Week 78: Last week before Transfers

July 9. 2018

Hey guys!

So my week was pretty good. The weather has still been sunny so far and I think some of the locals here are hoping for rain but I'm still crossing my fingers for more sun.

This week we taught a girl  named Kerry that we chapped into. She just had about 20 minutes for us to teach her but we were able to share a little bit about the Plan of Salvation and left her with the Book of Mormon to read. We're hoping to be able to see her again and teach her for a little bit longer later this week. For some reason or another Mark and Bill both dropped us this week. They were both quite solid but hey maybe it will just take them a bit more time who knows.

The rest of the week was good. I was sick for the last half of this week but I think I'm getting over it. Oh yeah, we got to meet President MacDonald last Tuesday. I almost forgot about that. President MacDonald seems awesome. He has a very good sense of humour and a good just get to work attitude. The All-Scotland was only two hours so it wasn't very long. It mainly consisted of President and Sister MacDonald introducing themselves and telling about a few goals that they have for the mission as well as sharing a few scriptures with us. I'd say the biggest difference between President MacDonald and President Donaldson is the difference in accents. I can also tell that President MacDonald has taught a lot of institute and seminary because he has a deep knowledge about the scriptures.

Love you guys! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 77: New Mission President

July 2, 2918

Hey ya!

So this week was pretty good. It was incredibly sunny and warm. I think it was a record heatwave for Scotland in over fifty years or something like that. It almost got up to 100 degrees this week. It reminded me quite a bit of how the weather is back home in July, very hot and humid. It also didn't rain at all this week which was quite unusual. Everyone seemed to be quite amazed at how the weather turned out.

So as far as teaching goes, we chapped into a guy named Bill on Monday and were able to teach him the Restoration. He's around 70 years old and says he is catholic but he thinks the Bible has been somewhat corrupted over the years and he attends other churches than just the catholic one. He also likes to talk a lot and he's very open minded which is good. He loves reading the Book of Mormon as well. We ran into him on Monday and then taught him Wednesday and he had already read through 1 Nephi 4. We're seeing him again on Wednesday. We also GQ'd a guy named Mark in Hamilton and were able to teach him on Saturday which was nice. He has relatively little background about God since he wasn't really raised in a religious home but wants to learn more about what our church is all about. We taught him the restoration and he understood most of it especially the Book of Mormon which was good. We're hopefully going to teach him at the church on Thursday. Also our investigator Cynthia was away visiting family down in Wales this week but she should be back for church next week.

Not too much happened the rest of this week but we get to meet President MacDonald tomorrow for another All-Scotland which should be exciting. As far as P-day goes, we have been going into Glasgow lately but there is more to do in Motherwell than in Cumbernauld so we'll probably just stay here for today.

I hope you guys have a wonderful week!!! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 76: Mission President's Last Week

June 25, 2018

                                                               

                                Glasgow zone with President and Sister Donaldson

Hey guys!

This week was quite busy to be honest. So last Tuesday, was the last All-Scotland with President Donaldson. It was really good. We got to get some pictures taken and we said our goodbyes which was sad. However, we got to have a video conference with Elder Bednar. He's quite funny. It was a question and answer session and the main message he shared with us is how we don't need an Apostle to find answers to our quesiton. He really wanted us to be able to find answers to questions that we didn't ask him through the promptings of the Spirit. It was a really awesome experience. One thing he shared with us is how when we get rebuked by the Spirit it shouldn't be a sad occasion. Often times we think rebuking is a bad thing but really it's just an opportunity for us to change and become better. The Spirit doesn't yell at us but if our hearts are in the right place then we get prompted to change by the Spirit we will joyfully do so. I thought that that was a pretty neat insight that Elder Bednar shared.

I have been really grateful for President and Sister Donaldson and the things they have been able to teach me. They are awesome! One thing that stands out the most is if we're doing all in our power then we are a successful missionary but there is a lot that is in our power as missionaries so we should always be busy.

So the rest of the week was good. We taught Cynthia again. We were able to answer some questions she had about tithing and what happens to everyone after they die. She came to church again and afterwards two girls in the ward got baptised and she was able to stay and attend. She said it almost brought her to tears. She knows she wants to get baptised but just wants her mind to be clear on a few questions she has. She also has a fear of water but I think her desire to get baptised is greater.

We also found a guy named Calum when we were chapping on Saturday. We were able to teach him the restoration and he was really excited to get his own copy of the Book of Mormon since he has looked into different religions but doesn't have much of a belief himself. We're hopefully seeing him on Friday.

And for P-day last week it was back to Glasgow. Sadly Motherwell's area doesn't have any ocean next to it but it's still quite nice. 

I love you guys! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Calley

I guess one cone wasn't enough. They keep adding more every time I see this statue.

Week 75: Week 2 in the "Well"

June 18, 2018

Hi guys!!!!!

So this week was good. Elder Jackson and I have mostly found where everything is in Motherwell. The ward here is wonderful though. It kind of reminds me of the ward back home since it is so big compared to the other wards and branches I've served in.

So this week not too much happened. We had a lot of finding but we also went to the Mitchell's again on Saturday. Brother Mitchell's mom is investigating the church and came again on Sunday. I think she has been there quite a few times now and really enjoys it. She says she always feels something different when she comes to the church here instead of another church. She reads the Book of Mormon but doesn't always understand what she's reading. She enjoys reading the Book of Mormon though. We're meeting with her Wednesday to answer some of the questions she has.

Oh by the way do you guys remember Gordon from Cumbernauld, that me and all my companions taught. So he got re-baptised last Saturday and since I taught him for six months I got permission to go to it. So that was pretty cool.

So tomorrow we have a final All-Scotland with President Donaldson and it's going to be a face to face with Elder Bednar actually. So that should be really good too.

Well that's about all I have this week. I hope everything is swell for you back home. Have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 74: First week in Motherwell

June 11, 2018

Hey guys!

So this week has been interesting. Elder Jackson and I have pretty much figured out where most everything is but we're still figuring out where a few things are. Motherwell's area is quite big. Motherwell is almost 35,000 and there is another town to the west called Hamilton which is about 50,000.  

So not too much happened this week but we did go and visit a family in the ward, the Mitchell's on Saturday. They're a really good family.  Brother Mitchell's mom, her name is Cynthia, is one of the investigators the previous Elders were teaching. She came to church yesterday too and seemed to really enjoy it. She seems to be taking things at her pace but knows that she feels something different when she comes to church. We're seeing her on Saturday. There's also another investigator named William that the elders were working with but he is on holiday in Hungary for another 2-3 weeks.

So as far as church went as a whole yesterday. It was good! We finally got to meet the ward and the ward in Motherwell is huge compared to Sligo. I think there were around 120 members at church yesterday. Everyone in the ward is super nice and just like Cumbernauld ward the bishop is the one who plays the organ during sacrament meeting. By the way it is an actual church building that we meet at. It's about a 25 minute walk from our flat.

I hope you guys have a great week!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 73: Back to Glasgow

June 5, 2018

Hey guys!

So transfers happened and I got moved from Sligo to Motherwell. I am whitewashing into the area with an Elder Jackson. He's from Arizona and has been out for 6 or 7 transfers. Motherwell is a town about 20 minutes south-east of Glasgow. It looks totally different from Cumbernauld but is comparable in size. 

So before I left in Sligo we taught James again this week. He had already read through 1 Nephi and told us he thought it wasn't a coincident he was reading the Book of Mormon but didn't commit to a baptismal date. But the sad part is that we got a text from him on Saturday letting us know that he didn't want us to come back. He didn't say why but Elder Fisk and I think it was due to him coming across some anti material. Good part of the week was we got Ovis to come to church with us again. He only stayed for Sacrament meeting but it was good. We had pretty much lost all contact with him but we saw him on the street on Saturday and he said he would come which was good. 

So as far as how transfers went. So we drove back to Dublin from Sligo on Sunday night, spent the night there, then took a bus to Belfast, from Belfast we took another short bus ride to where the ferry was and then took the ferry over to Cairnryan which is just outside the small town of Stranraer. Then we took a bus from Cairnryan to Glasgow and from there the zone leaders took us to our flat in Motherwell. I left Dublin at 7am then got to Belfast about 9:30am. The bus from Belfast to the ferry is about ten minutes. The ferry left at about 11:20 and got to Scotland right before 2pm. The bus from Cairnryan got me to Glasgow at about 4:30pm. I got to Motherwell at about 5:30pm. It took awhile for the zone leaders to get us here due to all the traffic. Oh by the way one of the zone leaders here in Glasgow is Elder Bain. One of my companions from when I was in Cumbernauld. 

I'm sorry but the only picture I took along moving back to Scotland was of some jellyfish that were off the side of the ferry right off the dock in Belfast. They're the little clear things in the picture.

Here's a picture of me and Elder Jackson.

So for P-day last Monday we went to a forest right next to Benbulbin. Sadly there really isn't a way to get to the top of Benbulbin but the view was beautiful. Sligo is much more beautiful than Motherwell.

Well, I hope you guys have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 72: Last Week In Sligo

May 28, 2018

Hey guys!

So the weather this week has been fantastic. There has been no rain here in Sligo all week and it has been sunny. 

So bad news this week is Innocent completely dropped off the face of the earth but good news is we got to teach a few new people. One of them was a self-referral named James who lives all the way down in a small town called Castlerea in Roscommon. He just wanted to learn more about what our church believes in since he used to be a Catholic. We taught him last Friday and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He was excited to get to read it. Later that night he texted us and said he had already read the first 18 chapters in first Nephi. We're seeing him again on Wednesday. 

So funny story about church yesterday. Our chapel was almost full! We had upwards of 30 members there. Now about ten to fifteen of them were couples and families visiting from the States but it was good to have a lot of people there. One of the recent converts in the branch, his name is Wisdom by the way and he's from Biafra which used to be a part of Nigeria, invited his friend Klondwani to church yesterday. He used to be Pentecostal and is from Malawi and was only able to stay for Sacrament meeting but we're seeing him Wednesday as well. He said he was definitely going to try to make it to church again this week too.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures for you this week but I'll try to take some more this next week. 

By the way as far as hurling goes. It's more popular in the southern part of Ireland. Gaelic football which is essentially soccer except you can run with the ball for five steps before it has to go on the ground, is more popular around Sligo. However, we still see people with hurls every now and again.

I hope you guys have a great week!!!!

Love,

Elder Calley