Just wanted to answer your questions, Mom :)
So, day to day activities, huh? Well, since we're digital, most of our progressing investigators are
online. This last week, we had 5 baptismal dates. Pretty amazing! One just got baptized and confirmed, in the Dominican Republic, and the other four are upcoming still.
A normal day in our life consists of the following:
Exercise. Got to get ripped, you know? We play Football just about every morning.
Lots of study. Three hours in the morning until I'm off the 12 week program.
Contacting in the Area. Since this is England, our days are literally filled with contacting. A referral is a very rare thing, as are investigators. We aren't teaching anyone constantly (which is why the internet is amazing because it gives you hardcore teaching experience), but we do teach on the street pretty often. For it to be considered a teach, we have to pray at the end, so I've prayed in some pretty weird places. It's actually amazing how many people will agree to praying with you :) Mostly Africans, though. They love prayin!
We do all sorts of contacting. We talk on the Bus, in parks. Most of our street contacting is on the way to a less active member’s house. When we get there, we either teach or we knock ten aside. Now, how do we do this? In all sorts of ways really:
The shuffle: you change directions and begin walking with someone walking in the opposite direction as you. Works every time (except for when it doesn't :D)
White-boarding: We go onto high street with a white board that says "Do you believe in God" and has yes and no options on it. People come and write a tick, then we talk to them :) No matter which they choose, really, haha.
On the Bus: You never sit with your companion on the bus. Always spread out, and talk with the people around you.
Holding the Book of Mormon: Now, we only teach with the Book of Mormon (bible in your heart, remember). So, we've made it a goal to have one in our hands. When we wear black ties, we look like the guys from the musical :)
Busking: Singing and instrument playing! Except we give pass along cards out instead of take money :)
Online work. This takes up about four to five hours of our day. Constant teaching, through skype, phone calls, and chats. Working on blogs, updating Facebook, finding people to teach on Facebook. All sorts of stuff. It's way more draining than area work.
Going to bed. Man I love this part.
When we don't have dinner appointments we cook for ourselves! Crazy thing. It's pretty scary, sometimes, with the food they sell at ASDA. Especially the cheep food :) To no avail, each day we tell ourselves we are the "richest and poorest missionaries". Monitarily, we get the most amount of money out of every missionary in the world. Our mission is the most expensive mission (yep, even over London and New York). Yet, the money still only goes as far as 5 minute pizzas and Mac & Cheese.
Zone conference was all about member missionary work. We had a member of the 70 come, and he taught every principle out of Preach My Gospel from the first chapter of first Nephi. This was to prove the point that our tool is the Book of Mormon, and that we should be using it in every contacting encounter. It was a really great conference.
I've definitely opened that bag of sunshine. (Note from Meredith: This is a small package I sent for Stewart to open on days that were less than sunny. See photos below). Sometimes you just get home and you've been attacked all day, or you've been teaching all day, or the Spirit just doesn't seem to be working. It's great to see the message and then collapse into bed.
Transfers are coming up. In fact, they are this Wednesday. That's why today is called black Monday, by the way. Black Monday isn't actually a P-day. We just get to email, then we go back to work. I'm already feeling pretty burned, the missionaries here say it's pretty much the hardest week of the transfer. So, Wednesday becomes your P-day (sort of, because if you get transferred, travel is your P-day). I don't know where I'm going yet, or if I'm staying or what's happening :) I'll know today though, because Monday is when the calls go out.
Ok, questions answered. That was a lot. Love you family.
Cheers,
Stew
So, day to day activities, huh? Well, since we're digital, most of our progressing investigators are
online. This last week, we had 5 baptismal dates. Pretty amazing! One just got baptized and confirmed, in the Dominican Republic, and the other four are upcoming still.
A normal day in our life consists of the following:
Exercise. Got to get ripped, you know? We play Football just about every morning.
Lots of study. Three hours in the morning until I'm off the 12 week program.
Contacting in the Area. Since this is England, our days are literally filled with contacting. A referral is a very rare thing, as are investigators. We aren't teaching anyone constantly (which is why the internet is amazing because it gives you hardcore teaching experience), but we do teach on the street pretty often. For it to be considered a teach, we have to pray at the end, so I've prayed in some pretty weird places. It's actually amazing how many people will agree to praying with you :) Mostly Africans, though. They love prayin!
We do all sorts of contacting. We talk on the Bus, in parks. Most of our street contacting is on the way to a less active member’s house. When we get there, we either teach or we knock ten aside. Now, how do we do this? In all sorts of ways really:
The shuffle: you change directions and begin walking with someone walking in the opposite direction as you. Works every time (except for when it doesn't :D)
White-boarding: We go onto high street with a white board that says "Do you believe in God" and has yes and no options on it. People come and write a tick, then we talk to them :) No matter which they choose, really, haha.
On the Bus: You never sit with your companion on the bus. Always spread out, and talk with the people around you.
Holding the Book of Mormon: Now, we only teach with the Book of Mormon (bible in your heart, remember). So, we've made it a goal to have one in our hands. When we wear black ties, we look like the guys from the musical :)
Busking: Singing and instrument playing! Except we give pass along cards out instead of take money :)
Online work. This takes up about four to five hours of our day. Constant teaching, through skype, phone calls, and chats. Working on blogs, updating Facebook, finding people to teach on Facebook. All sorts of stuff. It's way more draining than area work.
Going to bed. Man I love this part.
When we don't have dinner appointments we cook for ourselves! Crazy thing. It's pretty scary, sometimes, with the food they sell at ASDA. Especially the cheep food :) To no avail, each day we tell ourselves we are the "richest and poorest missionaries". Monitarily, we get the most amount of money out of every missionary in the world. Our mission is the most expensive mission (yep, even over London and New York). Yet, the money still only goes as far as 5 minute pizzas and Mac & Cheese.
Zone conference was all about member missionary work. We had a member of the 70 come, and he taught every principle out of Preach My Gospel from the first chapter of first Nephi. This was to prove the point that our tool is the Book of Mormon, and that we should be using it in every contacting encounter. It was a really great conference.
I've definitely opened that bag of sunshine. (Note from Meredith: This is a small package I sent for Stewart to open on days that were less than sunny. See photos below). Sometimes you just get home and you've been attacked all day, or you've been teaching all day, or the Spirit just doesn't seem to be working. It's great to see the message and then collapse into bed.
Transfers are coming up. In fact, they are this Wednesday. That's why today is called black Monday, by the way. Black Monday isn't actually a P-day. We just get to email, then we go back to work. I'm already feeling pretty burned, the missionaries here say it's pretty much the hardest week of the transfer. So, Wednesday becomes your P-day (sort of, because if you get transferred, travel is your P-day). I don't know where I'm going yet, or if I'm staying or what's happening :) I'll know today though, because Monday is when the calls go out.
Ok, questions answered. That was a lot. Love you family.
Cheers,
Stew