Falkirk Branch/Bonnybridge

May 27, 2014

Dear Family & Friends,

Oh, how I love you and your emails! I am so excited for everyone there, April Galbraith, the 2014 graduates, weddings, the family history work! Ah! So happy! 

SO Arthur's Seat AKA Pratt's Hill: Is a difficult climb. Haha, its steep, and the hardest part was trying to keep up with the elders and not slip and fall. The view is incredible though, and I really felt the Spirit up there. Sister Hobb and I sat and looked down at Edinburgh and agreed that we would sit exactly there in 18 months and cry. I promised that I would do my part and made some personal goals and asked Heavenly Father to bless me with what I need to accomplish the work. 

Arthur's Seat AKA Pratt"s Hill
Where Orson Pratt dedicated himself to the work in 1840

We are referred to as the Bonnybridge sisters as it is part of our area, but we don't live right in Bonnybridge.  The flat is small, but new, so we have one of the best in the mission, actually! We can see a skate park from our window above the sink. We're quite close to shops and the bus station. 

Our kitchen

My companion: Sister Passey is from Bear Lake, Idaho. She's been out for almost 16 months. I am most likely her last companion. She is so so great. She's been a trainer a few times already and been a STL. She's been in this area for a couple transfers already with Sister Cannon, another redhead whom people think I am until they get a good look at me and realize I'm not her, haha. She is the best trainer I could ask for. We really get along well. 

P-Day (May 26,2014) 

We went to see the Kelpies and Calendar House (below)

Sister Passey, Elder Austin and Edler Fisher

Branch: Falkirk Branch is located in Hallglen at the top of a steep hill. When we say that the church is at the top of Hallglen, people know exactly what we mean. It's a 30 minute walk uphill if we can't catch a bus.

P-day is Monday, but yesterday and next week Mondays are Bank Holidays.

The climate is fine. It can be cold and then hot and then wet all in the same day. It takes getting used to, but it's not a problem. The skies are incredible though. The hardest part is all the hills!!

I'm just beginning to realize how challenged this area is for numbers compared to the rest of the mission. But we've been making a real effort to strengthen the branch in hopes of it becoming a ward, and finding new investigators. 

Currently we don't have any "progressing" investigators, but we are teaching Sheila, who upon meeting, I couldn't see how the sisters have been able to continue to teach her. She's really stubborn and bold and "I was born Catholic, I'll die Catholic." But I exposed myself a bit emotionally and we really connected through the Spirit and by the end when I extended the baptism commitment, her answer was, "I don't know." She finally agreed to read a little of the Book of Mormon (finally, her 4th visit) and pray about it. If she humbles herself and lets go of her pride she could be baptized, I know it!

We also have felt prompted to work out in the village of Denny, which is hard, because it is a really long bus ride that sucks up a lot of time, but we've already begun to see success there. We went chapping (tracting) there a couple times last week and two people really stand out: Catherine and Thomas. Thomas was drunk when the sisters first met him, but he really is interested in learning more and finding Jesus Christ through church. He may even attend our branch craft activity this week! Catherine seems to have a history of learning about our faith from a family, and she is really seeking peace through learning about eternal families.

The branch is small and crazy and there's sometimes drama and its not always reverent, but they have such big, boisterous personalities and are trying so hard to be better and strengthen the branch. They have great spirits and testimonies. The sacrament meeting music is interesting, haha, Alan, the pianist used to play in his pentecostal church, which is a lot jazzier than our hymns, haha. Battle Hymn of the Republic was... full of spirit ;)

xoxoxoxoxox

Sister Kirkpatrick