He Overcometh All

Basically the title came from the line that popped up in the song from Mormon channel radio, so... yeah. 

Hiya! <3

We had a good week, FHE with some members on Monday, and exchanges after district meeting on Tuesday. 

Tuesday morning we were waiting for the bus to travel to Arbroath (then from Arbroath to Dundee with the Hayballs) for district meeting and this young woman comes up to us and asks, "Excuse me, what time does church start on Sunday?" ..... WHAT?  [insert cartoon mouth drop and then pull-snap-up] "Er, Sacrament meeting starts at 12:20" "Oh, okay... my friend met missionaries in Japan and she's wanted to go back to church" "Oh, okay! Just your friend or..." "I would probably go as well" [insert internal excited childish scream] "Okay! What was your name?" "Gemma" 

Pretty much miracle. They happen. THEN Sister Sawyer and Sister Norin met her mum and sister on the street and they referred them to Gemma--she's wanted to come to church but has been afraid to come alone--who then came out of work at that very moment to meet her mum and sister! Contact. made. 

We're excited to see where she goes! 

So after an... interesting combined district meeting, I went to Dunfermline for Tuesday with Sister Montgomery, and we had a really good day, teaching investigators and a recent convert. It was great! I really felt the Spirit tell me what to say/teach, because, to be honest, there was little to no preparation for these lessons! It was a great day. I felt so much brighter. I can't explain why exactly. 

We taught some really good lessons back in our area, as well. Only awkward part is that some of our investigators don't seem to know they're investigators.... :/  but we had a couple of good lessons with Fred--he came to church!! and he seems to be absorbing more! Which is amazing. We've seen how who we bring with us to teach him really makes a difference. 

Sunday we had a really good lesson/dinner with a new investigator, Netty, who is Christian, has been attending JW, but has met with Mormon sister missionaries before. She had some good questions, and we really tried to apply what we learned from Elder Holland and President Brown about following the spirit and teaching to their level. It was really good, and she agreed to read the Book of Mormon! I think she has a bright future, if she asks to know it is true and wants an answer! 

Along the same vein as that, we took Sis. Maxton with us to teach Tracy, and the Spirit was really strong as she testified of her experience getting answer about the Book of Mormon. We asked Tracy how she felt, and she said she felt joyous that someone could really have that experience, but had doubts that she could receive an answer like that as well, but we encouraged her to try! We all knelt in prayer, and Sister Maxton, Sis. Norin and I each took a turn praying for Tracy, that she would receive her answer. I KNOW she felt the Spirit!! Keep her in your prayers!!

Photos coming next week from Zone Development yesterday--I'm sorry, I ran out of time! I love you all though! You are AMAZING children of God! LOVE LOVE... LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

I know He Lives. Always. 

Yours,

Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick

Life Changing Weekend

So, pretty much, it was amazing, life-changing week(end).

Like, the rest of the week fades in comparison with the weekend, so I'll just talk about that, haha. 

So after tea with the Glanvilles on Thursday we took our things and went to Arbroath to stay the night with the Hayballs so we could leave directly from there with them early Friday morning in the car down to Edinburgh. It was so sweet to drive down into my old zone, just past my old area! I absolutely LOVE Edinburgh. No place in the world like it. 

So many memories came flooding back as we drove to the stake centre. We met up with and greeted old missionary friends currently serving in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh Zones, and it was so good to see them, I was so excited!! We received amazing instruction on digital missionary work coming in the future (not there yet due to UK data protection laws), so I don't know when that'll happen, if it will happen in my time here, but it was really good to evaluate how we are currently using the Lord's trust with the technology we already have, and how the best filtre is personal righteousness. 

We had some instruction from senior missionaries and the APs, and finally from President and Sister Brown, who were pretty emotional, as this was their last East Scotland Conference of their mission. They talked about how to distinguish the voice of the Spirit, how it always invites us to do good, it doesn't ask questions (most of the time). If there's a question, its either from us or the devil (most of the time) and if its negative, its definitely from the devil. 

President and Sister Brown had a pretty emotional week, being their last time to teach and testify in person for the Scottish missionaries. They had us all come give them a hug after the end of Scotland East. Elder Holland had them bear their testimonies one more time and President and Sister B shared a box of tissues as they did. They love us so much, and they are so sad to finish. He's talked a little about post-mission in emails, so they definitely have thought about it but they are really sad to finish. 

Then we went home. Rested. Got up, studied, and then traveled back down to Edinburgh. 144 Missionaries attended the all-Scotland Conference with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland! It was AMAZING. It was so so meaningful. 

I wish I could just share the whole thing with you! He talked a lot about how our missions need to change us and we can't live with regret because the chance only comes once. Literally, we only get this same experience once! We are God's investigators, we need to show Him the same commitment that we expect from them. The gospel is for everyone, we can't judge who will or will not receive it. He talked about lifting up our eyes and Vision from the physical reality to the spiritual. We need finishers! Missionary work is not easy because salvation was never easy! One of my favourite bits though was when he shared how our one tool of power is words. 15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. If Satan could kill us, he would, but he can't, and so the next most effective tool he'll try to use is cause us to bind our tongue. We must never voluntarily bind our tongue!! 

Then on Sunday, we traveled (more traveling) to Dundee, and Elder Holland was the key-note speaker for a conference broadcast to the UK, Ireland, and the Nordic countries.  he talked about the Book of Mormon and the last days and it was amazing--I was just like, PLEASE TELL ME THAT SOMEONE OUT THERE IS GETTING CONVERTED OVER THIS>> He talked about how the Book of Mormon is truly the keystone of our religion. Its either true, or its not, and if you think about "well if Joseph Smith didn't write it--because, lets be honest, he couldn't have--who did? Who of us could have ever written anything like it that would be worth studying for a lifetime? Nobody. So its true." So there. It was translated by the gift and power of God. It is another testament of Jesus Christ written by His "other sheep". All of our permanent spiritual conversions begin with the Book of Mormon. 

It was an amazing weekend.

I. was. exhausted. 

BUT. THEN. We went back to our area and had 3 joint teaches and a meal appointment at the Bishop's. Seriously. We (ahem--the Lord through us) kicked butt on our goals this week! Even after losing two days to traveling and conferences in Edinburgh. We prayed so hard the Lord would help us succeed and He did! It was a miracle. The work is exploding in this formerly, so-called "dead area". DON'T LET ANYBODY EVER TELL YOU AN AREA IS DEAD. THE LORD HAS PREPARED PEOPLE TO RECEIVE THE GOSPEL EVERYWHERE YOU GO. NO EXCEPTIONS. You have to do your part. Do whatever it takes to prepare your unit, the people around you, and yourself to invite others and then do it! This work is miraculous, and Elder Holland told the priesthood leaders this weekend, "Whatever the miracles of the past have been, they are nothing to what we will see in the future – the work has only begun in these islands!” He said that the scripture quoted by Moroni to the Prophet Joseph 4 times from Joel 2 “has scarcely begun to be realised” and that this generation would live to see the manifestation of it – he also said; “We’ve only seen the beginning” – and he repeated that statement twice for emphasis.

Miracles happen. You better Believe it. 

I know these things to be true. And its all through Jesus Christ. I love Him, and He loves me and all of us. 

I love all of you. I pray you come to know these things too.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

<3 Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick

June 1, 2015 Tenth Transfer

Okey-dokey, another week down and today is the first day of my 10th transfer! Crazy stuff there! 

This week was a challenge in that we've been trying to improve our planning recently, and this week we had to change our plans a lot, which of course is just the adversary trying to make it harder on us, but the Lord has a plan for us and will get us to where we need to be! 

We saw Fred just once this week--he hasn't been waking up for church--he doesn't use an alarm clock because he's afraid that waking up too abruptly will cause him to have an epileptic fit. We still were going to try to set a subtle one on his phone, but then he wasn't there for our Saturday lesson :/ I don't know what's going to happen with him.

We're now in contact with a couple of solid potentials, which is exciting! We're hoping to meet up with them this week! One of them had to cancel her appointment last minute, but we'll see her soon, hopefully. 

We had an extra p-day for moves, so I got a haircut and we went shopping for sister Norin--she has had practically no clothes, because they've all... magically... shrunk and she thought she'd be able to buy some in the mission, but so far the shopping has been... limited, to say the least. But we found a couple of things :) 

We saw Tracy and taught her with Sister Watson, and we asked her the first few baptism questions, trying to discern the missing pieces of the puzzle--clearly it revealed that she doesn't yet have a testimony of Joseph Smith, or the need for one true church on the earth, so I'm glad to at least understand where she's really at--because sometimes soft approach doesn't bring up what their real concerns are. 

We had a busy Sunday! We taught Young Womens about receiving revelation through the Spirit (photos) and Lesley came for Relief Society!! and then we had a productive meeting with the bishop before lunch at his house about a new approach he wants us to try--we'll see, as its something we'll need permission from the mission president for. 

Then we had a new investigator/member present lesson! Sister Hayball went with us to meet with a man named Andrew :) He was christened Catholic, but that as an upbringing is his only relationship to the church anymore--he's long-since been disenchanted with the church. But he remains very wise, intelligent and spiritual, with a strong testimony of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. So we're hoping that he'll accept the Book of Mormon! 

Then, we had a member missionary fireside, following up on the principles from the Power of Everyday Missionaries, and President Clancy of our mission presidency spoke--it turned out to be a great evening. We could have had a few more attending, but hey-ho. 

Okay, I love you so so much! I know the church is true! The Book of Mormon is the word of God! Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! Heavenly Father loves us and knows us perfectly! Jesus Christ taught us John 15:13 by word and example! 

Love love. Love love love. 

Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick

May 25, 2015 Montrose Transfer #4

Haha, guess what! Moves again! And guess what! I'm staying with Sister Norin in Montrose! I'm ridiculously excited for so many reasons--I don't even understand what I'm feeling or why right now!!  I have so much to stay and live for here. I FLIPPIN GET TO MEET ELDER HOLLAND IN 2 WEEKS. I wasn't sure until yesterday when we got our calls, but its for sure now! We're going to Edinburgh for an all-Scotland meeting with Elder Holland and its going to be AMAZING. 

We read this talk this week about faith in missionary work and it was AMAZING. Definitely something I'm trying to apply. http://www.ldsinfobase.net/rh/missn/qualifications.html

It was Sister Norin's 20th Birthday this week and it was fun, even though our dinner appointment cancelled--sickys. We made homemade Chicken Korma Curry--excellente and had chocolate mud cake, profiteroles, and extra cream for dessert :) YUM! 

some things I learned this week by studying and pondering and district meeting (besides that amazing study gem mentioned above) are that the Plan of Salvation is a fairy tale, and we need to always remember that, keep a child-like joy about that truth; and titles don't give us confidence--we gain confidence when we truly come to understand our relationship with Heavenly Father and our Spirit brothers and Sisters. Magnificent. There is so much work to be done!!!

We have a couple of return appointments this week with people that we met, so keep us and those people (Antoinette and Andrew) particularly in your prayers! 

We had a really good lesson with Lesley with the YW President, the recently engaged Leah Farquhar :3 It was a good lesson for Lesley about what to look for as an answer to her prayers--what she would do and how she would feel when she knew it was the right thing to do. Leah was a great joint teach. We invited her to be baptised (again!) and she will when she knows its the right thing to do--100%. The RS President, Kirsty Watson sent Lesley a card inviting her to RS on Sundays and activities in the future and she loved it! She attends church of Scotland with her elderly parents the same time as our sacrament, but she could start coming to RS (the 1st hour) which she's excited for! Improvement! Members can make all the difference with investigators!

There was a Montrose Music Festival (Mo Fest) this weekend--which we tried to avoid like the plague. It looked and sounded pretty cool, kind of like a High Street take-over resembling the Blackfoot fair, but with MUCH MUCH MUCH more free-flowing alcohol. Thus the trips to Arbroath and St. Cyrus Sat/Sun. 

I love this gospel! Its true and the Book is blue! Missionary work is amazing and so so worth it. 

Love to all of you! I miss your faces! 

Always,

Sister Mary Ann Kirkpatrick

May 18, 2015

So this week was great! We taught a lot and we got 2 new investigators! Yay! Their names are Douglas and Beryl White, and they are just lovely! They love the gospel and they believe its true, they feel they're in the wrong church, they're just afraid to change in their older age and with their situation of being active elders in the church of Scotland. I'm not sure how to help them overcome their fear with faith. We shared with them a 7-step card on how to study the Book of Mormon prayerfully, and talked about 1 Nephi 3:7, which went well. We're hoping to see them receive that strength of testimony to make a change for the better!

We felt very motivated by our district meetings recently to raise the bar, and particularly Elder Ballard's talk "Create Success" that Elder Christensen shared made an impact on us both. I definitely felt there were some things that I personally needed to change, and I have a greater desire to work as hard as possible and to do a little bit more than required. I know the promise that Elder Holland expounded is true: "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

Family History at the church this week head-lined the Ladles, from Rexburg :) They gave a lovely, well-attended presentation on navigating Family Search. I think it was really good for a lot of the members. The YW were a little over-whelmed, so we're going to look at it really simply with them this week. 

Oh, and we're getting bikes this week. Don't know how much they'll be useful, because town/villages in the area are so spread out from each other that they're pretty busy/narrow roads between, but they belong to the mission, and none of the other sisters need them, so for what little they may be used here, we'll use them! 

Tracy is still stuck, not being able to attend church. We weren't able to see Lesley this week either, but hopefully we'll get to meet with her and her son Johnathan this week! 

We're also teaching Fred, who is an older man with mental disabilities, but he seems pretty independent, and feels the Spirit, so we're not sure how to teach him. He'd need to be interviewed by the mission president if he gets baptised, but we're not sure if he'll be able to give up smoking and be reliable enough to make it that far :/ 

We had Stake Conference this weekend which was great! We got to sing in the choir, and I got to see Sister Skagen on her birthday! She and the other sisters interpreted the meeting in BSL and then afterwards we got to have lunch with the other missionaries :) It was great :) 

Hope you're all doing well! I love you all so much!!! Seriously. LOADS. Its ridiculous how much I love you :)

<3 Always Yours,

Sister Mary Kirkpatrick