Week 28: The Pilgrims Left Plymouth for a Good Reason (Don't Forget to Pray You See It)

So this week was interesting. The title of my email is an homage to fall out boy (not that I even like fallout boy but the whole "Wow that random sentence that is kind of meta could be a fallout boy song" meme is one of the three I can remember). If you're unaware of who fallout boy is, join the club. 

England had snow! And I didn't really get to see any of it :-( We were down in Plymouth for a meeting with some other missionaries and by the time the meeting ended we learned that there was snow all over the roads that we had to take and all the members in our branch said "don't you even think about driving in this weather" even though it wasn't all that much snow. But, exercising caution, we made the decision to not travel home Thursday night. Wednesday night, before the storm hit but everyone and their uncle thought it was coming, we were at the house of one of my favourite families here, the Cavaneys. They recommend we throw a changed clothes in our car as well as a blanket in case we got stuck in Plymouth. They are guardian angels let me tell you. We drove down Thursday morning and we decided that we would take everything we needed in case we had to stay the night. And we did. So yeah that was a bit crazy. Also, the missionaries from Paignton got stuck in Plymouth as well so we had 6 missionaries in a two missionary sized flat for two nights in a row. It was a party to say the least. 

On Friday, since we were stuck in Plymouth, we decided to plan for the upcoming week and just see how we could help out the Plymouth Missionaries. We acted as chauffeurs for the Plymouth sisters and drove them to this one person's house they wanted to visit that was a far bus ride and an even farther walk. After we dropped them by, they knocked on her door and long story short she came to church on Sunday and is meeting with the missionaries! So that's a cool little miracle we saw whilst trapped in a city we don't live and work in. By Saturday morning I had succumbed to full blown cabin fever and thankfully the roads cleared up enough to allow us to drive home. The saddest thing was that all the snow was basically gone. So remember how I prayed for snow that one time and it came but didn't stick? We'll then I prayed for snow that would stick and that pray was answered, but I forgot to mention I wanted to be there for it. So, sadly, this means I have no snow pictures. 

Aside, Plymouth is a lovely place to be. I just couldn't pass up on the title opportunity. 

The rest of the weekend was spent running around our area trying to find people to teach (which we did, also a Miracle, seriously like you don't how much I thanked God for being able to find people after having 3 days away) and helping one of the members here get ready for his mission to South Africa! He's going to do a great job. 

Yesterday and Monday were spent looking for people who were interested in our message, attempting to drop off wood to someone who lives in the not-at-all-a-mouthful-to-say Woolfardisworthy, and having pancakes. It's been crazy but crazy good. 

British food of the week: pancake - it's actually a crepe. Here they just call them English pancakes. In the words of my good friend Elder Rhee, one of those other missionaries also stuck in Plymouth with us, " the British would rather just misname something than partake of anything that is even vaguely French". 

British Word of the week: sledging - it's sledding but with a g and somehow just sounds a bit more ominous than the good ole snowy past time of sledding. But hey, when in Rome 

Companion Comic: Sister Neilson, one the sisters in Exeter got a new companion who is from Germany. We called them the other day and apparently, Sister Neilson has a made up word she uses as a euphemism instead of cussing. Come to find out, to the utter horror of sister Neilson (and Sister Schmidt the first time she said it), it's a German swear word. So yeah. Be careful what you make up kids.

Scripture of the Week: "Let us not be content where we are; neither let us be discouraged." - D. Todd Christofferson 

Let me explain the above quote a bit. I think I've shared it before. However, this week it has some new meaning for me. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how we all have the ability to choose. No matter what, we can all choose what we do, how we respond, how we look at life, and how we move forward. Lately, I have been feeling that I could be a lot better. But it's been interesting. It hasn't been a self deprecating self analysis. It's been a humble reflective path I've been walking. In the past I've beaten myself up over mistakes and shortcomings. I've gotten better, yes, but I've always been quick to criticise myself, regardless of my performance. However, God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to grow, yes, but He wants us do so in a way that builds us up and motivates us to reach our potential, not in a way that strips us down and discourages us from moving forward. This week I've come to realise that I have cultivated a deeper love of Christ and God and subsequently a deeper love for myself. That's how I've been able to reflect with an eye of who I can and want to become, rather than one that is focused on who I'm not and what I lack. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is about becoming. We all have godly potential as God is our weather and we are His children. Wherever you are on the path, you can become more. 

I love you all so much. Your support means the world to me. Thank you for the letters, the prayers, the emails, and the kind thoughts. I love hearing from you all and I'm grateful to know each of you. 

Also, I loved, I do have a few snow pics. Also here is the beach :-) love y'all loads,

Elder Finnegan McKinley
England London South Mission (for now...)