Week 84: Cynthia got baptized!!!

Aug 20, 2018

Hey guys!

So Cynthia's baptism went down on Saturday! She was super nervous but super excited at the same time. It was funny because we were going to have a member baptize her but about two hours before the baptism we got a call from him asking one of us to do it. So I ended up baptizing Cynthia. It was definitely a privilege and a good reminder that we should always be prepared. Cynthia loved her baptism and felt quite overwhelmed after the actual ordinance happened. She was also confirmed yesterday and here were a few talks in sacrament and in gospel principles on the Holy Ghost. She loved it and bore her testimony in gospel principles which was awesome! Oh by the way learning the piano is definitely worth learning because it's come in handy when it comes to baptismal services. Also before Cynthia was baptized, her family took her to visit the temple grounds. She loved being able to see the temple.

One of the amazing things about baptism is that no matter how many times you go to a baptismal service you can still feel the Spirit there. The power of God is definitely manifest in ordinances!

So the rest of this week was good. We were able to meet with Gillian and her son Nicholas sat in on the lesson! We taught her a bit about the plan of salvation and about how agency is a big part in that plan. 

Well sorry this email is a bit short but we're going to visit  Loch Lomond for p-day as a zone today but I love you guys!!! Thank you for emailing me! Have a great week!!!

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 83: The Mission is Awesome!!!

Aug. 13, 2018

Hey guys!!!

So this past week was great! Except for the weather because it rained everyday this past week. However, Cynthia is still excited for this Saturday and we had an on-the-spot lesson with a guy named Banky. He's from Nigeria but has lived in Scotland for a while. We found him while I was on exchanges with Elder Rowlan and we were GQing in Hamilton. Banky's Pentecostal but he had some honest questions he wanted answers to like, "why do bad things happen to good people" and "how can I find better answers to pray and how can I move forward with the answers I do get when I'm praying". It was a really good lesson and we shared a brief restoration run down at the end and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was really excited to have a chance to read it. We're hopefully going to see him on Wednesday.

The rest of this week was good. Lots of finding but good. We had the Maxwells do a flat check and take us out to lunch.

Oh yeah so the European Championships ended yesterday. They had rowing and the triathlon going on at a park west of Motherwell. It was pretty exciting to see people from all over Europe. The rest of the events took place in Glasgow and I think a few of the events took place in Berlin. The picture is of the park when we were GQing in it.

I hope you guys have a great week!!!

Love,

Elder Calley

I'd say there are about 10-15 youth in Motherwell ward. As far as I know of they have taken President Nelson's challenge to heart. I think there are even some other members that are doing it too.

Week 82: Glasgow European Championships

Aug. 6, 2018

Hey guys!

So this week was pretty good. We've still been teaching Cynthia and she is really excited for her baptism in two weeks. She's already made plans to invite people to her baptism. William is doing good as well. He got ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday and it's really cool to see how he's changed since his baptism! When I got to Motherwell, William was just super prepared. I don't think we did anything that majorly affected him but I think it was just really good missionaries in the past help him recognize his testimony of the church and the Book of Mormon and having nothing pop up this time right before his baptism.

We also chapped into this lady named Gillian this week. She grew up Catholic but was kind enough to let us in and have us share the restoration with her. We're hoping to see her again on Saturday.

Oh by the way so this week and next there's something called the European championships. It's kind of like the olympics except it is only countries from Europe. Most of the events are in Glasgow but some of them are in Strathclyde park just west of Motherwell so we've seen a few people from all over Europe this week. 

This week has been good though. That's really exciting that Braquelle is getting her mission call soon. I'm guessing she's going to Sacramento, California or to Canada.

Sorry I don't have any pictures this week. We're hiking a hill in Glasgow today so hopefully I will next week.

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

Love,

Elder Calley

Week 81: William got Baptized!!!

July 30, 2018

Hey guys!

So this week was awesome but super busy. As you can probably tell by the title of this email, there was a baptism yesterday and yes I did get a picture. 

(from left to right: Elder Hicks, Bro Cameron, William, me)

The baptism was awesome! So the member who baptized him was Bro. Cameron and another member Bro. Raphael confirmed him. It was really nice to have the members involved. The Spirit was definitely there and the ward was really supportive of William getting baptized even after his 7 years of investigating. We're going to see him again on Wednesday.

As far as the rest of the week went, we were able to teach Cynthia again and she accepted a baptismal date for the 18th of August. She is getting more and more excited for her baptism and was already trying to plan most of it the last time we met with her. We still have to teach her some of the commandments but she's really coming along. We also went on exchanges this week with the zone leaders in Glasgow.

To be honest this week was kind of a blur and I'm kind of blanking on what else happened. I think autumn is coming early this year in Scotland because it's been cooling down the past few days. This next week should be really good though because we have another zone conference tomorrow in Edinburgh.

Thanks for your emails!!! Love you guys!!! You're the best!!!!

Love,

Elder Calley

So as far as new Scottish words go, I don't really have any but one saying they do have is "ah dinnae ken" which means I don't know. It's funny though because usually I hear this phrase more from missionaries than the Scots.

Week 80: Busy in Motherwell

July 23, 2018

Hey guys!

So this week was pretty great! Sadly the weather has slipped back into grey skies and cooler temps but it's still pretty good. 

This week we taught William again and he is still set for his baptism this Sunday on the 29th so that is exciting. He knows everything and it should be really exciting for him. He has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and loves coming to church. Yesterday at church though he didn't show up until after the sacrament was passed since the bus he was taking broke down. He thought it was interesting how it always seems like when we are so close to doing the right thing something or someone tries to get in our way. I thought that was a really good thought because it is true. When we're close to doing the right thing is when Satan tries his hardest to get us to stumble.

So we also saw Cynthia too. We taught her more about baptism and she is getting more excited for hers. We still have to reteach some of the commandments and maybe one or two other things but then she should be ready. She loves church and loves what she is able to learn and the Spirit that she is able to feel when she reads the Book of Mormon. I think she'll probably be baptised in a month or so.

Oh by the way I found out more about Elder Hicks. So he is from Flint, Michigan, has been out for about six months and this is his first area in Scotland. He's really good and works hard so I'm sure this transfer will be fantastic!

So as far as Celtic and Ranger fans go. It's kind of funny because one of the questions I use to GQ people is "is motherwell a very religious place?" The answers I get to this question are pretty varied. Some people say it's more Catholic others protestant and others say it isn't religious at all but for the most part, I tend to see more Celtic than Rangers shirts around town.

The ward here is also legendary as well. They feed us pretty regularly. It depends on the week but it can be anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week.

Well sorry I don't have any more pictures I forgot to take a picture with Elder Hicks but I will try to remember for next week.

Love you guys!

Elder Calley

So we mainly go to Aldi to shop for food. They don't have a Lidl or Tesco nearby but the Aldi is like a five minute walk from our flat so it's pretty nice. Overall though Motherwell has very similar grocery stores as Cumbernauld.

Week 79: Can't believe it's been 18 months

July 16, 2018

Hey guys!

So transfers happened. I am still staying in Motherwell but my companion, Elder Jackson got moved down to Waterford and  my new companion is Elder Hicks. I was so excited for Elder Jackson since Waterford is a wonderful place. However, I don't know anything about Elder Hicks yet except that he's been out for almost 7 months. So I'm actually emailing from the church in Glasgow at the minute and I won't get to pick him up until about 8 tonight so I'm just with the zone leaders for the time being. 

Anyways, this week was nae bad. One of our investigators got back from holiday this past week and we were able to teach him and set him with a date for July 29th. His name is William and he's been investigating the church for almost 7 years now and we're hoping will get baptised this transfer. Cynthia is still coming to church and she is getting more ready for her baptism. She loves the gospel principle class. It's really good for her because she's able to find answers to her questions. We haven't been able to teach her for the past two weeks since she's been on holiday. But we should be teaching her on Friday.

By the way I'm doing just fine. No longer sick. This last transfer seems to have just flown by though. I don't know where it went. I'm sure the next one will go by just as fast.

So, sorry that I don't have any pictures again this week but I'll definitely get a picture of Elder Hicks and I for next week.

Love you guys so much!

Elder Calley

Also the world cup has been pretty big. On nights when there is a game it is pretty pointless to chap since almost everyone is watching the game especially if England is playing. Most of the Scots watch it and cheer for the other team though. They just cheer for anyone that is playing England.