November 2, 2015

Mason's e-mail from today - 

 

So this week everything kinda fell through. Tuesday at district meeting we got a call from President and he said he couldn't let me go to the Austin's baptism since it would open up a whole can of worms of missionaries wanting to go all over the mission for baptisms. The Austins still got baptized and I talked to them on the phone for a little while. They were saying how they want me to move down to Glasgow ward. And we didn't go to the mission home because the Whites cancelled. 

 

Tuesday we had a lesson with the Newtons. Luke Glanville and his wife Eden came and it was really good. We talked quite a bit on scripture study and how the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul. So it went really good. Luke is the Elders quorum President and is a really good teacher.

Not much really happened this week. On Wednesday we had a lesson with the Ewarts who are really cool. Irene, the mom, is employed by the cathedral by where they live and that is really the only thing stopping them from joining the church. So they are doing really well.

Friday was the ward Halloween party. We had a Trunk-or-Treat as well. Inside the church we also had some fun Halloween games. The Ewarts came and really had fun. During the actual Trunk-or-Treating me and Elder Kemp were manning the Hayball's car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday not much happened. We went and saw Fred. But other then that not much happened, and we were in the flat at 6 had dinner and weekly planned so that was our exciting Halloween.

Sunday after church we went and had lunch at the bishop's with the Hayballs. Then we went back to the Hayball's flat to help them close it down and we are getting quite a bit of stuff from them. Last night we got a rug for our living room and a whole bunch of food stuff so that was really nice. Then we went with the Hayballs as they said good-bye to some of the members. But there will be a big going away party for them tonight at the church so that should be fun,

Anyway that is all for this week. Love and miss you guys so much. 

 

Here is another picture Mason sent - he must be in the town center of Montrose.

 

 

October 26, 2015

Here is today's e-mail - 

Hey so this week has been kinda crazy.  Tuesday we had Zone Interview Training which was really good. That took up pretty much the whole day. It was at the Dundee stake center so it was about an hour bus ride. 

Wednesday we had a meeting with our ward mission leader in the morning. Then we went out to Brechin again to do some finding. Then we went to the Newton's who the sisters were working with and we had a really good lesson so Wednesday was really good.

Thursday after weekly planing we went to Fred nothing new there, but then we went to the Glanvilles for dinner which as always is super fun.

Friday the big thing we did was we went and met a family that the sisters were teaching, the Ewarts. The Dad is Scottish and the Mom is Russian but they are really cool. The member we brought with us, Sister Maxton, is good friends with them and even after we left at 8:00 she stayed and talked with them till 10:30 and they are really good. They even came to church on Sunday and the whole ward was talking to them so they are doing really good.

Saturday we did service at the British Heart charity shop were they had a nice pair of boots just my size - and the best part - brand new. So I got a nice pair of boots for under £20. Then we went to Fred's and for two hours helped clean his flat with the Hayballs. Then the Hayballs took us to their flat and we had dinner with them since they are trying to get rid of all the food they still have. Then they gave us a lift back to the flat.

Sunday church was really good, it was the primary program and the kids did pretty good. After church there was a munch and mingle so the Ewarts got to meet the whole ward. But the best part of the week happened after church I got a call from the Austins (the family he taught in Cumbernauld last winter/spring)! They called to invite me to their baptism and asked if I would baptize two of them and Elder Rogers would baptize the other two. So I called President Donaldson to see if I could and he said he would see. They are getting baptized Saturday morning and me and Elder Kemp will be at the mission home Friday night for dinner. President Donaldson invited one family that we are teaching, the White family, to dinner with him, so hopefully I will be able to just go to Glasgow from the mission home! Hopefully I will have some picture of the baptism to send to you next week!

Love and miss you!

October 19, 2015

Here is the e-mail we got from Mason today -   

 

This week was pretty good.So Tuesday we had district meeting in Dundee then I went on exchanges with our,district leader's companion who wasn't feeling good so it was a flat day. Except for Tuesday night cause Fred had his baptismal interview in Dundee with Pres. Donaldson. Fred won't be getting baptized really anytime soon. 

 

Wednesday after exchanges we went and saw Fred again, then I don't really remember what we did - most likely just finding. 

 

Thursday we made a progress record for the people we are working with. Then it was out to Arbroath to see Fred. After that we went to meet a girl that Elder Kemp and our district leader talked to on exchanges but she gave them a false address. Then we had dinner at the Glanville's which is always fun. After that was ward council. That was Thursday.

Friday we spent most of our day in a town called Brechin we just did some finding and also met an older couple that the sisters were teaching. They are pretty cool and solid so teaching them will be nice. And that was really the noteworthy stuff for Friday.

Saturday we did service at British Heart then back out to Brechin to meet with someone we talked to the day before but he was busy when we came by so nothing happened there. We also saw Fred again.

 

Sunday after church we had lunch with the Bishop and his wife and the Hayballs and their daughter and granddaughter, that was really fun. The Hayball's daughter is so funny. Then we went and saw this one less active member who I think I told you about last week. That was really good we shared the Mormon messages bearing your burdens with hope. It went really well, then it was back to the flat for dinner and that was our week. Love you.

 

 

The Hayball's daughter from California was visiting her parents before they leave to go home. She took a picture of Mason and his companion and sent me a text yesterday with the picture.

October 12, 2015

Mason has been gone 13 months (and 2 days) now - here is the e-mail we got today -

We are starting to figure things out here in Montrose. There are a few investigators left from the sisters that were here before us and we have started working with a few of them. Things have been kinda busy and the days go by really fast.

 

So this week on Tuesday we had a zone meeting it wasn't anything big that President came to. The Zone Leaders want us to commit at least one person a day to baptism which is pretty crazy. But after that the Hayballs took us to KFC for lunch, then they took us to meet a member of the ward who has some kind of cancer. Then we went to a member's house for dinner. The Rollo's they are really cool and the husband does falconry so he has some falcons and even an owl which is really cool. It took a while to get there since they are in the middle of nowhere. 

 

Wednesday we pretty much spent the whole day with the Hayballs. They where putting together a packet with some flyers from the ward and a DVD to give to less active and part member families. Then we went and delivered a few of them. Then we went back to the Hayball's flat and had a late lunch with them. Then we went and did a bit of finding, but nobody was out cause it was raining. Then it was back to the Hayball's for ice cream with some kids from a part member family. Then we went and saw some of the investigators that the sisters where teaching, the Newtons. 

 

Thursday the Zone Leaders came and blitzed our area. I was with Elder Ilori the elder who trained Elder Campbell. That day was crazy. We went and saw another investigator that the sisters had, a man named Fred. Then we did a lot of finding in the small city centre and Elder Ilori is crazy - he made so many appointments with people who didn't keep them so we had to sort that out later. Then we went to the Glanville's for dinner - that is kinda the highlight of the week. They are just so funny. Then after that we had some time so we decided to do some finding and we met this young couple and ended up going to their house and teaching them. They are pretty cool - they both from traveller backgrounds and they said they would come to church but they didn't so not too sure how solid they are but we will see. 

 

Friday nothing to exciting - we had to do weekly planning since the Zone Leaders came on Thursday. We met with Fred again, and the sisters had him scheduled for baptism this Saturday so we are trying to get him ready for that. Other than that not too much happened on Friday. 

 

Saturday we did service at British Heart in the morning. We then went and saw Fred again. We then went to the church and started making his baptismal program. And that was pretty much it.

Sunday after church we went to the bishop's house for a late lunch. The Bishop and his wife just got back from a trip to the temple and they got some root beer from an LDS book store right by the temple so they gave us two cans, I was loving that. Then we had a less active who wants to start coming back to church call us out of the blue so we went and saw him and that was it. 

So this week has been a bit crazy. Love and miss you guys so much. 

October 5, 2015

Mason is now back in Scotland in the Montrose ward - here is the e-mail we got today.

Hey Mom things are going good over here so far.  Montrose is a little like Ayr but much much much smaller. But coming over on the ferry was pretty much the same as last time. Getting up here was a bit of a hassle since we had to go to Edinburgh then catch a train, then get off of that train in Dundee cause there was a train derailed so we got a bus to the next train stop and got on a train to Montrose, but the flat is pretty close to the train station so it wasn't too bad. But we did drive through Ayr on the bus and me and Elder Cragie who also served there were just like "I still remember how to get around here." It felt weird to be back in Ayr.

So anyway on Thursday we unpacked and did some shopping and just got settled in. We also met the bishop and his wife, they are really nice. Then we had dinner with the Glanville family who live just across the street from us. They are so funny and crazy like each of them are AT LEAST as crazy as Bryn. So it's going to be really fun having dinner with them every Thursday. 

Friday the senior couple up here gave us a tour of the area. They will be going home in a month so they are going to try and talk Pres. Donaldson into letting us keep the car which would be really nice. Pres. Donaldson is also really fond of the area cause this is were he was trained when he first was a missionary.  

Saturday not much happened but then we got a lift from the senior couple, the Hayballs, to the Dundee stake center for conference. They showed the Saturday morning session, then we stayed the night with the zone leaders. Then Sunday was all conference with the Priesthood session in the morning then the Saturday afternoon, then Sunday morning. My favorite talk was Pres. Uchtdorf's Priesthood session. Then the Hayballs took us back to the flat. So its been a bit of a crazy week. Love and miss you guys.  

I "borrowed" this picture from Elder Kinville's blog - this was while they were traveling to Edinburgh. I will miss his pictures since Mason hasn't been great about taking and/or uploading a lot of pictures lately.

As usual I did a street view of his new flat address and here is a picture - it is the first black door (on the right).

September 28, 2015

After only 6 weeks in Dublin, Mason is headed back to Scotland - here is the e-mail we got today with the details. 

Hey so first off the reason there wasn't much info about moves on Facebook is because the APs sent out a text telling everyone not to tell members where they are getting moved to so they can't put it on Facebook. (Usually we find out about transfers as soon as the missionaries get moves calls because the church members in the mission post it on the mission Facebook page. I told Mason there wasn't a lot of news about moves on the Facebook page so I guess that is why!) But me and Elder Kinville are moving! I was really surprised to hear that. I'm whitewashing into the Montrose Ward in Scotland; I might see Pres. Brown (his first mission president) since that ward is in his stake. My new companion is going to be Elder Kemp. We were companions for a day when Elder Carter went home and I had to go back and pack to leave Inverness. He is cool, and I am kinda happy to be going back to Scotland. But it will be crazy since we are whitewashing into an area so we are going to need to figure out everything when we get there. It’s going to be crazy this next week or two.

But as for this week, Tuesday, after district meeting we went on exchanges, and I was up here with Elder Stoker. We went and saw a recent convert from one of the past sets of missionaries, then it was lots of finding and we were able to talk to some pretty cool people.

Wednesday we did our weekly planning a day early after exchanging back. We did go to Pizza Hut one last time. Then we went to the church to prepare a presentation about the church we were going to give at Trinity College. That took up the rest of the day.

Thursday all I can really remember is that we worked out with Marcin which was really fun. He had us do the Zuu test which you need to pass to become a Zuu instructor and we did fairly well. It's ten minutes of non-stop workouts and every minute you have to do a certain amount and then switch to the next workout even if you haven't finished the other one.

Friday we had Reynaldo come and follow us around all day which was pretty fun. He bought us KFC for lunch. We taught a lesson with him to a guy named Ozzy - a Brazilian born again. It went pretty well. He just has a lot of questions and things that need to get cleared up. Then we went and did some finding in St. Stephens Green but we were told by one of the officers there that we can't approach people in the park and that was our prime finding place. So after that me and Elder Kinville went and got gelato at this one really good place in City Centre.

Saturday we had to do some more work on the presentation in the morning. Then in the afternoon we did a zone blitz in Dublin just outside our area which was crazy. So one of the reasons it was so crazy was right as we were setting up, a protest for abortion came right down the other side of the street. Also a bunch of crazy people. We couldn't stay for too long cause we had a lesson to teach with a Brazilian girl, Nubia. But we came back just as it ended, and some of us went out for dinner. We went to this one American diner called Eddie Rockets which is really good.

Sunday after church nothing much really happened other then we went and saw Marcin and had a lesson with his family which was pretty good we mainly talked about family with him. Then we went back to the flat and played Disney monopoly as we were waiting for moves call.

Then so far today, we went and saw Marcin at 6:30 this morning which was really good. He was sad to hear that we are both leaving.

So the rest of the week will be taken up with packing and getting to my new area. 

Love and miss you guys.


This is a picture Mason sent from their last Pizza Hut buffet - I am guessing these are supposed to be their "sad" faces that Pizza Hut is closing!

Mason is moving to Montrose, Scotland. It is about 60 miles north (and a little east) of Edinburgh and it is right on the east coast of Scotland. Wikipedia says Montrose is a "coastal resort town" and it actually sounds a little like his first area in Ayr - just on the other side of Scotland.

This is a picture of Montrose (thanks to Google images) - 

And here is my Google street view picture of the church in Montrose

September 21, 2015

Mason e-mailed later than usual today, but we finally did hear from him - here is his e-mail . . . 

Sorry I'm emailing so late - we worked out with Marcin this morning and the library closes from 1-2 pm. 

This week was pretty good it was a bit slow on the teaching side. But on Tuesday Elders MacFarlane (district leader) and his companion Elder Stoker came up and blitzed our area after district meeting which was a lot of fun. We mainly did some finding, but at night we had some real fun. We made fajitas and oreo milkshakes and played around it was great. 

Wednesday morning we had to get up at 5:15 because the sisters had to go to a meeting in Scotland so we took their car for the day. We mainly took the car so we could get my bike fixed. The Elder who was here before me messed up my bike so we needed to take it to get it fixed so that was most of the day. Then we had dinner with the Harrnos family - they are really cool. The husband is German and the wife is from Utah, and Syd would love their two little boys they are really funny. Then we had to go to the airport because the sisters were back and we got a bus back to the flat. 

Thursday we did go to Pizza Hut and we will be able to go one last time this week. Then we got a call from the bike shop saying my bike was already done so we borrowed the car from the sisters again to pick it up. We got caught in major traffic so that was our day done. Dublin traffic is the worst!!!

Friday not much really happened on Friday or Saturday other then seeing Marcin Saturday morning. 

Sunday after church we went to Reynaldo's for dinner with the sisters then we taught Marcin and his family which was really cool. His kids needed to go to bed for school today so it was a short lesson but still really good. 

So that was our week. It is crazy that moves call is on Sunday this move has gone by so fast. I don't know what will happen with move but Elder Kinville has been here for six months so he most likely will be getting moved but we will see. 

Love and miss you. 

Mason didn't send any pictures but I "stole" this picture from his companion's blog from this week - thank you Kinvilles!! These are the 4 elders in their district.