Talks

Accent: Sorry to report, but no, I don't have an english accent folks. But my grammar is decreasing. It is scary. My district leader has a hickish type accent from Utah and one of our investigators is from London and they say things like "we was" and stuff and I am catching myself saying stuff like that. AHHHHH! And then I say my o's like an irish person at times. I think I already told you guys that, but I have no idea what my voice is doing!

 

Progress In Talking: I am grateful to be a misisonary because I am getting more comfortable with giving talks way last minute and being completely fine with it. It is so weird when I look back on the first talk I ever gave. I think I was 12 and I wrote it out like a week before and practiced it over and over. I also think of my sophomore year when I had to give a presentation on Nelson Mandela and completely blanked and started it over like 3 times and after the class I just started crying and never having a desire to speak in front of people again. BUT you never stop trying. Practice makes perfect and you just say a prayer and rely on the Spirit to take over when you talk. And I am sure I'll have experiences in the future where I don't give the best talk, but I'll learn from it and keep trying. I got a text Saturday night about speaking Sunday morning. I've learned that a good talk consists of a personal story, scriptural example, application to life, and linking it to the Savior ALWAYS. So that is what I did and I think it was the best talk I've given and the least stressed out I've been. Thank you mission.

 

Investigators: Sorry, I don't talk about investigators as I should. It is weird because some things you experience as a missionary with someone are so special and personal that you feel weird writing it. I'm not being selfish, I promise, but just know Kieran and Maxine are progressing and doing awesome. Kieran is working on quitting smoking and Maxine is up to Helaman and wants to join the ward choir! We have other invetsigators that are in the beginning stages, and good things are going to come.

 

Weather: IS CRAZY. We are actually really blessed in this Southern most part of England compared to the rest of the country. It is cold though. One moment it will be sunny, and the next pouring down. That is England for you.

 

Lars: We had an awesome district meeting that got Sister Andersen and I pumped about making specific goals. We have heard those stories of people praying for a specific person and actually finding them and bringing them to the gospel, so we thought we have the faith we can do it too! So we prayed and the person that came to both our minds was a male, black puffy jacket, shoulder length hair, and Sister Andersen thinks his name is Lars. So we are looking for Lars everyday! We will find him!

 

Exchange: I love helping out sisters. I didn't fully expect how much joy it would bring, but I love being able to learn, listen, and love the different sisters I get to meet! Sometimes it is so crazy to think that the Lord trusts us 18-21 age people to do what missionaries do to a specific area of the world. That we are living on our own, figuring out transport, appointments, talking to everyone we meet about the gospel, etc. But He trusts us, and everything always works out. For exchanges, you pray about who, when, and where you will exchange. So I felt good about Sister Jacob coming to Teignmouth with me. We trained it to Torquay and back and had an awesome day. Our goal was to have fun street contacting. I asked one of the first ladies I met if we could help her (she was carrying garden stuff), and she said yes!! She was heading to her allotment (no one in England really has a garden/yard so there are these places you can buy and do your garden) and so we went and helped her for an hour and a half. She was a Jehovah's witness and really friendly and open, and we ended up teaching her the Restoration while we were helping her. SO AWESOME. I just love how you never know where you will end up in a day. You plan of course, but then you go where the Lord needs you to go. Anyways, it was a cool experience and I love Sister Jacob lots. I think we have a family connection or something because her family is from Scotts Valley.

 

Anyways! ALL is Well in ISRAEL, I love you lots and thank you family for the picture book and calendar, I look it all the time and just love you all so much! Have a great week!

 

Love,

Sister McLeod

 

This is a picture from Christmas. Us and the Newton Abbot elders (Elder Blackner, Smith, me and Sister Andersen). I just love all of my district so much.

So Pumped!

Man I cannot even focus, I am so pumped right now!!!!!! So bear with me if this is letter is scattered in exictement everywhere. I was having a pretty hard evening last night and I was looking forward to reading e-mails and it has uplifted me so much! So thank you all for helping me.

 

Reasons I am Pumped:

 

1. Billie was baptised in Bath on Saturday!!! On President's letter each week it tells you who was baptised and where and so I was dying to see if Billie was and to see her name made me starting crying with joy! But it gets better! I opened my e-mails and saw an e-mail from Billie! She found my blog and haha will read this now too (so hopefully you are appreciating this shoutout), and wow that made me feel so happy. Billie is such an amazing person and has strengthened my testimony and I cannot wait to meet up with her after the mission in London! Love you Billie.

 

2. It gets better. Chris e-mailed me too and bore his testimony and man, he is doing so solid in the gospel! He is teaching me now! Reading those two e-mails made me realise how special it is to meet these two amazing people that I would have had never met unless I was on a mission at this time. The mission is all about the people you meet and special experiences you get to have as you both are strenghtening your understanidng of Jesus Christ and loving one another.

 

3. We are headed to the temple today for a sleepover! WOOT! WOOT! So since we live so far away we get to take a coach with our zone and the Bristol zone to the temple accomadations. We are supposed to get to Plymouth at 4 and are heading from there. I am so exited to go to the temple to learn and feel of the special spirit there.

 

4. On Saturday, I went to my first English wedding. Steve and Terina are the elders' investigators and they are getting baptised at the end of December. How funny is this. Elder Blackner was the best man and Elder Smith was ring boy and then the witnesses to their wedding. It was so fun to go to a wedding, and Terina looked so beautiful and happy. They have two cutest girls too.

 

5. Kieran, who we have been teaching for awhile is progressing and we taught him 3 times this week and is working toward December 28th for baptism. He is this awesome, older English man who is so sincere and thoughtful.

 

6. Maxine and George. After church we went to our ward mission leaders' home for a meal and a lesson with Maxine and George. They came into church 2 weeks ago and George is a member. They were married in April and are so cute together and in love. I love when people hold hands all the time. They are in the elders' area, but requested sisters to teach them and Maxine asked us so many wonderful questions and is exicted to meet with us again on Thursday. I'm so grateful for the member support here. The Maddock's are the ones who invited them and us over for dinner and now we have the opportunity to get to know them and share this beautiful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

7. I am obsessed with the Mormon Message, the Christmas Spirit. You should attach it to this letter. It is so cute and humble reminds us what Christmas is all about. It is all about the Spirit of Christ and I am trying to remember everyday.

 

8. We went on exchanges this week. I went over to Redruth in Cornwall and got to serve with Sister Moulis who I absolutlely adore. She is from Nice, France. I don't know if that is spelled right but it is pronunced like Neece. She has been out 3 months and we got along so well and I would love to serve with her again. We laughed so much and her English is amazing from just learning it at the MTC.

 

It is so nice to have this time to write all of the wonderful things that happen throughout the week because it helped me see the joy and grander picture. I am not going to lie, there are so many tough moments on the mission especially this week. BUT, I am so grateful to be constantly learning that there is opposition in all things. I want my misison to be hard because I know I will grow and learn the most that way. Sounds crazy, but I know it is true. Regardless of eveything that goes on, I write 5 things I am grateful for each day in my journal and truly know that the Lord remembers us and blesses us in every season of life.

 

Love you all and hope you enjoy that mormon message.

 

Love,

Sister McLeod

 

P.S.: I don't know what I am turning into! I say my o's so funny now. It is not even an English accent. It is like Scottish or Irish or like someone from Minnesota.

 

P.S.S. Way more pics to come, couldn't today because I forgot my camera.  

Loved

Exchange: So dreams do come true. Sister Cowley was my best bud and roommate in the MTC {Missionary Training Center}, and both our companions went to the London mission. We sat next to each other on the bus on our way to Staines from the MTC both wondering where we would go and who our trainers would be, what our fears would be and what not. I remember at one of the pit stops we got out and we just wanted to go talk to people about the gospel, but we were just hesitant and nervous. It was like the MTC was our zoo, and we were being introduced to the real habitat we belonged to and we were confused what to do. Haha. Well when we got to Staines, we got our areas and she and I were the only ones to go to the Bristol zone and we have seen each other at every zone training and conference. We talked about how we wondered if we would ever serve together, and so sure enough we got to for a day this week! There is a sister training leader in every zone right now. The goal for the future is to have 2 serving together with a car. So right now Sister Cowley is with Sister Pitcher, who is the sister training leader for the Bristol Zone and they go on exchanges with each sister companionship in the zone (There are 4 them). Exchanges are a 24-hour period where you switch companions and areas, so I got to go to Bridgewater (1 hour 30 min) car ride with Sister Cowley and Sister Pitcher came to Bath. Man I was so excited, and it was so good to talk to Sister Cowley. We are always struggling with the same things everytime we see each other so it was so fun and good to serve with her for a day and see how far we have both come since the MTC. We talked to everyone without a fear and taught some great people. I just love how the mission is refining, pushing, and changing us for the better. We both agreed we are working hard, but feel like we need to give our hearts more completely to the Lord. So until Sister Cowley and I meet again, we will discuss how we are doing as missionaries. Anyway, such a great day. 

Terms of Endearment: Okay so everyone in their texts ends with x's. Example: Okay that sounds good, take care. xx. I just started doing it too haha, but then I finally asked one of the members one day, and she had never heard of xoxo or o's being hugs. So they stick to kisses here in England. Oh and they call hugs here cuddles. Just so endearing right? And I absolutely love how people always say love, like hello my love, take care love, it makes me feel loved! By the way, my comp's and I pump up song everyday is "You are Loved" by Josh Groban. If you are ever feeling down, just put it on repeat, works like a champ. 

Dinner Appointments: So the ward is so awesome. We have 4-6 DA's {Dinner Appointments} every week so we don't have to make too much food. Since the ward is divided with a lot of the strong members in the elder's area, we don't get to see them too much, but the Relief Society president who is the coolest had 2 daughters who kept on insisting we come over for a dinner. They kept complaining that they always had to have the boys come, and they wanted the girlies - hahaha. Their family is the cutest and funniest and reminds me of all my siblings cute, young, and strong families. So we asked the zone leaders, and it ended up being a big dinner with the elders, the recent converts, and us. It seriously felt like Thanksgiving and it was so fun. Just felt like one big family. The little girls, who are 4 and 6 definitely got their girl time and it was so great to be there with everyone and share a big spiritual thought with the elders. And we got to serve in Calne for like an hour and a half before the dinner, and it was so fun to look for people to pass over to the elders. We found one really cool woman and talked this group of like 10 teenager punks, it was the best. 

Weather: What the heck!? Once it hit September it just decided to get cold. It is manageable cold right now, but the members keep telling me I am going to freeze later on. But I refuse to be scared about it. Can't be bothered. K but funny experience, it was down pouring one day while we were walking back home and all of a sudden, a car splashed in this huge puddle and I was completely drenched from head to foot. I just screamed of shock and just started laughing. I took one for the team since I protected my Sister Chamberlain from it. I'm sure there will be many more experiences like that here, but thankfully we were headed home anyway.

Work: We are continuing to find more people. We are still teaching Sujata and a family, but are just building and building. We are going to be super positive this week and have the goal to baptize everyone! Haha, you know that youtube video about the little girl in the mirror saying "I love my mommy, I love my life, I love everything, etc. Well Sister Chamberlain do that everyday as well. I know there are people here in Bath being prepared, we just got to find them!

I love you all!

Love and Cheers!

xx

Sister McLeod

I believe this is the video Mackenzie is talking about...