Opposition

Pictures!!!

1. Probably the coolest rainbow I've ever seen. Actually, definitely. It wasn't there for long though. But still, you should appreciate that English weather can be beautiful.

2. This is so cool! It was sketched by an 18 year old girl named Bryonie who was baptized here in March, and her sister Aleah, who will probably be baptized this week painted it in (except she didn't finish the one sister yet, so she still looks like a ghost). Apparently that’s me on the left. Elder Chardon is top right and bottom right is Elder Dutton, who was here before me. The sisters are the sisters that have been serving here the last few months as well.

Last week was a week of opposition for a lot of it. We couldn't get a hold of one of our investigators at all, another one told us he wasn't interested anymore, and another one cancelled a really important lesson. It was one of those weeks where you have to remind yourself that "all things have been done in the wisdom of him that knoweth all things." (2 Nephi 2:24).

Then Saturday was amazing! We spent all day teaching people. It was funny because usually Saturdays are rough because people are out and about and not interested in being taught. We got to teach a man named Richard who we met a few weeks ago, the day he had come out of prison. He wants to change his life around, be completely abstinent from drugs, and live an honest life (he has over 100 burglaries on his record or something he told us). I realized that I walked away that this is really a big deal. We have the opportunity at this point to help this man completely change his life around.

We also got to have lesson with Jessica and she came to church on Sunday as well! She couldn't stop talking about how amazing and uplifting it was. And she totally wants to be baptized. Sorry, I mean baptised. I have to spell it properly since I'm in the UK. Did you know that they have different pamphlets for the UK than for the US? They talk about things like how your life should be "centered on Jesus Christ" and that you should wear "smart trousers" to church. Her mother Elieth is going to start coming to church as well. Missionary work is so awesome!

This is my last full week with Elder Chardon--then he'll probably be transferred and I'll be taking over the area. I'll probably get another companion who is more experienced than myself. But there is the slight possibility that I will be training a new missionary. In which case I would get a call from the President tonight...and then probably wet my pants. But if God thinks that training a new missionary is something I can do...then He better be prepared to help me out a lot haha. Although of course, He already does anyway. Because he is awesome.

Love,

Elder Poulsen

An Ordinary Week of Miracles

I don't have much time right now so this will be short.

PMG p. 10 says. "Some may not accept your message even when they have received a spiritual witness that it is true. You will be saddened because you love them and desire their salvation. You should not, however, become discouraged..." We have a couple investigators that fit in this category--we know they know the truth. But they won't get in the font! It is so frustrating. But I will continue to have faith. God is good.

We went to Seventh day Adventist church on...I'm sure you can guess which day. I was one of only very few white people there -haha. All Africans and Jamaicans. There was an intense sermon given by a very fiery preacher. It was interesting. A friend of ours (Jacob) played the piano for the service. He's super cool. He's my age too--I would probably be good friends with him if we grew up together.

Other than that it was just an ordinary week of seeing miracles, meeting awesome new people, and being able to testify to people every day that I know that God is amazing. I love it. Its so good. It builds me up so much. I was able to testify to one of our investigators on Saturday of the reality of the priesthood and our calling, and the spirit bore powerful witness to me of the truth of what I was saying. It was amazing!

Love

Elder Poulsen

Harry Potter and Life Parol

On Monday we checked out the Gloucester Cathedral. It was SWEET! I don't have any pictures because you have to pay to be allowed to take pictures. But I will go back again sometime before I leave Gloucester and I will get pics. They had a pipe organ there that looked sweet. Apparently they use it for midnight mass at Christmas time, but I'm never going to get to go to that. Bummer. Also, Gloucester Cathedral is where a lot of Harry Potter (the first two movies I believe) was filmed. So I got to see the corridors of Hogwarts, including the one where the blood writing was on the wall in the second one (don't worry, they didn't actually write on the wall of the cathedral), the classroom where Hermione figures out how to make a feather float, and the courtyard they use for some of the scenes. Pretty cool. The cathedral has tons of beautiful stained glass everywhere as well (including a small rendition of a baptismal font with oxen underneath it...interesting).

I still think its really cool that I am in England. And that everybody has really cool accents. I still have these moments where I think to myself, "I'm a missionary...this is so cool" or "whoa, I'm in England." I used to always visualize the United States when I was trying to figure out east and west in my head. The other day I realized that now I visualize the UK in my head instead.

I had an amazing experience on Friday. Well, that's nothing new. I have amazing experiences every day, and never enough time to write them all down. But I had an extra amazing experience on Friday. I was in Cheltenham for the day because there was a practice for a missionary choir fireside. My companion was singing in it. They didn't let me in because they gave the older missionaries priority. So I'll get to do it eventually. Anyway, while he was practicing I got to go out with a few other missionaries in Cheltenham. We visited a man named Kevin who is begining the process of reentering society. I say reentering society because he has been in prison for the last 18 years (he told me that he isn't allowed in Gloucester anymore because all of his armed robberies were here). But in the last few years, he has had "a mighty change of heart." A member of the Church visited the prison where he was to do some missionary work, and Kevin was very accepting to the message. He began to read the Book of Mormon and other scriptures. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met and the whole time that we were with him, he was talking about all of the good that he wants to do. He said he feels bad for all the time that he has lost. He is volunteering for a number of charities and has begun giving motivational speeches to help other people to overcome the same addictions that he had in the past. Unfortunately, he has seven life sentances of parol (normally people on parol can't be baptized, but he will be able to since its for life--its already been approved from up top). The world will never look at him as a clean man again. But I know that his Savior Jesus Christ does. Because he certainly is a changed man. Meeting him was an amazing example to me of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change lives. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to forgive us, and wants us to use his Atonement to change ourselves, to become the amazing people that He knows that we can become. Are we, each and every one of us, using the Atonement in our lives as much as Kevin is? We should be. Before we left, he offered a beautiful prayer. I shed a few tears, but wiped them up before the prayer was over.

Yesterday a man named Steve who we have talked to a few times before let us in because he had a few minutes to talk. He showed us his nice back garden and his chickens. I told him that at home we have not only chickens, but llamas as well! I was able to bear simple, but powerful testimony to him, a man who has never believed in God (though I think he has the desire to believe) that I know that God is there for me, loves me, and helps me in my life. What a great blessing for me to be able to have the opportunity to share that testimony.

Love,

Elder Poulsen

That Was Terrifying

This week Elder McFarland and I went on exchange together. Elder McFarland came to the mission at the same time as me, so we had two missionaries together who have only been in the field for 7ish weeks. He likened it to the moment when your parents leave you had home alone with your brothers and you realize that they aren't watching what you're doing anymore. We worked together really well though--it was awesome. It was terrifying though, because we were in Gloucester and I had to be the one that knew where to go and who to go visit and how to get around and not get lost. One investigator we went to go see, I didn't know how to get to his house. And it wasn't on the map because it is in a new area of town. But then we found it somehow.

Also terrifying was telling our Jamaican friend Daryl that he wasn't actually baptized by proper authority. We talked all about how the Church was restored through Joseph Smith and read about the Priesthood being restored and everything and the necessity of it being in a direct line from Jesus Christ by the laying on of hands and I showed him my line of Priesthood Authority. We went around in circles around it enough times and he didn't seem to get it, so I just had to tell him that he wasn't baptized by proper authority. He took it really well, relatively. Although he wanted me to be sure that I have not been deceived ("the thing about being deceived...is that you don't know that your being deceived" he said--he is so hilarious). So I made him a deal that he and I would both go home and pray to know if the true priesthood authority of God is found only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is when it got really terrifying. We made a deal that if he prayed and came to know this to be true, he would be baptized. If I prayed and didn't feel that it was true, I would go home. Well, I'm still in England. So that tells you I got my answer from the Lord. Daryl is still studying and praying about it. But I am very grateful that he was man enough to take the challenge. And he will be as well.

Love,

Elder Poulsen

"Do I Know You?"

I get to keep Elder Chardon! He's still here--so we'll be together for another 6 weeks. Then he'll probably transfered somewhere else and I'll still be here in Gloucester (also known as the promised land). Also its his birthday next month (he's super old--he's turning 23). But I don't think its really possible to get a birthday present for your companion when you are always within sight and sound of each other. It makes it a bit difficult.

A few days ago we were riding our bikes and Elder Chardon stopped and tried to talk to this guy that was on the sidewalk.

"Do I know you?" the man asked (make sure you read that in an English accent--I still get a kick out of it every time)

"no"

"What are you pestering me for then?" (don't forget the accent).

"we're missionaries..."

"I don't care."

I thought that was pretty hilarious. On sunday we had an awesome stake conference. One of the bishops of another ward in the stake is a pretty good organist, so it was sweet to hear some good organ playing. The main portion of the meeting, however, was a broadcast from Salt Lake (I'm assuming it wasn't live--I don't think General Authorities wake up at 2 in the morning to talk to a video camera). It was really good. The first talk was given by David S. Baxter, a member of the quorum of the seventy originally from Scotland. He talked about how there are so many problems in the world. And we have the solution to them all--The Gospel of Jesus Christ! We need to share it with people. But we cannot lead others to Christ unless we have already found him. We need to have a fire of testimony burning in us that shines through our eyes so everyone can see it.

We got to meet up with a friend of ours named Daryl this week (we haven't gotten to see him in almost a month because he's been really busy). He's jamaican (so are most of the people we teach--for some reason, jamaican people really like Elder Chardon). He's almost 24 and is going to start a university course in september to learn how to do some sort of electronic music making because that is what he wants to do. He's really cool. He has been a strong Christian his whole life and is really enjoying the new knowledge of The Book of Mormon. We just need him to realize that he hasn't actually been baptized by proper authority yet, like he thinks he has. But when we met with him last week it was apparent that we needed to not touch that issue. He was really down in the dumps because he had been caught up in work and hadn't been reading his scriptures and praying very much. So we talked to him about prayer and scripture study and read Enos 1:1-12 with him. It was an awesome experience. The moral of the story is that you should read the scriptures and pray. Every day. It will make you happy.

Love,

      Elder Poulsen

Missionary Vocabulary

Pictures!

1. This is a proper suit. Its quite tight. Also very nice. 100% wool. Its pretty wonderful. To an Englishman, and American suit is equivilant to a parachute. They have really cool blue suits here too. I'm going to have to get one before I go home.

2. This is the purple lining of my suit. I just need more purple ties now to go with it.

3. This is some wall art across the street from the library where I am emailing from. Its actually really impressive. There are a few othere paintings around here done by the same person. They are pretty cool.

Here's some fun missionary vocabulary for you guys:

flogged: This is when you set up an appointment with someone and then they aren't there when you go to see them. It would be funnier if it didn't happen so often.

dodge night: This is the night when you find out if you are going to be transfered or not. Its tonight. And then if you are being transfered, you move on wednesday. Pretty crazy. I'm not really scared that I'm going to be transfered. I've only been here for one transfer and our mission president generally keeps people in areas for a while (I've been in the mission field over a month--crazy!). But I am scared that my companion, Elder Chardon is going to get transfered. I had thought that we got to be together for two transfers for sure so that he would finish training me, but I found out last week that they might actually move him. So I am really scared that they are going to make him a zone leader and leave me here. Regardless of how awesome my new companion is, that will mean that I am going to have to be the one that knows the area--I will have to be the one that knows people and how to get around town. And that is terrifying to me. I don't know if I can do that. But I know that God can do with me whatever he wants (Alma 26:12).

     The other night I was at a youth activity (there was a few nonmembers there, so it was a good opportunity). One of the kids names was Seth. It was really weird, because every time some would say his name I would turn around and wonder what was going on. It also really freaked me out because I haven't heard people say that name for a month and a half now. It was really weird.

     We had a really awesome lesson with Elieth last week. We were able to teach her part of the Plan of Salvation. We talked about how the fall of adam and eve was necessary and all part of God's plan for the happiness of his children (2 Nephi 2:23-25). She thought it was so awesome! It is so cool to be present for those times when people gain new understanding of the wonderful truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the spirit of God. She wants to be baptized, but she has some concerns like quitting smoking, and she understands the gravity of the commitment being made at baptism (which is a good thing). We hope that as we meet with her more and she learns more of the truths of the Gospel, her desire will increase. She wants to quit smoking, she only needs to understand how much God will help her do so if she truly has the desire to. Thankfully, we have an awesome guy in our ward who went through very similar trials before he was baptized (just a year ago). He comes with us to most of our lessons with her. We were also able to speak with him to know what it is that we need to do to be able to help her through this.

     Church was so good yesterday. I felt the spirit so strong and felt so renewed and happy. I hope that this week I can bear strong testimony to people of the importance of church, so that they will come and experience it themselves.

Love,

     Elder Poulsen

A Tattoo of Jesus

      Yesterday I met a guy that had a beautiful tattoo of Jesus on his arm. Being a missionary is fun. I also had this crazy guy try to make me give him a ride on the back of my bike. He was really entertaining for a few minutes, but then he wouldn't let us leave and we had stuff we needed to do. That was frustrating. I don't have much time to email, but the work is very good here in Gloucester. We have two people now with baptismal dates: Phil, if he reads the Book of Mormon and knows that this is the right path to take, and Jesicca, assuming she can stop smoking and drinking in the next three weeks. I believe she can. Have I told you at all about her? She is really awesome. She was telling us all about how she is teaching her young children to pray and to always give thanks to God. She also told us about how she knows she loses her spiritual connection with God if she tells a lie. She also wants to convince her mom, Elieth, to be baptized the same day as her. (We have been teaching Elieth as well, but she has some concerns).

Keep the Faith. The Church is true. Jesus loves you.

Elder Poulsen