6 months left!

What's up everyone?! I love you all. Bank holidays are still so funky to me, it really throws off the groove. But hey, I am still happy and life is still good, especially with a belly full of homemade coconut cake that Elder Plumb and I made from scratch for Sister Toly's birthday. Be proud of us mum. 

So this week's quick deet's=

It seemed like everyone wanted to bash with us this week. Jehovah's Witnesses, Pagans, atheists, Catholics...the whole shebang. My whole mission I have avoided bashing with people, but this week...yeah we stuck it to the man (well, as much as you can as a missionary). It has seriously strengthened my testimony though, and showed to me that 18 months of sincere and deep study has really paid off. I am with Joseph Smith, when he said “A man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge....and knowledge is power". I believe that the more you study, the more material the Holy Ghost will have to work with, and with the Holy Ghost, you will never be confounded before men, because the Holy Ghost fears no man. 

Yesterday, we were able to go to the temple and see the new video! It was incredible, and it was so god to see all of my good missionary friends again. Hatch, Bradley, Klingonsmith, O'brien, Maughan...and so many others. I never thought I would make so many true friends on my mission, and the reunion was sweet. Pondering more on reunions....in 6 months, it will be the best one ever! I.am.so.stoked.

Other than that, the week was full of teaching and walking and finding and exploring Formby and meeting crazy people, then meeting with normal people, only to find out that they are crazy too. Everyone has a little bit of crazy in 'em. 

This Saturday, I get to go to Gary's baptism!!!! It's been a long and bumpy road, but he finally made it. I can't wait to see him face to face again and give him the biggest bro-hug of his life. Seeing the process of change in Gary has been one of the greatest highlights of my mission, and I will remember it forever. Missionary work is joy.

Well everyone, I love you all. Keep up with the adventures and never settle for mediocrity. Till next time...peace out!!

Elder BA

The Crosby Blitz.

Hey there everyone. Not gonna lie, it's kinda a surreal feeling right now only having about 6 months left till I see you all again. It hit me pretty hard today, and as of right now in this library...I am mega trunky. It's crazy, all week I was actually thinking about and reminiscing about the cabin...then I check my email and bam!!! cabin pics. I just can't wait till i can join you all there again.

As for me this week, things have been going pretty well. Elder Plumb and I are finally starting to really open up to each other and bond more, which has made the work way more enjoyable. We have also been bonding with a few of the ward families, and the Pattons and McKenna's and the Standley's are all seriously some of my favorite families I have met in the mission, besides the Kent's of course. Even though the members here are in small number, for the most part they love the missionaries. And when you are real and down to earth with them, they are real with you and take you in, and you really feel like part of the family. 

This week we had the Crosby Blitz, with all 30 missionaries in the Liverpool Zone come to Crosby and work the streets all together. It was an incredible experience, and now both companionships here in Crosby have about 30 new people each to go contact. I am so stoked to go out and meet and work with them! Elder Plumb and I alone found an incredible investigator named Amy, and after wards it made Elder Plumb so happy...he voluntarily gave me a hug of pure joy...and this is the same kid who thinks any man-to-man hug is homosexual and in his words " nah man that's queer" (redneck accent). Hopefully it will kick start this ward again. 

Other than that, this week was full of normal missionary work, pick-up football matches, skating with some kids, picking blackberries, spitting out sour blackberries, eating paella with the Pattons, laughing at Elder Plumb, going on another exchange in Liverpool, pinching a crazy nerve in my neck, handling sister drama, stepping in dog poop, and running in the morning on the beach. 

Life is good, and time is going by crazy fast. Being real, I am happy doing the Lord's work here and befriending so many people and doing what I truly love, teaching.......but I am so stoked and excited to see and be with you all again. Well, it's going to go by fast here, so I will enjoy it to the utmost awesome levels as I can. So in the meantime, take care, I love and miss you all, and peace out. 

Elder BA

p.s. next monday is a lame bank holiday...so look for my words on tuesday

Reviving Crosby.

Hello there chaps! It's good to hear from all of you. I love and miss you.

Life is going pretty well over here on the Liverpool coast. Elder Plumb and I are over most of the new-missionary-bumps-in-the-road, and the work is exploding here. It's incredible.

 

So here are the deets:

 

Earlier on in the week, we had a long talk with Bishop (one of the best bishops I have served with on my entire mission) and he simply and boldy told us..."Crosby has never had real growth. And if real growth doesn't happen soon, Crosby will be shut down in 5-10 years". The members here are such good people and I love them, but I fear they lost some hope for Crosby as well. So...we have been working extremely hard and relying on the Lord even more.

When we first arrived, we had one shaky investigator. Over the course of the last week and a half...Elder Plumb and I now have 9 investigators, with two that are close to baptism. There have just been so many little connections and "coincidences" and good people opening the door to us, and I am stoked to keep on working here.

To revive Crosby even more, the Stake President has told us to do a "Crosby Blitz"...with all 30 missionaries in the zone coming here on Friday, and literally finding most of the working day. Not gonna lie, after planning it with some of the other leaders...it's going to be crazy. I have never heard of this happening before, but Operation: Crosby Revival is in full effect!

 

So along with that good news, I also got some really good news from Elder Frandsen. Remember Gary from Southport? Well he has once again committed to baptism, and is totally back on track and has ditched his skanky girlfriend. If everything goes well, I will be going to his baptism on the 30th of August! I seriously almost cried when I heard the news. Please, keep him in your prayers, Gary needs it.

 

Other than that, this week has been full of missionary work and just getting to know Elder Plumb even more. Haha he is a flipping crazy redneck kid, but he is good. Once you peel back some layers, his good heart really shows. Kinda like Skrek. I still have some really good friends in this zone too, like Elder Clark and Lee. Today we are going up to Liverpool and playing chair football with some of the other Elders again. I.am.so.pumped!!!!! I will definitely bring this game back to the states.

 

Well everyone, take care, and for those of you who have to go to highschool and junior high.....mwahahahahahahah! Randi, I am still jealous of you though. I'll see you there soon.

I love you all, and peace out!

 

Elder BA

 

 

 

 

Crosby adventures and Elder Plumb.

Hey everyone! Greetings from the land of Scousers, metal men, crazy Irish old women and rednecks. There is so much going on lately, but I am happy and well. Hopefully I can squeeze in the main deets of what's going on:

 

So rewinding to last week, on tuesday night I got to go to train the trainers again, and it was awesome. Pres. Ulrich is so deep, and so many of my other good friends were there and training as well. The incoming group had 24 missionaries coming in, so the mission home was packed of trainers. The meeting was very inspirational, but the best part was staying over in the manchester flat at night with 14 other elders. Haha it was a party. Elder Van Waganer and I found a guitar...and luckily he knew how to play every single one of the Flight of the Conchords songs. Business Time.

 

The next morning, we were all exhausted, but stoked to get our new trainees. My new mission child is....Elder Plumb! He is an 18 year old redneck from Casa Grande Arizona, and even though he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed....haha he has a good heart. We have had to get over some pride issues already, but he is quickly learning the ways of the mission. He already loves to talk (very very loudly), and we have been able to meet some amazing people here in Crosby and Waterloo.

 

It's been an adventure so far. Since we white-washed in, and the other Elders left us with absolutely nothing...we have been hitting the streets hard. On Friday, we literally tracted for 8 hours, and talked to everyone in between on the streets. I still hate the idea of tracting with a passion, but Heavenly Father blessed us with finding 3 new investigators already! We are slowly reviving Crosby, haha and I have never been more tired, or more soaked. It has been dumping down rain hard lately...like waterfall status.

 

The Crosby Ward is very small with only 40 active members, but I have already found my Crosby family! Sister Patton and her daughter Amanda (both Brazillian! The husband is english and a nonmember, and hates missionaries) took us in, and they treated us so well, and serioulsy fed us like kings. I love them so much already, and we have been able to help out eachother so much. They also showed us to their friends, and now we are trying to start up a traditional football match with some of the other teens in the area. I have been incredibly suprised with how nice the people here have been so far. The people who live on the outskirts of Liverpool are just so funny and scouse and open to talk and help us out. I'm stoked to play football again and bump up our teaching pool.

 

Other than that, I have just been working hard to help out Elder Plumb and to help out this ward. He is a workhorse, and I am so grateful for that. I have no idea what we are going to do for fun for pday, but I hope you all have some rad times at home and enjoy the sun! I love and miss you all. Till next time, peace out home skillets.

 

Elder BA

 

 

 

A new transfer to Crosby.

Hey all you home-skillets! Greetings from Southport...and yes...it will be the last time emailing from this sea-side town! Here's what's happening=

I am moving down the coast...to Crosby! I was initially a bit bummed because that area literally borders mine, but my good friend Elder Tuioti is serving there and has filled me in on a lot of the deets. My new area has some beautiful beaches and nice parts like Formby, but it also has some sketchy areas like Bootle (notorious for throwing things at missionaries). I am pumped though, I have felt like my guard has been down the entire time here in peaceful Southport...so I'm stoked to be and work in some dodgy parts again. Look forward for some stories.

This next transfer will definitely be interesting. First off, I will be a new daddy! I have already follow-up trained Elder Bradley, but I'm stoked to train a brand new missionary of my own. That will be the fun part, but the challenging part....Crosby ward is dying pretty heavily with only 30-40 active members (well...still better than Barrow)....and the rest of my district includes one intense Canadian sister, 2 crazy Tongan sisters, and one super sensitive Lithuanian sister who can still barely speak English. Basically, I have a ticking-lady-time-drama-bomb on my hands. So with all that mixed together....I am up for another adventure.

This week has been pretty sweet. I have spent a lot of time bonding and doing service for the members here, and I will miss so many of them. I also finally got to see Gary again! It was incredible timing, but basically I got to leave him with my testimony and a solid bro hug, and hopefully his door will be opened to future missionaries. Southport has been an incredible experience, full of ups and downs, but amazing friendships.

Well that's about all for now, but I'll fill you in on the new deets from my new home and new companion next week. Till then, I love you all, and peace out!

Elder BA

the Harbon crew

The Grays, aka my southport grandparents. The coolest cats I know

Huge liverpool concert

Roar

Gary the man.

best-southport-friend-Joe

Southport crew

Football and Drunkards.

Hey everyone! First off, happy birthday sister! (more to say later on). Haha seriously, your beach bum adventures are making me day dream super hard right now, and it's super hard to type.

My week has been good though. Here's the quick deets (huge time crunch today):

I had an exchange in Liverpool with Elder Roberts. Liverpool is always an adventure.

Back in Southport, we were walking through Hesketh Park and challenged a whole group of people to football, and Elder Frandsen and I won! Take that you smelly English pig dogs! Anyways, we ended up teaching them, and 4 of them asked really intelligent questions, showed really good interest, and became new investigators! They, along with many other random on-the-spot lessons with good people, are slowly building up our teaching pool, which is what we desperately needed. Not only that, but one of the former investigators here has been coming back to church, and she is showing good progress and is looking good for baptism in the near future! We are taking it slow, but I can totally see it happening. The work is pumping up, and it's awesome.Haha Elder Frandsen took one for the team and got rebuked really hard on the bus by the driver for preaching. Stick it to the man.

This week's theme, drunkards and pot-heads calling us over to "change their lives". Their intentions to bash us reversed though, and every time their hearts were softened and we were actually able to teach and laugh with them. This one man even bought us drinks while we taught him right outside the pub!

Anyways, the truth is unconquerable, the Holy Ghost is real, the gospel brings peace, and people are inherently good, sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper.

I love you all, and I hope you continue to have a chillax radventure by the coast. You are the best family ever. Till next time, peace out.

Elder BA

p.s. transfer calls this Saturday! pretty sure I'm leaving, but who knows, I have been surprised before.

p.s.s. It.is.your.birthday 

New President and adventure.

Hey everyone! I'm going to keep this one short and sweet, cause I want time to write to everyone individually before I head off to our man day in Crosby with the other elders. So here are this week's deets!:

Last p-day, we started a tradition, MAN-DAY-P-DAY! We gathered with some other elders in Crosby, ate manly food, and played chair football for over 3 hours (best game ever, I'll introduce it when I get back)!!!!

Exchange with the new trainee in my district, Elder Lee! He is a super rad, crazy, surf/skate outdoors kid...so needless to say...we had an instant connection. The whole exchange was filled with spontaneous connections made with random people, and service and also...skating with a group of kids by the pier!!! It was so fun, and now I have a testimony that skating can connect people from all over the world, and yes...it can even lead to sharing the gospel.

I finally got to meet Pres. Ulrich at the multi-zone conference! I was a bit sceptical at first, but now I really like him. He is basically a wannabee Bruce R. McConkie, but I love his desire to make us all gospel scholars. He is a good man with a deep knowledge of the gospel, and I believe with his energy, and us getting I-pads in September, this mission is going to explode.

So, this Saturday was absolutely hectic! As you know, I was suppose to go to the temple with Alex. We got a train to Bolton, only to find that our connecting train to Chorley was cancelled. Flip. So we ended up having to get a coach. Funny thing though, it was the most random but funniest coach ride ever! The only people on the huge coach were Elder Frandsen and I, another random kid, the driver, an actress and....yeah...Jack Sparrow. Picture included. He was a professional impersonator, on his way to work a carnival but was totally lost, but remained in character the entire time! Haha so for over an hour, we were talking with this actress and Jack Sparrow, and the driver was just laughing at our conversations the entire time, with people taking pictures of our odd little group. We wrote a mini screen play for "An Actress, Jack Sparrow, Two Mormons, Stuck On A Bus". Look for it in theatres.

So after that adventure, we ended up getting to the temple literally 5 minutes too late for Alex's session. I was destroyed!! Luckily though, we just did a later session, were filled with the spirit juice, and we were then on our way. Super bummer that I missed Alex, but we were able to meet and teach some really good people on the way there and back, so that attempted to make up for it.

Well everyone, I love you all! Stay sweet, don't forget to floss, and peace out!

Elder BA.

p.s. picture proof