Weekly Update #29

From the magical land of Dalkeith, hello! A warmish, windy, pretty chilly Scottish greeting!

 

     Last Monday ended magically with a meal appointment and kicked off our week of having a meal appointment every day of the week. Really. It's too neat how much they feed us. It's fantastic.

 

     Tuesday came next and it started off with a District Meeting and some interesting news. Elder Stevens got moved out of the area to Leith because an Elder there went home due to health. It was sad to see him go, but we waved him on and parted temporary ways. We then did some finding and knocking on some doors, to where we found a fellow twice in a day. We ran into him street contacting and then knocked on his house. Pretty neat. He didn't want to learn more despite the obvious sign, but I'll forgive him. As we were traveling to catch a bus, and older gent called out to us as he was sitting having a rest. He called us over and asked us about how we were doing, then said "Good, now sit down and have a cup of hot chocolate." We couldn't refuse. We quickly learned this fellow's name was Joe and he is a member. Less active, but a member nonetheless! We had an enjoyable cup of hot chocolate and a chat with good ol' Joe. It was an interesting experience and I am fond of Joe. He's swell. We then had a meal appointment at the Ross' and then knocked some more doors where we were mistaken for police. The usual life of missionaries.

 

     For Wednesday we did some knocking and tried by Joe. He was in but only gave us a bag of canned food. Blessing? Debatable, but I'll leave it for ya'll to decide. We then went out and knocked and knocked doors. We talked with some fun folks, but they weren't too interested. We then had a meal with the senior couple in the area at Gigi's. That was grand.

 

     On Thursday I left Dalkeith and went to Edinburgh with Elder Tang for an incredible exchange. Whilst on exchange, I GQ'd into one of their investigators and had lovely talks with other folks who we found. It was blustery on this day. Very blustery. Elder Tang and I found like beasts, though, and then we went to a baptismal service. It was a lovely service. Those in Dalkeith had a double meal appointments, both lunch and dinner. Here's a selfie of me with glasses and Elder Tang kinda blurry.

 

      For Friday I was returned to Dalkeith and we began to weekly plan and organize ourselves. It was on this day, let it be marked in history, that at our lunch appointment I partook of haggis! That's right! Leftover sheep bits! It was divine! I loved it! Whooo! So that was great. We then knocked some doors, planned a bit more, travelled and visited a less active. Jolly day.

 

     Saturday we had a lunch appointment with Anne, which is always a fantastic go. We then went out and knocked on a neighbourhood and found Snow White and all seven dwarves. It's dark in the picture, but they were there. Elder Tarbet was concerned.

 

     Sunday arrived an hour later than usual and we went to church, chatted with them, had a lovely time, and tried by a family that turned out to be a former investigator for another area in the mission. Those coincidences, y'know. We then had a lunch/dinner at the Campbell's and it was great. We had a grand time with them. Anywho, we then went out and did a bit of finding to close the day up.

 

     Today, we explored the Rosslyn Chapel, made famous in 'The Da Vinci Code'. Was it incredible? Heck yeah. The workmanship was stunning, and the masonic symbols were grand! We found masonic symbols on the inside, it was neat. Couldn't take pictures of them, though. Still fun!

 

     That was this week, full of fun, walking, cold, forests, masons, and all that good stuff. Did you know that we found three masonic lodges in our area thus far? Are there more? I'm certain. It's really neat, everyday I'm grateful to be here out and serving those who I run into and getting to let people know us and the Church and Christ. It's a blessing.

 

     Cheers! Have a fantastic week! 

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

Jacob 6:12 "O be wise; what can I say more?"

Weekly Update #28

Good day! Hopefully ya'll are having a wonderful time! My week was pretty good, just like yours.

 

     The rest of Monday went on. Elder Tarbet baked his incredibly incredible cookies and we went knocking on some doors! Whoo! Monday!

 

     We then come to Tuesday. Tuesday was pretty great as a day. It was the day we had Zone Interview Training, which is always a blast. We had some excellent trainings, tips, words of wisdom, knowledge, and all that good Jazz. President Donaldson gave some excellent advice and it was a grand experience. Took up most of the day, but it was a wonderful day of learning and mental preparation. We then had a meal appointment and then went to go teach the mother and the daughter. It was good. As we were going back into the flat, we met a calico cat. It almost followed us into the flat, but we repelled it. Close call, there.

 

     On Wednesday was pretty good. We did some lovely finding in the morning and afternoon. In the evening, we again had a meal appointment, which was fabulous. After, we went to the church because we were invited by good old Jack to the ARP (Addiction Recovery Program). It was a pretty neat meeting. The 12 Step program is pretty nifty too. Check it out. There's videos on the Mormon Channel for each step.

 

     Thursday we were going to go out when we were interrupted by huge spider. It was massive. We had to capture it and keep it as a prisoner. 

We then went out and knocked more doors then we had a lunch appointment with Jack. Jack is a fantastic recent convert. We had another capital meal of spaghetti. I think I'm sensing a trend here, but there's still plenty of time to be proven otherwise. We then knocked on some more doors and then went to a less active member's house for an incredible dinner! The lesson was bueno, as was the food. He's a fairly solid fellow and working with him should be fun!

 

     When it came to Friday, we did what we do best. Meal appointments, weekly planning, and knocking on doors. We're so good at knocking on doors. I have a nifty little pattern that I like to knock. We then had a lunch at the Johnston's which is always a good time. 'Tis tasty, too. We then planned for our week and then had the privilege to go on exchanges with our District leader! That was fun. Me and Elder Crowe were in Dalkeith while Elder Tarbet went with Elder Lampropulous to Dumfries. That was the night.

 

     The next day, we packed up and heading out to knock on doors and walk and talk and get to have a good time. It was a good time, too. Elder Crowe is a pretty neat elder. He's pretty musical and has been out a month and a half longer than I have. We did some nice work, and met some neat people! No one wanted to talk to us again and one woman actually shouted at us. It was made up, though, when I tried to place a Book of Mormon to a cat. Unfortunately, this Scottish feline was not interested. 

Evening came, and we unexchanged, had a kebab, and it was the end of a good day.

 

     The Sabbath started off with a breakfast appointment followed by church! Church is always fun. Elder Tarbet gave a talk and we had a grand chat with the bishop after the meeting. After, we went to the flat to make cookie dough for more of Elder Tarbet's grand Nutella cookies, and then went to a meal appointment with the Middletons. They're a lovely family. Brother Middleton is great. After a fantastic meal and a good spiritual thought, we went back to the flat, backed a batch of cookies, and then went to teach the less active and his very hyper-active children. We talked about God's plan for us and I drew some pretty pictures for visual aide. After, we retired to the flat.

 

     Thus far, today, we went back to the park where I climbed on that tree again and climbed other trees!

 There was also a spooky part of the woods that we walked through. #3spooky5u but it was a great time! Should be a good rest of the preparation day!

 

     There's a fact I've learned from a brother in the church. That is the fact that there are two types of testimonies one can gain: a testimony of the church, or a testimony of Christ. If one were to gain a testimony of the church, when that one is offended by someone in the church, the testimony is lost and they fall away. However, when one gains a testimony of Christ, when that one is offended by someone they'll only forgive and remain strong. It's good to see people who've gained testimonies of the church and stay strong, but it's better when they've gained one of Christ.

 

     Have a great week, ya'll! Going to be a grand week for everyone! Cheers!

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

Jacob 6:12 "O be wise; what can I say more?"

Weekly Update #27

From the adventurous land of Dalkeith, hallo! Let's get this rolling!

 

     Last Monday was a grand ending. I had a true Scottish kebab and it was lovely! I couldn't even tell the meat was supposed to be a lamb donner! Fun times, fun times. We also did some tracting to close out the day.

 

     Tuesday was the first District meeting. The district here is pretty chill. We've got Elders Crowe, Lampropulous, Stevens, his companion, Tarbet and Kinville. I can't remember Elder Stevens' companion's name. Shame. Elder Stevens was in the same MTC group as me though! That's fun! It was a lovely meeting and we then got bus passes, then went to go knock doors in a town, then had a meal appointment with the Ross', then went to ward council and introduced ourselves, and then we got to meet the young men and do an activity with them! That was swell. I enjoyed it. The Scottish accent is grand, too!

 

     Wednesday we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. I was with Elder Campbell. We were in Edinburgh for a wee bit and did some lovely GQing out there before we could go back to Dalkeith. Once back in Dalkeith, we did more finding, had fajitas, went to visit a less active member, then more finding! This was a week full of finding. It was very enjoyable. Dalkeith is not a place to stop people on the street, mainly because there's a limited number of folks on the street. I'll be really good at knocking doors by the end of my service here.

 

     Thursday, we unexchanged and my planner got spray-painted. Well, at least the cover did. It's kinda golden and kinda sparkly now, so that's neat. Anywho, we then weekly planned, visited Jack and his wife and had a capital lunch of spaghetti, then did more finding. We ended the day by teaching a lesson and visiting this mother and daughter who are investigating. The daughter has a date for baptism, too! All should go well, methinks. They're solid. They were unsure about us at first, but by the end of the lesson they were opening up and we were having a grand ol' time! The mother has seen 'The District' and they asked if they could look through our white handbooks for a bit. Well golly! 'Course! They're solid. We're seeing them again this week. So solid.

 

     Friday we did what we do best... Finding... And meal appointments! This ward is epic with their meal appointments. We shall never go hungry. I might gain weight. I'll have to do the zuu to work it off. Anywho, we did that fun jazz and then visited another investigator. It was a grand visit with her. We also knocked on the door of a friendly neighbourhood pastor. He was very friendly and did not happen to have a copy of The Book of Mormon, so we provided him with one after he asked. It was a very nonconfrontational talk and we'll be dropping by this Friday to see what he thinks of the Book thus far. Pretty nifty. Friday was also my six month mark from when I entered the MTC. Six months down. I have a sister's mission left. Piece of cake, mate. The selfie describes how I feel about it.

     Saturday we had another meal appointment with a member who goes around most of southern Scotland and feeds the missionaries. She's grand! Her name is Anne and the whole appointment was a fantastic time. She showed us pictures of other elders who she's met with and lo and behold I saw Elder Oldham and his trainer, Elder Walker! Whaaat?! It's like, tradition! Anywho, she also met with Elder Wynder at one point in time, so that's neat. I'm a fan, totally a fan. After her, we went out and knocked more doors. Our last door, the person was rather chatty and contentious and we almost missed the bus to go back to the flat in time. Thankfully, we made it.

 

     Sunday, we got to meet most of the ward. They are the best. Plenty of older folks, but everyone has a solid testimony. There's two young men in the ward who recently were ordained elders and they've either sent in or are soon to send in their mission papers. Church was great. We went back to the flat, broke out fast with some cookies, and then worked on the area book and calling folks. We didn't knock a lot of doors on Sunday. We then went to a meal appointment and then to a less active family to teach. There's a seven year-old boy who the father wants to get baptised, and the boy has some of the most interesting questions! They're really good ones. He also asked his dad when they can go to church. They'll come back. They will. We also learned that five of the seven days this week we have meal appointments. Wow. Just, wow. That's crazy.

 

     Today, we were going to go to this chapel that was in 'The da Vinci Code', but instead we went on a fun walk through this local country park. We'll be back there. It was so neat. Here's a picture of me on a tree.

     Anywho, that was this week! It's been great in Scotland. I am so excited for what's to come in the next few weeks and after. Whoooooo! Everyone, I love ya'll. Have a fantastic week and keep strong and hold true to what you believe. Never give up, never surrender!

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

Jacob 6:12 "O be wise; what can I say more?"

Weekly Update #26

From the lovely country of Scotland, greetings! Dalkeith, fun fact, is about as much like Edinburgh as Archer is to Rexburg. It's about as far off and pretty country-like. Pleasant, though! I just was expecting another big city type environment.

 

     To kick things off, this week me and Elder Wynder ran around saying goodbye, since we both were leaving, and leaving sticky-notes and other items all over the flat to assist those elders who were to come. It was grand. Tuesday was the same, running around, saying goodbye, sticky noting, eating with Raynaldo for the last time, and then catching a lift with the Zone Leaders to Finglas' flat to spend the night for the bus ride that was to follow in the morning.

 

     Dublin was grand. I loved it. It was wonderful to be able to spend six months in such a lovely city. The people were great and there were characters all about. From the burnt-out lecturer, to a metaphysicist, to a Philippine friend, to a Polish trainer, to a born-again who loved to chat with us in the park, and to a hyper-intelligent Sherlock Holmes chap, it was grand. I've loved serving in Dublin and I've loved being able to spend time in the Terenure ward. Adios, amigos. Adios.

 

     Wednesday was a day of travel. Elder Wynder and I travelled by bus to Belfast, ferried over to some place on the western Scottish coast, bussed to Glasgow, then bussed to Edinburgh where we parted. Insert final selfie with me and Elder Wynder. 

Cheers. It was there that I was led to my new companion, Elder Tarbet. Elder Tarbet is a jolly fellow! He's from Delaware and Utah and he is a good missionary.

I am excited. Anywho, we met, got our car that we would have stewardship over for a few days, then drove to the area. As we drove out of Edinburgh, I quickly realized how far away I was from Edinburgh. I was told it was in Edinburgh, not at Edinburgh. Oh well. Still was jolly!

 

     Thursday, we visited with a recent convert, Jack, who is grand! He is the ward assistant mission leader and he knows the white-handbook like the back of his hand. It's crazy. He's super swell too. We then got familiarized with the area a wee bit, hunted for a SatNav, and then did a bit of finding. Finding here is all going to be tracting. It's going to be a blast. Whoooooooooooooooooooooo. We also weekly planned. Yay.

 

     Friday we had a lunch appointment with the Johnstons, a member family who always feeds the missionaries lunch on Friday. Grand! We did more finding, more looking, and all that good stuff. Drove a lot. Driving was fun in the UK.

 

     Saturday we did more finding, try-by's and calls. We then went into Edinburgh to watch General Conference! Now, due to time having to be different across the globe, we saw the Saturday Morning Session live at 5 PM, the Priesthood Session recorded at 10 AM, the Saturday Afternoon Sessions recorded at 1 PM, and then the Sunday Morning Sessions live at 5 PM. This, of course, bled over into Sunday. We got to meet the bishop and a few of the ward members too! It's fun. Plenty of fun.

 

     Welp, I don't have much else to say. This week has been tiring, but fun. I've loved it. I loved General Conference and I'm looking forward to hearing the three new apostles speak in the future. Going to be bueno! Anywho, cheers! Have a fantastic week! 

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

Jacob 6:12 "O be wise; what can I say more?"