Thanksgiving Week

This week hasn't been to bad but at the same time disappointing all of our appointments fell through so we did a lot of finding this week and the weather hasn't been the best.

Our week this week looks pretty good for lessons set up. We have one for tonight with a Latvian women that we met yesterday when we were going around to less actives to invite them to the Christmas social and I guess that the lady that had lived there had moved and this lady answered the door a didn't quite understand us at first until we slowed down and she said that she wasn't the person we were looking for but we told her that we would love to come and talk with here about our church and that we had some material in Latvian and that sparked her interest and so we are going back there tonight. 

We also have a few other appointments for latter this week pray they don't fall through. we also have games night this week which will be good for us to invite people that we meet to. The last one went pretty well so we are hopeful that this one will go at least as well. We also have another zone meeting on Wednesday about this new campaign the church is doing with Christmas so we are getting some training on that so that will be good.

I got your package and I was happy to see the advent calendars and a bit sad that the tree thing that you sent to both Ben and Chelsie with notes from the family for all the days of Christmas wasn't in there but thats okay.

The package I am sending you is actually not me sending it John offerd to send a package to our families for us and we told him that we were good but he insisted so don't wory about the money the stuff in it wasn't all that expensive and I'm not paying the shipping. We haven't heard about our special Christmas rules yet I imagine that they will come on Wednesday at zone meeting and hopefully they will also tell us if we are having Christmas conference and when that will be.

The German market was cool but I didn't get anything. There was stuff like at a state fair cool looking but nothing you really need. and nothing that I really want to hall around for two years before I come home. The only thing that really got me was this cool nativity set but John said that if I still wanted one I could probably find one on line after the mission.  Transfers are on the 17th of December and I think I will probably move. to be honest except the move right before Christmas thing I think that it would be nice to see another area.

I love John because he is cooking us Thanksgiving on Thursday then we have it again with an American member on sunday so it will be good.

Love you tons mom and tell every one that I love them and I will figure out the Christmas stuff on Wednesday.

 

 

Love Elder Poll

So this week has been pretty good we have found some new investigators and we had a lot of dinner appointments thanks to Elder Bolingbroke. I had heard from other missionaries that he wasn't much of a worker but I think that it just depends on his companion because he has been doing pretty good with me so far we will see how it goes after we get more comfortable with each other if he starts to get less obedient as time goes by.

I'm not sure were I will be then we have transfers right before Christmas and I am pretty sure that I will be moving now because Elder Bolingbroke only has 3 transfers lest after this one so he will probably train next transfer. 

So we have some new potential investigators but nothing solid at the moment but I am hoping that with the new potentials that we are finding that at least one of them will be solid. We also started a games night on Saturday nights that we can invite people to for them to get to know the ward  in a setting that isn't just church and it seemed to go really well. We had planned it for every other week but we may move it to every week, It is probably the best thing that we could be doing at that time of night because nobody is out in town and we get yelled at by people for knocking doors that late so unless we have a lesson it's the best use of our time.  Today we are going to the German market in Birmingham and I have heard that it is really cool and lots of little shops that sell cool stuff.

We have some appointments set up this week with some of our potential investigators and I am excited to see where that will go hopefully we can started doing more teaching.

 Give my regards to the Galbraiths. and I hope that things with the new bishopric and stake presidency go well.

 

 

Love and prayers

Elder Blake Poll

Transfers

So this week has been good we didn't get a chance to teach Luke and Alice on Monday they canceled again and we didn't know why but we called them Friday and they said that they have been in and out of the hospital with there 2 month old daughter so we can understand. Since jonathan was up we had dinner with him and talked for a bit with him then did a bit of finding. then we went back to the flat to wait for our dodge call (our call to tell us about transfers) and they told us that Montague was moving to Litchfield and that I was getting elder Bolingbroke as my new companion. He is from Reno Nevada he has been out 18 months. any way Tuesday was for elder Montague to say his goodbyes to the ward and get packed for most of the day then we had dinner with john on wedsday we got all of his and Elder Smart, the other elder in our ward moving as well stuff to the mission home and then switched and made our way back. On our way back we did get in a bit of a hitch with the trains in getting all of there stuff on because the trains were really packed so we had to wait for like two trains that were going our way before there was room enough to get there stuff on.

 

We came back and droped elder Bolingbroke's stuff off and went out finding.

Thursday we did some finding in the morning then had district meeting at Litchfield ( that's right elder Montague only moved down the road about a half hour) then we came back and went by some less actives and then went to coordination meeting.

Friday I had the dentist then we came back and had weekly planning and then went out to see a less active that we had an appointment with but it was quite a hike to get there in the rain and cold out to the edge of our area. then we came back and had dinner.

Saturday we did some finding in the rain had lunch then went by some less actives and luckily the weather cleared up we had dinner and then went to sports night at the chapel.

Sunday we had church did some finding and then had dinner with john and that's been the week.

In our finding just in the last couple of days we have been able to set up a few appointments with some new potential investigators.

Love you, 

Elder Poll

Been a busy couple of weeks so a little behind but here are Elder Polls posts for the last couple of weeks.

 So because this could be elder montages last week here Jonathan came up from London to say good bye and stuff and so we had him up and that was awesome. We don't know for sure about transfers we get a call tonight letting us know who all is staying and going so we will see. if I go I will get to send a small email tomorrow to tell you where I am going. Jonathan is doing good and is really happy with the ward that he is going to it is the only single adult ward in all of England and it is pretty big and we got him set up with a good set of elders down there so its good.

 I will admit I am nervous for transfers and a bit excited but mostly nervous because I'm comfortable where I am but I also want to try new things

We are trying to set up something with Peter an Lizzie for late this week. and the couple we have a lesson set up with for just about every Monday night that canceled on us last week is Luke and Alice they haven't cancelled on us yet today but we will see. that is about all of our investigators at the moment but we do finding just about every day so hopefully we should get some new investigators soon.

 

but I will admit I am nervous for transfers and a bit excited but mostly nervous because I'm comfortable where I am but I also want to try new things 

 

So Luke and Alice are a young couple that we got a referral for from the other elders in the ward. The Elders were calling there former investigators and found that they were interested in having them come by but that they had moved in to our area so they passed them on to us. the last set of elders that they had over though were lets just put it this way... they weren't out on a mission for the right reasons. and they got the wrong Impression of us and so we need to set that right before we can start to really teach them. but they seem cool and they have a 8 week old daughter.

Peter and Lizzie are cool and they like us and are cool with talking to us but they haven't got the right impression of why we are there either so we need to get that sorted then we can teach them more but they seem to like what they know of the church thus far and said that when I get home they want me to take them on a tour of Utah because they have always wanted to go there but didn't know anybody from the states that live that far west.(and chelse he is way into camo and browning last time we were there he was wearing browning camo it was funny but I didn't get a chance to bring up that you work there)

 

With reference to Christmas it weird there are already Christmas lights going up all over town center but they haven't turned them on yet. but they don't have thanks giving here so the next big holiday that they have is Christmas so people are already talking about it and have all of there presents bought and wrapped. no one has trees up yet but I don't think that it will be long before they do go up. Christmas is going to be weird this year.

I love you and Pray for you

Love Elder Poll

So this week has been pretty uneventful the lesson that we had for Monday night cancelled on us then on Thursday I went on exchange to Cannock with the district leader and we went and taught some people that live in an assisted living center and they are both pretty old and not all there but it was good to see and I will tell you the ones that we have back in the states are nicer than the one I've been to here. Wednesday we had district meeting and switched back then on Thursday we did lots of finding and stopping by some less actives and some formers with no success although we did have the interesting experience of finding out that the ward list that we had is old or that no one bothered to remove or find out about a Laddie that died 10 years ago was still on the list. Friday we spent most of the day on the bus going to and from my dentist appointment. It shouldn't have taken that long but the appointment time I had made us have to be either an hour early or be late and that on the way back the bus was late by an hour and then there was crazy traffic all the way back. then we had dinner with John and had our ward sports night. Saturday we did lots of finding then we had dinner and a sort of lesson with Peter and Lizzie and we got the feeling that they were open to talk but that the lesson wasn't what they really wanted but we are going to continue to try. Sunday we had church and then we did some tracting and then we had dinner with john again and we talked with him for a while because on Sunday we have call ins at 6:30 so we either have to be in our flat or at a members house after that so we stayed and talked with john.

On a bad note on district pday I got hit in the face with the ball and my glasses got a little bent and the lens popped out I am trying to get them fixed here but I will let you know because if not they are the Oakley's that I broke last time and I think they still are covered by the insurance and I may have to send them back to you to have them fixed but I will let you know, if you will look into if they are still covered or not that would be great.

 

So transfers are on the 5th of November and I will probably stay in Burton but Elder Montague has been here for six months and we have already been 2 transfers together so we are both guessing that he will leave but that is no guarantee.  About half of our district will probably change as well and it is kind of stressing me out a bit because I just go used to mission life (well as much as can be expected for being out for 3 months)  and now the whole district has the potential to change completely so I'm a bit nervous about most specifically my new companion and looking out a bit further the whole district.

 

 

Love you and Pray for you always

your favorite elder

Elder Poll