Hey y'all!
So some quick good news: We're getting a new flat on March 11, much classier than this one. I don't mind our current one, but we got a call from the mission office a few weeks ago saying we might move.
When we tell people in the branch, they always say that we'll be "posh" (richie-rich lifestyle/attitude) haha. So apparently it's pretty nice.
We have to turn in our keys to the Campsie flat on March 18, so any mail that will get there before then is fine. Be careful though, I think some stuff takes over a week.
Also, we're getting a car! The zone leaders told us we probably would be, and then we got a package from the Mission office that contained a "Missionary Daily Vehicle Report", a book to keep track of our miles and gas/maintenance costs. So it's official! I think we get it at the end of this transfer.
Speaking of which, did I tell yous that this is an eight week transfer? If it was a normal one, people would have moved last week! So we're on week seven now. We're quite sure we'll both stay here for at least one more, since I'm in training.
Alright. So last Monday, we had a bit of fun out on the town. Well, fun being relative to missionary work, it was fun. Elder Holm needed new shoes, so we looked around a few shops. I looked at the skinny pointy-toe shoes they have here. They're super classy, but I guess we're not supposed to wear them because they're bad for walking long distances.
Then we went to the "Strule Arts Centre", and the tourist centre inside it. There was some fairly cool art on the walls, and in the tourist centre I bought a few postcards. I'll send one or two home.
Then we went to the Sacred Heart Church to have a quick look around.
Kind of eerie, as usual. Dark, dingy, sad paintings of Jesus, etc. Elder Holm hated it, he kept talking about how awful it was. Yeah, it's not my cup of tea, but I saw people sitting in there that I could tell it brought them peace, so if it does that for them then it's good.
Speaking of "cups of tea," several times in the past few weeks we've had to turn down tea. When people let us into their homes when we tract, (I think it's happened about five times so far) they always ask if we want them to make us a cup of tea. When we say no, they ask if we want coffee. Sometimes they ask why, and Elder Holm would say that we try to stay healthy. But since tea and coffee aren't really THAT terrible for you, I usually say that I'm trying to get off caffeine this year. It goes over a bit better.
Tuesday, I went on ANOTHER exchange. I think I've had one every other week. This one was with the Zone Leaders. Their area is Bangor, near Belfast. I had to drive the whole time, because the missionary I was with had
an expired license.
So that was an adventure. I drove from Derry/Londonderry to Bangor, around the town, and back. So I'm pretty
good at left-side driving now.
On Thursday, we took a bus to Derry to see Brian Johnston. He was in the hospital for a knee replacement, and we told him we'd visit. When he saw us, he actually teared up a bit. He was very impressed that we traveled that far to see him.
I also talked to another guy in the bed next to him (it was one of those rooms with four beds, divided by curtains when necessary), who said he had been to Utah to ski. We gave him a mormon.org card, so hopefully he gets converted or something.
We spent a lot of time tracting, following up on people who said to come back another day, and visited members and less-actives.
Sunday was a bit different. We were invited to the McKennas' house for Sunday dinner. They live in Derry, and he is here on an assignment from the stake to be our 1st Counselor in the branch. So they drove us back to Derry with them, and we took a bus back.
Then we followed up at a few houses, and one let us in. It was this lady we had talked to a few weeks back, and she and her husband/partner were both home. It was mostly just a big Q and A session, mostly the dad asking deep religious and life questions, and Elder Holm answering them.
Then their two teen daughters came in, and asked even more questions. I didn't say much, because I am not very good at handling hard questions like that. But they noticed, and they were like, "We want to hear what Elder Burt has to say about all this." So I basically just testified of everything we believe, quoted the First Vision (we do that a lot out here, but we leave out the part about Satan), and I think everyone felt the spirit.
The girls went out on a walk, and the mom started cleaning house, but the dad stayed and asked more questions. Elder Holm had him read Moroni 10:3-5, and he read it over and over in his head, stared at it in silence for over a minute. When his wife came back in, he said "Honey did you see that? I almost got [flippin] emotional!" I told him that that was the spirit, and he was touched by the verses. He said he would pray. Which was good. We left a Book of Mormon with them, and then gave one to the girls on our way back. Luckily we passed them, because we were able to actually tell them a bit about the Book of Mormon and invite them to read it. I really hope it works out with them somehow, and I think it will.
Welp, that's it for this week. I'm hungry.
Love yous!
Spencer
Pictures:
A cool dam
Unicorn and dragon statues on top of the city courthouse or something
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