Monday, April 8, 2019

Whoa! Ryan's a mountie! That's so cool! 

We haven't seen the Sunday afternoon session yet, but we've seen all the other ones. I was falsely expecting some big change announcements, but instead I feel like I---as well as pretty much everybody---got a hardcore rebuking. Study! Pray! Have faith! more faith than you have right now! DO IT NOW! Time is running out! That was one of my favorite things, was that bit from President Nelson. We had our friend Janet there at the church with us, and we asked what she thought of it, and she just said that she has...a lot of questions. One of my favorite talks was Elder Anderson's. 

There's a member that does a bunch of joint teaches, and we visit her a lot, but this week she's been in and out of the hospital a lot. So we got to visit her in the hospital, and help her out with her groceries and stuff. She's lovely. 

I want to send you my Ireland tribute video. 

Sometimes calling people at night I have the opportunity to offer up little tidbits of advice or share scriptures I know with them. Sometimes I have to really squeeze to get information out of them about their day! That's frustrating. 

I ripped another pair of trousers. So sad. I guess I might look for some new cheap clothes. Except then those will be cheaply made and wear out fast. Same problem with shoes. I hate all the shoes I have right now, except for my trusted brown rockports, but even those are wearing out, and have been for over a year. Oh difficulties. 

We will be eating dinner with the Blacks tonight. I don't know a lot about them. Then we will be going off to Dundee. Then in the morning tomorrow, we will go to Aberdeen for the Scotland North zone conference, where I will likely get my smart phone. 

Everyone looks great. Very handsome bunch. I am looking forward to seeing you, but also striving to keep my promise to RUN across the finish line. 

Love you lots! 

Pictures!

Elder Long at the North Sea

Slain Castle

Kirkaldy, Part 1

This week, I actually was transferred. I live in a town called Kirkaldy (cur-CAW-dee). I'll be the district leader here for my last 11 weeks. My companion is Elder Jakob Rodgers from Gilbert, Arizona. He may be transferred before June, but President says I will likely not be. Elder Long will be staying in Buchan with ''the one companion (he) did not want to serve with.'' I thought that was so funny. It's an elder he knew from the MTC, and apparently he is a...challenging personality. 

There is already a nice teaching pool layed out for us here. I haven't met them yet, any one of them (about 5) but apparently they are quite prepared. And I've been promised that the ward families will take good care of us. Elder Rodgers says there are lots of young families, making this one of---if not the most---biggest ward I've been to on my mission! about 180some in regular attendance. That's really exciting to me. 

I was able to video call my sisters last week, and that was really nice. But I hope all my siblings are doing well. It sounds like they are. 

Elder Rodgers is a really good pianist! He's playing right now, and it's way good!

I'm putting in some of the pictures Elder Long took from last week's castle trip. My own dawgone camera won't charge still. 

I got some new clothes from Tesco the other day, to replace the unfortunately lost ones. 

So there are four teams in this district: Me and Rodgers, the Dunfirmline sisters Oren and Viliamil (both tiny Filipino ladies), Perth 1 Elders Zollinger and Wilde, and a trio of Elders in Perth 2 who I don't know yet. 

Well, I think that's super good news that Dallin is done his schooling (for now?) and will be getting a startup job. 

The only thing I want for when I get home right now is a job! 

Anyways. Thanks for emailing me. Love you lots Dad! 

Buchan, Part 18 - March 18

First of all, Happy Birthday Justin! Sorry I didn't call on your birthday, but I didn't call on anyone's birthday before these new guidlines were introduced. I could not remember if you had turned 13 or 14. But now I know. Love you!

Transfers haven't happened yet. We still have yet to see where/if I will be going. 

I can't tell if the new guidlines are making this easier. It's just been one of those rare ''I'm so done with people'' weeks. Everyone gets them, and I don't get them as often anymore, but yeah. I spent a bunch of time in the bathroom, not going to the bathroom. 

We visited a castle this morning. A very cool looking one. I'll have to salvage some pictures from Elder Long and McRoberts soon. My camera still won't charge. We played a good game of capture the flag, but we had to leave before anyone won because a sister had to keep an appointment for a driver test. 

I tried to high-kick a tennis ball out of the air, and i split my pants but good. Right in front of sister Wahlquist. I think she was rather tramatized. 

We set up a total of 1 appointments this week. Heavy sigh. I don't really care if anyone remembers me when I go home, but I sure hope my time will have mattered. I trust that it will. 

There is just 1 computer here, and it's being shared between 4 elders. I'm the last one to do me emailing here. I'm gonna try to stitch up my trousers before we get to work. 

Love you! 

Buchan, Part 17 - March 11

Yeah, honestly, what's the point of arguing with prophets, or criticising the revelations that come from them? it's just as effective as arguing with God! I just read recently from 1 Samuel, when Israel is demanding that a king be appointed over them. Samuel prophesies and warns that the people will be burdened, enslaved, conscripted etc. The people persist, nay we will have a king! The Lord tells Samuel to give them a king. They haven't rejected you, they have rejected me. I believe every revelation that has come from the Lord's prophet has come from the Lord Himself! It's as annoying to me as when people bring up the revelations on plural marriage and restriction of the priesthood certain brethren, and then the changing of both of those principles. People argue so much that these were racist and sexist, and that retracting those ''policies'' was a well calculated move, but seriously! These guys are prophets. We ought to listen to and heed Russell Nelson's words when he assures us that these changes are not political or cosmetic and DEFINITELY not inconsequential. 

That's what I've been thinking about a bunch this week. 

So I just got your email twice. It's the same domain pretty much. I guess it will continue to be for the remainder of this...transitional period. Just like I can still type in ''LDS.org'' and get the church website. Everyone's saying there's some big stuff coming up in this April conference. Especially for missionaries! I'll bet it's not gonna be as big as everyone thinks, but maybe I'm wrong. Most of us think probably bump the serving age for sisters down to 18 to match elders, and/or alter the amount of time elders/sisters serve. That's...all we can think of. We're very uncreative. Maybe all missionaries will get to dress casual! And get called by their first names! and get rocket boots! Stupid speculations. I'll bet we're making God laugh though. 

Anyways, we're gonna be skyping and chatting with folks and such. We've already had a heap of time taken up by the funeral (I feel bad about it, but I was really not wanting to do that). And by Elder Long skyping. 

Just know that nothing really happened this week. I already chatted to Mom a little bit about it, and it was just...boring. And fast. I really miss my family this week. 

It was a bit more rain and wind than it has been. 

I'm gonna have to be fast. We're sharing a computer and Elder Long gets and sends long emails, as their namesake suggests. Not me though, because I've got nothin' in me noggin. 

But I just love you. So take that. 

Elder Lybbert

Buchan, Part 16 - March 4

This week was unique. We were only able to spend two days in our own area---Thursday and Friday---and the rest of the time was in Aberdeen! 

Monday we were told to head down right away for interviews with President MacDonald, but that wasn't even correct. The zone leaders got it wrong, so we were down there for no reason. But we spent the day and night there anyways because the next day was the Scotland North zone conference. THAT was the day we had our interviews with President MacDonald. I always look forward to those. He's a great man. For as much as I loved Donaldson, me and MacDonald laugh and joke more. We stayed the night, and the day following---Tuesday---had a companion exchange with the Zone Leaders. It was good, and me and Elder Brockbank were able to teach a few people. One of them was at random---on the spot! I saw Elder Brockbank stop her and talk to her, and I could tell she was ready for us, so I started praying for him, and sure enough just moments later he motioned for me and we went and sat in a cafe and taught her about the restoration. It's very refreshing to the soul to testify of the Prophet Joseph, the Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ. I don't recall much about Thursday. We were meant to see a less active fellow in Fraserburgh, about an hour bus from Peterhead (have I mentioned how much I hate busrides?) but when we got there he cancelled straightway! How do you like that? Friday we had some mourning, attending the funeral of our departed friend Alex. His wife is taking it like a champ so far, but she's got a long way to go. Her friends have given all the support in the world. Alex's family has been deeply impressed by the church. Unfortunately that same day, tragedy took a son from another one of the sisters in the ward. It was suspected to have been an overdose on drugs. We went back to Aberdeen Friday night, and spent the Saturday with the District leader team. Me and Elder McRoberts spent most of the day in his car, driving people around as we prepared for a baptism happening that evening---a family of three. We were able to do some chapping though, and gave a Book of Mormon to a Muslim man from Nigeria. I used to talk to Nigerians all the time in Dundalk and I have missed them since. It was nice to talk with him. 

The mission as a whole has been seeing some good success, and lots of people entering covenants. 

I haven't heard more from Karen yet. She's just in my prayers. 

Do you remember that video ''a man without eloquence''? Brigham Young relates his conversion experience, and how it was the simple but powerful testimony of one Eleazar Miller that truly touched his spirit, and not the silver-tongued sermon that preceded. said he: ''The world with all its wisdom, power, with all the glory and gildedshow of its kings and potentates, sinks into perfect insignificance when compared to the simple,unadorned testimony of the servant of God.'' That's the worth of sincere testimonies, such as the one given by the young man. I never have testified of anything I didn't know to be true. 

Anyways, that's all I've got this week. I hope you are doing well. I don't think I'll be doing any video chatting this week, but hey-ho. 

Love you! 

Elder Lybbert

Buchan, Part 15 - February 25

it took forever, but we're here at last. We went down to the library computers at the usual time in the morning, but they didne work, then we went to mintlaw to use the clerk's office, and that would've been fine accept the missionary.org wasn't working. Didn't start working 'til about an hour ago. 

Anywho, it was a rather uneventful week as far as our work goes. But we found out on Thursday that one of our friends---the husband of one of the members in the ward---died of a heart attack. It was really sad. He and his wife have had us over every week for dinner. So maybe you can pray for Trina. 

Have to be quick actually, there's a few other missionaries in line to use this. 

Don't worry about sending any exercise stuff, I should be fine. 

Tell Granma happy birthday!

Elder Long is from Cheyenne.