Week 40: Milkshakes Bring Miracles

Hello from the other side...of the pond ;)

Hey I know it is kind of lame but I had to.

This one might be a little bit shorter than other ones in the past but that's because I feel like i just emailed all of you yesterday and I don't feel like there is a ton to talk about.

All I have to say about thursday is meetings. Yep. That is all. Meetings.

Friday we had district meeting! It went well and we went straight to Reading afterwards and had exchange there. It always feels weird to get back into a car ever since I left Holsworthy because I am so used to taking buses and trains. Anyways, the exchange was probably the weirdest exchange that I have ever been on. It wasn't because of anything I did, it was just becasue of the things that happened including:

-6 double cheeseburgers from macdonalds

-german doner kebabs

-people calling us and actually wanting us to meet with them

-vomiting drunk people

-running

-evening chats that revolved around anime, secrets, and banana feet

-an italian man not understanding what a sperm bank was

So we took the train back Saturday afternoon and tried our hand at finding people to teach again. We are getting better at it! We are able to approach people on the street as this three person, white-shirted amoeba and they don't freak out. Progress. We also had dinner with one of my favourite families I've met in England (who are actually from Utah), the Petersens! They are so amazing. They're funny, they're interested in who we are and how we are doing, and they make great food. They are just the best.

Sunday rolled around and we still had not found anyone to teach this week. So we went out in the evening with the little time we had, carrying a prayer in our hearts, and we found three people! They are all so cool and we are so excited to meet with all of them. One of them is from Jordan and we are going to be helpnig him learn englsh. So any of you people out there who have taught english as a second language (ie my father) hit me up with your advice! We also found this lady who is looking for a job in education administration and wants to know who God is. Basically, all we need to find now is someone who has a love for 80s and punk music, resells items on ebay, and is over 44 but still kicks it like he's 22 and the theme for the week can be the one and only @Jack_McKinley

On a more serious note, I really saw God's hand as we met these people. He helped us find them. He led us to specific places at specific times. We trusted in Him and He supported us.

Yesterday we helped a guy paint his studio flat. He basically is  an IT spy for the government and he has some wicked computer skills. He is required by his employer (ie the government) to carry an m-16 with him because of the data he has. So that's cool. Anyways, we had an absolute blast. He is so funny and he is a hardcore dank memer and has great taste in music. He also invited us to his house warming pizza party in a month so that will be awesome. It was a great day. other than the fact that we found a gazillion little bug eggs in our flat and had to play exterminator for two hours. But hey it all evened out.

Yesterday was district meeting once more. We had a blast. We were also able to teach our friend Kent and our frined Nisha. I'll go into detail in a moment with some thoughts, but just know that we had some really good chats and really explained our purpose well and testified of Christ.

British Food of the Week: moo moos milkshake - so it is not inherently british but it is just this milkshake stand that makes milkshakes out of anything. This week I tried everyting from kinder bueno to pop tart.

British Word of the Week: Sainsburys - just a supermarket; i am expanding this to include british things because i am running out of words

Companion Comic: I was on exchange with Elder Botta, who is from Italy, and he taught me the following:

Hai i piedi a banana - you have a banana for a foot; it's an idiom they use for when someone is playing football and they take a shot but the ball goes in a massive arc in a random direction instead of straight

Scripture of the Week: Moroni 10:3-5

So in the lessons we had this week, I really felt a common theme. It all revolved around seeking truth. How do we know what is true and what is false? Well the scriputre above teaches that the spirit of God testifies of all truth to us. how do we feel the spirit then? Well, Galatians in the New testament tells us that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness and so on. When we feel these things, we feel the spirit. We can know of truth by following this pattern of seeking direction from God and looking for what we feel. however, God rarely if ever simply hands things to us that we do not seek or ask for. We have to be as equally willing to seek as He is willing to give. If you have a question, ask God. That is what Joseph Smith did long ago and God answered him. God has answered me. I know He'll answer you too.

I love you loads and I hope that you have an amazing week. Thank you for the mail and the emails. They are amazing! Talk to you next week!

Elder Finnegan McKinley

England London South Mission (for now...)  

Oxford and proof that I do indeed eat vegetables