Anyways, the snow is awesome. I love it. Well i did until sunday! We had loads of people who [planned on coming to church, but everyone got snowed in!!! When it snows in England, everything basically shuts down. No one has snow tires and the roads get really slippery, so basically we had a very small meeting at church. I'm suprised we made it there alive! Despite that it was a great sunday meeting.

 

Anyways, this week we met a couple who were literally seeking for the truth found in the restored gospel. To put it simply, they went on mormon.org and asked to have missionaries visit them and tell them about the church. How cool is that?! So we did, we stopped by and taught them about how the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through a prophet. It was a very powerful and spiritual lesson, and definitely a miracle!!! Me and elder McCook are so excited to teach them more about the restored gospel.

 

Anyways, I have to get going. Love you all, thank you for the e-mails. Today has been hectic because the library is clamoring over the computers, probably to tell their friends that they're still alive despite all the snow :)

 

-Elder Blumenthal

 

P.S. Videos: http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/547/qottcxjboyfknhhfsnioew.mp4/

 

http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/515/5i7frtyftlxydmckbalgdj.mp4/

Wintertime In England!

Hey everyone,

 

These past few weeks have been really good. Sorry for not writing a mass e-mail earlier!

 

We've been doing a lot more tracting and finding people, since our ward has came out with a goal of 24 baptisms this year! Which is huge, actually almost double most other area's goals. The ward really wants to help us out in our efforts which is great.

 

Its getting really cold here as well. Luckily I've got enough for the winter in terms of winter clothing. Oh, and to top things off, my bike broke! Like, completely. The back wheel is pretty much destroyed now! Haha. So we're going to be on foot now. Which is kind of cool since we can hopefully run into and talk to more people on the way to appointments.

 

Well i ahve to get going, sorry for the short mass e-mail. I just wanted to echo the words of Alma, specifically from Alma 5:26

 

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

 

As Elder Cook said last conference, its important to always remember the Savior and of course the gospel!!! The principle of repentance is change, and we should strive to always be better!

 

-Elder Blumenthal

Happy Christmas!!!!

Hey everyone,

 

This christmas was great! We spent Christmas at 4 different members' homes! Which was legit! So much food. Best birthday ever!

 

We spent Christmas breakfast at this family the Rivera's, they're way cool, and Brother Rivera is from America! He's lived here for ages but he still has a proper american accent. Kind of funny. But yeah, great time there

 

Then we went to Brother Graham Fuller's house for Lunch, it was awesome, Never been to his house, but I loved it there. It reminds me of Grandma's house back home! I don't know if thats an insult but it was awesome. haha

 

Next we went to Calum and Hannah's for Christmas Lunch number 2, haha, it was super good, but yeah Calum and Hannah treated us so well for christmas, and they got me a jumper that I was in desperate need of for the winter. Now I won't freeze to death! Calum's son Mark got a little miniature motor bike, it was the coolest!!! It looked like he almost died on that thing! He rides it better than I could! haha

 

Finally we spent Christmas dinner at the Bardens where I got to talk to the family, and ate a bunch of trifle, a favorite dessert here in England, and mince pies, which are tiny little pies with loads of random fruit in them, really tasty! But Trifle is the best by far. When I get home I'm going to make that stuff. The bardens were really nice for letting us in their home for Christmas, and got us loads of presents as well, along with Sister paternoster

 

On Boxing day we spent a good portion of the day with Sister pelham and her extended family, the Mainwarings, it was awesome! But way too crazy! Reminds me of thanksgiving back home a little bit, but with way more little kids running around. The pelhams made me a birthday cake and bought me a sweet purple tie, they are the coolest! I'm convinced that this was the best Christmas away from home ever! Haha, still miss you guys back home though :)

 

I'm hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas and remember the true meaning of it, a commemoration of our Savior's birth. Also hope you all will have a great new year's!!

 

-Elder Blumenthal

Happy Christmas To Everyone!!

Hey all,

sorry for not sending a mass e-mail last week. I don't know what got into me!!! Anyways I guess I'll talk about what's happened the last 2 weeks.

We found a few new people to teach which is really great especially for the holiday season. We saw a member Julia who has been having a hard time and found an investigator through her at the house! It was so awesome. Basically we were reading some scriptures from Doctrine and Covenants and I just felt impressed to invite her non-member friend (who was just kind of sitting there) to read a verse out loud for us, and then she got really emotional and long story short, it was a really spirit-led discussion with her. So awesome. 

Anyways Christmas is going to be really fun, we have FOUR people to see and eat with! For some reason because me and Elder McCook kind of double-booked 2 people for visiting on christmas, so we just decided to see each of them on christmas haha! We're going to be so fat tomorrow!!!

We also had a really funny experience the other night with the Pelhams as we visited an older member of the ward in the carer's home. It was so funny. Basically she was sleeping and didn't want to be woken up, but the carer lady woke her up anyways and she was really mad. It was so funny.

We also had a great zone conference, we went to the Temple. It truly is the "lord's university" because every time I go there I learn, like, a billion new things. So nice to have had that experience. We also saw a complete non-member family for a dinner appointment! It was hecka weird. Haha!! But it was nice. Basically they've been friends with the last set of missionaries and so when we came we didn't know who they were at all and stuff, so it was pretty awkward. Haha!!!

Okay well I've got to get going, can't wait to talk to the family tomorrow for christmas, I hope everyone has a great holiday and remembers the true meaning of Christmas!

Moroni 7:16
(Notice that substituting "Spirit of Christ" with "Spirit of Christmas" gives it the same meaning. Because the Spirit of Christmas IS the spirit of Christ!!!)

-Elder Blumenthal

The Holidays Are Coming!!!

Christmas is in the air!!! Well not really. but it is really cold!!!

 

Actually, Christmas is quite big here in England. i suppose it should be, but yeah, they decorated the high street with lights and everything, its so awesome!!! But not many people have christmas lights on their houses.

 

Anyways, this week was pretty great. We've mostly been going around trying to catch people in, which is pretty tough, and the holidays are abysmal for knocking doors and such, but we still need to do it basically. Me and Elder McCook have resolved to, when in ANY situation of teaching or contacting, we ask "who do you know would be interested?" or something like that. Basically, do what the back page of PMG says and seek referrals from EVERYONE! Because most of our strong investigators now came from referrals from other investigators!!!

 

Sunday went well also, we had Fast&Testimony meeting. Andrew, one of our investigators, showed up at church and even he got up there! He did pretty well for not being very familiar with Testimony meetings. We also had a great lesson in Priesthood about Dallin H. Oak's talk, "Good, Better, Best" which talks about how we must forego some good things to make use of the better and best things in our life, namely strengthening our faith in Christ as well as our family relationships. Kind of made me think... There isn't anything more important than those 2 things. And best of all, IF we do all we can to come closer to Christ and His gospel, then naturally our family relationships will become stronger as well. The 2 are inseperably connected. Never forget that the Family is the basic social unit of society, and that God intended it to be that way.

 

Anyways, I have to get going, but thank you everyone for the e-mails, I'm sorry fi I didn't reply to some of you, i wouldn't remember if I did or not! love you all!

 

-Elder Blumenthal

 

P.S. just some photos from Zone Conference last week. I forgot to upload them!

Week 20? You Serious?

Is it really week 20? Holy cow. That's like, 1/5 of my mission! That went by pretty quick. HAHA!

 

Okay well where to begin this week. The Zone Conference went amazingly well! We had Elder Kearon, a member of the first quorum of the seventy(!!!) address us. He is is awesome!! He joined the church at 26 years old. it was really funny hearing how he joined the church. he said "I couldn't believe that some young boy had a vision of God... In New York no less!!" Haha. But yeah, the spirit he radiates is awesome. He really pumped me up to go out there and spread the gospel.

 

We also saw Elder Wright, a member of the third quorum of the seventy, at Stake conference a few days later. He is an awesome speaker. He seriously is so humbled and zealous, you just KNOW the church is true after listening to him speak. haha. He was talking about a lot of things, but something I really remembered is him telling us that when we're discouraged, don't compare ourselves to other people. Do a personal spiritual analysis of ourselves, and if we are committed and trying as hard as we can, that's all that matters really.

 

Well I have to get going, today is a pretty busy P-day. We're having a thanksgiving P-day even though most of the zone is from Europe or Britain. haha!

 

Love you all, thanks for the e-mails, be sure to read and pray often.

 

-Elder Blumenthal