June 7, 2012


Hello everybody!

Transfers have come and gone and I'm in a new area with a new
companion. My new area is....Preston! I'm very excited to be here.
It's a little bit of a different feel to Stockport. It feels a little
bit more like a home town, Stockport was very busy.

There is a lot of history here in Preston. This is where the 1st
missionaries spent most of there time, where the first convery baptism
where in europe in the River Ribble, and where Pres. Hinckley served
part of his mission and wrote that famous letter home to his dad. It's
extremelly humbling to be here where so many other legendary
missionaries have been.

My new companion is Elder White from Holladay, Utah. We're white
washing this area, which means we're both replaceing to other
missionaries. Neither of us know the area at all. We're completely
lost and have no idea where to go! haha It's an adventure. We weren't
left with anyone to teach so we'll basically be building from the
ground up. It's going to be a real challenge but i'm looking forward
to it. It'll be a big change, but a change for the best. "Change is
the essence of life. Be ready to surrender who you are now, for who
you can become". I'm trying to live by that out here.

It was pretty tough leaving Stockport. There was so many amazing
memories made there. It's where i spent the 1st for months of my new
life, my birth place. haha. I'm very grateful for my time there and it
will be something i will always remember. Coming to a new area feels
almost like starting a mission all over again. I feel like a new
missionary, completely lost. It's weird but it is an amazing feeling.
I can feel the growth and miracles coming. I'm coming into this
transfer expecting miracles. Good things are coming in Preston!

We've already been face with a for of oppostion. Our new flat is
pretty bad. haha. The beds are hard and uncomfortable, our study desk
is tiny, our shower only does cold water but it actually broke this
morning(shower head fell apart) so now we just basically have a hose.
haha I love it! We've just been laughing our way through it.

From what i've heard we'll be teaching a lot of chineese people.
Preston has a pretty big university and teh chineese population is
pretty large. Luckily, Elder White served in Liverpool and knows a bit
of chineese. We've got a chineese dictionary on the way!

I've really learned the importance of understanding other Cultures. In
Stockport, I really got to know a lot of the African culture,
especially the people from Nigeria(Yoruba tribe). People can not have
any interest in what you say, then you speak to them in their language
and the walls are torn down. Then you tell them that you have a book
of mormom in their language and they go crazy. haha. I've picked up a
little bit of Youruba and I'm looking forward to picking up some
Chineese.

Hopefully everyone has had an amazing week. I'll speak to everyone
again on Monday.

My new address is
Flat 1
67 Wellington Street
Preston
PR1 8TQ
England

Love you all!

Elder Ford

Pictures:
1. Stockport District at the Toby Carvery
2. Knickerbocker Glory!
3. Elder Thomas and his brand new trainee who he'll be training in Stockport
4. 2nd tallest spire in England (in preston)
5. cobblestone street our side our new home
6. The old church outside our flat.