Week 100: December means it's Christmas

Dec. 10, 2018

Hey guys!

This week was good. We're still teaching Mitch. He's reading the Book of Mormon and came with us to volleyball last Friday but wasn't able to make it to church. We're hoping to get him to come this week and will be seeing him again on Wednesday. Otherwise there has been a lot of finding this week.

So tomorrow is All-Ireland and so we're going up to Dublin today. It should be very good. 

Oh yeah a week from last Saturday was the branch Christmas party. It was good. Most of the branch showed up and even a suprise visit from Santa happened for all the primary kids. We were able to get a less active man from El Salvador named Rodolfo to come. He enjoyed it and was excited to meet everyone there.

Yesterday in church there was a sister who gave a talk about moving forward with faith but she related it to the Christmas story. Everyone in the story had to move forward with faith somehow. Whether it be Mary or Joseph who had to have faith that everything would be okay from what had been revealed to them, the sheperds who had to put their faith before their fears and follow the angel to see Jesus, or the wise men who only had a star to direct them and yet had the faith it would take them where they wanted to go. I know that as we put faith in God we will see miracles in our lives.

Well I hope you guys have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Yeah, we've had the introduction to Come, Follow, Me manual in Cork branch and last week we actually had 2 hour church with a potluck after. It was cool to see the difference.

Week 99: Christmas is Coming!!!

Dec. 3, 2018

Hey guys!

This week has been good. We taught a guy named Mitch that goes to the uni here in Cork and another guy named Laszlo from Hungary. They both agreed to read the Book of Mormon but they weren't able to come to church this Sunday. We're seeing them on Tuesday and Wednesday though. 

Yeah so Cork is a decent size city. Thankfully each team of missionaries has their own flat here. We also basically have free run of the city since we all serve within the same branch. So we all get to find and teach anywhere we want in the city but Elder Barlow and I mainly just stay on Patrick Street and Grand Parade which is right in the city centre but sometimes we'll walk down to the uni and GQ around there. By the way the other missionaries in the city are Elder Berry form Wales, Elder Alfonso from Spain, Elder Richardson from England, and Elder Skelton from Arizona. I never realised that it was one of the sunniest and still rains on average 206 days a year. I think this last week counts for at least 5 or 6 of those.

So I haven't done too many fun things in Cork. Usually for p-day we play rugby or american football which is pretty fun. Actually now that I think about that I have done some fun things. Every Friday the branch does volleyball for YSA and if we as missionaries bring investigators along then we can go too. It's a lot of fun.

So this week I've been studying Alma 56 about the 2,0000 stripling warriors and the faith they had instilled in them by their mothers and how they kept fostering that faith. A few things they had that made their faith what it was were their being steadfast, obeying with exactness, and putting trust in God continually. They didn't doubt in the things that they did but had trust that God would deliver them. I often think that some of these things are things that can easily be forgotten and it was a great reminder for me when I am in situations that I may not necessarily want to be in or that might be hard to be steadfast, obey with exactness, and at the end of the day trust God that everything will be okay. 

I love you guys! Have a great week! Good luck decorating the Christmas tree.

Love,

Elder Calley

Weeks 98: Happy Late Thanksgiving!

Nov. 26, 2018

Hey guys! 

This week was good. Cork has been great so far. The city here is 200,000 something so there are always people to talk to here in the city centre. They also have a Uni called UCC here in Cork so there are a lot of uni students to talk to as well. Everyone tells me the branch here is supposed to be around 100 people but yesterday we got maybe 60 people at church. I think a lot of people were away on holiday. So for Thanksgiving we went over to the Thompson's an American family that moved here from Utah. It was very good food. We also had another Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night at the Kalgari's which was good too. By the way Black Friday actually is a thing here in Cork and Friday night the city was buzzing since all of the shops were open late.

So this week was pretty good. We got a lot of potential people we could teach but it's getting closer to the holiday season and people are just getting more and more busy. But there are still people wanting to meet with us.

This week in my studies I studied Alma 8. How Alma was called to teach the people of Ammonihah and he was rejected pretty hard the first time but when he was asked by an angel to return to the same city that hated him he didn't hesitate to go. He prayed and asked for help and found Amulek but as he connected with God and pressed forward he was able accomplish what God had in store. I like this story because it reminds me that whenever I'm going through a hard time I can pray, reach out to others, and as I continue to be diligent in my efforts then I know that what my Heavenly Father has in store will come to pass maybe not in the time I want it but it will.

So here are some pictures of the city at night. Apparently right before I got here they put up and turned on all the Christmas lights and there's a lot of them here in Cork.

Great to talk to you guys! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 97: Cork it is!

Nov. 20, 2018

Hey guys!

So it's good to hear you got the video from Helen. So yeah I'm all the way down in Cork now. I took a bus from Mullingar to Dublin Sunday night and then a bus from Dublin down to Cork Monday morning. My new companion is Elder Barlow who is the district leader in the Cork district which also includes Waterford. So Elder Barlow is from Taylorsville, Utah, he's been out for 14 months and he's a huge football fan.

This week was nae bad. We were able to get Alexandre to come to church on Sunday which was great! We almost got Dewei to come to church too but we couldn't find him a lift. All the other members had full cars or were out of town.

Yeah Thanksgiving is this week. I keep forgetting since they don't really celebrate here but we have a dinner appointment at one of the members houses for Thanksgiving. I don't really know any of the members here in the Cork branch but I think it's around 100 members who come each week.

This week I've been studying about patience and how a big aspect of patience is handing our will over to God. Often times it can be hard to be patient in things that we want now but I read a cool story in a talk this week. "In the article “Tommy and the Gumball Machine,” Jean Ashby tells the story of her son, Tommy. Her little boy was following her into a store and was allowed a penny to get a gumball out of a machine. His mother continued into the store to get a cart, and the automatic door closed behind her. When Tommy struggled to turn the handle on the gumball machine, he became distressed. His mother noticed, but couldn’t get back through the automatic doors. She indicated that he should take a step towards her, so the doors would open, but he clung to the gumball machine, afraid he wouldn’t get his treasured gumball if he stepped away from it. It seems like some of us are like Tommy by the gumball machine. We feel that God has deprived us of something we really want, when he might actually ask us to step away from it for a time so that he can reward us with it at a later time." I just thought this story was really cool since it really shows how although we want something  now as we turn to God, He will help us. We may not get that righteous thing immediately but I know with God's help we can receive it in His own time as we put trust in Him.

I will try to send you guys some more pictures of Cork this week but here's a picture of Alexandre, me, and Elder Statie

I love you guys! Have a great week! Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 96: No snow in Ireland :)

Nov. 12, 2018

Hey guys!

So I showed Elder Statie the picture of the car with snow on it and he just said it looked like paradise. He just can't wait for the snow here and I keep telling him he won't see any snow.

This week was not bad. We're still seeing Alexandre every now and then. We're hoping he can receive the Priesthood this week or next. We weren't able to see Dewei this week but he said he would most likely be free this Saturday.

This week I've been studying Ether 12:27 and 3 Nephi 5-8. It's been interesting since in Ether 12:27 it says that if we have faith and humble ourselves then we can receive strength and help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It made me think that one thing that could be stopping us from having faith and humility or in other words turning to God is pride. In reading 3 Nephi 5-8 the Nephites gained a lot of pride relatively quickly and that is ultimately what stopped them from the Lord being able to bless them and they rejected every opportunity the Lord gave them too. I just thought that was interesting since often times pride can get the best of us and blind our vision and stop others from helping us when we really need help.

Oh yeah we also went on exchanges this week in Dublin. It was really good and also really rainy. Hahaha. Usually when we're there we go to O'Connell Street which is just of the north side of Liffey river. It's one of the busiest streets on the north side of the city.  

Here's a picture of the Quay. We were on the bus leaving and we just missed a nice storm.

Love,

Elder Calley

Here's another picture of the Quay.

Week 95: Winter is Coming!!!

Nov. 5, 2018

Hey guys!

This week has been good. It's been getting colder but it's not bad. Elder Statie keeps asking me where all the snow is and I tell him he'll probably have to wait for Christmas. Elder Statie likes the cold and the rain since he has always had sun and warm temps in Bonaire. It's been a lot of finding this week with a few appointments falling through but we were still able to visit Alexandre this week and taught a good lesson on how the Lord can help us through challenges that we face.

We also weren't able to see Dewei since he had to work overtime again but we'll probably see him this Saturday.

This week should be good. Today is Guy Foxe day. Guy Foxe was a guy who tried to blow up Parliament and people celebrate by building huge bonfires and setting off fireworks. If you're in England they set off fireworks celebrating that he didn't blow up Parliament but in Scotland and Ireland they celebrate that he almost blew up Parliament.

We also have exchanges tomorrow in Dublin which should be fun. Also in my studies this week I studied Alma 37 where Alma is giving counsel to his son Helaman and I like how he mentions the Liahona and how it pointed where Lehi and his family needed to go. I often think our Liahona's are the Holy Ghost and just like the Liahona the Holy Ghost cannot guide us unless we have faith that God can help us and we are diligent in doing our part to make what we need come to fruition.

Sorry I forgot to take pictures again but I hope you enjoy the video I sent you.

Love you!

Elder Calley

Week 94: Happy Halloween!

Oct. 29, 2018

Hey guys! 

This week was good and super cold! I think some of the weather from Minnesota has been blown over to Ireland. Hahaha. We haven't had any snow yet but it's been good. Elder Statie is always amazed at how cold it is and how there isn't any snow on the ground yet.

So as far as teaching goes we're still seeing Alexandre. He is awesome! He's still coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon. We saw Eugene on Saturday as well and we talked about Alma 32:34 and how if our faith is dormant than we won't have increased understanding, enlightenment, or able to find answers to our questions. We invited him to come to church but yesterday morning he woke up sick so he didn't come. We'll continue to work with him though. Also we're teaching this guy from China, Dewei. I'm pretty sure I've told you about him but he lives all the way in Athlone and so we travelled there Saturday to meet with him. He's met with some missionaries in Belfast and loves studying the scriptures but was a little cautious about committing to church since it is an hour away. However, we told him we could arrange a lift for him if he could come and he told us maybe this week.

The rest of this week was good. We had All-Ireland on Tuesday which was great! Also Halloween is pretty big here in Ireland. Everyone is decorating and every once in a while you see some kids dressed up in their costumes.

Well I hope you guys have a great week! 

Love you guys a lot!

Elder Calley

Week 93: It's getting colder here too!

Oct. 22, 2018  

Hey guys!

This week was good. We've continued to teach Alexandre the new convert lessons. We've been teaching him about the priesthood as well as some english this week since he doesn't know much and he only has Elder Statie to translate for him. He enjoys coming to church and the members reach out to them when they can. We saw Eugene this week too and he said he would come to church yesterday but at the last minute decided to not come. We're trying to get him to read the Book of Mormon but he says he's been really busy with work. We also taught Eugene's wife Lucy on Saturday as well. She's Catholic but she was interested enough to sit and listen to us and she agreed to read the Book of Mormon with Eugene. Oh before I forget, Lucy also made us a Brazilian dinner and wow it was so good. Brazilian food is absolutely delicious! 

Yesterday in church I gave a talk on our baptismal covenants. I talked about how God doesn't want to leave us on the covenant path. The gift of the Holy Ghost is evidence of that and as long as we're upholding our promise to God, we can be led and guided on the path back to him. 

Also for P-day last week we went to Dublin and met up with some of the missionaries there.

Well not too much else happened this week. We have all-ireland conference tomorrow which should be good.  I hope you have  a great week!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 92:Alexandre got Baptised!!!

Oct 15, 2018 

Hey guys!

So we had a baptism in the lake this week with Alexandre! It was kind of cold and it was very different from the font but it was good. There were a few members there as well. Alexandre was really excited for his baptism all this week and he loved his baptism last Saturday. Funny story though, it was raining pretty hard all day Saturday and it would have been not so fun to have a baptism but we decided to go ahead with it and by the  time we were ready to go to the lake for the baptism the rain had stopped and by the time the baptism was over at the church it was raining again. So it's great to see small miracles from heaven. Our Heavenly Father is definitely looking out for us.

Also Elder Statie confirmed him yesterday which was awesome! This was Elder Statie's first baptism and he was really excited for it as well.

Oh I forgot to tell you guys but last week we met a referral for a guy from China named Dewei. He's really cool, he met missionaries up in Belfast but moved to Athlone for work. He loves the scriptures and learning from the missionaries but has a lot of questions about the gospel. We're hoping to see him again this Saturday or next Saturday since he works weekdays. Also last night we had ZLC and so I'm in Dublin for P-day. So I'll try and take lots of pics.

One of the messages that inspired me at conference was Elder Rasband's talk on fear. Like he said in his talk a lot of us have fear in our lives when we are faced with having to do some task but as we turn to God and focus on Him we can't fail. Last night at ZLC they showed us the Bible video of Peter walking on water and it was interesting how he didn't fear until he took his eyes off of the Saviour. It was then that he started to sink. 

I love you guys! Have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 91: Wow Conference Was Awesome!!!

Oct 8, 2018

Hey guys!

So Conference was really great! It'll be weird to see all of the changes take place when I get back. I really loved the talks though. There was a theme on getting through hard times with the Saviour's help.  One of my favorite talks was by Elder M. Joseph Brough. I really liked his talk about hard times and all the examples he gave briefly of people in the scriptures. How no matter what they went through they were still able to find joy. I know no matter what we're faced with we can get through it with the Saviour's help. I think this applies to so many people that we meet and teach and to everyone in general.

So Alexandre is doing good. His knee is getting better and with the amount of spare time that he's had recovering he's been reading the Book of Mormon quite a bit. His baptism is scheduled for this Saturday. He should be all ready to go this time. We don't need any permission to baptize in the lake since we don't have a baptismal font. I imagine the lake will be similar to lake superior this time of year. Eugene is also doing good. We don't get to see him as often as we do Alexandre but we finally got him to commit to reading the Book of Mormon before we see him again. 

Oh yeah transfers. So both Elder Statie and I are staying in Mullingar for another six weeks. Elder Statie is a really good companion. I've learned a few Spanish words and phrases like hasta luego means see you later and a few other words like batata means bicep.

I hope you guys have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Thank you so much for the package and letters! I loved them! 

Week 90: Fall is here!

Oct. 1, 2018

Hey guys! This week was pretty good.  Alexandre had an operation on his knee last Tuesday and it was worse than what he said it was going to be so we had to postpone his baptism until October 13th. However, thank you so much for your prayers! Also Alexandre had his baptismal interview on Thursday and he is all good to go for his baptism. As far as Eugene goes he came with us to church yesterday by himself. Alexandre was home due to his knee. Eugene loved church and we reviewed the restoration lesson with him and it was really good!

As far as the rest of this week goes we went on exchanges with the zone leaders on Friday in Dublin. Dublin is a huge city and it was really fun. Also the weather out here has definitely changed. It has been pretty cold the past couple of days and I think it has caught Elder Statie a little off guard. He's used to 30-40 degree weather. (sorry that's in celsius not farenheit) He is very excited for when the snow comes in the winter though.

I am really excited for general conference this week! We'll probably watch it in the church. They have a projector screen that we can watch it on which should be awesome.

This week I've been studying in Jacob 4 and how God gives us weaknesses to help us rely on him and Jesus Christ more. I thought that was really interesting because often times we just think that our weaknesses are just road blocks but there is a reason for them in our lives.

Well I hope you guys have a great week!

Love,

Elder Calley

A picture of the Liffey in Dublin that I took from the bus

Me on the plane last week. The other Elder is Elder Berry

Me in the church foyer in Mullingar

Exchanges with Zone leaders

Dublin Quay

Week 89: Dublin, Dublin, and more of Dublin

Sept. 24, 2018

Hey guys!

So this week has been crazy! Elder Statie and I have had to do a lot of travelling this week. On Wednesday we had All-Ireland in Dublin. Elder De Feo was there and he gave some really awesome remarks. One of the scriptures he shared with us was Mosiah 4:9-10 which talks about believing in God. Elder De Feo told us that if we believe in God that we can accomplish what He wants us to do. Belief is a source of power that will not only lead us to act but allow God to bless us in the things we need. 

Then on Thursday night we went back to Dublin for a mission leadership conference in Edinburgh. So I flew to Edinburgh from Dublin with all the zone leaders and district leaders in the Republic of Ireland and Elder Statie stayed in Dublin with some other missionaries. It was a good conference. Elder De Feo was there and one of the things that President Macdonald is focusing on is member missionary work. They gave us some great ideas. One of them was something called the Book of Mormon challenge. I'm not sure if you guys have heard of it but it's something the church is doing in the UK and other parts of Europe. There are 21 questions about the Book of Mormon and a scripture that you can read and ponder about the question as well as a quote by a general authority. I've been doing the challenge in my personal study and it's helped me to appreciate the Book of Mormon more.

So I flew back on Saturday and we taught Alexandre and Eugene. They're doing good and Alexandre is excited for his baptism this Saturday. We've taught him most of the commandments and will teach him the rest on Wednesday. He even came with us to Stake Conference yesterday. We had Helen drive us and Alexandre to Dublin for Stake Conference. Stake Conference was good and many of the talks were powerful. 

So that's my week in a nutshell.

Oh yeah here's a bit more about Elder Statie. So I think I told you he is from Bonaire in the Carribean. Bonaire is part of the Netherlands and is off the coast of Venezuala and has about 26,000 people. Elder Statie's primary language is Spanish, but he also speaks Dutch, Papiamento which is spoken by the people in Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao which are islands next to Bonaire. He also knows some English which is nice. Both of his parents are converts. He is also a very good cook which is a skill that is few and far between when it comes to missionaries. He also likes photography.

I love you guys! Thank you so much for your testimonies and spiritual experiences that you share! They are great!

Love,

Elder Calley

Oh yeah so when it comes to Mullingar there isn't much to see in the town. There is however a cathedral here that is one of the biggest in Ireland but we haven't gone to see it. The economy here is mainly run by the shops that are here.

Below is a picture of all the Irish missionaries that were in Edinburgh.