October 20, 2014 Four Months!

Dear Fam,

As a matter of fact, my district leader has the package right now!! So I should be getting it either today or tomorrow! :)

Unfortunately, none of our appointments went through. But this next week should be good!! :D

I should be getting a hair cut today. Hopefully. Probably. Possibly.

If I get a kilt, I am not going to mail it home!! I am going to wear it!!! Not all the time, but to District Meetings, possibly.

So how was opening night? How was Claire?? I'd love a pic or two! :) Or three! Or ten!

Yesterday was my Four Month Mark!!! Man, it's gone by SO FAST!!!! 

So this week was a bit slow, I'm afraid, but it ended on a good mark. We weren't able to meet with anyone, (btw Bridy had to put her beloved dog down, so please keep her in your prayers ), but we're still optimistic! This next week we're planning to meet with a ton of members!! I think every day except Saturday we're meeting with somebody! So that should be fun!! 

We also had a Ward Missionary Fireside on Sunday! It went really well, considering we had a tiny audience! 

So, I've been really thinking about how one "feasts" on the scriptures. I really want to feast, but I'm not sure how I can re-energize my studying. Any ideas?

Love you all!! Thanks for all you do!!  Thanks for the advice, and the love and support!! :) I love you sooooooo much!! Miss you!

Love,

Elder Bates

October 20, 2014

Cumbernauld in Autumn

 

 "Yes, Mom, there are wild Zebras in Scotland. ;)

Actually, they call cross-walks "Zebra Crossings" because of the stripes."

Sunday, October 12, 2014



October 13, 2014 Hello Fall!

Dear Fam,

Man, it's getting chilly out here!! If it's this cold in the Fall, I hate to find out what Winter's going to be like!!

So we had another Zone Development day this week! On Tuesday we actually combined with the adjacent Zone, Paisley Zone, for a good game of Yoga Soccer, or Yoccer! It was a fun game! Afterwards we played Capture the Flag, Zone vs Zone!! It was really fun! We won the first game, but they won the second. Then we played a bunch of short games, like Duck Duck Goose (I wanted to change it to Potential Potential Convert haha) and Sharks and Minnows. If you don't know that game, ask Claire. After that, our Zone went to the Stake Center for dinner (potatoes and chili) and chair football. Basically, you have to protect your chair from getting touched by the ball. And if it does, you have to sit in your chair, and you can grab the ball and chuck it at those chairs that are still in!! It was a really fun game!!! You should try it!  It was a really good Conference!! I learned a lot and had a great time with Presiden Brown.

I have to mention this cool thing I learned!! So President Brown was reading to us this passage in the Book of Mormon, I think it's 3 Nephi 9. Basically, it says that Nephi was so strong in the faith, he was converting people left and right and was "ministered unto by Angels"!! And President Brown said "Wouldn't it be great if every missionary in Scotland and Ireland was like Nephi?" That started a discussion, when this other Elder spoke up "Remember the scripture, Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost? Well, that means when the Holy Ghost speaks to you, you're being ministered unto by Angels!" Well, that got me thinking. That must mean that we're being ministered unto by Angels all the time!!! Wow!! Isn't that a great thought?? Angels are ministering unto us daily!! Even hourly, if we're listening! How awesome is that!?

I'm afraid I have little more to tell you. We weren't able to meet with anybody this week, due to companion's sickness and other various problems. We set up plenty of appointments though! Hopefully they'll be able to make it for those!

I did go on an exchange on Saturday with an Elder from Southern Utah. He's the most cowboyish cowboy that I've ever seen!! He even has a lariat at his flat! But he's an awesome guy, really great missionary and quite the jokester. We played Uno during Lunch, and he kept pulling draw fours out of his shirt sleeves and trousers and underneath cushions hahaha that prankster :)

But yeah, this next week I'm excited for!! Elder Hanson is feeling perfectly normal now, he had a Doctor's appointment this morning in fact, so we're going to hit the ground running and make up for lost time!! So hopefully you'll get more news then! :)

Sounds like quite the Claire week! Sounds fun! Claire told me all about the tin man thing. Sounds so cool! I wish I'd had such an opportunity! I have heard about the Meet the Mormon's movie! President will probably let us watch it eventually. It sounds interesting! I'd love to find out the public response to it. 

Oh, did I tell you that I'm studying the Doctrine and Covenants too? I am! I'm going through it and marking it up! Blue for prophecies, brown for covenants, purple for commandments, etc. It's been fun! I've got this study guide too that I've been using. Some kind of student manual I think. Really interesting!

We're doing what we're supposed to be doing. We actually just got back from a Doctor's appointment my companion had this morning. That's why I'm writing later than normal. He's also been feeling much better the past few days, so we've been working hard! Things are looking up! No worries :)

I love you all!! Keep being awesome, and please send me pictures!! I love seeing you guys and what you are up to! It doesn't have to be of anything, just of your smiling faces. :)

Love you!!

Elder Bates

Elder Bates

October 6, 2014 Conference Week!

Hello Fam!

How's your testimony?

WASN'T CONFERENCE AWESOME???

I'll get to that in a second. First of all, this week's been okay. 

Elder Hanson's been sick, so we haven't gone out much. Grace is still in Prison, Ronnie moved last Sunday, but things are overall still going well. We met with Bridy this week, and we brought a member with us. That was a mistake. He really railed into her, going on about how the Catholics don't have the priesthood and such. We barely got a word in. She knows him, so hopefully she knows what he's like. We were going to meet with Billy, but unfortunately he was dealing with something that sounded serious. Here's hoping it wasn't too bad!

So about Conference! 

I was on an exchange with our District Leader in Cumbernauld on Friday, so the next day we headed to Airdrie to exchange back and then our whole district headed over to the Glasgow Stake Center to watch Conference. The Saturday Morning Session was broadcasted live from 5-7. We then all had a sleepover at the Airdrie flat. That was really fun! We played games, ate Kebabs, talked about a lot of stuff, and just had a good time. The next morning we headed back to the Stake Center to watch the Priesthood session live at 10 and then the Saturday Afternoon Session at 1. We pretty much just stayed there all day long, and this lovely family served all the missionaries lunch! That was very nice. Then the Sunday Morning Session was live at 5. I still haven't seen the Sunday Evening session, that would have been from 9-11 PM our time! I'm hoping to watch it later this week for Companionship study.  I don't know why, but Conference seems to go quicker each year!! But it was awesome!!  I loved it!! I particularly loved President Uchtdorf's talk in Priesthood session about pride and the whole "Lord, is it I?" . I thought it was very applicable to everyone, not just the Priesthood. Ask Dad about it. They seemed to talk a lot about following the prophet at the Sunday Morning Session! Some of us missionaries thought President Monson was going to be announcing something or rebuking us! Hahahaha I do think they were giving us a warning to build our faith in the prophets and such. So let's all remember what we learned in Primary: "Follow the Prophet! Follow the Prophet! Follow the Prophet! He knows the way!" Remember, the Lord promised us that He would never let us be led astray by false leadership! As long as we're on the side of the Prophet, we're on the Lord's side!

Elder Hanson told me the other day about an insight he had gotten once. He was reading about Korihor and the other Anti-Christs in the Book of Mormon. He found it interesting that Korihor was absolutely certain that what he was doing was right! He'd seen an Angel, who'd told him what to say! Unfortunately, that "angel" was actually Satan. So how did he not realize the problem? He hadn't prayed and asked God if what had happened was right. He didn't pray and ask God if what he had just been told was true. If he had, it would have ended very differently for him.

I love you all so much! I've had some amazing experiences this week! Conference was perfect! Such a powerful experience! I can't wait to get the next Ensign! I'm sure I'll pick up on even more things! I mean, this is new scripture!! I was talking with this one guy the other day, who asked about how we were talking about new scripture. I realized later that what I should have told him was this: "Not just new scripture, but continuous scripture! When the Prophet speaks, he is giving us scripture, just as much as when Moses or Elijah or Isaiah spoke! The old scriptures are fine, but we're talking about modern, current scripture! Straight from God!" We seem to forget that, but that's exactly what Conference is! Those Ensigns we're going to get with the Conference talks in them are just as much scripture as the New Testament!! Wow! And once we get Ipads, we'll be able to access all of it! I'm excited for that day! It'll be a great help!

Anyhow, Keep working hard and doing good things! Hold fast to the Iron Rod, no matter how easy it seems to let go! Because the alternative is completely different! I love you! And hey, in a few weeks it'll only be two months until I can skype you guys! So we got that to look forward to! :)  Thanks for sharing that about Elder Massey. I'm glad to hear that we did a good job. I hope Elder Hanson and I can continue and build on that success!

Also, how's the rabbit? Or bunny? You have a name yet?  Good luck with Seminary, Mom!

Love, Elder Bates

September 29, 2014 Hello Elder Hanson!

Hello Fam!

Thanks so much for the news! I love hearing the spiritual insights you've gained through the week. That cathedral, btw, was in Glasgow. It was really cool!

Brother Buckle in our ward has been keeping us informed on BYU haha GO COUGS!!! Yeah!!

I love the scriptures so much! Their teachings are so important! And I always think about all the countless number of people that brought the scriptures to us, and died for it! Not just Joseph Smith and other Early Saints, but even Mormon and Moroni and all the other Nephites that fought to protect the records of their people! So many people gave their all to protect the scriptures, and we cannot throw their sacrifice aside! They didn't give us the scriptures to read a verse a night, but to feast! And I love personal study, a time to truly study the words of the scriptures! 

So before I "introduce" you to Elder Hanson, quick update on what happened before he arrived. Elder Massey and I went around Cumbernauld so he could say goodbye to many of the members and investigators. One member family gave us a whole chocolate cake!! But Elder Massey didn't have time to eat more than a slice before we had to leave for Glasgow. SO I GOT TO EAT IT!!!! MWAHAHAHA!!! Everything went exactly as I had planned!!!

Seriously, though, the whole thing worked out perfectly! It was fantastic!! We stayed overnight Tuesday night in Glasgow with the Elders of the Springboig area, which is in our District. Elder Massey left at 8:30 the next morning for a bus to the coast, from there he took a ferry to Ireland. The rest of the day was spent wandering around Glasgow with other Elders who were waiting for their companions to arrive, like me. That's where the bulk of those pictures were taken that I sent earlier this week. 

Elder Hanson arrived and we headed back to Cumbernauld. Unfortunately, he's been sick the past few days, so we've been cooped up in the flat so he can rest. It's a little frustrating for me, because I just want to be out, but it's what Elder Hanson needs to do. Because of that, we haven't done much yet. He's feeling a lot better, though, so this week will be better. 

Okay, Elder Hanson. First of all, he's from Seattle! He's been on his mission for a little over a year. He's much more laid back than Elder Massey. He is a huge advocate of making a mission fun. "Stop and smell the roses" and such. But in a good way! He's really cool, and I'm sure we'd have been good friends outside of a mission. 

Anyways, I need to go. But keep working hard family! And please pray for Billy and Bridy! 

I love you all!!

Elder Bates

Pictures

 Glasgow

Elder Bates and Elder Massey, his trainer