April 18, 2016

 Here is today's e-mail from Mason . . .

So the week started out pretty nice. On Monday we went to the Jones' for dinner which was awesome. 

Tuesday we started off by doing some yard work for a less active lady, but while doing that the assistants called and asked if we could drive, I said we couldn't, and they said they would work something out and give us a call and don't drive the car. But we had to so we could get to the croft on Wednesday. 

(They have provisional driver's licenses for one year after they get to the United Kingdom. So, Mason hasn't been able to drive since September and Elder Kinville just passed his one year mark so he shouldn't be driving either. They didn't think they would both stay in Thurso because they need a car and neither one of them is able to drive without getting a UK driver's license and that costs about $400 or $500. That is why Mason said they couldn't drive.)

Wednesday it was really just croft service.

Thursday the APs called and we thought we would be in a trio or an have an emergency move and one of us would get transferred. But they are TAKING THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!! So this is going to suck, and this move is another 7 week one.

We also started using the buses on Thursday we went to Rebecca, the one who wants her son to get baptized, we ended up just hanging around with them and then we were going to go to the Billingtons but we just barely missed our bus and the next one wasn't for 2 freaking hours!!! Then we got a bus back to Thurso. 

Friday we weekly planned. Then Elder Kinville had a doctors appointment cause his ear was blocked up. Then we went to a members house for dinner. After that we had a meeting with our branch mission leader. And the Zone Leaders called that night to talk to us about getting the car down. Elder Clay and Elder Roach were going to come up to Thurso and we drove down with them to Inverness so the ZL's could get the car to Aberdeen. Then we told them about our area and how spread out it is and that for most of the members for us to go to see them they would have to pick us up and drop us off, which would be a 2 hour trip for them, and that we couldn't spend the day around the members cause there are about 5 houses with in 2 miles around those members. So they told us to call them at the end of this week to see how it goes up here without a car and they would see what they can do.  

Saturday we did service at New Start Highland then Elder Clay and Elder Roach came up and we went down to Inverness. That night all six of us stayed in Inverness and had another camp fire night.

Sunday we had stake conference and it was so good to see everyone again. Everyone remembered me and was really happy to see me again. But we only got an hour of stake conference cause the broadcast cut out. Then we went to one of the members houses for lunch, all six of us. Then the Invergordon team went back up to Invergordon. We did some finding then we went to Gail's. It is always great going to Gail's. Then Inverness picked us up and dropped us off at the Invergordon flat where we stayed the night. And now we are emailing in Invergordon and then they will drive us back up. 

Also I found out what Elder Perkins is doing. They put five missionaries together and gave them one of the mission vans so now they just drive around the mission and blitz different city centres. We have called it the "Wolf Pack". 

Love and miss you guys.   

April 11, 2016

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

It was moves call last night and we are both staying together, but Elder Perkins (district leader) is moving down to Edinburgh but only president and the AP's know what he will be doing all he was told was that its new and creative. So this week it was just a lot of finding and some service. But we did get to see two less actives. One named Brenda is older and lives in a care home, when we went to see her she invited one of her friends from the home to play chess with Elder Kinville and I played Brenda. Then the other one's name is Rebecca and she wants to get her 7 year old son baptized and his birthday is in May we just need to get her active again, but that is something good to work for. We have an appointment with them again on Wednesday.

Also something really cool I got to do at the croft this week was I got to wash one of the horses then I dried him off and warmed him up. I took him on a bit of a run, just leading him, and Sister Tolworthy commented that I did pretty good at leading the horse. Also on our way back from the croft, Elder Kinville hit and killed a bunny so we turned around and got some pictures of it. Elder Kinville felt like a terrible person the rest of the night. 

On Tuesday when we Skyped with with our district in Inverness for our district meeting we had a bit of fun - we went with our top halves all dressed up but had pajama bottoms on and with the table we were sitting at they couldn't see our pajama bottoms so it was the most comfortable district meeting ever. We need to have some fun so we don't go crazy. 

It is crazy that I only have 3 moves left. I for sure am going to keep working hard. Also the Ewarts (from Montrose - Mason's last area) emailed me and they are getting baptized!!! Sadly, I won't be able to go so that is another one I am missing out on, but it is still awesome. 

Sorry this was a bit short but that was pretty much the only exciting things about this week. Love and miss you guys. 

Here is a picture from their district meeting with the pajama bottoms - he also sent pictures of the dead rabbit they hit with their car, but I won't post those.

 

 

April 4, 2016

Here is this week's e-mail from Mason - this coming Sunday will be moves call again already and it will be 19 months since he left - only 4 1/2 months to go!!

 

So this week has been good - here is what happened. Tuesday we didn't have much going on, but later we had to drive down to Inv

ergordon and spend the night with the missionaries there. It was so much fun they had this game called "Boss Monster" which was just crazy fun.

 

Wednesday morning we got up at 4 a.m. to get ready to make the drive down to Aberdeen for ZIT (zone meeting), and even the drive down was so much fun - one of the Elders, Elder Roach, was trained by Elder Barton. But when we got there we found out that ZIT was going to be in the YSA room instead of in the chapel. So we had the most relaxed meeting ever. I got a big leather arm chair which was great - best seat in the place, and I didn't fall asleep. Then after ZIT we stayed the night at Invergordon again and played Boss Monster again and had a great time.

 

We woke up Thursday morning and drove up to Thurso, and got showered because we just woke up and left from Invergordon, then went to the Tolworthys for service. This time we were mucking out the cow's stall which hasn't been mucked out in about a year so it really needed it.

 

Friday we went over to the Tolworthys again in the morning since we couldn't come on Saturday cause of conference. The cow broke the stall gate so me and Elder Kinville built a new one out of some old wood they had around. Then we had branch council later on. So that was Friday

 

Saturday we did service at New Start Highland then we went to try by that one drunk less active in Wick, then we weekly planned since he wasn't in. Then we went to the Jones' house for conference. The Jones are an American family who live up here in Thurso, and they are so cool. So we watched conference and the LDS World Report with them which was really cool.

 

Sunday we went to the church to watch conference and the computer was hooked up to the TV in case anyone wanted to watch it at the church. So we watched the Priesthood session by ourselves. The choir was made up of students from the Logan Institute and I was looking at the choir to see if any were wearing tartan ties, and one of them was. It was really cool then I recognized the guy wearing it as Elder Thackary an old Zone Leader of mine and one of Elder Barton's old companions. I turned to Elder Kinville and just yelled "its Elder Thackary" then he recognized him and we both had a mini freak out. Then for the Saturday afternoon session some members showed up and we watched it with them.

 

Then afterwards we went to a member's house, the Winkles, to watch the Sunday morning session but they couldn't get it because their the broadband was to narrow so we ended up just having dinner with them so we still have two sessions to watch.

 

That was our week love and miss you. 

 

Here is a picture of the cow with the new stall gate they made (borrowed from Elder Kinville's blog).

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago when they made smores with the missionaries in Inverness.

This picture is for Bryn - this is Elder Crowe who was in a Mormon boy band - Beyond 5 - before he went on his mission. Mason and Elder Crowe were in the same zone for a while so Mason took this picture for Bryn.

March 28, 2016

Here is Mason's e-mail for this week . . . 

 

So for this week, last Monday we ended up having to stay the night in Inverness cause it took us a while to get out of Edinburgh with the traffic, and if Elder Kinville had just powered through for the rest of the drive we would have died! But on Tuesday we were actually able to go to district meeting in person. We looked like flipping hobos, since we didn't shave and had on the same clothes as the day before but it was really fun to be in that district meeting. Elder Perkins did a training on GQing so he had us role play selling him a CD which the Invergordon Elders had gotten the day before. It was an awful CD and by the end no one could say it was a good CD with a straight face and we were all laughing.

Then once we got back to Thurso we dropped everything off and did our shopping. Then we had a meeting with the branch mission leader and went by some less actives to finish off the day.

Wednesday in the morning we went and GQed Wick then after lunch we went and did service at the Tolworthys. This time it was mainly demolition they had us gather some old useless wood to burn then we destroyed an old chicken coop to burn as well. 

Thursday we went around Thurso most of the day looking for a garage cause our "new car's" check engine light is on. We found one but they are booked up until this week so we will need to take the car in some other time his week. Then we went and tried by the one less active who was drunk the last time we saw him (David) but he wasn't in. Then we went and saw the Billington family again. 

Friday we did our weekly planing cause we ran out of time on Thursday. Then we went and tried by some people in Wick and then did a bit of service for a less active named Brenda and then had a short lesson with her. She is older and things are always interesting when we see her. Then we went to the church because the youth were doing a Plan of Salvation fireside. They did a whole walk through of the POS and did up one room like the premortal life, our earth life and so on. We also did a tour of the three kingdoms and ended in the celestial kingdom it was a really cool thing and the youth loved putting it all together. 

Saturday it was the normal service Saturday started at New Start Highland, then ended at the Tolworthys. At the Tolworthys we just continued on with what we were doing last time, we were chopping wood into smaller pieces and that was about it still lots of fun. 

Sunday there was a lot of singing at Church. The Relief Society had a choir number and then so did the branch choir which me and Elder Kinville are in, we sang Consider the Lilies and it was pretty good. Then After Church we went by David again but he wasn't in again then we just GQed around Thurso which was pretty much just walking around. So not a very eventful Easter. Well that is all for this week.  Love and miss you guys. 

March 21, 2016

So I am emailing from the mission home right now. We had to come down to Edinburgh  because our car is getting recalled, so we will be getting another teams car.

So On Tuesday we didn't have district meeting so that day was mainly driving around and finding. Until we went to the croft and did some more service. Wednesday it was finding nothing to exciting there. 

Thursday we went down to Inverness and blitzed the area. That was really fun, me and Elder Perkins had dinner with Gale which was great to see her again. She also gave me a present, and I am now a Laird which is the Scottish version of a Lord because I now own a square foot of land in the Highlands. How sweet is that. But then that night we went out and got some wood and we had a campfire in the back yard of the Inverness flat mainly because they had big marshmallows and we all got some stuff from the Jehovah's witnesses so we made some smores which was awesome. 

Friday we drove back up to Thurso and then later we had a lesson with the Billingtons (I told you about them in one of my last emails, the son is a recent convert). 

Saturday was service Saturday and then we got the call about our car. It was nice since it didn't rain for a few days so it was all nice and dry, well dryer then it has been, at the croft. 

Sunday after church it was cleaning out the car and getting it ready for the drive down. 

So nothing to glamorous here. 

Here are some pictures - the first picture is borrowed from Elder Kinville's blog and the last three pictures are from lunch today in Edinburgh - one of the members in Edinburgh took them to lunch while they were there and she sent me the pictures on Facebook.

 

 

March 14, 2016

Here is the e-mail from Mason - he has officially been gone 18 months and will be home in a little over 5 months - woohoo!!! The first paragraph of the e-mail he is mostly answering my questions - what did you do for your birthday? How is it having a car? How is Elder Kinville? 

So for the rest of my birthday we really didn't do too much. We went to a place called Wick which has a tartan shop and I got some navy color flashes and a blue tie to go along with my kilt, then we went to the church and I ordered an argyle kilt jacket. But when the jacket came it was more of a stage costume then an actual jacket so I'm going to return it today and get a better one. Having a car makes things so much easier and it would be very hard to get around here without a car. It's fun with Elder Kinville - we almost have too much fun, which saves us from going crazy up here. It would be nice to stay with Elder Kinville another move, but his driver's license expires right before this move ends so we probably won't both stay here. So anyway with this week we did a lot of driving and what not so I will give you the highlights. 

Tuesday we had district meeting which we had to Skype in for which was interesting. Then the rest of the day was try bys and chapping. Then for dinner me and Elder Kinville made pretzel bites that he got a recipe for and they were really good.

Wednesday it started of with some GQing. Then after lunch we went to some members, the Tolworthys, croft (a small farm) and did service for them. We were mainly mucking out one place but then when it got dark we went and had dinner with them then we got to brush their horses. They have a bigger horse which is a Cobb Cross horse and a big Shetland pony, I brushed the bigger one and Elder Kinville brushed the smaller one. 

Thursday we did some weekly planing then more driving and try bys and then we went and had a recent convert lessen with a family who's son just got baptized. The dad is a convert and the mom is a less active, but they are really cool and we get along great. 

Friday we had some less active lessons with a lady who is into the new age healing stuff and she kinda gently bashed some stuff about the church so that was very interesting. Then we went and saw another less active man who is an alcoholic and had some drinks before we got there. He kept talking about how he would like to get us stoned and see which one laughs the hardest. Me and Elder Kinville just laughed about the whole thing after, but something really funny he said was that we would be all like " oh Davy I'm in Britain" which has turned into a big inside joke now. 

Saturday we did service at the charity shop New Start Highland. Then it was over to the Tolworthys for some more service. We were just mucking all day which is kinda fun but we really need a shower when we get done. 

Sunday after church we went over to a member's house, the Winkles, for lunch and they are really fun, they also live on a little croft and we may start doing some service there as well. But I have got to say this is the nerdiest branch ever - everyone loves Lord of the Rings like crazy and things like that, so I get along really well with everyone. That was us for the week. Love and miss you so much.

This is a picture "borrowed" from Elder Kinville's blog of them eating their homemade pretzel bites - 

March 7, 2016

Here is the e-mail we got from Mason today - today was his 21st birthday so it was nice to e-mail back and forth a little on his actual birthday! And, he is in his new area - Thurso, Scotland.

Today we will be going to a tartan shop in our area in a town called Wick. We were going to be able to blitz Inverness tomorrow and me and Elder Perkins were going to have dinner with Gale but Elder Perkins called and said now he needs to go to Edinburgh for something and that he will need to head down Tuesday night so the blitz is postponed for a little while :(. But we don't really have anything exciting up here its just a bunch of small towns and what not. Our flat its an alright flat but it gets cold, and its nice we have the car now. The branch is pretty nice there are about 30 active members, it is a bit odd being in a branch.

So for this week Monday and Tuesday were just packing and saying good bye to everyone in Montrose.

Wednesday was a lot of travel we got on a train to Dundee in the morning and I picked up Elder Roach (Elder Barton's greenie) and then got a train to Aberdeen where Elder Kinville picked me up and then we drove and drove and drove. We stopped off at Inverness really quick - we got lunch at McDonald's then went to one of the tartan shops and I got a Macbeth Tartan tie. Tomorrow I will be getting a Scott Hunting tie in Inverness since we will be down for district meeting. Then we went and saw Gale really quick she was really happy to see me and it was really good to see her and Riley again. Then we drove another 2 1/2 hours to Thurso and shopped and that was it. 

Thursday we did weekly planing and drove around the area a bit and did some GQing in Wick. 

Friday we had a lesson with a recent convert named Theoden who is I think 9 his mom is a less active and his dad is a recent convert and former pagan priest so they are really interesting.

Saturday was all service. We started by going to the charity shop and after that we drove out to a small farm house where a member family lives and did some service for them. We were mucking out the horse corral and that was a lot of crap, then we had dinner with them. 

Sunday was nice. We had church and met the members in the branch who are really nice. Then me and Elder Kinville drove around the area for a bit just look for any new places to find. Then we had dinner and walked around Thurso for a bit. 

So that was my week. Love and miss you guys.

 

 

Here are some pictures he took with people before he left Montrose and a picture in Thurso and a link to a short video -  

 

The Dibdin Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ewarts

The Stronachs (former Bishop in Montrose)

Thurso

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video in Thurso