2 Weeks in one....November 27, 2013

Here are Elder Butterfield's emails from last week and this.....


Who says you can't sit and cook at the same time...

 November 18, 2013

well i forgot to write in my journal for a couple of days so itll be kinda short, on tuesday we had a district meeting and then helped blackburn with their AUFs, wednesday practically all of our plans fell through, thursday we had weekly planning and then we visited our friend, friday we were going to play sports with our friend but he wasnt feeling too good so that kinda fell through so on the way back to our flat we were throwing the football around and i had an amazing catch in the middle of the road. on saturday we had tea with a less-active member and we ended up helping him with a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, sunday we went to see our friend again and helped cheer him up.

November 27, 2013

Last tuesday we had a tea appointment and then had a coordination meeting, wednesday we had a zone meeting in chorley and then when we were heading back to our flat we came across a fight. thursday we had weekly planning, friday we decided to move our couch downstairs but forgot to have someone on the other side so we ended up getting stuck upstairs for a while, saturday we had a special stake conference in chorley, sunday we had stake conference in chorley and also on saturday i found out that i am staying in rossendale valley with elder rodgers.. WOOHOO Christmas!, monday we went to help our friend move to his new flat, tuesday we helped our friend with moving some more of his stuff and then went to my doctors appointment in preston... oh yeah and i saw a ferrari

November 11, 2013...American Football and chance to see a good friend, Elder Leiva!

November 11, 2013

Tuesday we had a zone meeting and on the way back i got to see.... ELDER LEIVA!! i was so excited but our train had pulled up so i had to get on and unfortunately i couldnt get a picture or talk to him but i got to give him a hug. It was guy fawkes night so we had to be in by 5.

Wednesday we had to go on an exchange with the zone leaders and i ended up going to chorley 4 with Elder Bahr, we had our mormon.org hour and 2 appointment fell through within half an hour, also Elder Bahr got the car stuck on a kerb (curb) which was pretty embarrasing, then we had a tea appointment.

Thursday we exchanged back and had weekly planning.

Friday we had an exchange with the district leader and i stayed in Rawtenstall with Elder Tuioti who is the district leader. We went and saw one of our investigators and i helped fix his laptop for him. Then we went and saw his friend who has pet snakes and spiders yuck!

Saturday we exchanged back and went to go see our friend again.

Sunday we went again to see our friend but he wasn’t in so we went to go see a member and he also wasn’t in... on the bright side we got to see an american style mustang.

***The picture on left is Mike, covered in mud after a fun game of American football! 

November 4, 2013-Halloween costume this year.....MISSIONARY!

November 4, 2013,

Tuesday there was a lot of rain and hail, we are also now teaching someone who has been taught by missionaries before.

Wednesday we went and saw a less active and then we got a call from a member that sounded urgent and we ended up talking to their friend and now we are teaching him as well.

Thursday i had my 1st halloween on my mission.. just 1 more to go haha and we also had to be in by 5 and then we got picked up to go to our tea appointment and we ended up playing uno at that members home and elder rodgers gave candy to the trick or treaters that came to their door.

Friday we were finally able to buy some food.

Sunday we had church and then we ended up going to see a friend of ours and we talked to him and set up an appointment with him to throw around the football because he loves america

 

 

October 28, 2013....Eating Air!

Sorry there was no post last week, but Elder Butterfield sent a "nothing much has happened yet, love my new area" noninformational email, so I didn't post it.  In the email I sent him this week, I told him that no more of the "nothing much happened yet" emails were allowed or he would be fired!  haha.....luckily, this week's email has a little more substance...

October 28, 2013,

Wednesday we got a new investigator.

Thursday we had to go to chorley for a skills training and we have run out of funds so we have to walk everywhere and eat air.

Friday we planned for the upcoming week and while we were planning it was sunny out and as soon as we left the flat to go to our appointment it started pouring rain... i got completely soaked because our appointment was 30 min. away and we had to walk and when we got there we were 45 min. early so we had to wait in the rain with the lightning, Saturday elder rodgers and i had to wake up at 5 to clean the baptismal font for the baptism of the sisters investigator... i was so dead!

Sunday all of the talks were about missionary work and then after church i got to ride in a convertible BMW

October 17, 2013 ....Goodbye to Colwyn Bay

October 17, 2013

 

GOODBYE TO COLWYN BAY...



I was transferred... i am now currently in Rossendale Valley which is in the Blackburn district in the Chorley Zone.  My new companion is Elder Rodgers.

 

Wednesday of last week     

 
 week we had a lesson that was only supposed to last for 10 minutes last for at least an hour and the man didn’t want us to leave.
Saturday is when i found out that i was getting transferred.

 

Sunday there was a missionary musical fireside in Rhyl and afterwards they had food and we hung out with the Rhyl YSA which are all amazing, michaela, jordan, and worm girl hahaha.

Monday we went to pizza hut for lunch and then we went to an investigator who didn’t want us to leave and then we went and saw another investigator who didn’t want us to leave.

Tuesday was my final day in Colwyn Bay so we saw a lot of members.

Wednesday was my first day in Rossendale Valley.

October 7, 2013....Random Acts of Kindness

October 7, 2013,

Friday we went to our tea appointment. When we went to catch the bus back to our flat one of the people that we talked to last week whose wheel fell off, gave us a ride to the roundabout and seems interested in learning about the gospel.  Also the gaerwen elders car had a flat tire so porthmadog had to give them a lift to our flat… so we had 6 elders in our flat that night... talk about no room haha.

Saturday elder coleman and elder pywell went to a district leader council meeting and porthmadog drove elder nielson and i to bangor to pick up gaerwens car and take it to get a new tire.  Then elder nielson and i drove to the chester chapel to pick up elder coleman and elder pywell, then we went to gaerwen for the saturday morning general conference session.

Sunday we went to Rhyl for general conference.

***Just a little note...Isn't it neat that Elder Butterfield and Elder Coleman were helped by someone they helped a few weeks ago? 

 

September 30, 2013

 

Wow  i look forward to seeing the Mena 1st ward when i get home haha.

Tuesday i had a sore throat and elder coleman and elder pywell had to go to manchester so i was with elder nielson, at the end of the night as we were walking around a woman came up to us and asked if we had a pamphlet for her so we gave her a restoration pamphlet.

Wednesday we had a district meeting and then we had a tea appointment with a recent convert who took us to an all you can eat restaurant and then we went to the chapel and participated in the YMYW activity and there were 2 nonmembers there as well.

Thursday we tried by some potentials and couldnt find one of them and when we found him we were able to set up a return appointment with him for the next day, then one of his neighbors came out and we found out that he had been taught 30 years earlier and we talked to him and invited him to church and he said that he would think about it and said that he thinks that we are an answer to his prayer he said 30 years earlier, then we went and taught 2 investigators and invited them to church and they said that they would come to church. 

Friday we went to penrhyn bay and later came back so that we could get our new shower and we met the neighbor of the potential from the night before on the doorstep again and talked to him and then our appointment with the potential fell through.

Saturday we went to Llandulas and were able to give away 2 copies of the BoM. 

Sunday we had church and then a tea appointment in Deganwy.

September 23, 2013

September 23, 2013

 

On tuesday we had to go to the manchester south chapel for a skills workshop which went from 10 am till 5 pm and we didnt get back till 8 so we went to mochdre and ran into some kids who had been going pretty fast down the motorway when one of their wheels fell off.  While the one who had been driving the car was putting the wheel back on i had the opportunity to talk to the others about America and about my car. 

On wednesday, elder coleman, who had left his planner in runcorn on the 11th, finally got his planner back in the post.  We then went to Llandudno to try by some former investigators and then went to our tea appointment with paul. 

Thursday we had to go get my planner because i had left it at pauls flat and we ran into a couple who said that they would like missionary contact in Rhyl.  Then we went back to the flat for weekly planning after getting some of their information. After weekly planning we went to a recent convert and then to the carders for tea and then to another recent converts flat. 

On friday the gaerwen elders moved back into our flat because they were getting really sick and had found a ton of mold under the carpet in their flat.... and we had just cleaned up everything haha. 

On saturday we tried by a lot of people none of which were home and then we went to the chapel for indexing and also had a meeting with our branch mission leader and then we went to our tea appointment with the jeffers. 

On sunday we had church and then a lunch appointment with the heggs in abergele and when we were on our way back we stopped by a less-actives home.

September 16, 2013... What a Great Week!

September 16, 2013

Tuesday we had a zone meeting and then we had an exchange with the zone leaders and i ended up being in Colwyn Bay with elder Debenham.  We tried by some potentials and a less-active member after which we ran into a lady with five children and taught her the restoration on the spot.  We were able to get her information and set up a return appointment and then raced to our tea appointment.  Then, after our tea appointment we tried by another less-active and met her family and we ended up sharing a scripture with her son and set up a return appointment with him. 

Wednesday it was raining all day and when we went to exchange back, the other elders were an hour late.

Thursday we had weekly planning and then we taught one of our new investigators. 

Friday we went to Conwy in the morning and then our appointment with the other investigator fell through.

Saturday we tried by some potentials in Rhos, then in Llandudno, and then had tea at a members house.  Then, through inspiration and a full bladder, we went back to the flat and grabbed our potential sheet for Colwyn Bay and we received inspiration to try by a couple that lived close to the chapel.  And even though they were just sitting down for tea, we were able to get a return appointment. 

Sunday we had church, then a tea appointment and then we went to the appointment we had with the couple from the day before and we had the most amazing discussion ever!!  The spirit was so strong!  It’s time like these that I know that I made the right decision to go on a mission!  They said they would read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true and said that if they receive an answer that what we were teaching them is true that they would be baptized!!

September 9, 2013

September 9, 2013,

Since i just recently emailed not too much has happened.  Friday i took elder Coleman around to see some members and then we had some time left and sister carder suggested that we pray before we left to know which door we should knock on so we did and on the way back to the flat elder coleman felt inspired to knock on a certain door.  It turned out to be a man who was only going to be there for a couple more days but missionaries had knocked on his door 12 months earlier as well, but he had been living in a different location. By his reaction we know that he felt something.

Saturday we had the consecrated 4 hour finding and Elder Coleman and Elder Pywell had to go to a district leader council meeting, so Elder Neilson and i went to Penrhyn Bay to go by a potential investigator and to try to find new investigators. Later we went back to the flat to eat lunch, then we went to find along the promenade and we saw a double rainbow..... i keep forgetting to write in my journal so i probably left some things out.

 

September 5, 2013

September 5, 2013

 



Colwyn Bay, Wales

Saturday we got the transfer call and found out that elder leiva was going to blackpool and i was staying in colwyn bay. My new companion is elder coleman. Monday elder leiva and i deep cleaned the flat and went and saw members so that he could say goodbye and we did the same thing on tuesday except that we had a farewell party and we got kebab pizzas and chips (fries) and soda. Oh, and they all shot me with nerf guns.



Mike and his trainer, Elder Leiva before Elder Leiva was transferred



Below is Mike and Elder Nelson, an office Elder







 

August 27, 2013

August 27, 2013,

 

Tuesday we had a church history tour which was amazing.

Wednesday i was on an exchange with an elder from porthmadog and we contacted a referral and then we couldn’t catch a bus so we had to walk for 30 minutes to get to our next appointment.

Thursday we planned for week 5... we find out if one of us is getting transferred this saturday so p-day will be either wednesday or thursday next week.

Friday we went and saw two members because an appointment fell through.
 

Saturday we had a service project and then found out that the elders in Gaerwen were coming to stay with us because their flat has so much mold that it was making them sick, then we went to Rhyl and gave all 4 sister missionaries a blessing.

 

Sunday President Preston came to church in Colwyn bay which was kind of embarrassing because i had just noticed a tear in my trousers.

Monday a member took us somewhere and we walked along a trail. (the first picture on the rock is Elder Leiva, the second picture is Elder Butterfield)

***Side Note: When showing these pictures to some of Mikey's friends today, several asked why he wasn't wearing "missionary clothes" in some of the pictures. So....for those of you who aren't familiar with missionary life...One day a week (usually on Monday), missionaries get to spend a good portion of the day (usually until about 5:oo pm) cleaning their apartment, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and doing recreational activities.  That is why Elder Butterfield and Elder Leiva are in normal clothes in some of these pictures.

Oh, and sorry about the crazy layout of this post, but I am unable to move the pictures.  I will try again later.

 

 

 

August 19, 2013

August 19, 2013,

Tuesday we went on exchanges with the zone leaders and i ended up going to Northwich and the mission car needed to be repaired so we took it to the repair place and they gave us a courtesy car which was manuel and Elder M was very rusty on driving a stick shift. 

Wednesday we exchanged back and i had to ride a train again. 

Thursday we had to knock some doors and we had a very interesting conversation with an old man who kept trying to argue with us.  But his only argument was to keep bringing up the starving children in Africa and asking us why we were here and not there helping those children. 

Friday we had a day full of appointments and finding and we also helped a recent convert move two sofas up the stairs to his flat. 

Saturday we were going to go contact a referral and when we got to the bus stop we realized we wouldnt have enough time to get there and back so we went back to the flat and grabbed our raincoats because it had started raining which was lucky for us because we then realized that our bus passes had expired and we needed to buy new ones. 

Sunday our investigator who was supposed to get baptized next week relapsed.  On our way back to our flat that evening i reached for the handle to hold on when the bus started moving but i missed and ended up flying backwards haha.

August 12, 2013

August 12, 2013

Monday a member took us to Sondonia National Park and we went and saw an old copper mill because it was Elder Leiva's birthday. 

Bridge they had to cross

Tuesday we had a zone meeting and afterwards we had our exchange with the Porthmadog elders.  We went to Abergele to contact potentials.   

Wednesday Elder De Ligne and I went and met with an investigator who had disappeared for a while and then contacted us out of the blue.   

Thursday we had a Full Mission Conference and Eder Nelson and Elder Holland spoke to us!!!   

Friday we took an investigator to the British Pageant along with 2 members. Elder leiva and I almost didnt get to watch it because there were no seats left  so we had gone outside and a couple of seconds later someone came out saying that there were 12 seats left so elder leiva and i went in and the seats were right in front of Elder Nelson and Elder Holland!!!!! so we got to sit next to 2 apostles!! 

I was so tired on saturday.   

Sunday elder leiva and i had to give talks. I went first and my mind completely blanked and i ended up only giving a 5 minute talk so elder leiva had to give a 20 minute talk.