Lots of Curry and a Hindi Miracle

Well hello,

Visakhapatnam, India

            We are starting to see a bit less of the sun over here. Summer is fading away and here comes fall, which means, rain rain rain. Bring on the umbrella.

            As I have said in my last e-mail, my new companion is Elder Botcha from India – Visakhapatnam to be exact. His native tongue is Telugu, and he speaks Hindi and English as well. It’s good to have him here. We eat curry twice a day and my insides are feeling it. But I like eating it so it’s good.

            I will start with a cool miracle we had together. Yesterday we had a potential person that did not show up for our meeting. So we looked at the ward list and I saw an Indian name, Eisha, a less active lady. We decided that since she and Elder Botcha are Indian, we should head over there. So we went and knocked on her door in Letchworth and a guy answers.  He is Indian as well and speaks poor English. We asked him if Eisha was there and he said no and started to close the door, then all of the sudden Elder Botcha turns on the Hindi and the guy gets really excited and lets us in. His name is Ashwani, and he is Eisha's husband. We sat down in his living room and since he doesn’t speak English the two of them were talking in Hindi.  I just sat back and tried to look like I was part of the conversation. It turns out he investigated the church in India for a number of years.  He has a Book of Mormon and reads it all the time. He asked Elder Botcha how to pay tithing and where the closest church was. He is sooo prepared.  He asked us to teach him so we did.  Well, Elder Botcha did – and I pointed out good scriptures. We are going there next week. The guy is rock solid. We will also be meeting with Eisha who is excited to see missionaries again.

            Pretty cool. We are also still teaching I- and E-.  E- will be getting baptized in two weeks, on the 7th. I am excited for that and so are the members. Things are good.  

            I have been studying the Book of Mormon a lot this week. What a book. I love how it relates to our day. We can get so much out of its teachings if we really pay attention to what we are reading. So good. I was reading the part where Nephi is going to go try and get the plates from Laban after a number of failed attempts, in a verse where he is walking by the city walls he says "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." 
            I like that. In life we can’t be worrying too much about things or be too scared to do things. We need to just get from point A to point B and have faith that the Lord will take care of whatever we are doing. 

            I gave a baptismal interview this week in Essex to a lady named L-  – really really nice English lady, was not raised religious at all. She married a South African Mormon and decided to find out what we believe by reading the Book of Mormon. She read it, decided that she believed it, and got baptized. That is the power of the restored gospel.

Love you all.

Same Place, New Companion

            Looks like I will be staying in Hitchin for another 6 weeks, except I am getting a new companion named Elder Botcha from India! He is from the south part of India, and he is really quiet and really shy. He is short and we look pretty goofy standing next to each other .... but hey, that’s what the Lord wants, I guess. Elder Torbit is running off to Enfield which is about the most northern part of London.

            We had a good week last week. I- is doing great and so is her whole family. Her father has been making some pretty interesting comments that really makes me think that he is taking in all of the stuff that we are teaching. It’s good, and I- is just taking in all of the stuff that we are teaching. She is golden, but for heaven’s sake we need to get her to church. It has been a struggle with their schedules on Sunday, but we will make it work this week! I am determined.

            Also last week we found a lady named C-, who is from Nigeria. She used to go to our church there and her family all joined the church but then something happened – don’t know what – that made her family leave the church. She talked a lot about that but invited us in to teach her. She is really cool, and we committed her to pray about the Book of Mormon because she said she never did when she was in Nigeria. I am excited to go over there a bit more. She is a very nice lady and wants to make us some proper Nigerian food.

            We are really trying to find some new investigators, we need some more people to teach. It is a work in progress. The most success we have had is through unplanned finding opportunities, whether we are on a bus or just walking to an appointment. We have had the best success through those things. Funny how the Lord puts people like that in our path at those times!

            It has been good, I am excited to see what another transfer in Hitchin has to offer. I know that the gospel can bring people the happiness that they all desire to have in their lives. We can become the people that God has designed us to be. We can grow our talents and abilities as we exercise our faith.

Love you,

Elder Purdy

Last Full Week of This Transfer

Ahoy,

            Had a meeting in London yesterday so I am shooting off my e-mails today!

            The meeting was good. Elder Evans from the missionary department came and spoke to us about finding people, it was really inspiring! I loved what he said, he talked a lot about how we should not just stop people in the street and turn on the fire hose with doctrine and Joseph Smith and what not, but we need to just keep our cool and talk with people, not talk to people. He said it bugged him that missionaries would set aside time to find people instead of just constantly being involved. It was good. I took some good notes.

            Our week last week was interesting. Lots of traveling. I had a workover in St. Albans with Elder Doudou from Germany on Tuesday, and then on Thursday I had a workover in Harlow Essex with a missionary from my district. Felt like we had lots of travel and I wasn’t really able to be here for some of the lessons with our investigators. Emily is doing well, and will be baptized at the end of this month.  I- is doing fantastic. Her mother was excited because we brought a missionary from Brazil with us to the lesson and they just went off pretty much the whole time speaking in Portuguese.

            We actually ended up dropping a few people this week. Sometimes people are just not willing to change. They love to have us over and to hear what we have to say, but won’t apply what we ask them to in their own lives. It is terribly frustrating, so my personal goal for this week is to find just one person to teach – find the one that wants to change.  Just one!

            The meeting in London was a good way to start off the week, and it was perfect for the things I want to accomplish this week. I am really looking forward to seeing some miracles happen! I care so much about the people of England and I could not think of something I would rather be doing right now than inviting them to come to Christ, to achieve their goals, to find more happiness in life.

            Cool story, I was talking with one of the youth in our ward on Sunday, and I asked him about the youth camp that was last week in Wales. He said it was fun, then his friend, who I had never met before said he enjoyed it too. Apparently he went and loved it and came to church that Sunday with his friend.  He now wants to join the church – excellent! It’s funny how all of our investigators pretty much are under the age of 16 haha.

            Well, transfers are next week and I will let you all know what’s going down. Have a good week! Here is a picture from the meeting in London.

Love,

Elder Purdy

Photo Assortment -- Beautiful Hertfordshire

Photo Assortment -- Mission Life

Testimonies from Around the World

From Jen:  Many of Christian’s friends are finishing their missions and returning home.  They bear their testimonies in almost every letter, but especially in their last letters before leaving the field. Here are a few excerpts from this month's letters written by his friends serving all over the world:

               It is my testimony that this is the Kingdom of the Lord, preparing the world for the second coming of the Messiah. I find that it is easy for the Lord to change someone physically, but a spiritual change greatly depends on us and the state of our heart. I hope to soften my heart enough to let Christ change me.

            I love the mission life. I love the challenges, and the surprises. I love it when it goes right, and when the trials come. I love the people here, the culture, the food, and my friends. I love my president, and my companions, but more that all of that, I love the Lord. He is my God, my Shepherd, my Master, my Messiah, my Friend, My King, My Father, My Brother, and My Christ. Of all those things, he is mine. I can only hope to be strong enough to be called his as well. To be gathered with the children of Israel worthy to be saved by his grace, through the Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy, which only through the Great Jehovah, are brought to a balance.

            I plan on falling to his feet and kissing the terrible marks in his skin that he has for my fault, and when the armies of darkness come forth to accuse him of lying, using the words of the Jews, of Pilate, of many others: “Art thou the Christ?” My testimony will be beside thousands of the Holy Prophets, Apostles, and servants. “He is.” And he will answer with the same answer that he gave on mount Sinai, to the crowds of  mocking Jews,  to Joseph Smith, and to the world, the actual meaning of the name Jehovah: “I AM.”

            I love you all and will see you shortly, and leave my mission in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

            Elder C.

           Chile Santiago North

            God lives! He loves us! He has placed His church on earth in our days once more to help us know how to come back to Him. I know this is true and I want to make the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ the basis of my future. Good things are in store!

            See you soon,

            Elder G.

            Chile Santiago East

            I really can't express how much my mission has meant to me and how much it has changed me. I am so grateful to Jesus Christ, for trusting me with His sacred name for the time I have been out. 

            I love y’all! Take care! 

            Elder D.

            Texas Houston

            I love missionary work! I love Ping Dong, and I love God. I'm grateful to witness his tender mercies in my life and in the lives of those we share the gospel with.

            I'm grateful that I can communicate with my Father in Heaven anytime of the day. I can never deny that power that I feel every time I kneel down to my Heavenly Father and pray to him.       

            I love the work. This is Christ's church, and it's a privilege to be a part of the great work. I love you all.

            Elder B.

      艾長老

            Taiwan Taichung

I love you guys a ton! KEEP FIGHTING! TIME'S RUNNING OUT!!! SHOW THE LORD WE MEAN IT!

            Elder P.

            Costa Rica San Jose

            I can't believe Elder Cook is already home!  You were the pioneer for us, and I can tell that you gave it your all.  Thanks Spence.  Love you.  

            But, Hey Boys, everything is awesome here in New Jersey.  My English is doing a lot better, and we are seeing miracles.  I don't know what to say but you are all doing the right thing, and thank you for that.  I love you all, and I know the gospel was restored.  We are here to gather Israel.  How crazy is that? Us. Keep up the good work!  

            Love, 

            Elder L.

            New Jersey Morristown

            This is the Lord’s work and he is hastening it but we as missionaries and members need to be prepared and find our part in his plan. I know I am trying my hardest to be the sharpest tool in the shed for when the Lord of the harvest needs me most.  I have a testimony that this church is true. Jesus is the Christ and the Savior and my personal Redeemer. I know he knows me and everyone personally and we can get to know him through prayer and repentance which we all desperately need. His grace or otherwise known as enabling power is sufficient to save us, to lift us, and to strengthen us through (not out) of our trials and we will be so much stronger on the other side because of that. I know everything is a learning experience. I love the Lord and all of you so much.

            Elder S.

            Denmark Copenhagen

            It's so important to share the gospel in every single aspect of your life that you can. Share it with everyone. Give out a Book of Mormon. Bring someone to a family home evening. Invite someone to mutual or church. Change their lives. That's what I've been called to do and I'm so happy to do it.

           Elder J.

           Arizona Tempe

Wow.  I feel inspired.  Don't you?  -- Jen

Life is Good

            What a crazy week! I will start off with a pretty interesting experience,

            Elder Torbit and I were coming back from a walk out to a village and we just got back into Hitchin.  It had been a pretty hectic day and we both felt like we could have been more productive that day.  We were walking down the street and we came up behind this Jamaican lady.  We started walking and talking to her.  Her name was D- and she was just having a stroll down the street to clear her mind. We stopped at a bench and sat down with her and were just chatting about nothing really, then we started talking about the gospel and what we do as missionaries.  And then nobody said anything ... it was just silent and the spirit was really strong. This went on for like 15 seconds and then D- started to cry. Turns out she lost her husband at the beginning of July to some illness and she was really just missing her native land of Jamaica.  So that’s why she was on a walk – just to clear her mind with all the stuff that was going on. We testified, read in the Book of Mormon about what happens when we die and she just cried the whole time.  We really cheered her up by the end, and we are hopefully going to see her this week. God puts prepared people in the way of His prepared servants.

            We saw I- a lot this week, she is doing really well.  She is the 12-year-old who is half Brazilian. We planned to teach her the Restoration this week.  When we went there to teach that to her she said she had a question and asked, “I want to know which church is the true church.” Perfect question! We had a good lesson and we invited her to pray just as Joseph Smith did. She couldn’t make it to church, but she promised to come next week. 

            Also we taught E-, our 9-year-old investigator, and we invited her to be baptized on the 25th of this month! So we have 3 dates! She is doing really well and she is definitely making the decision to be baptized herself.  I am really happy for her.

            We are doing good work here, but we need to find more people to teach! That has been one thing we need.  We went tracting for 5 ½ hours on Saturday and not too much happened – lots of slammed doors and what not.  Guess it was just one of those days. We are both really feeling the urge to find some new people though.   I focused my studies around that this week and it was really good.  I love talking to people and seeing their backgrounds and where they come from.  I really pray we have more success this week.

            Things are good. We have a meeting in Hyde Park next week, and I think it is about getting Facebook pages.  We are living in the space age fo sho!

            Life is good.  We had a pretty fun Nerf fight with some members’ kids, we have met oodles of crazy people, and we are having some really good lessons.

Love,

Elder Purdy