Weekly Update #34

From the land of Dalkeith, I wish you all a happy late Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was grand, and I'm sure it was for everyone. I'll tell you about that later; now here's how our week was.

 

     This week was a blast. Monday started well and ended well. It was bueno.

 

     Tuesday we had a Zone Meeting at Edinburgh. The Zone Meeting was excellent; we received superior training and fantastic instruction from our Zone Leaders. After, we had a quick lunch then made haste to Bonnyrigg to do some finding. We knocked on doors and talked to some people. After, we had a marvelous meal appointment and then a teaching appointment with the mother and daughter.

 

     Wednesday, I was on exchanges with Elder Crowe out in Dumfries. We had a good time finding some people and then having a meal appointment with one of the families there. The food was excellent and the couple was fantastic. Also selfie.

 

     Then we come to Thanksgiving. We started the day by exchanging back and then starting our weekly planning. We then went over to Jack's house for a good lunch of spaghetti. The Assistants to the President were there too, so it was a grand time. Jack also invited a friend over and we chatted with him, had a quick lesson with Jack, then his friend started to ask questions. Before we knew it, we were in a first discussion type lesson and he had a Book of Mormon and we were inviting him to church. Wow. Incredible. What a blessing! After that, we visited a less active member, shared a grand message with him, then went back to our flat to finish up weekly planning and to prepare a Thanksgiving meal whilst doing so. The meal was great. I cooked a bit of turkey, the stuffing, and gravy. Elder Roylance made some absolutely fantastic bread-things and mashed potatoes. We also found some root beer at Tesco, so we had that as a drink. It was a marvelous meal.

 

     Friday, we knocked doors, had a lunch appointment at the Johnston's, knocked more doors, talked with a less active, then knocked a few more doors and called it a day! Pretty fun!

 

     Saturday we started it with a lesson with a jolly fellow. It was a great lesson. Then we took a selfie with cows. 

After, we met with another chap for a lesson, but while we traveled over, Anne gave us a text and wanted to meet with us (Anne being the incredible member who always takes us to eating places and whatnot). We accepted and after the lesson we went over there and chatted with her a bit. It was a good time. After, we went back to the flat and had the day done with.

 

     Sunday was the best day. On Sunday, we went to church, had two of our investigators show up (which made it the best), had a grand time chatting with members and being invited over to eat food next week (also a good factor), mapped out where members were so we could try-by them when we were finding in the area, and had an overall good day.

 

     Probably the biggest thing I would emphasize is missionary work. Most people would say, 'you don't need to be a missionary with a tag to do work. You just share the gospel with your friends.' That's true, but my favorite part of missionary work is the work done with less-active members. When I work with them, it's like working with an investigator. You get them curious, you bring members along, you take them to church, you teach them the gospel, and then they are reactivated. It's a grand feeling when it happens. I'm grateful that we all have the blessing to go about and do good while working with our friends, neighbors, families, and everyone in strengthening or introducing the gospel with them.

 

     Have a grand week!

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

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

Weekly Update #33

   From the land of the brave and home of the brave, greetings! It's getting cold and Christmas is coming.

    

     The rest of Monday was alright, sorta. Just got a kilt. Nothing too spiffy. Jack was alright with the kilt, he and his wife approved, so I'm satisfied.

 

     It is important to note here that Elder Roylance is a boss. He truly is. Me and Elder Tarbet walked to quite a few places. Elder Roylance devised a method in which we have minimal walking and mainly use buses. Truly a master-mind. He's the best.

 

     Tuesday was a Scotland East meeting. It was great. Saw Elder Wynder from two transfers back! 

He's doing great. We had a good meeting, and a lovely travel back. Insert District selfie, too. While traveling back, we got lost and it was pretty exciting. After, we met with the mother and daughter and had a great lesson.

 

     Wednesday was a miracle day. We travelled out to Tranent to do some finding. While knocking on doors, we had zero success. I was tired, a bit hungry, a tiny (very small) bit discouraged, and quite cold. We were knocking about when this one fellow opened the door and said 'come in'. First thing he said, even before I could show him The Book of Mormon. I was stunned, I didn't know what to do. Elder Roylance was in the same boat. So we walked in, sat down in his living room, taught a lesson, got a return appointment, gave him a copy of The Book of Mormon, and left; all the while I was still confused. After, me and Elder Roylance both questioned if it actually happened. It was honestly a huge blessing to have found him. It was grand.

 

     Thursday we weekly planned and had a lovely lunch at Jack's. He makes the best spaghetti ever. Kid you not. After Jack's, we went out, travelled a bit to visit another family, they fed us spaghetti too, we shared a message, travelled back, and had an overall nice day.

 

     Friday was a day of much finding as well. We knocked on doors, had a lunch appointment, knocked on more doors, taught a less active, knocked on a few more doors, then came back to the flat for a good end of the day.

 

     Saturday was full of travel and finding and doing all other good jazz. It was a good day. Nothing too notable happened on this day, unfortunately.

 

      Sunday was great, though! We went to church, I taught elder's quorum, had a lesson, had delicious dinner, called people, and set up appointments for this upcoming week. It was a good day.

 

     Probably my favourite is the fact that everything has an order to it. Everything also works better if you get it in order. It's fantastic to see investigators, members, less actives, and all in-between find out that life ends up better as you prioritize and make order of it. It's grand.

 

     Have a great week, ya'll! 

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

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

Weekly Update #32

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor gloom of night shall keep these messengers from their appointed rounds. A phrase often given to postal workers, but it applied to us on Friday. And Thursday... And Saturday... And Sunday... Everyday it was applicable. So let's have ya'll hear all about it!

 

     The rest of Monday got pretty hectic. We were packing, saying goodbye, cleaning, packing, little bit of tracting too. It was a great time. Also, mini-me. 

     Tuesday was spent with Elder Tarbet baking a cake for the success of one of our investigators completing the 15 Step Stop Smoking program, packing, lessons, saying goodbye, and travel. We had some great lessons and a wonderful meal appointment with the Ross'. Certainly a good day.

 

     Wednesday started with us packing up and heading to Edinburgh to pick up Elder Roylance. We picked him up, got Elder Tarbet with Elder Gullion, got a lift back to our flat, unloaded Elder Roylance's stuff, loaded Elder Tarbet's stuff, said bye, took a selfie, and began the new day with a new companion. 

Elder Roylance is a legend. He has just finished being trained and came to Dalkeith from the suburbs of Glasgow. He's American, but has lived most of his life in Europe. Crazy, let me say. It was good, though. I figured it was going to be a blast with him, thus far it has been so. We had kebabs to kick off the transfer, then did some area book work to close off the night.

 

     We started Thursday by weekly planning. It was a good time. We then had a delicious lunch with Jack, which happened to be spaghetti. Jack was alright with Elder Roylance, he didn't seem to disprove. We then met with a less active, had a good lesson there, then went about to do some finding. While we were finding, the rain decided to come. It did not come in a little sprinkle, but a furious downpour in combination with the wind. It was really neat. I was impressed. I was also cold. This was my first glance at a Scottish winter, and I am excited for it.

 

     On Friday, we experienced all elements of winter, and the year in general, within an hour. We were knocking on some doors, when I was feeling cold. It was cold. It started to rain a bit. I knocked on this door, turned around, and saw little white flakes occasionally among the rain. I was shocked as was Elder Roylance. After a few minutes,  we were walking in a rain/snow storm. The wind picked up and the rain became just snow. Something happened, and it became just hail. Then, weather changed again and it was sleet. Then, the wind and rain and snow stopped and it was just stillness. That lasted a minute or so before it quickly resumed to dump snow. After a good five minutes, the snow changed to rain and we decided to travel back towards a lunch appointment. As we walked past this bus stop, the sun came out. It was an interesting hour, to say the least. The rest of Friday was grand. It was a good meal at the Johnston's, found some investigators who were lost after the whitewash, then knocked doors in the dark as it dumped rain again. It's dark by 5:00 PM here. I like being able to see the stars at 5.

 

     Saturday we went about for try-bys and finding. We ran into a jolly fellow to chat with, met a few other fun folks, and tracted most of the rest of the night. It was a blast.

 

     Sunday, we met with our Ward Mission Leader for the first time. He's been on holiday and finally got back. We had a good chat, talked about focuses, and got focused for the work to move on in Dalkeith. It was a great way to start off a transfer. We then had a good church meeting, went to a member's house for some delicious dinner, and met with a new friend who invited us over for hot chocolate. He has met with elders in the past, and it was a great lesson. We then went over to a less active family, then got back to the flat to call it a night.

 

     Today, we shopped. The end. Also 1st class stamps in Scotland are absolutely fantastic!

 

     This week has been a blast. I'm excited for what new ideas Elder Roylance will bring into the work for Dalkeith and how it will improve our work. I'm thrilled to have this privilege and this chance to set aside two years of my life to serve others. What a blessing! Take some time each day to look for blessings in your day. It'll surprise you what you've gotten.

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

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

Weekly Update #31

 It has come... From the south the winter wind blows. Rain falls as the gales hiss around us while we walk and knock on doors, sharing a message about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We walk in darkness when it's only six o'clock in the afternoon. We can see the stars, if clouds aren't in the way, by half-five. Winter is starting in Scotland. But there's more than that. There's a weekly update to go along with it.

 

     Hello from Dalkeith! The rest of Monday was fantastic! We got Elder Tarbet his kilt and had an excellent meal appointment. Surely a start to a great week, right?

 

     Tuesday we had our final District Meeting before moves week. The Zone Leaders were there and we had a splendid time discussing how to encourage growth in our areas. After that, Elder Tarbet and I ran off to knock on some doors and tell some people about the Restoration. It was good. Afterwards, we had a meal appointment with the Ross', which is always a good time. We then went to Ward council, and then taught a lesson to the mother and daughter and started the mother on the 15-Step Stop Smoking program. It's tough, but it's going to work. Crazy day.

 

     On Wednesday, we started off giving a few people calls. We found someone who wanted to meet with us that day. To say the least, we were thrilled. After lunch and trying by a potential, we ran over to meet with this gent. He, unfortunately, was not home. It was predicted and anticipated, so we began to knock some doors around the neighbourhood. We then travelled, found a fantastic family to teach, met with a less active, and went to the ARP meeting to support Jack. Good day.

 

     Thursday was Guy (It's his name, not referring to him as a person) Fawkes Day and we had to be in our flat by 5:00 PM unless we were teaching or had a lesson. Fortunately, we had both! We started by knocking some doors and weekly planning. I found a four leaf clover! It's a shame I didn't find it in Ireland, but oh well.

Same old same old. We then had a beautiful spaghetti dinner with Jack and taught him about humility. We then went out and taught the mother and daughter again, reviewing the plan of salvation. It was a great lesson. After, we went back to the flat, fireworks going off all around. It was a great day, pretty grey in the sky, though.

 

     Friday it was still grey. We did some knocking, had a classic lunch at the Johnston's, and did some more knocking. In the evening, we travelled to visit a less active and had a wonderful lesson on families. His wife, also a less active, was present as well. We invited him to church, and he said he would come. She said he would make him. Pretty swell. We returned to the flat to end a good day.

 

     Saturday we started off by travelling. It took a good minute before the rain started. It didn't stop raining most of the day. We went about to Trenant, knocked some doors out there, had lunch, went to knock a few other doors closer to the flat, and then went out to have a lesson with a gent we found last Sunday. As we were, I found a frog! He was a classy fellow.

After, we had a delicious kebab and predicted what would happen for moves call, which was yesterday. We both thought we were going to stay. Were we right?

 

     Sunday was Remembrance Sunday, the Sunday closest to Armistice Day on November 11th. It was also raining pretty hard. I had the blessing to give a talk on remembrance and I thought it was pretty good. We were shocked when the less active showed up to church, not only by himself, but with his family! We weren't expecting that, but it was a pleasant surprise. We had a good day, went out after church, knocked on some doors, then got our moves call. Elder Tarbet, after serving a valiant six weeks in Dalkeith, will be moving to Galashiels, another area in the same district. I will be staying in Dalkeith for at least another six weeks and I will have the blessing to be with Elder Roylance, a grand elder who just finished his training. It was an excellent run and I know I'll keep the run up with Elder Roylance. Bueno.

 

     Thus far today, we've done the usual for missionaries. Packed a bit, studied, walked to the library in light rain, and emailed. It's been good.

 

     I am excited for the opportunity I'll have to be with Elder Roylance. It'll be a blast!

 

     Thank you all for your support. I love you all and I wish you all the best in this next week!

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

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

Weekly Update #30

A cheery day to you all from Dalkeith! This week is full of excitement and fun (for me at least) so let's get the craic rolling!

 

     The rest of Monday was what a Monday is like. The usual, you know. Fireworks have been going off around the flat all this week as we approach November 5th. I like the fireworks.

 

     On Tuesday, we had a District meeting where we talked about our areas and whatnot and I then had the blessing to go on an exchange with Elder Lampropulous, which was a blast. Elder Lampropulous is a champion. For reals. Turns out that he knew the Elder that was my MTC District leader! What connections! We had a great time. We knocked on some doors, talked with an old Italian woman, an anti-nuclear reactor chap, and some others. It was fun. We then had a lesson with one of their investigators, which is always a fun time. It was a good exchange.

 

     Wednesday we exchanged back and entered on a quest of finding. It was a good day. Doors were knocked, doors were closed, questions were asked, answers were sometimes given, and a pass-along card was put into a spider web.

Neat time. We then visited a less active and had a great lesson with him.

 

     Thursday was a day of running about. We started off with some planning, then had to run over to Jack's for lunch, an excellent meal of spaghetti, and then we had a lesson with a less active, fantastic lesson. After that, we had a dinner appointment as well with Andrew. We did a wee bit of tracting before we went by and the best thing happened. Elder Tarbet had heard rumours of people calling their neighbours after the Mormons knocked on their doors to warn them. Welp, it happened to us. As we knocked on this one door, the lady answered, her phone rang, we heard her say "yes, they're here right now", then came back to the door to tell us no thanks. It was great. We laughed about it. We then had dinner, ate a Swiss roll, and returned to the flat.

 

     On Friday we started off doing some knocking before our usual Friday lunch appointment. Nothing much came from it, but we went to the meal appointment and had a lovely meal. After, we went to Woodburn to try-by some potentials and we came by one fellow who used to be a member. We talked with him for a good forty-five minutes at his door. He is a fantastic man. I look forward to working with him. We're due back in two weeks, so I'll keep ya'll posted on what's what with that. After, we went over to another less active and talked with her for a while. It was great!

 

     We started Saturday with travel up to North Berwick at the request of doing some finding up there by the bishop. We went up and knocked around. It's a lovely little town and it was really great to see the ocean and stuff. 

We got mistaken for early trick-or-treaters, too. We also found the best name for a road ever. Lord President Road. 

How grand is that? Incredibly grand. We then went back to Dalkeith, and did some calls and area book work at our flat. We're supposed to be in our flat by 6:00 PM on Halloween. It's scary and stuff on that night, y'know. It was a great night, ordered a kebab by delivery. Great kebab. Great night. Zombies.

 

     Sunday was cold. The church's heating system was gammy so it wasn't as warm as it should have been. It was a good meeting, though. I enjoyed what was taught and talked about. We then went out and had a great meal appointment after making a few calls. The Middleton's are the best. Brother Middleton is a total gent. He's great. We then dropped cookies off at a family, knocked on some doors, and had a great night.

 

     This morning, thus far, I've gotten a hair-cut and that's it! Beautiful preparation day! I'm a fan.

 

     I really loved this week. There were a lot of other things that happened, but one can only type so fast and remember so much in a set amount of time. Anywho, it's grand.

 

     I love you all, have a safe and blessed week! Do what is right, let the consequences follow. They can't be bad if you've truly done right.

Godspeed

Elder Kinville

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

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?"