Good things happening

So this week has been really good and interesting lots of stuff happened. On Tuesday we went on exchange with the zone leaders so we were in Wolverhampton from Tuesday to Wednesday then Wednesday night we had a lesson with the Edwards. And then Thursday we had district meeting the last one of my mission. Friday I had to go to MLC mission leadership council the one with all the district leaders they have 2 times a year. When we got back from that and had lesson with Steve and he is so awesome.

On Saturday I had a awesome day. When I was in Worcester we were working with a part member family but it never felt like it was going anywhere and then when I was back in Hereford going on exchange to Worcester I go to teach them again. Then all of the sudden they made leaps and bounds of progress and Kiwi got baptized on Saturday and I didn't find out till Tuesday when I was on exchange with the zone leaders. Elder R also served in Worcester and so he knew and told me and I got permission from president to go. It was awesome. She looked so good in white she is only 9 but her older brother is 14 and he is planning on baptism soon as well. And then on Saturday night we went to visited a less active at the farm shere she keeps her horses, she showed us her horses and everything. They ride English and it was cool to see the difference in action on a horses back.  

That was pretty much it for the week. Steve is on a date for baptism on the 16 and the other elders have there investigator getting baptized on the same day. So that will be really cool. This week we have zone meeting and so that should be really good. Then the following week we have zone conference.

Love you guys 

Elder Poll

Two Flat Tires!!

So this week things have been a bit slow and fun and interesting.Wednesday we were supposed to have coordination meeting but Brother V just adopted a baby boy this week and so he is still having a hard time adjusting. So we had to cancel that one and try again the next night and he succeeded in getting him to sleep while we were all there and then we had to sneak out of the house because they have a few lose floor board that squeak so we had to avoid touching them because the baby is a really light sleeper. But we all made it out without waking him up. Monday we had FHE but not many people showed up. Tuesday we had a lesson with our polish less active, and did a few stop by's and then we taught the young men for there activity on missionary work. Wednesday morning I got a flat tire and so we took the bus up to a far part of our area and did some work there. Friday we went and saw Steve and it was good he still has the question about the Sabbath day and why did it need to change and who said so and all that. He seems to agree with everything else. But keep him in your prayers about that. He is on a date for the July 2nd we are pretty sure he will make it. Then on Sunday we went to church and it was raining till about the end then it stopped and we did a few stop by's and then right as we got out of town I got a flat tire again and so we had to walk back. It is all good though because this week we will be taking buses because it is supposed to rain all week and Elder W's bike is getting an overhaul. All in all it was a good week. 

Love you guys. 

Elder Poll

Last transfer!!

So things this week have been a bit weird for me seeing Elder Pillay go home and realizing that I am not far off from there. My new companion is Elder Willliams he is from Billings Montana, from what I can tell so far it will be a really good last transfer. The weather here has been so hot the past few days I have been sweating bullets, especially since we have been back to biking so I am sweating even more. Steve has been out of town for he past week and he didn't get back in time for the conference sadly but we are going to try and see him today. But the work this week has been mostly with less actives we have been able to see quite a few of them that we hadn't met before and hopefully we should see some progress with some of them soon.  I think that a few of them just need a bit of a reminder of how important church is and then they will come back.

It is crazy to think that it is June already months have just melted away. Yesterday was pretty cool to see Elder Oaks. Sadly I did't get to shake his hand but the conference building that we were in was really good there wasn't really any bad seats you could pretty much see from anywhere and he talked a bit about the importance of the Sabbath day and the way we should keep the Sabbath is by not doing anything that detracts from worshiping the Lord of from spending time with family. He also talked about the true value of things in our
lives and how we should search out what is of true worth in our eternal lives and to seek after that with all our might. Then he closed with a testimony of the godhead of how that are not a trinity but are three distinct beings and what there roles are. It was really good Elder Kearon of the area presidency spoke as well. He is the one that
spoke in conference just past about the importance of helping refugees. He spoke on the same topic in this conference. It was a great meeting. 

That's all for this week. Love you guys

Elder Poll

May 30th

Well Elder P goes home tomorrow well goes to the mission home tomorrow but flies out on Wednesday night and gets home on Thursday. My new companions name is Elder Willliams don't know anything else
really about him. This week has been really good and really tiring we have been able to have two awesome lessons with Steve and he was at church Sunday, and he is just doing awesome when we meet with him it's more like he is teaching himself and we are just clarifying for him on a few things. His biggest question he has had so far is about the Sabbath being moved from the Jewish Sabbath which is Saturday to Sunday which we now use.  So today we had to go to the mission home anyway for Elder P's departing interview so I asked president for some scripture references about it and so that was good. Monday we spent most of the day running around getting souvenirs for Elder P and his family  then in the evening we had dinner with a cool family. Then on Tuesday mostly did finding and some visits. On Wednesday we had a really good lesson with Steve and also stopped by
some less actives. On Thursday we also had a lesson with Steve and a lesson with a Sikh (seek)  guy and it went okay but his friends were there and we pressuring him a little bit it felt like. Then on Friday it was supposed to be a really busy day with some potentials but none of them showed up. But then we had dinner and a lesson with one of our part member families from Poland and man that was the biggest meal I have ever eaten. A whole plate full of boiled potatoes sliced with some cream of mushroom sauce and then to breaded and fried pieces of pork. I was so full and could burst the she brought out the ice cream. But we had a good lesson and it was really cool and they were at church Sunday as well. On Saturday we had a slower day because Elder P had the interview today and because he didn't want to pack on Sunday we spent a good portion of it getting him last minute things and him saying some good byes to people that wouldn't be to church and him packing. But we also did a few stop byes and met a cool less active guy that he doesn't come out to church mostly because of a medical condition. Sunday it was really cool almost everyone we invited came to church we had Steve, our part member family, and three less actives at church it was probably the best turn out of my entire mission. And it was fast and testimony meeting for us here because next week we have a cool tri stake conference with Elder Oaks so it should be really cool. I hope I get a chance to shake his hand because then it will make it my third apostle on my mission that I have met. But with it being a tri stake thing most likely not. This week is going to be interesting and maybe a bit slow because Steve is on holiday this week and won't be back till Sunday just in time for the conference. I think this week we will mostly be stopping by less actives and trying to get our ward list under control. And inviting everyone to the weekly activities that we are going to start holding at the chapel.

Love you guys and thanks for your support
Elder Poll

Awesome Week!!!

So this week started out really great and just got better. We went to the Royal Air Force museum with a veteran and he could tell us all about the planes. Well all of the older ones.Then we had dinner at the members house that makes armor so that was cool he has a suit that he made right in the front room. Tuesday we did service for that same member, we took down a tree for him. And then did some visits in that area and then did some stop by's of some less active members. Now that we finally have a ward list we have address for them all. Wednesday,I went on exchange with the other elders and worked with Elder Wall that was good we did a lot of stop by's and and stopped by Stevens house he is one of our investigators. His phones are always broken so we just have to drop in and set stuff up or a lot of times if he is there we just come straight in for a lesson and that is what happened with this week. Steve is a great guy but hadn't been making much progress because he was confused about the plan of salvation on a few things so we cleared that up and then this lesson we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and he said he wanted to be baptized. So I was bold with him because he hasn't been making church a priority. For him it was just if I can I will make it. He mentioned that even after we are baptized we still sin and so there must be a way of fixing that so we told him about repentance and the sacrament, and this is where I got bold with him and said Steve you want to be baptized but I can't tell you yes until you promise to come to church every week because it needs to be a habit because you have been taught this stuff. Now you know that it is true and because you do you are held more accountable. Then I said Steve if you will commit to come every Sunday to church till the baptism unless something major comes up and you can't go that week then I would love to help you to be baptized and I think you could be ready on the 2nd of July. That was really good because he said yes. So please keep him in your prayers. Then we had coordination after with our awesome ward mission leader from Italy.  Thursday we had district meeting and it was ok and then we swapped back and had a dinner appointment with a cool family that I met when I was a greeny on exchange in Cannock. They have moved to Walsall ward so that was cool to see them again. Then we did some visits to less actives. Friday and Saturday were kind of uneventful. Everyone cancelled on us and all the stop by's we did only like 4 answered but that's okay after Wednesday nothing could get me down. Sunday it was so great we caught the bus to come to church and as we got on one of our part member families that we have been working with was on the bus coming to church. Then when we got to church everything was good but I was getting a bit worried because Steve wasn't there and our other less active we had been working with wasn't there and and I was freaking out and starting to get disappointed. It was ward conference this week and so they were doing all the sustaining and then at the end I just caught some movement out in the hall and it was Steve so I went out and greeted him. Elder Pillay was passing the sacrament so I just brought him in and we sat down and it was really great. He couldn't stay for the other two hours this time but said he should be all good for that from now on so it was really cool. And the other Polish speaking less active we have been working with showed up just a few min after Steve so it was way cool.
And that was pretty much my week. Elder Pillay goes home next week.

Love Elder Poll

Transferred to Walsall

Monday we were at the mission home for zone pday and it was really fun we had fun games and good food and got to hang out with lots of other missionaries so it was way cool. We played quidich from Harry Potter and our team won. President taught us some self defense classes and that was fun we got to throw each other on the floor. and then we had a roast hog provided by one of the members in Cheltenham, he is from Tonga and it was pretty cool. Then we went home to pack and get everything ready for me to go. Tuesday we had to get up early and be to Gloscster to take the coach to the mission home and then I met with elder Pillay and we took the train back to our area. We are really close to the mission home. When I say that I mean the sister missionaries that are in the ward the mission home is in are in our district so it is quite nice. We know whats going on everywhere in the mission because they know everything. Tuesday we also had a lesson with a cool part member family and then I got all unpacked and settled in, Wednesday we had to go to the other elders flat in our ward and pick up elder P's stuff because his companion went home early on in last transfer so he was in a trion with the other team and his stuff was there. Then we went and saw one of our investigators and then went to coordination and ward council then home..Thursday we had to go to the council office of the city because some one it the absence of missionaries living there the past transfer had stolen our rubbish bin so we had to go and get a new one ordered. then we had a lesson with one of our kind of investigators, I say kind of because she was ours and now she is not because she doesn't live in our area and so we had to pass her over to the Lichfeld elders which we did that on Saturday on a joint lesson. We are just hoping everything goes well because she is supposed to get baptized next Saturday. She is so ready and only has one lesson left to be taught to her so it should be okay we are just a bit worried. Friday we had district meeting and interviews with president and they went really good then we went to the mission office and had a talk with the housing coordinator about our flat because to put it nicely its in a really ruff part of town Our neighbor is a crazy lady that was banging on our door the other night and is just scary and crazy. We are on the top of there list to get us a new flat, we will see if it even happens or if it happens before I get home. then after we got back from the mission home we had a lesson and our investigator canceled last moment and then the member we had scheduled to come with us didn't show up. Saturday we spent the whole day traveling and having a lesson and travelling back from Lichfeild to pass our investigator over to the other elders. then we had a dinner appointment.

Sunday at church I saw a few people I have met before when I was first out on my mission and serving in Burton, because I am back in the same stake later we had a lesson with a less active member and then we headed back to the flat for call ins. I have been made district leader so i have to do call ins with the 2 other team and then with the zone leaders.

Elder P is my new companion he is from south Africa and he has been out longer than me he goes home at the end of this transfer He has been in the area for one transfer before me and so we are still trying to find our way around together getting lost some times but its okay.

The weather here has been crazy we have had a hail storm pretty much everyday with some snow and rain mixed in. weird weather. Elder P seems like a great guy so far and works hard so we get on just fine. I think things will be good and if not the transfer is only a 5 week transfer and he goes home at the end so I know I will get a new companion so we will see but i think thing should be fine. Walsall is pretty good it is the smallest of all my areas that I have had you can bike from one side to the other in a 1 hour and 40 min I would think. Big difference from Hereford. 

Love you guys. 

Elder Poll

Exchange to Worcester

The missionary work for the week we had a meeting with President on Tuesday then we were on exchanges from then till Wednesday. Me and Elder Starry had fun and worked hard and biked far. We also had a cool experience, on Saturday. We had zone meeting and then on our way home we planned to go see a potential we have in one of the smaller towns in our area. We went to see her but the only address we had for her was the little place that she doesn't actually live at so it was on chance that she would be there. The funny thing is she wasn't but her friends were and we had a good chat with them. She had mentioned us to them from the last time we met her and so we got talking to them and we got the chance to teach a lesson to one of them and we have an appointment with her on Wednesday this week so that's really cool.Then we got the phone number of another one. The rest weren't interested but it was a cool miracle. We also got to work in another smaller town in our area more as well because it is quite easy to access on the train so went there 2 times this week and saw some success so that was cool. and we were able to set up an appointment with the couple we had been working with that told us no more. We are having a family home evening with them on Friday so that's cool.

We also had a electrician finally come and fix our heater...yea.

Sad and cool news for this week.  I am going on exchange to Worcester tomorrow and that is cool but the sad part is this is the last exchange of the transfer so it may be my last time to do missionary work in Worcester and to see people here. So exciting and and sad all at once,but things are looking really promising in Hereford at the moment so its pretty cool.

As far as the refugee thing goes I haven't really seen it much but we here about it all the time. Some people are for it here and some are against most want to help but would prefer that they HELP THEM LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE is usually what they say is that they don't mind paying a bit to help but the situation of people without but housing is already a problem here so the don't know how they can help others with that if they can't help themselves. But I haven't really seen any to be honest though. I think they tend to go to the larger cities.

Love you guys.

Elder Poll