November 24, 2014

Not a whole lot has happened this week - mainly walking and finding me and my companion a bit mad at the sister missionaries here because they stole two investigators from us!!!!!  Yesterday we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Gilardi's and it was really good. Sister Gilardi's family was there so it was a bit crazy. At the end Sister Gilardi brought out this game called Beanbozald where you pick a jelly bean and it could be something like either buttered popcorn or rotten egg flavored. The game ended when their 9 year old threw up so it was a crazy night. Right now we are spending the day with Elder Barton and his new companion Elder Stringer then my companion is going back with Elder Barton for exchanges. 

(I asked him how long it took them to get to Edinburgh last week when they went there for the choir practice.) The train to Paisley only took about 45 minutes and the train to Edinburgh was about the same so it wasn't too bad. I think we only have a couple more practices before we perform. We will be traveling to different stake centers around Scotland so it will be a lot of fun. 

Well that is pretty much it for this week. Love you guys can't wait to talk to you soon. 

Here is part of the e-mail he sent Dru - 

The other night I had a dream that was bound to happen. It was basically Outlander (a show about a girl who goes back in time in Scotland) except when I showed up I was wearing those kind of costumes and fighting with a broad sword it was even with clan McKenzie o that was pretty cool.

 

November 18, 2014

This week Mason e-mailed on Tuesday instead of Monday.  We got a quick e-mail from him on Monday that said they were at a practice for the mission Christmas choir on Monday and he didn't have time to write so he would send his weekly e-mail on Tuesday.  

After reading this letter I am not sure if we sent him on a mission or off to live in a fraternity house . . . I guess a mission doesn't have to be all hard work with no fun, right? Here is the e-mail - 


It has been good here in Scotland. We haven't been able to see either of our investigators so we just had to drop them - it's sad but necessary.  We had practice yesterday for the mission Christmas choir  and it went really well for the first practice. The building where we practice for the Christmas concert is right next to the mission home.  I did find out yesterday from Sister Jackson, one of the sister missionaries that was in the MTC when I was, that my MTC companion has gone home! It's sad  and I don't know why he went home bu everyone from my group thinks it was because of depression. In the MTC he told us that his brother went home at 22 months because of it, and in the MTC after the one lesson were I took the lead and did most of the talking and he wasn't in control he seemed to get depressed. But that is just what we are guessing.

We had a lot of fun this weekend. On Sunday we took a train up to Paisley to stay with the zone leaders to go to Edinburgh (for the choir practice) on Monday with some other missionaries in our zone. So there where 8 elders in a little flat and it was a bit cramped. After we got back from practice on Monday night, it was too late for everyone to go home so we ended up staying in Paisley again another night. Monday night when we got back we played a Pokemon themed drinking game with Irn-Bru (a popular carbonated soft drink make in Scotland) and it got pretty intense. One of the elders bought 6 two-liter bottles of Irn Bru and by the end of the game there was 1 left and only 4 of us used Irn-Bru and the other 2 used water and another 2 weren't playing so I downed a 2-liter bottle in under 2 hours! It only ended when my companion spilled his drink all over the board and ruined it so we just finished of the Irn Bru that we had started to drink which was almost gone anyway. The zone leaders made a board for the zone called "Paisleymon" and they put our names on the board and what Pokemon card reminds them of us. (I don't know who has the Pokemon cards but it isn't Mason!) So its been a bit crazy but very fun.

Also this past week while we where knocking doors we tried the "book from heaven" approach. So my companion stood in the doorway and I stood off to the side out of sight with a Book of Mormon and he said "hi I'm here to tell you about a book from heaven (then I tossed him the book so it looked like it came from the sky) here it is." So that was fun. 

Love and miss you guys!   

And, here are some questions I asked him -

Are you staying warm while you are out walking?

I am keeping pretty warm but I think I may have to start using the thermal bottoms we got slacks don't provide much protection from the cold.

Did you have s'mores at the bonfire on Guy Fawkes day?

They didn't have smores at the Bonfire but they did have food so that was nice.

Do you know if we will be able to Skype with you on Christmas, and do you think you will be transferred before Christmas?

I think we will be able to Skype on Christmas but I haven't heard anything about it, and I don't think I will be transferred but I will be at or around the mission home a lot these next few weeks because of the choir thing.

Have you gotten your hair cut yet?

I haven't gotten a hair cut yet but I will this week. But yesterday I say both President and Sister Brown a lot and neither of them said anything about my hair so. . .

My companion carves something for each of his companions and he carved me a wolf.

Here is the Paisleymon board we used to play the game.

These are the Pokemon cards they picked for me and Elder Barton. His is perfect I don't know about mine.  

Here we are playing the game.