200

200: Our mission ever since January has been working to have 200 people at church by the month of June. I think the highest we ever got was 180 a couple months ago. Our mission all fasted and prayed together last week to reach our goal since it would be the last week of June. And this week there was 203 people! I just love the combined and collective power of faith. The part member family we are teaching is the best. Phoebe is 11, Jack is 13, and Brad is 16. The three of them came to church yesterday and loved it. We had a ward picnic after and then a baptism of one of the members. We are really focusing on building and supporting the members in their missionary work and they are being so willing! 

DVD Contacting: We wanted to switch things up in our finding so we took the portable DVD player with some Mormon messages and went around asking people if they wanted to be uplifted by a short inspiring message. We had a really positive experience and met a man from Teignmouth who we referred to the sisters there!!!! I think we will be doing some more of that because I mean who doesn't want to see a Mormon message! Haha, I seriously love those videos so much. Who needs television when you've got those!? Even after the mish, I am going to always be watching those. mormonchannel.org is the best.

Shower: The rain drops in Bournemouth are GINORMOUS! I seriously don't remember them being this thick in Teignmouth and Bath. We were walking and randomly it just started pouring and we were soaked within 2 minutes. I don't even think a raincoat or an umbrella had a chance. I love rain though. You just learn to laugh when you get soaked, but honestly the weather is not as bad in England as everyone seem to make of it.

Funny things: There are too many too count. But there was this one man from Saudi Arabia who would not stop trying to ask Sister Sargsyan on a date. I mean relentless. He was not going to take no for an answer or an explanation we are missionaries or anything. So we ended up giving him Teignmouth's number so that will be a fun phone call for them :) 

God knows us: I was having a particularly hard moment one day and I got my first letter in this flat from my family and it is amazing what a couple words can do to give you comfort. My sister wrote something along the lines of try your best and do everything you can, but then leave the rest for Heavenly Father to figure it out. Those words helped me so much, and I also love how Heavenly Father gives us those reminders all the time in the scriptures. The gospel is all about remembering and so grateful to constantly being reminded that God knows us and wants to help us out all the time. 

I love you all so much, have an amazing week!

I'll forward the ones sisters sent me from our week :) 

On P-day we went to this waffle place. All I have to say is oreo. nutella. ice cream. bananas. and waffle= the greatest thing ever created!

This is a pic of a missionary who was in the mission who just came home and now visiting. So weird that Elders' have first names!

There is one room in our house that was left like this. It is pretty much a hoarder's room. 

Kieron!

Sister McLeod :): Kieron was baptized on Saturday and it was just the greatest thing in the world. Although a baptism is so wonderful to see, it is the process of growth and happiness that really makes it so meaningful. He had 3 different baptismal dates before, and to see him finally enter so excited and willing fills me with warmth. I knew this day would come ever since I met him in November, it was just a matter of when. You can feel that with different people, and I was just so glad that the "when" was on Saturday where I could see it. We gave him a quad of scriptures the week before for a baptismal gift, but he wanted to open it after his baptism talk about self-control. It was so cute. He brought it to the baptism and ripped it open and just smiled from ear to ear! I seriously want to put Kieron in my pocket forever!  He wasn't sure if his family was going to come, but they did and it meant so much to him to have them there. There was such a happy spirit at the service and one of the members sang "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" and it is my new favorite hymn. So beautiful. On Sunday, he received the gift of the holy ghost and tears were streaming down his face. He described the experience afterwards as feeling a warm pressure infusing into his body. He also received the priesthood after church and that is where I teared up. To see how happy he was and to know there is one more righteous priesthood holder on the earth just fills me right up. I felt the same way with Chris in Bath. Afterwards, I shook Kieron's hand and it is a moment I want to freeze forever. He said I made it, and I said I knew you would. When he said thank you, it was the most meaningful thank you I have felt and it was so hard to not not just give him a big hug! Kieron, just to hear his name makes me so happy. I love this gospel so much. It means the world to me. 

Weather: In other news, England is getting hit so much with rain. There is flooding in a lot of areas and in the town over the rail line that paralells the sea was demolished and the rail line was hanging in Dawlish. The waves were going insane! On p-day we went and videoed them. I'll send some pics. But we are doing great! Just a little wet. 

What I have learned in England: Umbrellas are useless, rain coats are the way to go.

Crazy waves, a view from one of our investigators flats

I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister McLeod

Christmas!

Pictures: Evidence we are being taken care of. Our beautiful little tree. Our decorations, Sister Andersen is the angel on the top. we keep on meaning to write Christmas miracles as ornaments. That is the little nativity I painted at the Turveys in Bath.

 Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary to the best parents ever, Barbara and Bruce McLeod!

Phone Miracle: I dislike the phone immensely. I don't know why, but I have this tendency to lose phones. I wonder if this will be a life long trait. I hope not, but I guess the Lord keeps testing me to see how I respond in the situation. And usually that means freaking out, so hopefully I can keep learning from these experiences. I don't know what it is about this transfer, but I have lost the phone 3 times temporarily and then recovered it. This third incident happened on Friday when we were headed to meet Maxine. I looked at the phone for a text, put it in my pocket, and then 30 seconds went back to retrieve it and it was gone. It must have fallen out of my pocket or whatever, but we were already late to Maxine and after freaking out and searching everywhere, Sister Andersen kindly and calmly said a prayer. She gets a kick out of my freak outs about losing the phone. I really thought the phone was lost forever this time, so we just went to Maxine and I was just praying to not think about it and focus on her. The Lord really does bless us because that teach Maxine told us she had read up to Alma 22 (she started reading last week) and when we extended her a baptismal date she glady accepted and had even circled Mosiah 18:8-10, that talks about baptism being a desire of those people's hearts. Man!!! The stress of the phone was melted away and as we went to the next teach we borrowed their phone to call the elders to call the office and tell them we had lost it. The elders then called us right back saying they called our phone and someone had it and would wait for us nearby to get it. MIRACLE! Seriously, this situation was so crazy awesome. Life is all about patience and relying on the Lord, and I am trying to learn it slowly, but surely. I'm being patient with my own patience.

Rain: It has been pouring lately. Sister Andersen and I have never laughed so much because there is something so weirdly funny about being completely drenched and not being able to do anything about it. It is the oddest thing. That day in particular both our umbrellas blew out and broke, Sister Andersen's bag broke, cars kept on splashing us, and we were completely lost. We could just look at each other and scream and laugh and run. Oh the joys of being a missionary in England. I really can't complain though, it has been pretty great weather since I've been here.

This is Teignmouth from the bus at sunset. So pretty!

Christmas: At church during Sunday school, they did this full nativity little play and sing-along with all the kids dressed up. It was really well done and so fun to see all the cute and hilarious kids. We have been really well taken care of. The members have been so nice and have showered us with cards, chocolate, cookies, and little gifts. This week we were able to watch Joy to the World and Finding Faith in Christ with our investigators, and so that was awesome to help them focus more on who Christ is to them on a personal level. It is one thing to know the story of Christ, but another to feel its power and personal relevance to each one of our lives. I love how in all my studies about Christ that He is always inviting everyone to come unto Him to receive the greatest gift of joy in this life and in the life to come. I really have been loving 1 John 3:7-9, 2 Nephi 26:33, and Mosiah 5:15. There are so many things about Him that I am learning everyday, but I always come away so overwhelmed at His love for us. I love you all, and hope that you can think of Christ everyday this year. I love Him so much and I think about last year sitting in the field of Bethlehem and having that quiet time to contemplate about His humble birth and life. I hope we all can take that quiet time each day to think of Him. 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!!! I just love life and the gospel!

Love,

Sister McLeod 

Sister Chamberlain and Sister Steffensen

Sister Moulis (I went on exchanges with her and she is from France) 

Sister Gunnel and I at the temple