Email from President Brown to all the Missionary's

Dear Family, This is awesome!! The second Paragraph is the best part! Everything is, but that paragraph is fantastic!!!

My Dear Elders and Sisters,

With 4 zone conferences that was a pretty busy week and with the choir mob invading the mission home tomorrow the hectic-meter will be off the scale! Last week was great though – someone asked me what my favourite thing about my calling is and I had to say it is any gathering of missionaries – I just can’t get enough of that. It’s kind of sad in a way because I never get to talk to everyone and always go home thinking that I didn’t get a chance to speak to this or that missionary then when its interviews I still feel I missed out because the time we get together is so short. However you know I love you all and however much time I get around you I guess I should be grateful and not bleat about how short it is. You are all AWESOME – after last week’s question about the use of that word Elder Daysen Christensen sent me no less than 8 quotes by general authorities using it – including one from President Monson – so it’s officially in mission vocabulary! We can just call ourselves “Team Awesome” from now on!

I have some good news and some bad news - I am pleased to advise you that we will have a visit from Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the Quorum of The Twelve Apostles on June 6^th – I’ve been keeping this quiet for quite a while and wanted to wait till nearer the time but I think it has leaked out and so I wanted to make it official for you. He has asked that I invite the missionaries who are in easy travelling distance of Edinburgh to a meeting in the afternoon from 3pm to 5pm – It’s a Saturday and he will be speaking on the Sunday at a broadcast conference for the UK and Ireland. Sadly all of you will not be able to attend the Saturday missionary meeting (that was the bad news bit). Those of you who happen to be in Ireland at the time will not be able to attend. We are having the Scotland East Zone conference on the Friday and keeping the Aberdeen Zone down here. We can’t have anyone in the mission home so we’ll plan to have some people out around the more local areas.

As has become my habit these past few months I wanted to share something from my personal study of the Atonement from the past week. Following Nephi’s brother Jacob’s great discourse in chapter 9 of second Nephi – Nephi himself goes on in chapter eleven to attest that both he and Jacob have seen the Redeemer. He then says “And my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death. And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.” I also delight in my covenants – they are my safe path and my sure way to freedom, peace and happiness. I too delight in proving to my people that Christ has delivered us and we perish not! These are great missionary scriptures and our call and blessing is to “prove” to the people these marvellous things – may God bless you in this, his wonderful work of salvation! 

He has blessed us with 3 friends baptised this week and there are 36 on the scheduled list too! There were 3 reactivations and 80 less active members at church. With the SOE we are IN REACH! We need a good push during the choir week by all those who are not in the choir! With 75% of the time gone we are at 76% @; 81% Jt.; and 69% New

With love to you all,

President Brown

Friends Baptised this week;

Marta Pardell in Antrim

Jared James in Dundalk

Nicola Sherlock in Limerick

 

	At Church (400)	Joint Teaches (800)	New (350)
Mar 8	87	194	77
Mar 15	169	353	122
Mar 22	240	583	217
Mar 29	0	0	0
GOALS	315	720	315

 

 

 Okay, this is Elder Bates now. The one problem with that date is that that is two transfers from now. I'll have already been in Scotland for 10 months by the time this transfer ends, so there is the high likelihood that I'll be sent to Ireland!! Which, before I'd heard this, was great!! But now.... I can't move to Ireland just before HOLLAND gets here!!! Can you imagine!?!? Knowing my luck...

But hey, if the Lord wants me to go to Ireland while His Apostle is in Scotland, there must be a reason behind it. So I'll trust His decisions.