Sept 16, 2013

hi everyone,

Another week gone. The first full week of the transfer has flown by. We had a lot of fun and we were kept pretty busy all week.

We had zone trainings on Tuesday. President Preston asked us to focus the entire meeting on the power of words and the impact that they can have. Elder Duran and I struggled for a few days trying to decide which direction we wanted to take the meeting. We received some last minute inspiration that worked out pretty well. We prayerfully selected a few missionaries in the zone who we knew really well, then Elder Duran and I made up some rumours about that missionary. While we were doing on activity at the meeting we pulled these missionaries out of the room one by one and told them about what "other missionaries had told us". Some of them were really confused, others were upset. After we we talked to them we gathered everyone back together and told all them missionaries who we had pulled out that the things we had told them were lies. They were like "No way?!" I got the point across for sure. Gossip is destructive.

That was probably the most eventful thing this week. Went on another few exchanges as well. We had a ward Activity on Saturday as well that we were able to take some of the people we are teaching to. That was pretty fun. Other than that it was a pretty standard week. A lot of teaching, A lot of finding.

This next week is going to be crazy busy. Zone conference, meeting with the Stake president, meeting at the mission home, Baptism of someone I taught in a former area, and a massive mission wide Chinese activity here in Liverpool. I'll hardly have time to think but I love weeks like this. All is well here in Liverpool. Love you all so much!

Love Elder Ford

Sept 9, 2013

Hey Everyone!

It's been a great start to the transfer so far. Things in our area seem to really be picking up. We set up almost our entire week at church this Sunday! If everything goes according to plan this should be a miracle week. We've been extremely blessed with lots of investigators to teach. We had 4 people at church yesterday and we were expecting 9. Between all 8 missionaries in Liverpool the gospel Principles class was almost too full.

I'm enjoying serving with Elder Duran. He is a very solid missionary. One of his greatest strengths is his ability to bear testimony. We've been in a few lessons were the people we were teaching were getting a bit distracted and he bore his testimony to get the spirit back. It's reminded me how important in really is!

I really enjoyed Mission Leadership council this week. It's easily my favorite meeting. Seeing all of your old mission friends, getting inspired, making decisions, and Sister Preston's cooking. It doesn't get much better than that! President Preston gave a training all about words and how they can build up or they can destroy. He used James 3:2-10 as the basis of his training.

 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Many of the less actives we visit say that they don't come out anymore because someone said something that offended them. We need to control our tongues!

We experienced a miracle on Saturday. Every first Saturday of the transfer we have consecrated finding for 4 hours where we just go out and speak to people and try and find people to teach. We were trying by a former investigator named Neena. She answered the door and immediately let us in and asked us to teach her son named Steven. Steven is 19 and has been looking to strengthen his relationship with God. He was actually fasting and praying that he would be able to find answers. He listened and said he believed every word we said. It was amazing to see that there are people who would go as far a fasting and praying to be able to find answers before they even meet missionaries.

God is hastening His work in Liverpool! This mission has been such a blessing to my life and I'm sure that I'll think of it everyday for many years to come. Thanks for the support!

Love Elder Ford

Sept 5, 2013

HI!

Another transfer gone! Time goes ridiculously fast. Every transfer seems to go a little faster. We got the call Saturday night to say that I'll be staying in the wonderful city of Liverpool for another transfer. Elder Walker has been transferred to Newcastle-under-Lyme, My previous area. I got to tell him how lucky he was. I'm now serving with Elder Duran. He's from Murrieta, California, the same place Elder Corbin was from. He is in my same M.T.C group as well. This is the 5th person in my M.T.C group that I've been lucky enough to serve with. Elders Barnes, Beard, Sutton, Palmer, and now Elder Duran.

I learned some very important lessons last transfer. I was retaught the principle of faith. It's amazing how you can learn about something for years and years and still not completely understand it. I thought I understood what faith was before coming on my mission but when I got out here I realized that it was a lot deeper than I thought it was. I've come to know that faith is a literal power and that you can do anything if you have enough faith. I've also seen how experience can be an enemy to faith. The longer you go on your mission, life, and in the church, and the more experience you start to have the more you begin to rely and those that on simple faith. Sometimes it's good thing to not know exactly what to do. That will force you to rely on God. When Nephi was asked to get the plates from Laban he said "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth..." (1 Nephi 4:6-7). Don't let experience shadow faith.

I also was retaught that the church organization is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Unfortunately it's members aren't perfect, but the purpose of the church is to help us one day become perfect.

I also learned loads about humility, that it impacts all that we do. It impacts our perception of ourselves and the way others view us. We don't magically become more humble by making a list of our short comings and telling ourselves what we're not good at. That's not humility at all. It's just throwing yourself a pity party. President Uchtdorf said "We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves. We discover humility by thinking less about ourselves." I've learned that you can't inhale recognition and praise. Those types of things can go to your head very quickly and can give you a false image of yourself. Spencer W. Kimball once talked about how Humility has the ability to properly catalog praise and recognition. That which is over the top and untrue must be thrown into the garbage. That which is exaggerated is taken and trimmed down to an appropriate size. And that which is true and appropriate is to be graciously accepted, only to be forgotten later and used as a stimulus for further improvement.

Last transfer taught me a lot. I'm grateful for every single transfer because of what it has taught me! I'm learning things here about myself, God, and the world that I couldn't learn sitting in a classroom.

We're going to be incredibly busy these next 6 weeks. The other Liverpool Elders area got turned into a Chinese speaking area so we have all of there people that they were teaching on top of ours. It'll be a bit chaotic the first few days of the transfer like it always is but things should settle down nicely. Elder Duran and I are preparing ourselves for some miracles.

Thanks for everything. I love you all so much!

Love Elder Ford

Aug 27, 2013


HEY!

Wow this transfer has flown by. It's already the last full week of the transfer. Transfers are next Wednesday. Not sure what will happen though. A lot of things are up in the air. Sorry I didn't get to email yesterday. It was a lame "Bank Holiday" so everything was closed. We had a really good week though. Super busy. We spent a lot of our time doing service. By the time I leave Liverpool I'll probably have enough work experience to be a professional mover, and painter. Seriously though.

The church history tour was pretty good. It was basically a refresher of all the same sights I saw when we did the tour in the M.T.C. They stopped doing the tour in the M.T.C a while ago so it was the first time for the majority of the mission to see all the sights. Made me feel old. We started at the docks in Liverpool, Then went to Preston where the first missionaries came, we saw President Hinckley's house where he lived on his mission, we saw the River Ribble where the first baptisms were, and we went to Downham. Downham is a small village where the apostles went a baptized the majority of the village. Most of the day was riding on a coach from place to place so it was a good time to catch up with missionaries who I hadn't seen for awhile.

Other than that things in our area are still going well. Shannon is progressing towards her baptism on the 13 of September and we're still looking for more people to teach. We got to go to the temple yesterday. It was sooo good! It felt like a totally new experience. I got a lot of answers to some of the questions I had. I've been taught a lot about humility this last week. Elder Walker and I have made that a focus because to be honest it's not one of our strongest attributes. haha. I did a few studies on it this week and my mind keeps coming back to some things I read in Deuteronomy 8. Here are the verses I liked.

10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

 11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou ^cforget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery ^aserpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth ^cwater out of the rock of flint;

 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

 18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

 19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

It's pretty straight forward. We always need to remember Who it is who gives us all we have. Humilty is remembering. Pride is forgetting. I'm grateful that I was able to learn that now it;s up to me to apply it this week! Wish me luck. Thanks for all the support. I love you all!

Love Elder Ford

Pictures: 1. Race at the River Ribble. The day of the first baptisms they had a race to see who would get to go first. We did a reenactment. Elder Walker won easily. haha

2. The Liverpool Docks.

Aug 19, 2013

Hey everyone,

My goodness I don't even know what happened this last week. My brain is absolutely fried! haha. We did have some pretty great experiences though. Elder Walker and I haven't really beed together all week. We had a few exchanges back to back. I was in Liverpool on exchange with another missionary and when that was over we drove to pick him up. The we drove to the next place we were exchanging and he dropped me off. We really only spent saturday together. haha. Pretty weird. With all the exchanges it seems like you only spend 3 weeks with your actual companion in the 6 week transfer.

Some really good things are happening here in our area. I'm still trying to get used to the massive city. It's so big and the ward is so big that you could be here forever and still not no anyone or where you even are in hte city. We have another dated investigator now though. Her name is Shannon and she is dated for 14 of September. She part of a part member family so it's a really good situation. It's been really fun teaching her so far. We had another great experience while doing work out in the rain. Since being a missionary it's been a bit hard to trust people's intentions when you first meet them. You set up appointments, they fall through, and sometimes people tell the most ridiculous lies. But something happened to us this week to help Elder Walker and I know that there are genuinly good people still. We were working out in the pouring rain and we knocked on a lady named Jenny's door. She wasn;t interested. We went a few doors down and Jenny came back out side a shouted at us to come back. We weren'e wearing jackets or anything so we were getting soaked(We thought people would have pity for us and let us in :) ) She randomly gave us an umbrella and told us to keep it. 10 minutes later when we were at the opposite end of the street she drove past us and handed us another umbrella out the car window. She drove around looking for us just to give us another umbrella. I was pretty shocked to be honest. haha

We're looking forward to this week. We're going on a church history tour as a mission so that should be pretty fun. Thanks for everything love you!

Elder Ford